343 Industries has released an in-depth preview of Halo Infinite's upcoming Winter Update battle pass. The Winter Update for Halo Infinite is substantial, but in many ways just a first step toward a bigger relaunch with Season 3: Echoes Within next year. The new battle pass for Halo Infinite will fittingly be free and is filled with nostalgic cosmetics that should especially please Halo Reach fans. 343 also touches on changes to progression, one of Halo Infinite players' key criticisms.
Halo Infinite is currently in its second season and with each season 343 has introduced one of its unique styles of battle passes. The Season 2: Lone Wolves battle pass is, like Halo Infinite's first battle pass, a mix of a free track and a premium track that costs around $9.99 in in-game cR currency. Purchase grants access to 100 tiers of unlocks, 100 premium and 80 free, with rewards including pieces of armor, XP boosts, cR, nameplates, armor colors, and more cosmetics.
The upcoming Winter Update battle pass is intended to bridge Season 2: Lone Wolves and Season 3: Echoes Within, but in a nonabrasive way to bring back players. That's why the battle pass is not only free, it's also just 30 tiers long. That way, players can complete the battle pass with relative ease, acclimate to the new progression system, and earn a set of very cool rewards based around Halo Reach's Mark V Spartan armor.
In a 12-minute preview, 343 details all of the rewards included in the new battle pass. The first tier of the battle pass unlocks the Mark V [B] armor. By tier 10, players will have unlocked a chest armor accent, two shoulder pieces, a visor, and a leg armor accent. Even more alternative Mark V armor attachments will unlock as players progress to rank 30, with 343's take on Master Chief's Mark V helmet being the final unlock.
The preview doesn't just delve into the battle pass' contents, though. It also details how progression changes after the Winter Update. As previously confirmed, Halo Infinite players will start earning match XP in the winter update. They'll also be receiving challenges that are mode-agnostic, so they can be completed in whatever playlist a player chooses to play in. 343 will also allow players to progress through the seasonal battle passes, too.
More rewards are coming in Halo Infinite following the Winter Update, too. 343 teases the 2022 Winter Contingency event, which should be packed with holiday rewards (including some kind of hat that fits on top of a helmet). There are also plans to release the JFO-class Mjolnir armor in 2023. Suffice to say, 343 wants Halo Infinite players to stick around and feel rewarded for it.
Halo Infinite is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.