Halo Infinite kicks off its free-to-play multiplayer mode with a free Battle Pass for the first season, Heroes of Reach. Although the game is still in open beta, players can now start playing matches against bots or other people. You can now also complete challenges to earn battle pass rewards.
This article will give you an overview of what to expect on the latest entry to the Halo series developed by 343 Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. Take note that the Halo Infinite Campaign is not yet out until December 8th, so this article will emphasize the Multiplayer features.
List of Multiplayer Game Modes
There are six total game modes in Halo Infinite, each one having different rules and win conditions.
Slayer is the Team Deathmatch of the Halo series. Your objective is to find the enemy Spartans and kill them to rack up points. The first with the higher score at the end of the game wins.
CTF is short for Capture the Flag and is one of the classic Halo game modes. Your team must steal the flag from the enemy base and bring it to yours to earn a point. Be careful, the enemy can do the same to your flag!
Strongholds is all about capturing at least two of the three control points in the map. The longer your team owns them, the more points you earn.
Oddball is a 4v4 game where either team must hold on to a ball—indicated by a skull icon—for as long as possible to earn points. Whoever is holding the ball can neither sprint nor use their weapons without dropping it first.
Total Control is a modified, more challenging version of Strongholds. Instead of capturing 2/3 control points to score, your team must capture all three to earn a single point.
Stockpile is like CTF, but more chaotic. Instead of a stealing a single flag, your objective is to scavenge a total of five Power Seeds from the enemy base to earn one point.
Each game mode uses different maps, and they can only be accessed by selecting one of the four playlists.
What are the Four Playlists in Halo Infinite Multiplayer?
Halo Infinite multiplayer launched in open beta with four playlists. The first is Bot Bootcamp, which serves as a practice arena for new players to get a feel for the game’s maps and gunplay. This playlist contains 4v4 Arena maps for the CTF, Slayer, Oddball, and Strongholds game modes.
Bot Bootcamp is a great place to calibrate your controls, tweak in-game settings, and test different weapons. You can also complete Challenges in this playlist—as long as they don’t have “in a matchmade game” or “ranked” in their requirements. Although the bots are not as skilled as real players, they can still put up a good fight. After all, a Spartan bot is still a Spartan.
Next, you have Quick Play. This playlist is similar to Bot Bootcamp except that you match up against four real players instead of Marine-level bots.
Quickplay contains CTF, Slayer, Oddball, and Stronghold Arena maps. This is the playlist of choice for casual Halo Infinite players who just want some fun against other people—although rage quitting still happens often.
Big Team Battle Mode is for those who love the saying “The more, the merrier”. Instead of tightly-controlled 4v4 action, you get to play on huge Arena maps for 12v12 modes like Stockpile and Total Control.
Give Big Team Battle Mode a try if you want to experience the large-scale maps that Halo Infinite has to offer. There will also be lots of vehicles around for you to use—or destroy, if the enemy gets to them first.
Last but not the least is Ranked Arena, the fourth and final playlist. This is Halo Infinite’s competitive setting, where multiplayer veterans can sweat out some wins to increase their rank. CTF, Oddball, Strongholds, and Slayer are the only game modes currently available for ranked mode.
Ranked Arena uses different settings from Quickplay and Big Team Battle. Radar is disabled throughout the match, all players start with the Battle Rifle, and inexperienced players will get frustrated more often than not. So if you’re new to the game, stick to the other playlists first!
You can also set up a Custom Games if you would rather play one specific map or game mode instead of a random playlist. This is perfect for a group of friends who just want some fun—like an entire night of Oddball-only matches.
What’s in Season One of Halo Infinite Multiplayer?
Now that you’re familiar with the four multiplayer modes of Halo Infinite, it is time to learn about Season One: Heroes of Reach. This season which will run from November 15, 2021 to May 2, 2022. All players will receive a free Battle Pass, which they can level up by completing matches and challenges.
The Battle Pass rewards in Heroes of Reach are divided between free and premium. The free rewards can be unlocked by simply playing the game and earning XP. However, the premium rewards require a Premium Battle Pass. And as you know in video games, premium is synonymous to paid.
According to 343 Studios, each Premium Battle Pass will cost $10. If you already made progress with your free rewards, you will still get all the previously locked premium rewards if you upgrade your Battle Pass later on.
How Can You Level Up the Battle Pass Faster?
Halo Infinite offers challenges for you to earn XP faster during the season. Daily challenges offer 50XP while weekly challenges reward you with 200XP. There is a dedicated tab for challenges so you can keep track of them easily as you play the game.
If you don’t have the time to complete every challenge, there is always an option to buy the Battle Pass boosters You can either increase your level instantly, or just boost your XP gain rate.
Naturally, boosting your level comes with a price. It is up to each player to decide on how to allocate their resources—money and time—on this game.
What’s Next for Halo Infinite?
Halo Infinite will stay in open beta until the game’s full release on December 8, 2021. That means 343 Studios will continue to update the game, so expect many changes to arrive as you play. The multiplayer will always be free-to-play, while the Campaign mode requires a separate purchase. The Master Chief will have to wait. For now, just enjoy a couple of 4v4 or 12v12 matches with other PC or Xbox players.
Are you playing Halo Infinite with an AMD Radeon R9 GPU? If you are having trouble starting the game, this guide might be able to help you.
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