The July 2023 Update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection is here. In this patch, Escalation Slayer is now available in Halo 3 matchmaking and custom games.
For those who are new to the Halo franchise, Escalation Slayer is a game mode where players start with a certain weapon and get a new one whenever they score a kill. Those who can eliminate the enemy using the final weapon will win the round. What makes this game mode fun and exciting is that players can downgrade their opponents' weapons simply by assassinating them.
In addition, the July 2023 Update features a new Firefight Custom Game Browser (CGB) that allows players to join custom Firefight sessions in Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. Firefight is another popular game mode in Halo where they fight endless waves of enemies.
On top of that, the max player count in Firefight has increased from four to eight, so they can include more friends in their sessions. Furthermore, Firefight difficulty does not scale with the increase in player count, so there's nothing to worry about.
In terms of improvements, players can now join Firefight sessions that are already in progress. This applies to matches featured in the CGB and custom game Firefight sessions. Besides that, those who get disconnected for whatever reason can rejoin the match so long as the game is still in progress.
Patch Notes
Global
- The amount of time it takes to activate Machinima controls is now in parity with each game that features them. Machinima controls allow players to lower the weapon they have equipped.
- The following games support Machinima controls: Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4.
- The "Zombie Prevention" challenge, which requires players to perform 500 headshots during Matchmaking, can now be earned using any precision weapon found in each of the supported games.
- Precision weapons include sniper rifles, semi-automatic rifles, and other scoped weapons.
- This Challenge can be completed in all PvP matchmaking modes included in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Menus
- Players' last selected Emblems and Avatars are now maintained after the "Game and app history" setting on Xbox consoles is set to Block.
- Secondary and Guest players on Xbox consoles will now receive a warning message after their controller has been disconnected.
- The post-match Rewards screen now supports ultrawide aspect ratios.
Custom Game Browser
- Players can now view their most recent Post-Game Carnage Report (PGCR) from the Custom Game Browser menu by selecting the corresponding button prompt at the bottom of the screen.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection July 2023 Update is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
