So, the multiplayer beta for Halo Infinite has been out for a bit now, long enough for most people to form their own opinions on the game.
But, for those just now hopping into it, there are some aspects of this new installment in the Halo IP that they might want to know about beforehand. Take it from those of us who have put a lot of time into Halo Infinite, knowing these things in advance is worthwhile.
10 The Whole Fireteam Lobby & Squad System Is Awkward
First and foremost, people need to know that the Lobby System in Infinite is awkward at best and barely functioning at worst. Actually looking at who all is in the party is separated into its own submenu, it’s difficult to tell when the player is actually in a party or not, or even when the game has them queued up for a match. Sure, players can see the other Spartans hanging around together in the bottom left, but half the time the game bugs out and doesn't show them or shows them but they aren't "actually" in the party.
And, to make matters worse, trying to get a cross-platform party going can be difficult, as many players have been reporting that they can't invite their Xbox friends on PC and vice versa.
9 Players Are Forced Into Squads With Random Players, Even In A Party
So there’s the Lobby system, and then there’s the whole Fireteam Squad system in-game. Basically, in larger games like Big Team Battle, players are separated into teams of four. And, it would make sense to assume that the game wouldn’t split up Fireteams that queued up together unless it absolutely has to, but that would be wrong.
It happens quite often where a group of four friends queues up for this game mode, and are then separated into two separate Fireteams in-game. This could be easily fixed if 343 added another Name Color option for people on a player's friendslist, but as of right now it just makes it harder to keep track of where friends are in a match.
8 There’s No Way To Search Specific Game-Types
This next issue is likely the only other thing that can even compare to the Battle Pass progression in terms of how loud the community feedback has been. Sure, Halo Infinite doesn’t have a mountain of diverse modes on release but it has quite a few. From Capture the Flag to Griffball and even just Slayer, there’s a lot of different modes for players to experience. The only problem is, there’s no way to actually search for these modes specifically! Players can choose between five options on the main menu currently:
- Fracture Tenrai Fiesta: This is the current event going on that gives players the Tenrai Armor.
- Bot Bootcamp: Essentially a training mode against Bots that friends can play together.
- Big Team Battle: Twelve on twelve big team matches on a variety of maps.
- Ranked Arena: Four on four and no HUD, basically the hardcore mode.
- Quickplay: This final option is also the one that has all of the other game types not listed above within it.
If players have some Challenge to win three matches of Griffball, they’ll need to keep trying Quickplay over and over again until they happen to get it three times, with no way to control how often it shows up.
7 How Slow & Cumbersome The Battle-Pass Is
Ah, the big issue. This is by far the aspect of Halo Infinite being talked about the most, and rightfully so. Basically, Infinite’s Battle Pass is...well...infinite in that once bought, players have no time limit before it runs out.
So, with that in mind, the developers likely thought that the current system and EXP progression would be fine. But, they quickly found out after the game dropped that fans were not happy with how slow leveling was, how the cosmetics were divided out, or how the Challenges system worked.
6 The MK50 Sidekick Is, As Always, Incredibly Good
Just like in most other Halo games, the dinky-looking Pistol that all Spartans usually have equipped by default is actually one of the better guns in the game. With its reliable recoil, pinpoint accuracy, and staggering damage it’s honestly better than the Assault Rifle in a lot of ways.
So, for those who thought maybe this game would finally nerf the MK50, don’t worry, it's just as dependable as ever.
5 Don't Expect The Team To Focus On Objectives
To tie things back into the way Challenges work in Halo Infinite, there are a lot of very specific ones. There are challenges that require kills with certain weapons, certain vehicles, and even ones that require killing other players in certain situations. Because of this, and because the actual EXP for winning or losing a match is almost non-existent, players have been prioritizing their Challenges over the objective most of the time.
And, to be fair, they absolutely should be doing this, as the game doesn’t incentivize them to play any other way. But, for anyone trying out Halo Infinite, just be aware hopping into a Capture the Flag match that most of the team won’t actually care about the flag one way or the other. There are a lot of ways to easily address this issue, so let's hope 343 fixes it in the final release.
4 Plasma Weapons No Longer Disable Vehicles, Electric Weapons Do
There are two major groups that have been digging into Halo Infinite so far, for the most part. The first group is made up of the people who haven’t missed a Halo release ever or have at least touched every mainline Halo game in some capacity. The second group, however, is made up of players who stopped playing around Halo 3 or Halo: Reach, and are just now coming back to the franchise.
And, for this second group of players specifically, be aware that Plasma Weapons, such as the Plasma Pistol, are no longer the way to disable vehicles (and aren't really good altogether). Rather, electric weapons like the Shock Rifle or the Disruptor Pistol are actual the way to do this now.
3 Use Plasma Weaponry For Shield Than A Precision Weapon For The Kill
Speaking of specific weaponry, let’s talk about the time-to-kill in Halo Infinite. Now, the Halo games have always had a much longer TtK compared to other shooters such as Titanfall 2 or Call of Duty. Players have to get through an entire shield first, then take out a secondary health bar in order to take down an enemy Spartan.
But, for those who forgot, or for those new to the IP, the best method to do this quickly is to use Plasma Weaponry to take out their shield, then switch to one of the overpowered Precision Weapons to headshot them for an immediate kill.
2 There Are A Lot Of Settings You’ll Need To Fine-Tune
Halo Infinite, mechanically, is pretty smooth. The controls feel great, the movement feels good, and the guns, while a bit weak overall, are all incredibly diverse. But, there are quite a few control-based and graphical settings players will likely want to change to get the best experience.
The first few hours with Infinite will likely include a lot of micro-adjustments with the settings. But, once the player has them down, the game feels great to actually control.
1 The Aim Assist Is Absurdly Broken
Lastly, let’s talk about the Aim Assist in Halo Infinite and how absolutely off-the-walls overpowered it is. Aim Assist in shooters always has a wide range of usability. Some games just have it so that the player's crosshair slows down whenever it’s near an enemy, effectively honing in their aim for them. Meanwhile, other games snap to enemies the crosshair was already close to whenever the player ADS’s, this is most commonly seen in the Call of Duty games.
But, Halo Infinite’s Aim Assist literally does more than half the work for the player, making controller the go-to input method to recommend, even on PC. Just take a look at Dr. Disrespect's reaction to the current state of Aim Assist in Halo Infinite to get a clear idea of how bad it is.
Halo Infinite's multiplayer beta is available now on PC and Xbox.