Halo Infinite News

Welcome to the Halo Infinite MP Beta

On behalf of the entire Halo Infinite team, and in celebration of Halo’s 20th anniversary, I am very happy to announce that your Spartan journey begins… today! Sincerest thanks to the entire Halo community for your support, passion, and feedback. This day belongs to all of you. Whether you’ve been part of the community from the beginning or are joining with us today, welcome! Please read on or jump directly to the Halo Infinite multiplayer beta download link HERE.

Why is this release a beta? Our previous Multiplayer Technical Previews went a long way to battle-testing our services and infrastructure. But as we prepare for a significant increase in the number of players jumping into Halo Infinite on launch day, December 8th, we want to ensure all our systems are good-to-go. While you may experience some bumps and bugs during this beta period, it does mark the official start of Halo Infinite Season 1, with all day-one maps and modes enabled as well as the full Season 1 Battle Pass. This means all the Battle Pass and customization items you earn or purchase during the beta will stay with you after December 8th.

When you start playing the beta, you will notice in the Battle Pass UI that Season 1 will last from now until May 2022, which is a change from our original goal of shipping a new Season every three months. We made the decision to extend Season 1 to give ourselves more time to ensure Season 2 meets our high quality bar and so we can finish development for Season 2 in a healthy and sustainable way for our team.

Importantly, with the Season 1 extension, we aren’t just stretching-out our original Season 1 plan. Indeed, we took this opportunity to add additional events, customization items and other content to Season 1 to make it an even richer experience from start to finish. For example, starting today and through the first week, you can log-in to Halo Infinite to unlock a free collection of 20th anniversary themed cosmetics. Following this free reward period, the start of our Season 1 opening event, “Fracture: Tenrai”, will kick off on November 23. This will be your first of multiple opportunities to earn Season 1’s samurai-themed armor pieces and other customization items.

In January, after all of you have had a chance to play Halo Infinite’s expansive and adventure-filled campaign starting December 8th, and all of us on the Halo Infinite team have had an opportunity to recharge our energy shields over the holidays, we will have more details to share about the Season 1 event calendar as well as our Season 2, campaign co-op, and Forge release plans.

Again, sincere thanks to all of you in the Halo community for joining with us to celebrate this 20th anniversary milestone. We are incredibly excited to have reached this first step on our Halo Infinite adventure, and we can’t wait to share more about where your Spartan journey goes from here.

– Joseph Staten, Head of Creative, Halo Infinite

[h2]Begin Your Spartan Journey
[/h2]
Halo Infinite’s free to play multiplayer beta is available on Xbox and PC beginning today! Jump in to experience the next era of Halo multiplayer including the all-new Academy, Arena, Big Team Battle, and the complete Season 1 Battle Pass. Your progress, cosmetics, unlocks, and multiplayer stats will all carry-over when Halo Infinite officially launches on December 8.

Download and Play Now!

[h3]Academy[/h3]
New recruits and returning veterans alike will start their journey via the Academy under the watchful eye of Spartan Commander Agryna. After you select your own personal AI and complete a basic tutorial, suit up and take advantage of the Academy to prepare for battle before venturing into matchmaking.

Halo Infinite personal AI in the Academy

Get acquainted with your Spartan’s arsenal via Weapon Drills and square off against Bot targets to hone your skills. Do you have what it takes to achieve a 3-star rating and outscore your friends? Share your results on Twitter and show us what you’ve got!

Training Mode is a great way to get familiar with each of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer maps while putting your weapon and equipment skills to the test in a highly customizable experience with Bots.

[h2]Season 1: Heroes of Reach[/h2]
Halo Infinite’s first season, “Heroes of Reach”, begins today and runs through May 2, 2022. Infinite’s Battle Pass offers free and premium tracks accounting for more than 100 unlockable items. If you purchase a Halo Infinite Premium Battle Pass, it will not expire – so if you jump in later in the season or can’t complete it by May, no worries – you’ll be able to progress on your own terms. Start playing today and begin building your own personal Spartan by unlocking additional armor pieces, weapon charms, visors, coatings, emblems, Armor FX, and more!

Halo Infinite S1 Heroes of Reach battle pass example

And, keeping true to this season’s theme, you’ll be able to unlock armor kits for each of the original heroes from Halo: Reach. Which Noble Team member will you rep online?

Emile armor kit from Halo Infinite S1

[h3]Face the Challenge[/h3]
Complete daily and weekly challenges to earn XP and unlock free and premium content throughout the Battle Pass. Challenge Swaps can be used to replace a challenge and you can apply XP Boosts to temporarily earn double experience points for each challenge you complete.

Once you complete all of your weekly challenges, a special Ultimate Reward challenge will unlock and completing this will earn you a free cosmetic reward each and every week. Weekly challenges will reset every Tuesday so don’t miss out on these special, free rewards! To read more about challenges and overall Spartan progression, check out the September 2021 edition of our Inside Infinite blog series.

Halo Infinite Ultimate Reward visor

[h3]Halo Waypoint[/h3]
Keep track of your challenge progress, manage your Spartan customization, monitor your multiplayer stats and more here on the new Halo Waypoint website and via the mobile app (available on iOS and Android). Learn more about the new Waypoint experience HERE.

[h2]Matchmaking Overview[/h2]
Once you’re ready to heed the call of battle, gear up and jump into matchmaking to test your mettle against players around the world in the 4v4 Arena (Bot, Social, and Ranked) or 12v12 Big Team Battle offerings. If matchmaking isn’t your cup of tea, grab some friends and jump into custom games (online or via local splitscreen) with maps and settings of your choice.

[h3]All for One[/h3]
Halo Infinite is the first title in the series to launch simultaneously on Xbox and PC and features support for cross-generation, cross-platform, and cross-input play. No matter which platform you’re on – or whether you use a controller or mouse and keyboard – there are no barriers to playing together. And, with cross-progression support, you can move between console or PC and seamlessly retain your progression, stats, and more.

First person screenshot from Blueprint multiplayer map

[h3]Playlists[/h3]
As part of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer beta launch today, we’re excited to debut our matchmaking playlist lineup. In this section you can read up on the playlists, their settings, and the map and mode pairings you’ll find within each one.

Our approach to Halo Infinite’s launch playlists was fairly simple – start with a focused offering to ensure healthy matchmaking and be prepared to adjust as needed. It is truly a live game, so we will be monitoring all playlists, including event playlists, to see which ones are performing well and which ones aren’t. Using that data, combined with player feedback, we will be able to identify opportunities to add or remove playlists (or even certain map and mode pairings within a playlist), to ensure a quality experience when playing Halo Infinite matchmaking. Launch is just the beginning – Halo Infinite’s online multiplayer experience will grow and evolve over time!

Without further ado, here are the launch playlists for multiplayer:

[h3]Big Team Battle[/h3]
Featuring 12v12 combat on large maps with a wide array of vehicles, Halo Infinite brings the beloved Big Team Battle experience to new heights.

Capture the Flag on Fragmentation, Highpower, Deadlock
Slayer on Fragmentation, Highpower, Deadlock
Total Control on Fragmentation, Highpower, Deadlock
Stockpile on Fragmentation, Highpower, Deadlock

Image from a multiplayer game picturing a large cannon, turret, and a warthog

[h3]Quick Play[/h3]
Enter the Arena with an MA40 AR & Mk50 Sidekick and play 4v4 matches for fun.

Capture The Flag on Aquarius, Bazaar, Behemoth
One Flag CTF on Launch Site
Oddball on Live Fire, Recharge, Streets
Slayer on Aquarius, Bazaar, Behemoth, Launch Site, Live Fire, Recharge, Streets
Strongholds on Live Fire, Recharge, Streets

[h3]Bot Bootcamp [/h3]
Hone your skills and practice new strategies in 4v4 matches that pit players against Bots.

Capture The Flag on Aquarius, Bazaar, Behemoth
Oddball on Live Fire, Recharge, Streets
Slayer on Aquarius, Bazaar, Behemoth, Live Fire, Recharge, Streets
Strongholds on Live Fire, Recharge, Streets

[h3]Event Playlists[/h3]
Throughout Halo Infinite’s seasons, there will be events that feature special playlists, challenges, and free rewards. In general, an event will be available from one to multiple weeks, offering plenty of time to enjoy the playlist, go after challenges, and unlock its rewards.

Fracture: Tenrai, which will be Halo Infinite’s first event, kicks off next week on November 23. To learn more about it, be sure to read its section further below.

[h3]Ranked Arena (Controller | Solo/Duo) (KBM | Solo/Duo) (Cross-input | Up to full parties)[/h3]
Start with a BR75 (Battle Rifle), Combat Sensor disabled, friendly fire on, grenade hitmarkers disabled, and static item spawns in these competitive 4v4 settings.

Capture The Flag on Aquarius, Bazaar, Behemoth
Oddball on Live Fire, Recharge, Streets
Slayer on Aquarius, Bazaar, Live Fire, Recharge, Streets
Strongholds on Live Fire, Recharge, Streets

Halo Infinite S1 ranked emblems and nameplates

Within Ranked Arena, players may select between Controller Solo/Duo Queue, KBM Solo/Duo Queue, and cross-input with any party size. We believe that the Solo/Duo queue options will provide a home for competitive players who want to face off against opponents with nearly the exact same team composition as them. On the other hand, the cross-input option with no party size limit provides an opportunity for players to see how they stack up against people with different input types or full squads of similar skill.

We’ll share a deeper dive into the inner-workings of Halo Infinite’s ranking system soon. In the meantime, jump in, get your placement matches in, and start climbing that ladder!

For more competitive Halo goodness, read about the upcoming Halo Infinite esports program, Raleigh Major 2021, and be sure to follow @HCS on Twitter.

Oddball multiplayer screenshot

[h2]Celebrating 20 Years of Halo[/h2]
On this day 20 years ago, Halo: Combat Evolved launched alongside the original Xbox and forever changed the gaming landscape. To celebrate this historic occasion, and as a special token of gratitude to Halo fans around the world, we’re excited to offer free commemorative rewards to everyone who plays this week. Simply log in any time by November 22 and you’ll automatically receive the following exclusive items in your in your cosmetic inventory:

Platinum Anniversary Coatings (Armor, AR, and Warthog)
I Love Bees Emblems
“Assembled” Emblems
Blue Team Weapon Charm
Heart Emblem Set

Halo 20th Anniversary rewards available in Halo Infinite

[h2]Fracture: Tenrai[/h2]
In addition to the regular matchmaking playlist options noted above, Halo Infinite will feature special events at various times throughout the season. Events will often include a featured, special playlist and an event-specific Pass with unique rewards.

The first event, Fracture: Tenrai, is scheduled to begin on November 23 and will run for one week. This FREE event will include the Yoroi (Samurai) armor core and an Event Pass that can be progressed while the event is active. The Fracture: Tenrai event will return multiple times throughout the season, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to earn and adorn your armor. Additionally, special Yoroi-specific premium customization offerings will be featured in the store during the event.

We’ll share more details about future Fracture: Tenrai dates and additional Season 1 events once the dust has settled from launch on December 8.

Artistic render of Halo Infinite "Yoroi" armor from Fracture: Tenrai event

[h2]Halo Support[/h2]
With help from Halo Insiders, the team was able to learn a lot and make great strides to overall launch readiness but given the huge increase in scope with today’s beta launch, there could be some bumps on the road to launch on December 8. Please visit the Halo Support site to get more insights and valuable resources. You can find Known Issues, installation instructions, new player guides, and everything else Halo Infinite MP beta related by visiting aka.ms/HaloInfiniteUpdate. And, be sure to follow @HaloSupport on Twitter for important updates.

If you encounter a bug or issue that isn’t called out on the Known Issues list, please file a support ticket which is hugely helpful for the team to track and investigate.

[h3]PC Recommended Specs[/h3]
For the optimal PC experience please ensure your machine at least meets the minimum requirements noted below. For more insights into the work 343 Industries has done to deliver a native, best-in-class PC experience, check out our PC Overview.

Halo Infinite PC hardware specs

[h2]Adventure Awaits[/h2]
Master Chief faces the Banished and seeks to unravel the mysteries of Zeta Halo when the most expansive Halo campaign to date arrives on December 8 for Xbox, Windows PCs, and Steam. Multiplayer fans should take note that over the course of the campaign, you will unlock additional customization items for your personal Spartan.

Check out the Halo Infinite Campaign Overview to learn more and head HERE to pre-order!

Sweeping views of Zeta Halo from Halo Infinite Campaign

[h2]Thank You![/h2]
On behalf of the entire team at 343 Industries and all of our partners around the globe – thank you for your continued support! Your passion for Halo is a constant source of inspiration and we’re eager to start the next leg of our Halo Infinite journey together and continue evolving season after season in partnership with our players.

We’ll see you online, Spartans!

[h3]Additional Reading & Resources[/h3]
Join the Halo Insider Program for a chance to participate in pre-release previews/flights, share insights via surveys, and stay informed about Halo happenings. Help shape the future of Halo!

Check out the the Campaign, competitive gameplay, live-action marketing videos, and more on YouTube:

Go behind the scenes and hear from members of the team about their work on Halo Infinite in our “Inside Infinite” blog series:

Read about key feedback themes and the team’s responses from the Halo Infinite Multiplayer Technical Previews: Outcomes 1 | Outcomes 2

Join the conversation and stay up to date by following Halo on social and web:

Inside Infinite - October 2021

Welcome to our latest installment of Inside Infinite – our monthly blog series devoted to celebrating some of the tremendous work happening to bring Halo Infinite to life. So much has happened since we kicked this off back in December and we’re so grateful to have you with us on this journey. We’ve covered a lot of ground together over the past 9 months digging into Halo Infinite’s development and getting to know some of the talented people across the team. We’re super eager to be in the final stretch now, with our December 8 launch quickly approaching, but there are still stories to be told.

This month we’re excited to welcome members of the UXUI and Character Teams to share insights about their work on Halo Infinite. But, before we jump into that, if you haven’t yet seen the recently released Campaign Overview video, you should stop what you’re doing and give it a watch!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

If this is your first time joining us, be sure to check out our past blogs to learn even more about the work going into our most ambitious Halo game yet:

For even more Halo Infinite goodness, be sure to check out our recent PC Overview or if Competitive Multiplayer is more your speed, don’t miss the Competitive Settings/Gameplay Reveal!

To kick things off, we’re joined by several folks on the Halo Infinite Character Team to talk about their approach and process to create some of the familiar and brand-new characters seen in the Campaign Overview video. Then, we’ll switch things up and hear from members of the UXUI Team to learn about their broad range of work and contributions to the game. Lastly, to wrap things up, we’ll get another quick rundown of Tales from the Trenches and welcome back Joseph Staten, Head of Creative, for some closing thoughts.

This month we really are pushing the limits of “how much blog is too much blog?” so, get comfy - we’ve got another heaping dose of behind-the-scenes info and beautiful visuals in store, so without further ado, let’s talk characters!

[h2]Character Study[/h2]
Whether it’s our favorite super soldier, a menacing cloaked Elite, supportive Marines, or wise-cracking Grunts, the characters of Halo connect us to the stories, adventures, and gameplay we’ve come to know and love for nearly 20 years. This month we sat down with a few members of the Character Team at 343 Industries to learn more about their work, their approach, and how they are bringing familiar and brand-new characters to life in Halo Infinite’s expansive Campaign.

Master Chief’s Story Continues, December 8, 2021

Halo has always been about heroism, hope, and the Master Chief, Spartan-117. In Halo Infinite, Chief is going head-to-head with the toughest foes he’s ever faced, in the most expansive, awe-inspiring, Halo story ever told. Today, we’re thrilled to give you a fresh look at just some of the action you’ll be able to dive into when Halo Infinite launches on December 8, 2021:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Pre-order Halo Infinite today, and be ready to fight Escharum and the mighty Banished forces that have made Zeta Halo their base of operations.

Halo Infinite’s Great Journey on PC

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]The Great Journey on PC[/h2]
Almost two years ago, 343 Industries and Xbox embarked on a journey to bring the entirety of Halo: The Master Chief Collection to Windows PCs and Steam. After 23 months, six game launches, eight seasons of content and countless flights, 343 Industries and Halo have entered a new era of play where PC is at the center of everything we do, alongside console. While we’re still listening and growing, the process of taking Halo: The Master Chief Collection to PC was invaluable in helping us learn what to do (and not to do) to create a game that looks, feels, and plays like a PC shooter should, all the while honoring the legacy of what makes Halo, Halo.

Today, we’re thrilled to share with Halo fans and the PC gaming community at large how we’re taking everything we’ve learned from The Master Chief Collection to make Halo Infinite a truly PC-first experience from day one.

[h2]Halo Infinite - PC Overview Video[/h2]
Watch the PC Overview video below to hear directly from both the PC team and the Sandbox team at 343 Industries to learn more about how we’ve built Halo Infinite to be a great PC experience in-game, out-of-game, and off the screen.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]AMD – The Exclusive PC Partner of Halo Infinite[/h2]
Engineering Partnership: For over two years, we’ve been working closely with AMD to make Halo Infinite a spectacular experience for PC players. Working with AMD allowed us to make game title optimizations that benefit a vast range of hardware and device endpoints. From ultra-spec gaming powerhouses to older and cost-effective gaming machines as well as our entire family of consoles, something that only partnering with AMD could help us achieve.

AMD is passionate about player-first development choices. They're exceptionally open to working with us to bring new rendering features across all hardware as well as performance improvements for all our players, even if they're not using an AMD-powered device. We’re excited for all Halo Infinite’s players to benefit from AMD’s passion for making player-first development choices

However, in the words of humanity’s most iconic hero; we’re just getting started. AMD understood and believed in our vision to build a Halo experience over time. Launch is just the beginning for Halo Infinite on PC. As such, AMD was willing to pursue a close, long-term partnership with Halo across both engineering and marketing efforts. Looking ahead, we've identified opportunities for additional configuration options, performance tweaks, and memory improvements across both PC as well as console and we’re working together on more optimization solutions that should benefit all platforms. Most excitingly though, we're looking forward to working closely with AMD bring Ray Tracing to Halo Infinite. Ray Tracing is one our top development priorities post-launch and look forward to sharing more soon.

Marketing Partnership & AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite Limited Edition Graphics Card: One of the many great things about partnering with AMD is not just our shared passion for PC gaming, but our shared passion for Halo as well. Like us, AMD understood the significance of Halo Infinite being the first main-line Halo title to launch day-and-date across both Xbox consoles as well as Windows PCs and Steam. To celebrate the next era of Halo on PC, we’re thrilled to unveil the AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite Limited Edition!

Inspired by his Mark VII Mjolnir armor, this custom 6900XT shroud bears several unmistakable features from the Master Chief himself. Including a reflective, iridium gold fan border, the iconic “117” Spartan callsign, as well as a Cortana-blue light to signify the AI slot on the back of the Master Chief’s helmet.

The 6900XT is the perfect GPU to celebrate the release of Halo Infinite on all platforms. The AMD RDNA™ 2 gaming architecture powering our Xbox Series X|S consoles is the same architecture powering the AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite Limited Edition graphics card, for high frame-rate 4K gaming.

From the start, it was vitally important to both AMD and 343 Industries that a card this special ended up in the hands of our players. Rest assured, while the LAMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite Limited Edition won’t be going on sale, AMD, Halo and other partners will be offering players multiple opportunities over the coming weeks to get their hands on one. Stay tuned for an announcement later today on your first opportunity to enter and win!

[h2]Putting It All Together[/h2]
Those of us that work on Halo Infinite’s PC presence are seriously passionate about the franchise, the platform and our friends in the PC Gaming community. We’ve come together across multiple disciplines from art, engineering, production, licensing, marketing, and community to ensure every touch point PC players have with our game is crafted with a passion for the platform as our central focus.

In game, we’ve created an experience that supports a wide range of hardware and device endpoints while still supporting all the PC-specific features players have come to expect. From baseline expectations like ultrawide / super ultrawide support (including cinematics), FOV adjustment and framerate customization, to niche enthusiast touches like weapon offset control, triple key-binds and PC LAN support, Halo Infinite was built from the ground-up for PC.

Out-of-game, we’ve partnered closely with services like Discord and Razer Chroma as well as platforms like Steam and Xbox Game Pass to ensure Infinite takes advantage of the most each has to offer for PC players. Including rich presence in Steam and deep integration with Discord, featuring support for in-game Discord server invites. What’s more, all Razer customers will benefit from Halo Infinite’s integration of Razer Chroma, with in-game events triggering unique peripheral lighting to correspond to the event. Whether you’ve just had your shields popped or you’re firing a SPNKR, there’s a Chroma Effect that brings Halo Infinite to life.

Off the screen, we’ve partnered with brands that have decades of experience building hardware that allow players to interact with the experiences they love. Razer, with their Chroma Lighting Engine and world-class peripheral design, were the perfect partners to create an exclusive line of Halo-branded peripherals that players can use to add a Halo touch to their existing rig. What’s more, for players building new machines, AMD was ideal partner to help power players’ Halo Infinite journey through their extremely capable Ryzen and Radeon product lines. Including of course, the AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite Limited Edition.

In short, we at 343 Industries and our partners wanted to ensure that every piece of the PC experience had a Halo-touch to it. After today, we’re hoping you’re just as excited as we are to boot up Halo Infinite on a PC on December 8th.

See you on the battlefield, Spartans!

Halo Infinite Multiplayer Tech Preview: THIS WEEKEND!

We would like to invite you all to join us for some fun in Halo Infinite this weekend!

[h3]Who:[/h3] You!

[h3]What:[/h3] Halo Infinite Multiplayer Tech Preview, Weekend 2

[h3]Where:[/h3] Halo Infinite universe

[h3]Why:[/h3] Help us stress test our servers, experience the Academy, battle it out in BTB, and more

[h3]When:[/h3] Thursday, September 30 through Monday, October 4

The build will be made available Thursday evening, Pacific time at which point you can jump in and practice your no-scopes and 4-shots in Weapon Drills and Training Mode.

Remember, this is a work in progress and not indicative of the final experience you will get in December. While your game is installing and you are preparing for battle, you can read over the current Known Issues.

Join us during these specific play session times for Social Arena 4v4 and Big Team Battle:

Friday, October 1:

10am – 2pm PT
5-9pm PT

Saturday, October 2:

10am – 2pm PT
5-9pm PT

Sunday, October 3:

10am – 2pm PT
5-9pm PT

[h2]Not A Halo Insider? No Problem![/h2]

If you didn't get invited to our first weekend, that's okay. We have sent our Halo Insiders "Steam Buddy Codes" to allow anyone to participate. So, if you know someone who was invited, ask if their Steam Buddy Code is up for grabs. Once you have a code, you will want to redeem it here (be sure you are signed with the Xbox Gamertag you will want to play with!) and then follow the installation instructions you receive via PM.

Don't have any friends with Steam Buddy Codes? Don't worry, you can find plenty here up for grabs! https://steamcommunity.com/app/1240440/discussions/0/2956041222212340000/

[H2]Exclusive Emblem[/h2]

Completely 10 or more matches in this weekend's Multiplayer Tech Preview and earn yourself the exclusive Sol Testing Grounds Emblem when Halo Infinite releases!

As a reminder, you are free to stream, talk about your experience, and leave us feedback in the threads we pinned in the discussion forums for you. We are looking forward to meeting you on the battlefield!