A new Halo Infinite update has arrived, bringing with it a number of notes from the developers touching on complaints surrounding the armor system. The free-to-play multiplayer mode of the game launched in the fall of last year and has seen several updates since, ushering in well-received changes like the addition of Jeff Steitzer to Halo Infinite‘s Big Team Battles.
The road that Halo Infinite is walking has not been a smooth one, however. Despite launching to almost universal acclaim from players, critics, and long-time fans of the franchise, Infinite‘s multiplayer had a host of problems, namely a lack of content and a progression system that many felt was very sub-par. While a large portion of the fanbase seemed to move forward in good faith with the game, assuming its developers would offer swift fixes to these issues, this has not exactly been the case. The challenge-based progression model is still firmly in place and the gear system is also not optimal, with the few armor pieces players can get their hands on being locked to specific armor cores. These problems, among others, have even led some public figures to disavow Halo Infinite, labeling it a failure.
It would appear that 343 Industries is aware of at least some of these issues, as the Season 1 Outcomes Report posted on Halo Waypoint touches on a number of complaints. Part of the report focuses on feedback the devs received regarding armor customization, with the team explaining that the core-restriction approach was taken to cater to competitive/professional gamers and players who craved the “feeling of becoming a character.” However, the report went on to acknowledge that this is not what many players want, announcing that the armor system will become less restrictive over the course of Season 2, allowing for more free armor customization options.
Season 2 of Halo Infinite will be getting lots of new content, so it will be interesting to see how this translates to the new approach to armor customization. Untethering individual gear pieces from armor cores could go a long way when it comes to offering personalization options, so fans who have been unhappy with the overall progression system could feel that this is a step in the right direction. On the other hand, this update could make armor cores obsolete, causing additional issues.
However this change to armor customization is received, Halo Infinite will likely need to see more updates to swing the opinions of those unhappy with it; progression is still set to the same, controversial model, and new content has been slow to release. Hopefully, fans of this iconic franchise will get the modern multiplayer experience they are hoping for.
Halo Infinite is currently free-to-play on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
