What you need to know
- Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries has detailed sweeping changes headed to the game's customization and progression systems in future updates.
- Changes start with tweaks to the Season 2 battle pass, focused on providing better value across free and premium reward tracks.
- 343 Industries has also started work on a long-term XP-based career progression system, and cross-core customization, with both features now in the "design phase" at the studio.
- Halo Infinite Season 2 Lone Wolves adds new maps and modes to the game's multiplayer offerings, currently scheduled for a May 3, 2022 release.
343 Industries has outlined further details around its forthcoming Halo Infinite Season 2 update, including several planned improvements to its free-to-play multiplayer. The developer has announced revised customization and progression systems scheduled for May, responding to feedback through its inaugural season.
Halo Infinite first launched in Nov. 2021, with concerns around lacking customization and progression still at the forefront almost six months later. The game made notable departures from earlier Halo titles, adopting a new tier-based battle pass progression system and abandoning a traditional XP-based ranking system. The free-to-play push also saw a sizeable portion of armor tied to store purchases, throttling content earnable in-game.
Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries has expanded on upcoming changes slated for Season 2, including the first set of revisions to its battle pass. The Season 2 battle pass will allow players to earn CR, the game's premium currency, throughout the paid battle pass track. With each battle pass priced at 1000CR, players will earn back their investment to spend via the in-game store. Season 2 will also expand its free track, providing more zero-cost rewards to players.
Other short-term tweaks are coming to progression, including "continued improvements" to Weekly Challenges, with more valuable Ultimate Rewards for completing all challenges. Unlike Season 1, items like coatings and stances will make regular appearances rather than emblems and backdrops.
The Redmond studio has also announced more considerable changes planned for future seasons, including sweeping revisions to customization and progression systems.
A new "Career Progression" system is coming, providing long-term XP-based progression akin to many popular shooters on the market. Per-match XP is set to arrive sometime in 2022, pivoting away from the entirely challenge-centric system used to date. The complete progression system appears set for a later debut, currently in the "design phase" among the team.
The team also plans to add improved flexibility throughout current cosmetic systems, including cross-core customization for coatings and some armor pieces. In the game's current state, players are limited to equipping armor pieces across three separate "cores." At first, the team plans to have coatings and visors working between all cores, with cross-core helmets and chests to follow for canon cores. Non-canon cores, including those from Fracture events like Tenrai, will remain partially separated from mainline configurations.
The Halo Waypoint blog post spotlights further feedback and current plans to address more requests and concerns with future updates. Many should appreciate the transparency, acknowledging some of the title's most prominent issues, following a period of what some described as "poor communication" from 343 Industries.
Halo Infinite Season 2, Lone Wolves, remains scheduled for May 3, 2022, introducing a series of new maps and modes to its free-to-play offerings. Co-op campaign support, also slated for Season 2, will also arrive in a later update during the three-month window.
Halo Infinite's campaign promises fans the most expansive single-player Halo experience to date, featuring a dynamic open world brimming with stories to uncover and hours of shooter action. Coupled with a robust free-to-play multiplayer suite, it's a modern masterpiece that's familiar, yet fresh, in all the right ways.
