Halo head of live performance says the team is going to be more consistent
A big new update for Halo Infinite is out today as Season 3: Echoes Within is now live. The latest Season for Halo has maps, a new mode, a new weapon and piece of equipment, and of course, a new seasonal pass.
First off for Season 3: Echoes Within in Halo Infinite is the new map drop. Two new arena maps, Chasm and Cliffhanger, have been added to the pool. Cliffhanger has a cross-map man cannon, letting you live your most daring lives as a multiplayer Spartan, while Chasm is a smaller space with lots of Forerunner architecture.
Over on the Big Team Battle front is a third new map, dubbed Oasis. In an interview on the Xbox Wire, Halo Infinite head of live performance Sean Baron draws a comparison to Halo 3‘s Standoff. It’s a big map with lanes for vehicle combat, but also indoor space.
That escalated quickly
Halo Infinite also gets its version of the classic “gun game” mode, dubbed Escalation Slayer. Everyone starts with the SPNKR and ends with the Oddball, but in-between, there are 11 total levels of weapons to work through. Whichever team gets the Oddball kill wins. Additionally, the secondary and equipment options change up every time.
On the equipment side, Spartans can use the Shroud Screen, a new piece of equipment that’s like a space-age smoke bomb. And then there’s the M392 Bandit Rifle, a new semi-automatic kinetic weapon. Baron says the team wanted to create something akin to Halo 5‘s Magnum, in terms of timing and damage.
A new Battle Pass and two new Armor Cores are live as well, so there’s more content to complete. It does seem like those sticking with Halo Infinite should find some new goals to chase here, including two free narrative events.
Halo Infinite’s Season 3: Echoes Within is now live!
Get ready to jump into:
🏜️ Oasis (BTB)
🏔️ Cliffhanger (Arena)
🌉 Chasm (Arena)
🦝 M392 Bandit
😶🌫️ Shroud Screen
✨ Customization
📩 100-tier Battle Pass
🔥 and more!️https://t.co/GqKP9eyEec #HaloEchoesWithin pic.twitter.com/VMhVgEDU6s
— Halo (@Halo) March 7, 2023
Consistency
The update cadence for Halo Infinite has been somewhat staggered, as 343 Industries has responded to both shifts in development priorities and personnel shake-ups. With that in mind, the Xbox Wire interview with Baron closes on a note looking forward, specifically in regards to what he calls “seasonality,” or consistency.
“To me, seasonality is really about consistency – we need to be consistent in everything,” Baron said. “I feel very confident with where we’ve gone with Season 3, and I have very strong confidence that we’re going to be able to keep improving that consistency, and avoid, completely, the long seasons of the past. We’re going to be more consistent. We’re going to continue to evolve the game in close partnership with our players. We’re focused on shipping Season 3 and then, as Chief said, we’re ‘[r]eady to get back to work.'”
With recent reports of Halo Infinite development shifting gears again, I’m interested to see what this consistency looks like. Despite the rocky road, I still boot Infinite up every once in a blue moon for some BTB or SWAT, and those multiplayer nights have me hopeful 343 can turn the conversation around.
