Halo: The Master Chief Collection has come a long way since its inception in 2013. When it launched, it was in many ways unplayable, from tremendous load times to poor optimization and menu configuration. Importantly, though, 343 Industries never abandoned the project, refusing to let it die, and with years of support, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is in the best state it has ever been. Not only did 343 Industries fix the issues of the original collection, the team expanded it by adding Halo Reach and Halo 3: ODST, and retroactively created new Halo armor pieces as well.
In the past, 343 Industries has not been regarded quite fondly by fans for its Spartan armor customization, from the designs of the pieces themselves to the appearance of the Spartans in general. Despite how impressive it was for 343 Industries to add new armor in Halo 3 over a decade later, again the team was criticized by many fans for its strange armor designs. With Halo Infinite on the horizon, 343 Industries just released its last seasonal update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, known as Season 8: Mythic, which brought an assortment of new historically-inspired armor sets for players to unlock. This selection sets the tone for Halo Infinite's armor, as it is highly stylized yet works within the game's artsyle.
Master Chief Collection: Mythic's Armor Balance
Upon first glance, it is immediately clear how stylistically different the Season 8 armor sets are, as nothing in the series looking quite like them. The armors here are some of the first of instances of Halo's "Fractures" content, reimaginings of Halo lore and concepts that do not normally exist within the Halo canon. Mythic, then, is 343 Industries' combination of mythology with the iconic Spartan design, conjuring unbelievable armor sets based on those classic stories. For example, the Belos line of armor is based on Greek imagery like gladiators and Medusa, while the Blackguard series is inspired by icons of the Medieval Age such as knights and plague doctors.
When juxtaposed to the traditional armor sets of Halo 3 and Halo Reach (the only places where the Mythic armor can be used), the Mythic sets certainly stand out. However, where 343 Industries struggled in the past to make satisfying customization options in Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, and in some cases MCC, 343 Industries actually figured it out with Mythic. Previously, it was a problem with both the art style, and the armor, like Halo 4's weirdly-spry Spartans with loose fitting armor, and the strange unicorn-like FOTUS set. Although the Mythic armors may not canonically fit on the Halo 3 and Halo Reach Spartans, they still look like they should be worn.
Now, with Halo Infinite just a few months away, 343 Industries' new armor design ideology has already been shown off. While fans have been raving about how 343 Industries finally nailed the look of the Spartans, pieces like the samurai-inspired Yoroi armor set—a set that would have likely been ridiculed in the past—has generally been accepted as part of the upcoming experience. Fans should expect this balance going forward, that for every traditional or grounded piece of armor that continues that classic space-marine design, there will probably be some more outlandish and fun looks. Going back to Halo 3's legendary Hayabusa armor, customization has never been completely serious in Halo, and Mythic's armor sets show that 343 Industries understands this.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.