Halo Infinite’s new way of handling weapons spawns in multiplayer may provide a huge hint at how developer 343 Industries might add new guns and vehicles in future seasonal updates. Halo Infinite is currently in beta, with the first season reportedly lasting all the way until May 2022. While the release of the premium campaign and events like Fracture: Tenrai will provide some variety, bigger changes will likely come with a bigger update in 2022. Even more so than past games, Infinite seems poised to benefit from new maps, modes, and especially the tools of destruction that fans love.
Seasonal updates aren’t technically new to the Halo franchise. Halo 5: Guardians featured many large-scale additions over its lifespan, and they can provide a preview of what Infinite players can expect next year. Over the course of its life, Guardians added the entirety of its Big Team Battle suite, completely new weapons like the Hunter’s Assault Cannon and unique vehicles like the Needler Warthog. These updates also brought back plenty of classic Halo toys, letting players mix it up with the Pistol from Halo: Combat Evolved and the Halo 2 Battle Rifle once again.
There’s no way of knowing if 343 Industries will replicate this level of support in Halo Infinite, but it seems likely. With direct competition from Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and other free-to-play behemoths, the additions to the game have to be exciting, and players can already see where new guns and vehicles could slot into the current system. Infinite’s weapon rack spawns for side upgrades and power weapon pads for game-changing pickups already mix things up from game to game, and 343 Industries has made it clear in prior interviews that the system supports adding brand new weapons on existing maps without the need for a full refresh.
How Halo Infinite’s Weapon Racks Could Tease New Weapons
Traditionally, weapon spawns in Halo multiplayer have been in set locations around each map, allowing players to memorize what’s coming in at any given time. The only time this has changed was in Halo 4, which utilized a personal ordinance system where players earned weapon spawns in the same way that Call of Duty players earn perks. While this was an unpopular system, Infinite‘s Big Team Battle does replicate it somewhat with random drops falling from the sky at certain intervals throughout each match. These work in addition to Infinite‘s other spawning systems to give the modes with more players an appropriate sense of chaos.
Across all its modes, Halo Infinite attempts to strike a compromise between the traditional spawning system and something more randomized. With weapon racks, players can now memorize where each type of weapon spawns, but they won’t know exactly what they’re getting until they arrive at the rack. A spot that offers precision weapons may spawn in a Battle Rifle or a Commando Rifle, but it will never bring in a Rocket Launcher. Halo Infinite’s power weapons still spawn in at precise locations on each map, as do power-ups like the Overshield and Active Camo. Because each type of weapon has its own place on the map, it’s possible for 343 Industries to slot new and iconic Halo weaponry right into existing maps without disrupting how they currently function. This could work the same way for vehicles, power-ups, and even equipment, although it’s less clear how much 343 will add to these categories.
Past Halo Weapons That Could Be Added To Infinite
Halo Infinite has a fine arsenal to start with, including old weapons from previous games as well as new additions. Therefore, rather than continue to add new weapons, 343 Industries will likely focus on nostalgic picks from the past for future updates. There are quite a few guns from past games that would serve a vital role in Halo Infinite playlists like Slayer, Oddball, and the rest. On the human side, it’s surprising to see the SAW and Railgun dropped considering that they were 343 creations. Both could serve as rare power weapon variants of the Commando Rifle and Shotgun respectively, especially if they gained some of the powers of their Halo 5 REQ variants. A chaingun-esque weapon with explosive rounds would certainly make for a better power weapon reward than the Skewer on 4v4 maps that lack vehicles.
Covenant weaponry has always been more varied than armaments provided by the UNSC, and there are several unique guns that could make a welcome return in Infinite somewhere down the line. First off, it feels strange coming off of Halo 5 that the Battle Rifle is the only real choice when it comes to precision weaponry. Bringing back the Covenant Carbine or the Needle Rifle weapon from Halo Reach’s multiplayer could give players more choices. On the power weapon front, the Grunt-favored Plasma Launcher could be another fun return from Reach. Infinite’s Hydra is powered down from its Halo 5 incarnation, so the Plasma Launcher could provide something equivalent in its old power to take on vehicles and snipers from a distance.
Halo Infinite‘s Brutes got a whole range of new bladed options thanks to their starring role in the campaign. Even so, it’s hard to miss the original weapons designed by Bungie for Halo 2 and 3. Despite its questionable usability as a grenade launcher, the Brute Shot has an undeniably classic look and an excellent feel to its melee swipe, so it should find its way back to the arsenal in one of Infinite‘s future seasons. The staying power of Halo’s once-useless Needler proves that an armament should get more than a few chances to truly find its balance. Perhaps 343 could even go back to Halo 2‘s original trailer and produce a plasma spewer version of the weapon that could double as a souped-up Ravager.
Whatever 343 ends up adding to Halo Infinite’s multiplayer suite over time, players have a lot to look forward to. The game’s first week has seen some decry the game for its progression system and its limited modes, both complaints that Halo 5 saw on its debut six years ago. 343 Industries were able to right that ship and produce a game that truly lived up to the franchise’s legacy, but few players stuck it out to see the changes. With Halo Infinite’s free-to-play nature and its prominent positioning alongside the launch of Xbox Series X, more players than ever will get to see how the developer can craft a finely tuned Halo experience as the months roll on.
