Halo Infinite Update – May 10, 2023

Updated: May 11, 2023

New Features

This update brings new content, numerous bug fixes, and several new features to Halo Infinite. For a full list of this update’s bug fixes, see the Resolved Issues section below. New features and content included in this update are:

Super Fiesta Game Mode

Super Fiesta, which first appeared in the BTB Unlimited playlist in March 2023, is now available as an Arena game mode in both Custom Games and the Fiesta matchmaking playlist (the latter of which has now been renamed to Super Fiesta). This version follows the same rules as regular Fiesta, but with some new gameplay elements.

Super Fiesta Game Mode Rules

As in the existing Fiesta game mode, players in Super Fiesta receive a random loadout on every respawn. In Super Fiesta, however, all weapons have been replaced by variants originally found in the Halo Infinite Campaign. 

The full weapon variant list includes:

  • Rapidfire Pulse Carbine: Precision Pulse Carbine with a rapid burst interval firing mechanism. 
  • Arcane Sentinel Beam: Undocumented Sentinel Beam that offers lower capacity but extremely increased damage. 
  • Duelist Energy Sword: Lightweight frame allows for increased agility.
  • Elite Bloodblade: Energy Sword variant belonging to Jega.
  • Calcine Disruptor: Modified with delayed detonation rounds.
  • Unbound Plasma Pistol: Bolts detonate when super-combined on target; over-charge increases detonation and tracking.
  • Stalker Rifle Ultra: Covenant-sourced Stalker Rifle with increased rate of fire but reduced and heat and damage output.
  • M41 Tracker: Modified M41 SPNKr with increased lock-on capability.
  • Riven Mangler: Fires a split-shard projectile at a low rate of fire.
  • Rushdown Hammer: Upgraded gravitic core and composite materials increase effective range and user mobility.
  • Diminisher of Hope: Escharum's custom Gravity Hammer that bestows additional mobility.
  • Volatile Skewer: Skewer refitted to fire an explosive spike that detonates on impact.
  • Ravager Rebound: Modified Ravager that fires bouncing projectiles with multiple secondary detonations.
  • Pinpoint Needler: Modified Needler with advanced target acquisition and lower supercombine requirement.
  • Purging Shock Rifle: High-damage Shock Rifle with improved voltaic chaining but with detonation capability. 
  • Backdraft Cindershot: Modified firing core with a three-phase sequential detonation.
  • Scatterbound Heatwave: Fires modified and repurposed Z-180 rounds which seek targets after a ricochet.
  • Striker Sidekick: Precision Mk50 Sidekick modified for improved stopping power.
  • MA40 Longshot: Precision MA40 with improved long-range performance.
  • Convergence Bulldog: High-capacity magazine with tighter projectile spread and improved range.
  • Impact Commando: High-capacity magazine with reduced accuracy but increased damage.
  • BR75 Breacher: Improved stopping power tuned for close-range encounters.
  • S7 Flexfire Sniper: Experimental high-capacity S7 Sniper rifle, designed for a focus on mid-range encounters. 
  • Pursuit Hydra: Increased long-range proficiency with faster target lock and improved rocket velocity.

Additionally, player loadouts contain a random piece of fully upgraded Equipment from the Halo Infinite Campaign. 

  • Grappleshot: Delivers a shockwave blast when holding down melee while grappling.
  • Threat Sensor: Increased area and uninterrupted enemy visibility.
  • Drop Wall: Increased size and strength. Electrifies projectiles through the Drop Wall.
  • Thruster: Active Camouflage effect is added to the player, lasting 4 seconds after activating the Thruster.

All Weapon Racks, Equipment Pads, and Power Weapon Pads are disabled during Super Fiesta matches. Player loadouts also contain 2 Frag Grenades on every respawn.

Menu Improvements

New Customs Browser Location

The Customs Browser can now be accessed through the Play tab located in the main menu. After selecting Custom Game from the Play tab, the Customs Browser menu prompt will appear above the Create Match button.

The Customs Browser is still accessible via the Community tab.

Screenshot of Custom Game menu.
In addition to creating a Custom Game match, the Custom Game menu on the Play tab now contains an option to view the Customs Browser menu. 

Purchase Past Shop Bundles using the Customization Menus

Players can now purchase a selection of customization bundles from previous Halo Infinite Seasons directly from the Armor Hall, Weapons Bench, Vehicle Bay, or Spartan ID menus located under the Customize tab. After pressing the Inspect button on an item that was originally part of a bundle, players will be given an option to purchase the bundle the item belongs to. Once selected, players will then be redirected to the bundle featured in the Store.

Screenshot of the Inspect menu for the ISR helmet.
Navigate to a previously sold item in the Armor Hall, Weapons Bench, Vehicle Bay, or Spartan ID then use the Store button to view its bundle.

Screenshot of the Inspect menu for the ISR bundle.
When viewing a bundle, use the small tiles to view or Try On any included item.

Increased Matchmaking Playlist Visibility

The number of playlists displayed under the Multiplayer menu has increased from 5 to 10. This will ensure that more playlists are immediately visible without needing to scroll down.

Screenshot of the Multiplayer menu.
The Multiplayer menu now lists 10 matchmaking playlists at once. 

Uploading Forge Preview Images on PC

Owners and co-owners of Forge content can now upload preview images on PC as part of their Forge Asset Details. Preview images are sourced from the Xbox Game Bar folder. Use the accordion below to learn how to take a screenshot via Xbox Game Bar.

How to take screenshots via Xbox Game Bar

Players can capture screenshots during Forge sessions, Custom Games, or via Theater mode. These can later be used as preview images for Forge content. To capture an in-game screenshot to use as a preview image, players can use the default Windows shortcut of Windows + Alt + Print Screen. To take a screenshot via the Xbox Game Bar overlay or if the default shortcut does not work, follow the steps below:

  1. Select and enter your desired gameplay mode.
  2. Find the point you would like to capture.
  3. Open the Xbox Game Bar by pressing Windows + G on keyboard.
  4. On the Capture widget, click the Camera icon to capture a screenshot.
    • If the default shortcut did not work, hover the mouse over the Capture window’s Camera icon to view the screenshot shortcut. To change this shortcut, open the Settings application and navigate to the Xbox Game Bar options. Use the Keyboard Shortcuts section to edit the Take Screenshot shortcut.

Once a screenshot has been captured via Xbox Game Bar, follow the steps below to upload a preview image for a Forge Asset on PC:

  1. Launch Halo Infinite.
  2. Navigate to the Community tab.
  3. Select My Files.
  4. Select View Details.
  5. Navigate to Edit Screenshots.
  6. Select your desired Screenshot, then select Confirm.

All images uploaded must abide by the Xbox Community Standards and the Halo Spartan Code. Images that violate any of these policies will result in the removal of your Forge map or mode file and may lead to additional enforcement actions against your account.

Frames Per Second (FPS) Counter Setting on Xbox Consoles

Players on an Xbox console can now enable an FPS Counter from the Settings menu. When this feature is enabled, a small box will appear at the top right corner of the screen, displaying the current number of frames per second.

This feature may be helpful for Forge creators on Xbox consoles as it illustrates a map’s performance in normal gameplay.

To enable the FPS Counter on Xbox consoles, follow the steps below:

  1. Launch Halo Infinite.
  2. Navigate to Settings. The default binding for which is the Menu button on controller.
  3. Navigate to the Gameplay tab.
  4. Scroll down to the FPS Counter header and set the option to the preferred setting.
 

Balance Changes

Shroud Screen

In Ranked matches, the number of Equipment charges for the Shroud Screen has decreased from 2 to 1.

Developer Notes

The goal of this change was to reduce the total impact Shroud Screen was having for high skilled players without changing the effectiveness of the equipment itself. With this change, players will be required to be more strategic with how they decide to use the Shroud Screen.

Disruptor

The rate of fire and damage for the Disruptor have both increased slightly, while the distance between two players required for shock chain damage to occur has been reduced. In addition, the Disruptor will no longer inflict damage over time.

Developer Notes

The goal of this change was to reduce the complexity of the weapon's behavior, focusing the utility on the Supercombine detonation and shock chaining and their ability to damage nearby players. By upping the direct damage from Supercombines and increasing the Rate of Fire (ROF), it leans the Disruptor more towards a combat pistol with a straightforward utility.

Changes:

  • Removed Damage Over Time (DOT)
  • Reduced chain distance from 5 World Units (wu) to 2.5 wu
  • Increased Supercombine damage from 60 to 70
  • Increased ROF from 4.285 to 5 rounds per second

Spike Grenades

The number of projectiles that explode out of Spike Grenades has doubled, while the distance and damage inflicted has been reduced.

Developer Notes

The goal here was to enhance the directionality of Spikes, requiring tighter precision but better rewarding good placement. With double the flechettes, but a shorter range and tighter cone, they will cause focused, directional damage where placed. Out in the open, away from enemies, they won't be as effective as frags. Sticking them on walls that are facing nearby enemies will inflict the highest possible damage, being lethal in one shot if a player is directly in front of (or on top of) one.

Changes:

  • Increased number of flechette submunitions that are released on detonation from 8 to 16
  • Reduced flechette travel distance from 5 World Units (wu) to 3.5wu
  • Reduced Area of Effect (AOE) damage radius from 3.2 wu to 2 wu
  • Reduced AOE damage amount from 300 damage to 160
  • Adjusted flechette bounce behavior to deviate less

Dynamo Grenades

The time it takes for Dynamo Grenades to detonate, as well as the area of effect, shock chain distance, and time between shock damage pulses has been reduced. In addition, the number of shock damage pulses and the damage inflicted by them has increased. Player movement will no longer be stunted due to shock damage.

Developer Notes

The goal with this change is to tighten the area of effect, requiring more thoughtful placement with a higher reward for direct hits. The previous tuning would damage enemies well outside the immediate combat area, feeling overly generous and hard to escape. With higher damage per tick, but a shorter radius, Dynamos create a more potent but contained threat. Use them in corners where enemies have no escape to cause max damage, or to force enemies away from a route.

Changes

  • Reduced shock Area of Effect (AOE) distance from 3.5 wu (World Units) to 2 wu
  • Reduced shock chain distance from 5 wu to 2 wu
  • Increased shock damage per burst from 18 to 21
  • Removed movement stun from shock damage
  • Lowered arming time from 0.65 to 0.5 seconds
  • Reduced delay between shock damage pulses from 0.3 to 0.25 seconds
  • Added one additional shock damage pulse at 2.5 seconds

King of the Hill (KOTH)

During Ranked matches, the initial time it takes for the Hill to appear has been reduced from 15 seconds to 5 seconds, and after entering the Hill, there is no longer a delay that occurs before the player starts capturing it.

Developer Notes

To help facilitate more meaningful choices at the beginning of a King of the Hill match we decided to reduce the timer for the Initial Hill. This now requires teams to be more thoughtful in establishing their starting strategies as teams now have to decide between scavenging weapons and equipment and scoring points in the Hill. Based on feedback we felt there was an opportunity to make the decision to hop in and out of a Hill more impactful. With base settings players engaging in this behavior weren’t giving up enough as they could hop out of the hill without losing it if they returned quickly enough. This could also lead to some ambiguity around Hill ownership. This change should make the state of the Hill clearer for players.

  • The initial hill spawn has been reduced from 15 seconds to 5 seconds
  • The wind-up period to score has been removed.
    • Players can score right away when stepping into the hill.
    • This allows players to quickly score while maneuvering grenades and avoiding damage all up.

The following map-based adjustments are also being made to Ranked KOTH:

  • On the map Recharge, the second Hill location has been moved from the Long Hall area of the map to the Platform area of the map (also known as "C Plat").
  • The Hill location order on the map Streets has been adjusted:
    • Previous rotation order:
      1. Old Town (also known as "Pillars")
      2. Subway (also known as "Tram")
      3. Station Square (also known as "Courtyard")
      4. Commercial District (also known as "Shotgun")
      5. Main Street (also known as "Bottom Mid")
    • New rotation order:
      1. Old Town (also known as "Pillars")
      2. Subway (also known as "Tram")
      3. Main Street (also known as "Bottom Mid")
      4. Station Square (also known as "Courtyard")
      5. Commercial District (also known as "Shotgun")

Resolved Issues and Bug Fixes

Many improvements come from Halo Insider and Halo Support tickets submitted by our community. Thank you for participating and please keep submitting tickets!

Halo Support tickets help the team here at 343 Industries understand what issues you would like to see addressed in future Halo Infinite updates. The development team is actively working on a variety of game updates and improvements based on both player feedback and bug report tickets.

Global

  • There is now a reduced chance of the Season 3 cinematics replaying on every launch of Halo Infinite.
  • Halo Infinite will no longer crash on launch when attempting to play on a PC that is below the minimum specifications. This was an unintended bug that caused the game to crash before showing the below minimum specification warning message.
  • When using the Bumper Jumper control scheme, players are now able to fire their vehicle's weapons while holding down the Switch Seat button. This applies to the following vehicles:
    • Wasp
    • Banshee
    • Ghost
    • Brute Chopper
    • Shade Turret
  • The glowing light that appears on the ground below both the Ghost and Wraith vehicles now appears correctly.
  • The headlight brightness for all UNSC vehicles has been reduced.
  • If the Control Panel menu is opened while viewing an Armor Core unlock notification, the Armor Core unlock notification will no longer block the player's view of other menus.

Multiplayer

  • Stability improvements have been made to multiplayer servers to reduce instances of multiplayer matches abruptly ending early or disconnecting all players.
  • Power Weapons and Equipment will now respawn immediately after the on-screen timer above the Weapon or Equipment Pad has reached 0.

Observer Mode

  • While in Observer mode, the team positions on the scoreboard will now remain the same when swapping between players on opposing teams.
  • On-screen damage indicators will no longer appear when swapping between players in Observer mode.
  • When playing as an Observer on PC, players are now able to display the Stat Board after pressing the default input.
  • While in Observer mode, in-game actions that are mapped to certain buttons will no longer occur while typing a message in text-chat.

Forge

Edit Mode and Creation Tools

  • Script brains now have a limit of 128 nodes.
    • Players will be notified when they hit the node limit via an on-screen prompt. Any script brains that currently exceed the 128-node limit can still be accessed, but new nodes can't be added until the node count is below 128.
  • When moving an object with the Movement Snap setting set to 0.001, the object will no longer behave as though the setting was set to <none>.
    • This change will allow for precise and slow object movement when using the 0.001 Movement Snap option, which is especially useful for fixing Z-fighting issues and fine detail work.
  • If a crash occurs during a Forge session, autosaves are now more likely to trigger before the crash, preventing any loss of progress.
  • The movement of the camera in Forge now behaves in parity with the Camera Speed setting.

File and Map Publishing

  • Players can now select and enter older versions of Forge maps in both Forge and Custom Games.
  • When a player deletes a Forge Asset, any player who Bookmarked that file will now be able to access their My Bookmarks menu without issue.

Known Issues

With this update, the team has added multiple new issues to our Known Issues lists:

Multiplayer

Menus

  • Some custom settings may be reset upon launching Halo Infinite.
  • When viewing a purchasable customization bundle through the Armor Hall, Weapon Bench, Vehicle Bay or Spartan ID menus, the bundle's name is not visible.
  • After purchasing a customization bundle through the Armor Hall, Weapon Bench, Vehicle Bay or Spartan ID menus then returning back to the previous Customize menu, the newly purchased item(s) may appear to be locked.
    • Workaround: If the bundle was successfully purchased, the item will be unlocked upon backing out of then re-entering the Customize menu. 

More Information About This Update

Many platforms automatically update games. To manually update or verify your game is up to date, follow the steps included in our How to Update Halo Infinite article.

To learn more Halo Infinite and its development process, check out the following resources on Halo Support or Halo Waypoint:

Join the Halo Insider program for the chance to see new features before they’re released publicly and, if you’ve encountered a bug in-game, submit a Halo Support ticket so that the development team can investigate the issue. Thank you to all Halo Insiders and ticket submitters for their bug reports and feedback!

Download Size by Platform

  • Xbox consoles: 2.5 GB or less
  • Microsoft Store app or Xbox app on PC: 5 GB or less
  • Steam: 850 MB or less

Further Resources

  • If you experience problems with your Xbox console or Game Pass, Xbox Support can help you.
  • If you have problems with your account, Microsoft, or Xbox purchases, Microsoft Support can help you.
  • If you have problems with other purchases, please contact the retailer you purchased your game from.
  • If you experience a problem in Steam that is not an in-game issue, please contact Steam Support.
  • If you want a chance to participate in future Halo flights, sign up for the Halo Insider Program.

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