Following nearly five months of minimal content, Halo Infinite multiplayer’s season 2 will be launching on may 3rd. This update will feature new customization options, two maps, and hopefully a large packet of bug fixes. While new content is welcomed to the game, season 2 will be a relatively small push if 343 industries wants Halo to reclaim its spot as the best first-person shooter on the market.
Let's talk about the maps
If you’ve played your fair share of Halo Infinite, then you know that the lack of maps is becoming a headache. What’s there is decent, but the problem is that there isn’t much at all. Infinite launched with ten maps, three of which being exclusive to the big team battle mode. That is not an impressive number especially when you consider that the game was in development for approximately six years. However, the past is out of our control so lets take a look at the maps being added in the near future:
Catalyst: The forerunner map fans have been begging for
Catalyst offers a well-blended mixture of the ancient forerunner aesthetic and overgrown plant life. A breath of fresh air in comparison to other many other maps present in recent Halo games. A notable complaint against 343i is that they have favored grounded map design that relies on less interesting human facilities as the standard. Catalyst points back to the Bungie era with beautiful and awe-inspiring features. Several waterfalls and sentinels moving through the wide canyon underneath will be the highlight of this map.
Breaker: a junkyard full of fiery surprises
With a taste of variety, Breaker includes a scenery that is much different to that of Catalyst’s. Players will essentially be gunning down enemies and dodging laser cutters in a Banished junkyard. On top of that, there seems to be a stream of lava flowing through the map with ramps placed to cross it. If there was a Mad Max crossover with Halo, this would be it. Breaker will be the more fast-paced and chaotic addition to Halo’s multiplayer.
Theme: Lone wolves
Most fans had no clue about what direction 343i would going for the season two’s theme. Thus, “Lone Wolves” was a surprising choice for most, but a very solid one. This season’s customization will shed light on more individual looking armor choices. Halo’s lone wolf spartans such as Noble Six were known for operating alone and using whatever they can to have an advantage over the enemy. This can be characterized by asymmetrical shoulder pads and personalized color schemes. There will be much more options to look forward to with next season’s fresh amor core.
Final thoughts
Season two is guaranteed to increase Halo Infinite’s player count, but for how long? The two new maps are promising for the game’s replayability, but might not be enough. Fans hope to see many improvement to the new battle pass system which has been a weak point for infinite. Ultimately, the effectiveness of the bug fixes coming on May 3rd will make or break this huge update. Season two will be perceived poorly if Halo Infinite is still plagued with game-breaking issues.