Games

Halo Infinite

Halo has always been about heroism, hope, and the Master Chief, Spartan-117. In Halo Infinite, Chief is going head-to-head with the toughest foes he’s ever faced, in the most expansive, awe-inspiring, Halo story ever told. Today, we’re thrilled to give you a fresh look at just some of the action you’ll be able to dive into when Halo Infinite launches on December 8, 2021: 



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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Halo Infinite | Campaign Overview" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tgn8VOv9dc0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Pre-order Halo Infinite on <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/halo-infinite" target="_blank">Xbox</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1240440/Halo_Infinite/" target="_blank">PC</a> today, and be ready to fight Escharum and the mighty Banished forces that have made Zeta Halo their base of operations.

Andy Salisbury

Master Chief’s Story Continues, December 8, 2021

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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE GREAT JOURNEY ON PC</h2>



Almost two years ago, 343 Industries and Xbox embarked on a journey to bring the entirety of Halo: The Master Chief Collection to Windows PCs and Steam. After 23 months, six game launches, eight seasons of content and countless flights, 343 Industries and Halo have entered a new era of play where PC is at the center of everything we do, alongside console. While we’re still listening and growing, the process of taking Halo: The Master Chief Collection to PC was invaluable in helping us learn what to do (and not to do) to create a game that looks, feels, and plays like a PC shooter should, all the while honoring the legacy of what makes Halo, Halo.



Today, we’re thrilled to share with Halo fans and the PC gaming community at large how we’re taking everything we’ve learned from The Master Chief Collection to make Halo Infinite a truly PC-first experience from day one.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HALO INFINITE – PC OVERVIEW VIDEO</h2>



Watch the PC Overview video below to hear directly from both the PC team and the Sandbox team at 343 Industries to learn more about how we’ve built Halo Infinite to be a great PC experience in-game, out-of-game, and off the screen.



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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Halo Infinite | PC Overview" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fax-YPAvuq0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">AMD – THE EXCLUSIVE PC PARTNER OF HALO INFINITE</h2>



Engineering Partnership: For over two years, we’ve been working closely with AMD to make Halo Infinite a spectacular experience for PC players. Working with AMD allowed us to make game title optimizations that benefit a vast range of hardware and device endpoints. From ultra-spec gaming powerhouses to older and cost-effective gaming machines as well as our entire family of consoles, something that only partnering with AMD could help us achieve.



AMD is passionate about player-first development choices. They’re exceptionally open to working with us to bring new rendering features across all hardware as well as performance improvements for all our players, even if they’re not using an AMD-powered device. We’re excited for all Halo Infinite’s players to benefit from AMD’s passion for making player-first development choices.



However, in the words of humanity’s most iconic hero; we’re just getting started. AMD understood and believed in our vision to build a Halo experience over time. Launch is just the beginning for Halo Infinite on PC. As such, AMD was willing to pursue a close, long-term partnership with Halo across both engineering and marketing efforts. Looking ahead,we’ve identified opportunities for additional configuration options, performance tweaks, and memory improvements across both PC as well as console and we’re working together on more optimization solutions that should benefit all platforms. Most excitingly though, we’re looking forward to working closely with AMD bring Ray Tracing to Halo Infinite. Ray Tracing is one our top development priorities post-launch and look forward to sharing more soon.



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Marketing Partnership & AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite Limited Edition: One of the many great things about partnering with AMD is not just our shared passion for PC gaming, but our shared passion for Halo as well. Like us, AMD understood the significance of Halo Infinite being the first main-line Halo title to launch day-and-date across both Xbox consoles as well as Windows PCs and Steam. To celebrate the next era of Halo on PC, we’re thrilled to unveil the AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite Limited Edition!



Inspired by his Mark VII Mjolnir armor, this custom 6900XT shroud bears several unmistakable features from the Master Chief himself. Including a reflective, iridium gold fan border, the iconic “117” Spartan callsign, as well as a Cortana-blue light to signify the AI slot on the back of the Master Chief’s helmet.



The 6900XT is the perfect GPU to celebrate the release of Halo Infinite on all platforms. The AMD RDNA™ 2 gaming architecture powering our Xbox Series X|S consoles is the same architecture powering the AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite Limited Edition graphics card, for high frame-rate 4K gaming.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/Oct2020-PCBlog/002-1120px-805e3236f5ae429a92bf27a40ee2ad0d.png" alt="The box and packaging for Halo Infinites AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT"/></figure>



From the start, it was vitally important to both AMD and 343 Industries that a card this special ended up in the hands of our players. Rest assured, while the AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite Limited Edition won’t be going on sale, AMD, Halo and other partners will be offering players multiple opportunities over the coming weeks to get their hands on one. Stay tuned for an announcement later today on your first opportunity to enter and win!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER</h2>



Those of us that work on Halo Infinite’s PC presence are seriously passionate about the franchise, the platform and our friends in the PC Gaming community. We’ve come together across multiple disciplines from art, engineering, production, licensing, marketing, and community to ensure every touch point PC players have with our game is crafted with a passion for the platform as our central focus.



In game, we’ve created an experience that supports a wide range of hardware and device endpoints while still supporting all the PC-specific features players have come to expect. From baseline expectations like ultrawide / super ultrawide support (including cinematics), FOV adjustment and framerate customization, to niche enthusiast touches like weapon offset control, triple key-binds and PC LAN support, Halo Infinite was built from the ground-up for PC.



Out-of-game, we’ve partnered closely with services like Discord and Razer Chroma as well as platforms like Steam and Xbox Game Pass to ensure Infinite takes advantage of the most each has to offer for PC players. Including rich presence in Steam and deep integration with Discord, featuring support for in-game Discord server invites. What’s more, all Razer customers will benefit from Halo Infinite’s integration of Razer Chroma, with in-game events triggering unique peripheral lighting to correspond to the event. Whether you’ve just had your shields popped or you’re firing a SPNKR, there’s a Chroma Effect that brings Halo Infinite to life.



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Off the screen, we’ve partnered with brands that have decades of experience building hardware that allow players to interact with the experiences they love. Razer, with their Chroma Lighting Engine and world-class peripheral design, were the perfect partners to create an <a href="https://www.razer.com/campaigns/halo-infinite">exclusive line of Halo-branded peripherals</a> that players can use to add a Halo touch to their existing rig. What’s more, for players building new machines, AMD was ideal partner to help power players’ Halo Infinite journey through their extremely capable Ryzen and Radeon product lines. Including of course, the AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Halo Infinite Limited Edition.



In short, we at 343 Industries and our partners wanted to ensure that every piece of the PC experience had a Halo-touch to it. After today, we’re hoping you’re just as excited as we are to boot up Halo Infinite on a PC on December 8th.



See you on the battlefield, Spartans!

Noah Benesch

Halo Infinite’s Great Journey On PC

Esports

Tashi

Ranked / Competitive Reveal

With the arrival of Halo Waypoint vNext, a brand-new digital home for your Spartan is about to be minted. With the planned launch just around the corner on November 1, you’re going to have access to a litany of new features including:



<ul><li>Access to Waypoint’s news feed, to ensure you’re up to date with the latest intel</li><li>The ability to personalize your Spartan in Halo Infinite using all the customization options you’ve unlocked</li><li>The chance to check out your service record in Halo Infinite, MCC, and Halo 5</li><li>Graphs and stats to keep track of your carnage</li><li>The ability to keep track of your Battle Pass progress</li><li>Reviewing your current ongoing Challenges in Halo Infinite</li><li>A unified experience across mobile apps and web</li><li>And much more!</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/WaypointvNextFAQBlog/halo-waypoint-showcase-1120-aa6b7fca8be943f6aa1eadb05d35d0bf.png" alt="Halo Waypoint includes the mobile App (left) and the website for your computer (center, right) or mobile web browser."/></figure>



Halo Waypoint includes the mobile App (left) and the website for your computer (center, right) or mobile web browser. [<a href="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/InsideInfinite-June2021/halo-waypoint-showcase-cb60f943ac2b4dbe9fd4433f218fcb47.png" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here to download the full-size image</a>.]



To those of you that joined us in our recent Multiplayer Tech Preview, you may have also jumped in to get an early look at our <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://t.co/bdz2zJiPLc?amp=1" target="_blank">Android</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://t.co/XFvOTJaftl?amp=1" target="_blank">iOS</a> apps! Notably, these are still in a ‘soft launch’ state, so expect more features to be added in the future as we get closer to the December 8 launch of Halo Infinite. (So, do pardon some of our dust in the meantime.) And of course, if you want a full rundown from the team that’s been hard at work building this new experience from the ground-up, be sure to check out the June 2021 Edition of Inside Infinite.



Today, we’re sitting back down with one of the members of the Waypoint Team we chatted with previously, Kevin “KP” Paul. With updates of this size there’s always a lot of moving pieces and features to consider. Notably, Halo Waypoint vNext is an ongoing effort that spans across web and mobile – so, there will be iterative updates in the future, but we wanted to ensure that you knew just what to expect when the site launches.



Alright, it’s official – Waypoint vNext is arriving on November 1! For the uninitiated, what does that mean? KP: The Waypoint that you know and love will be getting a complete overhaul, rebuilt from the ground up to support the growing needs of the Halo franchise. At the surface level you’ll notice a new look and feel throughout the web, with many returning features and a few new ones sprinkled in. Behind the scenes, this shift makes us better able to focus development efforts across the website, Android, and iOS apps.



Back during the Multiplayer Tech Preview, players had a chance to dive in early to take a look at the Waypoint vNext experience. But, even with that sneak peek, is there anything they should keep an eye out for at launch? KP: Players who participated in the previews should expect a continued focus on their investments in our games. For Halo Infinite this means further investment in Customization and Progression. Additionally, MCC players can expect more connectivity with seasonal content and their progression. Even at the profile level on Halo Waypoint, we are rolling out Service Awards as way to show off your Halo career highlights.



This time around Halo Waypoint will exist as an app as well. What are some of the coolest features coming with its arrival? KP: The design team spoke eloquently to this vision and their design intent back in our Inside Infinite article and it is worth a read. At a high level you can expect a lot of shared features between the web and app because we’re committed to reaching our players no matter where they are. You can expect the usual conveniences from an app, including (but not limited to) regular updates and push notifications for content that’s important to you.  



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/WaypointvNextFAQBlog/customization-1120-9da57e0d8d864370bb1b7596b463cb1a.png" alt="Halo Infinite Customization shown on App (Left), Game (Center), and Web (Right)"/></figure>



Halo Infinite Customization shown on App (Left), Game (Center), and Web (Right). [<a href="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/InsideInfinite-June2021/customization-709bc8f270a546d0afd4cc7a2d556ccd.png" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here to download the full-size image</a>.]



For those that don’t know, the Halo Waypoint app is already available on Android and iOS – but, the website still looks the same. How come? KP: In this case, we released the app earlier than the new website because it was our best chance to reach players diving into the Multiplayer Tech Preview! Ultimately, this does mean that we have some updates still to make throughout the entire experience. We’re hard at work preparing for launch, but if you do see any bugs be sure to file a ticket with Halo Support!



With an update of this size there’s always a lot to consider. Among all the features that are coming forward to Waypoint vNext, are there any that won’t be there at launch? KP: Whoa, comin’ at me like a grappling BXB’er straight outta the Multiplayer Tech Preview! For context, today’s current iteration of Waypoint is the result of 8-years of continued investment into a single website, while vNext has only been cooking for a few years and spans web, iOS, and Android.



While we were able to bring forward many of our most used features by players, we haven’t been able to rebuild everything. The features that will not join the transition to vNext will be: Halo 5 Spartan Companies, browsing the Halo 5 User-Generated Content (UGC) features, the Halo Wars 2 Service Record, the Universe section, and some older News articles.



For Halo 5, what’s happening specifically with Spartan Companies and User Generated Content (UGC)? KP: Spartan Companies will still appear in Halo 5 but without our interface you will no longer be able to edit your Company info or roster. (So, if you have any planned updates, we recommend you do them now.) Your Company’s Service Record and Commendations will not be visible, but they will continue to tick behind the scenes and rewards (including Achilles) will continue to be granted. Your roster will be locked with no way to add, remove, promote, or demote members. Spartan Company forums will no longer be available.



Halo 5 UGC will be unaffected in-game, to be clear, but the Waypoint interface to browse your Halo 5 game variants, map variants, and Forge object groups will no longer be available. 



For Halo Wars 2, what will happen with the Service Record? KP: As we weigh all of the potential website features against every active Halo title, we often have to make difficult trade-offs to prioritize areas that directly benefit the largest audiences in our community. As we focus on robust support for Halo Infinite, this unfortunately means that we won’t be able to maintain Halo Wars 2 service records on the new website. The good news is that the Halo Wars 2 public API and third-party services remain unaffected and that data will continue to flow.



But, if you want to archive your Halo Wars 2 Service Record, please do so soon.



Will there be any other notable parts of Waypoint that will change? KP: The Universe section is something of a relic of a prior age of Waypoint, standing now only as a monument to <a href="https://twitter.com/GrimBrotherOne" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grim</a>’s sins. Less dramatically, this content was central to previous video efforts and we have not maintained it as stand-alone web content. We also know the community has stepped in to fill this role, in greater detail and with more freedom for intrigue. Check out our friends at <a href="https://www.halopedia.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Halopedia</a>, for example.



Lastly, only select News articles will be brought forward to vNext as only some will maintain relevance.



Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today, KP!



KP: Not so fast, Andy. I’ve exited the block quote to explain that we care deeply about these decisions and the users they impact. We will continue to flight regularly and review feedback to better understand what is important to you. With Infinite looming, our focus will be there for the time being, but we may yet revisit some of these features.



Ultimately, with Halo Infinite having such a long future ahead of it, we knew we’d be kicking off a brand-new chapter of Waypoint. So, this is just where this version of Waypoint begins – we won’t just be launching this then walking away. There’s more to come.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/WaypointvNextFAQBlog/progression-1120-b34afe202edd4c96b7d6e0feb7d37ebd.png" alt="Halo Infinite Progression shown on Game (left) and App (right)"/></figure>



Halo Infinite Progression shown on Game (left) and App (right). [<a href="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/InsideInfinite-June2021/progression-57c2e94e4e5949c88789c8c7fa79bc10.png" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here to download the full-size image</a>.]



At times like this, I fully endorse the dropping of decorum and hanging out here in the body text. KP, thank you and the Waypoint Team for your continued hard work in building our Spartans’ digital homes – and, for taking the time to share this information with us today!



As a reminder, with these updates arriving alongside Waypoint vNext we highly recommend taking the time to tend to your Halo 5 Spartan Companies, review your Halo Wars 2 stats in all their glory, and bookmark even more fan-favorite maps and modes in Halo 5 before November 1.



As always, if you have any feedback, thoughts, or comments – let us know on <a href="https://twitter.com/Halo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Halo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/halo/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a>.

Waypoint vNext: FAQ

Hi Everyone,



In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqQMLD3Pn3Q">yesterday’s live stream</a> we mentioned that there was an issue that might delay our Multiplayer Tech Preview. Well, the issue was this: we unintentionally included a group of concept art files in the Tech Preview build.



To be clear: none of these images spoil the Halo Infinite Campaign that you’ll get to play on December 8th. Indeed, we’ve already shown some of these images in previous blog posts.



This art represents a wide range of ideas that we explored early in pre-production and that we planned to share at a later date, as part of Infinite’s pre-launch promotion and other initiatives such as the upcoming “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1506720080/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_KKY80G3BCND0QQAQB7WT?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1">The Art of Halo Infinite</a>” from our partners at Dark Horse (check out some sample excerpts below). For a time, we used these images as loading screens for internal studio builds—and that’s how they accidentally ended up in the Tech Preview build.



Rather than delay the flight, we’ve decided to share all the files with you now. Call it an unplanned “Happy Tech Preview Day!” gift. So, please enjoy this collection of beautiful art from 343 Industries’ incredibly talented concept art team. Download the collection here: <a href="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/HaloInfinite/artofhaloinfinite4k-d01181a15fa24d0a9dca4824f3db7003.zip">4K Zip File</a> | <a href="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/HaloInfinite/artofhaloinfinitehd-83543864d57b4722b7844b920a805cfe.zip">HD Zip File</a>



These images have inspired us—filled our minds with wonder and possibilities—and we hope they do the same for you.



Joseph Staten



Head of Creative, Halo Infinite



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/HaloInfinite/dh_artbook_126-1e9e1fb92b94404cbc00fbff5da41e56.jpg" alt="Concept art of Halo ring with damage"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/HaloInfinite/dh_artbook_38-39-cae3ca811922467cab51c4457c68518a.jpg" alt="Concept art of UNSC Pelican dropping off a vehicle"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/HaloInfinite/dh_artbook_31-d6eabeb8f55d406abaf75d65c834dcd4.jpg" alt="The art of Halo Infinite by David Heidhoff"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/HaloInfinite/dh_artbook_113-9a9d8a8a82854ef5ba91c66a03df7b4e.jpg" alt="Concept artwork of an UNSC hangar and cargo area on a ship"/></figure>

343 INDUSTRIES

The Art of Halo Infinite

Multiplayer Technical Preview Overview

Unyshek

Inside Infinite – September 2021

Technical Preview Outcomes

Inside Infinite – August 2021

Halo Infinite’s very first tech preview is just around the corner. It’s a moment we’ve been building up to for quite some time – and, we’re thrilled that so many of you are excited to dive in and check out what we’ve been hard at work on. Bearing in mind that the upcoming tech preview is truly a work-in-progress test, we want to make sure that you have all the information on hand so that you know when and what you are playing, where to deliver feedback, and everything in between.



And as a reminder, while our plan is to get as many people into the tech preview as we possibly can, not every single Halo Insider will receive an invite. If you don’t get in this time around, don’t despair! We still need to grow the scale of these tests in time on the road to launch, so your opportunities are far from over.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/InsideInfinite-July2021/haloinfinite_watermark_concept_bazaar_1-1080-1b41c999fb5a401bbabba3904daf3abf.png" alt="Infinite map inside a control room"/></figure>



An interior look of Bazaar. [For the full-res image, <a href="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/InsideInfinite-July2021/4k_haloinfinite_watermark_concept_bazaar_1-dab2add4bd254adf8313b937481ea9d0.png" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">click here</a>.]



Regardless, if you’re on the hunt for the nitty gritty details of this upcoming tech preview you’ve come to the right place. Just below you can find the following:



<ul><li> Dates and times during which the tech preview will be up and running</li><li> A rundown of content you can find in the tech preview</li><li> Details around where you can deliver tech preview feedback</li><li> Info on how you can reach out to our Support team, if needed</li></ul>



To that end, here’s a quick rundown of the top-level details to get you started:



<ul><li>If you’re a content creator, streamer, or a player who wants to share gameplay footage of the tech preview, you absolutely can! Go nuts.</li><li>Check out the latest Inside Infinite, which provides a deep dive into our flighting process, our goals, approach, and much more: Read our latest Inside Infinite!</li><li>Note that while the tech preview is live, you’ll always have the ability to matchmake! But, if you’re unsure of when to play, please join us during the following scheduled play times:<ul><li>Thursday, July 29: Tech preview is officially live! Go wild, Spartans.</li><li>Friday, July 30 Scheduled Play Times: 12-2 PM PT, 7-9 PM PT</li><li>Saturday, July 31 Scheduled Play Times: 12-2 PM PT, 7-9 PM PT</li><li>Sunday, August 1 Scheduled Play Times: 12-2 PM PT, 7-9 PM PT</li><li>Monday, August 2: Tech preview closes at 10 AM PT</li></ul></li><li>Available Content: Bot Slayer, Weapon Drills, Waypoint vNext</li><li>Support and Feedback: Halo Support’s Insider site will be available for players to use all weekend. Those that make it into the tech preview will have access to new links that will only be available to invitees – please check your forthcoming email and/or Waypoint message for the appropriate links!</li></ul>



Hungry for the finer details? We’ve got you covered just below. Or, if you’d prefer to check out our stream from July 28th which covers much of the same content, feel free to get all caught up. The show starts at the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxs05bjCzkU&t=721s" target="_blank">12:00 mark</a>! 



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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Halo Infinite | Multiplayer Technical Preview Overview" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oxs05bjCzkU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TECH PREVIEW GOALS</h2>



Halo Infinite is the most ambitious title we’ve ever made, and we’re thrilled about this new entry into the Halo universe. This weekend we’re thankful that so many of you have signed up to help us test what’s in the build – and, perhaps more importantly, what’s behind it.



This weekend we’ve got a few main focuses for this preview:



<ul><li>To test the services behind the game at scale</li><li>Gather tons of real-world data about PC hardware configurations</li><li>To collect your feedback!</li></ul>



Curious to learn more about what those bullet points mean? We highly encourage you to read the latest Inside Infinite, which will tell you more about our flighting process and will provide details on how we’re going to accomplish the goals above. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KNOWN ISSUES AND HALO SUPPORT</h2>



This tech preview is a small slice of the game that’s designed around our specific scale-testing needs. There are bugs – some big, some small – and while most are covered in the Known Issues list, others will surely surface for the first time thanks to your help testing at this scale. For context, this tech preview build is a couple of months behind where the ‘main’ build is so there’s already been lots of bug fixing and polish that won’t be reflected here.



Here are a few of the issues we’re aware of in this build:



<ul><li>AMD players should make sure the AMD Graphics Driver is version 21.6.1 or later. Earlier versions are not compatible with this version of the game and may result in significant performance and/or stability issues.</li><li>We have a pesky bug related to Matchmaking that can result in a player being unable to join into a session, timing out, and then returning to the main menu. When this occurs, the match will proceed but you might be missing a player from your game for a brief period until another player joins-in-progress.</li><li>We’re aware of and tracking a few different crash scenarios though the overall average failure rate is well below our targets. We’re particularly interested in getting more crash logs from a wider breadth of platforms as stability work continues internally.</li><li>Various situations can cause stuttering, de-sync, warping, and other abnormal behavior.</li><li>Occasionally, player scores will not appear during the victory screen at the end of the match and/or the post-game carnage report may not load after some matches.</li><li>Rarely, a player may begin a match unable to see their own weapon and have reduced audio.</li><li>Rarely, a player’s melee attack may not register as expected.</li><li>Sometimes after pressing A at the title screen, Challenges, Customization, and Commerce screens take a while to appear on the main menu.</li></ul>



For more information on the flight’s Known Issues, participants should head over to the <a href="https://insidersupport.halowaypoint.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Halo Insider Support</a> site and check out the full <a href="https://insidersupport.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403344734612" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Known Issues </a>article (these links are only accessible by valid flight participants once the flight has gone live on Thursday). If you see any issues not listed in that article, please use the “Submit a ticket” link at the bottom of the article to let us know! Tickets help us understand which issues are impacting players the most which then helps the team prioritize those issues and gather critical info to facilitate their investigations.  



The Insider Support site is also home to your platform’s installation instructions (<a href="https://insidersupport.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404216548756" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Xbox</a>/<a href="https://insidersupport.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404216446100" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Steam</a>), a list of the included <a href="https://insidersupport.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403352617748" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">content and play sessions</a>, as well as a handy <a href="https://insidersupport.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404216617236" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FAQ</a>. If you’re not seeing flight-related articles on the Insider Support site, please make sure you’re signed in with the Xbox Live account that was invited to the tech preview.



Please note that the Halo Support team is unable to change your invited platform or assist with code redemption issues.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CONTENT INCLUDED IN THIS TECH PREVIEW</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">BOT SLAYER</h3>



At the very center of this tech preview will be the Bot Slayer playlists which feature 4 players squaring off against 4 Bots on one of three possible maps (Live Fire, Bazaar, and Recharge). Please note that while players can team up online, splitscreen is not supported in this build.



With bots being a brand-new addition to Halo, we’re excited to get a chance to let you go toe-to-toe with our state-of-the-art spar partners. Bots also utilize our dedicated servers in a different way than standard matchmade games so it’s extra critical we get large-scale, real-world testing to help ensure a smooth launch this holiday.



We’re going to kick things off with the lowest skill level of Bots on a single map to help everyone get acclimated and ease into the experience. If the community can collectively help us hit our daily engagement goals over the course of the flight, we’ll increase the Bots’ skill and add more maps. The more bots you slay, the more the experience will evolve! They’ll get more deadly with each update – so, dive in early and often to make sure you’ve got a handle on what skills they’re bringing to the battlefield.



Be sure to drop in each day to play and do your part to slay some bots, unlock more content, and help us gather data! And keep an eye on <a href="https://twitter.com/Halo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@Halo</a> each day for updates to the available matchmaking content. We’re also going to be shouting out the top Bot Slayer, the player with the most daily wins, and the team who can win the fastest each day and looking to award these heroes a special nameplate when the game launches this holiday.



Show us your clips! If you pull off incredible feats or wacky shenanigans, please share your clip with us on Twitter using <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23InfinitePlays" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">#InfinitePlays</a> – we can’t wait to see the medals and magical moments that await.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">SOCIAL ARENA (CONDITIONAL)</h3>



If we’re able to hit our target engagement and testing goals for the Bot Slayer before the flight concludes, we’re looking to enable a brief opportunity for some good old fashion 4v4 Social Arena Slayer. If we hit this phase, expect it to land sometime in the final stretch of the flight (i.e. Sunday evening) and expect there to be a few potential hiccups with your experience.



Specifically, we know that in some cases players will end up in a bad state as a session is forming and after a brief delay, will be kicked back to the main menu. As a result, the game itself will start as 4v3 which is certainly a less than desired experience all-around. However, as a technical preview, getting additional scale data around this problem, across a breadth of hardware, can be invaluable to the team as they work to solve this issue. Based on our prior private flights, we can generally expect that on average, a match will start with a full 4v4 approx. 60% of the time while the other 40% involves a 4v3 start with the final player joining-in-progress within a minute.  



We’d love to get some additional testing and data to help the team, but we really want to ensure players understand the experience and potential hiccups before jumping in. Tech preview participants should stay tuned to <a href="https://twitter.com/Halo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@Halo</a> and the in-game news feed to know if and when Social Arena gets enabled.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">WEAPON DRILLS</h3>



Interested in locking in your aim? Are you certain your skills with the Commando surpass that of all your friends? Now you can prove it. In this tech preview you can put your skills to the test with the following subset of Weapon Drills:



<ul><li>MA40 AR</li><li>BR75</li><li>MK50 Sidekick</li><li>CQS48 Bulldog</li><li>Needler</li><li>VK78 Commando</li><li>S7 Sniper</li><li>Plasma Pistol</li><li>Pulse Carbine</li><li>Ravager</li><li>Heatwave</li><li>Skewer</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">BATTLE PASS AND MENU UI</h3>



In the upcoming tech preview, we’re going to be granting Halo Insiders a set amount of in-game credits (cR) so that they can dig in with a very trimmed-down version of our first Battle Pass. (Worry not, we’re saving plenty of content for launch.) As a reminder, none of the items unlocked over the course of tech previews will carry over to the game’s release later this year. Everything should be considered work-in-progress and not indicative of the final shipping systems including the cost of customization pieces in the store, the order in which they’re unlocked in the Pass, the XP granted by challenges, and more.



The key focus here will be to test out if the systems that dictate when you unlock and equip items are working correctly. So, keep an eye out for anything that doesn’t work how you would expect and let us know. We’re going to have our ears open for your feedback!



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">WAYPOINT VNEXT</h3>



If you read through the June 2021 edition of Inside Infinite you know big things are in store for Halo Waypoint. And, as a part of the upcoming tech preview, you’re going to have a chance to see it all first-hand! 



Halo Waypoint’s new version (which we affectionately refer to as “Waypoint vNext”) is going to launch on web for your standard browsing experience, along with iOS and Android in app form. If you’re joining us for tech previews, then you’ll be able to use this same experience to edit and update your Spartan in Halo Infinite. Everything will work for MCC and Halo 5 as well.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/InsideInfinite-July2021/haloinfinite_fretspartan_01_watermarked-1080p-waypoint-23258d0561754952a57f18cb5120f6ef.png" alt=""/></figure>



 Introducing Fret, a Personalized AI. [For the full-res image, <a href="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/BlogPost/InsideInfinite-July2021/4k_haloinfinite_fretspartan_01_watermarked-8e6a8b71ce5c458b97e8b73057e167eb.png" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">click here</a>.]



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



We can’t wait to hear your feedback! In addition to the surveys we’ll be sending out to a portion of Halo Insiders on Monday, August 2, we’ll also have dedicated feedback threads ready and waiting for you over on Halo Waypoint and Steam. Notably, these links are currently live – but, the threads themselves will not unlock until the tech preview has gone live.



<ul><li>Bot Slayer Feedback: Waypoint | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://steamcommunity.com/app/1240440/discussions/0/3055114706800639651/" target="_blank">Steam</a></li><li>Weapon Drill Feedback: Waypoint | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://steamcommunity.com/app/1240440/discussions/0/3055114706800644847/" target="_blank">Steam</a></li><li>UI Feedback (Battle Pass, Challenges, and Store): Waypoint | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://steamcommunity.com/app/1240440/discussions/0/3055114706800648369/" target="_blank">Steam</a></li><li>PC Feedback: Waypoint | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://steamcommunity.com/app/1240440/discussions/0/3055114706800650935/" target="_blank">Steam</a></li><li>Xbox Feedback: Waypoint | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://steamcommunity.com/app/1240440/discussions/0/3055114706800654274/" target="_blank">Steam</a></li></ul>



We know our Insiders will have a LOT of feedback and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts. However, we also want to be upfront and acknowledge that as we’re actively working on closing out the game and readying for launch, there’s only so much feedback the team can truly act on between now and then. Some feedback could be addressed now, others could be addressed post-launch, and some feedback might go against the team’s intent – either way, we’ll be sure to share the overall outcomes in a transparent manner once the flight dust has settled.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SEATS IN THE FULL UPRIGHT POSITION</h2>



The road to Halo Infinite’s launch is paved by the hard work of teams here at 343 as well as the participation of our Halo Insiders. From the very first whiteboard scribbles all the way up to this week’s test, we’re thrilled to have such a passionate and driven community with us for this journey.



And, if all this tech preview talk has gotten you interested in flighting, it’s not too late to join us in the future!  By signing up to be a Halo Insider, verifying your email address, opting into communications, and uploading your <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/open-and-run-dxdiag-exe-dad7792c-2ad5-f6cd-5a37-bf92228dfd85" target="_blank">DxDiag</a> (if you’re on PC), you’ll be officially added to our list.



In the meantime, stay tuned to @Halo on <a href="https://twitter.com/Halo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/Halo/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Halo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook</a> for all the updates as they happen.