Halo Infinite will hold two more multiplayer weekend tests soon, developer 343 Industries revealed recently. The multiplayer tests will take place over two back-to-back weekends starting this Thursday, September 23 and will run until Sunday, September 26. This will be followed up by another multiplayer test scheduled for the following weekend, starting on Thursday, September 30 and will run until Sunday, October 3. Matchmaking will be available at specific time slots.

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In the latest Inside Infinite post, 343 Industries confirmed that a couple of multiplayer preview tests will be hosted over the coming weekends for Halo Infinite. The post goes on to detail several features, modes and unlockables that will be coming to the free-to-play multiplayer title when it launches on December 8 alongside the single-player campaign. These tests will allow them to further polish the multiplayer, pick out and eliminate potential bugs, and run stress tests on servers. However, much of the post is spent on discussing the challenges behind designing the various weapons, armour and cosmetics, while also diving into the game design behind the maps.

The post concluded with the announcement of the multiplayer weekend tests:

WEEKEND 1 (ARENA)

• Thursday evening, September 23:
  • Build becomes available for download Thursday night
  • Training Mode and Weapon Drills are available
• Friday, September 24 @ 10am-2pm & 5pm-9pm PT: Matchmaking available
• Saturday, September 25 @ 10am-2pm & 5pm-9pm PT: Matchmaking available
• Sunday, September 26 @ 10am-2pm & 5pm-9pm PT: Matchmaking available
• Monday, September 27 @ 10am PT: Flight access closes until Weekend 2

WEEKEND 2 (BIG TEAM BATTLE & ARENA)

• Thursday evening, September 30:
  • Flight access turns on
  • Training Mode and Weapon Drills become available
• Friday, October 1 @ 10am-2pm & 5pm-9pm PT: Matchmaking available
• Saturday, October 2 @ 10am-2pm & 5pm-9pm PT: Matchmaking available
• Sunday, October 3 @ 10am-2pm & 5pm-9pm PT: Matchmaking available
• Sunday, October 3 @ 9pm PT: Surveys go out to a portion of Halo Insiders
• Monday, October 4 @ 10am PT: Flight access closes
• Wednesday, October 6 @ 10am PT: Halo Support site closes

In addition to the multiplayer tests rolling out, Inside Infinite also addressed the issues surrounding encouraging players to power through the battle pass-based system currently in place. As it stands, there’s no per-match XP and no separate XP progression system outside of the battle pass at launch. 343 responded to these criticisms, promising to include more progression options outside of the battle pass:

“We have heard community feedback around wanting more progression options including things like ‘match XP’ to feed into the Battle Pass and an entirely separate, incremental system along the lines of earning SR152 in Halo 5: Guardians. xpanding multiplayer progression offerings is something the team is actively exploring, and we look forward to continuing to evolve the experience in future seasons post-launch.”

In case you missed it, Halo Infinite will also receive a limited edition Xbox Series X console that will be available on 15 November. This includes a Halo-branded Xbox Elite V2 controller as well, designed to resemble Master Chief’s iconic Spartan armour.

Source: Inside Infinite

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