Halo Infinite has been on a steady trajectory upward throughout the course of 2023, and that positive progress has hit a new peak with the release of season five, Reckoning, which is now live as of Oct. 17. It’s the title’s biggest content drop yet, introducing reimagined legacy game modes, new maps, and a suite of new cosmetics and quality-of-life updates.
Unlike previous seasons, which featured a new Arena and BTB map, season five of Infinite introduces two new Arena maps exclusively. Forbidden brings players back to Delta Halo from Halo 2, offering a symmetrical and competitive experience amidst Forerunner ruins that will be immediately available as part of the ranked map pool. The other map, Prism, is an asymmetrical map that takes place inside a mine where Needler crystals are harvested. That’s an important facet to take note of, as those crystals can be destroyed or thrown to create an environmental hazard of deadly pink mist.
Halo players will also have plenty of new experiences on existing maps to uncover thanks to the reintroduction of the Extraction game mode from Halo 4. Set to become part of both casual and competitive play, Extraction has players arm and defend Extraction Sites across the map to score points. It’s a more strategic take on King of the Hill, where a team will need to be able to hold a location for the full Extraction cycle without allowing the enemy team to convert the Extraction Device to their side and reset the timer.
If Spartan fashion is more your forte, season five’s battle pass comes packed with Flood-themed cosmetics as well as a few refurbished pieces of fan-favorite armor from previous titles. The battle pass has also been cut down from 100 tiers to just 50. The amount of content players are getting is still about the same as before, but the rewards have been condensed so each tier is giving you more than they did previously.
Those keeping an eye on the esports scene will also notice a dramatic shift has taken place when it comes to competitive loadouts as well. The Bandit Evo, a new variant of the Bandit rifle with a scope and enhanced accuracy, is replacing the Battle Rifle as the starting weapon for ranked and HCS tournaments going forward. Halo’s pro scene has been long asking for the Battle Rifle to be traded out in favor of a weapon with a higher skill gap, and the Bandit Evo is trying to do just that.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, casual players and Forge creators will be most looking forward to the arrival of an AI toolkit for Infinite’s Forge mode. This will allow players to spawn in a variety of enemy and ally types directly from Halo Infinite’s campaign with a myriad of scripting options to craft all manner of PvE and PvPvE experiences. It sets the stage perfectly for Firefight’s triumphant return, which is slated to drop mid-season five to become Halo Infinite’s first dedicated PvE multiplayer playlist.
All this comes on top of new Forge canvases, the ability to earn battle pass XP in custom games, a rework to the main menu UI, dozens of bug fixes, and the new ‘Operations’ set to come out later in the season. Halo fans have a lot to sink their teeth into.
Halo Infinite season five, Reckoning, is now live across all platforms as of Oct. 17, with its first Operation—Combined Arms—scheduled to drop on Nov. 14.
