Prepare for more thrilling FPS and teabagging action as Halo Infinite rolls out Season 5, dubbed ‘Reckoning’. Promising an experience that is both nostalgic and refreshingly new, Season 5’s new trailer is nothing short of spectacular. After stumbling aplenty since launch, it looks like 343 Industries is pulling out all the stops to win back its community.
Season 5 will be more than just new additions; it will be a meticulous reengineering of the Halo experience. The battle pass and event system are undergoing a much needed overhaul, with tiers being streamlined from 100 to a neat 50. As Brian “ske7ch” Jarrard of 343 Industries assures, this is not a reduction but an optimization, ensuring that players net more content with less grinding.
The season introduces the Extraction mode, a reimagined version of the objective-based mode from Halo 4, where teams race against time and each other to extract crates. Many fans have been wishing for other game modes to sink their teeth into, so this should make many Spartans happy.
Coupled with the addition of two new maps, Prism and Forbidden, for the Arena mode, this offers players a gaming environment that is both familiar and excitingly different. Prism, with its cave environment and glowing purple crystals, and Forbidden, reminiscent of Halo 2’s Lockout, are set to offer players a visually and strategically diverse experience.
The appeal of Season 5 doesn’t stop there – we’re getting some spooky cosmetics inspired by the Flood, which is rather seasonally appropriate. Sporting helmets and armor suits adorned with tentacle-like appendages and unsettling skulls, players can now don a menacing look with strong roots in the franchise’s history.
In a nod to the players’ desire for customization, Season 5 allows helmets and armor coating to be equipped across every armor core, giving players the freedom to personalize their gaming avatars to their hearts’ content.
Furthermore, this upcoming season introduces Operations, a new content delivery method that replaces the current events. Operations are free activities launching sporadically throughout the season, each featuring a 20-tier reward track. Players can upgrade an active Operation for 500 Credits, unlocking bonus XP, exclusive cosmetics, and making the Operation permanently available.
For the creators amongst us, the new Forge AI toolkit is a game-changer, allowing the addition of AI characters and the creation of PvE maps. With new objects, palettes, and options at their disposal, creators can now create gaming experiences that are truly their own.
With a history punctuated by delayed and canceled content, 343 Industries has witnessed the once-thriving player base of Microsoft’s flagship live service game dwindle to a steadfast few. Yet, the dawn of Season 5 heralds cautious optimism, underscored by the first uptick in player numbers since the launch of Season 4.
As Season 5 launches on October 17, with its Battle Pass active until November 14, Halo fans will surely be rubbing their hands with glee. Halo Infinite Season Five: Reckoning will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
