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Winter Contingency III Operation Launch

Halo Infinite key art for the Winter Contingency III Operation, showcasing four Spartans in the snow with the central one clad in Santa-inspired armor holding a green sack over their back
Photo of Alex
  -  4 months ago

Rockin' around Zeta Halo
At the all-night customs hop,
Rockets spawn where you can see,
Every teammate tries to stop!

The Winter Contingency III Operation is here! From December 19 through January 30, you can deck your Spartan and arsenal out with 20 tiers of free Holiday-themed customization rewards and bring some festive cheer to the battlefield!


WINTER CONTINGENCY III OPERATION PASS

Hark! The herald angels sing: The Winter Contingency III Operation Pass features 20 tiers of free customization rewards, including new armor pieces (like the Santa-inspired Winterknight helmet), new coatings, and new nameplates and emblems.

Take a look!

Image showing the Winter Contingency III key art along with the free reward track featuring 22 items

Like with our debut Operation, Combined Arms, the Operation Pass for Winter Contingency III comes with premium upgrade options:

  • 500 credits instantly unlocks an exclusive bonus customization item, makes the Operation Pass durable (it will not expire), and—when equipped—offers bonus XP and an extra Challenge slot during the Operation’s live window.
  • 2,000 credits instantly unlocks all 20 tiers of the Operation Pass at purchase and includes the exclusive bonus customization item.

Purchase either of the options above and you will additionally unlock the exclusive Ice Fissure armor coating.

Halo Infinite image of the switcher showing the 500 credit premium pass (featuring the exclusive Ice Fissure armor coating and the 2000 credit premium pass
Winter Contingency Premium Pass Screen

SHOP & ULTIMATE REWARD

Deck the halls with Spartan Santas! The Santa’s Little Helper bundle is available in Halo Infinite’s Shop, featuring the following items:

  • Stocking Stuffer MK50 Sidekick, Slay Bells BR75, & Holiday Cheer M41 SPNKr weapon models
  • Santa's Little Helper, Good Morning, Payment Due, & Krampus Coat weapon coatings
  • Yule Kick, Blood Jumper, & Hearth Fire armor coatings
  • Gifted Step mythic armor effect set
  • Winter Step & Winter Lights armor effects
  • Chill Out kill effect
  • Snowballer weapon charm
  • Kaleidobolt, Kaleidoshot, and Kaleidochip nameplate & emblems
Halo Infinite image of the Santa's Little Helper bundle

And be sure to complete all of your Challenges this week to unlock the latest Ultimate Reward: the Sui Generis Snowflake weapon charm.

Halo Infinite image of the Sui Generis weapon charm

PLAYLISTS

We’ve got some great options for those looking to kick back and have a Halo-day party of their own. Be sure to check both experiences, live now!

FIREFIGHT: KOTH (LEGENDARY)

There won't be any Holidays if we don't stop the Banished.

Firefight: Legendary King of the Hill has arrived! You know the drill: you’ll be battling waves of Banished enemies across a variety of maps, including the House of Reckoning from Halo Infinite's campaign, but those looking to test their mettle can jump into the action on Legendary for a limited time.

Fight hard. Die well.

Halo Infinite playlist image for Firefight: King of the Hill on Legendary difficulty depicting Spartans fighting Banished on the House of Reckoning map

MATCH XP, CAREER RANK, & CHALLENGES

We’re improving the experience for folks who are loving Firefight and want to spend their time fighting the Banished. First, Match XP (Battle Pass) payouts for some hill completions in Heroic and Legendary will be incrementally higher to reward the level of challenge. And secondly, both Heroic and Legendary will also have slightly increased Career Rank payouts thanks to an Applied Score modifier to ensure they align more closely with other playlists.

Last, but certainly not least, the Challenges offered each week will be adjusted to better serve the PvE experience. Since we are leveraging existing Challenges, that will means folks may see similar Challenges in their given deck for the foreseeable future.

SQUAD BATTLE IN THE COMBAT WORKSHOP

Halo Infinite screenshot of a Spartan holding a plasma pistol standing in front of a snowman made in Forge

Try out our updated networking model in Squad Battle through the Combat Workshop playlist!

The Squad Battle experience you know and love has been updated to run on our new networking model for a limited time. Enjoy a mix of Slayer and objective modes on fan-favorite maps while we gather feedback and data about the online experience.

The Combat Workshop is your one-shop stop to check out work-in-progress maps, modes, and other new experiences. If you’ve already jumped in to play in the Workshop: Squad Battle Networking playlist, we want your feedback!


That’s a wrap for us today, which means it’s now time for you to unwrap the gifts of Winter Contingency III.

Maybe you can’t get enough of Firefight: King of the Hill, or the incredible community-made PvE creations in the Customs Browser; perhaps you’re still riding on that Mountain Dew high and it’s time to jump back into the Halo 3 Refueled playlist; or you crave the chaotic carnage of Husky Raid and Squad Battle...

Whatever way you choose to play, you’ll earn Match XP to progress that Operation Pass!

And so, we bid our farewell to 2023. The Holidays await, and we here at 343 Industries hope you all simply have a wonderful time—warm and safe with full bellies, surrounded by good company, and ready to jump into “just one more game...”

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but Season 5 is so delightful—and since we’ve no place to go...
Play Halo! Play Halo! Play Halo!


PRESS KIT