CustomizationMark IV Armor Core coming on January 30th, available for free to all players.
Armor Cores are free in Halo Infinite, and have been for a long time.
Mark IV base helmet is cross-core
Cross-core shoulders coming on January 30th
Halo TV Show helmets will be available to earn for free via the Ultimate Challenges/Capstone.
SeasonalSeasons are coming to an end in Halo Infinite as they shift to a different approach. There will not be a Season 6.
This doesn't mean content is finished for Halo Infinite. January 30th update is simply known as "CU29", as in Content Update 29.
Operations and Operation Passes are the way forward for Halo Infinite. There will no longer be a Seasonal Battle Pass like you would see in Season 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
OperationsOperations continue to run for around 4-6 weeks.
There were three new Operations revealed:
Spirit of Fire - starts on January 30th
Cyber Showdown III - starts after Spirit of Fire ends
The Yappening II - starts after Cyber Showdown III ends
New Arena map coming on January 30th called "Illusion".
Middle area of the map will make you invisible, similar to the low-grav spaces from Anchor 9 or Condemned. Area is clearly marked.
ForgeCovenant items being added to Forge coming on January 30th
A heck ton of items - floors, walls, FX, etc.
Like most Forge items - you can recolour them. If you want an Orange Covenant update, go crazy.
You can now customize the colours and textures of certain biome objects.
Very vibrant colours were shown on trees, trunks, grass, etc.
You can now edit the colours and textures on certain decal objects.
Forge Creator Mode functionality coming on January 30th
Script Brains logic were previously tied to maps. The Forge Creator Mode functionality will allow you to save the Script Brains to game modes, meaning you no longer need to modify each individual map and place Script Brains on them.
"Alien Object" palette coming in a future update
Not on January 30th, stay tuned for more information.
Flood object palette coming in a future update.
Not on January 30th, stay tuned for more information.
It's so gross, it's so good.
u/ske7ch343 described it as "moist".
Playlists, Matchmaking and Community Created ContentBig Team Battle (12v12) refresh coming next month
"Thunderhead", "Insolence" and "Obituary" community maps will be added to the playlist.
Husky Raid refresh coming next month.
Squad Battle (8v8) refresh coming in the future.
New playlists coming in the future
Duh.
343 looks at Forge maps out their in the customs game browser, file browser, etc. They vet the maps and then contact the map creator and ask to work with them. If they want to, 343 will have QA check out the map and take note of bugs, exploits, etc, and give them back to the Forger to resolve.
Constant back and forth process. Not as simple as some people think it might be.
Firefight: King of the Hill will see a refresh with more map additions next month.
343 folks asked for Forge folks to make more Firefight maps
Match Composer-esque feature coming to Halo Infinite later this year
Will allow them to introduce more content and "playlists" without clogging up the playlists page, more niche modes like Team Snipers, etc.
Described as similar to Halo: The Master Chief Collection's Match Composer with a "slight twist" on it.
Ranked MatchmakingWhen the Match Composer releases later this year, Ranked Doubles and Ranked Slayer will be permanent additions in there.
Ranked Arena will still be a permanent playlists.
Ranked Tactical and Ranked Snipers will continue to be rotational.
New Ranked playlist experiences on the way.
NetworkingOverall feedback was positive for updated networking test(s) but community sentiment says to please fix up other issues before global-scale launch.
Pinging is now consistent, hit registration improved, fusion coil catching is more consistent and Banshee Bomb issue is resolved.
Updated networking is not coming on January 30th - stay tuned.
Miscellaneous343 are working on a way to unlock old cosmetics that were previously tied behind Events, Promotions, Ultimate Challenges, etc. They specifically make comparison to The Exchange system seen in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
No time frame on this yet.
Easy AntiCheat is coming to Halo Infinite later this year.
The Future of Halo
Brian Jarrard (ske7ch) says that multiple teams are at work on "future projects" in relation to Halo, and points to the Microsoft Careers page if you're interested in applying!
Halo Championship Series - CustomizationHCS Year 1 Launch Bundles returning on January 30th
Only for the teams which remain in the HCS
Cloud9, Faze Clan, OpTic Gaming, Sentinels and Spacestation Gaming
The HCS Year 1 Launch Bundles will be fully available outside of their kits. You can use the Armor Coating on all cores and Weapon Coating on all weapons.
If you own these items from Season 1, you will get all of this for free.
For teams no longer in the HCS, if you own those items from Season 1, you will also get access to all of this for free.
HCS 2024 Launch Bundles coming on January 30th
Faze, Complexity, Quadrant, OpTic Gaming, Cloud9, Sentinels, Spacestation
HCS 2024 Launch Bundles will contain:
Cross-core armor coating
Team visor (also cross-core!)
Dracon Bandit Weapon Model included with purchase of any of the team bundles
Halo Championship Series 2024 RoadmapHCS Major - Arlington, Texas - March 15-17, 2024
Tickets on sale now!
HCS Major - London, United Kingdom - May 2024, TBA
HCS Major - Atlanta, GA - July TBA
HCS Major - Salt Lake City, UT - September 6-8, 2024
Halo World Championships - Seattle, WA - October 4-6, 2024