Summary
Fans have criticized 343 Industries’ decision to hike the prices of microtransactions inHalo Infinite’sin-game shop. Season 05 has brought new flood-themed armor kits and coatings to the game, all at an additional cost.
After a troubled launch and plummeting player count,Halo Infinitehas experienced a return to the good graces of its gamers. With a thriving custom games browser and far more game types for players to choose from,Infinitehas finally found its feet. In recent seasons, the developers addressed many of the long-standing complaints from theHalocommunity, lowering the price of items in the store and adding cross-core customization for helmets and visor colors.
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Season 05: Reckoninglaunched on October 17, bringing two new maps, a reimagining ofHalo 4’s Extraction mode, and impressive new flood-themed armor kits. However, these new cosmetic bundles come at a premium, as 343 Industries has increased the prices of shop items. For instance, the featured “Transgressor” bundle, which includes one flood-infected armor kit and a color scheme usable on all cores, currently costs 2200 credits – around $20.00. Disgruntled fans have flocked to social media to voice their frustration at the price hike. “Halo Infinite’s shop prices for S5 have been very disappointing,” saidHalofan XLR8 on Twitter, “lots of stuff simply isn’t worth the price.”
Brian “ske7ch” Jarrard, 343’s community director, replied to XLR8 on Twitter, stating that “prices on many offers have changed in conjunction with multi-core functionality being added to customization content.” This highlights acontroversial aspect ofHaloInfinite’s customization. Each new season has brought with it a new armor core with a distinct aesthetic. Until recently, individual pieces of armor were not cross-core compatible, meaning that players’ options for creating their dream Spartan were limited compared to previous games in the franchise.
With Season 05’s addition of cross-core customization, 343 appears to be justifying the price hike by the fact that items purchased will be available to use on all armor cores. To some extent, this seems justified as developers will have more work to do to make each piece compatible with each core. Many fans do like the look of the new cosmetics, and more items are constantly being added to the game, such asMaster Chief’s upcomingCombat Evolvedarmor. However, only helmets, visors and armor coatings are currently compatible with all cores, and to many in the fanbase this price hike has served to undo much of the goodwill and trust that 343 only recently regained.
Even though many players are not happy with the state ofHalo Infinite’sshop, the game is still enjoying its highest player count in months. This is partially due to Forge,Halo’s impressive in-game map editor,and the new AI toolkit introduced in Season 05 which allows gamers to create their own versions of the fan-favorite ‘Firefight’ mode first seen inHalo 3:ODST.
Halo Infinite
WHERE TO PLAY
When all hope is lost and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he’s ever faced. Step inside the armor of humanity’s greatest hero to experience an epic open-world adventure and explore the massive scale of the Halo ring.With Network Campaign Co-Op and Mission Replay, you can relive your favorite moments, rediscover collectibles and explore the wonders of Zeta Halo on your own or with up to three other fireteam members.Experience Halo’s celebrated multiplayer reimagined and free-to-play! With over 70 maps in matchmaking, billions of customization configurations, and countless community Forge creations to experience, Halo Infinite is the franchise’s most expansive multiplayer offering to date.Enjoy an unprecedented variety of gameplay experiences, ranging from fast-paced intense ranked modes to whimsical mayhem in Custom Games, or even co-operative coordination in the wave-based survival mode Firefight: King of the Hill. Assemble your Fireteam and conquer every mode – Halo offers endless opportunities for teamwork, strategy, and unforgettable victories.
