In Halo Infinite, you only earn experience points (XP) toward the Battle Pass by completing challenges. The bigger issue is how much of a drag it is to actually level up that Battle Pass. Uninspiring cosmetics are only part of the problem, though. That's a problem 343 should be thinking about as it looks to the next Battle Pass. But the premium track for this first Battle Pass, which costs about $10, doesn't seem like a great buy just because of how boring the unlocks are.
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There's also a free track to the Battle Pass that gets you an even smaller pile of stuff. For every cool helmet or visual effect that makes it look like your armor is on fire, there are scores of slightly different color schemes or visually similar armor attachments. Each level only nets you a couple of items - there are 166 awards in total, spread across 100 levels - and much of what you get isn't terribly exciting. The troubles for 343 start with what's available Infinite's first Battle Pass. The free-to-play pitch in 'Halo Infinite' starts with a Battle Pass - a concept that should be familiar to fans of games like 'Fortnite'. As they play PvP and level up, they unlock cosmetic items that can be equipped to change the look of their profile and their in-game space marine's armor.
Just like in Epic's hit battle royale, Halo's Battle Pass gives players something to reach for. Halo Infinite's free-to-play pitch starts with a Battle Pass - a concept that should be familiar to fans of games like Fortnite. Free-to-play games generate their own kind of income, and the process of turning Halo into something like that means that 343 needed to follow the examples set by other successful games. The free side of the game still required an investment of time and money from Microsoft, which owns 343. That kind of change has a ripple effect, though. But Halo is also a favorite among people who enjoy the thrills of competing against other players online, and there's no up-front cost for that anymore. 8 release is still a $60 game with a story that finds Master Chief, longtime hero of the series, facing off against a new alien threat to humankind's existence.
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This PvP side of the game features one significant change for the series in particular: It's entirely free to play. 15 with a surprise release of the new Halo's competitive multiplayer mode. But Microsoft and developer 343 Industries surprised fans on Nov. It's still early days for Infinite, which technically launches on Dec.
For some fans, it doesn't matter that Halo Infinite "lives up to sky-high expectations." The unlocks simply aren't coming fast enough.