Halo Infinite update: season 3 release date, new content and patch notes
With each Halo Infinite update, 343 Industries is adding more and more to the sci-fi FPS experience.
The latest Halo Infinite update is coming soon, but that doesn’t mean that season 2 is finished just yet. Halo Infinite is a first-person shooter from 343 Industries. Taking place in a far-flung sci-fi setting, the title offers a story-driven campaign with open-world elements as well as a broad and well-developed, free-to-play multiplayer experience.
Available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One, Halo Infinite has enjoyed numerous quality-of-life updates, tweaks, and additions since its release. This has been especially true of Season 2, which began May 2022. New maps, balance tweaks and even entirely new game modes have been added to the Halo Infinite melting pot since the season began. With Season 3 just around the corner, it looks like fans are due for even more goodies in the days to come.
Though the Halo Infinite multiplayer is free-to-play, each of the game’s seasons includes its own Battle Pass, which is easily the most efficient way to acquire cosmetics and armor variants for your Spartan. However, 343 often puts out special events which allow anyone to unlock unique armor sets and other special rewards. Read on to find out more.
Halo Infinite Update: cut to the chase
What is it? Season 2 of Halo Infinite multiplayer
When can I play it? Available now
What Can I play it on? Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC
Halo Infinite update: Release date and platforms
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Halo Infinite Season 2 went live on May 3, 2022, and it’s available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
The official name and theme for the season is ‘Lone Wolves’. Season 1 wrapped up on May 2 after a lengthy six-month run, but season 2 has stuck around for far longer. It looks as though season 3, Echoes Within, will be dropping on March 7. That said, season 2 has enjoyed a season 2.5 of sorts in the form of the Winter Update.
The Winter Update, released November 8, came with two new maps: Detachment and Argyle, as well as a free mini-battle pass, and the introduction of network co-op for the main campaign. On top of all that, the Winter Update also saw the return of fan-favorite Forge Mode, which allows players to build and customize their own versions of the game’s maps.
Halo Infinite Update: Trailers
Latest trailer
The latest Halo Infinite update is coming soon, in the form of Season 3: Echoes Within. Coming March 7, the trailer shows off new maps, equipment, and cosmetics for players to sink their teeth into.
New maps Oasis, Chasm and Cliffhanger have been unveiled along with the new M392 Bandit and the Shroud Screen. The trailer also shows off a special Community Collection Playlist which is chocked full of player-created maps and content.
More trailers
The official Halo YouTube channel is the best place to go for the latest trailers and updates for Halo Infinite. There you can find the Winter Update launch trailer as well as numerous audio-visual offerings for past events and releases. In a special treat for lore fans, the channel also boasts a selection of free audiobooks, often themed around new Halo Infinite events.
Halo Infinite Update: Maps
Latest maps
The Winter Update brought with it two fresh maps. Here’s what to expect from Argyle and Detachment, the latest additions to Halo Infinite‘s map roster. Both of these maps were made in the new Forge Mode by members of 343 Industries – more on that later.
(Image credit: 343 Industries)
Set within the simulated interior of the UNSC starship Argyle Gift, Argyle is a symmetrical map with a long wide hallway down the middle, connecting two bases. It’s full of sightlines and also has an enclosed lower level. The map also includes a walkway over a classic Halo bottomless pit. You love to see it.
(Image credit: 343 Industries)
Detachment is situated in the R9 Schuldt Complex, a UNSC facility in an unknown location. It’s a symmetrical map with a small island in the middle accessible by man cannon which is cut off from the rest of the environment. You can also access the center by climbing a building or via a courtyard. With all routes leading to the central island, this map makes for some excellent games of Capture the Flag.
Halo Infinite Update: Modes
Latest Modes
(Image credit: 343 Industries)
Forge mode is a much-anticipated set of tools that lets players build their own maps, game modes, and objects. This highly creative game mode was first released with Halo 3 and has been a staple of the Halo series ever since. You can use Forge mode to design your own maps from the ground up, creating a custom Halo experience that is truly your own.
Though Halo Infinite‘s Forge Mode is currently in beta, players are able to enjoy a huge amount of creative freedom when it comes to their creations. Thanks to technical improvements, players can place roughly 7,000 objects per map, a big improvement on the 1,600 hard limit in Halo 5: Guardians. The canvasses themselves are roughly twice the size of those available in Halo 5 as well.
On top of these impressive technical milestones, the new mode also allows players to design their own custom objects, and then share and publish them in the form of Prefabs.
Halo Infinite Update: Patch notes
If you’re interested in more details about Halo Infinitei’s Winter Update, including balance changes and adjustments to weapon spawn locations, all the info can be found in the official patch notes. We’ve also linked the official overview video above, if you’d prefer the abridged version.
Halo Infinite Update: Battle Pass
Given that Halo Infinite‘s Season 2 is rather long in the tooth, there’s more than one battle pass for players to work their way through. In addition to the season’s premium 100-tier battle pass, there is also a complimentary 30-tier battle pass themed around the Winter Update available for free.
In Season 2’s premium battle pass there are up to 180 rewards available. This time around, there’s a Rakshasa Armor Core up for grabs, alongside armor for the Mark VII Armor Core. However, you will need a premium pass for Halo Infinite Season 2 to get all these rewards.
The complimentary Winter Update battle pass is themed around Halo Reach’s classic cosmetics, offering old favorites like the CQB and SAP armor sets. If you want to learn more about these unlockables, check out the video above.
Uniquely, Halo Infinite also features a swappable Battle Pass system. For instance: if you’ve not yet completed Halo Infinite Season 1’s Premium Battle Pass, Heroes of Reach, you can re-equip it – which disables Lone Wolves progression until you swap back – and work towards any previously locked tiers throughout Halo Infinite Season 2. If you didn’t buy Heroes of Reach, that’s still available from the shop menu, meaning you won’t miss any season-exclusive items.
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