Halo Infinite News

Operation: Fleetcom Exchange & Shop

That skull is painted on, right? Right?

Haunt the hallowed halls of Reach when you obtain this bundle including:

Haunted helmet
Abyssal Messenger helmet attachment
Fateful Finds shoulders
Charon Terminal chest attachment
Entropic Display hip attachment
Graveside Marker wrist attachment
Rising Flame armor coating

Spooky scary skeleton Spartans will send shivers down your spine!

[hr][/hr]

Enter The Exchange for customization rewards from the past🪙

Earn Spartan Points from matches, Operation Pass progress, and weekly Ultimate Rewards. Redeem for past and new items like:

🪖 Haunted helmet
🍋‍🟩 Abbey Lime S7 sniper coating
🪖 JFO helmet
🔷 UTIL/TVASTAR Diagnostic Rig chest attachment

...and more!

Don't forget, items will not be “going away” when the Exchange refreshes. They will still be available to purchase with Spartan Points through the customization menus (much like bundles once they have rotated out of the Shop).

[hr][/hr]

Close shut the jaws of oblivion!

Did you acquire the Haunted helmet from The Exchange? If so, then this bundle takes the place of the Ghost of Reach bundle and contains the following:

Fateful Finds shoulders
Charon Terminal chest attachment
Entropic Display hip attachment
Graveside Marker wrist attachment
Rising Flame armor coating

Show your enemies a fate worse than death (take them on a vacation to Netherop)!

[hr][/hr]
Those parking tickets won't write themselves, Spartan!

Acquire the Crime Crusher bundle to crush crime in style with the following items:

Military Police helmet
TAS/Hyas helmet attachment
UTIL/RP Prototype Factor One shoulders
UA/ELORIC chest attachment
UTIL/SF Belt hip attachment
UTIL/ARP Prototype Factor Two wrist attachment
Sketch Factor armor coating

Head to the Shop, gear up, then go forth and enforce regulations!

Halo Infinite dev assures it will "continue to support" the game

Halo Infinite, and the series as a whole, is in a rough spot right now. Between ongoing, unsubstantiated rumors that series developer 343 Industries is stepping away, a lack of truly meaningful updates, and anticipation for where Master Chief goes next, it's getting harder to be excited about the shooter. I adore Infinite's gameplay but, like many, have struggled over the last few years to find meaningful reasons to stick around. To that end, 343 is once again letting us all know that it will continue supporting Infinite, but I'm not sure for how much longer.

Read the rest of the story...

Operation: Fleetcom

//INCOMING TRANSMISSION
//RE: NEW OPERATION
//FLEETCOM

New orders from FLEETCOM have been received as Halo Infinite’s latest Operation launches today!

This content update brings a bunch of additions and improvements to the game, including the return of two beloved modes from Halo 3 and Halo: Reach, a veritable swath of enhancements to Forge, major sandbox changes, a free new Operation Pass, and more.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]New Modes[/h2]

[h3]VIP[/h3]

A mode that was originally introduced in Halo 3 and has been missing-in-action since, VIP has come to Halo Infinite!

VIP is a team-based mode and generally played 4v4. Each team will have a game-designated initial VIP and it’s up to you to keep your VIP alive while also taking down the opposing team’s.

To win, your team must be the first to reach 10 points. It might seem like a cake walk but there’s a couple of things to keep in mind:

The VIP has extra health, so it’ll take a bit more to neutralize them
Everybody else will be defending the VIP like the match depends on it
Each VIP kill is worth one point

If your VIP dies, the next player on your team to die takes up the mantle and becomes the team VIP when they respawn. You will be identifiable to the other team by virtue of effects (similar to Infection) and a nav marker above your head (so no, you cannot become the VIP and then hide the whole match to save your points!).

Work in tandem with your team, stick together, and remember to protect your VIP with your superior skill—but where that might fall short, your life will do.

Maps you’ll be playing VIP on include:

Bazaar
Catalyst
Forbidden
Forest
Illusion
Interference
Prism

[3]Headhunter[/h3]

Headhunter is on its way to Halo Infinite!

Originally introduced in Halo: Reach, this free-for-all mode will have you collecting skulls recovered from defeated players. The more you collect, the bigger the target you become. Take your collected skulls to the zone to score—deposit 10 skulls at once to instantly win the match.

Headhunter arrives later during Operation: Fleetcom, stay tuned for more information.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Operation Pass[/h2]

Hello, operator? Give me an update on Halo Infinite’s new Operation Pass, please.

You know the drill: new Operation, free 20-tier Operation Pass. Progress through the pass with Match XP and you will unlock the Operator armor originally introduced in Halo: Reach!

Additional premium options for the Operation Pass include:

500 credits will make the Operation Pass durable (it will not expire), offers bonus XP during the Operation’s live window, an extra Challenge slot while your pass is equipped, and comes with an exclusive customization item
2,000 credits instantly unlocks all 20 tiers of the Operation Pass at purchase and includes the exclusive bonus customization item

Upgrade to the Premium Pass to obtain the CMA VK78 weapon model and Crimson Snowfall weapon coating.

[h3]Additional Multi-Use Coatings[/h3]

While we’re on the subject of customization, several coatings released prior to this update can now be used on any armor, weapon, or vehicle in the customization menu. This includes:

68 Armor Coatings
17 Weapon Coatings
9 Vehicle Coatings

For the full list, head over to Halo Support and check out the patch notes!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Sandbox Updates[/h2]

Alongside Operation: Fleetcom comes some major sandbox overhauls we have implemented based on community feedback.

[h3]Disruptor[/h3]

Damage-over-time feature returns
8 shots to kill (2 supercombines)

[h3]MA40 Assault Rifle[/h3]

Adjusted error angles to give a more consistent feel, improving the Assault Rifle’s reliability

[h3]Ravager[/h3]

Increased damage output—now five shots to kill instead of six (Get ready to paint the battlefield with incendiary plasma!)

[h3]M41 SPNKr[/h3]

Improved damage fall off for better consistency
Slight reduction in outer damage radius
Increased maximum ammo reserves (from 6 to 8)

[h3]M392 Bandit & Bandit EVO[/h3]

Slower rate of fire to address community feedback around time-to-kill
Improvement to red reticle headshot accuracy

[h3]Sentinel Beam[/h3]

Increased base damage
Removed damage fall off
Removed headshot multiplier

[h3]Skewer[/h3]

Faster reload to give players more opportunities to utilize this weapon during combat

[h3]S7 Sniper & CQS48 Bulldog[/h3]

Increased maximum ammo reserves (from 20 to 24 for the S7 Sniper; from 21 to 28 for the CQS48 Bulldog)

[h3]Grenades[/h3]

Grenade jumping returns! The impulse for Fragmentation, Plasma, and Spike grenade physics has been increased, giving players increased jump height

And that’s not all! We’ve also made some adjustments to the legendary weapon variants as well—if the buff to the Ravager sounded like a good time to you, let us introduce you to the newly improved Ravager Rebound…

[h3]Ravager Rebound[/h3]

Primary fire will now explode on direct player impact, or bounce off level geometry and explode
Primary fire will now shoot one projectile
Charged up shot will instantly kill a player on a direct hit
Increased the damage of charged shot’s area-of-effect

[h3]Impact Commando[/h3]

Reduced bloom
Adjusted aim-down-sight transition time

[h3]Volatile Skewer[/h3]

Trajectory now matches the default Skewer
Increased reload speed (like the default Skewer)
Increased damage

[h3]Riven Mangler[/h3]

Increased rate of fire
Reduced gun kick

[h3]Stalker Rifle Ultra[/h3]

Three shots to kill instead of four
Increased rate of fire
Adjusted aim-down-sight transition time

[h3]Unbound Plasma Pistol[/h3]

Primary fire now shoots three projectile bursts
Primary fire is now more accurate
Increased heat resistance
Charged shot now has EMP effect
Charged shot now shoots 8 projectiles (previously 6), it is slightly slower but also more accurate

[h3]Flexfire Sniper[/h3]

Added animation modifier block element to barrel configuration
Increased ready initial playback modifier 0.3%

On the vehicle front, the Banshee and Ghost have also received some tweaks.

[h3]Banshee[/h3]

Increased splatter damage resistance
Plasma cannons are better
Fuel rod projectile moves faster, and cooldown is reduced
Rolling to the left and right go further

[h3]Ghost[/h3]

Lowered health for the Ghost’s left and right wings
Decreased reverse speed
Slower strafe acceleration from side-to-side

For a more detailed look at these changes and deeper insight into the developer notes, head over to our Sandbox blog.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Forge Updates[/h2]

This update brings a lot of new tools and toys for Forgers to play around with, providing increasingly granular control over your creations and enabling you to imbue your maps and modes with a greater level of authenticity.

Let’s hit some of the highlights.

[h3]Enter Jeff Steitzer[/h3]

Over 1,000 lines from Jeff Steitzer, the beloved voice of Halo’s multiplayer announcer, have been added to your repertoire.

[h3]Music To My Ears[/h3]

The entire soundtrack from Halo Infinite’s campaign has been added with a variety of situational nodes that will help enhance your Forge creations.

The tracks are divided into different themes, listed under audio containers. These audio containers contain a variety of different tracks that create the same mood but randomize which track plays, ensuring that the music doesn’t feel repetitive. Try ‘em out and see what atmospheric textures you can lend to your maps and experiences!

Music themes include:

Banished
The Endless
Forerunner
Monitor
Covenant
UNSC
Heroic
Special
8-Bit

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]On Your Marks[/h3]

Nav markers are UI elements that help with player “readability” for different modes. How do you know the enemy has your flag? Nav markers. How will you be able to tell that a nearby enemy has dropped skulls in the Headhunter mode? You guessed it: nav markers!

We’re giving players an unprecedented level of granular control over this feature to help further refine modes and experiences, helping them to feel more authentic.

[h3]Heads Up![/h3]

As you build new experiences in Forge, you may want to provide players with information in text strings that appear in the heads-up-display—things like objectives, instructions for custom minigames, and so on.

We’ve added new strings which will give you access to over 500 new words and phrases, and there is a new template node for creating messages in Forge titled “Create UI Message.” This should help reduce ambiguity and uncertainty about what to do and how to do it in custom-made modes.

For a more detailed breakdown of all the new additions and improvements, check out our Forge blog!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]The Exchange[/h2]

The Exchange has received another refresh with various items—both old and new—available for you to acquire with Spartan Points.

Speaking of Spartan Points, we’ve been tracking feedback that has expressed a desire for players to have more opportunities to earn these—especially as certain items in The Exchange require more points. In response to this, players will now earn Spartan Points for every match they complete.

Match 1 = 250 Spartan Points
Match 2 = 500 XP
Match 3 onwards = 100 Spartan Points

Of particular note for The Exchange is the arrival of the Haunted helmet.

Originally available in Halo: Reach upon accumulating 20,000,000 cR to hit the rank of Inheritor, the Haunted helmet is now available in Halo Infinite where you will be able to grab it for 75,000 Spartan Points.

“Squad Op” – Backdrop (Joint Fire)
“Sacrifice” – Emblem (Ultimate Reward)
“UA/Type JFO” – Kneepads (Joint Fire)
“UTIL/TVASTAR Diagnostic Rig” – Chest Attachment (Joint Fire)
“UA/Type B5” – Helmet Attachment (NEW)
“HUL-I/XFTREC/FLAMINGO” – Helmet Attachment (Noble Intention)
“UA/Type CQB” – Kneepads (Noble Intention)
“UA/Type SN” – Helmet Attachment (NEW)
“Bay Sunset” – Visor (Joint Fire)
“Action Lime” – Visor (Joint Fire)
“Noble Rose” – Stance (Noble Intention)
“Kukri” – Weapon Charm (Cyber Showdown I)
“Emile” – Weapon Charm (Tactical Ops)
“Violet Crush” – Armor Coating (Joint Fire)
“Wedgewood Spriggan” – Armor Coating (Ultimate Reward)
“SAP/RECON” – Shoulderpads (Noble Intention)
“Noble Drifter” – Armor Coating (Noble Intention)
“Noble Offensive” – Armor Coating (Noble Intention)
“SAP/JFO” – Shoulder Pads (Joint Fire)
“JFO” – Helmet (Joint Fire)
“Abbey Lime” – Weapon Coating (Ultimate Reward)
“Haunted” and “Abyssal Messenger” – Helmet and Helmet Attachment (NEW)

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Shop[/h2]

Head to the Shop in Halo Infinite and you will find three new bundles.

Select Shop bundles may now be available as individual item listings in the Shop menu. For example, the new Crime Crusher offer is available as a complete bundle or players can purchase any of the following individual items from the bundle:

[h3]Crime Crusher[/h3]

Military Police helmet
TAS/Hyas helmet attachment
UTIL/RP Prototype Factor One shoulders
UA/ELORIC chest attachment
UTIL/SF Belt hip attachment
UTIL/ARP Prototype Factor Two wrist attachment
Sketch Factor armor coating

[h3]Ghost of Reach[/h3]

As noted earlier: the Haunted helmet and the Abyssal Messenger helmet attachment are available in The Exchange to purchase for Spartan Points, so you will be able to recreate your Inheritor aesthetic from Halo: Reach. But the team has also created a bundle of Haunted-themed armor so you can outfit your Spartan with a more complete look that builds upon that look.

Haunted helmet
Abyssal Messenger helmet attachment
Fateful Finds shoulders
Charon Terminal chest attachment
Entropic Display hip attachment
Graveside Marker wrist attachment
Rising Flame armor coating

[h3]Oblivion's Hearald[/h3]

In the event you have acquired the Haunted helmet from The Exchange, this discounted bundle will be available to you instead of Ghost of Reach.

Fateful Finds shoulders
Charon Terminal chest attachment
Entropic Display hip attachment
Graveside Marker wrist attachment
Rising Flame armor coating

[hr][/hr]
[h2]See Something, Say Something[/h2]

Today’s update delivers many updates and fixes that the team have been working on to improve the Halo Infinite experience. Head over to the Halo Support site to check out the full list of patch notes.

Run into a bug, glitch, or other unexpected issue? Submit a ticket and notify the team on the Halo Support site.

You can submit tickets on a wide range of topics that include reports of Audio Issues, Crashes, Game Save Corruption, Report a Player, General Bug Reports, and more.

[hr][/hr]

Operation: Fleetcom is live now, which means the time has come to boot up Halo Infinite and check out all the new additions.

Party like it’s 2007 and jump into some VIP, try out the newly tuned weapons (welcome to a world where you no longer swap out the Ravager Rebound!), explore the new additions to Forge, start working your way through that new Operation Pass, and rack up those Spartan Points with every match you play.

We’ll see you on the battlefield—bring a Ravager!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Press Kit[/h2]

Download the Operation: Fleetcom press kit here!

Sandbox Updates

Operation: Fleetcom arrives on July 30, and it is bringing in new modes such as VIP, highly requested features in Forge such as music and Steitzer’s VO, and numerous other quality of life updates. To go along with those features and content additions, we’ll also be updating the gameplay experience with balance updates based on player data and community feedback.

This week, we sat down with the development team to talk about the weapons, legendary weapon variants, grenades, and vehicles that are getting improvements in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer when Operation: Fleetcom lands.

Let’s hear what they have to say about the update!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Weapons[/h2]

[h3]Disruptor[/h3]

Return of the king! The Disruptor’s damage-over-time effect (DoT) is back. When it previously had the damage over time effect, it would only require 3 shots to trigger and it would linger for a long period of time. Now, the shock pistol will require 4 shots to land on their target in order to trigger a supercombine and its resulting damage over time. If a player is able to string together two of these supercombines, they will have put enough damage on their opponent to secure a kill. A few other updates also have come in alongside this to help improve the feel of the gun when using it and when getting hit by it, and we’re excited to see it back in action.

Damage over time returns
8 shots to kill (2 supercombines)
Removed particle effect from (Event) 1p_loop
Adjusted particle screen effect to be less intrusive
Damage upper bound (high) decreased 70 >> 35
DOT damage will not continuously cause descope

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]M392 Bandit & Bandit Evo[/h3]

We wanted to address some feedback about the Bandit’s damage per second and effect on the overall pace of play. The main change is we slowed down the rounds per second to give players more time to react amidst combat instead of being quickly eliminated before they could react.

We feel this is a healthy change that will improve the meta in both social and Ranked play.

Slower rate of fire to address community feedback around time-to-kill
- Rounds per second (low & high) 2.9 >> 2.715
Improvement to red reticle headshot accuracy

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Sentinel Beam[/h3]

To improve the Sentinel Beam’s consistently, we wanted to revise some of the complexity regarding the damage output. The Sentinel Beam will do the same amount of damage no matter the range you are between you and your opponent. Coupled with that, we have disabled headshot capabilities with this weapon as it was adding too many variables to the damage scaling.

Now, the Sentinel Beam should feel more consistent while dealing a clear, readable amount of damage for the player using it.

Improve the feel of the Sentinel Beam by tuning its damage output to be more consistent
Increased base damage
Removed damage fall off
- Increased damage lower bound 0 >> 3.5
- Decreased damage upper bound (low & high) 4 >> 3.5
Removed headshot multiplier
- Disabled feature flag “can cause headshot”
- Decreased headshot damage multiplier 2 >> 0

[h3]Ravager[/h3]

To help bring the Ravager some more attention, we’ve given its primary fire an increase in damage.

Previously, the Ravager needed to hit 6 shots from its burst-fire barrage to secure a kill, which could kill in 2 bursts but often required at least 3 bursts on a moving target. Now, the Ravager will only require 5 direct shots to kill, which should result in more consistent 2 burst kills. You won’t want to sleep on this weapon anymore.

Slight buff (5 shots instead of 6)
- Increased damage lower bound 20 >> 30
- Increased damage upper bound (low & high) 20 >> 30

[h3]MA40 AR[/h3]

We wanted to help improve the reliability and feel of the MA40 AR. Previously, when using the MA40 AR at full-auto, the reticle would get bigger and the bullet spread would expand—resulting in the normal “bloom” behavior. However, when the AR reached its maximum bloom state, the bullets were trending only to the edges of that bloomed reticle. This meant that there could be times the weapon would be shooting around the opponent, as the bullets would not land closer to the center of the reticle.

Now, to help improve the feel of the AR, bullets will land anywhere inside the reticle—increasing the chance that a player with accurate aim will secure their kill. This change has resulted in a more consistent handling experience of the AR.

Adjusted Assault Rifle error angles to give a more consistent feel
- Minimum error angle (high) 0 >> 0.25
- Maximum error angle (low) 0 >> 0.25
- Maximum error angle (high) 2.1 >> 1.3

[h3]Skewer[/h3]

The Skewer packs a heavy punch, but we commonly see a “one and done” scenario. To address this, we’ve increased reload speed to give players more opportunity to fire off multiple shots amidst combat.

Faster reload speed
- Reload playback speed scale 1 >> 1.2
- Reload while empty playback speed scale 1 >> 1.2

[h3]M41 SPNKr[/h3]

To address some inconsistencies with close range SPNKr explosions leaving players with a sliver of health, we’ve adjusted the weapon’s damage fall off curve. This is to better reward players for more accurate SPNKr explosions around enemies. To compensate for this change, we’ve brought in the outer damage radius. We also wanted to increase the ammo reserve to match legacy titles, and help reward players who are able to earn or scavenge for more ammo on the battlefield.

Damage fall-off feels more consistent
- Adjusted fall off function so players are not left with a sliver of health
Outer damage radius adjusted
- Lowered radius high 3 >> 2.5
Increased max reserve ammo
- Rounds total maximum 6 >> 8

[h3]S7 Sniper[/h3]

Similar to the SPNKr above, we also wanted to increase the S7’s ammo reserve to match previous Halo titles. We believe this rewards players who are able to earn that ammo on the battlefield by increasing their ability to go on a sniper spree.

Increased max reserve ammo
Rounds total maximum 20 >> 24

[h3]CQS48 Bulldog[/h3]

We noticed that only being able to backpack 14 shots in reserve was a bit limiting at times, especially in Infection modes. To help improve the scavenging story of the Bulldog, we’ve increased its ammo reserves to reward players who are able locate more shells while fighting for survival.

Increased max reserve ammo
- Rounds total maximum 21 >> 28

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Legendary Weapon Variants[/h2]

[h3]Ravager Rebound[/h3]

Brute Ravager?! The changes to its primary fire were inspired by the beloved Brute Shot from previous Halo games. We wanted to improve the Ravager Rebound’s effectiveness while creating a new, and somewhat relatable, experience for our players.

Additionally, the charged-up shot has also gotten a significant utility increase. Its pool of damage will now deal more damage. And, if it hits an opponent directly, it will result in an instakill.

Expect the Ravager Rebound to be more reliable and efficient compared to its previous iteration. Consider yourself warned!

Primary fire will now explode on direct player impact or bounce off geo and explode
- Round per second 2.1 >> 3
- Fire recovery time 0.4761905 >> 0.25
- Empty recovery time- 0.4761905 >> 0.25
- Damage lower bound 130 >>100
- Damage upper bound 130 >>100
Primary fire will now fire 1 projectile
- Added firing param to change shots per fire
- Shots per fire 3>>1
Charged up shot will instakill on a direct hit
- Damage lower bound 20 >> 300
- Damage upper bound 45,45 >> 300,300
Increased the damage of charged shot’s AoE
- Radius 0,0 >> 0.3, 0.95
- AoE core radius 0 >> 0.3
Added impulse to primary fire damage effect
- Instantaneous acceleration 2.9 >> 1.25

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Impact Commando[/h3]

We wanted to improve player accuracy with this weapon as we have seen the Impact Commando not be as consistent when bloom is in full effect. The bloom has been reduced to give you more consistent aiming and damage output capabilities.

Reduced bloom
- Lower bound deceleration time 28 >> 0.2146
- Upper bound deceleration time 28 >> 0.2152
Adjusted Impact Commando Rifle’s aim down sight transition time
- Ads state enabled fraction 0 >> 0.3
- Tc transition in fraction 0.8,1 >> 0.5,1
- Ads scope swap transition fraction 0 >> 1
- Magnification 1.4 >> 2
Magnification profile setting 1.4 >> 2.5

[h3]Riven Mangler[/h3]

The goal for this change was to freshen up the shooting style for the Riven Mangler, as it was starting to feel a bit sluggish. With a now faster rate of fire, expect to output more damage per second leaving your enemies in the respawn screen.

Increased rate of fire
- Rounds per second 30 >> 2.0875
- Fire recovery time 0.75 >> 0.3
- Empty recovery time 0.75 >> 0.3
- Soft recovery fraction 0.35 >> 0.4
Reduced gun kick
- View kick deceleration timer 0>>.45
Faster clean up on projectile effect
- Det timer 3 >> 1

[h3]Volatile Skewer[/h3]

Better accuracy was the main goal for this change, which now the Volatile Skewer has the same projectile path as the default Skewer. Also, we wanted to reduce any clunkiness with reload speed, so you spend more time firing the weapon than anxiously awaiting that reload to finish.

Trajectory now matches the default Skewer
- Air Gravity Scale 3.25 >> 2.125
- Initial Velocity 90 >> 120
Increased reload speed
- Reload playback speed modifier 0.1 >> 0.3
- Reload while empty playback speed modifier 0.1 >> 0.3
Increased damage
- Damage upper bound – [190,190] >>> [280,280]

[h3]Stalker Rifle Ultra[/h3]

More damage equals more fun! The Ultra Stalker Rifle now will deliver that fulfilling Perfect Kill medal in 3 shots, in order to match its base version. We also wanted to address the feedback around the weapon sometimes jamming, which should happen less frequently with the new boost in rate of fire.

3 shots to kill instead of 4 shots to kill
- Headshot damage multiplier 3.25 >> 3.5
- Damage lower bound 53 >> 80
- Damage upper bound 53,53 >> 80,80
Increased rate of fire (address jamming concerns)
- Fire recovery time 0.265 >> 0.25
- Empty recovery time 0.265 >> 0.25
Adjusted aim down site transition time
- Tc transition in fraction 0.2,.2 >> 0.6,1
- Magnification 1.5 >> 3
- Magnification profile setting 1_4 >> 3_0
- Zoom transition time 0 >> 0.2

[h3]Unbound Plasma Pistol[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

This is not your ordinary Plasma Pistol, it’s Unbound! The Unbound Plasma Pistol now fires 3 projectiles per primary trigger pull. To better align weapon behavior, we’ve also increased heat resistance to increase the duration to overheat. And, we’re happy to hear how much you love the EMP behavior on the default Plasma Pistol, so we made sure to add that here as well.

Primary fire now shoots 3 projectiles
- Shots per fire [1,1] >>> [3,3]
- Fire recovery time 0.1 >>> 0.03333334
- Empty recovering time 0.1 >>> 0.03333334
- Soft recovery fraction 0.6 >>> 0
Primary fire is now more accurate
- Guided angular velocity random range [5, 15] >>> [150, 150]
- Guided angular velocity at rest 15 >>> 40
Increased heat resistance
- Heat loss per second modifier 0 >>> 3.75
Charged shot now EMPs
- Side effect changed from none >> emp
- Enabled feature flag “use EMP behavior”
Charged shot slightly slower but is more accurate
- Initial velocity 40 >>> 30
- Final velocity 40 >>> 30
- Guided angular velocity random range [0, 0] >>> [250, 250]
- Guided angular velocity at rest 0 >>> 80
Charged shot now shoots 8 projectiles
- Projectiles per shot 6 >>> 8

[h3]Flexfire Sniper[/h3]

The Flexfire Sniper’s ready up time was feeling a tad too lengthy. To address this, we’ve sped up the initial playback speed. So, whether you pick it up off a pad or from the ground, you will be able to line up and fire faster than before.

Added animation modifier block element to barrel configuration
Increased ready initial playback modifier 0.3%

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Grenades[/h2]

“I believe I can fly!”

The impulse for Fragmentation, Plasma, and Spike grenade physics has been increased and tuned to give you increased jump height and provide more opportunity to hit those coveted grenade jumps. Also, a feature has been added that if your spartan is grounded, you will not be impacted by the impulse.

We can’t wait to see you all reach new heights.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Frag Grenades[/h3]

Added impulse to frag grenade damage effect
- Instantaneous acceleration increased 1.75 >> 3.5
- Grounded player acceleration scalar decreased 1 >> 0.1

[h3]Plasma Grenades[/h3]

Added impulse to plasma grenade damage effect
- Instantaneous acceleration 2.15 >> 3.75
- Grounded player acceleration scalar 1 >> 0.1

[h3]Spike Grenades[/h3]

Added impulse to spike grenade aoe damage effect
- Instantaneous acceleration 1.25 >> 3.25
- Alt instantaneous acceleration 2.75 >> 3.75
- Grounded player acceleration scalar 1 >> 0.1

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Vehicles[/h2]

[h3]Ghost[/h3]

The Ghost has been seen performing quite well and sometimes to degree of feeling a bit too powerful. To address this feedback, we’ve slightly lowered the health of each of the wings so players can more easily destroy and thus hinder the Ghost’s movement. Also, we’ve done some work to the Ghost’s reversal speed and lateral movement in hopes to keep Ghost play more in check.

Lowered health for left and right wing of Ghost
- Right_wing and Left_wing: Maximum vitality percentage base value decreased 0.085 >> 0.075
Decrease to Ghost’s reverse speed
- Maximum reverse speed decreased 5.5 >> 3.5
Slowing down the Ghost’s lateral movement
- Maximum left slide decreased 5.5 >> 4.5
- Maximum right slide decreased 5.5 >> 4.5
- Slide accel against direction decreased 10 >> 5

[h3]Banshee[/h3]

We want to bring the Banshee back into the spotlight with this update. One of the ways we wanted to do this was by reducing how much damage the Banshees take when scraping and colliding with surfaces. We’ve adjusted both weapons from the Banshee in hopes to see more kills from the sky. Then, to help add to its dogfighting potential, we fine-tuned its left and right roll capabilities.

Moving forward
- Minimum velocity for game damage 2.88 >> 11.52
- Minimum velocity for absolute damage 2.88 >> 11.52
Using boost
- Minimum velocity for game damage 2.88 >> 14.4
- Minimum velocity for absolute damage 2.88 >> 14.4
Increasing damage for Banshee’s dual cannon gun
- Damage lower bound 29 >>40
- Damage upper bound (low & high) 29 >>40
Faster fire recovery time for the Banshee bomb launcher
- Fire recovery time 3.25 >> 2 seconds
Increased projectile velocity of Banshee bomb launcher
- Initial velocity 15 >> 20
- Final velocity 12 >> 17
Adjustments made to Banshee tricks, roll_left & roll_right
- Velocity preservation changed trick relative > world relative
- Camera interpolation time 0 >> 0.4 seconds
- Trick exit displacement reference 0.5wu >> 0wu

[hr][/hr]

That’s a wrap for this preview of the sandbox updates coming to Halo Infinite next week, July 30!

We’re excited to see you all go hands-on with these changes when they roll out alongside Operation: Fleetcom. And, as always, please continue to share your thoughts around the sandbox with us online. We’re always keeping a close eye on community feedback and player data to see how we can improve the experience for everyone.

[hr][/hr]

To learn more about Operation: Fleetcom, check out our other blogs:

New Mode – VIP: Learn more about Halo Infinite’s new take on VIP mode from Halo 3.
Forge Updates: Music, Multiplayer Announcer, Nav Marker improvements, and more!

Forge Updates

Halo Infinite’s next content update and Operation arrives on July 30, and we’ve got a veritable treat for all you Forgers out there who are looking to enhance your creations with additional authentic details—from the unforgettable voice of Jeff Steitzer to the implementation of music, additional nodes for scripting, and much more!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Enter Jeff Steitzer[/h2]

Unfrigginbelievable!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The beloved voice of Halo’s multiplayer announcer, Jeff Steitzer, has come to Halo Infinite’s Forge.

With the arrival of the next content update, players will have access to over 1,000 of Jeff Steitzer’s voice lines in Forge. Implementing these into your modes and experiences will add just that extra layer of authenticity, immersing you further into custom experiences that will feel like they’re dev-made—or perhaps you just want to have fun with these lines being at your disposal and go for maximum silliness!

The breadth of lines being added is quite vast—from existing Halo Infinite modes, to Medals, to game state, to experiences we expect players may want to create in Forge (such as Race, Grifball, Regicide, etc.). You may even find a few wacky lines from the recording booth that felt like they’d be fun to include, like “Extra Crispy!”

And, to allow maximum control with this new feature, you can also ensure that only the intended players or team will hear each line set up in Forge’s nodegraph:

Play Announcer Voiceover for All Players
Play Announcer Voiceover for Player
Play Announcer Voiceover for Team

Find this new functionality alongside the new “Announcer Voice” custom game option (found under Match) to adjust mode communication. Do you want to increase the presence of announcer-based voice lines, or perhaps limit them to just Medals—or remove it entirely for more immersive campaign-style experiences? This is where you’ve got complete control to get it exactly how you want it.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Needs More Monk Chanting[/h2]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As Forge has continued to expand in Halo Infinite, with entire campaign-style missions being (re)created by our unbelievably talented cartographers in the community, we’ve heard your desires to be able to implement music into these experiences.

Well, when you jump into Forge after the new update lands, you will find that the soundtrack from Halo Infinite’s campaign has been added with a variety of situational nodes that will help enhance your Forge creations.

To provide as much control as possible, we brought the system over exactly as it was implemented in the campaign, allowing Forgers to use scripting to plug into the same tools used by our Audio Team.

The tracks are divided into different themes, listed under audio containers. For example, you may wish to implement some Banished-themed music listed under “Banished Ambient Set A” to instill a feeling of dread, or a heroic theme for when the action picks up under “Heroic Combat Set B.” These audio containers contain a variety of different tracks that create the same mood but randomize which track plays, ensuring that the music doesn’t feel repetitive.

Try ‘em out and see what atmospheric textures you can lend to your maps and experiences!

The total list of music themes include:

Banished
The Endless
Forerunner
Monitor
Covenant
UNSC
Heroic
Special
8-Bit

To ensure granular control of music, the nodes have been built in with audience control in mind:

Play Music Track for All Players
Play Music Track for Player
Play Music Track for Team
Stop Music Track for All Players
Stop Music Track for Player
Stop Music Track for Team

And yes, the iconic Monk Chant and Warthog Run music will be included when this functionality arrives in Forge next week.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Point the Way[/h2]

Nav markers, we’d be lost without ‘em!

Nav markers are UI elements that help with player “readability” for different modes. How do you know the enemy has your flag? Nav markers. How will you be able to tell that a nearby enemy has dropped skulls in the Headhunter mode? You guessed it: nav markers!

We’re giving players an unprecedented level of control over this feature to help further refine modes and experiences to help them feel more authentic. If you’re creating a Headhunter experience and you want to let players know that an enemy nearby has dropped skulls, but you don’t want to overload players’ HUDs with markers if another player was eliminated on the other side of the map, you will be able to have that level of granular control.

Nav Marker [Global] – This will create or get a Nav Marker from a global context. This will allow Nav Markers to be modified across script brains. The existing Nav Marker node will only access markers local to the script brain.
Negate Nav Marker Player Base Filter – Negates the filters applied to a Nav Marker using the Set Base Filter Player’s Visibility. Players that were designated to pass the filter will no longer pass. And vice versa.
Negate Nav Marker Player Distance Filter – Negates the filters applied to a Nav Marker using the Set Distance Filter Player’s Visibility. Players that were designated to pass the filter will no longer pass. And vice versa.
Negate Nav Marker Team Base Filter – Negates the filters applied to a Nav Marker using the Set Base Filter Team’s Visibility. Teams that were designated to pass the filter will no longer pass. And vice versa.
Negate Nav Marker Team Distance Filter – Negates the filters applied to a Nav Marker using the Set Distance Filter Team’s Visibility. Teams that were designated to pass the filter will no longer pass. And vice versa.
Set Base Filter Player’s Visibility – Using this node, you can control the visibility of Nav Marker’s for each individual player in the game. Input the Nav Marker and Player and decide if they should pass the visibility filter or not.
Set Base Filter Team’s Visibility – Using this node, you can control the visibility of Nav Marker’s for each team individually. Input the Nav Marker and Team and decide if they should pass the visibility filter or not.
Set Distance Filter Player’s Parameters – This node will define the distance at which a player can see a nav marker. Use this node alongside Set Distance Filter Player’s Visibility to enable for a player.
Set Distance Filter Player’s Visibility – This node will enable controlling the visibility of a nav marker by distance for individual players. The distances used are define by the Set Distance Filter Player’s Parameters
Set Distance Filter Team’s Visibility – This node will enable controlling the visibility of a nav marker by distance for teams. The distances used are define by the Set Distance Filter Team Parameters
Set Distance Filter Team’s Parameters – This node will define the distance at which a player can see a nav marker. Use this node alongside Set Distance Filter Team’s Visibility to enable for a player.
Clear Nav Marker Distance Filters – Clears all distance based visibility data on a given nav marker. Use this when you want to reset distance settings and apply new settings.
Clear Nav Marker Base Filters – Clears all visibility data on a given nav marker. Use this when you want to reset distance settings and apply new settings.
Set Nav Marker Icon – Set the icon for the default presentation type on nav markers. The new icons are as follows:
- Active Camo
- Alpha
- Attack
- Bomb
- Boss
- Bravo
- Charlie
- Dead
- Defend
- Delta
- Destroyed
- Echo
- Equipment
- Flag
- Foxtrot
- Generic
- Generic Arrow
- Grenade
- Hacking Terminal
- Kill
- KOTH
- Oddball
- Overshield
- Power Seed
- Quantum Translocator
- Vehicle
- Weapon
Set Nav Marker Progress – Set the nav markers progress bar for the default nav marker presentation type.
Set Nav Marker Progress Team – Set the team for the nav marker progress bar.
Set Nav Marker Type – Set the nav marker presentation type. This will change how the marker presents itself in the game. Some nav marker functionality is only applicable to the default nav marker type. The new types are as follows:
- Multiplayer Objective
- Enemy
- Ally
- Acquiring
- Locked
- Item
- Generic Objective
- Waypoint
- Ally pulse
- Neutral
- Coop
- Arrow
- Enemy callout
- Item pad
- Location
Set Nav Marker Message – Takes input from a Create UI Message node and applies it to a nav marker. This significantly increases the kinds of phrases that can be communicated with nav markers.

Before, players were able to string together only a single word which could make UI messages unclear or confusing—particularly for more complex custom modes. We heard your feedback and we’re giving you greater control over this feature. Communication is key!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]New Text Strings & Message Templates[/h2]

As you build new experiences in Forge, you may want to provide players with information in text strings that appear in the heads-up-display—things like objectives, instructions for custom minigames, and so on.

We’ve added new strings which will give you access to over 600 new words and phrases, and there is a new template node for creating messages in Forge titled “Create UI Message.” This particular node expands on the Create UI Message [A] and Create UI Message nodes by accepting 3 strings as inputs.

As noted in the previous section, this should help to reduce ambiguity and uncertainty about what to do and how to do it in custom-made modes. In addressing this major request from community feedback, players are now able to combine many different words in many different ways, as you can see in the list below:

“[String 1] [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1] [String 2]: [String 3]”
“[String 1]: [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1] the [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1] at [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1] while [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1] during [String 2] [String 3]”
“You [String 1] [String 2] [String 3]”
“Enemy [String 1] [String 2] [String 3]”
“Your team [String 1] [String 2] [String 3]”
“Enemy team [String 1] [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1]: [String 2]”

[hr][/hr]
[h2]VIP Mode Nodes[/h2]

Originally introduced in Halo 3, VIP is coming to Halo Infinite. In this mode, each team has a player that is designated as the VIP—the objective is to eliminate the other team’s VIP while defending your own.

New nodes have been added to Forge for the VIP mode and can be used to enhance or modify the mode’s functionality.

Nodes include:

Get Is VIP – Input a player, and return if they are currently the VIP on their team.
Set VIP – Set the VIP of a team.
Clear Team VIP – Clear the VIP of any given team.
On New VIP – Event node indicating that a new VIP has been selected.
On VIP Killed – Event node indicating that a VIP has been killed.

Note: Use these nodes in conjunction with the Automatic VIP Selection Enabled custom game option in VIP to have full control over VIP selection.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Additional Awesomeness[/h2]

Alongside all of the above, we’ve got some additional improvements coming to Forge through nodegraph scripting that will help to enhance your creations.

[h3]New Name Locations[/h3]

With this update, over 500 name location volumes have been added to Forge. These name locations come from all corners of the game and will help Forgers control callouts on their maps with increased accuracy and granularity.

[h3]Armor Effects[/h3]

You can now apply the mode-related armor effects from Infection and VIP to highlight or distinguish a player, as well as choose if the effect persists through respawning or if it disappears upon death.

[h3]Activate Spartan Tracking[/h3]

Y’know at the end of a round in Halo Infinite’s Firefight where you will automatically send out a ping to locate any nearby weapons, vehicles, and equipment items? This has been added to the nodegraph, allowing the Forge to trigger an environment scan whenever they want in their mode.

[h3]Apply/Get Player Overshield[/h3]

Also inspired by Firefight, players who are revived (and the player who did the reviving) are granted an overshield. This has also been added to the nodegraph.

[h3]Minigame Variants[/h3]

We have added more variants so that players can script around them. For example, you may wish to create a BTB One-Flag minigame which features Pelican and weapon drops.

Minigame Modes

Minigame Asymmetrical
Minigame BTB Asymmetrical
Minigame Competitive
Minigame Competitive Asymmetrical

[hr][/hr]
That’s a wrap for this preview of what’s to come in Forge with Halo Infinite’s next content update!

To learn more about Operation: Fleetcom, check out our other blogs:

VIP: Learn more about Halo Infinite’s new take on VIP mode from Halo 3
SANDBOX UPDATES: Discover all the new weapon and vehicle tuning details coming in Operation: Fleetcom