The holidays are here a little early for Halo Infinite players
343 Industries won’t be waiting until the new year to deck the halls of Halo Infinite with new playlists. The studio confirmed that Halo Infinite will be getting four new playlists tomorrow, Dec. 14, in the form of Slayer, Fiesta, Free-For-All, and Tactical Slayer (a.k.a. SWAT).
Confirmed in a Reddit post from 343’s Brian Jarrard, all four will go live via a service update on Tuesday, Dec. 14.
The team had previously said it would be working towards SWAT, Fiesta, and FFA before the year was out, with Social Slayer sometime later on. Jarrard notes that the original plans for Slayer included several new variants that weren’t ready for deployment before the holiday break. However, to address player feedback, the team is putting out a “basic” Slayer offering to start, and will bolster and expand it in the future.
This update for Halo Infinite will also include some adjustments to challenges, including removing some frustrating mode-specific challenges and reducing requirements for others. New challenges specific to the new playlists will also be arriving.
Of special interest will be one new category that’s based on accumulating player score. This one is a step towards, as Jarrard phrases it, “performance-based XP.” Those eager to have their XP reflect their K/D/A will probably be happy with that. (And if you’re not, well, you can always stock up on some Chipotle.)
The update concludes with a note that 343’s aware of, and investigating, some issues with Big Team Battle in Halo Infinite over the last few days. They’re also looking over Ranked and feedback there too.
It’s a pleasant surprise to have these playlists land in Halo Infinite before the holidays, and with Slayer in tow too. While I’ve been pretty content with basic matchmaking and Big Team Battle, a few extra options in Halo Infinite will likely help players play more of what they want to play.
Halo Infinite took home the audience award at The Game Awards last week, so it seems players—or at least those who vote in the Game Awards—are happy with it.
