After a long second season for Halo Infinite that lasted roughly ten months, fans have anxiously awaited the game’s biggest update yet in Season 3: Echoes Within. Season 3 brings with it plenty of new content in the form of maps and modes, plus a new weapon and equipment, along with a few unexpected changes. With developer 343 Industries hoping to achieve seasonality with this update, fans will be pleased to hear that Season 3 may just be a new beginning for Halo Infinite's multiplayer.

Expectations leading into the game's third season were high, as leaks and rumors about Halo Infinite's future updates started early and led to heavy discussion within the community. As time went on and official news began to be released, fans were intrigued but skeptical about the announced content. Now that fans have had a chance to get their hands on the new season for themselves, much of that skepticism has faded, as the breadth and quality of the content have mostly exceeded expectations.

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Season 3 Needed to Bring Halo Infinite Back to Life

halo infinite last spartan standing

As many gamers know by now, Halo Infinite had a troubled development owed heavily to the combination of a dated engine and an over-reliance on contract workers. At launch, Halo Infinite was plagued with a glaring lack of content, missing features, and poor progression and customization systems. Players felt the fundamental gameplay was strong, though, so as long as 343 Industries could fix all or most of the issues surrounding the core gameplay, all would be well.

Since Halo Infinite’s launch in November 2021, 343 Industries has continued to update the game; adding Forge, online campaign co-op, and even a Custom Games Browser. Though admittedly, most players felt these should have been in the game on day one, it’s still nice to see continued support on a game many shrugged off as dead within its first month. Halo Infinite's Forge is the most robust version of the feature yet, and with many rumored improvements still to come, it could become a literal game-changer as time goes on.

343 Industries has shown it will continue to support Forge and its creators by offering featured playlists like the Community Collection, allowing players to play Forge maps in Matchmaking. With the Halo community being such a vital component of the franchise’s success, further support from the developer could bring many fans back to the game. While Season 3 is another step in the right direction in terms of content, it’s still unknown how many fan-favorite social features will make their way into Halo Infinite.

Season 3 Delivers on the Content Expected of a Live Service

halo infinite season 3 update poster echoes within

One of the first improvements players will notice in Halo Infinite’s Season 3 is in the quality of the narrative and the cutscenes, as the production value is far beyond what came before. A similar rise in quality is also seen in the three new maps, as their beautiful art design harkens back to the Bungie era of Halo. There is also a new UNSC precision weapon called the Bandit and a new equipment item called the Shroud Screen. The Bandit is essentially an iron sights version of the DMR from Halo: Reach, and the Shroud Screen acts as the Halo equivalent of a smoke grenade.

On top of the new additions to Halo Infinite with its latest season, there have also been many small updates to maps and weapon balance, menus, vehicle animations, and even the inclusion of ray tracing. The sheer amount of content and updates are a welcome change of pace for those who have stuck with the game through its missteps. Though there's still much to be done, if this represents what fans can expect moving forward in future seasons, then it looks as though Halo Infinite can put itself back on track after all.

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

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