Halo Infinite's much-needed multiplayer XP rework coming next week and more

Halo Infinite’s long-awaited Winter Update rolls out to all players on November 8th, and 343 Industries has now revealed the update will introduce various buffs and nerfs to several weapons and XP improvements.

As detailed in a lengthy blog post, Halo Infinite’s Winter Update, which adds campaign co-op, mission replay, Forge, and new achievements, will also bring tweaks to both underperforming and overperforming weapons in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer.

In a new Halo Waypoint article, the team explains how the new XP system coming to Halo Infinite in next week’s Winter Update will work. Dubbed “Match XP,” the revised system will move the majority of XP into play and performance rewards, with Challenges set to offer small XP bonuses and unlockables such as cosmetics rather than the lion’s share of progression they offer currently.

In the example offered, one match rewarded 150XP just for completion, along with three 50XP performance rewards for a total of 300XP from a single match — more than many Challenges offer, even in this one example that also shows bonuses of 200XP and 250XP for specific weapon kill goals. However, we are reminded that “the values when the Winter Update launches will not be final, and you can expect to see them tuned up or down to provide an enhanced earn rate.”

Still, this should make Season Pass progression considerably more fluid and rewarding, especially since it will allow for constant progress across all playlists rather than being forced to play whatever your assigned Challenges dictate. Challenges will now be playlist agnostic, so no more needing to jump into modes you don’t want to play, meaning that “a Fireteam of friends can stick together and move through their Weekly Challenges and Battle Passes without needing to worry about each player’s individual challenges.” The team goes on to tease an overarching Career Progression system in the works, adding that “the Winter Update is just the beginning of broader changes to come.”

It’s great to see progression finally getting this much-needed overhaul, since Halo Infinite’s moment-to-moment gameplay in the free-to-play multiplayer mode is superb — up there with the best free Xbox games in the shooter space — but progression and lack of content have been holding it back. With the first issue (hopefully) addressed as of next week’s update, here’s hoping 343 can back it up with a steady flow of new stuff to keep the game fresh as it approaches its first anniversary.

The Plasma Pistol, Pulse Carbine, VK78 Commando, BR75, Frag Grenade, and Disruptor are all receiving changes with the update. The Plasma Pistol and Disruptor are being buffed, while the VK78 Commando and Pulse Carbine will have their short-range performance improved. As for nerfs, the BR75 and Frag Grenade are on the receiving end of downgrades. Here are the changes in full:

Halo Infinite weapon balance changes

Plasma Pistol

  • Increased base shot damage from 20 to 28
  • Increased charge shot angular velocity from 20 to 35 degrees per second
  • Increased charged shot guided angular velocity at rest from 50 to 70 degrees per second

Pulse Carbine

  • Increased guided angular velocity at rest from 25 to 35 degrees per second
  • Decreased angular velocity from 50 to 30 degrees per second
  • Increased targeted leading fraction from 0.35 to 1
  • Increased guided projectile error radius from 0.2 to 0.22 degrees

VK78 Commando

  • Increased Headshot Prioritization Angle from 0 to 0.1 degrees
  • Increased Bullet Magnetism Angle from 1.25 to 1.3 degrees
  • Increased Aim Assist Angle from 5 to 6.25 degrees
  • Decreased minimum error angle max from 0.8 to 0.6 degrees

BR75

  • Headshot Prioritization Angle reduced from 0.25 to 0.2 degrees
  • Bullet Magnetism Angle reduced from 2.4 to 2.2 degrees
  • Bullet Magnetism Range reduced from 20wus to 18wus
  • Bullet Magnetism Falloff Range reduced from 12wus to 10wus

Frag Grenade

  • Increased detonation timer by 0.2 seconds

Disruptor

  • Increased magazine ammo count from 10 to 12

343 will also be removing a bug that allowed for “snap sliding” as it “allows players to make jumps that could truly break the game flow.”

The blog post also discusses future changes coming to Halo Infinite, including desync improvements, further balance changes, and more. Unfortunately, these will not be coming with the Winter Update on November 8th.

@HaloPlayers

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