After a long delay, Halo Infinite Season 2 is finally upon us as the highly anticipated update introduces a new battle pass, maps, modes, and more. Here’s everything there is to know about Halo Infinite’s new season — Lone Wolves.
Anticipation for Halo Infinite Season 2 has been brewing for quite some time. Season 1 launched all the way back in November 2021, leaving quite the content drought. The midseason update wasn’t well-received and players have since been eager for a new batch of content.
At long last, Season 2 is finally here. From new maps and modes to a fresh battle pass, here’s a complete rundown on all you need to know.
Contents
- Halo Infinite Season 2 release date & time
- Halo Infinite Season 2 battle pass
- New Maps in Halo Infinite Season 2
- Halo Infinite Season 2 game modes
- Halo Infinite Forge: Open Beta
- Halo Infinite Season 2 patch notes
Halo Infinite Season 2 release date & time
Season 2 of Halo Infinite launches on Tuesday, May 3, and is expected to last quite a while. Although original plans outlined three month seasons, that isn’t the case in 2022 as 343 needs more time.
We already know that Halo Infinite Season 3 will start on November 8, meaning players will have a full 6 months at the least to absorb all the new content in Lone Wolves.
Prepare to join the hunt, Spartans. Season 2 of Halo Infinite arrives on May 3. #HaloLoneWolves pic.twitter.com/yaokqePqIt
— Halo (@Halo) April 8, 2022
Halo Infinite Season 2 battle pass
Halo Infinite’s Season 2 battle pass features 180 unique rewards. As always, players can advance through battle pass tiers just by playing the game and completing challenges.
From new armor pieces to various coatings, there’s plenty up for grabs once again.
Halo Infinite Season 2 maps
343 Industries confirmed that two new maps will be introduced in Halo Infinite Season 2.
The first one is a Big-Team-Battle map called Breaker, which looks like it’s centered around an arid desert-themed location.
The second map, Catalyst, is much smaller, which is no surprise since it’s an arena map. It takes place within and around a building that looks like an old abandoned lab covered in moss with two different levels.
Catalyst is set to enter “multiple playlists” on day one, so expect to play this new layout quite a bit in Season 2.
Both maps were showcased on April 15 with a new deep-dive trailer flying through the fresh designs.
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From power weapon locations to grav lifts and more, this early preview serves as a great way to get ahead before the Season 2 update.
Halo Infinite Season 2 game modes
In addition to new maps, the developers also announced they’re adding three new modes, one of which is an old favorite. The first is Last Spartan Standing, which they described as a “free-for-all elimination mode.”
The second is the beloved King of the Hill mode. As the name suggests, it revolves around players holding the ‘hill’ for the longest time. It can be played in both as a Free-For-All mode or Team vs. Team mode.
The third is Land Grab, which is a mixture of King of the Hill and another classic mode, Territories. Players need to battle to seize control of five plots of land scattered across the map that cannot be re-captured.
We’ve also heard that Attrition is set to return at some stage in Season 2. After a brief stint close to launch, this revive-focused mode could become a staple in the next season.
Halo Infinite Forge – Open Beta
Halo Infinite’s Forge mode will enter open beta in the latter half of Season 2 with a launch window of September.
343 Industries are moving up the wide release of Halo Infinite’s Forge mode in response fan concerns about the missing feature.
“We want to get the Forge toolset into your hands sooner rather than later so that awesome community maps and modes can more rapidly make their way into the game,” 343 said.
A working version of Forge has been active for a private group of testers. 343 are going to skip a “large-scale flighting program” to get the mode into Halo players’ hands sooner.
From the open beta, Forge should be sticking around while 343 actively add more tools and features to expand the mode.
Halo Infinite Season 2 patch notes
As per a 343 Industries blog post, we’ve got a look at changes being made:
AUDIO
- The ability to hear an opponent’s shield recharge sound will be reduced to prevent providing too much information about a player’s location
- The volume of the Grunt Birthday Party sound effect will be increased in Campaign
MULTIPLAYER
Arena
- Catalyst (new Arena map) will be added to multiple playlists on day one
- King of the Hill will be added to multiple playlists
- Attrition will be added to multiple playlists
- In Attrition, a revived player will be able to move immediately after spawning back in
- Motion Tracker (Radar) will have its outer edge detection enabled for shooting and sprinting in social playlists
Big Team Battle
- Breaker (new BTB map) will be added to matchmaking on day one
- Jeff Steitzer’s voice is returning to call out player-earned medals
- Issue causing asymmetrical Weapon Rack spawns has been addressed
Matchmaking
- Rather than track a player’s entire session, the CSR progression bar will now reflect the progress made from their most recent match
Custom Games & Forge
- Addressing some Custom Game bugs, with more coming down the road
Personal AI & Spartan Chatter
- Balance adjustments were made to emphasize what’s most important for players
PC
- Noticeable stability improvements; the team has resolved dozens of PC crashes
SANDBOX
Networking
- Melee fights should be more consistent, with opponents “phasing” through each other less and “whiffing” less when a melee should’ve connected
Weapons
- A global melee damage decrease of 10% on all weapons will require the Mangler to land two shots and a beatdown for a kill.
- The Ravager’s base (non-charged) shot will see a damage increase
Friend or Foe (IFF) Recognition (Player Outlines)
- This system will now have options allowing players to modify the opacity and thickness based on their preferences
Equipment
- Drop Wall will see slight performance increases
- Overshield will provide slightly more shielding
Vehicles
- Chopper collision (splatter) damage will be increased to its vehicle-splattering glory
- Banshee’s agility and damage output will be increased to improve its role as a strike fighter
- Warthog & Razorback should be more resistant to flipping and bouncing
The team is also looking into additional changes to the game’s Battle Pass and progression systems.
Shop
- Bundles will have more consistent value across different offerings
Battle Pass & Progression
- Season 2’s free track will have more customization content than Season 1’s
- Players can earn 1000 CR in the S2 Premium Battle Pass
- Weekly Challenges will see continued improvements
- Ultimate Rewards will be higher value cosmetics such as visors, coatings, and stances, and no longer have emblems or backdrops, throughout the course of the season.
Theater & Observer
- Theater & Observer will have updates to address overall stability, issues caused by viewing multiple films in a row, and problems that arise when observing multiple matches in a row
Balance
Melee
- Melee damage has been reduced by 10% in both multiplayer and campaign.
- In multiplayer, this change to melee damage makes the Mangler a 2-shot beatdown rather than a 1-shot beatdown.
- In Ranked multiplayer only, the Battle Rifle has increased melee damage.
- This change was made to preserve the Battle Rifle’s two-burst beatdown after the global melee reduction.
- Other changes to melee will also result in the following improvements for multiplayer:
- “Traded” melee kills will occur more often now than in Season 1.
- Improved snapping to enemies during melee lunges.
- Improved enemy collision immediately after meleeing.
Mangler
- In addition to the melee damage change noted above, the following changes were also made to the Mangler in multiplayer:
- Reduced starting reserve ammo from 24 to 16.
- Reduced max ammo capacity from 56 to 40.
Ravager
- The Ravager’s base shot is now stronger than before and is therefore capable of a two-burst kill.
Drop Wall
- The Drop Wall is now stronger than before and deploys faster once it hits the ground.
Overshield
- The Overshield now grants an additional half bar of shielding.
Warthog
- The Warthog’s tire positions and suspension have been adjusted to better improve its handling on uneven terrain.
Chopper
- When boosting, the Chopper will now one hit kill all vehicles except for the Scorpion and Wraith.
Banshee
- The Banshee’s mobility and weapons have received multiple buffs:
- The Banshee can now move slower and faster than before, including when turning.
- Weapons cooldown faster and deal more damage.
Slide
- Velocity gained from landing into a slide on a ramp has proportional reduction based on fall height.
Jumps
- Multiple collision fixes on all previously released multiplayer maps. Some examples of these improvements include:
- Smoothing out traversal on the ground.
- Fixing player’s standing on out of bounds rock ledges.
- Removing or adjusting collision on small props and thin ledges.
Sandbox
- Grappling a Fusion Coil through a Drop Wall will no longer drag the Dropwall in towards the player.
- Bullet decals now appear correctly when firing at surfaces from an odd angle.
- Various power weapons and turrets now fit better in the Razorback’s rear storage area.
- Debris knocked off from a damaged or destroyed vehicles will no longer revert to its pre-damage appearance.
- Power weapons (like the Skewer or Rocket Launcher) will no longer deal extra damage when fired at a vehicle’s windshield.
- Meleeing an enemy and then immediately using the Repulsor against them will now knockback the enemy the expected amount rather than a shorter knockback.
- Boarding the back of an enemy Wraith or Scorpion then planting a grenade will now kill the driver.
- Man Cannons will now alter the trajectory of rockets fired from a Rockethog’s turret.
- After being picked up, the M41 SPNKR is now ready to fire faster. Swapping to the M41 SPNKR, zooming in, and firing is slightly faster as well.
- The Dynamo grenade’s “ticking” sound effect no longer plays continuously if a Dynamo grenade is dealing damage to enemies during a respawn.
- The Grappleshot’s cable now consistently appears to fire from the player’s wrist.
- The Grappleshot will now consistently attach to equipment and grenades.
- Firing a weapon immediately after swapping between equipped weapons will now feel more responsive.
- The Heads-Up Display (HUD) element for hold actions has been improved to better show an active hold’s progress.
- Improved the transition between the third-person animations for clambering and sprinting.
PC
- Improved stability across the entire Halo Infinite experience. Players should expect to see less crashes and hangs, especially on PC.
- If you’re experiencing crashes after updating, please submit a ticket to Halo Support. Key details to include in crash tickets are:
- Step-by-step instructions on what causes the crash. The more specific, the better!
- Confirmation that the console/PC’s operating system (OS) is up-to-date.
- If possible, video or screenshots of the moments leading up to the crash.
- For PC crashes:
- Confirmation that the PC’s graphics drivers are up-to-date.
- Attach an up-to-date DxDiag file. To create a DxDiag file, type “dxdiag” into the Start menu’s search bar, press the Enter key, then click “Save All Information” when the DirectX Diagnostic Tool pops up.
- Include the Problem Report from the Control Panel app. To find this, open the Control Panel and enter “problem reports” in the search bar. Click “View all problem reports” then locate the recent Halo Infinite report. Double click on this Halo Infinite entry then use the “Copy to clipboard” button near the bottom of the window. Finally, paste this text into your ticket’s comments.
- If you’re experiencing crashes after updating, please submit a ticket to Halo Support. Key details to include in crash tickets are:
- Improved Video RAM (VRAM) management and various bug fixes for graphics processing unit (GPU) hangs to improve stability and performance on PC.
- PCs with AMD Integrated Graphics hardware may experience less graphical corruptions.
- AMD Integrated Graphics are below Halo Infinite’s minimum system specifications. Gameplay on this hardware may be functional but is likely not performant.
- Players with some NVIDIA graphics cards will no longer see stretched or distorted models in gameplay.
Settings
- The Field-of-View (FOV) option no longer changes by one point when backing out of the Settings menu.
- More information about changing the FOV setting can be found in the “How to change the FOV setting in Halo Infinite” article.
- The Minimum and Maximum Frame Rate options have been improved to allow for continuous adjustments to Custom values.
- Outer and Inner Trigger Deadzones options have been added in the Controller tab of the Settings menu.
- These options should be adjusted when using a controller with trigger stops. If the trigger stops are active, the default Trigger Deadzones will not allow for actions that require a full trigger press to occur. Affected actions include charging weapons like the Plasma Pistol and Ravager.
Xbox consoles
- On Xbox consoles, narrative sequences will now pause when Halo Infinite is suspended or the Xbox Guide is open.
Multiplayer
Gameplay
- The crouching and clambering sound effects for players using Active Camo will no longer be audible to other players.
- The third-person Shield Recharge sound effect is now quieter than before, so it will give away player locations less often.
- Weapon racks on either side of symmetrical Big Team Battle (BTB) maps will now spawn the same weapon.
- If you spot any asymmetrical Weapon Rack spawns, please submit a ticket or update your existing ticket(s).
- Enemies will not be able to see players who are joining an in-progress multiplayer match before the loading player gains control of their Spartan.
- If you encounter this issue after installing this update, please submit a ticket or update your existing ticket(s).
- Marking the Defend Flag icon in Capture the Flag (CTF) now plays the correct sound effect.
- Improved player collision when meleeing enemies.
- Read more about Season 2’s melee improvements in the Balance Changes section of this Patch Notes article.
- Multiple improvements related to vehicles and server-client synchronization.
- More info about this issue and Halo Infinite’s networking can be found in the “Closer Look: Halo Infinite’s Online Experience” blog on Halo Waypoint.
Visual
- Arm-mounted equipment, like the Grappleshot and Repulsor, no longer appear to float above prosthetic arms.
- The left shoulder pad in the Jorge-052 armor kit now has the correct texture.
- The Neon Screen and Neon Hawk armor effects are now correctly aligned over the player model’s helmet.
- Vehicle models for the M12 Warthog can now be applied to the M15 Razorback and M12R Rockethog.
- Nameplates will no longer be cutoff during a multiplayer match’s intro sequence.
- All player models in a multiplayer match’s intro sequence will now face toward the camera and animate as expected.
- On ultrawide monitors, player models are no longer cutoff during a multiplayer match’s intro sequence.
- Players will no longer experience a black screen while loading into online multiplayer matches.
- First person player models now load in faster when respawning in a multiplayer match.
- Players will no longer spawn underneath the map when loading into a multiplayer match.
- When a control point in Total Control is being captured, the correct team’s color will now always be shown on the Heads-Up Display’s (HUD) capture indicator.
- Site capture banners in Total Control now have a smoother animation.
- Vehicles will now consistently spawn at their intended size.
- A vent box in Aquarius that sometimes flickered in and out of view is now consistently visible.
- Player models should no longer appear stuck in walls, floors, or ceilings.
- If you encounter this issue after installing this update, please submit a ticket or update your existing ticket(s).
- Crosshairs for all weapons now appear the same in solo and splitscreen sessions.
- Shadows no longer appear to flicker for some players in splitscreen multiplayer.
- In 4-player splitscreen, the “Return to the Battlefield” warning overlay now appears on the correct player’s screen.
Menus
- The Post-Game Carnage Report (PGCR) is now blurred when new menus are opened on top of it.
- After completing a Ranked Arena match, the post-match CSR meter now shows the progress made from the completed match rather than the progress made since the last time the game was launched.
- For more details on how Ranked multiplayer system works, review the “Closer Look: Halo Infinite’s Ranked Experience” blog on Halo Waypoint.
- If Halo Infinite is not already running, accepting a game invite on Discord will now consistently launch Halo Infinite.
- When playing splitscreen on an Xbox console, players other than player 1 can now use the Back button to navigate out of the Multiplayer menu.
- Changes to the selected multiplayer Voice in the Spartan ID menu are now consistently reflected in-game.
- The Network Status widget will now always display network connection errors, even when the full widget is disabled. These errors will appear for all players in the top right corner of the screen.
- The full widget can be enabled in the UI section of the Settings menu.
- Automated bans will now provide the ban’s end date and time, as well as a brief description of the behavior that led to the ban.
- For more information about automated bans and Halo Safety’s ban appeal process, visit the “How to File a Ban Appeal” article.
Custom Games
- LAN servers are now more stable when entering consecutive matches in a single session.
- In Custom Games, players will now consistently join the team they are assigned to in the lobby menu.
- Players who switch to the Observer team while setting up a Free-For-All (FFA) Custom Game will now appear as an Observer in the lobby menu rather than a player.
- The Mode Editor menu in the Custom Games lobby now shows all available options when Halo Infinite is launched offline.
Challenges and Medals
- The Skyjack and Grapple-Jack medals are now awarded more consistently when hijacking enemy vehicles with the Grappleshot.
- Hijacking a Banshee with the Grappleshot will now count towards the Grapple-Jack Challenge and other Challenges as expected.
- The Mind the Gap medal now consistently unlocks when its requirements are met, and it is now awarded when repulsing an occupied enemy vehicle off the edge of the map.
Campaign
Menus
- Small black patches or “holes” will no longer appear on the TacMap.
- All MJOLNIR armor lockers are now visible on the TacMap.
- The TacMap now reflects the selected Brightness value.
- Brightness can be adjusted by using the Screen Calibration menu found in the Video tab of the Settings menu.
- When picking up a Skull for the first time, the tutorial pop-up will no longer say that Achievements and saves are disabled while Skulls are active.
- Since Halo Infinite’s launch, both Achievements and Saves have been enabled when Skulls are active.
- When the User Interface (UI) Narration feature is enabled, each mission’s collectibles count will be narrated when the mission’s banner appears on-screen.
- UI Narration can be enabled or adjusted in the Accessibility tab of the Settings menu.
- Players can now unlock equipment upgrades while Linear Navigation is enabled.
- Linear Navigation can be enabled or disabled in the Accessibility tab of the Settings menu.
Gameplay
- The Grappleshot indicator will no longer appear when the Blind Skull is active.
- The Boom Skull, found in the mission Warship Gbraakon, will now appear when scanning the environment.
- The sound effects for the Grunt Birthday Party Skull can now be heard over greater distances.
- On the mission Excavation Site, restarting the game and dying in the Banished’s laser will no longer cause the player to respawn with invincibility.
- The “tank gun” found in the Outpost Tremonious mission is no longer available.
- This change has not removed the tank gun from any existing saves where it has already been picked up.
- Standing on top of a Fusion Coil then grappling it now results in the player picking up the Fusion Coil.
- Improvements to player collision when using the Grappleshot’s First Strike ability.
- A “Saving Progress” message will no longer become stuck on-screen during the campaign’s final cutscene.
Mission Progression
- Multiple progression issues with the Banished outpost Ransom Keep have been addressed.
- If you are unable to progress in Ransom Keep or your completion has reset, please submit a ticket or update your existing ticket(s).
- The bridge in the mission The Road now consistently extends after skipping related dialogue.
- Players will no longer be locked out of the boss fight in the mission The Tower after Fast Traveling away from the mission’s area.
- The mission Warship Gbraakon will now progress normally after quitting during the intro video or restarting the mission during the escape sequence.
- The Thruster ability is now consistently usable after acquiring it in The Conservatory then restarting the mission.
Academy
- Expanded Training Mode Options to allow for more fine-tuning of bot behaviors.
- All match options in Training Mode now have a description.
- The following Weapon Drills have been adjusted so that the third star is easier to attain:
- Needler: Tier 2
- Bulldog: Tier 3
- In Weapon Drills, repetitive “Damage Dealt” messages no longer appear on-screen when attacking bots. Although these messages no longer appear, the score for damage inflicted on bots is still being counted.
- Pausing the game during the intro sequence of a Training Mode session no longer mutes most sound effects.
- A static, inaccurate scoreboard no longer appears when loading a Weapon Drill with the Heads-Up Display (HUD) disabled.
- The HUD can be enabled or disabled in the User Interface (UI) tab of the Settings menu.
- Epic Armor Effects now appear correctly in Academy’s Tutorial.
Accessibility
All options mentioned in this section can be found in the Accessibility tab of the Settings menu.
- When Linear Navigation is enabled, the main menu’s tabs will no longer persist on-screen when in a sub-menu.
- The UI Narration feature will no longer read incoming text chat messages twice.
- The following menus will now be narrated when the User Interface (UI) Narration feature is enabled:
- The in-game menu for purchasing Halo Infinite’s campaign.
- Rank placements in the Profile menu.
- The Season Pass menu.
- The descriptions for the Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech settings have been updated to be more clear.
Theater
- Viewing multiple Theater films in a single session will no longer result in Load Errors.
- If the Load Error message is appearing after this update, confirm that your Xbox account’s Privacy Settings allow you to view content from other players. If so, please submit a ticket to Halo Support or update your existing ticket.
- Changes to the Controls and Event Timeline toggles in the User Interface (UI) tab of the Settings menu are now reflected in Theater mode.
- Changes to the Cycle Camera binding in the Settings menu are now reflected in both Theater and Observer mode.
Achievements
- The “Medic!” Achievement can now be unlocked in the Attrition or Elimination game modes.
- This Achievement will unlock whether the requirements are met in Custom Games and multiplayer matchmaking.
- Further improvements have been made to Achievements that failed to unlock as expected. Players who did not receive an Achievement after completing its requirements should see it unlock after updating and launching Halo Infinite.
- For some Campaign Achievements, players may need to load into Campaign and play for a couple minutes to ensure missing Achievements are unlocked.
- If you are still missing Achievements after this update, please submit a ticket or update your existing ticket(s).
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