The Halo Infinite Winter Update Seems Like The Patch Fans Have Been Waiting For

Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries has detailed everything coming to the game’s 2022 Winter Update.

It takes them a while. The video walking people through all the new features is 12 minutes long.

So, what’s in the update? After its tumultous first year in the wild, what can Halo Infinite offer you that might tempt you into reinstalling? Let’s go down the list point by point.

Multiplayer

The Halo Infinite Winter Update will launch two new multiplayer maps, and a brand new game mode. There’s also a 30-tier battle pass, two events, and the long-awaited introduction of Match XP. All of these features are coming to the game free of charge.

Both new multiplayer maps, Argyle and Detachment, are Forge-created maps. That is, they were made in Halo Infinite‘s own creator toolset. Detachment has the distinction of being the first official Halo Infinite map to feature a teleporter. The teleporter can be used in a number of different tactical scenarios, and the team sees it as something for teams to try to control and squabble over. Argyle is a classic deathmatch level, with a huge central courtyard surrounded by a warren of flanks and alleys.

The new mode is called Covert One Flag and is almost exactly what it says on the tin. Covert One Flag is the first asymmetrical mode in Halo Infinite. A single flag capture mode, one team is considered the Attackers and the other is considered the Defenders. The Attackers have unlimited active camo, while the defenders have unlimited use of the Threat Sensor. The hope is that the mode becomes a game of cat-and-mouse as the Attackers attempt to sneak by the wary Defenders and yoink their flag.

Match XP is the long-awaited reworking of how Halo Infinite awards XP match to match. XP is awarded for playing matches, with bonus XP awarded for wins and especially good performance. The hope is that this change will get players moving more quickly and smoothly through the battle pass, which has been something of a chore since the game launched last year.

Speaking of the battle pass, the Winter Update will arrive with a new 30-tier battle pass full of new and returning cosmetics. The battle pass, like the rest of the update, is free.

Two events will punctuate the Winter Update. The first, arriving in December, is called Winter Contingency 2. The second event, Joint Fire, will follow in January. The video is rather light on details for exactly what these events will entail. I expect we’ll hear more about them closer to launch.

Campaign

Network co-op finally arrives in Halo Infinite with the Winter Update. Yes, I know, it’s not the couch co-op we know and love, and that’s a tremendous bummer, but if we’re being honest, it’s better than nothing at all. Features of the network co-op mode include saved campaign progress — the game can look at every player in the fireteam and start the game on the save considered “furthest back” in the campaign so nobody gets left behind. With modifiers like skulls, fireteams will be able to choose from the total pool of skulls collected by the group. If you’re coming in with a skull your friend doesn’t have, everyone will be able to use that skull. Map limits have been expanded as well, so you can fly off the map in an aerial vehicle without worrying about dying randomly. If you die, you’ll respawn with the same weapons you had on you when you kicked it — a first for the series.

Fireteam leaders have their roles diminished in network co-op because the idea is that the whole team works together rather than looking to a leader for their cues. You can kill your team mates. You can use the tac map to grief them. You can skip cinematics on the lore hound in your group. Anyone can trigger a mission replay (yes, you can finally replay campaign missions). It seems there’s been an effort to, as best they can, recreate the couch co-op experience through the online component.

Forge Open Beta

Halo Infinite‘s Forge mode, its creator toolset for building multiplayer maps and levels, is moving into open beta in the Winter Update. What used to be a simple editor for customising existing maps in previous games is now a full-blown level editor, allowing especially creative players to build their dream arenas and even short games. Everything from textures and palattes to lighting, effects and audio cues is now at your disposal.

Forge even goes a step further toward blurring the line between player-created and dev-quality map building by including an entire, Unreal-style visual scripting language. This means for players that like to design their own modes, this will be a major boon. Modes like Grifball and Infection were created in much earlier versions of Forge before they became a core part of the official Halo mode rotation. Now, the toolset has been widened to give would-be designers the space to go as wild as they like.

So there you go, that’s everything coming to the Halo Infinite Winter Update. See anything you like? Has 343 enticed you into coming back or has the ship already sailed? Let me know in the comments.