March is Women's History Month and it did not go unnoticed for 343 Industries, which is celebrating by releasing a nameplate for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. As a way to honor the occasion, anyone who plays the game during this month will be able to obtain the Women's History Month nameplate for free. The nameplate features Spartan Kat, one of the most well-known female characters in the Halo franchise. Please note that this article will have spoilers for Halo: Reach.
This is not the first time fans have seen nameplates being released in Halo to commemorate important historical dates. Last month, 343 Industries also released a Black History Month nameplate which was available throughout February, and last June a couple of nameplates called "Unity 1" and "Unity 2" were released in support of Pride events. Additionally, a National Native American Heritage Month nameplate was gifted by default last November when Halo 4 was released.
The Women's History Month nameplate was announced on Twitter and most fans took the opportunity to subtweet how sorry they are that Spartan Kat died in the game. Spartan Kat's first appearance in Halo: Reach happened 11 years ago in a trailer entitled "Deliver Hope." She was killed in the same installment and some fans consider her death to be poorly written because she appeared to die too easily when shot. However, it has been noticed that Kat had not recharged her shields because she deemed them unnecessary which is why she had no form of protection.
As much as fans seemed to appreciate seeing such a beloved character featured in a nameplate, most seemed to be more interested in learning new details about the next update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection So far, it has been confirmed that the update will feature two new maps for Halo 3 which will be the first time in a decade that new maps are released for said installment. Furthermore, the update will include back accessory items to customize characters even more and to help them stand out on the battlefield.
Even though Spartan Kat is definitely one of the characters fans remember the most fondly, some think there were other good alternatives to celebrate Women's History Month. For instance, Twitter user SupermanKenobi suggested that Cortana or Miranda Keyes would have been better choices to be featured in the nameplate. In particular, Keyes is not a Spartan like Kat is, making Miranda a much more relatable female character. Additionally, Keyes plays a much more important role in the Halo franchise than Kat did which is why she could have been a better icon for Women's History Month.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.