Season 3 of Halo Infinite is here, and the narrative-focused Mindfall event has begun!
Running from March 7-21, the Mindfall Event delivers a free 10-tier Event Pass containing a variety of cosmetics to outfit your new MIRAGE IIC Armor Core, along with new cinematics.
For those who need a recap on what happened in Season 2: Lone Wolves…
At the beginning of Season 2 of Halo Infinite, the Academy received some unexpected guests. Spartan Sigrid Eklund emerged from a commandeered Phantom with an unconscious Spartan Hieu Dinh, whose life was jeopardized by the malevolent Banished AI known as Iratus who resides within his neural interface.
Season 3: Echoes Within picks up from here, kicking off with the Mindfall event which explores a pivotal moment from Spartan Dinh’s past as Iratus plunders his mind.
Mindfall is the first of two narrative-focused events, as Site Unseen will conclude the story of Season 3 from May 2-16 (bringing with it another free 10-tier Event Pass with new MIRAGE IIC cosmetics and additional cinematics).
For additional story elements, stay tuned for Intel drops throughout Season 3 (landing here on Halo Waypoint and in-game), Fracture: FIREWALL’s upcoming Story Shards, and your regularly scheduled monthly issues of Canon Fodder.
How to View Cinematics
After launching Halo Infinite, you will see the cinematic recapping the events of the last two seasons, followed by the Echoes Within opening cinematic that follows Spartan Dinh and Iratus.
Upon finishing the Mindfall Event, you can view the event’s closing cinematic by pressing Y from the main menu to open up the screen that shows your Battle Pass, Story Event, and Challenges.
From there, hit X (you’ll see it listed as “Season Intro”) which will take you to this screen.
And then hit Y for additional cinematics. Here is where you will see Enemy Mind listed – the closing cinematic of the Mindfall event.
Halo Gear Rewards – Pin Program
Halo Gear Rewards are back for Season 3: Echoes Within!
Halo Gear Rewards are exclusive limited-edition products in the Halo Gear Shop that players can earn access to purchase after completing specific in-game accomplishments. The first reward was introduced in Season 2: Lone Wolves with the amazing Fracture: Entrenched Tanker Jacket.
In Season 3: Echoes Within, we are introducing a new earnable reward – official Halo Infinite Pins!
Players will have the opportunity to earn access to four collectible pins, each tied to a specific event in Season 3. The pins will feature unique designs inspired by their respective events. These pins will also be part of a larger Xbox Pin Trading program, with a special stamp on the back, but more on that soon.
So, what are the pins and how can I earn access to them?
Uncover your enemy and earn access to the Shroud Screen Pin by completing the Season 3 Mindfall Event Pass. Complete this event and make your purchase by April 18 to secure this reward.
Put a new weapon to good use and complete the Season 3 Site Unseen Event Pass to unlock access to the Bandit Pin. Complete this event and make your purchase by June 17 to secure this reward.
Blend mind and machine to complete the Season 3 Fractures: Firewall Event Pass and earn access to the Firewall Logo Pin. Complete this event and make your purchase by July 4 to secure this reward.
You can earn access to the Season 3 Insignia LE Pin & Matching In-Game Emblem by defying Iratus and completing the Season 3: Echoes Within Battle Pass. Complete the battle pass and make your purchase by July 4 to secure this reward.
How does it work?
Upon completion of each qualifying event the player will receive a reward code via their Halo Waypoint Profile.
When you complete each event, simply visit Halo Waypoint online or via mobile and sign into your account to trigger your reward. The reward code will be delivered to you via Waypoint notifications. <*> Please note that it may take up to 24-hours for the code to be delivered after completion of an event.
Once you receive the reward code, visit the Halo Gear Shop and hop to the respective Pin product page to proceed with your purchase. The price will look REALLY high, but don’t worry!
Add the pin to your cart and proceed to checkout
In checkout you will enter the code in the “Gift card or discount code” field, click apply
The cost will update to the pin’s actual retail price
Finish your transaction by entering your shipping and billing details and selected your shipping option
This is a pre-order item that will ship in Q3/Q4 2023
The Halo Gear Rewards items are available for purchase until the dates specified
Note: This is not the real price of the collectible pin. This is a Halo Gear Rewards item, exclusively for Halo Infinite players that have completed one of the qualifying Season 3 events; Site Unseen Event Pass, Mindfall Event Pass, Fractures: Firewall Event Pass, S3: Echoes Within Battle Pass. Qualifying players will receive a code to reduce the price to the intended retail cost.
Season 3: Echoes Within Launch
Season 3 of Halo Infinite is live!
“Echoes Within” brings with it a vast amount of new content to the game – new maps and modes, a new 100-tier Premium Battle Pass (that never expires), new narrative events that pick up where Season 2 left off, two new Armor Cores, the M392 Bandit and Shroud Screen, Forge updates, a new Fracture event, and so much more…
Back in Season 2 of Halo Infinite, the Spartan Academy received some unexpected guests. Spartan Sigrid Eklund emerged from a commandeered Phantom with an unconscious Hieu Dinh, whose life was jeopardized by the Banished AI known as Iratus who resides within his neural interface.
Season 3 picks up from here, kicking off with the Mindfall event which explores a pivotal moment from Spartan Dinh’s past as Iratus plunders his mind.
Mindfall runs from March 7-21 and brings with it a free 10-tier Event Pass containing a variety of cosmetics to outfit your new MIRAGE IIC Armor Core, along with new cinematics.
This is the first of two narrative-focused events, as Site Unseen will conclude the story of Season 3 from May 2-16.
New Maps
Season 3 delivers three new dev-made maps: Oasis, Cliffhanger, and Chasm.
Oasis is an all-new BTB map that is a perfect mosh pit for vehicular combat and big team mayhem. Cliffhanger is an asymmetric Arena map set on an ONI black site overlooking a vast mountain range, featuring varied elevation and tight indoor spaces. And Chasm is an Arena map set within the cavernous substructures of Zeta Halo, answering the question of “What would you get if you took the spirit of Boarding Action from Halo: Combat Evolved and put in some Grappleshots?”
With three new maps to play on, we know you’re going to want to jump straight into the action, and you can do exactly that in the New Arena Unlimited playlist. This playlist will run from March 7-14, and the New BTB Unlimited playlist will run from March 14-21.
Looking to jump straight into the new stuff? These playlists, which exclusively feature Season 3’s new maps, are your first port of call. Of course, these maps have also been added into the rotation of other playlists as well.
For a more detailed breakdown and Q&A with some of our multiplayer designers about the new maps, check out our Season 3 Maps & Modes Preview blog.
In Escalation Slayer, players progress through a list of weapon and equipment loadouts as they score kills (and can de-level opponents by meleeing them in the back). With each elimination, you advance towards a new loadout, culminating in a final challenge to win: getting a kill with the Oddball.
This mode is launching in Season 3 with two variants: Team Escalation and FFA Escalation.
Team Escalation progresses all players on a team through the loadout list together. Kills are summed across the team, so everyone’s effort counts. And FFA Escalation is, of course, every Spartan for themselves!
And yes, there will indeed be a BTB version of Escalation Slayer, along with a “Super” version of the mode which will bring in the special weapon variants and upgraded equipment that you can obtain in Halo Infinite’s Campaign. You can expect to see this arrive a little later into Season 3.
M392 Bandit & Shroud Screen
Halo Infinite’s first new weapon and equipment item have arrived: the M392 Bandit and Shroud Screen.
Designed to reward accuracy and careful precision, the semi-automatic M392 Bandit rifle is perfect for mid-range encounters. Touting formidable stopping power fit only for a super-soldier, the Bandit is at its deadliest with well-timed and well-placed shots.
The Shroud Screen features a hand-held launcher that enables the player to fire an opaque, spherical shroud. While projectiles can still pierce the shroud (make no mistake, this ain’t no Bubble or Drop Shield!), players outside it can’t see through – and vice-versa.
In addition, players inside the shroud are concealed from their opponents’ motion sensors. Tactical positioning, map knowledge, and key timing are the name of the game for gaining an edge over your enemies with the Shroud Screen.
New Armor Cores
I SPI with my little eye… two new Armor Cores in need of some accessorizing!
MIRAGE IIC
With roots that extend to the jungles of Onyx, MIRAGE IIC comes to Halo Infinite as one of two free Armor Cores for all players in Season 3. Based on the fabled SPI armor of previous Spartan generations, MIRAGE IIC provides a sleek and stalwart solution to any danger the galaxy throws at you.
CHIMERA
Born from the ashes of a failed AI uprising, the free CHIMERA Armor Core serves as the theme for the Fracture: FIREWALL event series, offering a unique vision of a potentially dangerous digital future where artificial minds and augmented bodies become one.
Speaking of which…
Fracture: Firewall
Fracture events return in Season 3!
Fracture: FIREWALL showcases the deadliness of a perfect synthesis of mind and machine through the new CHIMERA Armor Core.
Featuring a free Event Pass with 20 CHIMERA-focused cosmetic rewards, Fracture: FIREWALL will run across four separate weeks over the course of Season 3, providing players ample opportunity to build out their wardrobe as FIREWALL fashionistas.
Each of these recurrences will also be accompanied by a Story Shard – titled Precipice – on Halo Waypoint, diving deeper into the fiction of this new Armor Core and its close connections to the artificial minds that shaped it…
Stay tuned for a full blog on this upcoming event.
Echoes Within Battle Pass
A new Season means a new Battle Pass, featuring over 100 tiers of rewards – including 1000 Halo Credits.
The Echoes Within Premium Battle Pass will be available for 1000 Credits, never expires, and includes:
100-tier reward track
Bonus Match XP per match during Season 3
Redsteel Splinter armor coatings
The Echoes Within Premium Battle Pass Bundle costs 2800 Credits, never expires, and includes:
100-tier reward track (including 1000 Credits)
Bonus Match XP per match during Season 3
Fourth Challenge slot whenever this Battle Pass is equipped
Redsteel Splinter armor coatings (pictured below)
Jumps you ahead 25 levels in the reward track, offering a 64% level-up discount
Earn Match XP and unlock rewards for your MIRAGE IIC Armor Core at your own pace because, once purchased, the Premium Battle Pass is yours to keep and complete at your leisure.
Arriving in Season 3 are a variety of new coatings, including Watchdog Neo, Shred Shift, and more.
To those who fought their way to SR 152 in Halo 5: Guardians, the Watchdog Neo coating is getting shipped to your Armory tomorrow (March 8)!
Watchdog Neo will be added to all Armor Cores and will also be available as a weapon coating for your M392 Bandit and S7 Sniper. Note that this does not replace the original Watchdog coating, which is also still available.
Season 3 also brings with it an updated version of the MARK VII Armor Core’s Red Shift armor coating, known as “Shred Shift.” We’ve got some additional free items in the form of three Steel Series coatings (available in red, green, and blue variations), along with some new Cadet coatings which are available on all Armor Cores for all players, and the special Master Builder coating and visor for Forgers who get their creations into matchmaking.
For more details on all things to do with the latest updates to customization in Halo Infinite, and a full look at all coating and customization images, give our Season 3 Customization Preview blog a read.
Forge
Ever since Forge launched in Halo Infinite’s Winter Update, we’ve been utterly blown away by the creativity shown by the community.
We delivered the Custom Games Browser to Halo Infinite back in December, giving you the ability to make every night a custom games night. And then, in February, we brought a selection of incredible community-made Forge maps to matchmaking in the Community Collection playlist.
The Community Collection playlist is here to stay, we expect it will grow and evolve over time, and it’s where you can earn Match XP playing on community-made maps. For further details, head over to our Community Collection Playlist Launch blog!
With Season 3, we’re bringing a number of updates to empower players even more with the tools of creation.
Editable dev maps
All dev-made maps – past, present, and future – can be edited in Forge.
Toggleable Friendly/Enemy Outlines and Friendly Player Collision in Custom Game mode options
Four new options are now available for outlines on friendly and enemy players, as well as friendly and enemy vehicles. Friendly Player Collision is also available as a custom game option – go jump on some heads!
New Game Mode/Gameplay objects
Players can now create Land Grab and Total Control experiences in Forge with the added Land Grab Capture Zone and Total Control Zone objects. Also added Invisible Gravity Lift and Invisible Kinetic Launcher objects.
Various additional bug fixes and improvements have been made. To see the full breakdown, please check out Halo Support.
Shop & Capstone
Shop: Aquahex Bundle
Kicking off the launch week of Season 3 in the Shop is the Aquahex Bundle – our first “super bundle” which offers a plethora of cosmetic items for your MIRAGE IIC and MARK VII Armor Cores, along with additional weapon coatings.
The purpose of this experimental change is to deliver more valuable bundles at a reduced price out of the gate. What this means is that players get the chance to obtain more of Season 3’s cosmetic content early and at a lower price than buying them all individually.
MIRAGE IIC items include:
Erinyes helmet
Erinyes Hymn helmet attachment
TAC/LACEWEB SCM-P shoulders
TAC/SCM-P knee pads
Void Ultra armor coating
TAC/LACEWEB TRM CORE chest gear
TAC/SCM-P wrist gear
MARK VII items include:
Security GEN3 helmet
Oppressor Mark II helmet attachment
UA/AHALA shoulders
UA/MACROSPLINE chest gear
Project CASKLOOM wrist gear
Pattern Shift armor coating
Cyan Sky visor
Additionally, the bundle also includes the Aqua Hex coating for these weapons:
MA40 Assault Rifle
MK50 Sidekick
BR75 Battle Rifle
VK78 Commando
CQS48 Bulldog
Players can obtain this super bundle for 2200 Halo Credits, offering the best value and discount for the combined total of these items, but after Week 3 it will be split into separate bundles at a different price point.
Our first Ultimate Reward for Season 3 is the Purple Reign weapon coating for the brand-new M392 Bandit.
Complete all of your Weekly Challenges and the Ultimate Challenge this week to outfit your M392 Bandit in a manner that will help guide your enemies to the purple rain (if you know what I’m singing about up here).
Additional Attachments
Finally, we’ve got a few additional free goodies for all those who log into Halo Infinite in Season 3 in the form of helmet attachments.
This includes the MK62 CBRN/ISES helmet attachment for the FIREFALL helmet on the MARK VII Armor Core, and the UA/TYPE O5 which is available on the Mark V [B], CQC, HAZOP, Air Assault, JFO, ODST and Recon helmets on the MARK V [B] Armor Core.
Tracin' Rays
Ray tracing comes to Halo Infinite on PC in Season 3.
For the curious, ray tracing is a technique that gives greater dynamism to scenery in video games through the addition of physics-based lighting and shadows.
With the launch of Season 3 today, the PC experience of Halo Infinite has been enhanced with Ray Traced Sun Shadows, which – when toggled on – will give greater visual depth to the Arena and BTB multiplayer experience.
Note that this feature will always be off by default because this is an optional visual feature that consumes additional GPU performance, so it must be manually enabled via Spec Control in the game’s Video settings menu.
Halo Gear Rewards are back for Season 3: Echoes Within!
Halo Gear Rewards are exclusive limited-edition products in the Halo Gear Shop that players can earn access to purchase after completing specific in-game accomplishments. The first reward was introduced in Season 2: Lone Wolves with the amazing Fracture: Entrenched Tanker Jacket.
In Season 3, we are introducing a new earnable reward – official Halo Infinite Pins! Players will have the opportunity to earn access to four collectible pins, each tied to a specific event in Season 3 and featuring unique designs inspired by their respective events.
M392 Bandit Pin: Complete the Season 3 Site Unseen Event Pass
FIREWALL Logo Pin: Complete the Fracture: FIREWALL Event Pass
Season 3 Insignia LE Pin & matching in-game emblem: Complete the Season 3 Battle Pass
Complete the qualifying event, sign into your Halo Waypoint profile, and you’ll receive your reward code in your profile’s notifications. Please note that it may take up to 24 hours for the code to be delivered to you after completion of an event.
Head to the Halo Gear Shop, add the pin to your cart, and then enter and apply your reward code in the “Gift card or discount code” field. These pre-order items will ship in Q3/Q4 of 2023.
We’ll have a more detailed breakdown on the Pin Program for you in tomorrow’s Mindfall event blog, so stay tuned!
See Something, Say Something
Season 3 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.
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.
In the time you’ve read this, hopefully your Halo Infinite update has finished and you’re ready to dive into Season 3!
Build your MIRAGE IIC Armor Core in the image of the legendary ghosts of Onyx as you level up that new 100-tier Battle Pass; master the new tools of the sandbox with Escalation Slayer; continue the story of the Spartan Academy as Iratus delves into Dinh’s traumatic past; unleash your creativity with the latest update to Forge; and explore the stunning new locales of Oasis, Cliffhanger, and Chasm – Season 3 is just getting started.
Ahead of Season 3: Echoes Within’s launch, we wanted to give you a first look at the customization and rewards included in the Battle Pass, the two new Armor Cores, and how the Shop is evolving.
BATTLE PASS
Season 3 brings with it a new Battle Pass for you to earn a plethora of customization content (over 180 individual items!)
The Echoes Within Premium Battle Pass features over 100 tiers of rewards, including 1000 Halo Credits, and additionally offers players a fourth Challenge slot whenever this Battle Pass is equipped. Premium Battle Pass owners will also receive bonus Match XP for every match they complete throughout Season 3 (no matter what Battle Pass they have equipped) and will begin their great journey through Season 3 at tier 25.
Oh, and purchases of the Premium Battle Pass instantly unlock the Redsteel Splinter armor coating for all available Armor Cores!
Let’s break some of that down further...
The Echoes Within Premium Battle Pass will be available for 1000 Credits, never expires, and includes:
100-tier reward track
Bonus Match XP per match during Season 3
Redsteel Splinter armor coatings
The Echoes Within Premium Battle Pass Bundle costs 2800 Credits, never expires, and includes:
100-tier reward track
Bonus Match XP per match during Season 3
Redsteel Splinter armor coatings
Jumps you ahead 25 levels in the reward track
In Halo Infinite, individual Battle Pass level skips cost 200 Credits each, meaning that skipping 25 levels would normally cost 5000 Credits. At 1800 Credits to begin a quarter of the way through the reward track, this particular element works out as a 64% discount.
Play matches, earn XP, and unlock rewards for the new MIRAGE IIC Armor Core through the Match XP system introduced in Halo Infinite’s Winter Update. Once purchased, the Echoes Within Premium Battle Pass is yours to keep and progress at your leisure – it never expires, and you can switch back-and-forth between the incomplete Battle Passes you own whenever you want.
For players looking to jump into Season 3 of Halo Infinite without purchasing the Echoes Within Battle Pass, there is a free track which offers a selection of customization rewards, XP Boosts, and Challenge Swaps, totaling 86 rewards overall.
MIRAGE IIC
With roots that extend to the jungles of Onyx, MIRAGE IIC joins Halo Infinite as a new free Armor Core for Season 3. Based on the fabled SPI armor of previous Spartan generations, MIRAGE IIC provides a sleek and stalwart solution to any danger the galaxy throws at you.
Whether you’re an old-timer who discovered the meaning of the phrase “Spartans never die” within the pages of Eric Nylund’s Halo: Ghosts of Onyx in 2006, or if you’re just joining us now, MIRAGE IIC brings the fan-favorite semi-powered infiltration (or “SPI”) armor to Halo Infinite.
CHIMERA
Born from the ashes of a failed AI uprising, CHIMERA is the second free Armor Core for Season 3.
Serving as the theme for the Fracture: FIREWALL Event series, CHIMERA offers a unique vision of a potentially dangerous digital future where artificial minds and augmented bodies have become one.
The Fracture: FIREWALL Event debuts March 21 and will see a total of four occurrences in Season 3. We will be exploring the connective tissue between this armor and the Halo universe in a four-part Story Shard series titled Precipice that will certainly surprise fiction fans with just how deep its roots go...
Stay tuned for further information on Fracture: FIREWALL!
A Caboodle of Coatings
To those valiant souls who fought their way to SR 152 in Halo 5: Guardians, your time has come in Season 3 of Halo Infinite. For ye who were forged in the fires of Arena, Breakout, and Warzone over a span of time that one fears to count, the Watchdog Neo coating will soon be yours.
On March 8, Watchdog Neo will be added to all Armor Cores, and will also be available as a new weapon coating for your M392 Bandit and S7 Sniper as well.
As we mentioned in the Outcomes Report for Season 1 of Halo Infinite, the Watchdog coating that is currently in the game is not being taken away – for those of you who have grown fond of it, nothing will change, but you will have the additional choice of the shiny new Watchdog Neo coating.
Let’s see how it’s looking:
We also stated that we were working on an updated version of the MARK VII’s Red Shift armor coating, which will additionally arrive in Season 3 under the name “Shred Shift” (try repeating that aloud five times faster...)
Also coming as a free addition for players are the new Steel Series armor coatings, which will be available in Red Steel, Green Steel, and Blue Steel variations for all Armor Cores at the start of Season 3.
As noted earlier, purchases of the Premium Battle Pass instantly unlock the Redsteel Splinter armor coating for all available Armor Cores.
And finally, we’ve got a couple of additional Cadet coatings coming for free to all players as well. Added to your base selection of coatings across all Armor Cores will be Cadet Olive for those who like the undefeatable big green style of life, along with Cadet Red for those who might describe themselves as the gruff team leader type that favors shotguns.
As Cadet Red is free on all Armor Cores, we have also updated the purchasable “Scarlet” coatings that were released in Season 1 with new and improved looks – these coatings are Scarlet Empress, Scarlet Skies, and Scarlet Wake.
The Shop is evolving in Season 3 of Halo Infinite.
What this means can be summed up in four main points:
There will be a half-week slot which refreshes every Tuesday and Friday
There will overall be more offers throughout the season
The Shop will have a consistent layout
Dailies will refresh every day
The Shop will also see the addition of “super bundles,” which provides players the opportunity to buy multiple offers packaged together at once – at a price that is substantially less than buying each of them individually.
The philosophy behind this experimental change is to deliver more valuable bundles at a reduced price out of the gate, meaning that players can obtain more of Season 3’s customization content early and at a lower price than buying them all separately.
These super bundles will only be available in Weeks 1 and 3, after which they will be split apart into multiple separate bundles.
Let’s take a look at an example...
During the launch week of Season 3, the Aquahex Bundle will be available in the Shop, which offers a plethora of cosmetic items for your MIRAGE IIC and MARK VII armors, along with additional weapon coatings.
MIRAGE IIC items include:
Erinyes helmet
Erinyes Hymn helmet attachment
TAC/LACEWEB SCM-P shoulders
TAC/SCM-P knee pads
Void Ultra armor coating
MARK VII items include:
Security GEN3 helmet
Oppressor Mark II helmet attachment
UA/AHALA shoulders
UA/MACROSPLINE chest gear
Project CASKLOOM wrist gear
Pattern Shift armor coating
Cyan Sky visor
Additionally, the bundle also includes the Aqua Hex coating for these weapons:
MA40 Assault Rifle
MK50 Sidekick
BR75 Battle Rifle
VK78 Commando
CQS48 Bulldog
Players can obtain this super bundle for 2200 Halo Credits, but after Week 3 it will be split into separate bundles and priced accordingly. If items in the super bundle take your fancy, you will be getting more customization content at an overall reduced price.
We will continue to experiment with different formats for the Shop in Season 4 and beyond, and we are keen to hear your feedback to guide future adjustments.
Forgers of Will and Might
Just last week, we announced that – as of January 2 this year – over one million creations have been made in Forge.
For those among the Builder rate of the Halo community who get a map added to the Community Collection playlist, we’ve got a unique reward for you: the Master Builder armor coating, available for all Armor Cores.
Additional Attachments
We’ve got a few additional free goodies for all those who log into Halo Infinite in Season 3 in the form of helmet attachments.
This includes the MK62 CBRN/ISES helmet attachment for the FIREFALL helmet on the MARK VII Armor Core, and the UA/TYPE O5 which is available on the Mark V [B], CQC, HAZOP, Air Assault, JFO, ODST and Recon helmets on the MARK V [B] Armor Core.
Capstone Couture
Finally, players can earn more free rewards to enhance their customization suite by completing all their Challenges to earn the Weekly Ultimate Reward.
These update every Tuesday with the weekly refresh, and as a reminder we changed the number of Challenges you have to complete from 20 to 10 back when Halo Infinite’s Winter Update launched at the end of last year.
First up for Season 3 is the Purple Reign weapon coating for the M392 Bandit.
We’re less than twenty-four hours away from the release of Season 3, and to help you pass the time with the countdown to launch you should definitely check out our other blogs detailing all the goodness that awaits!
Maps & Modes Preview: Get some insight into Oasis, Cliffhanger, and Chasm in a Q&A with our multiplayer designers, along with info on the new Escalation Slayer mode
Playlist & Ranked Overview: Learn more about playlist updates coming to help you enjoy Season 3’s content along with changes to Ranked Arena
Sandbox: Discover the new toys you’ll be playing with in the form of the M392 Bandit, Shroud Screen, and additional sandbox updates
With all that said, it well and truly is the final countdown. Season 3 of Halo Infinite is almost here, and we couldn’t be more excited to have you all along for the ride.
Sleep well, Spartans – the sun will be up in a few hours, and it’s going to be a very busy day!
Sandbox Update | Season 3
Season 3: Echoes Within is fast approaching, and it’s bringing two brand-new items into the sandbox. The M392 Bandit weapon and the Shroud Screen equipment are sure to add fun and skillful new ways to approach each engagement.
There will also be a few tuning updates and bug fixes for networking (“desync”) and existing sandbox items, all of which should help improve your gameplay experience.
If you want to get extra ready for Season 3, be sure to read up on our other blogs here
Also, in case you missed, a small update in February brought a few Sandbox adjustments, such as improved accuracy when no-scoping with the S7 Sniper, reduced Frag Grenade damage radius, and more, which you can read about here.
With that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at what you can expect when Season 3 lands on March 7!
M392 Bandit
The newest addition to the UNSC arsenal in Halo Infinite is the M392 Bandit. This semi-automatic weapon, which has a silhouette that’s reminiscent of the DMR from Halo: Reach, is best suited for mid-range combat. You won’t need to worry about bloom when going for a 5-shot kill but we’d still advise that you keep your shots controlled, as the recoil will kick up when spamming multiple shots in a row. Mastering this single-shot weapon is bound to pay off on the battlefield.
Shroud Screen
The Shroud Screen is a launchable equipment that creates a spherical shroud upon landing, obstructing line-of-sight and sensors. Acting like a smoke screen, it can add to the fog of war in a tactically advantageous (and fun) manner if used correctly. Rewarding players with smart positioning and a strong understanding of the game flow, the Shroud Screen can buy you and your teammates time to reload, go after the objective, traverse the map without being spotted, and so much more. Use it wisely and you’ll be rewarded.
Balance Updates
VK78 Commando
Tuning: The VK78 Commando will require one more shot to kill – From 8 bullets to 9 bullets to kill (damage per bullet from 20 to 17.5)
Sandbox Dev Team Notes: We got pretty consistent feedback after the Winter Update that the Commando felt better to use, people were able to keep on target and land their shots! But this new handling made it a little too easy to have a high damage output. Since the Commando was feeling good to shoot, we wanted to pursue a small nerf to its efficacy to keep it in line with other weapons in the Sandbox.
Plasma Pistol
Tuning: The Plasma Pistol’s charged shot will have its charged time increased and its tracking properties adjusted
Sandbox Dev Team Notes: Sandbox Dev Team Notes: The Plasma Pistol was another weapon that got a buff in the Winter Update. That patch pushed it in the right direction, but we were still not totally satisfied with it. There were two situations we were seeing on social media and running into ourselves during playtests:
First, players could sprint with the Plasma Pistol, start getting shot in the back, turn while charging and “noob combo” the player that should have had advantage. Reversals are important to Halo, but with how strong the Plasma Pistols charged shot has to be mechanically, the reversal was just too easy. This gameplay loop is also less interesting than a charge when it takes more commitment, and rewards a player’s good positioning and timing.
<*>Charge time increased from 1s to 1.6
The tracking was unpredictable for victims. We want to give victims a chance to avoid the projectile if played well. To encourage this, we gave a mixture of changes to the projectile tracking which should make it more consistent overall. Player should find the projectile seeks closer to center mass but has less aggressive tracking.
As mentioned in our February tuning update blog, we did plan on reducing the amount of power on the map in Ranked due to weapon respawn rates and ammo counts. We updated the respawn timers in February and we’ve updated the ammo counts on select weapons in Season 3. In Ranked, you can expect to see fewer rounds of ammo in the CQS48 Bulldog, Heatwave, Shock Rifle, and Stalker Rifle to help address this community feedback.
Enemy footsteps are now harder to hear at a distance, but easier to hear when very close. We’ve also improved the accuracy of enemy location based on footstep audio when enemies are above, below, or behind you.
Removed from Ranked Arena: Mangler, Energy Sword, Pulse Carbine
Will receive future tuning: Disruptor, Spike Grenades
We’re excited to see how the gameplay meta continues to evolve with these changes. As always, please make sure to share your feedback online about how everything feels to you once you’ve had a chance to go hands-on with Season 3.
Networking & “Desync” Improvements
Beyond creating new weapons and updating existing ones, the team has also been hard at work improving the foundation of the online experience. Season 3 will bring about another round of improvements to address feedback around “desync” and networking during matches.
Multiplayer
Rubberbanding is less likely to occur when moving or sprinting immediately after a match starts
Ammo, Equipment, and Grenades counts are more consistent after entering and exiting a vehicle
On the map Behemoth, players are now less likely to experience rubberbanding while using the Grappleshot to pick up a weapon from a Power Weapon pad
Vehicles are now likely to desync when players use the Repulsor against them
Melee attacks are now more likely to register while holding a Power Seed
Campaign Network Co-Op
When playing with an unlocked framerate on PC, rubberbanding and teleporting is now less likely to occur in the mission Warship Gbraakon
Players are now less likely to fall through the floor of the gondola in the mission Conservatory
Stuttering and teleporting are now less likely to occur after taking the teleporter to the elevator room in the mission Spire
Rubberbanding and teleporting is now less likely to occur in the Pelican at the end of the mission Outpost Tremonius
We appreciate the support and feedback around our sandbox and Halo Infinite all-up. We’re excited to continue improving the experience, and we’ll see you when we take that next step together when Season 3: Echoes Within releases on March 7!
Scheduled Maintenance | Season 3
Pardon our dust.
Beginning at 8:30 am PT on March 7, Halo Infinite will undergo scheduled maintenance to prepare for the launch of Season 3: Echoes Within.
Online multiplayer and many other features may be unavailable during this time.
Be sure to follow @HaloSupport on Twitter for the latest updates on this maintenance period.
Playlists & Ranked Matchmaking | Season 3
Season 3 will bring many updates to Halo Infinite and that includes new content for matchmaking, new playlists, as well as improvements to the ranking system.
Let's dive in and check out what you can expect, and get the details on what’s changing for Season 3!
Playlists For The Month
Season 3 brings with it 3 entirely new maps in Chasm and Cliffhanger for 4v4 Arena, as well as Oasis for Big Team Battle. Our version of “gun game”, Escalation Slayer, also makes its way into Season 3.
As with Empyrean, we’re offering a special playlist for the first week that only features Chasm and Cliffhanger called New Arena Unlimited. After a week, New BTB Unlimited will rotate into that slot and exclusively feature Oasis for the next week.
New Arena Unlimited
4v4
Maps: Chasm and Cliffhanger
Modes: Escalation Slayer (new mode!), CTF, King of the Hill, Slayer, Strongholds, One Flag CTF
New BTB Unlimited
12v12
Map: Oasis
Modes: BTB Escalation Slayer (new mode!), CTF, Slayer, Fiesta, Fiesta Total Control, Total Control
We’ve also updated most of the playlists to feature Season 3’s new content with an increased weighting for the start of the season.
Playlists Featuring New Content
Quick Play
Bot Bootcamp
Fiesta
Team Slayer
Tactical Slayer
Big Team Battle
And here’s a look at the full calendar for the month so you can see when each playlist will make its way into the game.
We can’t wait to jump into matchmaking with you on March 7 when Season 3 releases!
To talk about ranked, I’m going to pass it over to Tashi with the latest.
Ranked Improvements
CSR-Based Matchmaking
As announced and released on February 28, we’ve made an update to the ranking system to match based on CSR as opposed to MMR. From a philosophical standpoint, this means teams will match based on what they’ve accomplished in the system as opposed to an underlying skill rating. While today we’re nearing the end of the season and almost all active players have settled into a rank, the experience will be different from prior seasons on March 7 when the rank reset hits. There will still be placement matches but you might find that early on there are higher skilled players in matches where there weren’t ones for prior season starts. Because matching is done on CSR, the players at the higher skill rank (Onyx, for example) will have to qualify (Diamond 4 is highest placement) and then work their way out of Diamond and into Onyx. This will mean that you might see some more lopsided matches at the start of the season, particularly for true Diamond players, while players settle into their ranks. And, for those wondering, we will use MMR to match players who are still completing their placement matches.
The Fireteam CSR Limit range has not changed as part of this update and is as follows:
For 899 CSR (Gold 6) or lower, there are no restrictions.
At 900 CSR (Platinum 1) a limit of 900 points is introduced.
Between 900 CSR (Platinum 1) and 1500 CSR (Onyx) the Fireteam CSR limit will slowly tighten as you climb the ranks. It will start at the 900 limit mentioned above and tighten to its final destination of 500. This essentially means that on the way to Onyx, every 2 CSR gained will tighten the Fireteam limit by an increment of 1 CSR For example, if a player progresses from 900 CSR (Platinum 1) to 1200 CSR (Diamond 1), their Fireteam CSR limit would tighten from 900 to a stricter 750. At this new 1200 CSR, the lowest rank they could party up with would then be 1200 (their CSR) – 750 (the Fireteam CSR limit) = 450, or Silver 4
At 1500 CSR and above, the limit is 600 points For example, if a player was Onyx 1700, the lowest CSR they could party up with would be 100 or Platinum 5
We’re going to closely monitor the performance of these changes across all CSR divisions to ensure things are behaving as expected via data as well what player feedback we see online.
Placement Matches
Placement matches are in place to ensure we’re accurately putting players in the appropriate division to ensure they have a smooth and fair experience once they’ve been placed. While this is working, we’re also finding that the number of placement matches is also creating a barrier between friends who want to play together but haven’t finished their matches yet. In order to alleviate this, we’re reducing the placement matches required from 10 to 5.
Our hope is that we see more players complete their placement matches and continue on their ranked journey to improving and testing themselves against other players.
Like with CSR matchmaking, we’re going to keep a close eye on the performance of this update and will make further tweaks in the future if needed.
We’re excited for these playlist and Ranked updates to come together with the launch of Season 3: Echoes Within, and we’re looking forward to jumping in to play them with you on March 7.
To get a closer look at the three new maps, be sure to check out our latest Maps & Modes Preview blog!
Mindfall
Running alongside the start of Halo Infinite's Season 3, Mindfall is the first of two narrative events this season.
From March 7-21, the Mindfall narrative event delivers a free 10-tier Event Pass containing a variety of cosmetics to outfit your new MIRAGE IIC Armor Core, along with new cinematics.
The Echoes Within beckon...
Catch the Season 3 trailer ahead of time!
Season 3 Maps & Mode Preview
Season 3 of Halo Infinite arrives on March 7.
A new season means new maps! Season 3: Echoes Within brings with it a trio of exciting and unique spaces for your regularly scheduled online Spartan-slaying. These maps are Oasis, Cliffhanger, and Chasm.
We’re joined today by a terrific trio of our veritable multiplayer designers – Cliff Schuldt (Multiplayer Level Designer), Donnie Taylor (Art Director), and Kim Haines (Lead MP Env. Technical Artist) – for a Q&A deep-dive into these new maps, the process of creating them, the fun we’ve had on them, and more…
Of course, before we get into talking about these maps, how about we show them off in their full majesty with a new flythrough video?
Maps
I’m super excited to be able to talk with you about the three new maps coming in Season 3! To start off, let’s give each of them a general introduction – how would you summarize these maps so Halo fans have a sense of what they’re in for with these spaces?
CS: Oasis is a mosh pit of pure vehicular fun for BTB, and it’s got a stunning skybox with a Forerunner ship terraforming the desert environment around it.
Cliffhanger is set at an ONI black site atop a mountain, also featuring man cannons for maximum vertigo!
Chasm is what you’d get if you took Boarding Action from Halo: CE and put in some Grappleshots, which is every bit as fun as it sounds.
To dive into Oasis, the first thing I think we have to do is marvel at that stunning vista – that’s as much a staple of Halo as the complexities of its design, to my mind. Can you tell us a bit about what goes into creating a skybox on a Halo map?
DT: When production starts for our skybox, or really any art asset, we begin with concepting several mood sketches that depict time of day and any major feature that we want to put on display for the vista. In the case of Oasis, that was the large Forerunner structure.
We use those concepts to help guide us to a final direction and that becomes the visual target for the game art moving forward. This direction is not fully set in stone as translating ideas from 2D to 3D always has its curveballs, but the overall goal is to stay true in game to the hook that first drew us to select the original 2D piece.
I definitely get some Halo 4 BTB map vibes from Oasis. Were there any specific inspirations that were part of the development of this map?
CS: There are elements of inspiration taken from the map Exile from Halo 4, which was a BTB favorite back in the day, with the emphasis on more open space for lots of fun vehicular action.
CTF modes were particularly exciting on this map during testing, as vehicles allow for some truly epic flag capture runs. Practically every space here is accessible with a Warthog, even the interior spaces. So you can go out into the open, where you might be more at risk of falling prey to air or heavy vehicles, or you can drive through some of the interior spaces where those other vehicles are going to have a much harder time catching you and risk getting boxed in.
That risk/reward aspect of Halo’s vehicular gameplay is always incredibly engaging, and we think Oasis is a great showcase of that.
[I]Let’s shift over to Cliffhanger – so aptly named because this ONI facility is set on the edge of a cliff. What are some of the unique elements of this map?[/I]
DT: Biome diversity is always a big one for us when it comes to multiplayer maps. We want these spaces to feel different from past maps we’ve offered – and even where we might be using a similar “theme,” like a human base, we have unique visual elements to tap into.
An ONI black site is going to look quite different to the more traditional UNSC aesthetic of Live Fire, or the water treatment facility of Recharge. And there’s a subtle Forerunner element in this map you might pick up on as well.
What are some of the design considerations that go into creating an asymmetrical Arena map like this?
CS: Cliffhanger was originally designed with zone control modes (like Strongholds and King of the Hill) in mind, and what that means is that each “zone” has to look and feel unique.
There’s a bit of a “rock, paper, scissors” dynamic that zone control modes have in terms of how you tactically consider what your team is going to go for – if we go for Zone A and C, we might lose out on B, but that location might end up being a solid base for the enemy team to make a comeback if we’ve divided our forces across the map, and so on.
That goes on to inform sightlines, weapons spawns, equipment placement… everything ties back into how you can work together with your team to control areas of the map.
Something I always enjoy about asymmetric maps are the “scenarios” that are naturally created by the map layout – like on Halo 3’s High Ground where the turret above the door to the enemy base creates the sense of a “siege.” What are some of those focal points on Cliffhanger?
CS: What we really felt as we were testing this map was how different it feels depending on which mode you’re playing. One Flag, for example, creates a more “linear asymmetric” experience in a similar vein to the example you gave of High Ground – attackers and defenders are not just put on different ends of the map, it feels like they’re in different “scenarios.”
Of course, when you then play a mode like Strongholds, you get a totally different experience of the map. We hope that creates a cool dynamic that players enjoy.
We’ve got a third map coming as well when Season 3 drops. Chasm looks and feels quite different to the other maps in Halo Infinite, so how did this map come to be?
CS: This map came to be when my friend Andrew and I were running through the Halo Infinite Campaign Network Co-Op flight. As we were playing through the second mission, Foundation, we were goofing off in a particular area and I thought this could be a fun space to play in for multiplayer.
So, I investigated this, pulling the space into a multiplayer level (note: this was definitely a more involved process than ctrl-C and ctrl-V!) and redoing the layout to be a rotational symmetrical map to support CTF.
After the first couple of playtests, the map was received really well, and we decided to give it the full treatment to pull it in as an official map.
Even though it looks incredibly similar to a space in the campaign, it has been laid out – and thus plays – very differently. One of the things I think is awesome about this map is the risk of falling into the “chasm” (har har!), but with the Grappleshot you can actually turn that to your advantage and make some incredibly cool skill jumps and maneuvers that turns falling from a danger of death to a risk/reward “route” through the map.
While the other two maps have Forerunner elements in them, Chasm is entirely Forerunner-themed. What are some of the unique visual and gameplay factors of this particular palette that offer something fresh?
CS: I think the visuals of this space are awesome. Being in the cavernous depths of Zeta Halo has this eerie and mysterious feeling in the campaign, and that really translates to the map as well – the Art Team knocked it out of the park!
Something we did to help visually differentiate parts of the map is that one side has that traditional cool blue tone you often see in Forerunner spaces, while the other side has a greater emphasis on the gold element you see in places like the Silent Auditorium in the campaign.
How do you think the new sandbox additions – namely, the M392 Bandit and Shroud Screen – will change up the way these maps are played?
CS: Oh, I think they’re both strong additions! A lot of the feedback we got from players on Chasm noted that it felt like the Bandit worked really well for the kind of ranges you have on that map.
Shroud has been great on Oasis as well. It’s fun to “smoke” a long sightline before pulling a flag – we’ve seen some amazing “Houdini” plays around it!
We’ve previously stated that we’re bringing editable dev maps to Forge in Season 3. Does that include these three maps as well?
KH: Yes! Each of these maps are editable on release, along with all the previously shipped Arena and BTB maps. Future maps will be editable on release as well.
What modes can players expect to be playing on these maps? Do you have any you’re especially excited about players getting to experience?
CS: Well, I am a sucker for CTF, so I have really enjoyed CTF matches on these maps quite a bit. On Oasis, there have been some truly incredible flag runs with Warthogs and Banshees chasing you down through the caves.
On Cliffhanger, Strongholds, KOTH, and One-Flag have been super fun. There are a lot of great opportunities to push people into death pits with the Repulsor, and using a man cannon to fly across the map into the hill location has been a fun (and risky) way to assault the other team.
I will say that people should load up KOTH on Chasm to see one of the spiciest hill locations Halo has ever seen.
And then, of course, there’s the new Escalation Slayer mode coming in Season 3 as well. We can’t wait for everyone to jump into that!
Do you have any fun stories from playtests on these maps?
CS: Oh, absolutely!
On Oasis, I was driving a Warthog with Brian Berryhill on the turret during a CTF match and we managed to do all three flag captures. We had a Wasp on our tail throughout, which we managed to shake off in a tunnel, only to emerge and find an enemy Scorpion on the other side – but we managed to escape that as well and steal the flag. By the time we got back to base, we had wheels missing, our Warthog was on fire, but we won and the tension around whether we would make it was absolutely exhilarating!
On Cliffhanger, there’s a man cannon that sends you over a death pit, and using the Repulsor to knock enemies who are chasing you off the map is tremendous fun. There’s an elevator shaft elsewhere on the map, as well as some sneaky mountainside paths, and the Repulsor and Grappleshot really bring a new dynamic to the danger of those kinds of locations.
Finally, Chasm. People loved faking their deaths on this map – pretending to jump off the edge into the abyss, only to use the Grappleshot to swing back up with incredible momentum that can have them sailing through the air to another part of the map.
There was one situation where a player got to the Active Camo spawn a little early, putting him in danger of getting picked off from an exposed position, and so he jumped off the hex pillar to use it as cover and zipped back around to grab the Camo as it spawned in. It was this dawning realization that we’ve never been able to play Halo quite like this before, and we really are excited to see some of the insane plays people are going to have.
Thank you very much for taking the time to chat about the maps coming in Season 3! Do you have any parting words before we wrap this up?
We’ve put some fun little Easter eggs on these maps (some sandwich-related, others we’re going to let you find yourselves), so do let us know if you find anything interesting…
And, as mentioned above, we really can’t wait to see what kinds of plays you make on these maps – whether that’s a heroic flag capture on Oasis, mountainside tumbles courtesy of the Repulsor on Cliffhanger, or Grappleshot fake-outs on Chasm. Absolutely tag us with your clips and montages, we’d love to see them!
Huge shoutout to our partners who helped bring these maps together, and to our players as well who we hope are really going to enjoy what we’ve been cooking up for Season 3.
Escalation Slayer
Also coming in Season 3 is the Escalation Slayer game mode.
Escalation Slayer is a mode that some of you may have played in Halo: MCC, as it came to the collection in the Series 6: Raven update back in April 2021 and quickly became a fan favorite – and now it is coming to [I]Halo Infinite[/I].
In Escalation Slayer, players progress through a list of weapon and equipment loadouts as they score kills. With each elimination, you advance to a new weapon, culminating in a final challenge to win: getting a kill with the Oddball.
You can also de-level enemy players by meleeing them in the back, so watch your six out there!
The order of loadouts is as follows:
LEVEL 1: Rocket Launcher, Cindershot, Repulsor
LEVEL 2: Energy Sword, Gravity Hammer, Grappleshot
LEVEL 3: Sniper Rifle, Skewer, Threat Sensor
LEVEL 4: Hydra, Ravager, Knockback
LEVEL 5: Bulldog, Needler, Grappleshot
LEVEL 6: Battle Rifle, Commando, Threat Sensor
LEVEL 7: Shock Rifle, Stalker Rifle, Drop Wall
LEVEL 8: Heatwave, Sentinel Beam, Evade
LEVEL 9: Bandit, Assault Rifle, Drop Wall
LEVEL 10: Mangler, Sidekick, Threat Sensor
LEVEL 11: Oddball, Shroud
This mode is launching in Season 3 with two variants: Team Escalation and FFA Escalation.
Team Escalation progresses all players on a team through the loadout list together. Kills are summed across the team, so everybody’s efforts count. And FFA Escalation is, of course, every Spartan for themselves!
And yes, there will indeed be a BTB version of Escalation Slayer, along with a “Super” version of the mode which will bring in the special weapon variants and upgraded equipment that you can obtain in [I]Halo Infinite[/I]’s Campaign.
That concludes our showcase of the maps and modes coming when Season 3 of Halo Infinite launches on March 7.
We can’t wait for you all to embark on a maptacular odyssey that awaits, from the vehicular mosh pit of Oasis, to the dangerous heights of Cliffhanger, and the cavernous depths of Chasm (I don’t know about you, but I was certainly sold the second I heard “Boarding Action with Grappleshots!”)
We’ll be back soon with more information on the Ranked experience and Playlist updates, and follow up with a Sandbox blog as well – so stay tuned for more Season 3 news!
Foxwood Seal Mark VII Coating | Celox Armor Set
A worthy warrior’s gift...
Complete all of your Weekly Challenges and the Ultimate Challenge to earn this week’s Ultimate Reward – the Mark VII Foxwood Seal coating.
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.
Prepare to scout out the opposition.
The Celox Armor Set is comprised of the CELOX helmet, Lava Burst armor coating, TAS/MOTHACID helmet attachment, UA/Kontakt Plate chest attachment, UA/Gidos shoulder pads, Corvan gloves, UA/Type AS kneepads, and Fireteam Crimson emblems.
You can scoop up the set in the Shop today!
Season 3: Echoes Within
Halo Infinite’s Echoes Within arrives on March 7!
Get a glimpse at what's coming in Season 3, including a new 100-tier Battle Pass, three new maps, a new mode, a new weapon, a new equipment item, and cosmetics!
