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Halo Infinite screenshot
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Genre: Shooter

Halo Infinite

Veterans Day
On Veterans and Remembrance Day, we honor and appreciate all who served and those who still do 🫡



Halo wishes all who serve a happy Veterans Day! We salute your bravery, dedication, and sacrifice.

Wherever you are, we celebrate and thank you, Veterans ❤️

Operation: Combined Arms
Halo Infinite's first Operation is on the horizon!



Combined Arms will be live from November 14 through December 19. Complete your free 20-tier Operation Pass to unlock all-new RAKSHASA customization items!

Forge Features
More maps, more experiences, and more jaw-dropping creations leveraging the Forge AI Toolkit have been delivered since Season 5 launched.



Being able to create your own mini-Firefight experience, recreate campaign missions, or lose hours of the day by way of various minigames means the options are endless, and we’ve got plenty to show off today!


Grunt Wars Conversion


Mode: Grunt Wars
Credits: Hitmonchanel, Shrad Marden



I saw this in the Custom Game Browser and had absolutely zero clue what to expect, but “Grunt Wars” sounded amazing. So, I jumped in immediately and I was not disappointed. Waves upon waves of Grunts just pouring out from the Behemoth towers, all trying to capture a hill, yielded pure chaos.

10/10 experience.


Timberland Evolved


Credits: Micheal B 2K8, D0ctorSmurf, Okom1, Virus11010, Darth Draius, MikRips, Mr IncrediJON



Picture it. Halo: Combat Evolved Halo: Reach Halo Infinite, 2023. You can take a long stroll through the forest and get the strongest sense of déjà vu. That’s right. Timberland is back as Timberland Evolved, and it’s just as you remember it!


Storm Firefight


Modes: Easy | Normal | Heroic | Legendary
Credits: RiskiestSole35, DaBratva



If you’ve played Halo 3’s campaign, this will look exceedingly familiar. Storm the beach and take on waves of enemies in Storm Firefight, a recreation of—wait for it—the campaign mission The Storm. There’s even a Scarab for you to contend with! Adjust the difficulty as you see fit, and good luck.


Tower Defense Ultimate – Alpine


Mode: Tower Defense Ultimate
Credits: hiBeekle



This is the tower defense mode you remember—limited lives, numerous enemy waves, and a set path they will attack along. Your job: Defend the towers and hold the line. Don’t let me be the one to sell you on this, check out Beekle’s video for even more info.




Forge & Fancy-Free



Some other little bytes to sate your appetite…

Maybe you find yourself longing to catch ‘em all, Halo style. In that case, @DanTheBloke’s Battle Arena is just for you.



Map Download | Mode Download

Or maybe you’re looking to play some soccer with vehicles… also Halo style. You can do that too!



Map Download | Mode Download


Tutorial Training



If you’ve been struggling to create round-based modes that end and properly award the victory screen to the team that wins, let Fourkings13 help you out.



Ducain23 is back with another AI toolkit tutorial. This time, he’s showing how to script wave intermissions and endless waves. His tutorial series is a great resource if you’re trying to dip your toes into the world of Forging AI.



That will bring this week’s feature to a close. We continue to be surprised and delighted at what you manage to create, and we can’t wait to see what’s next.

In the meantime, see you in the CGB!

Combat Evolved Mark V | Queen's Gambit Weapon Charm
Bred for combat, built for war, you are the master of any weapon, pilot of any vehicle, and fear no enemy.



The Combat Evolved Mark V bundle contains:
  • Combat Evolved Mark V armor kit
  • Cinder Ring armor coating
  • Viridescent Ring armor coating
  • Aurum Evolved visor

Unseal the hushed casket and awaken the flawless cowboy within. Prevail through nerves of steel and a quick trigger finger.


1. d4 d5
2. c4.



Complete all of your Weekly Challenges and the Ultimate Challenge to earn this week’s Ultimate Reward – the Queen's Gambit weapon charm.

A new Ultimate Reward will become available every week, so be sure to keep an eye on your Challenges and take advantage of these free rewards.

Transgressor | Wraith Invader Emblems & Nameplate
"What have you done with my armor?"



Secure the Transgressor bundle which contains the Transgressor armor kit and Defiled Skin armor coating, and embrace the salvation of this dire deluge's timeless chorus.

We exist together now, two corpses in one grave...


Pay your respects to the Clan of the Long Shields.



Complete all of your Weekly Challenges and the Ultimate Challenge to earn this week’s Ultimate Reward – the Wraith Invader emblems & nameplate.

A new Ultimate Reward will become available every week, so be sure to keep an eye on your Challenges and take advantage of these free rewards.

Halo: Saturn Devouring His Son
Experience a Waypoint Chronicle Halloween special featuring the return of the Flood.



Halo: Saturn Devouring His Son is available here on Halo Waypoint, as a free PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.




Historian's Note



Saturn Devouring His Son takes place in the year 2556, a year following the events of Operation: FAR STORM in Halo: Hunters in the Dark which saw the UNSC Home Fleet suffer significant casualties from 000 Tragic Solitude’s assault on Earth.


Elvie didn’t seem like much to most. The sprawling habitat network spanned nearly thirty percent of the available surface of LV-31—an oblong planetoid locked in orbit amidst the asteroid belt of a non-descript gas giant in the Marcey system. Elvie got its name from the planetoid’s own shorthand, but got its funding from IMC. In fact, it was essentially a massive satellite corporate campus for the Imbrium Machine Complex, an influential industrial firm that had entered into a partnership with the BXR Mining Corporation to establish a robust survey and mining operation aimed at harvesting vital natural resources from the surrounding asteroid field.

In the wake of the Covenant War and the events that followed, the United Nations Space Command had placed great importance on partnerships such as these as they sought to rebuild the fleets they had lost.

Julien Donney had come to IMC after a brief stint in the military. Like many, he had been pressed into service near the end of the Covenant War, but after his initial four-year deployment he felt drawn back into the civilian sector. Sure, serving with Big Green was fine when it was easier to find the “greater good,” but once the Covenant wasn’t the same planet-burning bogeyman, Julien was far more interested in finding a bit more autonomy in his own life. It didn’t take much convincing to sign a Survey & Securities contract with IMC – his familiarity with both industrial labor and military procedure making him an ideal fit for a variety of potentially hazardous assignments.

Elvie had quickly become “home” for Julien, despite the remoteness of the location. He liked the people, he liked the routine – just enough danger, just enough challenge, and more than enough pay. Especially after responding to this latest appointment: enhanced security detail for a particularly high-value find on one of the nearby asteroids.

“So, what’s the prime haul BXR is so jumpy about?” Julien finished fastening the final coil links and transfer seals on his OSTEO suit before reaching for his helmet to boot up the internal comms pack.

“S’posed to be big. Alien big.” The answer came from Abe, a seasoned veteran of IMC’s hazmat corps and Julien’s active field partner. “Apparently three days ago their deep sweep on Site 22 pinged back a massive Grade-K deposit.”

That got Julien’s attention. “Covenant?”

Abe’s head tilted back the way it always did when he was prepping one of his patented one-ups. “Older.” He paused for effect. “The really good stuff.”

Julien took a deep breath and gave himself an extra moment to do some math. The “good stuff” could only mean one thing: refined Forerunner alloy—a potentially massive boon to the entire operation, including anyone who might help in securing it . . . but his mind immediately shifted from credit windfalls back to the task at hand as their group leader entered the room.

“You two sealed up yet?” Mox had been with IMC for well over a decade and wasn’t one for dawdling about before an excursion.

“The haul’s confirmed?” Julien was eager, but still a bit incredulous, knowing Abe had a tendency to jump the assumption gun when it came to big digs.

“Oh, it’s confirmed alright.” Mox tapped the status pad on the nearby wall-mounted console and prepped for egress. “Apparently when the one-twenties they dropped finally blasted through the boundary layer, they found a lot more than they bargained for.”

“What do you mean?”

“It wasn’t just some inert cache. It was a whole damn ship. Or that’s the best guess for the moment at least.”

Julien suddenly understood why IMC was deploying several hazmat squads to the site directly. If there was an actual ancient alien vessel entombed in the asteroid for who-knows-how-long, there could be dormant tech that might suddenly be not-so-sleepy when they started chipping away the surrounding space rock and knocking on old doors.

The crew made final checks on equipment and prepared to board the IMC-branded Pelican dropship that would take them from Elvie to Site 22.


Silence.
Cold. Empty. Hunger.
Dark. Barrier. Hunger.
Time. Silence. Hunger.
Trapped.


The Pelican gave a routine shudder as it made its final descent. It still wasn’t exactly Julien’s favorite part of the process, but he’d gotten more than used to it by now. Besides, as long as he had Errant Vee’s latest album blasting on his personal audio channel, a little dropship shimmy wasn’t going to dampen his mood.

After this payday, he said to himself, I’m absolutely catching the next spaceliner to finally see them play live.

There were still twenty or so seconds left on the song when the channel was overridden by Mox.

“Hey rockstar, tray-tables up. Get your gear.”

Abe snorted and looked Julien’s way. “That the new Vee?”

“On repeat, boyo.” Julien checked his MK50 Sidekick pistol and refastened the tac-tool hatchet onto his chest plate. A few moments later, all-clears were given and the Pelican’s rear troop bay doors lowered. As each member made their way out, they were greeted by a glittering starfield that made up the bulk of their vista, punctuated by the gas giant’s bright blue hue and the gray-brown surface of the asteroid itself.

Site 22.

Dotting the immediate landscape were the EM-120 augers that BXR had installed to penetrate the outer rock layers. The one-twenties were often a miner’s best friend—strong enough to break up large segments of rocky crust, but precise enough to make delicate headway into more precarious or potentially volatile pockets of dense material. The augers farther out from their landing zone seemed to be continuing unfettered in their progress, but any emplacements within a half-kilometer had been fully shut down.

Julien and Abe followed Mox the short distance to where a group of BXR miners and engineers gathered near the mouth of a small cave. Some of the miners were attending to routine maintenance on their cutters, while others seemed to keep their eyes on the IMC hazmat corps with eager anticipation.

After exchanging pleasantries and confirming identification clearance and order authorization forms with the BXR foreman, Mox wasted no time in getting down to business.

“Do we have any idea how this thing ended up rock-wrapped?”

“You kidding?” the foreman grunted. “Never seen anything like it. You’d think God himself painted this silver fish with a damn asteroid brush. And honestly, I don’t even care how it got here, I’m just thinking about how we get it out.”

The foreman glanced towards the opening, and Julien knew the look in his eye well when he turned back.

“This, my friends, is a retirement-grade find.”

“And you’re sure it’s a ship?” Julien asked.

“Orbital survey drones did a dozen different scans, and all turned up the same basic data. Maybe it’s a ship, maybe it’s an interstellar vacation home. Might not be sure of what it is, but I sure as hell know what it’s worth.”

As the conversation continued to align on protocols and procedures, Julien’s attention wandered to the mouth of the cave. It wasn’t a natural formation, of course, but a circular opening several meters in diameter that had been bored in a striating pattern by the nearby augers. Julien was eager to get closer and found himself suddenly and unexpectedly overwhelmed with a unique flavor of curiosity.

His mental wanderings were cut short by the sound of Abe’s voice. “So, what’s the plan, Mox?”

Julien looked back to see his boss heading over, flanked by the rest of the IMC hazmat crew.

“BXR is going to reestablish a perimeter and recalibrate their equipment to see if they’re able to open this can.” Mox glanced down at their tacpad and began to assign squad positions. “Lance and West, position one. Beck and Arti, position two. Louisa and Oswald, position three. Abe, you and Julien are in position four. Keep eyes and comms open, we start knocking in five.”


Sound.
Light. Sound. Hunger. Movement.
Closer. Closer.
Armored casket. Hunger. Sound. Light. Freedom.
Food.
Weave. Circuit. Command. Open.
Food!

Julien was thankful for the dynamic tint on the visor of his helmet, because the pinpoint glare was becoming uncomfortable to look at for very long. It had been nearly an hour since the BXR contingent had begun their curated salvo of alternating beams from auger emplacements and handheld cutters, but it seemed like the only thing they had successfully displaced thus far was Julien’s patience.

The foreman gave the signal to hold fire, allowing their equipment to recharge and cool down while they reassessed the situation.

Mox came over the IMC comm channel soon after. “Positions two and four, make sure your heat seals are good to go and see how close you can get to the target’s surface, I want a closer look and better data on this thing.”

Beck confirmed the directive, and the four operators began to head into the cave mouth. The target was only a dozen or so meters in, so the residual heat from the mining beams was still plenty prevalent. As they got within a few meters, they each started observational scans to log all possible datapoints.

Julien wasn’t sure if it was the intense heat shimmer playing tricks on his eyes, but after a few minutes he was sure he saw something strange happening on the target’s alloy surface.

It was almost like it . . . rippled—a bit like liquid, but maybe even more like some sort of metallic skin.

“Abe, are you seeing this?” Julien’s partner was uncharacteristically silent. “Abe?”

Julien turned back and realized he didn’t need verbal confirmation. Abe’s eyes were wide and fixed exactly on that same spot.

“What in the actual–”

Abe’s professional assessment was cut short by Arti’s own confirmation over comms. “I’m picking it up too, seven distinct points in the alloy, wait, nine. Mox, you should probably come and see this.”

Mox joined them just in time to see the silvery surface of the ancient construct peel away along a fresh seam, as the top layer was pulled back like armored curtains. The new opening revealed the enigmatic interior of a Forerunner vessel—of what class or purpose, no one present knew, but they were all immediately enamored.

After moments that could have been mistaken for months, Mox radioed in. “Positions one and three, on me for initial clearance sweep. Let’s see what we’re dealing with.”

Julien suddenly felt a pit of uncertainty in his stomach. “Mox, you sure? Should we wait?”

“For who? You want to give your old military buddies a call and hand this over to them? Or do you want to earn that payday you keep talking about.” Mox looked directly at Julien. “This is what we do. Who we are.”


UNSC Saturn


The last of the Black Paintings by Earth artist Francisco Goya watched over the ready room of the Paris-class UNSC Saturn from within a protective container, bearing the image of the Roman god Saturn gripping the bloodied, partially consumed corpse of one of his children. In the ancient myth, Saturn was haunted by a prophecy that he would be cast down by one of his sons—just as he had done to his own father—and so he ate them upon birth.

Ghostly white fingers clasped the sides of the tiny body as if he possessed talons rather than human hands, kneeling in what seemed to be a dark cave. His mouth was fully agape, and his eyes appeared frenzied, bulging with shock—as if surprised to be caught in the middle of such a grotesque act.

“I always thought he swallowed them whole,” Lieutenant Shafiq mused.

Captain Alvarez did not turn from the painting as he replied. “You’re quite right, of course, that is what the myth tells us . . . but Goya saw the horror of the act in quite a different way. In his interpretation, they were devoured, bit by bit. Of course, we are looking at it far removed from its original context, regarding the political upheaval in Goya’s time. The French Revolution, the Peninsular War, the Inquisition—all fascinating areas of Earth’s history that, in some ways, resemble our own recent–”

A sudden alert interrupted the captain’s well-rehearsed speech for new officers. Art was an easy icebreaker, after all, and listening to their responses gave Alvarez some insight into how they thought. On-the-spot interpretations could reveal much about an individual’s tactical acumen and way of thinking.

“It seems we shall have to pick this up later, Lieutenant,” Alvarez said, straightening his uniform as he led Shafiq to the bridge. To his credit, he immediately assumed his station and began analyzing tactical displays.

The avatar of the Saturn’s shipboard artificial intelligence was waiting for them at the central holotable, along with a visual layout of the asteroid surface. Lycaon bore the image of a man in a white-gold toga, but his head was that of a wolf.

“Garbled distress messages from Site 22, Captain,” Lycaon reported. “Contact with the onsite team has been lost.”


Cavern. Cold. Wet.
Dragging. Food. Screams. Hunger.
Feast.

Site 22


Julien wasn’t sure he knew what reality was anymore, but he knew it had a soundtrack.

Screams. Vacillating, ever-present, skin-peeling screams. Whether they continued to come from mouth or mind he couldn’t be sure—and couldn’t care.

He tried to recollect what had happened, to anchor his thoughts.

Not long after Mox and the initial group had gone inside the ship, their reports turned unintelligible, chopped, terrified. Beck and Arti had barely stepped foot beyond the craft’s threshold to investigate before they saw Mox sprinting towards them.

But it wasn’t Mox.

Not anymore.

And they weren’t the only one.

Chaos had immediately engulfed Site 22, the miners and civilian contractors trying to fight an unknowable enemy with construction tools. Julien tried his best to hold them off, his military training—albeit brief—had kept him alive in the vital opening moments of the conflict.

The longer it went on however, the more he questioned whether or not he even wanted to survive such a thing.


UNSC Saturn


“What the hell is going on down there?” Alvarez muttered. “Can you clean up the distress message?”

“Attempting to now, sir.”

What played then was largely garbled static, mixed with irregular sounds of what seemed like small arms fire and multiple voices shouting at once. After thirty-six seconds, the audio fell to silence, though the static remained—like ocean waves washing over sand.

Alvarez turned to the central holotable and had Lycaon bring up Site 22’s security camera feeds. They cycled through empty vistas of the asteroid’s surface before Lycaon locked onto camera sixteen.

The camera covered the view of a rocky maw, a circular opening evidently created by a mining auger, it was the closest they had to the cavern where some kind of discovery had been made. Lycaon had requested further information over two hours ago, but the IMC crew had remained tight-lipped as they sought to “verify” their find.

“I don’t see anything,” Alvarez said.

Lycaon zoomed the camera’s view onto an irregular, shadowy shape. A dark trail smudged the ground behind it, and there appeared to be another figure wriggling and flailing like a fish pulled onto land from the sea. The resolution took several moments to improve as Lycaon locked and looped the footage, as by the time it cleared both figures had disappeared from the live feed. But there was no mistaking what remained in the shot.

There was a collective inhale among the bridge crew as their displays received the image. Though few had encountered these monsters, all had heard the stories that had passed through the Navy over the last few years.

All had some familiarity with the name of these nightmarish creatures, like the dark sailor myths of old.

The miners of Site 22 had become a meal and a vessel for a timeless creature, a monster that knew how to wait, and how to win.

The Flood.

“Rules of engagement are clear in the event of an incursion such as this, sir,” Lycaon said. “Emergency Contact Protocol Upsilon must be implemented to withdraw all groundside units and limit the spread of the parasite.”

“Withdraw?” Alvarez repeated the guidance, dismissing it immediately. “The only personnel on the ground are essentially unarmed miners. Our troop complement is more than capable of making short work of this infestation. Prep Fireteam Leviathan for deployment.”

Lycaon growled. “Need I remind you, sir, that if even one of the Spartans is compromised by the Flood, use of MAC rounds and fusion warheads is authorized to sterilize the area.”

“And if we do that, we lose a massive deposit of resources that our fleets need to rebuild. We’ve barely managed to get the Home Fleet back up to a few dozen ships while the Brass is demanding whole battle groups be assembled, never mind the loss of materiel we’ve got on the ground and the site’s proximity to LV-31.” He squared his shoulders. “I say again, and for the last time, prepare to deploy—”

“I am sorry, sir,” Lycaon interrupted. “But in the event of a Flood outbreak, protocol supersedes your command, per UNSC Regulation 14-372-01. If you are unwilling to comply, I am authorized to remove you from—”

Alvarez’s eyes widened, and what he said next came to his mouth almost as instinct. “Override codephrase, actiones secundum fidei.”

Lycaon went silent. His holographic avatar remained active, and he stood as if calmly awaiting the answer to a question he had asked.

Alvarez glanced around at the bridge crew, who were all looking at him from their stations with a mix of expressions on their faces. He stood straighter to project his voice to the crew. “Bring all stations to alert. I want a Hazop group deployed to support Leviathan. Make ready to form a defensive perimeter and hold the line.”

A lingering moment of tension hung in the air as none of the bridge crew immediately moved.

“Aye, sir,” Lieutenant Shafiq spoke, turning his chair back to his station, and the others followed.

Alvarez rested his chin on his thumb as he sank into his command chair. His thoughts stayed with the image of the Flood form dragging its helpless victim into the cave. He felt the eyes of Saturn on his back, regarding him with those wide, opalescent eyes, caught in his act of barbarism.

They were devoured, bit by bit.


Site 22


Julien was pretty sure he hadn’t been infected yet, but he felt like his memories were becoming scrambled just the same as he watched UNSC forces descend on Site 22 like they were dropping in behind Covenant lines.

He made out a squadron of Cyclops exoskeletons and several Hellbringer units as they began to torch the area indiscriminately—every bit as likely to incinerate other survivors to deny the enemy any potential hosts from beyond the perimeter.

The magnitude of the initial find had necessitated a larger-than-normal contingent of staff assigned to Site 22. It meant there had been ample opportunity for the parasite to satiate its appetite and rapidly increase its own numbers in the time it had taken for the UNSC to deploy.

Not that it had been long… but it seemed almost too late now.

Julien grimaced. His sidearm’s ammunition had run dry, forcing him to resort to a nearby laser cutter.

Glancing around he felt the cold grip of dismay.

He didn’t know what he’d use after the cutter’s charge was gone, and there weren’t many other viable options.

That’s when he saw them.

Myths. Legends.

Spartans.

The UNSC had seen fit to send a fireteam of four chemically and cybernetically augmented super-soldiers—heroes that had helped ensure the end of the Covenant War. Heroes that their greatest enemies had feared.

At that moment, Julien was struck by the dire enormity of the situation at Site 22. There was no way that Spartans would be sent into any scenario where normal, everyday people were remotely expected to survive.

The battle raged on, with Julien’s heat seals constantly spiking to their maximum levels from the constant barrage of flame and firepower being brought to bear by the Hellbringers and Cyclops units.

For a fleeting moment, he thought they might actually have a chance. That this nightmare was something he could possibly wake up from.

Then the first Spartan fell.

Overrun by the parasite, one of the UNSC’s living weapons suddenly found itself undergoing a new augmentation—twisted into a champion of dormant darkness. The Spartan’s Mjolnir armor attempted to enact its countermeasures, pressurizing the hydrostatic gel layer to render itself immobile, and then detonating microexplosives within the helmet which shattered the Spartan’s visor as it immolated the head within . . . and it still wasn’t enough.

Julien wanted to run. To cry. To hide. But he couldn’t move. Couldn’t tear himself away from the sight of a Spartan turning on its own kind.

Couldn’t stop watching in horror as it tore apart those it had once protected.

And then it turned towards him, and Julien knew his big payday would never come.


Tearing. Scratching. Kicking. Burrowing. Breaking. Slicing.
Chest cavity. Spine. Nest. Devour.
oh-god-get-it-off-me-get-it-off-me
Become. Become.
Become!

UNSC Saturn


Captain Alvarez stared at the grisly scene that was playing out before him on the holotable and across numerous tactical displays.

Horror. Denial. He was rigid with them both.

How could this have happened? A small-scale infestation of largely unarmed miners had cascaded into an outbreak that now threatened to overwhelm them. Once the Flood had consumed everything they needed on the ground, their insatiable hunger would direct them to this ship where they would be unleashed upon the stars.

If that happened, it was game over—not just for humanity, but all life.

And it would be his fault. The name of Captain Pedro Alvarez would live in unheard history as the man who unleashed a deluge of plague ships upon the galaxy. If any portrait of him were to be made in the future, it would depict him in Saturn’s place . . .

For so long, they had thought of Spartans as symbols of hope that could turn the tide against any enemy they faced, no matter how impossible the odds. But he had never imagined how that could be twisted against them in the event the Flood managed to infect these heroes of humanity.

No choice remained. Lycaon had been right. Concerns about rebuilding the UNSC fleet now paled in comparison to the situation that was playing out on the surface of Site 22.

“This is Captain Alvarez of the UNSC Saturn,” he spoke on an open comm channel, and the nervous, sweating bridge crew turned to face him. “I am declaring CORRUPTER and UPSILON protocols. All remaining groundside personnel have seven minutes to withdraw from Site 22 as the Saturn moves into position . . . where we will fire our arsenal of Shiva-class nuclear missiles.”

Alvarez avoided looking at Lycaon, who had remained inactive since the captain had uttered the codeword to neutralize the AI’s attempt to usurp his command.

“Good luck, and godspeed.”


Site 22



Julien saw the world in a new way.

But not Julien.

Something . . . different. More.

His mind fought to be free, to understand. But it also embraced the longing for something else.

Unity.

A gift he sought to bestow on others. He searched and scoured the surface of the asteroid, sifting through bone and body at a rapid pace, looking for someone to share his new mind with.

Ah! There’s one!

Abe . . .

Devour.
Deluge.
Unity.
Peace.
We hunger. We find. We envelop.
Searching. Seeking.
More.

As he began to open his friend’s mind, the horizon began to glow.


UNSC Saturn


Captain Alvarez gazed at what had previously been known as Site 22. The view from the bridge was still engulfed in fire. Only a handful of dropships had managed to return while the others . . . well, perhaps the detonation of the Shivas had been a mercy compared to what they had likely been reshaped into.

He wanted nothing more than to return to his quarters and get to work on the bottle of Titan Smoke he had been saving for retirement. But this would not be the celebratory drink he had envisioned, and it was a bitter realization that the twilight years of his career had culminated in his most brazen failure. He had already begun mentally rehearsing the court martial that no doubt awaited him.

Lycaon had remained inert and unresponsive. While Alvarez had known how to countermand the AI’s attempt to usurp his authority, it had simply placed him into a kind of stasis. There was no doubt, however, that the techs back home knew how to restore his functionality.

A thousand desperate options ran through his mind—whether he could initiate Final Dispensation and order the crew to run with him across the stars, or face the trial that awaited him and bear the burden of what his actions had cost.

“XO,” Alvarez called. “You have the bridge; I’ll be in my quarters.”

“Aye, sir.”

He would open that bottle after all, and perhaps come to a final decision at the bottom of a very large glass.


Arm. Weapon. Sharp. Cut. Hunger. Become. MORE.
make-it-stop-please-make-it-stop
Memories. Training. Hunger.
Weapon. Fire. Kneecap. Fall. Devour.
help-me-so-sorry-please-tearing-me-apart
Others. Fleeing. Leaving.
Horizon. Fire. Death.
A ship. Condor.
Approach. Swarm. Hunger.
won’t-let-you-won’t-let-you-WON’T-LET-YOU
Charging. Sprinting. Slicing. Food. Leave behind. CONDOR.
WONT-
Aboard.
LET-
Devour. Depart.
YOU-
Become.

Forge Features
Forge has evolved.

With the arrival of Season 5 of Halo Infinite, players have now got their hands on the Forge AI Toolkit which has well and truly changed the game, as you can now add AI units to the maps you create.



Already, we have seen PvPvE experiences populate the Custom Game Browser, along with recreations of classic campaign missions and even brand-new ones. As we hit our twentieth issue of Forge Features, that seems like a nice round number to start showcasing some of these incredible new experiences that you can jump in and play right now.

For a fuller breakdown of the additions made to Forge in Season 5, check out our Forge Overview blog.

Firefight Custom Game Mode





When setting up a custom game for Firefight, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve got the right mode set up to have the optimal experience. Sometimes you can use one that’s more “general,” but sometimes there will be maps that use their own specific mode variant(s). Some even come with difficulty levels.

For a good general Firefight mode where the player simply needs to survive ten rounds, be sure to bookmark the following:

Firefight – WoodComet673577

For others which are more map-specific, you will find these included below.

Inclemency



Credits: MadmanEpic
Mode: Inclemency Campaign



An early example of what a “custom campaign mission”-type experience using Forge AI looks like, where you’ll be fighting Banished in the snow.

There’s a vehicular section as you navigate through several Banished checkpoints; there are some narrow bridges and walkways; you’ll storm a Banished facility and fight a hammer-wielding Chieftain in close-quarters, before heading to the extraction point and fighting off several waves of tough enemies.

Either jump in solo or grab a couple of friends and try it out!

Firefight Halo Revamped


Credits: JAYZEN0009, ghostlyswat12



Battlecruisers and corvettes are inbound with enemy troops! Survive five rounds against an onslaught of enemies and hold the line to claim victory.


H2 Outskirts Firefight


Credits: Ju Jitsu X, Squishiop9, tttwyson
Mode: Easy | Normal | Heroic | Legendary



“We’ve got Jackals in the courtyard!”

It’s the holdout section from Halo 2’s Outskirts mission, featuring some adjustments to the overall layout. You can bookmark different modes which scale the AI difficulty, so maybe you’re looking for an easy time ploughing through enemy waves, or perhaps you’ve gathered a group of friends and you’re looking for a challenge to test your mettle on Legendary.

Infinite Firefight Refuge


Credits: Cousin Tim, InfiniteForges, Michael B 2K8, NightAvenger01, I Crush All, CertifiedChamp, ItzSkittz3964



Just when you thought you couldn’t be more in awe of the maps this crew puts together, they deliver this…

Abandoned and overgrown, Halo 2’s Headlong has become a battleground for the Banished.


Installation 07 Firefight


Credits: TJtheForger



One of the encounters that Firefight naturally ended up evolving out of were the holdout sections in Halo: Combat Evolved’s second mission, where the Master Chief must seek out and protect Marine survivors from several waves of Covenant dropships while exploring the Forerunner structures and beam towers that almost serve as “lighthouses” for these encounters.

It is only natural, then, that this experience has been recreated with Forge AI in Halo Infinite.

PvPvE Bloodgulch


Credits: ghostlyswat12, DaringMacil, AlphaEpsilon



Many years ago, I remember one of the first videos of Halo modding that I ever saw was of a big AI battle on Blood Gulch where Hunters were sat on Scorpion tanks and all manner of explosive green chaos ensued.

That was well over fifteen years ago, and now you can actually create this experience for yourself in Halo Infinite.

This PvPvE experience offers 12v12 for players and 16v16 AI – with some being aligned to your team, and others on the enemy’s. It is, perhaps, one of the purest possible expressions of Halo imaginable.

Tutorial Training



Interested in making maps that utilize the Forge AI Toolkit for yourself? Well, there’s a variety of video guides you can watch to get a greater understanding of the systems and options that are at your disposal.

Forge Fundamentals: Season 5 & AI Toolkit

First up, we did our own showcase of the Forge AI Toolkit during a Community Stage panel at the 2023 Halo World Championship.



Join 343 staff John Junyszek (Sr. Community Manager), Michael Schorr (Forge Lord), and Connor Kennelly (Forge Technical Designer) as they dive into the details of what’s new to Forge in Season 5 and how you can use it.

How To Spawn AI In Forge | Beginner Tutorial

Ducain23 has been putting together a series of tutorials on the Forge AI Toolkit, and this is a great place to start – how to spawn AI on your map and make them move around.



This video will give you a good understanding of things like nav mesh and move zones (how AI movement on the map works), the various methods of spawning (like whether they arrive by drop pod, Phantom dropship, or fade in), and how to put these things to the test.

Halo Infinite Forge PvE Campaign Scripting Guide

For something a little more advanced and long-form, check out MadmanEpic’s video on how he put together the scripting for his Inclemency campaign-style mission experience.



As MadmanEpic puts it himself, the Inclemency map isn’t copy protected and he encourages players to jump into Forge to fiddle around with the map and see how he put it all together.

That rounds us out for this issue of Forge Features, which has now become even more exciting with the new kinds of maps and experiences that players are able to create using these new tools.

It’s not even been two weeks since Season 5 launched and we’re already seeing some incredible creations from the community – we can’t even begin to imagine just how much farther there is to push the envelope of possibility here, which just means that we’re every bit as excited as you are to discover that alongside you all.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, the next wave’s droppin’ in and it’s about to get hot!

Sanguine Gift | Peril Patrol Weapon Coatings
What is the color of night? Sanguine, my brother.



Purchase the Sanguine Gift bundle in the Shop to inject some life into your Mark VII armor with:
  • Camazotz helmet
  • TAS/VETALA helmet attachment
  • Sanguine Gift chest attachment
  • Life Thief MA40 AR weapon kit
  • Mischief Machine mythic effect set
  • Lil' Devil armor effect
  • Hex Bats visor
  • Gangrel Blood armor coatings
  • Sanguine Slash weapon coatings

Take action of some sort whilst the courage of the day is upon you and swoop to the Shop today!


Patrol this place at your own peril.



Complete all of your Weekly Challenges and the Ultimate Challenge to earn this week’s Ultimate Reward – the suite of Peril Patrol weapon coatings.

A new Ultimate Reward will become available every week, so be sure to keep an eye on your Challenges and take advantage of these free rewards.

Season 5: Reckoning Launch
A reckoning has come. Season 5 of Halo Infinite is here!

The free Season 5: Reckoning update brings with it a vast amount of new content. Two new maps, Halo 4‘s Extraction mode reimagined, multi-core helmets, a new 50-tier Premium Battle Pass (that never expires) alongside two Operations, Flood-themed customization, the Bandit Evo, and more…

Also featured in this update is the next game-changing evolution of Forge. Players are now able to populate their maps with friends and foes from the Halo Infinite campaign – UNSC, Banished, and Forerunner units can now be used to create your very own PvE experiences.

That’s a lot to take in, and we’ve just gotten started. Let’s get you a full debrief!



Season 5: Reckoning – Full Patch notes on Halo Support!


Overview



  • OPERATIONS & BATTLE PASS & OVERVIEW – Everything you need to know about how Halo Infinite’s Events are evolving into Operations
  • HALO GEAR REWARDS – Learn more about the Halo Gear Rewards program for Season 5
  • EXTRACTION OVERVIEW – Learn more about the return and revamp of Halo 4‘s Extraction mode
  • MAPS OVERVIEW – Take a guided tour of Forbidden and Prism with our multiplayer designers
  • FORGE UPDATES OVERVIEW – Find out about the AI toolkit for PvE, along with 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


Welcome to Season 5 of [I]Halo Infinite[/I]


The Flood





“We are the last of those who gave you breath and form, millions of years ago. We are the last of those your kind defied and ruthlessly destroyed. We are the last Precursors. And now we are legion.” —Halo: Silentium

The Flood have come to Halo Infinite’s customization.

Your Spartan augmentations turned you into a sharpened tool of destruction, but it is only by embracing the Shaping Sickness that you will become a refined instrument of true primordial power.

In Season 5, the appearance of your Spartan and your weapons can be altered with parasitic prettiness, as individual armor pieces, armor effects, and Armor and Weapon Kits are available to earn through the Battle Pass and can be purchased in the Shop.

New Maps



Halo Infinite has two new maps with Season 5, 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.

New Mode





Extraction comes to Halo Infinite in Season 5!

Extraction is an objective-based game mode that was first introduced in Halo 4, and now this beloved mode has a new coat of paint with the latest UNSC and Personal AI tech in Halo Infinite.

Deploy Extraction Sites at different locations on the map to score points. Protect the site as it counts down to capture, as the enemy team can convert and extract it for themselves.

Multi-Core Helmets





Multi-core helmets have arrived in Season 5!

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

We can’t wait to see what combinations you come up with as customization flexibility becomes more expansive than ever.

New Look



Upon launching the game, players will be greeted with a refreshed title screen and main menu.

The skies of Suban, the blood-moon of Sanghelios and setting of the new map Prism, will be the first thing you will see at the game’s title screen. As you transition to the main menu, you’ll be taken to the ancient ruins of Forbidden where things may look a little different to how they have been previously.

Your Spartan now stands at the center of the main menu, and you will also see your challenge deck on the right-hand side (beneath the Battle Pass).

Bandit Evo





The M392 Bandit has a new variant – the “Bandit Evo.”

When the M392 Bandit was originally added in Season 3, it replaced the scope of the familiar DMR with iron sights to make it more of a close-to-medium range weapon. The Bandit Evo features a new scope along with improved recoil and bloom control, making it the perfect tool for those mid-ranged encounters – but if you get hit while aiming, you will get descoped.

Skill with this weapon is expressed through precision. Five headshots or seven body shots will net you a kill, so make those shots count!

Hero Rewards





We’ve been holding out for a hero, and with the release of Season 5 those of you who reach the end of your Career Rank journey by attaining the maximum Hero rank will be suitably rewarded with the following:

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


Season 5 Battle Pass





Season 5 brings an all-new Battle Pass, and we’re doing things a bit differently this time…

The Reckoning Battle Pass will overall be tighter with better-quality content, allowing you to play however you want to earn Match XP (in Matchmaking or, for the first time, Custom Games) and progress its 50 total tiers. This pass consists of 50 tiers because, thanks to further improvements with our systems, multiple items can now be bundled together in the same reward tier—so items that were previously multiple unlocks (such as coatings and shoulder pads) are now bundled into one.



The Reckoning Premium Battle Pass will be available for 1000 credits, never expires, and includes:

  • 50-tier reward track (including 1000 credits)
  • Bonus Match XP in Season 5 while the pass is active
  • Fourth Challenge slot (while the pass is active)
  • Instantly unlock the Defiled Bulldog Weapon Kit


The Reckoning Premium Battle Pass Bundle will be available for 2800 credits, never expires, and includes everything from the Reckoning Premium Battle Pass list above along with fifteen level grants in the reward track.


Free Pass



For the free track: the first 20 tiers of the Battle Pass are free for all players and this period will last until the first Operation launches (November 14).

  • Upon expiration, the 20 free tiers of content will no longer be available to unlock if you haven’t already completed those tiers. Players will retain everything they’ve unlocked
  • Players who would like to finish the pass beyond the stated cut-off date can purchase the Premium Pass in the shop at any point


Forge Updates


Forge AI Toolkit



The next evolution of Forge is here. For the first time ever, players can now place AI enemies on their maps and create their own PvE scenarios, which can be further enhanced by new Node Graph scripting functions.

The Forge AI Toolkit features 43 total units from Halo Infinite’s campaign, including UNSC, Banished, and Forerunner characters.

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




Players can adjust numerous options around these AI units through Forge settings and node graphs, from how they arrive into the map (whether they are deployed by a Phantom, drop pod, or spawn in) to whether they’re friend or foe, what they react (or don’t react) to, their difficulty level, and so much more.

Maybe you want to spice up your PvP matches with some AI units – you can make it so capturing a neutral zone spawns two Hunters who will fight by your side. You can play the role of a Halo Wars leader and direct your friendly AI units using the Player Mark command. You can create Tower Defense or even MOBA-style scenarios, or recreate campaign moments. Or maybe you’ve got a photographer’s eye and want to create some cool screenshots for Theater mode – be it of your own scenarios or scenes from Halo media.

Season 5 delivers the systems to make it possible, and the rest is in your hands. We can’t wait to see what you create!

Banished Palette



It wouldn’t be a full-scale Banished invasion of Forge if there wasn’t an expanded Banished palette to go alongside it, and that’s exactly what Season 5 delivers.

The Banished palette includes:

  • 11 Primitive Pieces
  • 27 Structure Pieces
  • 86 Accent Pieces
  • 10 Lights
  • 15 Decals
  • 13 VFX

Snow & Ice Palette





Also included in Forge with the arrival of Season 5 is a snow and ice-themed palette, just in time for the Holiday season!

The snow and ice palette includes:

  • 84 Snow/Ice Covered Biome Objects
  • 21 Snow/Ice Materials
  • 9 VFX

New Canvases



The Forge playground expands even further with two new canvas maps for players to create maps on – Deadlands and Permafrost.



Deadlands is a canvas themed around what remains after a Banished bombing. The area is blackened and littered with craters, some of which have filled with water. Broken and dead trees are scattered throughout, with a handful of unscathed trees on the outskirts of the play space.

Permafrost is a snow-covered variation of Deadlands. Nestled between sharp mountain peaks and surrounded by frozen ponds, ice, and jagged mountains, Permafrost provides Forgers with the ability to create snow and ice-themed maps.


Operations



In Season 5, Events are evolving into Operations.

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

The way you progress Operations will be based on Match XP (not challenges), which you can earn in Matchmaking or Custom Games, and once an Operation ends it will be purchasable via the Switcher or Shop. These developments – along with the length of Operations – have come as the result of player feedback around Events, which have often felt limiting due to their short windows and lack of ability to obtain their content if they are missed.

Premium Options



Players can simply work their way through an Operation completely for free, but there are some additional premium options available as well.

  • A 500 credit upgrade will make the Operation durable (it will never expire so you can go back to progressing it whenever you want) and includes an additional bonus customization item
  • A 2,000 credit upgrade will instantly unlock all 20 tiers of the Operation Pass and additionally includes the bonus customization item

Let’s take a look at the upcoming Season 5 Operations!

Combined Arms: November 14-December 19



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



Winter Contingency III: December 19-January 30



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




Still to Come...


Firefight King of the Hill



Coming later in Season 5 is Firefight King of the Hill – a new take on the classic mode where four players must capture and defend hills against an onslaught of Banished forces.

You may find yourself thrown into battle within the bloodied walls of the House of Reckoning, or you might just find that Firefight King of the Hill will take you to some other battlefields as well…

"Hey Look, A Mark V!"





The Master Chief’s iconic Mjolnir Mark V armor from Halo: CE has been lovingly and authentically recreated as an Armor Kit in Halo Infinite, and will be made available in the Shop during the Combined Arms Operation which goes live on November 14 – just in time for Halo’s birthday!

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



New Equipment: Repair Field



Enhance your tactical support gameplay with a new piece of Equipment coming to Halo Infinite later in Season 5: the Repair Field.

Deploy a device that attaches to surfaces and vehicles, which – after a short arming time – emits a healing field that restores Spartan health and repairs vehicles before it eventually self-destructs. Be wary: the Repair Field’s effect is neutral, so it’ll do the same for your enemies as it will for you.


Halo Gear Rewards



Halo Gear Rewards return in Season 5 with the Halo Tactical Carrier!



This UNSC-style backpack is mission ready and designed with utility in mind. The Tactical Carrier has three primary compartments, reinforced straps and carry handle, and sufficient nylon and Velcro areas for attaching pins, patches, and other insignia.

Players can earn access to purchase the Tactical Carrier by completing the 50-tier Premium Battle Pass. Upon completion, players will receive their unique code via Waypoint notifications to make their purchase in the Halo Gear Shop – and you’ll be able to add on some Operations-themed patches for an additional cost.



Shop & Ultimate Reward



Secure the Flood super bundle and enhance your Spartan’s Mark V [B] armored casket with some horrifying new augmentations…

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

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

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

  • Blightland Marauder Armor effect
  • Hidden Malignancy Death effect




And finally, complete all your challenges this week to unlock your first Ultimate Reward of Season 5: the Brushfire armor coating.



See Something, Say Something



Season 5 brings with it a host of 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.



Season 5 is officially live and ready for download!

Jump in and take in the sights of Forbidden and Prism, try out the new Bandit Evo, play around with Forge AI and see what PvE scenarios you come up with using the new Banished palette and canvases, dive into the Custom Game Browser to earn Match XP and work through that new Battle Pass, give yourself to the timeless chorus of Flood infection, and work your way through Career Rank to attain the legendary status of Hero in order to unlock that iconic Infinite Mark VI armor.

You can get Halo Infinite’s free-to-play Multiplayer here. And, in case you haven’t yet experienced the Master Chief’s epic return to battle the Banished on Zeta Halo, be sure to get the Halo Infinite Campaign here.


Season 5 Press Kit



Download the Season 5: Reckoning press kit here!

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

Feast your eyes!


Rated F for Flood



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

The Flood have come to Halo Infinite’s customization.



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

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



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


Battle Pass & Operations





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

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

Spartan Chatter: Season 5 Revealed

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

Premium Pass



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

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

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



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

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

Combined Arms: November 14-December 19



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



Winter Contingency III: December 19-January 30



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



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


Holding Out For A Hero





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

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

Players who attain the Hero rank will unlock:

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

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



Mjolnir Magnificence





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



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

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



Customization Flexibility



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

Helmets Are Multi-Core



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

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



Multi-Core Icon



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

Ultimate Rewards



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

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

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



Talkin' Shop



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

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

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

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

  • Blightland Marauder Armor Effect
  • Hidden Malignancy Death Effect




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

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

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



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

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