Call of Duty pros stunned by Halo Infinite Beta’s ranked mode & team skins

Halo Infinite released a multiplayer beta early and, within moments, brought suffering to Call of Duty pros. Shocked by the game’s competitive offerings, CDL pros have honed in on Vanguard’s lack of ranked play and team skins.

The relationship between a game and its esports scene is a complicated one. While developers want their games to be as accessible as possible to casuals, the competitive itch needs its scratching too.

Ranked play is often seen as the linking point between a casual game and its esport. It’s typically a playlist where players can dip their toes into the esport experience. Similarly, having team skins is oft-regarded as an easy way to give the esport some love with casual cosmetics.

Halo Infinite released its multiplayer early, with both ranked play and team skins, and immediately gave accompanying news about its HCS esport. While this was exciting for Halo players, CoD enthusiasts — particularly the pros — are pained by the beta’s competitive offerings. 

Halo Infinite beta releases early with ranked play and team skins

Within moments of the Halo beta dropping, CDL pros were quick to react. The LA Thieves’ Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon responded to the team skins and ranked play additions with a gif of Spongebob’s Mr. Krabs twitching in agony.

• Read more: Did Dr Disrespect just leak his own Halo Infinite skin?

Minnesota ROKKR coach Brian ‘Saintt’ Baroska joined in, tossing in a gif of a lady screaming while noting that Halo got those aforementioned perks while Vanguard has “squad spawns and damage rounds.”

While there are already Call of Duty League team skins, there aren’t any new ones with Vanguard yet. And, to many’s disappointment, the new game also released without a ranked mode — for the third time in the CDL’s three years.

Vanguard players want a ranked playlist ASAP

On Twitter, we asked players what they thought of Halo’s team skins compared to Vanguard’s. CoD pros like the Atlanta FaZe’s Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson immediately laughed at the question. Other fans wondered why such a question would even be asked when Vanguard doesn’t have skins yet.

Similarly, we trolled by asking whose ranked playlist is better — highlighting the absence of ranked play for Vanguard thus far. One user responded by appreciating Halo’s developers: “The devs that care have the best ranked.”

• Read more: NICKMERCS gives honest review of Halo Infinite: “Same old s**t”

One has to imagine that ranked play and team skins are coming to Vanguard, but the timelines are uncertain. In the meantime, CoD players seem to be looking at Halo with mixed feelings. They’re happy that Halo is treating its competitive community so well and so early, but suffering a little because that’s so different from their own experience.