Bungie's original Halo trilogy helped to revolutionize console first-person shooters, but many feel the series' latest release - Halo Infinite - follows more trends than it sets. While there is a standalone campaign bringing Master Chief into the open-world Zeta Halo, its free-to-play multiplayer adheres to a seasonal battle pass model with weekly challenges and a rotating storefront, cribbing from the success of modern titles like Fortnite. There isn't a battle royale in Halo Infinite, but its new Attrition game mode has clear similarities.

Attrition was added as the headlining mode for Halo Infinite's Cyber Showdown event; the third such limited-time event since the game launched last year. Cyber Showdown is something of a blend between the prior Fracture: Tenrai and Winter Contingency events, as it will only be available through February 1 but only offers rewards to players who complete associated weekly challenges. While Fracture: Tenrai included a Fiesta playlist familiar to long-time fans, the new Attrition mode feels like a unique test for battle royale mechanics in shorter matches.

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How Halo Infinite's Attrition Mode Works

343 industries battle royale potential game mode

The Cyber Showdown event went live on Tuesday, January 18, offering users the chance to compete for 1980s-inspired cosmetics. They'll need a proper understanding of the Attrition game mode to get there, and it is a somewhat complicated idea compared to many Halo Infinite playlists like Tactical Slayer. Each team of four starts with eight collective respawns that work akin to basic modes like Slayer, Oddball, and Capture the Flag. Once those respawns run out, any player who dies is out of the game.

These deaths are not permanent necessarily; the Spartan leaves behind an orb containing their chosen AI companion, and teammates can revive their allies manually if they have enough time with the orb. However, each "permanent" death leaves a team with increasingly stacked odds, especially if they wind up in a situation with one or two members left as the enemy team still has respawns - literally fighting a war of attrition. The system encourages teamwork more than most modes in Halo Infinite, as players can gang up on enemies but lone wolves could die and leave their orbs guarded like traps.

This increased sense of comradery is reminiscent of battle royales like Apex Legends or Call of Duty: Warzone, particularly playing in duo or quad lobbies where it's important to avoid disadvantages. Adding to this familiarity is the appearance of a "Death Zone" partway through matches. It works the same way as final circles in other battle royale games, starting on the outer rim of a map and slowly encroaching to force enemy teams into conflicts.

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Attrition is a Good Sign For Halo Infinite's Growth

343 industries battle royale potential game mode

Many of the basic tenets for battle royale staples are present in Halo Infinite's Attrition mode, though it's hard to say whether an official battle royale will be introduced. Rumors were shot down by developers such as 343 Industries' community manager Brian Jarrad in December 2020, but datamined information from the game's closed Technical Preview in July 2021 included a Halo Infinite audio clip referencing the term "battle royale."

For now, it's safe to say no true battle royale mode will be introduced anytime soon. Developer 343 Industries only just released a hotfix for the 12v12 Big Team Battle playlist, and connection issues could be markedly worse when approaching dozens or even hundreds of players at once. Attrition is an interesting experiment in the meantime, as it creates a unique combat pace and brings greater attention to teamwork using the 4v4 maps in Cyber Showdown's event playlist.

That pacing could be improved going forward, assuming 343 Industries will introduce a permanent Attrition playlist. The Death Zone appears late into a match and moves slow enough to seemingly not be a huge consideration, but taking that battle royale mechanic is a smart way to ensure games don't last forever. Hopefully more creative modes and maps are introduced soon, perhaps using ideas like Death Zones as well, to ensure Halo Infinite keeps its current momentum.

Halo Infinite is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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