HDR lighting may not have been in the cards for Halo Wars 2 at launch, but that's about to change. In a preview of the release notes for the next patch to the game, 343 Industries has revealed HDR support will be added for those with "compatible hardware" at some point in the coming week.
What that presumably means is that anyone with an Xbox One S and HDR compatible TV should see a picture quality boost right away with brighter whites, poppy colors, and an increased contrast in between. Those playing on PC with a new HDR monitor (a relative rarity at the moment) should be able to take part as well.
Of course, there's a lot more expected in the patch across the board. Here's a look:
- New Feature: Support for HDR lighting is now enabled for players with compatible hardware!
- Players should no longer have a chance of loading into the game without the ability to issue any commands
- Fixed a crash that rarely occurred after signing in on the Main Menu
- Fixed a crash when playing against AI in Firefight or Skirmish mode
- Fixed a desync that could occur in ranked 2v2 games
- Fixed a crash on "Last Stand" that could occur from loading from an old save from a previous release
- Fixed a crash that could occur when attacking the first barricade in the Prologue
- Added allied view indicator to the mini-map
- Added 2 new themes to "Proving Ground" Blitz map
- Made "Restoration Drones" get more expensive when it is upgraded to its 3rd tier
- Adjusted the Foundry so that its always hit by Hunters' and Marines' upgraded projectiles when attacked
- Added better "Combat Salvage" visual effects when a unit dies and is immediately built back at base
- Removed an exploit with "Combat Salvage"
- Reworked a targeting exploit that could occur with using "Extraction"
- Pelicans and Darts should no longer leave floating lights above bases
- Made it so that "Ghost in the Machine" would no longer disable Colony's "Combat Repair" on the units it borrowed
- Spartans no longer strip upgrades from vehicles they hijack
- Some tech upgrades were not applying completely to some units
- Fixed an issue with moving units not properly attacking Garrisoned units
- Units teleported off the map are now teleported back to your base
- Spartans no longer increase the level of units they hijack
- Made card pack descriptions show up in the appropriate language for France and Taiwan
- Added text to the Pelican Transport level 2 when selected on the leader power radial
- Added "Upgrade Complete" voice over for various leaders that was missing
- Adjusted the audio to the Forerunner structure on Highway to remove the high frequency that could be unpleasant to hear
- Audio/music should no longer drop from games played through a playlist
- Locust beam is no longer audible in the fog of war
- Hellbringers should no longer play Kinsano voiceover when being attacked by an enemy Spartan
HDR is a pretty big deal for those who have the hardware, arguably improving picture quality more than even the bump from 1080p to 4K. The next patch is currently set to drop sometime next week alongside the next DLC leader, but there's no exact ETA currently available.
