Since the game’s surprise release on the 20th anniversary of Xbox,Halo Infinite’s multiplayer beta has seen largely positive reception from fans and critics. Citing excellent gameplay, a solid starting selection of modes and maps available in ranked/unranked modes, players have been enjoying the latest foray of Spartans duking it out against one another. However, outside of all the praise that the multiplayer beta has received from new and returning fans, there is one pain point that all fans are apparently toting as the sole major downside of multiplayer so far: The Battle Pass system, and more recently, the rewards for limited-time modes.
The first LTM forHalo Infinite, the “Fracture: Tenrai” event, began this week. Along with 343 Industries showing its hand in how the developer will implement exclusive eventsmoving forward, Fracture: Tenrai is also (potentially) a hint of what kind of content will come with future limited-time modes and special events. So far, the content itself has been well-received, but the method of acquiring the new samurai-inspired armor has basically disappointed all players. This is the first timeHalomultiplayer is utilizing a free-to-play structure, so there was bound to be some hiccups along the way, butInfinite’s Battle Pass has been almost universally lambasted by fans.
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Why Halo Infinite Battle Pass Progression is a Slog
Progressing the Battle Pass inHalo Infinitewas initially very slow-going: Experience for Battle Pass levels is earned solely through challenges, and while there were some easy ones like match completion, others could be very difficult or unorthodox ways of taking down enemies or completing objectives. GrantedHalohas always been about emphasizing encounter variety, with its variety of unique weapons, explosives, and equipment, but never about particularly forcing players to playHaloa certain way. Constraining Battle Pass XP just to challenges ended up doing just that; players had to complete niche objectives that oftentimes detracted from any form of team play.
Halo Infinite’s Fracture: Tenrai implemented a separate track of Battle Pass progression specifically for the LTM, and while the challenges are comparatively less polarizing, the implementation is not that much better than the standardInfiniteBattle Pass. Considering the main mode for Fracture: Tenrai is simply Fiesta Slayer, challenges are a lot more straightforward,like achieving a Killing Spreeor earning multiple Double Kill medals during matches. However, even though these challenges apply to a separate track of Battle Pass progression, they are still randomly slotted into the four available daily slots for challenges, taking space away from separate standard Battle Pass challenges.
Overall, the main complaint weighed againstHalo Infinite’s Battle Pass is that progression seems so nominalthat players aren’t feeling rewarded for their playtime, regardless of whether or not they’re hard-lining challenges or just playing for fun. The root of the issue stems from challenge-oriented progression, especially when match completion only nets players a measly 50 XP without XP boosts. A similar complaint is weighed against the Fracture: Tenrai event as well, which is further excacerbated by the fact thatInfinite’s first LTM is spread across three weeks in three separate months. Progression is a slog, but the challenge system itself isn’t inherently the problem.
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Infinite’s Battle Pass Doesn’t Require A Total Overhaul
Perhaps what’s most fascinating about the implementation of the Battle Pass andFracture: Tenrai Battle Pass inHalo Infiniteis that the solution to progression concerns seems fairly simple, at least on paper. Even Joseph Staten, Head of Creative at 343 Industries, was encouraging about implementing potential changes to Battle Pass progression inHalo Infiniterelatively soon:
“When we look at things like challenges and which challenges are working, which challenges aren’t working, how people are progressing match-to-match inside the battle pass… those are all things that are smaller rocks that we’re able to move pretty easily. We can adjust those things relatively quickly.”
The challenge progression system isnot inherently the problem withHalo Infinite’s Battle Pass, rather it’s the way it’s executed in the multiplayer beta currently. At the moment, players can only work towards four daily challenges at the same time. There’s very little degree of player choice outside of rolling for a new challenge with a Challenge Swap token, which is also randomized. Certain challenges may not be suited for certain players' playstyles, and at leastHalo Infiniteis offering the choice at all to essentially re-negotiate daily challenges, but even that’s still problematic.
The better alternative to fixing issues with progression would be to eliminate the limited four-only challenge queue entirely, or at least increase the queue capacity to some degree. Limiting progression to four randomly-selected daily challenges isn’t doing favors for any players. Even if the same challenge-swapping system is still retained inHalo Infinite’s full release, players shouldn’t have to feel like they need to focus their efforts solely on a few very specific challenges at a time. This is especially true when there’s the potential for players to complete the prerequisites for certain challenges, only to find out that challenge’s stats are not being currently tracked.
Theoretically, players would still utilize Challenge Swap tokens on daily challenges if the pool of tracked challenges is greater (or infinite), because not every challenge is going to be suitable for every player inHalo Infinite. Players who don’t enjoy using the Disruptor likely will swap any challenge that involves that pistol, or any number of other nicheHalo Infiniteweapons that require specific skills. The existing system of challenge progression has bones that could still work forHalo Infinite’s future as a free-to-play multiplayer shooter. However, as it is implemented currently, progression is a slog that prolongs the process of unlocking sweet customization options for Spartans.
Halo Infinite’s multiplayer beta is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with the full game releasing on Jul 09, 2025.
