To infinity and beyond – Halo Infinite multiplayer revealed, along with new story trailer

During Xbox’s E3 conference, 343 Industries revealed Halo Infinite’s new multiplayer mode as well as a story trailer. Both can be seen below, and there is a lot to unpack here.

First, let’s talk about the multiplayer. Multiplayer is coming to Xbox and PC as a free to play experience regardless of whether players purchase the campaign experience. This is a first for Halo, and it will be interesting to see how much this choice boosts the player population on release. The multiplayer gameplay itself looks like a hybrid between Halo 5’s fast-paced combat and that of Halo 3. Like the campaign, the grapple will be of utmost importance in  traversal, picking up weapons from afar, and for wrestling vehicles away from enemies. Returning from Halo 3, are pick-up abilities that change the game for players in major ways. Showcased in the trailer, are the Threat Sensor and the Repulsor. The Threat Sensor periodically pulses and highlights enemy players within its area of effect, while the Repulsor deflects enemy projectiles when used. The Repulsor looks like a fun skill-based addition to the game that could allow for some awesome counterplay.

For players that want to hone their skills, Halo Infinite introduces the Academy, a place where Spartans can train with all the weapons in the game in the firing range or fight against AI-controlled bots in customizable skirmishes. Bots can be equipped with various skill levels and also be used in Custom Games.

From Halo Waypoint

At the core of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer offering is the Arena, which once again pits two teams of four Spartans against each other in a variety of new and returning modes. Halo’s Arena has and continues to be defined by fair starts and teams working closely to control key areas of a map while utilizing the sandbox in the most impactful manner. Scavenging also remains a key component – players will strategically work together to acquire newly spawned weapons off a rack or take down an opponent to loot their equipment and use it against them. Remember your Academy training, jump into battle, and revel in the accolades of legendary multiplayer announcer Jeff Steitzer.

When Halo Infinite releases this holiday, it will also usher in the long-awaited return of Big Team Battle. This classic series stalwart is back, but bigger and better than ever, supporting 24 players on large vehicle-friendly maps tapping into the full extent of the sandbox. BTB is the epitome of the Halo experience and the ultimate Spartan battle fantasy with Pelicans swooping in to deploy fresh vehicles, weapon ordnance dropping from the sky, and tactical updates from Commander Laurette. Big Team Battle is the wild, raucous, fun social experience that cranks everything up to 11 and we’ll be sharing more details later this summer.

In addition to Ranked and Social matchmaking playlists, players will also experience limited-time seasonal events with special rewards on the line. Console and PC players will play together via crossplay while support for cross-progression means you can move freely from one platform to the other and keep working on your Spartan’s journey. Xbox Series X owners will also enjoy up to 120FPS on supported hardware and PC players will have a wide variety of configurable settings spanning framerate to graphics to key binds and more. Of course, online isn’t the only way to enjoy multiplayer – Halo Infinite will also support splitscreen on Xbox and LAN play via a PC local server.

Each season of Halo Infinite will feature a new collection of customization pieces to personalize your Spartan. These will be earnable through gameplay, challenges, events or purchase, and there will be no loot boxes or elements of chance when it comes to curating your look.

Though the story trailer is pretty short, it looks like Halo Infinite will provide a story that centers on the Master Chief and Cortana, something that is sure to please fans of the series. Master Chief and Cortana’s banter and relationship have always been the heart of the story, so it will be interesting to see how things play out with Cortana 2.0.

For more Halo coverage and gaming news, stay tuned to Gaming Trend!

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