The Halo Infinite Winter Update Begins Today

It was nearly a year ago that everyone was able to try out Halo Infinite when the multiplayer portion was released with a surprise beta. The journey since then has been one filled with stumbles, delays, and plenty more that have led to a disappointed community. Still, some continue to have fun and wait for key updates to turn everything around.

343 Industries is also still seeking to satisfy its fans and is looking to lead the initiative with the Winter Update. Announced a couple of months ago as a stand-in event between season 2 and season 3, this update features a free battle pass and a host of long-requested features such as Forge mode and network campaign co-op.

The biggest addition that most players will be working with is the free 30-tier battle pass. Its theme will be similar to the first season by being based on Halo: Reach content. Although the Mark V [B] core will be a repeat for some since it was an unlock on the first season’s premium track battle pass, many of the other cosmetic unlocks are new.

Accompanying this and making it much easier to earn these rewards is the Match XP beta. Players can finally earn XP simply for playing matches and performing well. This affects not only this battle pass but previous ones as well from now on. Weekly challenges have also been tuned to be more general by getting rid of any playlist-specific restrictions. The number of challenges needed to unlock weekly ultimate rewards has also been reduced from 20 to 10.

When it comes to new multiplayer experiences, a new capture-the-flag mode will be going live and it holds the distinction of being the first asymmetrical mode to be introduced. Covert One Flag tasks attackers with unlimited active camo to capture a flag while the defenders make use of their unlimited threat sensors to find the location of their enemies. Two new arena maps, called Detachment and Argyle, will also be added and are expected to suit the new game modes well.

What could arguably be the best part of the update for a lot of the community is the Forge beta. With a robust system that far exceeds every previous iteration and a content browser to find player creations, it’s expected that this could light a fire within the community and bring some players back. Everyone will have a taste of what’s possible just by playing the previously mentioned maps since both were created entirely within Forge.

Rounding out what’s available now are new ways to enjoy the latest installment of Master Chief’s story. Campaign network co-op will finally be live and allow up to four players to tackle the campaign together. 24 new achievements have also been added, some of which require playing with others. Lastly, players will be able to go through their favorite missions for fun or to get any difficult achievements with mission replay.

All of the above is just what the Winter Update will be starting with. There’s still plenty to look forward to before season 3 begins in March. The second Winter Contingency event will begin next month, while a new event called Joint Fire will run in January and feature even more Halo: Reach content. Another quality-of-life drop pod update is planned to arrive before the end of the year too. It all begins later today though, with the official update times for each time zone available below.

The Winter Update is coming. ❄️ Find out when it arrives in your time zone on November 8! #HaloWinterUpdate pic.twitter.com/ZqMTxp8JaA

— Halo (@Halo) November 7, 2022