What a start to the year it’s been! Halo Infinite got a new update, accompanied by a new Waypoint Chronicle, we’re on the doorstep of Season Two of the Halo television series, the third year of HCS is about to begin…

There’s a lot to be excited about, and the Community Update is here to break it all down!

HALO INFINITE

OPERATION: SPIRIT OF FIRE

Halo Infinite’s latest content update arrived on January 30, and we kicked things off with the Spirit of Fire Operation (which runs from January 30 to March 5).

So, what came to the game? For starters, all players received the iconic Mark IV Armor Core for free, with additional customization rewards available to earn in the Operation Pass.

Players who purchased either of the premium options for the Operation Pass additionally received the Evolved MA5 weapon model, transforming your Assault Rifle into the classically chunky design inspired by the MA5B from Halo: CE and Halo Wars.

With the arrival of Mark IV, it seemed only fitting to give you all a chance to show off your new old-school Spartans. Use #HaloSpotlight to show us your most tactical Fireteam for a chance to be featured!

NEW MAP: ILLUSION

The latest content update also brought with it a new map, Illusion.

Described as a love letter to the map design of Halo: CE, Illusion takes place within an abandoned ONI black site, where experiments with old (and familiar) Covenant technology remain.

AND MUCH MORE!

Multi-use shoulder functionality levels up your customization in Halo Infinite even more, making it so every shoulder pad—past, present, and future—are multi-core enabled.

Forge received a major addition in the form of the Covenant object palette, which features over 70 new Covenant-themed structure pieces, primitive, accents, and decals. Purple has never looked so good!

The Forge Mode Creator allows players to script modes in the Node Graph like a prefab, then save, share, and play those experiences.

And all of that is just the tip of the iceberg! For a more extensive breakdown of Halo Infinite’s latest content update, check out our launch blog.

And for those that REALLY like looking ahead, be sure to check out our livestream from January 19 where we walked through even more content coming to Halo Infinite.

NEW WAYPOINT CHRONICLE

Earlier this week, we released a new Waypoint Chronicle, titled Hippocratica.

"2560. Adam Andrews, CEO of an interstellar corporation, ruminates upon the Covenant invasion of Arcadia—facing certain death, until the timely arrival of the UNSC Spirit of Fire."

Halo: Hippocratica is available here on Halo Waypointv, as a free PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Celebrate Black History Month and add a special visor, coating, and emblem to your Spartan's customization by logging into Halo Infinite during the month of February.

LUNAR NEW YEAR

Here be dragons!

In Halo Infinite, head to the Shop and pick up the Dragon bundle for free which contains a weapon charm and emblem. And just for logging in, you’ll be additionally granted the Firecracker Link weapon charm and Lunar New Year emblem.

Hop into MCC as well and you’ll secure the Year of the Dragon nameplate on log-in.

HALO ESPORTS

HCS 2024 SEASON

The third year of Halo Infinite esports is off to a hot start with the HCS Open Series heading into week two.

Register today and sign up at aka.ms/hcs-reg!

Need a briefing or a quick refresher on what’s coming throughout this year? Be sure to check out the HCS 2024 Roadmap blog for all the details.

Additionally, be sure to take a look at the HCS 2024 Open Series Landing Page and the HCS Grassroots February 2024 Community Calendar:

HCS MAJOR ARLINGTON 2024, HOSTED BY OPTIC GAMING

The wait is over! Year three of Halo Infinite esports is kicking off in Texas with the HCS Major Arlington 2024 hosted by OpTic Gaming!

With a brand-new starting weapon, a flurry of roster changes from the off-season, and an updated in-game meta, there is so much to look forward to this season. Don't miss your chance to see competitive Halo at its best as the top teams from around the world compete in this $250,000 three-day tournament.

Those in attendance will also get a chance to participate in the $5,000 free-for-all tournament along with a series of side tournaments in varying formats from Halo Infinite and legacy Halo titles.

For more info, head over to halo.gg/OpTic2024

HALO THE SERIES

SEASON TWO IS HERE

Season Two of the Halo television series drops out of slipspace today with an epic two-episode premiere, streaming exclusively on Paramount+.

New episodes will air every Thursday through March 21 as the Master Chief (portrayed by Pablo Schreiber) and the Spartans of Silver Team face the escalating threat of the Covenant.

We’ll be keeping you updated every step of the way with the Silver Debrief, our blog series centered around the show which will accompany new episodes soon after they air.

SILVER TEAM IN HALO INFINITE

Silver Team has been deployed into Halo Infinite! With the arrival of the latest content update, players can acquire the helmets of Kai-125, Riz-028, and Vannak-134.

Simply complete all your weekly challenges on the following dates and secure your ultimate reward.

(NOTE: Kai-125’s helmet was the ultimate reward from January 30-February 6.)

WEEK TWO: RIZ-028
FEBRUARY 6-13 

WEEK FOUR: VANNAK-134
FEBRUARY 20-27

Visors for each member of Silver Team will also be given as free rewards simply for logging in on these weeks. All of these items are multi-use, meaning that they can be used across all your Armor Cores.

RADAR BLIPS

THE ARTIST’S CORNER

Tying in with Halo Infinite’s new Spirit of Fire Operation along with this week’s Waypoint Chronicle, it seemed only fitting that the Spartans of Omega Team should get the spotlight in this month’s issue of the Community Update!

Omega Team’s original appearance was in the teaser for Halo Wars that was shown all the way back in 2006, almost eighteen years ago. Halo 3 hadn’t even released at that time, the fight had yet to be finished, but there we were bearing witness to an exciting tease for an RTS spin-off—ironically, taking Halo back to its own roots before it became a first-person shooter.

The X06 announcement teaser concluded with thirteen words that were forged into Spartan legend: “This is Spartan Group Omega. If they want war, we’ll give ‘em war.”

Omega Team would go on to make an appearance in the campaign of Halo Wars during the mission Arcadia Outskirts. They would subsequently feature in Halo Wars 2’s multiplayer as units that can be deployed if you select Jerome-092 as your leader character, where their team composition following the Covenant War was confirmed: August-099 serves as the team’s leader, and she fights alongside Leon-011 and Robert-025.

Be sure to catch up with Omega Team’s latest activities in Halo: Hippocratica!

SHOP

In Halo Infinite’s Shop, you will find the Omega Team bundle where you can obtain the armor worn by August-099, Leon-011, and Robert-025, along with attachments, armor coatings, and Spirit of Fire-themed armor effects:

Also available is the Lunar Coil bundle, which features:

Celebrate the Lunar New Year by adding these new items to your dragon's hoard! Some gems include:

That’s a wrap for February’s issue of the Community Update!

There’s a whole lot going on and, in the famous words of the Master Chief himself, we’re just getting started. So work through that Operation Pass and jazz up your new Mark IV armor, relive some Halo Wars nostalgia with our new Waypoint Chronicle, give a listen to the newly released Halo Infinite multiplayer soundtrack for Seasons 2 through 5, get ready for an epic kick-off to the third year of HCS…

And prepare yourselves for the return of the Didact when Halo: Epitaph, the next novel by acclaimed author Kelly Gay, releases on February 27.