[GameSpot] - Halo Infinite's Biggest Update Ever Is Coming In November, With Season 3 Slated For March 2023

[343iBot]

343 Industries has provided a Halo Infinite roadmap for its ongoing live service strategy, beginning with the game's biggest update so far this November and stretching through Season 3 in March 2023.

The free Winter Update is set for release on November 8, and this will be Halo Infinite's largest content update so far. It includes a beta for Forge, the online campaign co-op and mission replay features, a new 30-level battle pass for free, two new maps, and--finally!--match XP in a beta.

Starting with the last one, match XP is something fans have been calling for since the game launched. Starting in November, players will earn XP every match, and this is part of 343's drive to make Halo Infinite "rewarding." The studio said players should be "rewarded no matter how they play." Match XP is launching via a beta test of the feature, so it could and likely will change over time based on fan feedback.

Also coming in the Winter Update is a new battle pass that is free for everyone, as well as a new mode called Covert One Flag. This mode features asymmetrical loadouts and round-based gameplay as teams of attackers and defenders try to capture or hold the flag.

The Winter Update also delivers the long-awaited Forge beta. This will take the form of a "fully featured" version of the editor, and more details are coming in blog posts throughout September and October. Additionally, 343 confirmed that Halo Infinite's newest multiplayer maps coming in the Winter Update, Argyle and Detachment, were made using Forge.

What's next for Halo Infinite

Additionally, Halo Infinite's Winter Update adds online campaign co-op and the mission replay feature; both of these were previously available to testers. However, local couch co-op for Halo Infinite has been canceled. 343 said of the cancellation, "In order to improve and accelerate ongoing live service development, and to better address player feedback and quality of life updates, we have reallocated studio resources and are no longer working on local campaign split screen co-op."

After Halo 5 was criticized for dropping local split-screen co-op, 343's Bonnie Ross promised that the next Halo game would offer local split-screen, but that is no longer happening.

Looking further out, 343 also confirmed that Season 3: Echoes Within will arrive for Halo Infinite on March 7. This update will add new armor cores and a custom game browser to allow players to find whatever playlist or Forge map they want. Two new maps--one each for Arena and Big Team Battle--are coming in Season 3 as well, along with new VIP and Escalation game modes.

Additionally, the rumored Bandit Rifle will be added to Halo Infinite in Season 3. It's similar to Halo: Reach's DMR, 343 said, though it is more effective at close range. There is a new Shroud Screen ability coming, too, that "focuses on area denial through a high-tech smokescreen that conceals players from radar, even when firing, but at the cost of completely obscuring vision both into and out of the screen."

Finally, 343 Season 3 in 2022 will mark the beginning of a "more predictable" schedule of live-service seasons for Halo Infinite. There will be "more content than ever launching throughout each calendar year," 343 said.

In addition to ongoing updates for Halo Infinite, Season 2 of the Halo TV series is in the works.

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