At last night's Halo Fest event, we learned about a rather beefy title update to Halo: Reach that's set to launch sometime next month. The patch implements a number of significant (and, therefore, controversial) changes to the multiplayer title, with the biggest being the nerfing of the Armor Lock ability. Instead of making you an invulnerable juggernaut, Armor Lock now only prevents most of the damage done to you whilst locked, and no longer detaches stuck plasma grenades.

Other changes include: the addition of "Shield Bleed-through," whereby damage done to players with a fraction of their shield remaining can now be carried over to their remaining health; an option to remove reticle bloom; the removal of a player's ability to deflect an oncoming sword lunge by meleeing (unless they too are using a sword); and the wholesale buffing of the pistol, bringing it closer to parity with its Halo: Combat Evolved predecessor.