Halo Infinite’s campaign is right around the corner, but its excellent free-to-play multiplayer component has been live for some time now. Many have already poured dozens of hours into the game, but if you’re just getting started or haven’t yet found your feet, these handy tips and tricks should hopefully be of some use.
PLAY THE OBJECTIVE
You’d think that something like this would be obvious in a team-based arena shooter like Halo, but there’s no shortage of Halo Infinite players who prefer to play it as an individual game. It doesn’t help, of course, that the challenge-based Battle Pass progression encourages that as well. If you want to do well in match and, most importantly, win them, it’s crucial that you play the objective. Modes like Oddball, Capture the Flag, Total Control, Stockpile, and others all demand cooperation and teamplay, which is something you should always keep in mind.
DON’T RUN OFF ALONE
Keeping with the point about teamplay, this is something else that should be a rule of thumb for any and all Halo Infinite players. More often than not, running off on your own and doing your own thing, but how well you and your team do in a match will be affected by whether or not you’re doing that. In Total Control matches, for instance, it’s best to rush enemy zones together, or form groups of at least three or four while you’re defending your own zone. In Oddball, once a teammate has the ball, you should find a place to hunker down and, together with your other teammates, keep an eye on any entry points. In Capture the Flag and Stockpile, protecting and escorting those who are carrying the flag or power seeds is crucial.
USE EQUIPMENT SMARTLY
Equipment is a crucial part of Halo Infinite’s core gameplay, and making smart use of it can quickly turn the tide of battle. If you get your hands on an Energy Sword and the grappleshot, using them in conjunction can allow you to wipe the floor with the enemy team. If you find yourself needing to quickly reload, it’s a good idea to first drop a Drop Wall in front of you. If you want to stealthily steal an enemy flag in CTF matches, getting your hands on Active Camo can be a huge point in your favour. If you’re in a tight corner and an enemy throws a grenade at you, the Repulsor can literally save your life. Equipment pieces can be used in a variety of ways in different situations, so make sure you use them smartly.
USE WEAPONS SMARTLY
Halo Infinite has a large and robust selection of weapons on offer, and how and where you use them can change based on what situation you find yourself in. For instance, in Total Control matches, it’s often a good idea to perch on a high point and use your Sniper or Battle Rifle to pick off enemies in one of their zones from a distance. Then there’s the Sidekick pistol, which is a jack-of-all-trades kind of weapon that deals quite a lot of damage, is surprisingly accurate, and has quite a bit of range, and quickly swapping to it to finish off a foe if your primary weapon needs to be reloaded is more effective than you’d expect. Something like the Disruptor deals damage to enemies over time, which means you can still score a kill from the grave. Something like the Shock Rifle is excellent for disabling vehicles that would otherwise tear through you. And of course, if you find a bunch of your enemies grouped together, a well-placed grenade can be the deadliest thing in the world.
KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR SHIELDS
This one should go without saying for anyone who has experience with Halo games, but admittedly, it’s easy to forget at times, especially when you’re in the middle of a particularly hectic firefight. Always, always keep an eye on your shields. As soon as your shields are completely popped (which is hard to miss, given the audio and visual cues that go along with that), it’s best to drop everything and instantly find cover (unless you’re like one bullet away from killing an enemy or something). At the same time, your enemies, too, will employ this strategy if they’re playing smartly, so keep that in mind.
JUMP AND STRAFE
This is something that applies to basically any situation in any shooter- jumping around from side to side, strafing, and sliding can make you a hard target to nail, so doing that when you’re in a firefight is always a good idea. Specifically, though, that can be particularly useful in certain modes. For instance, in Capture the Flag or Stockpile, while you’re holding a power seed or carrying the flag, you’re locked out of using your guns, and you’ll also invariably attract the attention of any enemies around you, making you an easy target. In these situations, using the full range of your movement abilities to make yourself a hard target is the best way forward.
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE MELEE ATTACKS
This is a rule of thumb for pretty much any shooter out there, but especially in Halo games, melee attacks have always been a very, very powerful tool. If you find yourself close to an enemy and running out of bullets in your current clip, you can easily finish them off with a melee attack. Melee attacks to enemies that have their backs turned to you, in fact, are even more effective. Meanwhile, combining melee attacks with equipment such as the grappleshot or the Thruster is also quite a useful tactic.
LEARN THE MAPS
Halo Infinite’s maps are brilliantly designed, with each of them offering a surprising amount of variety even within a single map. Different areas of a map encourage and promote different strategies and offer unique advantages, so learning the ins and outs of a map is a great way to gain an edge over an enemy. Knowing beforehand where a power weapon will spawn, or where you can get your hands on plasma grenades, or where you find find a good spot for sniping- these are just a few of the many advantages you can have over your opponents as you become more familiar with the maps. Conveniently enough, the game’s training and tutorial modes allow you to explore maps at your own pace.
TAKE HEADSHOTS AFTER POPPING ENEMY SHIELDS
In Halo Infinite, like in all Halo games, killing enemies is a two-step process- first you pop their energy shields, and then you chip away at their health. As with everything else, there are certain ways to do that better than others. For example, when an enemy is shielded, hip firing is the ideal way to fire off your weapon- as long as your bullets hit your foe, that’s all that counts. Once their shields have popped, however, it’s time to aim down sights and take headshots, because that’s when you’ll be able to do the most damage and quickly deplete their pool of health.
BATTLE PASS
Halo Infinite’s Battle Pass progression has been one of its few sticking points, and though 343 Industries has been making consistent changes and tweaks, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. That said, there are some tricks that you can employ to speed up your progression. Some challenges, for instance, can easily be completed by playing in bot matches. Until a challenge specifies that it has to be completed in PvP, any challenge can also be completed in bot matches.