Bungie has finally let us know when the Halo 3 Beta will be available. Just a little over a month away, the beta will go live for all those who order Crackdown or one of the many other ways that will be you into the game. The beta will consist of three maps; Valhalla, High Ground and Snowbound. While the game is certainly not finished, Bungie has stated it will be a good gauge of what the final product will look like. The maps range from large to medium in size, featuring brand new vehicles and weapons. The beta will feature a wealth of new things, but as Bungie has stated, this will only be the tip of the iceberg.

There are a number of new features you’ll get to test out – including a new grenade type, a completely different class of weapon and some of the enhanced online functionality we plan to bring to the game – but it should be noted, a lot of secret features are hidden in this Beta. We’re keeping a lot of our powder dry for Fall. In May, when your firing the Spiker, sniping vehicles with the Spartan Laser and sticking fools with the Brute Spike grenade, remember that it’s just a peek-a-boo fraction of what’s to come.

More information about the features and the mysterious X button functionality will be revealed in due time leading up to the release of the beta.