343 Industries surprise-launched the multiplayer of Halo Infinite on Monday, and while the reception has been mostly positive, players absolutely hate the battle pass. It seems that 343 is already taking a look at the system and trying to figure out how best to proceed after players’ day-one frustration.
There are multiple reasons that players are angry with Halo Infinite’s battle pass system, and a brief trip through the Halo subreddit will show you quite a few of them. Some feel the system is too slow, requiring multiple hours to finish even the earliest levels of the pass. Others are more frustrated that XP to upgrade the pass can be earned only through challenges (like playing specific modes, completing specific actions, or getting kills with certain weapons), rather than by simply playing games.
Whatever their reasons, players seem to agree that the pass is unsatisfying and the progress is too slow.
This has been our experience with the game, too. After four hours, my premium battle pass is only at level 2. It’s worth noting that I haven’t specifically been going after challenges, in part because some of them call for me to do things that aren’t in the best interest of my team — or because I couldn’t get into the right type of match in the game’s random playlists.
According to 343 Industries community director Brian Jarrard, this is something that the development team is looking into. Jarrard said Tuesday on Twitter that the team is monitoring progression in the Halo Infinite beta and gathering data to help better inform how it moves forward with the battle pass and experience points.
While 343 Industries has taken to calling Halo Infinite’s early release a beta, it is worth noting that the developer is calling that beta’s initial season “season 1” and selling the battle pass for $10 — a fairly standard price for most shooters — rather than referring to it as season 0, or preseason. That said, while the battle pass is an important part of progression and reward in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer component, the rewards are purely cosmetic and don’t change gameplay or provide advantages during matches.
There’s no word yet on what changes the team at 343 Industries could be planning, or when they might arrive. Halo Infinite is expected to get a large patch when the game officially launches on Dec. 8, at the very least. Hopefully, something is in the works for the more immediate future.
Source: Polygon
