Patch for Halo Infinite’s team battle fixes almost nothing

By Otto Kratky Published January 20, 2022

A hotfix rolled out for Halo Infinite on January 19 with the intention of fixing the game’s malfunctioning big team battle game mode. According to Halo community director Brian Jarrard, the patch accomplished almost nothing, with matchmaking issues still present in the classic multiplayer mode.

Well, damn… today's BTB hotfix does not appear to be the outcome we expected. There are minor improvements, but overall matchmaking issues are still occurring. Thanks to the folks who have been working hard and we're sorry this didn't quite get the job done. Work continues. https://t.co/lKiFibBDtT

— Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch) January 19, 2022

Halo Infinite‘s iteration of big team battle has been riddled with issues since the game’s launch in December. While it worked without a hitch initially, the game mode has been broken in recent weeks, with players unable to matchmake into a game. The game’s latest hotfix was meant to fix these issues, but ended up accomplishing the bare minimum.

Recommended Videos

In a post on Halo Waypoint, Jarrard wrote that the hotfix “did not fully resolve the BTB matchmaking problems,” and that 343 Industries “is continuing to investigate and while we believe there may be some minor improvements, matchmaking is still not working as expected.” As an apology for previous issues with big team battle, 343 Industries is giving every player who logs into the game between now and February 16 five XP boots and five challenge swaps.

For Halo Infinite, a full game mode being unplayable is one of many complaints players have. When the game initially launched, players pointed out that the progression system was painfully slow, and that challenges didn’t pay out nearly enough XP to level up in an exciting way. While those complaints have been addressed with a challenge overhaul, the game is still missing other core features.

Halo Infinite is still without two essential Halo game modes: forge and campaign co-op. Both features are planned to launch in 2022 along with the game’s multiplayer seasons. Campaign co-op is slated to arrive with the game’s second season while forge is meant to be added in with the game’s third season.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…

Gaming

Halo Infinite co-op will not include online matchmaking

Two Spartans side by side in Halo Infinite.

The upcoming cooperative mode for Halo Infinite won't include online matchmaking. Players assumed this feature was lacking due to co-op being in beta, but it turns out, online matchmaking won't be available when the mode launches in full later this year.

This news comes by way of an Xbox representative, who told GamesRadar you'll have to team up with friends to play Halo Infinite cooperatively.

Gaming

How to use the Mangler in Halo Infinite

Spartan firing a Mangler.

One of the most appealing parts of the Halo franchise has always been the weapons. Ever since that original title back on the OG Xbox, we've been treated to not only new takes on what future pistols, rifles, shotguns, and snipers will look like, but also a host of alien weaponry with entirely different use cases. Halo Infinite brings back many favorites from the past but also mixes in a good amount of brand-new tools of destruction to test on the battlefield.

The Mangler is a new Banished weapon that is somewhat similar to Halo 3's Mauler in design. This Brute pistol looks massive, even in the hands of a Spartan, and has the power to match. However, no gun is without its downsides, and treating it like a Mauler, which was essentially a weaker shotgun, will only get you killed. On the other hand, this hand cannon is quite deadly if treated right. If you want to master the Mangler to rack up kills online, here's the best way to use it in Halo Infinite.

Gaming

One year after relaunch, Splitgate embraces its Halo Infinite rivalry

Splitgate characters fighting one another

In our current age of live service games, it's not unusual for an online multiplayer to radically evolve through updates. Fortnite, for instance, is a chimera that continues to turn itself inside out every few months. What is unusual, however, is for a game to launch, fail, and completely relaunch as a massive success years later. That’s exactly what happened with Spligate one year ago.

The multiplayer shooter, succinctly described as “Halo meets Portal,” launched to middling reviews and a low player base in 2019. While most studios may have cut their losses and moved on, developer 1047 Games decided to double down. The then-small team would spend two years improving the game and relaunch it in summer 2021, almost branding it as a new game entirely. The commitment paid off, as Splitgate suddenly picked up over 600,000 downloads in its first week and landed on game of the year lists come December.