The Story of the Bungie Armor (or flaming head): Halo 3's Most Exclusive ITEM

The Bungie Armor, also known as the Flaming Head, is an armor permutation in Halo 3 available exclusively to (mainly) Bungie Studios employees. Visually identical to the EOD chest piece (minus the EOD's shoulder lights), the armor's defining feature is a fire effect applied to the player's head. 

Because the permutation is classified as a chest piece rather than a helmet, the flames can be paired with any combination of helmet and shoulders — meaning Bungie employees could rock the fire with whatever loadout they wanted.

The flame burns even through active camouflage, which is as much a liability as it is a flex.

Only two non-employees are known to have ever received the armor legitimately: Nathan Fillion, voice of Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds in Halo 3 and Edward Buck in Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 5: Guardians; and Pope Rex, winner of the Sarkathlon 4 event. 

When Frank O'Connor left the studio to work for 343 Industries, Bungie stated in response to questions about O'Connor's flaming head that "The flame has been extinguished." O'Connor, known in the community as "Frankie," had been one of Bungie's most visible faces, serving as community manager and primary author of the Bungie Weekly Update throughout Halo 2 and Halo 3's production.

Bungie leaned into the armor's exclusivity as a recruiting hook, promoting it on Bungie.net with the slogans "Get hired, get fire" and "Game with Flame." The armor made exactly one community-wide appearance: on Bungie Day 2010 (7/7/10), every Halo 3 player was granted the Bungie Armor for the day, along with the Bungie nameplate (the two being a linked effect).