Halo Infinite News

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.

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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

Halo Infinite’s Season 5: Reckoning arrives on October 17 featuring new maps, a new mode, a streamlined 50-tier Premium Battle Pass, Flood-themed customization, and much more!



Get ready to be the Hero of your own Career Rank journey.

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New maps, new modes, new rewards, new customization... we’re just getting started.

• Infect your Spartan and weapons with all-new Flood customization items
  
• Venture into crystal caves (watch out for those blamite crystals!) and ancient, mysterious stone ruins on two new Arena maps – Prism and Forbidden
  
• Create your own PvE experiences with the new Forge AI toolkit, and stay tuned for the arrival of Firefight King of the Hill in matchmaking
  
• Level up your customization game by equipping any helmet across all Armor Cores
  
• Complete your Career Rank journey and obtain the rank of Hero to unlock the Infinite Mark VI Armor Kit
  
• Halo 4’s Extraction mode returns, reimagined for Halo Infinite
  
• Earn XP to advance your Battle Pass in Custom Games

Let the reckoning commence!

Coming with Season 5 of Halo Infinite are two new maps: Forbidden and Prism.



Forbidden takes place within a vast complex of ancient stone ruins on Zeta Halo, and Prism delves into the crystalline caves of Suban – the so-called blood-moon of Sanghelios – as a battle in the sky rages between the Arbiter’s Swords of Sanghelios and Atriox’s Banished forces.

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Both maps will be arriving with Season 5 on October 17, so let’s get you acquainted with them by chatting with multiplayer designer Cliff Schuldt.

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Season 5 brings two awesome new maps into Halo Infinite’s rotation. How would you summarize Forbidden and Prism?

Forbidden is a map that is visually defined by the ancient stone ruins that strongly evoke the aesthetic of Delta Halo, similar to Forest in Season 4. It’s a symmetrical arena map with snipers on either side, long sightlines, and Power Equipment in the middle – so it’s a map that we think will play really well with competitive, but it’s also a space that you’re just going to want to wander around and explore in a custom game.

Prism is an asymmetrical arena map set on Suban, one of the moons of Sanghelios. It’s where the blamite crystals are mined to be used as ammunition for needle-based weaponry, so it boasts an incredibly unique aesthetic that we’ve not really seen in Halo before.

Last season, we had Forest and Scarr, and we’re leaning even more deeply into some of those unique alien aesthetic elements in Season 5 with these two maps. What can you tell us about the aesthetic design of Forbidden and Prism?

We’re always keen to find subtle ways to communicate to the player where they are on the map, and Forbidden does that in a really cool way. On one side, the map is dried up and dead, while the other side is lush and green, featuring ancient aqueducts that are channeling water around this massive stone complex.

Prism is a mix of a lot of exciting visual elements. It’s set on Suban, so there’s that aspect of Sangheili design; but it’s also a cave system filled with these blamite crystals, so there’s a certain alien-ness to it as a natural formation as well. And there’s a Banished presence here, so their rough industrial equipment adds another visual layer to the map.



What are some of the unique features that Forbidden and Prism have as Arena maps?

On Prism, one of the power weapons is actually the special Pinpoint Needler variant from Halo Infinite’s campaign, which boasts an increased magazine and much stronger tracking abilities. Because of the theme we were going for with this map, having the Needler front-and-center here – an iconic Halo weapon going back to 2001 – just felt right for this map to give it a unique edge.

Oh, and there are some unharvested blamite crystal clusters that players can shoot, making them explode which sends crystal shards flying off. That’s a cool environmental hazard which adds another fun and unique layer to the map.

For Forbidden, ample routes around the space make Capture the Flag matches even more tense – whether you’re attacking, defending, chasing the flag carrier, or trying to navigate your way back to capture the flag. There are a lot of options for the player to utilize in any of these situations which can feel incredibly rewarding. Long sightlines will put your sniping skills to the test, and there are some skill jumps that players can utilize to really level up their play. It’s a map we wanted to be easy for players to grok, but it has additional layers of depth that you can master.

One of the coolest things about Halo maps from the very beginning is that they tell a story, and I think we really lean into that in Prism. What can you tell us about some of those elements?

When we begin designing a map, we don’t like to design a blockout without knowing what kind of aesthetic we’re going for because those details lend so much unique flavor to these maps.

For Prism, we’re leaning into visualizing an area of the lore that you may have read about but certainly haven’t seen before. The mines on Suban are where blamite crystals (used for weapons like the Needler) come from and the Banished have come to claim it for themselves. This tells a story that you’ll see not just in the playable space but also in the battle that is taking place in the skybox where Banished ships are duking it out with the Arbiter’s Swords of Sanghelios.

Similarly with Forbidden, the design of those Delta Halo-inspired stone ruins is so unique – that ancient and elegant chonkiness is an aesthetic that evokes such a sense of mystery and allows us to lean into subtle storytelling elements that make these places feel alive.

Which modes are some of your favorites to play on these maps?

Prism feels great for zone control modes like King of the Hill and Extraction, but also – as mentioned earlier – plays really well with fast-paced One Flag CTF matches.

We had a great time testing CTF, Strongholds, and Oddball on Forbidden as well. The map lends itself to some incredible set-up scenarios and really unique moments!

Both of these maps also have their own unique Infection variants, with new areas to explore while certain paths are cut off.



Do you have any fun stories from playtests on these maps?

We had so many good times with these maps, it’s hard to narrow it down to any one moment or thing that happened.

Having unique Infection map variants means it’s always fun when players are looking around to find the best hiding spots, thinking they’ve found the perfect place, and then the “Oh no…” moment when they’re the last survivor and everyone starts charging their position.

We’ve also been blowing each other up with blamite on Prism, and had some really, really close matches of Multi Flag on Forbidden. There have been some jaw-dropping “all or nothing” plays to prevent flag captures that have given me a new appreciation for the sniper rifle and those who are skilled at wielding it!

And aside from the gameplay, it’s been wonderful to just wander around these maps and admire the incredible job that the team did at making them feel like living spaces in the Halo universe. That’s what I used to do when I was young, wondering about what stories could happen in these locations, and hopefully players will get a sense of that on Prism and Forbidden as well.

Are there any hints towards Easter eggs or secrets for players to keep their eyes open for?

A hidden secret lies within stone ruins… maybe it’s a sandwich lol.

Thank you for joining us once again to help us explore the making of these new maps! Do you have any parting words to share?

As ever, please send us your clips of the awesome moments you have playing Season 5. Show us the secrets you find. Everybody poured their love into these maps and we hope you have as much of a good time playing on them as we did making them!

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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
  
• FORGE UPDATES 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
  
• CUSTOMIZATION OVERVIEW – A complete breakdown of new customization content coming in Season 5, the Battle Pass, Shop changes, and more