For all the praise Halo Infinite‘s multiplayer has received since launch, it has also gotten its share of criticism. Most players agree that the game is a delight to play and beautiful in motion, but the battle pass, armor customization, playlist selection, custom games, and more have been problematic for one reason or another. When Halo Infinite launched, the only playlists players could queue into were Quick Play, which was random 4v4 game modes; Big Team Battle, random 12v12 game modes; and Ranked Arena, which was again random 4v4 game modes. Thankfully, 343 Industries has added more playlists.
One contentious issue with Halo Infinite was the way it handled its first event, Fracture: Tenrai. There was initial excitement in the run-up to the event as players were excited to obtain all of components of the samurai armor, also called the Yoroi Armor Core, but once the event began this excitement became frustration for many fans. With limitors on how fast players can progress, and some of the most desirable armor pieces being locked in the Shop for high prices, player interest in progressing through Fracture: Tenrai was stunted. Recognizing its mistake, 343 Industries announced it was making changes to Fracture: Tenrai going forward, and the latest new event Winter Contingency is evidence of that changing ideology.
Halo Infinite’s Winter Contingency Gives Players Cosmetics, Not Boosts
Players can go back to the intial Fracture: Tenrai event pass online and look at what was being offered, but it wasn’t much to write home about. Half of the tiers that players could actually access in Fracture: Tenrai’s first appearance were dominated by player Boosts in the form of Double XP, XP Grants, and Challenge Swaps. The lucrative armor pieces that were shown in all of advertisements for Fracture: Tenrai were either at the end of the pass, which would take months for players to actually achieve, or were only purchaseable in the Item Shop, leading many players to give 343 Industries guff. Some felt deceived, and questioned whether Halo Infinite‘s current event format was salvageable.
Looking at Winter Contingency, the changes that 343 Industries said it was going to make to Fracture: Tenrai can already be found, which bodes well for the future. In terms of size, Winter Contingency is much smaller than Fracture: Tenrai being only 10 ranks rather than 30. While this decrease in size could be attributed to it being a simple holiday event, it could also be because of the lack of Boosts in Winter Contingency’s event pass. Between Spartan emblems, armor with new coatings, and weapon skins, players are constantly working toward new, tangible unlocks rather than tokens. Boosts certainly have their purpose and can be useful, but they have been lackluster incentives for players to try and obtain.
For the most part, Winter Contingency is a promising sign for the contents of future event passes. If 343 Industries stands by this model the next time Fracture: Tenrai appears, or the Tactical Ops and Cyber Showdown events arrive down the line, players should expect to see more cosmetic unlocks than Boosts. Unfortunately for players who like to blast through limited-time events as soon as they drop, 343 Industries is still controlling the pace in Winter Contingency, making it so players have to come back and play one match each day to rank up. That said, it’s a small price to pay though for a more meaningful reward system.
Halo Infinite is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
