Forge has come to
Halo Infinite!
First introduced in
Halo 3 all the way back in 2007, this feature has evolved from its original intent to serve as a map editor for moving spawns, replacing weapons, and adding geometry, to become something else altogether.
The reason for that lies in the community. You used teleporter nodes to suspend crates in the air on Last Resort. You took weapons, grenades, and respawn points, made makeshift visual effects in certain rooms, and made iconic screenshot art. And you learned tricks like “interlocking” and “geomerging,” combining objects together and phasing them through the environment, to not only edit existing maps but create brand new ones.
And that was just the beginning. In each successive instalment with Forge, the goal has been to empower players with these abilities as tools at their disposal, which has culminated in where we are today. In 2022, Forge is more powerful than ever before and in the last week that it’s been added to
Halo Infinite as part of the Winter Update, we’ve already seen the community’s creative spirit begin to flourish.
That means the time has come for a “Forge Spotlight,” a new monthly blog feature where we bring some of the coolest community-made content your way.
With advancement naturally comes a certain feeling of intimidation and fear over a loss of comfortable, learned simplicity. There’s so much you can do that it can feel difficult to know where to start, and so this series is designed to say... start here! Try out the things that folks in the community are making, and let’s give you the tutorials and insights that will set you on your own odyssey with Forge.
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[h2]Maps & Modes[/h2]
Let’s take a look at some awesome maps that you can find and bookmark right now via the Content Browser!
[h3]Paintball[/h3]
Credits: Map by Mabel Tree, mode by b0b is here
Bookmark: Paintball Map | Paintball Game Mode
I remember the first time I played Paintball in
Halo 3. Back in ‘08, it was instant kill Plasma Pistols on a Forged map on Foundry, and I lost many hours to it with friends.
With the Forge Beta in
Halo Infinite, Paintball returns! “Weapon combination” through scripting enables you to wield a Battle Rifle that shoots plasma bolts from a Pulse Carbine while your Sidekick fires Plasma Pistol bolts.
With jumping disabled, Paintball is all about how you use the various objects and structures of the map for cover while anticipating the movement of your enemies.
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[h3]Repulsoccer[/h3]
Credits: b0b is here, unsorted guy
Bookmark: Repulsoccer Desert | Repulsoccer Game Mode
In the past, we’ve been able to create goals and hit a ball around with Gravity Hammers, but Repulsoccer takes things to a whole new level!
Using the Repulsor equipment, two teams can move an energy ball around the map with the aim of getting it into the enemy’s goal. If the energy ball touches you, you’re dead and have to wait to respawn – of course, you can help thin the numbers of the enemy team with your Energy Sword as well.
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[h3]Haven[/h3]
Credits: DarkMaiming, Corbman
Bookmark: Haven
A fan-favorite classic from
Halo 4’s multiplayer, Haven has been rebuilt in
Halo Infinite.
Haven has everything there is to love about a
Halo multiplayer map – it's a Forerunner-themed symmetrical arena map capable of hosting a broad variety of modes for some great 4v4 action.
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[h3]Coagulation[/h3]
Credits: AlphaEpsilon, BicyclicHealer2
Bookmark: Coagulation
Speaking of fan-favorite classics, it is only natural that, upon getting a tool like Forge in their hands, the community would remake this map in particular—and that’s exactly what BicyclicHealer2 and the fittingly-named AlphaEpsilon have done.
Named Coagulation after the
Halo 2 incarnation of this unforgettable boxed-in canyon, the map itself is actually a recreation of the original Blood Gulch we know and love.
Grab some friends and contemplate life's great mysteries about why we’re here... or blow each other up with tanks. Either’s good!
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[h3]Valhalla[/h3]
Credits: DarthPepper, Chewbaci, anakin53106
Bookmark: Valhalla
Halo 3 gave us a spiritual remake of Coagulation in the form of Valhalla, and this recreation of the map by DarthPepper, Chewbaci, and anakin53106 (that’s a lot of Anakins!) is a fantastic first go at bringing this beloved space to
Halo Infinite.
As a co-Forged map, it’s amazing to see what kind of community content can come from a group of people pooling their memories of the series with the collective creative talent they have for utilizing Forge as a tool.
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[h3]Community Creations[/h3]
As a critical aspect of the
Halo franchise, some of you may be wondering where you can find and connect with the Forge community. Two of the core places you should definitely check out are:
Here, you’ll find lively forums for discussion and sharing, detailed browsers for maps, news and updates, and much more! And you can always hit up
the official Halo Discord if you’re looking for people to play with.
Of course, we’re not the only ones highlighting Forge maps and modes, which brings us to some of the guides and tutorials for Forge made by the community for the community.
First up, Red Nomster has been putting together some great tutorial guides on how to use Forge.
In his first part, Red Nomster looks at how to get started in Forge – from simple things like placing objects and examining their properties, to getting you started on the fundamentals of FX tricks, and how to weld and script a door.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The second part takes a closer look at how you can Forge interactive maps in
Halo Infinite, implementing features like double and automatic doors, elevators, and ladders.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
DEWtheMCCOY has been rounding up various Forge maps from the community to show them off each day since the Winter Update launch. We applaud this incredible dedication, and you should definitely keep up with this showcase of amazing content!
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Our own
Senior Sound Designer Robbie Elias has been putting together some videos that show some of the cool things you can do with scripting nodegraphs in Forge.
Remember in
Halo 2’s Cairo Station and
Halo 4’s Dawn when you go out the airlocks for a spacewalk and the audio changes to muffle the sound effects? You can set that up as a global audio effect, which means it’s time for y’all to leverage this for a truly immersive Boarding Action remake!
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With that, we bring our first Forge Feature to an end!
This is just the beginning of incredibly exciting things to come with Forge – both in terms of continuing to build on the mode and in seeing what creations of yours will continue to amaze and astound us. We couldn’t be more excited to be embarking on this Great Journey with you.
Looking to give us feedback on Forge? Leave it here on Steam or head over to our
Forge Feedback thread on the Halo Waypoint forums and let us know your thoughts.
Also, while sharing your Forge content online, just like with other community creations, be sure to tag it with #HaloSpotlight!
To end this first Forge Features blog with a question:
What’s your favorite Forge creation you’ve seen so far? Let us know!
