Halo Infinite Winter Update 2024 – Patch Notes

Updated: November 12, 2024

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:

NEW OPERATION: GREAT JOURNEY

The Great Journey Operation, which launches alongside this update, features a free 20-tier reward track and Shop bundles inspired by Halo 2.

A work-in-progress version of the user interface for selecting a premium Great Journey Operation Pass offer, which depicts a Spartan holding an S7 Sniper Rifle with the Premium-exclusive “Veteran SRS99” Weapon Model equipped.

As with previous Operation Passes, this Operation's reward track will be available to all players for free during its 5-week duration. Players can progress through the reward track by earning Match XP in multiplayer matchmaking or Custom Games. The following premium offers are also available:

• For 500 Credits:
  • Permanent access to the full Operation pass.
  • Exclusive customization items: “Veteran SRS99” Weapon Model for the S7 Sniper Rifle and the “Damascus Alchemy” Weapon Coating.
  • When the Operation Pass is equipped, an extra Challenge slot.
  • While the Operation is active, bonus Match XP during multiplayer matchmaking.
• For 2,000 Credits:
  • Everything listed above in the 500 Credits offer.
  • Instantly unlock all 20 tiers of the Operation Pass.

Once the Operation's 5-week window has concluded and it is no longer available for free, the Operation Pass will be accessible via the two premium offers outlined above.

View the trailer below to see some of this Operation's rewards in-game:

For more information on the Great Journey Operation, visit the “Great Journey Operation Launch” blog on Halo Waypoint.

UPCOMING OPERATIONS

Looking ahead, the next two Operations that will be active after Great Journey are:

• Snowbound
  
  • Active between December 3, 2024, and January 6, 2025.
  • Free 20-tier Operation Pass featuring new rewards inspired by winter holidays.
• Brute Force
  
  • Active between January 7, 2025, and February 3, 2025.
  • Free 20-tier Operation Pass featuring new rewards inspired by the Brutes of the Banished.

NEW WEAPON: MA5K AVENGER

The MA5K Avenger is a new Kinetic weapon available for players to use in Halo Infinite matchmaking, Custom Games, Forge, and Academy. The MA5K Avenger is an automatic submachine gun with a high rate-of-fire that's most effective during short range encounters. The MA5K Avenger first appeared in the Eric Nylund novel Halo: Ghosts of Onyx.

Alongside this update, the MA5K Avenger will replace the MA40 Assault Rifle in the starting loadout for several Firefight: King of the Hill game modes. Randomized starting loadouts will continue to be used in the Fiesta and Gruntpocalypse variants.

For more information on this new addition, view the Sandbox team's breakdown of the MA5K Avenger below or visit the "Sandbox Overview | Great Journey" blog on Halo Waypoint.

Screenshot of two Spartans using the MA5K Avenger on the new community-made Forge map Beaver Canyon.

Developer Notes

The Karabiner, or carbine, version of the MA5. Manufactured by the Misriah Armory, the MA5K Avenger is a fully automatic rifle with high rate-of-fire and large magazine size. Its features include:

• Fast Rate of Fire: This fire rate on the MA5K Avenger will yield a high damage per second from close-range combat if you are accurate and can control the weapon's recoil.
• Quick Reload & Ready Up Time: One key difference is the MA5K Avenger's faster reload speed and ready up time, when compared to other SMGs and Rifles. This functionality enhances the weapon's role and gives the player a more "Run & Gun" style of gameplay.
• Large Magazine Size: The MA5K Avenger will feature a 60 round magazine size and initial starting ammunition of four magazines.

THIRD PERSON CAMERA

Game modes in Halo Infinite can now use a new third person camera. This camera option can be set for all players in a Custom Game lobby. Additionally, some matchmaking playlists may feature game modes that use the third person camera perspective.

Screenshot of the third person camera perspective in a match of Firefight: King of the Hill on the map Oasis.

A new "Third Person Gameplay" scripting node has been added to Forge so that creators can create modes or maps that require players to use the third person camera. This node allows flexibility so that only one player or a select group of players use the third person camera while the remaining players continue to use the traditional first-person camera.

NEW MULTIPLAYER PLAYLISTS

Rotational: 3P | Firefight: King of the Hill

To celebrate the addition of the third person camera in Halo Infinite, a new "3P Firefight: King of the Hill" playlist features the matchmaking debut of the third person camera. This playlist features many of the same maps and modes as the Normal difficulty variant of the Firefight: King of the Hill matchmaking playlist.

The 3P Firefight: King of the Hill playlist is currently scheduled to rotate out of matchmaking on December 3, 2024. To view the maps and modes available in the 3P Firefight: King of the Hill playlist and all other matchmaking playlists, visit aka.ms/HaloInfinitePlaylists.

Rotational: Delta Arena

The new "Delta Arena" playlist features movement changes and community-made Forge maps inspired by previously released Halo games. Some of the movement changes in this playlist include increased jump height as well as sprint and clamber being disabled. The following maps and modes are included in this playlist:

• Maps
  
  • Ascension, based on the Halo 2 map of the same name.
  • Boulevard, based on the map Turf from Halo 2.
  • Canopy, based on the map Lockout from Halo 2.
  • Conjurer, based on the map Warlock from Halo 2 and Wizard from Halo: Combat Evolved.
  • Inquisitor, based on the map Midship from Halo 2.
  • Serenity, based on the map Sanctuary from Halo 2.
  • Beaver Canyon, based on the map Beaver Creek from Halo 2 and Battle Creek from Halo: Combat Evolved.
• Modes
  
  • Legacy Capture the Flag
  • Legacy King of the Hill
  • Legacy Oddball
  • Legacy Slayer

The Delta Arena playlist artwork, which depicts a group of Spartans battling across the upper platforms of the map Canopy.

The Delta Arena playlist is currently scheduled to rotate out of matchmaking on December 3, 2024.

NEW FORGE MAPS IN RANKED PLAYLISTS

Two new community-made Forge maps have been added to Halo Infinite matchmaking playlists.

Inquisitor

Inquisitor is now available in Custom Games and various matchmaking playlists. Inquisitor was created in Forge and is based on the Halo 2 multiplayer map Midship, albeit with tweaks for the Halo Infinite sandbox. For example, weapons now respawn via Weapon Racks and Equipment Pads are placed throughout the map.

Inquisitor was created by the following Halo community member: UneeQ.

Screenshot of Inquisitor, a recreation of the Halo 2 multiplayer map Midship that was made in Forge mode.

At the time of this update's release, Inquisitor is available in the following matchmaking playlists:

• Ranked Arena
• Ranked Slayer
• Ranked Doubles
• Ranked Snipers (rotating out of matchmaking on December 3, 2024)
• Delta Arena

Inquisitor will also be included in the Ranked Tactical rotational playlist when it next re-enters matchmaking.

Stay tuned to @HaloSupport on Twitter for updates on when Fortress may rotate into additional playlists. Learn more about matchmaking playlists and read the weekly changelog at aka.ms/HaloInfinitePlaylists.

Fortress

A new multiplayer map, Fortress, is now available in Custom Games and various matchmaking playlists. Fortress was created in Forge by the following Halo community members: MikRips & Ethan Hibbs.

The new Ranked Arena playlist image, which depicts Spartans battling on the new map Fortress.

At the time of this update's release, Fortress is available in the following matchmaking playlists:

• Ranked Arena
• Ranked Slayer
• Ranked Doubles
• Ranked Snipers (rotating out of matchmaking on December 3, 2024)

Fortress will also be included in the Ranked Tactical rotational playlist when it next re-enters matchmaking.

Stay tuned to @HaloSupport on Twitter for updates on when Fortress may rotate into additional playlists. Learn more about matchmaking playlists and read the weekly changelog at aka.ms/HaloInfinitePlaylists.

RANKED PLAYLIST CHANGES

The team has adjusted map and mode combinations as well as the weighting of maps in various Ranked matchmaking playlists. For the rotational playlists listed below, these map changes will be reflected the next time these playlists rotate into Halo Infinite matchmaking.

Ranked Arena

• Removed:
  
  • Argyle: CTF
  • Interference: King of the Hill, Slayer, Strongholds
• Added:
  
  • Fortress: CTF (3 captures), Slayer
  • Inquisitor: CTF (5 captures), Slayer

Ranked Slayer

• Removed:
  
  • Cliffside
  • The Pit
• Added:
  
  • Empyrean
  • Fortress
  • Inquisitor

Ranked Doubles

• Added:
  
  • Fortress
  • Inquisitor

Rotational: Ranked Snipers

• Removed:
  
  • Cliffside
• Added:
  
  • Fortress
  • Inquisitor

Alongside this update, Ranked Snipers has replaced Ranked Tactical in the Ranked rotational playlist slot. Learn more about matchmaking playlists and read the weekly changelog at aka.ms/HaloInfinitePlaylists.

Player ranks within each of the Ranked matchmaking playlists have been reset. After installing this update, players will need to complete placement matches before receiving their new rank for the playlist.

IMPROVED USER-GENERATED CONTENT AUTHOR VISIBILITY

Various menus throughout Halo Infinite have been updated to better highlight Forge maps, modes, and authors. These improvements include:

• A new Credits window displaying the map and/or mode's authors is now visible during a match's intro camera sequence. This window is also included in the pause menu when playing on a community-made Forge map or mode.
• The current map and mode's authors are listed near the top of the in-game Scoreboard menu.
• Players can now bookmark the current match's map or mode using the shortcuts listed along the bottom of the pause menu.
• Shortcuts along the bottom of the Post-Game Carnage Report menu now allow players to view the previous session's map or mode file details.

Screenshot of the credits window in the top right corner of the match intro sequence on the community-made Forge map Canopy.

FORGE IMPROVEMENTS

Expanded Attrition & Revive Functionality

The Lifepool and Revive functions from the Attrition Game Mode can now be added to other modes via the Custom Game lobby's Mode Editor menu or Forge scripting. Within the Custom Games Mode Editor, the lobby host can use these new options within the Health & Damage sub-menu:

• Lifepool Enabled for Teams
• Eagle Team Respawn Count
• Cobra Team Respawn Count
• Team Revive
• Auto-Revive
• Auto-Revive Timer
• Revive-Grants Over shield
• Preserve Revive Progress
• Revive Allies Action Time
• Revive Action Time Scales Per Revive
• Revive Time Scalar
• Revive Orb Lifetime Enabled
• Revive Orb Lifetime

The following Forge scripting nodes have been added or updated to support this expanded functionality:

• Revive nodes:
  
  • Revive Player
  • Revive All Players
  • Revive All Players On Team
• On Revive Orb Spawned
• Get Lifepool Lives Remaining
• Adjust Lifepool
  
  • This existing node has been updated to work for all non-Attrition game modes.

Commander Agryna Voice Lines in Forge

Forge creators can now access over 200 voiceover lines from Commander Agryna, the announcer in the Halo Infinite Academy mode and Big Team Battle game modes. These voiceover lines can be triggered in a Script Brain by using any of the following nodes:

• Play Announcer Voiceover For All Players
• Play Announcer Voiceover for Player
• Play Announcer Voiceover for Team

The library of voiceover lines is organized into folders and types based on various popular game modes and in-game actions. The following folders and types of voiceover lines are available for Commander Agryna:

• Accolades
• Mode: Assault
• Mode: CTF
• Mode: Land Grab
• Mode: Lone Wolves
• Match
• Mode Titles
• Ordnance
• Score
• Mode: Stockpile
• Time
• Mode: Total Control
• Weapon Drills

Music Improvements

To better support Forge creators' music selections, the built-in music for Halo Infinite multiplayer matches can now be disabled within the Custom Games Mode Editor menu. This option, which can be found under the Audio header of the Match sub-menu, disables both the intro and outro music for matches and rounds. Utilizing this option will also disable the default music in all Firefight mode variants.

Additionally, the following scripting nodes have been added to Forge so that creators can fade music tracks in and out of gameplay seamlessly:

• Fade Music Track for all
• Fade Music Track for Player
• Fade Music Track for Team

Navigation Marker Improvements

Several new scripting nodes have been added to improve Forge creators' ability to dock navigation markers (also known as "nav" markers) to a static location on players' screens:

• Set Nav Marker Docking Filter Team Visibility
• Set Nav Marker Team Docking Mask Filter Negated
• Set Nav Marker Team Docking Mask Filter
• Remove Nav Marker Team Mask Docking Filter
• Set Nav Marker Docking Order
• Remove All Nav Marker Docking Filters
• Remove Nav Marker Player Mask Docking Filter
• Set Nav Marker Player Docking Filter Negated
• Set Nav Marker Player Mask Docking Filter
• Set Nav Marker Players All Mask Docking Filter
• Add Nav Marker Trigger Volume Docking Filter
• Remove Nav Marker Trigger Volume Docking Mask Filter
• Remove Trigger Volume From Docking Filter
• Set Nav Marker Trigger Volume Docking Mask Filter Negated

Additionally, Forge creators can use the following new nodes to adjust the behavior of nav markers for players within a trigger volume:

• Add Nav Marker Trigger Volume Visibility
• Remove Nav Marker Trigger Volume Visibility
• Remove Nav Marker Trigger Volume Visibility Filter
• Set Nav Marker Trigger Volume Visibility Filter Negated

Miscellaneous Forge Improvements

In addition to the above improvements, the following new functionalities have been added to Forge:

• Three scripting nodes have been added so that creators can trigger events based on players' earned medals:
  
  • On Medal
  • Compare Medals
  • Medal Type
• A new Get Generic Zone Progress scripting node has been added so that creators can reflect a Generic Zone's progress onto a custom navigation marker.
• Labels have been added for the Minigame mode variants introduced in the Fleetcom Operation Update to ensure that placed objects only appear in the intended mode experiences.
  
  • Minigame Asymmetrical Include/Exclude
  • Minigame Competitive Include/Exclude
  • Minigame Competitive Asymmetrical Include/Exclude
  • Minigame BTB Include/Exclude
  • Minigame BTB Asymmetrical Include/Exclude

Balance Changes

Aside from the introduction of the MA5K Avenger to the Halo Infinite Multiplayer sandbox, this update contains 4 balance changes. All balance changes included in this update only apply to Halo Infinite Multiplayer, not the Halo Infinite Campaign.

More information about this update's sandbox balance changes is available in the "Sandbox Overview | Great Journey" blog on Halo Waypoint.

VK78 Commando

The VK78 Commando Rifle's bullet spread no longer favors the reticle's outer edge and the maximum spread is now reached quicker.

MK50 Sidekick

The MK50 Sidekick's bullet spread no longer favors the reticle's outer edge and the spread is now slightly wider.

Active Camo

When a player is carrying the enemy team's flag while using the Active Camo equipment, the flag will remain visible while the flag carrier is invisible.

Thruster

Weapon firing and the weapon's on-screen reticle are now briefly disabled while the Thruster equipment is used.

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 Halo Studios 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.

If you experience a crash in Halo Infinite, please include as much of the following information as possible:

• Step-by-step instructions on what caused the crash. The more specific, the better!
• Attach an up-to-date DxDiagfile. To create a DxDiagfile, type "dxdiag" into the Start menu's search bar, press the Enter key, then click "Save All Information" when the DirectX Diagnostic Tool pops up.
• Include the Problem Report from the Control Panel app. To find this, open the Control Panel and enter "problem reports" in the search bar. Click "View all problem reports" then locate the recent Halo Infinite report. Double click on this Halo Infinite entry then use the "Copy to clipboard" button near the bottom of the window. Finally, paste this text into your ticket's comments.

Global

• Improved stability for Halo Infinite on both Xbox consoles and PC.
• Reduced stuttering when running Halo Infinite on a PC using a CPU that supports core parking capabilities.

Multiplayer

Gameplay

• Players who slide or bounce out of range of the Extraction Device can no longer continue arming or converting it as if they are still in-range.
• Using the Grappleshot to remove a piece of equipment from an equipment pad no longer has a chance to stop the equipment pad from spawning new pieces of equipment.

Menus

• The name of the current map now appears consistently in the pause menu, match intro sequence, and scoreboard.
• The selected map's thumbnail image is now consistently reflected in the Custom Games lobby menu.
• Prefabs are now removed from the My Files menu as soon as they are deleted.
• The Score Per VIP Kill As VIP setting in the Custom Games Mode Editor menu now functions as expected and no longer mirrors the value selected in the Score Per VIP Kill setting.
• The Check Out Premium button on a completed unpurchased Operation Pass now correctly loads the Operation's images and details.

Visual

• Players will no longer be standing on top of a vehicle's driver's seat when starting a mode that spawns them into a vehicle.
• The Danger Zone's on-screen visual effects are no longer applied incorrectly to players who are still within the safe zone.
• The text in the HCS Team Kill Effects is now consistently visible at close-range.
• The ATX gloves on the Mark VII Armor Core no longer appear to stretch or distort during certain actions or Stances.
• The Uncanny Energies Mythic Effect Set's visuals no longer block players' vision while sliding or using the Thruster equipment.
• The Clean Sweep Weapon Charm is now consistently visible in gameplay.
• The Sweep Success Weapon Charm now appears with the correct colors in-game and in the Customization menu.
• Equipped Weapon Charms will no longer appear to overlap or fall into the Vicious Sidekick Weapon Model's blade.
• Stowed weapons will no longer appear to overlap or sit within the back of the Combat Evolved Mark V Armor Kit for the Mark VII Armor Core.
• The image for the Dragonbark shoulder pads in the Exchange menu now correctly fills the tile.

Customization

• The following Multi-Use Weapon Coatings now appear correctly on all Weapon Cores:
  • Buckshot Bonanza
  • False Flag
  • Halite Storm
  • Neon Steel
  • Packed Punch
  • Tundra Pursuit
  • Umbra Guardian
• The UA/Type SN and the TAC/RS/Willow helmet attachments are now aligned consistently across all helmets.
• The Aureate Midnight and the Pop Dollie Vehicle Coatings now better reflect their intended colors and patterns on all Vehicle Cores

Forge

Edit Mode and Creation Tools

• Multiple bots can now be spawned at once by linking multiple Add Bot scripting nodes.
• A message now appears in the event feed when the Object Limit has been reached and a new object cannot be placed.
• The Announcer Voiceover entry named "Goal." no longer plays unintended dialogue.
• Audio from the Play Announcer Voiceover For Team and the Play Announcer Voiceover for Player scripting nodes will no longer play audio for all players in a match.
• Scripted music tracks can no longer begin playing after the match has ended.
• Weapon projectiles now travel the correct distance before stopping or detonating on Forge maps with low object counts.
• Generic Flags and Zones now function as expected in every round of a match in Forge's Play Mode.
• The Objects option for the lighting probe Bounding Type setting now accurately updates the map's probe count.
• The Attempt to Enter Vehicle scripting node now functions consistently on Scorpion tanks driven by an enemy player.
• Shrinking Zones now function consistently when players enter and leave Play mode several times in a single Forge session.
• Shrinking Zone boundaries are now removed when the zone is deactivated using the Deactivate Shrinking Zone scripting node.

Known Issues

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

• When playing on a PC with multiple monitors, the mouse cursor's movement may not be constrained by the game window after changing focus to another active application, such as when using the Alt+Tab keyboard shortcut or accepting an invite from the Xbox Game bar.
  • Workaround: When this issue occurs, close and relaunch Halo Infinite. If the issue is persisting after relaunching the game, restart the PC.
• When using the Thruster equipment while firing the VK78 Commando Rifle, the weapon firing sound effect continues playing during the brief window where weapon firing is disabled.
• Some areas near the outer edge of the Homestead multiplayer map may incorrectly appear as Out of Bounds. When this issue occurs, leave the area before the on-screen countdown ends.
• Banished enemies other than Grunts may spawn when playing the Gruntpocalypse mode variants on the multiplayer map Refuge.
• When disabling a match's background music using the Match Music toggle in the Custom Games Mode Editor menu, the match background music plays until players gain control of their Spartan.

More Information About This Update

Updating the Game

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.

Shop Bundles and Individual Items

Discounted Shop bundles are only available for purchase if none of the included items are already owned. Purchasing any of the individual items from a full bundle, such as the Crime Crusher bundle, will result in the bundle becoming unavailable for purchase.

Forge File Automatic Deletions

Forge file versions older than 30 days may be automatically deleted. Exceptions include:

• The 10 most recent versions will never be deleted.
• Published versions will never be deleted.
• Locked versions will never be deleted.
  • Up to 30 different versions can be locked per Forge file.

To lock Forge file versions, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to the Community tab of the main menu.
2. Select My Files.
3. Select a file to view its Details menu. 
4. Scroll down on the lefthand side menu and select Version History.
5. To lock a file version, highlight a version in the Version History menu then select Lock on the righthand menu. 

Additional Resources

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

• @HaloSupport on Twitter
• Halo Infinite Matchmaking Playlists
• Halo Infinite Player Guide
• Halo Infinite Support Glossary
• Frequently Asked Questions for Halo Infinite
• PC hardware specs and drivers for Halo Infinite
• Halo Spartan Code

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!

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.