New Halo Infinite campaign gameplay shows boss fights, outposts, and upgrades

What you need to know

• In a new Halo Infinite gameplay video, fans were able to get a closer look at the game's boss fights, outposts, and upgrades.
• Boss fights will feature unique enemies that drop unique weapons, and bosses will sometimes also be accompanied by some normal enemies.
• Outposts in the world are called FOBs, and when the player defeats the Banished in them, the UNSC will take them over and players will earn Valor. More Valor leads to more weapon, equipment, and vehicle options when resupplying at FOBs.
• Upgrades for equipment will require a collectible called Spartan Cores that can be found in the world. Some upgrades include shock damage for the Grappleshot and extra shield strength for the Overshield.
• Players will also have access to a special collectible scanner that will make the process of finding collectibles like Spartan Cores and audio logs easier.

In a new video (courtesy of IGN) that goes over many of the systems and mechanics that players will engage with in the Halo Infinite campaign, we got a closer look at Halo Infinite's ambitious boss-style encounters, its open world outposts, and the upgrades that players will be able to unlock for pieces of Equipment like the Grappleshot and the Repulsor.

One of the things stated in the video is that as players find and defeat boss-style enemies, such as a Brute called Tremonious, they'll have an opportunity to pick up and use the uniquely modified versions of Banished weapons that these bosses drop. Players will also be able to call these weapons in when resupplying at friendly bases in the future as well. Notably, it was also revealed that these boss enemies will also sometimes be accompanied by some regular foes as well. In Tremonious' case, players can expect to encounter two Jackals giving him support.

Details about the outposts that players can come across in Halo Infinite's open world areas were also revealed, too. There are two kinds of outposts; the first are Forward Operating Bases, or FOBs. FOBs are initially filled with Banished enemies, but once the player clears them out, they can be commandeered by friendly Marines and can be used to call in weapons or vehicles. As players clear out more FOBs, they earn Valor. The more Valor a player has, the more options they have when resupplying. The second types of outposts are larger "dungeon" structures where many of Halo Infinite's main story missions take place.

The video also gave us a bit of a closer look at how upgrading Halo Infinite's equipment works. As players explore the open world, they'll come across special UNSC crates that contain a collectible called Spartan Cores. These Spartan Cores can be used to improve how effective each piece of equipment is in battle. An upgrade that gives the Grappleshot shock damage was visible, as was one that improved the strength of the shield provided by the Overshield equipment.

Speaking of collectibles, we also got a look at a special scanning tool that Master Chief can use to will reveal where nearby collectibles are, such as Spartan Cores, audio logs, and more. The range on this scanner isn't huge, but it will make finding collectibles in dense areas easier.

Halo Infinite's campaign is launching alongside the game's free-to-play multiplayer on Dec. 8, 2021, for $60. It will be available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One consoles, and Windows PCs.