Fleetcom Operation Launch
//INCOMING TRANSMISSION
//RE: NEW OPERATION
//FLEETCOM
New orders from FLEETCOM have been received as Halo Infinite’s latest Operation launches today!
This content update brings a bunch of additions and improvements to the game, including the return of two beloved modes from Halo 3 and Halo: Reach, a veritable swath of enhancements to Forge, major sandbox changes, a free new Operation Pass, and more.
CONTENTS
NEW MODES
VIP
A mode that was originally introduced in Halo 3 and has been missing-in-action since, VIP has come to Halo Infinite!
VIP is a team-based mode and generally played 4v4. Each team will have a game-designated initial VIP and it’s up to you to keep your VIP alive while also taking down the opposing team’s.
To win, your team must be the first to reach 10 points. It might seem like a cake walk but there’s a couple of things to keep in mind:
- The VIP has extra health, so it’ll take a bit more to neutralize them.
- Everybody else will be defending the VIP like the match depends on it.
- Each VIP kill is worth one point.
If your VIP dies, the next player on your team to die takes up the mantle and becomes the team VIP when they respawn. You will be identifiable to the other team by virtue of effects (similar to Infection) and a nav marker above your head (so no, you cannot become the VIP and then hide the whole match to save your points!).
Work in tandem with your team, stick together, and remember to protect your VIP with your superior skill—but where that might fall short, your life will do.
Maps you’ll be playing VIP on include:
- Bazaar
- Catalyst
- Forbidden
- Forest
- Illusion
- Interference
- Prism
HEADHUNTER
Headhunter is on its way to Halo Infinite!
Originally introduced in Halo: Reach, this free-for-all mode will have you collecting skulls recovered from defeated players. The more you collect, the bigger the target you become. Take your collected skulls to the zone to score—deposit 10 skulls at once to instantly win the match.
Headhunter arrives later during Operation: Fleetcom, stay tuned for more information.
OPERATION PASS
Hello, operator? Give me an update on Halo Infinite’s new Operation Pass, please.
You know the drill: new Operation, free 20-tier Operation Pass. Progress through the pass with Match XP and you will unlock the Operator armor originally introduced in Halo: Reach!
Additional premium options for the Operation Pass include:
- 500 credits will make the Operation Pass durable (it will not expire), offers bonus XP during the Operation’s live window, an extra Challenge slot while your pass is equipped, and comes with an exclusive customization item.
- 2,000 credits instantly unlocks all 20 tiers of the Operation Pass at purchase and includes the exclusive bonus customization item.
Upgrade to the Premium Pass to obtain the CMA VK78 weapon model and Crimson Snowfall weapon coating.
ADDITIONAL MULTI-USE COATINGS
While we’re on the subject of customization, several coatings released prior to this update can now be used on any armor, weapon, or vehicle in the customization menu. This includes:
- 68 Armor Coatings
- 17 Weapon Coatings
- 9 Vehicle Coatings
For the full list, head over to Halo Support and check out the patch notes!
SANDBOX UPDATES
Alongside Operation: Fleetcom comes some major sandbox overhauls we have implemented based on community feedback.
DISRUPTOR
- Damage-over-time feature returns.
- 8 shots to kill (2 supercombines).
MA40 ASSAULT RIFLE
- Adjusted error angles to give a more consistent feel, improving the Assault Rifle’s reliability.
RAVAGER
- Increased damage output—now five shots to kill instead of six. (Get ready to paint the battlefield with incendiary plasma!)
M41 SPNKR
- Improved damage fall off for better consistency.
- Slight reduction in outer damage radius.
- Increased maximum ammo reserves (from 6 to 8).
M392 BANDIT & BANDIT EVO
- Slower rate of fire to address community feedback around time-to-kill.
- Improvement to red reticle headshot accuracy.
SENTINEL BEAM
- Increased base damage.
- Removed damage fall off.
- Removed headshot multiplier.
SKEWER
- Faster reload to give players more opportunities to utilize this weapon during combat.
S7 SNIPER & CQS48 BULLDOG
- Increased maximum ammo reserves (from 20 to 24 for the S7 Sniper; from 21 to 28 for the CQS48 Bulldog).
GRENADES
- Grenade jumping returns! The impulse for Fragmentation, Plasma, and Spike grenade physics has been increased, giving players increased jump height.
And that’s not all! We’ve also made some adjustments to the legendary weapon variants as well—if the buff to the Ravager sounded like a good time to you, let us introduce you to the newly improved Ravager Rebound...
RAVAGER REBOUND
- Primary fire will now explode on direct player impact, or bounce off level geometry and explode.
- Primary fire will now shoot one projectile.
- Charged up shot will instantly kill a player on a direct hit.
- Increased the damage of charged shot’s area-of-effect.
IMPACT COMMANDO
- Reduced bloom.
- Adjusted aim-down-sight transition time.
VOLATILE SKEWER
- Trajectory now matches the default Skewer.
- Increased reload speed (like the default Skewer).
- Increased damage.
RIVEN MANGLER
- Increased rate of fire.
- Reduced gun kick.
STALKER RIFLE ULTRA
- Three shots to kill instead of four.
- Increased rate of fire.
- Adjusted aim-down-sight transition time.
UNBOUND PLASMA PISTOL
- Primary fire now shoots three projectile bursts.
- Primary fire is now more accurate.
- Increased heat resistance.
- Charged shot now has EMP effect.
- Charged shot now shoots 8 projectiles (previously 6), it is slightly slower but also more accurate.
FLEXFIRE SNIPER
- Added animation modifier block element to barrel configuration.
- Increased ready initial playback modifier 0.3%.
On the vehicle front, the Banshee and Ghost have also received some tweaks.
BANSHEE
- Increased splatter damage resistance.
- Plasma cannons are better.
- Fuel rod projectile moves faster, and cooldown is reduced.
- Rolling to the left and right go further.
GHOST
- Lowered health for the Ghost’s left and right wings.
- Decreased reverse speed.
- Slower strafe acceleration from side-to-side.
For a more detailed look at these changes and deeper insight into the developer notes, head over to our Sandbox blog.
FORGE UPDATES
This update brings a lot of new tools and toys for Forgers to play around with, providing increasingly granular control over your creations and enabling you to imbue your maps and modes with a greater level of authenticity.
Let’s hit some of the highlights.
ENTER JEFF STEITZER
Over 1,000 lines from Jeff Steitzer, the beloved voice of Halo’s multiplayer announcer, have been added to your repertoire.
MUSIC TO MY EARS
The entire soundtrack from Halo Infinite’s campaign has been added with a variety of situational nodes that will help enhance your Forge creations.
The tracks are divided into different themes, listed under audio containers. These audio containers contain a variety of different tracks that create the same mood but randomize which track plays, ensuring that the music doesn’t feel repetitive. Try ‘em out and see what atmospheric textures you can lend to your maps and experiences!
Music themes include:
- Banished
- The Endless
- Forerunner
- Monitor
- Covenant
- UNSC
- Heroic
- Special
- 8-Bit
ON YOUR MARKS
Nav markers are UI elements that help with player “readability” for different modes. How do you know the enemy has your flag? Nav markers. How will you be able to tell that a nearby enemy has dropped skulls in the Headhunter mode? You guessed it: nav markers!
We’re giving players an unprecedented level of granular control over this feature to help further refine modes and experiences, helping them to feel more authentic.
HEADS UP!
As you build new experiences in Forge, you may want to provide players with information in text strings that appear in the heads-up-display—things like objectives, instructions for custom minigames, and so on.
We’ve added new strings which will give you access to over 500 new words and phrases, and there is a new template node for creating messages in Forge titled “Create UI Message.” This should help reduce ambiguity and uncertainty about what to do and how to do it in custom-made modes.
For a more detailed breakdown of all the new additions and improvements, check out our Forge blog!
THE EXCHANGE
The Exchange has received another refresh with various items—both old and new—available for you to acquire with Spartan Points.
Speaking of Spartan Points, we’ve been tracking feedback that has expressed a desire for players to have more opportunities to earn these—especially as certain items in The Exchange require more points. In response to this, players will now earn Spartan Points for every match they complete.
Match 1 = 250 Spartan Points
Match 2 = 500 XP
Match 3 onwards = 100 Spartan Points
Of particular note for The Exchange is the arrival of the Haunted helmet.
Originally available in Halo: Reach upon accumulating 20,000,000 cR to hit the rank of Inheritor, the Haunted helmet is now available in Halo Infinite where you will be able to grab it for 75,000 Spartan Points.
- “Squad Op” - Backdrop (Joint Fire)
- “Sacrifice” - Emblem (Ultimate Reward)
- “UA/Type JFO” - Kneepads (Joint Fire)
- “UTIL/TVASTAR Diagnostic Rig” - Chest Attachment (Joint Fire)
- “UA/Type B5” - Helmet Attachment (NEW)
- “HUL-I/XFTREC/FLAMINGO” - Helmet Attachment (Noble Intention)
- “UA/Type CQB” - Kneepads (Noble Intention)
- “UA/Type SN” - Helmet Attachment (NEW)
- “Bay Sunset” - Visor (Joint Fire)
- “Action Lime” - Visor (Joint Fire)
- “Noble Rose” - Stance (Noble Intention)
- “Kukri” - Weapon Charm (Cyber Showdown I)
- “Emile” - Weapon Charm (Tactical Ops)
- “Violet Crush” - Armor Coating (Joint Fire)
- “Wedgewood Spriggan” - Armor Coating (Ultimate Reward)
- “SAP/RECON” - Shoulderpads (Noble Intention)
- “Noble Drifter” - Armor Coating (Noble Intention)
- “Noble Offensive” - Armor Coating (Noble Intention)
- “SAP/JFO” - Shoulder Pads (Joint Fire)
- “JFO” - Helmet (Joint Fire)
- “Abbey Lime” - Weapon Coating (Ultimate Reward)
- “Haunted” and “Abyssal Messenger” - Helmet and Helmet Attachment (NEW)
SHOP
Head to the Shop in Halo Infinite and you will find three new bundles.
Select Shop bundles may now be available as individual item listings in the Shop menu. For example, the new Crime Crusher offer is available as a complete bundle or players can purchase any of the following individual items from the bundle:
CRIME CRUSHER
- Military Police helmet
- TAS/Hyas helmet attachment
- UTIL/RP Prototype Factor One shoulders
- UA/ELORIC chest attachment
- UTIL/SF Belt hip attachment
- UTIL/ARP Prototype Factor Two wrist attachment
- Sketch Factor armor coating
GHOST OF REACH
As noted earlier: the Haunted helmet and the Abyssal Messenger helmet attachment are available in The Exchange to purchase for Spartan Points, so you will be able to recreate your Inheritor aesthetic from Halo: Reach. But the team has also created a bundle of Haunted-themed armor so you can outfit your Spartan with a more complete look.
- Haunted helmet
- Abyssal Messenger helmet attachment
- Fateful Finds shoulders
- Charon Terminal chest attachment
- Entropic Display hip attachment
- Graveside Marker wrist attachment
- Rising Flame armor coating
OBLIVION’S HERALD
In the event you have acquired the Haunted helmet from The Exchange, this discounted bundle will be available to you instead of Ghost of Reach.
- Fateful Finds shoulders
- Charon Terminal chest attachment
- Entropic Display hip attachment
- Graveside Marker wrist attachment
- Rising Flame armor coating
SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
Today’s update delivers many updates and fixes that the team have been working on to improve the Halo Infinite experience. Head over to the Halo Support site to check out the full list of patch notes.
You can submit tickets on a wide range of topics that include reports of Audio Issues, Crashes, Game Save Corruption, Report a Player, General Bug Reports, and more.
Operation: Fleetcom is live now, which means the time has come to boot up Halo Infinite and check out all the new additions.
Party like it’s 2007 and jump into some VIP, try out the newly tuned weapons (welcome to a world where you no longer swap out the Ravager Rebound!), explore the new additions to Forge, start working your way through that new Operation Pass, and rack up those Spartan Points with every match you play.
We’ll see you on the battlefield—bring a Ravager!