Halo Infinite will release in the holidays but developer 343 Industries has dropped more information about what players can expect.
In the developer livestream yesterday, the devs wanted to reiterate that they’re going old school. By this, they mean that the multiplayer experience will draw more from old games rather than in newer installments.
For instance, instead of players gaining access to powerful weapons, like the rocket launcher at the start of the game, they will have to wait a couple of minutes for the weapon to spawn.
Although unclear at this point, the developers are probably hinting at the possibility of no preset loadouts. You see, newer Halo games would allow players to set their loadouts before a match and this could lead to more experienced players getting a huge advantage over newbies.
The devs are pointing out that they want everyone to have "equal footing" and so that preset loadouts may be going away. But the removal of these loadouts is not yet sure. Devs may choose a different solution to bring balance to all players.
It is also important to point out that instead of vehicles just popping randomly all over the map, they will be introduced via dropships so players will know of their presence on the battlefield. Furthermore, radio callouts will notify them if a vehicle drop will commence.
Battle Passes Will Never Expire
Because the developers intend to give players a free-to-play multiplayer experience, they have to make money elsewhere. That is why they’re banking on the game’s customizations feature.
That said, Halo Infinite will be a live service game that will employ “Seasons” as a means of introducing new content. For players to gain access to new customizations, they will have to buy the season’s Battle Pass.
Unlike other games with a similar feature, Battle Passes in Infinite will no longer expire. The developers explained that "no expiration" is due to customizations being a core element of the upcoming game. This means that even if you’re late in one season, you can still complete all Battle Pass offerings even when a new season begins.
Moreover, because some customizations are only present in certain Battle Passes, the new rule will let you buy old ones at your own pace.
You just have to bear in mind that there can only be one Battle Pass active in a season, which means that you will have to change Battle Passes as you complete the older ones.
Lastly, everything that can be bought in the game is purely cosmetic, so players can rest easy knowing that there are no pay-to-win mechanics.
Halo Infinite will launch on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and will also be available to all Xbox Game Pass users in the holidays.
