Halo Infinite: A Complete History From 2021 to Today

Key Points

  • Take a look at the complete Halo Infinite history and all three updates the game has undergone.

  • Designed on an open-world map, players have more freedom to explore than in any other Halo game.

  • Forge allows players the ability to customize and create maps.

  • Season 3 will be added to Halo Infinite history in 2023 bringing more weapons and maps to Halo Infinite.

An Introduction to Infinite

Looking back at all of the Halo Infinite history reveals how much this game has evolved in every update that has been made. Released in 2021, Halo Infinite — published by Microsoft Studios — is the sixth installment in the franchise and a sequel to Halo 5: Guardians. After its initial announcement at the Microsoft E3 2018 conference, fans were very excited. However, they faced much disappointment when the initial release date in 2020 was delayed until its eventual release on December 8, 2021.

This constantly updating, evolving, and growing game is impactful to the Halo franchise and the gaming community as it pushes the Halo plot into uncharted territories and never-before-seen game types. It also hosts a plethora of fun for nostalgic players. From the launch date to today, this is a definitive guide to Halo Infinite history

Plot

The story picks up one year after the events of Halo 5: Guardians and follows Master Chief who is battling the Banished on Zeta Halo. The year is 5959 and the ship Infinity has just been attacked by the Banished. Atriox leaves Master Chief in space after winning the battle; it isn’t until six months later that Master Chief is recovered by a UNSC pilot.

Against the wishes of the pilot, the pair travels to Zeta Halo to continue the fight against the Banished. Once in the ring, Master Chief finds the Weapon: an AI robot designed to function similarly to Cortana to capture her. Although she was successful in her mission, the Weapon failed to self-delete and Master Chief can see visions of Cortana’s memories in the data.  

On Zeta Halo, the Banished control this ring and it is led by the lieutenant of a now-deceased Atriox, Escharum. Looking for any Spartans who haven’t been captured by The Hand of Atriox, Master Chief, the Weapon, and the Pilot scatter UNSC forces all over the ring. 

Fighting their way into the Forerunner installation known as the Conservatory, Master Chief meets the AI caretaker of Zeta Halo, Despondent Pyre. Before Despondent Pyre can warn Master Chief of the threat located inside the Conservatory, an alien known as Harbinger destroys the AI after being awoken by the Banished. The Harbinger shares that her people, the Endless, were attacked by the Forerunners on Zeta Halo, so she has aligned herself with the Banished to rebuild the Silent Auditorium — a facility that will free her people. 

Halo Infinite characterPhoto source: Halopedia.org

Escharum deploys Spartans to capture the Pilot, and Master Chief saves him. The Pilot then tells Master Chief he was an engineer aboard the Infinity who was able to escape using a Pelican to flee the battle. Master Chief then tells the Pilot his guilt of being unable to save Cortana. 

Master Chief and the Weapon disable a series of spires on the ring and stop Zeta Halo’s repair process but are not fast enough to stop a portion of the Auditorium from being built. Harbinger goes to capture the Weapon, and Master Chief activates the failsafe to destroy her. The Weapon stops Harbinger and deactivates the failsafe but is angry that Master Chief does not trust her.

Harbinger then sees a vision in which Cortana uses the Guardians to destroy the Brutes’ home planet of Doisac and realizes that she is a copy of Cortana. Afraid she will end up like her, the Weapon begs Master Chief to delete her to keep everyone safe, but Master Chief refuses, insisting that he wants to trust her. 

An elite Spartan killer, Jega ‘Rdomnai, captures the pilot and uses him as bait to lure Master Chief to Escharum. Master Chief locates the Pilot and defeats Jega ‘Rdomnai and Escharum in the Banished facility. Both Master Chief and the Weapon then rush to the Auditorium to defeat the Harbinger.

There the two learn that Cortana was captured by Atriox who was going to use the Weapon to get the ring’s secrets from her. To save the fate of the ring, Cortana destroyed herself and damaged Zeta Halo while preventing the Weapon from being deleted. She records a message saying goodbye to Master Chief and asks him to work with the Weapon. The two of them then defeat the Harbinger but not before she sends a message to someone regarding the Endless. 

After reuniting with the Pilot, he reveals his name: Fernando Esparza. The Weapon chooses a name for herself.  

The post-credits scene reveals that an alive Atriox uses a key to unlock a door to the Endless. A dialogue between Despondent Pyre and a Forerunner official reveals that the AI Offensive Bias has been deployed to help her oversee the study of the Endless.         

Campaign

The single-player campaign was designed on an open-world map to give players more freedom to explore Zeta Halo in a lifelike and creative way. Co-op play was introduced in Season 2: Lone Wolf and crossplay between Xbox and PC came online with the Winter Update, allowing players to work together to explore the massive playground.

With open-world interactive challenges and linear story-driven campaign achievements, Halo Infinite does a great job of keeping players busy with bountiful tasks and activities. Another way Halo Infinite keeps players busy and interested is through seasons.

Season

The current season in Halo Infinite is the Winter Update. This massive update launched on November 8, 2022, and will run until the release of Season 3 on March 7, 2023. With the Winter Update, fans were introduced to a wide variety of new game types, modes, and unlockable customizations through the Battle Pass. This season feels like the beginning of a “throwback era” in season 3 of Halo as Mission Replay, Forge, and Covert One Flag allow fans to relive moments in Halo history.

Halo Infinite brandingPhoto source: Halopedia.org

With new campaign achievements, gamers find new daily fun in Halo Infinite as they earn Match XP. This update will continue to ignite players’ passion for the game and spark new and creative projects and gameplay with additional building, creating, and multiplayer modes.

Gamers can lose themselves in any of the following Halo Infinite maps:

Maps

Halo Infinite offers players nine Arena maps and five Big Team Battle maps. Each of these maps is meant to optimize different weapons, play styles, and strategies to fully satisfy the target audience and allow for hours of fun no matter how players enjoy gaming. With the latest Winter Update came two new playable and fully customizable maps: “Argyle” and “Detachment” were created in Halo’s Forge mode by developers and are available for customization as a canvas map in Forge mode.  

  • Aquarius: Aquarius is an Arena map with a very classic Halo feel. This map requires teams to have good coordination since spawns and side passages make pushes very easy to repel.

  • Argyle: A new map introduced in the Winter Update, Argyle was created entirely in Forge Beta. Argyle is set within a UNSC vessel and makes for a ruthless and strategic Arena environment. The symmetrical map boasts tight corridors and vast courtyards that allow for strategic gameplay and competitive fun. 

  • Bazaar: Another Arena map, Bazaar is set in a Halo 2 marketplace equipped for Brawling with Threat Sensors and a SPNKr Rocket. 

  • Behemoth: This large map calls for vehicle usage to get around the entire area. Vehicles like Warthog, Wasp, and Ghost allow players to move freely in this massive Arena. 

  • Breaker: This Season 2: Lone Wolves Big Team Battle map is set in the desert where the Banishers are cutting apart an old UNSC ship for parts. There are man cannons around the map that allow for some tactical play and a giant moving laser as an added hazard for players to avoid.  

  • Catalyst: Catalyst is the Arena-style map that was introduced in Season 2. This Forerunner-themed map offers an Energy Sword spawn and lots of bridges connecting narrow passages for strategic gameplay.

  • Deadlock: This Big Team Battle map offers space for epic Capture the Flag gameplay as there are plenty of places to take cover such as the Banished Anti-Air cannon.

  • Detachment: This new map has just been launched in the Winter Update and is the newest site for Big Team Battle. It offers players both indoor and outdoor gameplay as the symmetrical Arena map overlooks the rocky cliffside that an abandoned UNSC research facility sits atop. With a Capture the Flag design style in mind, players explore a variety of different routes that connect two bases as well as an island accessible through Man Cannons that boast weapons and other advantages over enemy teams.       

  • Fragmentation: This is another larger map with an overall basic design that resembles Valhalla in Halo: 3. This map offers lots of vehicle gameplay and a Brute weapon called the Stalker. 

  • Highpower: This Big Team battle map offers space for a wide variety of gameplay. Its simple and classic design boasts plenty of hiding spaces as well as areas for team Brawls in Capture The Flag game types.

  • Launch Site: This map offers players the opportunity to try long-range weapons as they peek around corners in this stealth-heavy Arena.  

  • Live Fire: This map has plenty of small pathways as well as higher vantage points, so players have plenty of places to explore and find weapon drops throughout. 

  • Recharge: This map is all about the range. With so many exciting weapons and items such as the Grappleshot, players can engage in combat by surprise attacks and flanking to gain the lead.

  • Streets: This map offers tight lanes and lots of corridors allowing players to enjoy game types such as King of the Hill.

Halo Infinite game poster and Xbox controller

Weapons

There are plenty of weapons in Halo Infinite. With different levels of accuracy, damage, and range, there is an excellent weapon to use in every situation. The weapons in Halo Infinite are:

  • Assault Rifle

  • Battle Rifle

  • Commando

  • Sidekick

  • Bulldog

  • Sniper Rifle

  • Rocket Launcher

  • Hydra

  • Pulse Carbine

  • Needler

  • Plasma Pistol

  • Energy Sword

  • Gravity Hammer

  • Disruptor

  • Mangler

  • Stalker Rifle

  • Shock Rifle

  • Ravager

  • Skewer

  • Sentinel Beam

  • Cindershot

Halo Infinite charactersPhoto source: Halopedia.org

Multiplayer

Something that fans are most excited about are the Multiplayer modes now offered in Halo Infinite. Introduced in Season 2 and updated in the Winter Update, players can play through the campaign in co-op to unlock new achievements and work together to complete challenges.

Up to four players can complete the Halo Infinite campaign together in Campaign Network Co-Op. This mode supports crossplay between Xbox and PC players and both progress and unlocks are shared with all players in this mode.

This game type does not benefit only the host since every player shares the progress completion, Spartan Cores unlocked, and collectibles unlocked together in this mode. Everyone in the party benefits from multi-player mode.

Forge

The Forge Beta was introduced in the newest Winter Update, and it is making its big debut in Halo Infinite after its original release in Halo 3. This update allows players to create custom multiplayer maps and modes in six different maps.

Forge allows players to customize maps using an endless array of lighting and audio tools, items, and file-sharing capabilities called a “Prefab.” Everything in the new Forge mode is free to play and included in the Halo Infinite multiplayer experience although Forge is still in its beta testing stages. This mode will continue to improve in further updates, but players can still enjoy editing and modifying in-game objects and creating new playable maps.   

Halo Infinite gameplay charactersPhoto source: Halopedia.org

Armor Customizations

New and exciting armor customizations are unlockable through the Battle Pass. The newest update allows players to unlock old-school armor from Halo: Reach. The default armor is the Mark VII which is the latest generation in powered assault armor by the Materials group.

There are other ways players can unlock cosmetics for their Spartans both in Campaign Mode and in Multiplayer Mode. These perks can be unlocked for free and at any time when a player discovers a Mjolnir Armory.

Mjolnir Armories are UNSC lockers that include one or more MKVII Armor Coating, SNKr Coating, Armor Emblem, Weapon Emblem, Bulldog Coating, Ridgeback Coating, Nameplate, Weapon Charm, Stance, Battle Rifle Coating, Warthog Coating, Mongoose Coating, Assault Rifle Coating, Gungoose Coating, Rockethog Coating, Scorpion Coating, and Commando Rifle Coating.

All Mjolnir Armories look like smallish yellow lockers with a green UNSC logo floating above them. All 32 Armor Lockers are scattered and hidden across Zeta Halo and can be used to customize Spartans in Multiplayer Mode.

If you would like to see a complete list of all armor customizations available in Halo Infinite, click here.  

The Battle Pass

The Battle Pass is a way for multiplayer games to allow players to earn rewards instead of just buying customizations in the game store. Halo Infinite offers players a wide variety of new weapons, vehicles, and armor customizations to unlock as they complete challenges and play matches to earn XP. 

The Premium Battle Pass is 1,000 credits — or $10 — and allows players to unlock all available items. Unlike the Battle Pass in other games, Halo’s Battle Pass does not expire meaning players can continue to work towards earning items in an older season even after new updates change the Battle Pass. 

There have been three seasons of the Battle Pass with over 200 different tiers of items to unlock. 

Season 1 released 100 “Heroes of Reach” rewards that set the bar for future unlockables within the game. Season 1 boasted backdrops, consumables, armor customizations, and gear all with the signature Halo: Reach style. 

Season 2’s “Lone Wolves” update made major improvements to Halo’s first season by providing more customizations in general. Players discovered that each of the 100 tiers was filled with a more impressive selection of cosmetics including items such as the Lone Wolf Weapon Charm, the Fireteam Hellhound Weapon Emblem, and the Fireteam Jorogumo Vehicle Emblem. Players can also unlock 1,000 credits within this Battle Pass meaning this season has paid for itself once fans complete all 100 tiers. 

The Winter Update brought players 30 tiers in a completely free Battle Pass. Just like the previous seasons, the Winter Update does not expire and allows players to unlock 30 Halo: Reach-inspired cosmetics even after the release of Season 3 on March 7, 2023.

Scene from Halo Infinite gameplayPhoto source: Halopedia.org

Looking Ahead 

Season 3 will go live on March 7, 2023, and will run until June 27, 2023. Fans can look forward to using a new weapon: the M392 Bandit. The Forge Beta will continue to update as players will be able to access their maps through a custom games browser. Developers have also confirmed new Arena and Big Team Battle maps.

With updates on the Battle Pass giving players new unlockables to look forward to, Season 3 is sure to offer Halo fans countless hours of fun.

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