What you need to know
- 343 Industries shared details on what's coming in Halo Infinite's next update on Jan. 30, 2024.
- Halo Infinite is getting a Mark IV armor core, which is based on the iconic bulky armor from the time period of the original Halo Wars.
- An upcoming Operation called Spirit of Fire is heavily focused on Mark IV customization, with armor pieces and emblems themed after Halo Wars.
- Other additions include a new Arena map, Covenant-themed items for Forge, and more.
- Halo Infinite's seasonal structure is ending, with the game receiving content update instead of new dedicated seasons.
There's a fair bit on the way for Halo players to enjoy.
In a community-focused stream on Friday, developer 343 Industries shared details on what's coming in the next Halo Infinite update on Jan. 30, 2024. One of the biggest additions coming is a Mark IV armor core, giving players the option of looking like a bulky, Halo Wars-era Spartan.
Fittingly, one of the upcoming Operations is called Spirit of Fire, and includes plenty of customization bits geared around the Mark IV core and calling back to the crew of the titular ship from the Halo Wars games. More armor pieces are also coming in the form of crossovers with Halo The Series season 2.
There's also a hefty number of improvements for Forge (more on that below) and the list of Halo Infinite multiplayer maps is growing, with a new Arena map called Illusion coming in this update.
While 343 Industries is continuing to work on Halo Infinite, the team confirmed that the "Seasons" structure that the game has used is ending, meaning there won't be a true Season 6 in name. Instead, the game is shifting to content updates like the one coming on January 30. 343 directly compares this to the way Halo: The Master Chief Collection was supported over time, while cryptically noting that other teams at the studio are working on other projects.
Halo Infinite Forge mode continues to expand
Halo Infinite's Forge mode continues to grow, with the January update including a Covenant-themed collection of items. That means tons of deep purple objects, including the iconic Covenant sniper tower that housed devious Jackal sharpshooters in games like Halo 3. Players will also be able to change the colors on certain "biome" objects, adjusting the colors of vegetation and similar items.
More themed palettes are headed to Forge in the future, with an alien flora pack and a collection of slimy Flood items on the way, though it's important to note these two packs aren't coming on January 30 but are instead coming further out.
Analysis: Cool stuff on the way, but the shift is interesting
I'm a massive fan of the Halo Wars games, so getting the Mark IV armor core and similar cosmetics soon is right up my alley. I'll definitely be diving in for the Spirit of Fire operation, and I'm eager to see what the Forge community does with the soon-to-be-added Covenant items.
Halo Infinite moving away from Seasons is interesting. As long as the game still gets regular content updates (which seems to be the plan) it doesn't affect how I play that much, but this move is telling about the future of the game, as 343 Industries is openly hinting at working on other projects outside of Halo Infinite. Whatever those look like, I'll cling to the unlikely hope Halo Wars 3 is one of them.
