Halo Infinite has had a storied run so far, for better and for worse. But as time has passed the multiplayer has improved time and time again. Now Season 4 is here, and it looks like we have even more positive change ahead.
Infection, everyone’s favourite flood/zombie killing mode is back. This time, instead of being infected by The Flood it’s your AI that’s taken over. I love this twist, it falls nicely in line with the story 343 has been telling in multiplayer, and it’s a modern take on the classic “host has been possessed”.
We’ll be seeing the return of the Samurai-style armour on a free battle pass, and I’m hoping I can smash through it this time because last time, XP gains weren’t great…..but the game has improved in that area quite a bit!
I always love a new Halo map, but I’ve got to say Season 4 bringing a translocator might be the most exciting thing for me. Think of Sombra in Overwatch. She throws her translocator somewhere, and then can teleport to it at the press of a button. It looks to be the same here, too! I’m really intrigued to see how that mixes-up traditional Halo gameplay.
I’ll be honest, the Hazmat gear doesn’t do much for me, but it fits the “Infection” theme, and hell, who doesn’t like a new armour core? Combined with better weapon customisation and a whole slew of Forge improvements. I think it’s safe to say that in terms of content, Halo Infinite multiplayer is in a pretty sweet spot right now.
Time to dive in and see if it’s as good as I’m hoping!
Full release notes are below.
WELCOME TO SEASON 4 OF HALO INFINITE
INFECTION
Infection has come to Halo Infinite!
Iratus has taken control and the infected digital horde is ready to descend upon you as the fan-favourite mode returns.
For those of you familiar with Infection, it’ll feel like the familiar mode you’ve known and loved. For those who need a debrief:
- Infection is a round-based mode where one team (Infected) converts enemy players (Survivors) to their team upon killing them.
- Each round, a limited number of players are selected to be Infected—these are Alpha Infected, who have more aggressive Iratus-themed effects applied to them. Those they kill are converted to Beta Infected.
- Survivors begin with limited supplies, meaning they’ll have to acquire additional weapons, equipment, and ammunition from the map. Their objective is to survive until the end of the round.
- The goal of the Infected is to eliminate all Survivors. The Last Survivor (the Last Spartan Standing) has special traits applied to them, such as Overshield and infinite ammo, but a nav point will reveal their location to all Infected.
Maps also come with a special Infection variant where you’ll see some very noticeable changes to these otherwise familiar spaces. Distortions and digital lightning will appear, but on a more tangible level you’ll see fallen Spartans (or are they just MIA?) on the ground with randomised weapons you can scavenge, you’ll find new areas to hide in, and some other paths may be barricaded that could leave an unwary Survivor stuck in a dead end…
Scout, scavenge, survive—or succumb. Infection is here to stay as a permanent playlist in Halo Infinite, so grab your friends and get ready for some late nights!
NEW MAPS
Two new maps have arrived in Halo Infinite: Scarr and Forest.
Scarr brings us to the mechanised heart of a massive Banished mining operation that will serve as a new space for big team combat, featuring vehicular action, teleporters, kinetic launchers, and all the BTB chaos you know and love.
Forest combines mystery and mayhem, located on a dense jungle world that is rife with ancient intrigue. This asymmetrical Arena map features fascinating stone structures, tranquil outdoor spaces, cascading waterfalls, towering woodlands, and rocky cliff faces that contrast its narrow indoor corridors.
QUANTUM TRANSLOCATOR & THREAT SEEKER
Two new pieces of equipment have arrived: the Quantum Translocator and the Threat Seeker.
Teleporters have been a staple of Halo gameplay since Halo: CE, and you can take that element to the next level with the Quantum Translocator. Designed to have as much impact as Overshield or Active Camo, the Quantum Translocator comes to Halo Infinite as a new piece of Power Equipment.
Once secured, the first button press activates the QT and creates a slip-space thread at that location. After repositioning around the map, the second use of the QT will teleport the player back to that original thread location. However, upon teleporting, a new thread is created at the location the player just teleported from and the thread they just teleported to (the original thread) will disappear.
Each subsequent use will teleport the player and update the destination slip space thread until the QT time has expired. Be mindful of when and where you use it though, as there’s a cooldown between uses—meaning you can’t spam it and you may even end up in a situation from which you might not escape.
The Threat Seeker focuses on skilful, well-timed use to gather information on the location of your enemies.
Unlike the Threat Sensor, the Threat Seeker only sends out one pulse, requires enemies to be within its line of sight (meaning it won’t work through walls), and the projectile can bounce to reward accuracy and allows for more strategic use.
HAZMAT
Built to stand against all manner of threats and dangerous conditions, designed to be used by both super-soldiers and unaugmented personnel, HAZMAT armour comes to Halo Infinite in Season 4.
OSTEO combat engineering suits incorporate an array of contingency systems focused on surviving extended operations in extraordinarily harsh working and combat environments.
HAZMAT armour is for those who specialise in delving into the heart of dying Forerunner facilities, for hunters operating in blighted waters and poisoned winds, search teams exploring sites scarred by chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons used in the Covenant War, and other insidious threats in the galaxy.
Play matches, earn Match XP, and unlock customisation rewards to outfit your HAZMAT armour.
ENHANCED WEAPON CUSTOMISATION
Take weapon customisation to the next level in Season 4!
Thus far, you’ve been able to make some slight alterations to your weapons in Halo Infinite—perhaps you wanted to change the design of the barrel or add a cool metallic eagle to your MA40 Assault Rifle’s cowling.
In Season 4, we’re expanding this customisation element so that you’ll be able to change the look of your arsenal.
Purchasing either the Premium Battle Pass or Premium Battle Pass Bundle will immediately give you the FLASHBLIND Weapon Kit for your MA40 Assault Rifle. But we’ve got plenty more coming in upcoming events.
SEASON 4 BATTLE PASS
Season 4 delivers a new Battle Pass for you to earn 100 tiers of customisation rewards (featuring more than 180 individual items).
The Infection Premium Battle Pass will be available for 1000 Credits, never expires, and includes:
- 100-tier reward track (including 1000 Credits)
- Bonus Match XP throughout Season 4
- Fourth Challenge slot (while the pass is active)
- Instantly unlock the Premium Battle Pass-exclusive FLASHBLIND Weapon Model for the MA40 Assault Rifle
- Instantly unlock the Premium Battle Pass-exclusive Genesis Bloom armour coating for all Armor Cores
For even better value, the Infection Premium Battle Pass Bundle will be available for 2800 Credits, never expires, and includes everything from the Infection Premium Battle Pass list above along with twenty-five level grants in the reward track (64% discount).
The fourth Challenge slot will be active whenever the Infection Premium Battle Pass is equipped. Owners of the Premium Battle Pass will additionally earn bonus Match XP throughout Season 4, no matter what Battle Pass you have equipped. And, as ever, once purchased, the Premium Battle Pass is yours to keep and complete at your leisure.
For players looking to jump into Season 4 of Halo Infinite without purchasing the Infection Premium Battle Pass, there is a free reward track which offers a selection of customisation rewards, XP Boosts, and Challenge Swaps.
CAREER RANK
Halo Infinite has a new progression system!
Similar to the progression systems in Halo: Reach and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Career Rank features military-style ranks with unique names and corresponding icons that will appear in-game on your profile as you rank up.
HOW DO I PROGRESS?
To progress, all you have to do is play!
Your performance in every completed matchmaking game carries you forward, as your Personal Score from each match drives your progress. The better you play, the faster you’ll rank up.
WHAT DOES CAREER RANK LOOK LIKE?
Your Career Rank will be represented in several areas:
- Every individual player’s profile.
- During the match intro when the camera pans to a Spartan and displays their profile banner.
- Inspecting a player in the Post-Game Carnage Report (PGCR).
- In general, in most places where you can see a player’s full nameplate, a banner with their Career Rank will also be displayed.
Career Rank progression is separate from the Battle Pass and represents your overall journey with Halo Infinite, starting from Season 4. It won’t affect the matches or opponents you play in matchmaking, and there are no skill requirements for this progression system.
Players can also earn customisation content from earning levels with Career Rank—select ranks feature corresponding nameplates, as well as emblems for your armour, weapons, and vehicles.
For a more detailed look, check out our Career Rank Overview.
FORGE UPDATES
A plethora of updates has arrived in Halo Infinite’s Forge mode with Season 4, from new objects and palettes, Minigame Mode, improvements to budget, quality of life, and more!
STATIC WATER PLANE
For the first time in Halo’s history, Forge is receiving a placeable and scalable water object that’ll be useful for creative cartographers whether you’re looking to add some artistic flourishes to your maps or create a danger zone.
FORERUNNER OBJECT PALETTE
Time was your ally, humans, and now it shall reward you. The Forerunner object palette has received even more additions in Halo Infinite! New objects and decals of all shapes and sizes are available to use how you see fit, whether you’re looking to recreate the architectural majesty of the ecumene’s mighty megastructures or create fun-filled custom games.
MINIGAME MODE
Much like Halo 5’s Minigame mode, this feature allows creators to build modes from scratch—decoupled from any other game mode logic. You can let your imagination run wild in Halo Infinite‘s Minigame mode with the new Generic Capture Zone, Generic Skull, and Generic Ball objects combined with the power of scripting.
VFX SCALING
VFX objects (such as placeable fires and explosions) can be scaled to your desired size in Season 4, and will also come with new Damage and Audio output options.
We’ve also made changes to Forge’s UI to better help players understand each system’s budget, breaking down the various categories and letting you know where some of the limits are at—such as with your scripting budget and how your node graphs are contributing to overall Simulation Memory.
For the full breakdown of everything new coming to Forge, check out the Season 4: Infection patch notes and the Forge Update Overview blog.
FEATURED PLAYLISTS & EVENTS
With all this new content coming, you’ll no doubt want to jump straight into what’s on offer. Kicking off the first few weeks of Season 4, we’ve got the following featured playlists to help you do exactly that.
- Infection: June 20-27 (note that Infection will become a staple playlist after it moves out of the featured spot.)
- New Arena Unlimited: June 27-July 4
- New BTB Unlimited: July 4-11
These playlists exclusively feature Season 4 content, so you’ll be able to get to grips with the latest and greatest additions. Note that Infection will become an evergreen playlist after it moves out of the featured spot.
Also coming at the start of Season 4 is the Ranked Slayer playlist, featuring MA40 Assault Rifle and M392 Bandit starts. Gather your party to test your communication, teamwork, and slaying ability—two teams enter, but only one can leave victorious.
HAZMAT & CONTAINMENT
Starting the week following Season 4’s release is the HAZMAT Event. From June 27-July 11, you can earn 10 tiers of free rewards to outfit your new HAZMAT armour.
The Containment Event will arrive later, on August 29, which will also run for two weeks (through September 12) and offers another 10 tiers of free HAZMAT-themed rewards.
TENRAI II & III
Tenrai returns, bringing more customisation to the fan-favourite samurai-themed YOROI armour.
Tenrai II and III both offer their own unique (and free) Event Passes, each featuring 10 tiers of customisation rewards, which means there will be 20 free rewards total across two Event Passes.
The Tenrai II Event will span two weeks, beginning on July 18, and Tenrai III will launch on September 19.
CYBER SHOWDOWN II
Neon lights and epic fights once more combine in Season 4 with the Cyber Showdown II Event!
A thematic successor to the original Season 1 event, Cyber Showdown II will run for two weeks and feature a free 10-tier Event Pass packed full of retro-inspired customisation items. This Season 4 event will begin on August 8.
GAME ISOLATION
Halo Infinite is composed of two main elements—the Campaign and Multiplayer. In Season 4, we are delivering a framework that paves the way for better stability in the long-term support of Halo Infinite’s Multiplayer component while ensuring that those additions do not adversely affect the Campaign.
The goals here are twofold, with the additional intent of making this transition as smooth and unintrusive as possible for players:
- Goal 1: Isolate the Campaign experience from subsequent changes to Halo Infinite’s ongoing Multiplayer. This allows us to make updates to improve the Multiplayer experience, such as adjust vehicle tunings, without having any side effects on Campaign gameplay.
- Goal 2: Minimise upkeep burden (game engineering, content, test, and services work) on the existing, released product (Campaign).
So, what does game isolation actually look like for players?
Quite simply: when you launch Halo Infinite, you will—by default—be launching the Multiplayer component of the game. From the main menu, if you choose to launch the Halo Infinite Campaign, you will effectively be launching a new client where everything tied to that aspect of the game has been “isolated” (and you can switch back to Multiplayer from the main menu).
SHOP & ULTIMATE REWARD
Halo Infinite’s Shop continues to evolve in Season 4.
SCROLLABLE SHOP & RETURNING ITEMS
The Shop expands to become scrollable, where players can see even more items that are on offer every week. Items from previous seasons will also return to the Shop with more frequent discounts.
SUPER BUNDLES
Season 4 expands the “super bundles” that were introduced last season. Head into Halo Infinite today and you’ll find the HAZMAT Haven bundle, which contains the Courier, Toolmaster, and Warning Signs bundles—and if you get this all-in-one package, you’ll additionally get a bundle-exclusive mythic effect set and weapon charm.
You can purchase these three bundles separately if you wish, but when purchased together at 3400 Credits you’ll save 1100 Credits total (24% discount).
For further details on all things related to customization, head over to our Customisation Overview.
And finally, complete all your Season 4 challenges this week to unlock your first Ultimate Reward of Season 4: the Highlit Steel armour coating for your Mark VII Armor.