Halo Infinite recently transitioned from a traditional season-based model to a structure that sees smaller, more frequent updates deployed by 313i. Today, the team shared a preview of the next update coming to Halo Infinite, which is set to improve matchmaking, networking, anti-cheat, and some weapon and mode balancing. This welcome change arrives on March 19, overhauling some aspects of the game that are still bothering fans more than two years after the game was released.

Right now, fans of the Halo esports ecosystem are preparing to tune in to the HCS Arlington Major. It kicks off today and will run through the weekend, boasting a $250,000 prize pool. There are also five qualification spots up for grabs, with the top-most teams getting a ticket to the London Major in May.

‘Biggest Community Requests’

In a blog post published to the Halo Waypoint site earlier today, it was revealed that much of the March update for Halo Infinite is driven by community feedback.

At the top of the table sits a networking overhaul that has been designed to improve the game’s general online experience. This will combat desynchronising, hit registration, and more consistency in stability and performance. Alongside a networking overhaul sits a change to the game’s anti-cheat systems. It was confirmed by 343 Industries that Easy Anti-Cheat will be added to Halo Infinite from next week:

‘Easy Anti-Cheat is a tool that monitors players’ game files while they’re playing Halo Infinite to ensure the integrity of each match and combat cheating. With the March Update, our detection and enforcement capabilities will be enhanced, greatly improving the game’s overall security and our ability to respond to cheaters.’

Squad Battle has been refreshed and optimised, and several weapons have been ‘tuned’. For instance, the M392 Bandit now has a faster reload speed, the Heatwave has had its aim assist mechanics tweaked, and the Plasma Pistol has a decreased rate of fire and faster overheating. There will also be a ‘Firefight Custom’ mode added to the game that’ll offer a wide variety of objectives for gamers to explore.

As is typical with these updates, 343 Industries is also introducing a series of quality-of-life improvements, changes to the Forge, and ‘a plethora of crash fixes’. It’s not a bad update all around, to be honest.

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