Alex Wakeford

"Let's bake that cake we made last night!"

Halo: The Official Cookbook – Out Now!

Games

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo: MCC – August Update

Community

Community Spotlight

Issue 002

Community Corner: Rythaze

Halo Infinite


<p>In our <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/august-drop-pod-preview" target="_blank">August Drop Pod preview blog</a>, we outlined a few upcoming changes to Halo Infinite matchmaking that would be landing this month. As these updates draw nearer, we wanted to outline them again and provide a little more detail. The focus over the next week will be to improve matchmaking in Ranked and update our playlist offerings.</p>



<p>To get things started, let’s take a closer look at everything happening in matchmaking over the next few days. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg" alt="Two Spartans holding BRs stand at the ready." class="wp-image-43622" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption><em>Ranked Doubles</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Ranked Experience</strong> </h2>



<p>In preparation for Ranked Doubles, we’ll be updating how we determine skill (MMR), which will help us make better matches and improve the accuracy of CSR ranks. This will require additional maintenance that involves resetting CSR ranks. We plan on deploying these changes early on Aug 23, with the maintenance window lasting a few hours. During this time, Ranked Arena will not be available, though all other playlists and online services should be available. </p>



<p>In the days leading up to the maintenance window, we will have two other small changes rolling out as well. The first change, which has started today, is a small Ranked experiment with CSR that will be running until we close out this current ranked period. The impact should be minimal, but it will help us gather information for potential future ranked improvements. The second change is that the Fireteam CSR Limit, which has been active in both Solo/Duo playlists, will begin to take effect in Open Crossplay starting Monday, Aug 22. To learn more about the Fireteam CSR Limit, please visit <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://support.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/6492534068884" target="_blank">this page</a> on the Halo Support site.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Social_TeamDoubles_1920x1080.jpg" alt="Two Spartans stand back-to-back. One is holding an Energy Sword while the other holds an MA40 AR." class="wp-image-44714" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Social_TeamDoubles_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Social_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Social_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Social_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Social_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Social_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption><em>Team Doubles</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Playlist Offerings</strong> </h2>



<p>Next Tuesday will also bring about the addition of two new playlists: Ranked Doubles and Team Doubles. In order to help make room for these two new additions, the Last Spartan Standing playlist will be rotating out of the lineup. As with all playlists, we will continue to monitor their individual health in addition to the health of the entire matchmaking experience. If all these playlists perform well, we will continue experimenting with adding or rotating more playlists in the future. </p>



<p>Since that was quite a bit of info all at once, here’s a quick summary of the timeline for the matchmaking updates:</p>



<ul><li>Friday, Aug 19 – Ranked experiment begins (should have minimal player-facing impact) </li><li>Monday, Aug 22 @ 11am – Fireteam CSR Limit applies to Open Crossplay </li><li>Tuesday, Aug 23 @ 10am PT – CSR rank reset occurs and Ranked maintenance begins, taking Ranked Arena offline for ~3hrs </li><li>Tuesday, Aug 23 @ 10am PT – Team Doubles (social) goes live </li><li>Tuesday, Aug 23 @ 11am PT – Last Spartan Standing comes down </li><li>Tuesday, Aug 23 @ 1pm PT – Ranked Arena, Ranked Doubles, Team Doubles come online </li></ul>



<p>If you have any feedback around these changes when they go live, please be sure to share your thoughts right <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://forums.halowaypoint.com/c/games/halo-infinite/8" target="_blank">here on our Forums.</a></p>



<p>We’ll see you all online for some Doubles action soon!</p>


Unyshek

August Matchmaking Updates

Art by Sleepy

Art by Low_Poly_NPC

Spotlight: August 18, 2022

Esports

OPTIC GAMING – $125K HCS NA SUPER CHAMPIONS!

KNIGHTS ARE YOUR HCS MEXICO CITY 2022 CHAMPIONS!

Community Update

Drop Disclosure


<p>Arriving next Tuesday, August 9, our next Drop Pod will focus on improving the player experience on multiple fronts. This update is set to expand each player’s customization options, include QoL improvements, and will lay the groundwork for even more community-requested features. </p>



<p>Let’s take a look at what’s inside! </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">LIVE</h3>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>VISORS WILL NOW WORK ON ALL CORES</strong></h4>



<p>At present, there are a multitude of visors in the game split across the 5 armor cores. If you’ve wanted to use the shiny gold Noble visor (which has hitherto been locked to the Mark V [B] armor core) to complete your look on any of your other cores, you’ll be able to make that happen when the August Drop Pod lands. </p>



<p>What this means is that all visors that are currently in the game, and all future visors to come, will work across all helmets from all armor cores.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Eaglestrike-to-MarkV_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080.jpg" alt="A Mark V [B] Spartan with a bright yellow visor stands in the Armor Hall." class="wp-image-43552" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Eaglestrike-to-MarkV_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Eaglestrike-to-MarkV_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Eaglestrike-to-MarkV_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Eaglestrike-to-MarkV_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Eaglestrike-to-MarkV_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Eaglestrike-to-MarkV_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption> <em>EAGLESTRIKE’S Night Wisp visor on a Mark V [B] helmet.</em> </figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Rakshasa-to-Yoroi_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080.jpg" alt="A Yoroi Spartan with a gold visor stands in the Armor Hall." class="wp-image-43566" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Rakshasa-to-Yoroi_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Rakshasa-to-Yoroi_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Rakshasa-to-Yoroi_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Rakshasa-to-Yoroi_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Rakshasa-to-Yoroi_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Rakshasa-to-Yoroi_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption> <em>RAKSHASA’s Athena’s Mirror visor on a YOROI helmet.</em> </figcaption></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>MARK VII HELMET ATTACHMENTS</strong></h4>



<p>Continuing with the theme of improving customization options, this Drop Pod will also allow for certain Mark VII helmet attachments to be worn across multiple Mark VII helmets.</p>



<p>This is a response to player feedback we’ve seen requesting an expansion of the compatibility of Mark VII helmet attachments. Naturally, this move came with some complexities because most helmet attachments for the Mark VII core are designed to fit a specific helmet, but some happen to also fit well on other Mark VII helmets.</p>



<p>The Live Team took some time with our Artists to find out which helmet attachments look best and fit without clipping awkwardly or having large holes. Since certain combinations could have clipping or large gaps, not every Mark VII helmet will be able to use every helmet attachment – but the total number of options has been greatly increased.</p>



<p>If you’ve already unlocked these helmets and helmet attachments, they will automatically be usable. If you unlock them in the future, all the possible combinations will be unlocked for you. There will not be a need to unlock them on a per-use basis.</p>



<p>A full list of the helmet and helmet attachment combinations will be included in the Drop Pod patch notes when it goes live.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/SoldierHelmetAttachmentOnRampartVisorM7HA_Rampart_no_GT_1920x1080.jpg" alt="A Mark VII Spartan stands in the Armor Hall while wearing a helmet attachment.." class="wp-image-43594" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/SoldierHelmetAttachmentOnRampartVisorM7HA_Rampart_no_GT_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/SoldierHelmetAttachmentOnRampartVisorM7HA_Rampart_no_GT_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/SoldierHelmetAttachmentOnRampartVisorM7HA_Rampart_no_GT_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/SoldierHelmetAttachmentOnRampartVisorM7HA_Rampart_no_GT_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/SoldierHelmetAttachmentOnRampartVisorM7HA_Rampart_no_GT_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/SoldierHelmetAttachmentOnRampartVisorM7HA_Rampart_no_GT_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption>  <em>Soldier helmet attachment on a Rampart helmet.</em><br><em>Mark V [B]’s Stalwart visor on a Mark VII helmet.</em></figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/WarmasterHelmetAttachmentOnFirefall-VisorM7HA_Firefall_no_GT_1920x1080.jpg" alt="A Mark VII Spartan stands in the Armor Hall while wearing a helmet attachment." class="wp-image-43608" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/WarmasterHelmetAttachmentOnFirefall-VisorM7HA_Firefall_no_GT_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/WarmasterHelmetAttachmentOnFirefall-VisorM7HA_Firefall_no_GT_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/WarmasterHelmetAttachmentOnFirefall-VisorM7HA_Firefall_no_GT_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/WarmasterHelmetAttachmentOnFirefall-VisorM7HA_Firefall_no_GT_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/WarmasterHelmetAttachmentOnFirefall-VisorM7HA_Firefall_no_GT_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/WarmasterHelmetAttachmentOnFirefall-VisorM7HA_Firefall_no_GT_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption>  <em>Warmaster helmet attachment on Firefall helmet.</em><br><em>RAKSHASA’s Sapphire Front visor on a Mark VII helmet.</em></figcaption></figure>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">MULTIPLAYER</h3>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">ADDITIONAL RANKED PLAYLISTS </h4>



<p>On the multiplayer experience front, this update will make it easier for us to implement more Ranked playlists moving forward. Kicking things off will be Ranked Doubles, which is set to land two weeks after the Drop Pod’s release – along with a CSR reset. Additionally, a social Team Doubles playlist will be accompanying Ranked Doubles on its launch day, meaning Halo Infinite will be getting twice the 2v2 fun.</p>



<p>We’ll monitor the health of Ranked Doubles and all our playlists after its addition to the matchmaking lineup. If all playlists continue to perform as expected, we’ll keep these additions and continue experimenting with adding more Ranked playlists in the future.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080.jpg" alt="Two Spartans holding BRs stand at the ready." class="wp-image-43622" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Playlist_Ranked_TeamDoubles_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">REGION SELECT GROUNDWORK</h4>



<p>In the opening of this blog, we mentioned that we were laying some groundwork for the future as well. While there is no player-facing change here <em>just </em>yet, this Drop Pod does contain a lot of the groundwork required to turn Region Select on in the future. This would allow players to select between all searching across all regions (faster search times) or their local region (better pings). </p>



<p>This feature is still some time away, but players may spot some of the backend work that has been done to start putting things in place. We’ll have more to share about Region Select as we get closer to its launch. </p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">PRESENTATION</h3>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">CHALLENGES ON THE PAUSE MENU</h4>



<p>With this Drop Pod release, your active Challenges will be viewable while in a match on the pause menu. We know it’s helpful to be able to quickly glance at your active Challenges (as well as their descriptions) at any given time during a match, so we’re very happy to get this implemented.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/MP_pause_challenges_1920x1080.jpg" alt="A screenshot of the pause menu, which shows Challenges on the right side." class="wp-image-43636" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/MP_pause_challenges_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/MP_pause_challenges_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/MP_pause_challenges_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/MP_pause_challenges_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/MP_pause_challenges_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/MP_pause_challenges_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption> <em>Note: This placeholder text is not indicative of future Challenges.</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>Please note: this screen will not show the exact numbers (remaining or total) for your Challenges just yet. Since Challenges currently update at the end of a match, we chose not to display the numbers intentionally to avoid any confusion around not seeing them update in real-time. We are working to make it so Challenges <em>do</em> tick during a match, but we wanted to get this helpful first step out to all of you since it was ready.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<p>As always, we’ll have the full patch notes available on the Halo Support site (<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://aka.ms/HaloInfiniteUpdate" target="_blank">aka.ms/HaloInfiniteUpdate</a>) when the update is released.</p>



<p>Thank you for your continued feedback on our <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://forums.halowaypoint.com/c/games/halo-infinite/8" target="_blank">Waypoint Forums</a>, Twitter, Reddit, and more as we keep pushing to make Halo Infinite the best experience it can be. We look forward to seeing you online when the Drop Pod lands next Tuesday, August 9! </p>


August Drop Pod Preview

Canon Fodder

Issue 131

Canon Fodder: Rubicon Rundown