I made this once, but I made some major mistakes. This time, though I made a working formula. If you have any questions (besides "why you make my head asplode") pm me. The important numbers are at the bottom in bold. And, Bungie, can I has arbiter for all the work I did? Here are the answers to this insanely long math problem [b] [SPARTAN] 19,203,609,600,000,000 [for normal players] 31,531,991,040,000,000 [for Recon players] 35,473,489,920,000,000 [for bungie employees] [Elite] 3,499,200,000,000,000[for everyone] [/b] So, let's start out with the everyday player. His name is Bob. Bob has unlocked all the SPARTAN and Elite armor permutations, and is now customizing with extreme randomness. Not random enough, though, because people have been telling Bob to stop copying their armor. Now Bob is wondering how many ways there are to customize his armor. Lets separate this into catagories, shall we? (Armor permutations only) Let us assume that Player (Bob) has every armor, excluding the Recon armor, and the Flaming Helmet Chestplate. Numbe of armor parts available to Bob: Helmets: 10 Chestplates: 7 LShoulders: 7 Rshoulders: 7 10x7x7x7=3430 But Bob is not satisfied. Someone says they stole their armor color. Time to add in some more variables, Bob. (Armor permutaions and colors) There are thirty colors each, and three different places to color, making it 30 cubed, or 30x30x30, which equals 27000 So, now bob has 3430x27000, which equals 92,610,000 . Happy yet Bob? No? Someone ranting about your symbol? (Armor permutations, armor colors, symbols and symbol colors) there are 80 symbols, twice that if you toggle. There are 48 backgrounds. there are again, three ways to color them, Primary, secondary and background. so the math comes to be 92,610,000x160x48x27,000=19,203,609,600,000,000. How about now, Bob? What? Bungie has seen fit to give you Recon for [insert really cool thing here]? Well now, we need to start back at the begining, but to make it easy, we will take out the armor and hold onto the whatever is left over for the next step. (Armor permutations [+Recon], armor colors, symbols and symbol colors) first we divide that REALLY big number above be the amount of armor available to the normal player. 19,203,609,600,000,000/3430=5,598,720,000,000 Now, we find out how Recon has changed the numbers for armor permutations. Helmets: 11 Chestplates: 8 LShoulders: 8 Rshoulders: 8 so now we have: 11x8x8x8=5632 now, we multiply the new armor numbers by that other BIg number. 5,598,720,000,000x5632=31,531,991,040,000,000 So, Bob, are we done here? What? In the time it's taken me to do this, you got HIRED by bungie, and now you have the flaming helmet chestplate? well, this changes everything. (Armor permutations [+Recon][+FHC], armor colors, symbols and symbol colors) There was another tossup in the armor numbers, so we will use the new numbers here. Helmets: 11 Chestplates: 9 LShoulders: 8 Rshoulders: 8 now we have 11x9x8x8=6336 now we multiply that by that second big number I mentioned. 5,598,720,000,000x6336=35,473,489,920,000,000 But Bob still has a question. What about the Elites, you ask? [Elite] Helmets: 5 Chestplates: 5 LShoulders: 5 Rshoulders: 5 Primary Armor Colors: 30 Secondary Armor Colors: 30 Armor Detail Colors: 30 Symbols: 160 Symbol Backgrounds: 48 Primary Symbol Colors: 30 Secondary Symbol Colors: 30 Symbol Background Colors: 30 625x5598720000000=3499200000000000 Bob is finally happy. He knows now that his armor choices are unique, no matter what anyboby else says. Bye for now, Bob. If you ever have anymore mathmatical questions like this one, don't hesitate to ask. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In conclusion [b] [SPARTAN] 19,203,609,600,000,000 [for normal players] 31,531,991,040,000,000 [for Recon players] 35,473,489,920,000,000 [for bungie employees] [Elite] 3,499,200,000,000,000[for everyone] [/b] Yes, the Elites do get a raw deal. I would like to thank R4Z0RS 3DG3 and Marinade for pointing many errors in calculation. It is thanks to them that these are correct at all. [Edited on 12.13.2007 7:27 PM PST]