Halo Infinite News

Season 5: Reckoning releases tomorrow and features a deluge of new customization content and updates – and we’re just getting started.

Feast your eyes!

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[h2]Rated F for Flood[/h2]

It has been said that one single Flood spore can destroy a species, so just think about how much damage you’re going to do playing as a primordial instrument of parasitic power.

The Flood have come to Halo Infinite’s customization.



Embrace the Shaping Sickness and step onto the battlefield as a combat form of unparalleled might, the machine and nerve of a Spartan super-soldier – already a living weapon – reformed and refined into the greatest terror in the galaxy.

In Season 5, you can augment the appearance of your Spartan and your weapons with this dire infestation, as individual armor pieces, armor effects, and Armor and Weapon Kits will be available to earn through the Battle Pass and purchase in the Shop.



Do not be afraid. Peace and salvation have come, so join your voice with our timeless chorus and sing victory everlasting!

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[h2]Battle Pass & Operations[/h2]



Battle Passes and Events are evolving in Season 5 of Halo Infinite.

For those who may have missed our showcase during the 2023 Halo World Championship event, you can take a closer look at the rewards you’ll be unlocking in the video linked below.

Spartan Chatter: Season 5 Revealed

Coming in the Season 5: Reckoning Battle Pass is a selection of spooky and scary customization items – from emblems of Unggoy flying on broomsticks and a Banished scythe weapon charm, to some of the Flood-themed armor shown in the section above, and plenty more. Oh, and those gloriously coveted EOD and Security helmets as well!

[h3]Premium Pass[/h3]

Like with previous seasons, the Season 5: Reckoning Premium Battle Pass will cost 1,000 credits and it will still include 1,000 credits that can be unlocked – these are split into five reward tiers of 200 credits each.

• The Premium Battle Pass includes an extra challenge slot and bonus Match XP while it’s active
  
• Never expires once purchased

The Season 5 Premium Battle Pass also includes the Defiled Bulldog weapon model.



Like the Events we have come to know, Operations are totally free activities that will include 20 tiers of earnable, themed rewards. Operations will run for approximately four to six weeks, giving players more time to unlock these rewards.

Unlike previous Events, the way you progress an Operation will be based on Match XP (not Challenges), which you can earn in Matchmaking or Custom Games. Here’s a look at the Operations coming in Season 5…

[h3]Combined Arms: November 14-December 19[/h3]

RAKSHASA-themed customization for Spartans who find themselves working alongside alien allies.



[h3]Winter Contingency III: December 19-January 30[/h3]

All units are set to be mobilized and merry with these Holiday-themed customization rewards!



You can read more in our blog on Season 5's Battle Pass & Operations.

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[h2]Holding Out For A Hero[/h2]



You’ve been holding out for a Hero – a green knight upon a fiery steed (in this case, undoubtedly a crashing Pelican). He’s gotta be strong and he’s gotta be fast, and he’s gotta be ready to finish the fight!

For those valiant souls who have already attained the rank of Hero, you shall be rewarded. For those of you who are either just embarking on this great journey through their Career Rank or are already underway, this is what you’re working towards…

Players who attain the Hero rank will unlock:

• Infinite Mark VI Kit for your Mark VII armor
  
• Hero emblem set
  
• Campaign Season armor coating (for all Armor Cores)
  
• Midway Emerald armor coating (for all Armor Cores)

The Master Chief’s iconic GEN3 Mjolnir Mark VI armor from the campaign of Halo Infinite will not feature the 117 engraving, which can instead be filled with the emblem of choice that best represents you.


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[h2]Mjolnir Magnificence[/h2]



We are bringing the CE Mark V armor kit to Halo Infinite ahead of Halo: CE’s upcoming birthday.



The Master Chief’s iconic Mjolnir Mark V armor from Halo: CE has been lovingly and authentically recreated as an Armor Kit in Halo Infinite, you can find it in shop on November 7.

Both the Mark V and Infinite Mark VI armor will be available as Armor Kits, which have also been updated and enhanced for Season 5, as they now allow for coating, visor, emblem, and FX customization. That means players have more flexibility to personalize how their Spartan looks if they equip an Armor Kit, rather than being locked to any specific appearance.


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[h2]Customization Flexibility[/h2]

In Season 5, we are making further progress on supporting customization flexibility after laying some of the foundational groundwork in Season 4.

[h3]Helmets Are Multi-Core[/h3]

You read that right. We have made adjustments to every helmet in Halo Infinite, which means that all 100+ helmets in the game are available on all Armor Cores.

We can’t wait to see what combinations you come up with – here’s a gallery of a few we’ve put together!



[h3]Multi-Core Icon[/h3]

From Season 5 onwards, all new coatings earned in Battle Passes, as Ultimate Rewards, or purchased in the Shop will be multi-core coatings (this includes coatings that are sold as part of Armor Sets or Weapon Kits). These will be marked with an identifying icon.

[h3]Ultimate Rewards[/h3]

In the past, Ultimate Rewards (unlocked by completing all your Weekly Challenges and the Ultimate Challenge) have given individual customization items. This is changing in Season 5, as these will no longer be individual rewards, but bundled.

• Unlocked Ultimate Reward Emblems will apply across Armor, Vehicles, and Weapons
  
• Unlocked Ultimate Reward Armor Coatings will apply to all Armor Cores
  
• Unlocked Weapon Coatings apply to all weapons that take coatings

Oh, and speaking of which, complete all your weekly challenges when they go live tomorrow to unlock your first Ultimate Reward in Season 5: the Brushfire armor coating for all cores.


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[h2]Talkin' Shop[/h2]

Secure the Flood super bundle when Season 5 kicks off on October 17 and enhance your Spartan’s Mark V armored casket with some horrifying new augmentations…

• Contaminator and Blighter helmets
  
• Cursed Blisters and Defiled FARNDALE helmet attachments
  
• Cursed Guard & Defiled Guard shoulder pads
  
• Cursed Vigor & Defiled Grenadier chest attachment
  
• Cursed Growths hip attachment
  
• Defiled Munitions wrist attachment
  
• Defiled Drive knee pads
  
• Eternal Rest & Gauss Forest armor coatings

Corpses shift and offer room for defilement of your weapons with the Defiled SPNKr & S7 Sniper Rifle as well.

Oh, and, if you get the super bundle, you will additionally be granted two timed-exclusive Armor Effects.

• Blightland Marauder Armor Effect
  
• Hidden Malignancy Death Effect

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This brings us to the end of our look at Season 5’s customization elements, so it’s back to counting down the hours until release!

From the blogs that have been releasing over the course of this week to the previews shown at HaloWC 2023 (and, for some, the hands-on experiences you were able to have at the event), we hope you’re as hyped for launch as we are.

Will you give yourself to the Flood? Are you planning to accelerate to FTL speeds to get that beautiful Infinite Mark VI armor for reaching Hero? Or will you be checking out some new looks with those multi-core helmets? Whatever your plans are, we can’t wait to see you on the battlefield tomorrow!

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For more on Season 5 of Halo Infinite, check out our other blogs:

• OPERATIONS & BATTLE PASS OVERVIEW – Everything you need to know about how Halo Infinite’s Events are evolving into Operations and the Season 5 Battle Pass
  
• HALO GEAR REWARDS – Learn more about the Halo Gear Rewards program for Season 5
  
• EXTRACTION OVERVIEW – Take a guided tour of Forbidden and Prism with our multiplayer designers
  
• MAPS OVERVIEW – Find out about new objects, palettes, options, and more coming to Forge
  
• RANKED OVERVIEW – All you need to know about Ranked, sandbox, and balancing updates and changes in Season 5
  
• FORGE OVERVIEW – Find out about the AI toolkit for PvE, along with new objects, palettes, options, and more coming to Forge

For nearly two years we’ve watched the greatest Halo players on Earth wield their Battle Rifles to duke it out at over a dozen global events for millions of dollars in the HCS, as well as each of you inside the various ranked playlists inside the game. This has been some of the most amazing Halo we’ve watched – thank you.



And now, nearly two years later, Season 5 for Halo Infinite launches on October 17 and with it brings big changes to ranked – and we couldn’t be more excited for you to play and compete.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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[h2]Bandit EVO[/h2]



When the M392 Bandit was introduced in Season 3, we knew it had the potential to capture the hearts of the competitive community. Sure enough, it did. And we heard loud and clear from you that competitive Halo needed a single-shot fire starting gun, something that made you giddy when you got a Perfect kill, something that made you jump out of your chair when you turned around and outgunned someone who had the drop on you, something that rewarded your individual skill more.

That something is the Bandit EVO.

The M392 Bandit that shipped with Season 3 was designed to be an on-map pickup weapon in the “Assault Rifle” class, and we felt it fit that role just right. However, if we wanted to adapt the Bandit to be the starting gun, it needed a complete overhaul as it was going to fill the utility role.

Competitive Halo requires a utility starting weapon, it is the cornerstone of the entire experience. You need to be able to fight off your spawn even when your opponent has all the power on the map. This meant it needed range so we gave the new Bandit EVO a 1.6x sight so now you can knock that sniper out of scope. It also needed to be reliable in its firing mechanics so we’ve drastically reduced the bloom and recoil. It also needed to fit in a similar time-to-kill to that of the BR so that players always have a chance to come back in a fight and so we’ve decreased the rate of fire a bit. At the same time, it’s important that weapons are balanced against the Bandit EVO, so of course it has descope.



Here’s the full list of changes from the M392 Bandit to the new Bandit EVO:

• Rate of fire: 3.0 -> 2.9. (rounds per second)
  
• Rounds total initial: 45 -> 60
  
• Rounds total maximum: 60 -> 75
  
• Eliminated progressive recoil
  
• Reduced bloom/error angles
  
• Zoom magnification 1.4x Iron Sight -> 1.6x Holopoint Sight
  
• Added descope
  
• Reticle rework

Additionally, the red reticle range has been increased for both Bandit EVO and M932 Bandit.

When you combine all of these elements together, you get the new starting weapon for Ranked Playlists as well as the Halo Championship Series in Year 3.



Now, some of you might be thinking, “Well, I liked the original Bandit, what does this mean for that gun?” Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. The original M392 Bandit with the normal tuning will still be available in the game and across the various social playlists it’s featured in.

Additionally, all of your Bandit customization will work for the M392 Bandit and the Bandit EVO – you just need to customize it once and the game will automatically apply the changes to both Bandits for you when you load into with a Bandit EVO and pick up an M392 Bandit.

With a new starting weapon in ranked, this is a great opportunity to jump back in and prove yourself in time for the Year 3 of HCS kicking off in 2024.

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[h2]Extraction[/h2]



Halo 4’s mode, Extraction, returns to the franchise for the first time in Halo Infinite. Extraction is a tried-and-true, battle-tested game mode that went through the rigors of many tournaments from 2012-2014 and we’re excited to bring it forward to Halo Infinite.

How does it work? In Extraction, teams must enter a zone and plant the Extraction device. Once planted, the device will take 60 seconds to extract and the planting team must defend it while their opponents need to convert the device to Extract for themselves and reset the 60 second timer. Once a team successfully extracts the device, they will score 1 point and the zone will then move to a new pre-determined location. The team that scores 4 points, wins.

Extraction will be played on the following maps in the Ranked Arena playlist when Season 5 launches:

1. Live Fire
   
2. Recharge
   
3. Streets

Extraction will be a totally new dynamic to the ranked and HCS rotation and we can’t wait to see all of the strategies start to form when it releases on October 17.

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[h2]Forbidden[/h2]



Introducing Forbidden, a brand-new Halo Infinite 4v4 map built for ranked play. Forbidden is not a remake, but rather a totally new design that harkens back to classic Halo with not only its map layout but also its artistic approach. Forbidden is a symmetrical map and will be featured in the Ranked Arena playlist with Capture the Flag (3 Captures to Win).

In terms of power weapons and power ups on the map, each team receives access to a S7 Sniper which is well suited for the map with its longer sightlines but distinct cover and routes to traverse through the map.



Forbidden will indeed be going into the HCS rotation for Year 3, and we’ll announce the final rotation in January before the competitions kick off. There will be some map and mode combinations rotated out in order to make room for Extraction and Forbidden.

Forbidden will be making its way into the Ranked Playlist in the coming weeks after Season 5. We are still fine-tuning weapon layout, equipment, and spawning and want to ensure it’s a great experience that the competitive audience enjoys instead of releasing it in ranked before it’s ready.

Please note that the list of map and mode combinations in Ranked Arena for Season 5 will not be indicative of the final list for when the HCS Year 3 season begins. We will be keeping a close eye on the performance of all the map and mode combinations in the playlist and then making the final decisions in January 2024.

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[h2]HCS Year 3[/h2]



As announced at the Halo World Championship, we’re excited to confirm that a Year 3 of HCS will be taking place starting in 2024 which leads up to yet another $1 million HaloWC. Until then, we’ll be hosting some open tournaments on FACEIT to give players something to compete for fun in – and they begin later this fall. Follow @HCS on Twitter to see the latest.

Thank you once again to everyone who’s supported Ranked Halo Infinite and HCS, and thank you for making this yet another incredible year for competitive Halo.

Season 5 drops on October 17 – we’ll see you online!

For the first time ever, players will be able to add Campaign AI to their creations with the addition of the AI Toolkit and its accompanying suite of features. That revolutionary new feature, alongside two new canvases, 200+ new objects, object collision toggle, lighting improvements, additional quality of life updates, and more – Forge will reach new heights when Season 5: Reckoning lands on Tuesday, October 17.

Let’s dive in for a closer look at all the updates coming to Forge next week!

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[h2]Forge AI Toolkit[/h2]

The most notable update coming to Forge in Season 5 is the introduction of the AI Toolkit, which will allow you to create thrilling experiences using Campaign AI.

To see how powerful the new Forge AI Toolkit is, be sure to check out the Forge Fundamentals episode from the Community Stage at the HaloWC.

While we highly recommend giving the video above a watch, we also wanted to lay most of it out in writing as well. Let’s take a look at the tools you’ll have at your disposal with the launch of Season 5: Reckoning.

At a high level, the new AI Toolkit will place the following options in the hands of the players:

• Campaign AI character units (43 variants)
  
• How they deploy on map (Spawn, Drop Pod, or Phantom)
  
• The weapons they spawn with
  
• Guide their movement path
  
• Difficulty level
  
• Behavior modifiers
  
• Nodegraph scripting logic
  
• Allegiance (will they fight with you or against you)

[h3]AI Units & Spawning[/h3]

Now, let’s diver deeper, starting with spawning AI into your creation.

To kick off your creation with Campaign AI, you’ll need to start by spawning them into the map. You can do this just like how you’d expect them to appear in combat on Zeta Halo. They can simply appear in the playable with a default AI Spawner, drop from the sky via an AI Drop Pod Spawner, or have a drop ship insertion courtesy of the AI Phantom Spawner.

In addition to dropping off normal ground units, the AI Phantom Spawner can also drop a Chopper, Ghost, or Wraith, and those vehicles can be set to spawn in unoccupied or with a pilot.

The 43 types of Campaign units that can be spawned in with the AI Toolkit are:

• Grunt (5 variants)
  
• Jackals (4 variants)
  
• Skimmers (3 variants)
  
• Elites (5 variants)
  
• Brutes (16 variants)
  
• Hunters (2 variants)
  
• Marines (6 variants)
  
• Bosses (2 variants)

And, if you’d like to have the Spartan Bots from Multiplayer join the fight as well, they’ll have no issue joining the fray. In total, you can have up to a whopping 32 AI units present on the map at one time.

[h3]AI Weapon Selection[/h3]

Once you’ve decided on a set composition of AI units, you can then dive into their settings and choose which weapon you’d like them to be holding when they spawn. The AI units can hold any weapon they used in Campaign, plus a few instances of increased functionality where possible. For example, Jackals can hold Stalker Rifles, so we’ve added the ability for them to carry S7 Snipers and Bandits.

[h3]AI Move Zone[/h3]

From there, you can even lay out a path that you’d like them to follow by placing an AI Move Zone on the map. When linked, this will tell the specified AI units to go to the zone’s set location. Fortunately, the AI Toolkit functionality can use the pre-existing nav mesh data, so you don’t need to rebuild nav mesh data unless you add new geometry to a play space.

If you place multiple move zones, you can dictate where the AI units will move – essentially allowing you to make a squad of patrol units that will scout out a certain area of the map.



[h3]AI Difficulty[/h3]

To provide more control around the experience, players can also select the AI difficulty.

Easy/Normal/Heroic/Legendary – you know them well. This makes enemies tougher, smarter, and deadlier. You can set it on each Custom Game, or you can use a node graph script to change it mid-match and keep players on their toes.

There is also a Player Count Difficulty Multiplier setting, which is the way co-op campaign scales up health based on how many players are there. Just like the Campaign difficulty above, we’ve enabled it as a global Custom Game option, or players can use a node graph script to change it mid-match.

[h3]AI Behavior Modifiers[/h3]

Beyond just selecting the difficulty, there are also behavior settings for AI units that can add flavor to your experience.

• Deaf – AI Units will not perceive audio cues such as gunfire
  
• Blind – AI Units will not perceive visual cues
  
• Inactive – AI units will not make any behavior decisions or be active
  
• Magic Sight – AI Units will be able to see enemies through walls and terrain

All of these settings can be dynamically changed on a per-squad basis using the nodes in the AI Modifiers section.

[h3]AI Allegiance[/h3]

One of the most unique aspects of this new toolkit is that it’s also possible to set AI allegiances in the match. With up to 8 different team allegiances, the Campaign AI can be told to work with you, against you (even alongside an enemy team of real people working against you), and the one setting we’d all expect – against everyone.

[h3]AI Nodegraph Scripting[/h3]

As part of the 100+ new nodes being added to Forge this season, more than 75 of them are focused on the AI Toolkit.

For example, with scripting, you can set it up so that AI units spawn whenever a player enters a trigger volume or presses a switch. We tried to make this as simple as possible, so you can make this happen with only three steps. All you do is pick an Event like “On Gameplay Start”, place the “Trigger AI Spawner” node, and link an Object Reference to the spawner you like to trigger. When the event happens, you’ll see the AI units appear.

But, that’s just the beginning. With just a few nodes and a spawner, more advanced scripters could make a button that spawns friendly Hunters for whoever can reach it.

The Forge team went all out on quality-of-life nodes so that you can make custom events out of various things like an AI changing combat state, a squad arriving at a certain move zone, or whether a squad came from a spawner with a specific label. We also created nodes that will manage waves of enemies so you can build Firefight-like experiences or avoid the hassle of triggering spawns yourself. We can’t wait to see what the community comes up with all these tools.

Besides managing spawns, you can also do things like kill all the squads on a map, set health bars visible with a single node, make a squad follow an object or player or set up an object as something the AI can target. Finally, we also took some player-specific nodes that shipped in the Winter Update and made updated copies that will work on AI units.

[h3]AI Toolkit Settings[/h3]

We also wanted to provide additional settings to help Forgers test their AI creations:

• Deathless: prevents the player from dying to AI-inflicted damage
  
• Valhalla: prevents the player and all AI from dying
  
• Undetectable to AI: AI units cannot detect players
  
• Squad Information: prints debug information over an AI unit’s head giving insight into its behavior
  
• Pathfinding information: draws debug arrows on screen showing where the AI is trying to navigate so you can diagnose navmesh errors more easily

We’re constantly delighted with the creativity of our players, so we tried to create as many building blocks as possible.

Whether you decide to recreate