General Information about Skill and EXP
Bungie has incorporated a great system to figure out how to set you up as a player against people of similar skill level. They've done this by separating two ways to measure it - A Matchmaking Skill and and Experience Points (EXP) basis.
A Matchmaking Skill is unique to each Ranked playlist, and can ONLY be earned in a ranked playlist. The higher you go, the higher your rank will go in correlation with your EXP, which will be explained later. This rating system is very similar, if not the same as it was in Halo 2, if you played that.
The EXP system works on a very simple basis. Win a game, you get experience. Lose a game, you don't get any experience. Quit out of a game, you therefore ruin the balance of the game and you lose an EXP point. Pretty simple. The more games you win over time, the higher the rank you'll get as a result, but it will be in correlation with how skilled you are in Matchmaking.
If you lose your broadband connection to the game, or if you purposely quit out, Bungie takes no exceptions and you WILL lose an EXP point. Now I know you think that might be unfair if SBC Yahoo or Comcast decides its time to reset everything randomly, but take solace in the fact that in the log term, Bungie is doing this to protect you and the quality of the game.
You Earn EXP in ANY Matchmaking playlist - both Ranked and Social, but can only increase Skill in Ranked Matchmaking.
How EXP are assigned:
Free for all:
* Top half (win): +1
* Lose: 0
* Quit: -1
Team:
* Winning team: +1
* Losing team: 0
* Quit: -1
When you first start out, you are Enlisted. This means that your Skill level is irrelevant. When you get to 70 EXP and you are a level 10 in Skill on a Ranked list, you will become an Officer, specifically a Lieutenant. This means that you have the combined amount of experience and skill to be in this higher category. And you get the "Spartan Officer" Achievement as well. Not too Shabby.
Field Promotions
If you reach a particular zenith in your MM rank and you start to climb on a particular rating ladder (i.e. high EXP), but then you get a higher MM rank into the next category, you will get what is called a field promotion. Here's an example: Say you are a Major, and you highest skill is a 32. You've been super comfortable at this level and have played awhile and now you have over 1,200 EXP. If you go on a crazy winning streak, the moment you become a level 35, you will receive a field promotion and immediately become a Commander Grade 3. Friggin sweet!
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x315/BTHR_Zero_X/Halo%203%20Other%20Pics/ListofobtainableOnlineranks.jpg
