Canon Fodder

Community

Games

Alex Wakeford

Issue 125

Canon Fodder: Of Protocols and Prisons

Hey Everyone,



I’m here to answer two questions that we know are top of mind for the Halo community: “What is the Halo Infinite team working on right now?” and “When can we expect new content and features?” I’ll start with brief answers, and then get into more detail, including sharing some new info on what’s coming with Season 2.



This is the focus of the Halo Infinite team, in priority order:



1 – Addressing issues negatively impacting the player experience. 2 – Completing Season 2 and delivering it as promised on May 3rd. 3 – Continuing work on Campaign Co-Op, Forge, and Season 3.



We also have a “Priority Zero,” that undergirds everything we do, namely: team health, with an emphasis on getting ourselves into a sustainable development rhythm so that we can deliver great experiences to all of you while keeping a healthy work/life balance.



Priority Zero means that we sometimes need to move slower so that we can move faster later. Frankly, these last few months have been slower than we expected, and we sincerely thank you for your patience as we stay true to the priorities, above.



Now, let’s dive into specifics.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Priority #1: Addressing Critical Issues</h2>



Since the launch of Halo Infinite, we have been carefully tracking and analyzing all critical issues negatively impacting players’ experience with the game and supporting services. The internal name we have for this process is the “Hotlist.” Every week, we refresh the Hotlist with new insights and review issue prioritization and progress toward fixes. The Hotlist serves as a vital internal planning tool for our monthly development sprints as well as the Hotfixes, Content Updates, and Seasons we deliver to you.



Some of the issues on the Hotlist are gaps in the Halo Infinite experience that we only fully understood close to launch and were unable to address at an acceptable quality bar before ship. An example of this kind of “known” Hotlist issue is “Spartan Career” aka score-based player progression. Examples of “unknown” issues at launch were vulnerabilities in our anti-cheat system and problems with BTB matchmaking that we didn’t realize existed until we launched the game at scale.



Thus far, we have prioritized acute, unknown-before-ship issues that have a widespread negative impact on the shipped experience. Some items have been addressed and cleared from the Hotlist (e.g., BTB matchmaking), some have had partial improvements but need more work (e.g., anti-cheat), and others are in active development but not-yet-released (e.g., Spartan Career, Campaign Co-Op, and Forge). We are working on a public facing version of the Hotlist, similar to what the studio did during the Master Chief Collection updates, so that all of you will have a clear and constant window into the status of Hotlist issues as we work to address them. 



In the meantime, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://support.halowaypoint.com/" target="_blank">the Halo Support website</a> remains your best place for information and help, if you’re experiencing any issues with the game.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Priority #2: Shipping Season 2</h2>



If you check your Season 1 Battle Pass, you will see that that Season 1 ends on May 2nd, and that’s because Season 2 will launch May 3rd. I’m very excited to announce the official name and theme for Season 2, which is… “Lone Wolves.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3786" height="1726" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/Halo-Infinite-Lone-Wolves.png" alt="Halo Infinite: Lone Wolves - Season 2 title card" class="wp-image-29303" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/Halo-Infinite-Lone-Wolves.png 3786w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/Halo-Infinite-Lone-Wolves-300x137.png 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/Halo-Infinite-Lone-Wolves-1024x467.png 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/Halo-Infinite-Lone-Wolves-768x350.png 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/Halo-Infinite-Lone-Wolves-1536x700.png 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/Halo-Infinite-Lone-Wolves-2048x934.png 2048w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/Halo-Infinite-Lone-Wolves-1568x715.png 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 3786px) 100vw, 3786px" /></figure>



 By “theme” we mean a core idea that guides the creation of much, but not all, of a Season’s content. Lone Wolf Spartans are hunters. Trackers. They’re resourceful improvisers, operating deep in enemy territory without resupply or support. They’re fierce, rugged, and prefer to work alone—but they’re still loyal to the Spartan pack. Here’s an early peek at two of these Lone Wolves:



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_Characters_1920x1080.jpg" alt="Concept image of Lone Wolf Spartans: Sigrid Eklund and Hieu Dinh." class="wp-image-29275" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_Characters_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_Characters_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_Characters_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_Characters_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_Characters_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_Characters_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption>Concept for two of Halo Infinite‘s “Lone Wolves”, coming in Season 2.</figcaption></figure>



That’s Spartan Sigrid Eklund on the left, and Spartan Hieu Dinh on the right. You’ll learn more about them (and spend more time with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.halopedia.org/Laurette_Agryna" target="_blank">Spartan Commander Laurette Agryna</a>) as you dive into Season 2’s story—a mix of cinematics, story-themed Events, Battle Pass items and more that embody the Lone Wolves theme.



But like I said, not all Season content is directly linked to the theme, and a prime example of this is our free Fracture armor core for Season 2. Here’s a concept of that core, and we can’t wait to show you all the customization options for it—and for the free Lone Wolves armor core.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_FractureCore_Concept_1920x1080.jpg" alt="Concept Image of Season 2 Fracture armor core." class="wp-image-29289" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_FractureCore_Concept_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_FractureCore_Concept_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_FractureCore_Concept_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_FractureCore_Concept_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_FractureCore_Concept_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_FractureCore_Concept_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption>Concept painting of the new free Fracture armor coming in Season 2.</figcaption></figure>



 During Season 2, we will also be shipping playlist updates, balance changes, new modes, and maps, specifically, one Arena map named “Catalyst” and one BTB map named “Breaker.” The new modes include “Last Spartan Standing”, a free-for-all elimination mode, as well as another new mode named “Land Grab,” plus the return of an updated, all-time favorite mode, “King of the Hill.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_BTBMap_Concept_1920x1080.jpg" alt="Concept painting of new BTB map "Breaker", coming in Season 2." class="wp-image-29247" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_BTBMap_Concept_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_BTBMap_Concept_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_BTBMap_Concept_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_BTBMap_Concept_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_BTBMap_Concept_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_BTBMap_Concept_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption>Concept painting for “Breaker,” a new Big Team Battle map coming to Halo Infinite in Season 2.</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/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_ArenaMap_Concept_1920x1080.jpg" alt="Concept paint-over of new Arena map "Catalyst", coming in Season 2." class="wp-image-29261" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_ArenaMap_Concept_1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_ArenaMap_Concept_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_ArenaMap_Concept_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_ArenaMap_Concept_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_ArenaMap_Concept_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S2_ArenaMap_Concept_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption>A concept “paint over” of “Catalyst,” a new Arena map coming to Halo Infinite in Season 2.</figcaption></figure>



We will have a lot more to share about the Season 2 maps, modes, customization options, and narrative content in April, as our marketing and promotional campaign kicks into high gear.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Priority #3: Work on Campaign co-op, Forge, and Season 3</h2>



We’re making great progress on Campaign network co-op. And to be clear, this work has been occurring in parallel to Season 2 work, as has our work on Forge.



But the reality is that it’s going to take more time to land a high-quality, full-featured 4-player network co-op experience in the massive, wide-open world of Halo Infinite. We’re also committed to a great 2-player split-screen co-op experience on all Xbox consoles, from the original Xbox One through Xbox Series X—and the non-linear, wide-open sections of the Campaign present some big challenges for split-screen that have taken us more time to solve.



All this means that we will not be able to ship Campaign network co-op on May 3rd, at the start of Season 2. But we are still aiming to deliver Campaign network co-op later in Season 2, and we will share a release date for that and for split-screen co-op as soon as we can.



We are also making great progress on Forge. Indeed, we are already flighting Forge to a small group of community creators and working closely with them to ensure that all of you have a terrific experience creating, sharing, browsing, and playing Forge content. In the near term, we will continue to privately flight Forge as we develop it while also planning for public flight(s) later this year. We still have the goal of shipping Forge with Season 3.



Speaking of Season 3, while the majority of the team is tackling Hotlist items, shipping Season 2, and working on Campaign co-op and Forge, there are also many folks already hard at work on Season 3. We’ll be sharing additional details and specifics on all of these development efforts at a later date.



Importantly, we’re not just planning to address Hotlist items at the start of Seasons. Similar to Update 1.1.1 that launched a little more than a week ago, we intend to ship fixes, features, and content in more agile ways, during our Seasons.



And speaking of great Seasonal content, our next Season 1 event, “Tactical Ops,” starts next week, so get set for variants on the Tactical Slayer mode along with new, Mark VII core-focused rewards to earn!



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2560" height="1440" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S1_TacticalOps-scaled.jpg" alt="Key image for Tactical Ops event." class="wp-image-29233" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S1_TacticalOps-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S1_TacticalOps-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S1_TacticalOps-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S1_TacticalOps-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S1_TacticalOps-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S1_TacticalOps-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/03/HaloInfinite_S1_TacticalOps-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></figure>



On behalf of the entire team, thank you again for your patience and your passion. Please keep the feedback coming, know that we are listening and learning, and that we are working hard to deliver more Halo Infinite content that we hope you love to play.



Joseph Staten



Head of Creative, Halo Infinite

343 INDUSTRIES

Halo Infinite Update – March 2022

We’ve been studying player ranks and ranked matchmaking all-up extremely closely since launch and we are excited to be rolling out updates next week. These updates should help address common issues in ranked such as rank inflation, inaccurate skill assessment, uneven player skills, and more.



First and foremost, our skill rating system has been analyzing real matches since launch and we’re ready to deploy some of the learnings from this live data. These learnings will help the system become even better at assessing a player’s skill and should place them more accurately in our skill distributions.



This will be the first backend skill update like this since launch, and we plan to do them continuously throughout the life of the game. Just like we’ve been doing, we will keep monitoring matches and rolling out updates frequently to make sure the system can stay up to date with the latest player behaviors – thus continuing to accurately assess player skill.  



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">CSR Updates & Rank Reset</h3>



In combination with this skill rating improvement, we will be resetting Competitive Skill Ranking (CSR) ranks so that everyone can get an updated CSR that is more indicative of their skill.



Since we saw that the CSR system was being overly generous since launch, these changes are being rolled out to help bring things closer in line to where they should be. This period led to a full tier inflation of ranks and, as a result, most players should expect to be placed a full tier lower (Diamond players will find themselves in Platinum, Platinum players will find themselves in Gold, etc.) after this rank reset.



When we perform this rank reset, we will also be changing a few aspects of the CSR system: 



<ul><li>As mentioned above, since the system was placing players too high, every player will likely find themselves one tier lower after this update. Please keep in mind that this is not due to an error in the new system, but an error in the old one. </li><li>Typically, after you complete your placement matches, your CSR is a little lower than where the system thinks you’ll end up after playing for a while. This happened in Halo 5 as well because it helps start each rank reset (typically during a Season rollover) off fresh and provides players room to progress their CSR rank. Since ranks are being reset in the middle of the season, this will be reduced to help make sure you have a shorter climb after your placement matches.</li><li>At launch, Diamond 1 was the highest CSR players could land at after completing their 10 placement matches. Much like above, since we’re resetting ranks in the middle of the season, we want to reduce the disruption it may cause by raising this to Diamond 5. This will not affect most players, but it will mean Onyx players will spend less time in Diamond since the system already knows that they are likely an Onyx player.</li></ul>



We are aiming to have all the updates and rank reset happen on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 22.



We believe that these targeted changes will help improve the ranked experience for players of all skills by providing more accurate, balanced, and fair matches. That said, this isn’t the end of our updates to ranked, it’s only the beginning. There is still more to go after, and we’ll continue to make updates based on your feedback and live game data. If you encounter anything out of the norm in your ranked experience after this update, please let us know by continuing to provide feedback here on Waypoint, Twitter, reddit, etc.



And, in case you missed it, CTF on Behemoth was recently removed from the Ranked playlists. You can read up on the decision <a href="https://forums.halowaypoint.com/t/jan-26-ranked-playlist-update/496232">here on Waypoint.</a>



We hope you get to jump in and enjoy these updates to Ranked when it rolls out next week!

Unyshek

Halo Infinite – Ranked Matchmaking Updates

Closer Look: Halo Infinite’s Online Experience

Issue 124

Canon Fodder: Shippin’ Out

Cyber Showdown Press Kit

Y’know, we have often asked ourselves how we can make Spartans even cooler than they already are. We’ve come up with a few different answers to that over the years, one of our most recent being “What if they were samurai from an alternate, non-canonical universe?” Our next Event in Halo Infinite’s free to play multiplayer considers what if Spartans had some kind of holographic neon mohawk? What if a digital visor could burst out from your helmet to visually accent your tactical (and stylish) acuity?



Get ready for a synthwave showdown, Spartans. Go forth into matchmaking in all your heliotrope luminance. The Cyber Showdown Event is live!



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Halo Infinite | Cyber Showdown Launch Trailer" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qXifTPUqjJM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



Running across two weeks from January 18 to February 1, the Cyber Showdown Event invites you to jump into the new Attrition mode to earn free, limited-time customization rewards.



Attrition is a frantic new Slayer mode where lives are shared across your team. Each team has a limited number of lives—revive your teammates when they fall and work together to deplete the enemy’s lifepool to finish them off. Last team standing wins! It’s classic, competitive 4v4 action with a unique spin on how you operate as a team.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/Cyber-Showdown-1024x576.jpg" alt="Cyber Showdown image of two Spartans and the personal AI Fret between them." class="wp-image-25586" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/Cyber-Showdown-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/Cyber-Showdown-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/Cyber-Showdown-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/Cyber-Showdown-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/Cyber-Showdown-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/Cyber-Showdown-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Cyber Showdown also features a unique reward track with themed items, similar to what you’ve come to expect from Fracture: Tenrai.



There are 10 Event Challenges overall, spread evenly through your pool of Weekly Challenges, while the Event is live. For each Event Challenge completed, you will earn the next reward from your Event Reward track and unlock more cyber-themed goodness.



Check out some of the rewards you’ll be getting below!



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/HIS1MP_Event_Cyber_Showdown_VisID_Rewards_3840x2160-1024x576.jpg" alt="Event Rewards for Cyber Showdown." class="wp-image-25572" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/HIS1MP_Event_Cyber_Showdown_VisID_Rewards_3840x2160-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/HIS1MP_Event_Cyber_Showdown_VisID_Rewards_3840x2160-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/HIS1MP_Event_Cyber_Showdown_VisID_Rewards_3840x2160-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/HIS1MP_Event_Cyber_Showdown_VisID_Rewards_3840x2160-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/HIS1MP_Event_Cyber_Showdown_VisID_Rewards_3840x2160-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/HIS1MP_Event_Cyber_Showdown_VisID_Rewards_3840x2160-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption><a href="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/HIS1MP_Event_Cyber_Showdown_VisID_Rewards_3840x2160-scaled.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Click here for high-res image. (opens in a new tab)">Click here for high-res image.</a></figcaption></figure>



Those who jump in during the event will also receive the New Heights backdrop for your Spartan ID, and be sure to keep an eye out for other effulgently extravagant Event items in the Store as well.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/CyberShowdown_Emblem_Gift_1920x1080-1024x576.png" alt="A preview of the New Heights backdrop. " class="wp-image-25600" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/CyberShowdown_Emblem_Gift_1920x1080-1024x576.png 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/CyberShowdown_Emblem_Gift_1920x1080-300x169.png 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/CyberShowdown_Emblem_Gift_1920x1080-768x432.png 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/CyberShowdown_Emblem_Gift_1920x1080-1536x864.png 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/CyberShowdown_Emblem_Gift_1920x1080-1568x882.png 1568w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/01/CyberShowdown_Emblem_Gift_1920x1080.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Well, we’d better not keep you any longer. Jump into Halo Infinite’s free to play multiplayer and start searching Cyber Showdown – Attrition.



See you on the battlefield!

Cyber Showdown Event Launch

Issue 123

Canon Fodder: Foundations

Winter Contingency Press Kit 

“WINTER CONTINGENCY has been declared. All units are mobilized and merry!”



Multiple slipspace ruptures have been detected as Spartans across the galaxy are coming together to celebrate the Holidays! If you listen closely, you can hear them singing…



“Dashing through Bazaar, dodging the grenades. To the flag we go, grappling all the way. One-shot Spartan ping, keep that teamwork tight! Oh, what fun it is to fight and sing a slaying song tonight!”



The Winter Contingency celebrations begin December 21 and offer ten unique Holiday-themed rewards that will roll out one-per-day until December 30. All you have to do is jump into Halo Infinite’s free to play multiplayer and complete a match of Arena or Big Team Battle.



Let’s take a closer look at the action…



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Halo Infinite | Winter Contingency Trailer - Now Live" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uvWOF0PDVTQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



Rewards will be unlocked over time, meaning they will not all be available to grab on day one. Think of Winter Contingency like your in-game Halo advent calendar: you’ll unlock one reward each day, with the event running through the morning of January 4, 2022.



To be clear: While the daily rewards conclude on December 30, what this means is you’ll have several extra days to catch up on any items that you may have missed!



These rewards include the festive ‘Peppermint Laughter’ coatings for your armor and weapons (depicted in our festive key art), along with new shoulder pieces, emblems, and more!



Here’s a look at the rewards you’ll be getting.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-25275" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



 See you on the battlefield and happy Holidays!

Winter Contingency Event Launch

Modding tools for Halo: CE, Halo 2, and Halo 3 can be downloaded via Steam. When the tools are updated, be sure to re-extract the latest tags.zip file. When the tools are updated, mods should remain compatible though any tags modified in a previous version of the tools will require merging. 



These tools are being provided as-is. 



Licensing for the Halo: CE mod tools remains open to anyone who is interested in creating content for Halo: CE. For Halo 2 and Halo 3, you will need to own a license to the base game in Steam to gain access to the tools. The Halo: CE mod tools are available to anyone, regardless of which titles they own in Halo: MCC. To acquire the current mod tools, you can click the following links to install them if you own the DLC that matches the Toolset (ex. Halo 3 DLC for MCC would be entitled to Halo 3 Mod Tools): 



<ul><li><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1532190">Halo: Combat Evolved</a></li><li><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1613450">Halo 2</a></li><li><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1695791">Halo 3</a></li></ul>



Or, alternatively, within the Steam app, in your Library, you can locate “Halo: CE Mod Tools – MCC” “Halo 2 Mod Tools – MCC” or “Halo 3 Mod Tools – MCC” and select to install with your Library filter set to include “Tools” as shown below. 



With this download, there are several programs that everyone will have access to. If you’ve modded in the Halo community before, some may be easily recognized. We also created an entirely new one to make modding Halo even easier. The screenshots below are specific to Halo: CE modding tools, though these tools function similarly in Halo 2 and Halo 3 as well.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Guerilla</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="826" height="1229" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/MOD2.png" alt=""Guerilla" - viewing the scenario tag for "The Silent Cartographer"" class="wp-image-25170" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/MOD2.png 826w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/MOD2-202x300.png 202w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/MOD2-688x1024.png 688w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/MOD2-768x1143.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 826px) 100vw, 826px" /></figure>



“Guerilla” – Viewing the scenario tag for “The Silent Cartographer” This program is used to edit the values of game content, which are files collectively called “tags.” There are tags for AI, bipeds, textures (aka, bitmaps), etc. You can use this program to update and alter these. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sapien</h2>



“Sapien” – Viewing the level for “The Silent Cartographer” This one is the world or level editor for the game. Internally, levels are referred to as “scenarios.” This program allows you to populate data related to the level itself including things such as weapon placement, AI squads, and more.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tool</h2>



Though basic in its name, this one is a command-line-only Swiss Army knife for very specific changes. This is used to perform all the tasks related to importing source content into tag files or even to building map files. These map files are internally referred to as ‘cache files.’ But this tool will help perform all these adjustments. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Standalone</h2>



This entirely new program is basically a development build of the game itself. It runs directly off tag files instead of cache files. This is largely meant to help improve iteration times for people who are building and modding content. This program is meant for advanced modification only. It is also targeted for non-multiplayer development only. You can’t use it to test multiplayer levels with others and it won’t even load multiplayer levels at this moment. You could load multiplayer levels as campaign levels, but it may or may not help you in your endeavors for it. For this tool, do not expect all the bells and whistles. This is very much a what you see is what you get sort of tool. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Additional Tools</h2>



In addition to these programs, we are also including zip files of level scripts and all the tag files which go into building the campaign and multiplayer levels. To access these, you will need to extract these files to begin editing these files or building existing levels. Part of the reason for using zips is so the final tools package is smaller to download, but also so tool updates don’t inadvertently replace files you edit. These tools are being provided as-is. While we plan to make updates over time to address issues we see the community talking about, the level of support these tools get should not be expected to match MCC itself. These are the tools which developers used or are using. They were originally developed with the expectation that a programmer was never too far away to fix or help someone work around an issue. They can be used in many ways, but not all workflows may work as expected on your machine. Future updates made to MCC may require you to rebuild your maps to play properly. However, we do not intend to break compatibility of tag files with tool updates, at least not without fair warning where possible. Halo: Combat Evolved, specifically, does not have a flexible tag system that can handle format changes gracefully. Later games improved this aspect. So, if such times come, all you should need to do is have the latest tools and rebuild your map. In order to take advantage of changes we make to the games; you may also need to update tags you use. Especially if you are using stock tag files (ones which are used to make the stock campaign and multiplayer levels), as these may have been changed to address bugs or other support items. We hope you enjoy these new ways to interact with Halo and we look forward to hearing from the community on your modding endeavors. Happy Modding all!

Halo: MCC Creator Hub

Lock and load, Spartans – Several new updates have been deployed for Halo Infinite’s multiplayer today including community requested playlist additions and challenge adjustments. We’re humbled and grateful at the showing of support since launch – thank you to everyone who has provided constructive feedback and reported issues at the <a href="https://support.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us">Halo Support site</a>. Today marks another step forward as we partner with you to improve and evolve Halo Infinite. We look forward to resuming work addressing player feedback after the team recharges over the holidays.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Matchmaking Playlist Updates</h2>



At launch, we took a measured approach to include a baseline set of playlists in a simple and straightforward way. Thankfully, our beta period went very well, and we heard your feedback around wanting more variety and more control over the modes you play. And, following Halo Infinite’s first official event, Fracture: Tenrai, we heard your feedback around wanting Fiesta to persist as a regular offering rather than be limited to just the active event period.  



We also heard a lot of feedback around a desire for a pure Slayer playlist – something that was always coming but was originally a bit further out as more time was needed to test and finalize new game mode variants. Slayer fans should expect this playlist to expand with new experiences in the months to come.



As a result of this feedback, we’re excited to bring four new social matchmaking playlists to Halo Infinite today:



<ul><li>Team Slayer</li><li>Free-for-All</li><li>Tactical Slayer (“SWAT”)</li><li>Fiesta </li></ul>



Today’s playlist update is just a first step – we know players want even more agency and more variety  – and the team continues to work on longer term plans for rotational and core playlists, game modes, and improved matchmaking experiences.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg" alt="Spartan flanked by various Halo Infinite weaponry for the MP Fiesta mode" class="wp-image-24820" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ranked & BTB Matchmaking Updates</h2>



Since the beta launch, the team has been monitoring matchmaking data and keeping a close eye on the overall system to ensure it’s working as expected. Additionally, we’ve heard feedback from players who are concerned with how the rankings are working and/or express frustration with their ranked experience. Work will continue in this space but we’re making some targeted changes in the short term:



<ul><li>We adjusted the ranked matchmaking rules to increase the priority of close individual skill matches, particularly for players at the higher skill levels. We’re taking this in stages – the first priority increase took place on Dec 11th, and the second took place today.</li><li> We adjusted the BTB matchmaking rules to prioritize making matches with lower latency. This will mainly help players in lower population regions avoid high latency matches.</li><li> We’re doubling the overall matchmaking timeout from 5 minutes to 10 minutes, to better accommodate very high skilled players finding suitable matches, particularly when in full fire teams or searching from low population regions.    </li></ul>



We will continue to monitor ranked and overall matchmaking closely and will share more details on the system and future plans as we can. 



As of this news post, the team is aware of and actively working to address Big Team Battle intermittent matchmaking issues that have been reported over the past few days. We appreciate your patience and support as we continue investigating and working on solutions. Please be sure to follow <a href="https://twitter.com/halosupport">@HaloSupport on Twitter</a> for the latest updates.



Lastly, we understand some players are also eager for more Ranked Playlists beyond the game’s current offering. Please be note that we have more technical complexities to navigate with Ranked Playlists than Social, so any future ranked updates are going to take more time.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Rank Distribution</h3>



We received a ton of feedback, especially early in the beta, about CSR progression. We’re planning a separate post that will dig deeper into some of the issues people are seeing, but wanted to briefly address two areas of feedback here: rank inflation and overall rank distribution. The distributions that we see for each of the 3 ranked playlists over the past week are illustrated below.



Ranked Open Queue 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedOpenQueue-Dec14-1024x432.png" alt="" class="wp-image-24877" width="910" height="383" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedOpenQueue-Dec14-1024x432.png 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedOpenQueue-Dec14-300x126.png 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedOpenQueue-Dec14-768x324.png 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedOpenQueue-Dec14.png 1419w" sizes="(max-width: 910px) 100vw, 910px" /></figure>



Ranked Solo/Duo Controller



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="464" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoController-Dec14-1024x464.png" alt="" class="wp-image-24891" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoController-Dec14-1024x464.png 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoController-Dec14-300x136.png 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoController-Dec14-768x348.png 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoController-Dec14.png 1444w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Ranked Solo/Duo Mouse+Keyboard



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="460" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoMKB-Dec14-1024x460.png" alt="" class="wp-image-24905" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoMKB-Dec14-1024x460.png 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoMKB-Dec14-300x135.png 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoMKB-Dec14-768x345.png 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoMKB-Dec14.png 1438w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



One of our goals in the design of the CSR system is that the
median CSR should be around Platinum 1. You may notice that the Open Queue
playlist is quite close to our goal, but the Solo/Duo playlists are skewed
towards Diamond/Onyx. You may also notice two other things that are present in
all three playlists:



<ul><li>A decent sized “spike” at Diamond 1. This exists because Diamond 1 is the highest rank we’ll grant to a player immediately after completing their 10 qualifying matches. So the “extra” players in Diamond 1 are players who would add to the high Diamond and Onyx columns if they continued to play more ranked and work their way up through the higher levels of the CSR system. (But for now they have taken a break to do more social matchmaking, or campaign.)</li><li> A smaller spike at Onyx 1500. This is a result of aspects of the CSR algorithm that make CSR progression slightly harder once a player reaches Onyx. </li></ul>



We are working on adjustments to the CSR algorithm to shift the distribution to be more in line with our goals and your expectations, especially for the Solo/Duo playlists. However, as we do that, we have to be careful not to make changes that will have a negative effect on players who have already achieved these higher-than-expected CSRs, so it may take some time.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg" alt="Spartans ready for action in the new Tactical Slayer playlist" class="wp-image-24862" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Challenge Updates</h2>



Today marks the third overall update to Challenges and Progression since Halo Infinite’s beta launch on November 15. In each case, Challenges have been iterated and tuned, removing outliers and adjusting troublesome entries, while also helping to speed up overall Battle Pass progression. So far, we’re happy with the results of these changes, but we know there are plenty of opportunities to continue evolving and improving. 



There’s a lot of work to do here to truly address player
feedback around these systems – and broader changes are going to take time
(i.e. performance based XP, per-match XP, additional progression vectors,
etc..)– but in the interim, the team will continue targeting meaningful
services-side updates to hone and improve the overall experience.



Today’s update aims to further alleviate frustrating challenges, adds brand new challenges to take advantage of the new playlists, and reduces the requirements for the weekly Ultimate Challenge. And, while it won’t come into play quite yet, changes have also been made for Event Challenges to help address some initial player feedback.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Challenge Pruning</h3>



Overall, a number of mode and activity-specific challenges
have been removed entirely, had their requirements lowered, and/or had their
weight reduced across the challenge pool. Additionally, the overall weighting
of ‘General’ challenges has been increased. 



We understand the inability to pick a specific mode to coincide with a specific challenge can be frustrating and today’s changes should help reduce some of that friction in the near term as longer-term work continues.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">New Challenges</h3>



Today’s playlist additions will also usher in new playlist-specific challenges. You can expect to find specific playlist versions of each of the following new challenge types:



<ul><li>Personal Score – Accumulate personal score in the specified playlist to complete</li><li>Kills – Earn the required # of kills in a specific playlist</li><li> Double Kills – Earn double kills in a specific playlist</li><li> Complete Games – Play and complete games in a specific playlist</li><li> Win – Win games in a specific playlist </li></ul>



The specific requirements and corresponding XP will vary
depending on the rarity type of the challenge (i.e. “Normal”, “Heroic”,
“Legendary”).



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Event Challenges</h3>



Player’s gave feedback that it was difficult to progress Event Challenges due to them getting ‘stuck’ behind Weekly Challenges and/or not having enough to tackle during the event week. Going forward, and when Fracture: Tenrai returns, Event Challenges will come in more frequently, removing gaps where a player would previously be stuck waiting.  And, while Events will often still have a finite limit to the number of challenges available in a given week – meaning it will take playing across a few weeks to fully complete – the maximum will increase to provide more buffer and let highly engaged players progress a bit faster. 



We’ll have more details about these changes, and a few other ways in which Event feedback was addressed, when Fracture: Tenrai returns on January 4.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HCS Spotlight</h2>



To commemorate and celebrate the first Halo Infinite major esports event – <a href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/hcs-raleigh-2021">HCS Raleigh</a> – players will be able to earn double XP for a new set of ranked-focused challenges for one week (Dec. 14 – Dec. 20). Please note: Given new prioritization being added to active event challenges, and this ‘HCS Showdown’ event being live in game this week, you will have ranked-challenges present in your active challenge lineup. Using a swap on this challenge will continue to return a ranked-playlist focused challenge as part of the week long event. 



Channel your inner HCS Pro and jump into ranked matchmaking to speed up your Battle Pass progression and be sure to watch the amateur and pro teams battle it out when HCS Raleigh kicks off on Dec.17. Support your favorite HCS players with official in-game skins and a portion of each sale goes directly to the org. Viewers of this weekend’s event will also have a chance to score exclusive Halo Infinite Twitch Drop cosmetics so be sure to stay tuned to <a href="https://twitter.com/hcs">@HCS on Twitter</a> for the latest info! 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg" alt="Official HCS team skins in Halo Infinite as part of the "HCS Showcase" bonus XP event." class="wp-image-24919" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">We’re Just Getting Started</h2>



We’re excited to get these updates into the game today and hope to see you online in matchmaking over the holidays! Once the team has had a chance to recharge over the holiday break, we’ll be back at it and looking at more opportunities to continue evolving your Halo Infinite experience. Please keep the constructive feedback coming, be sure to <a href="https://support.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/360036218972-How-to-Submit-a-Halo-Support-Ticket">file a support ticket</a>  if you run into any issues, and have fun out there!