343i reveals big changes to Halo Infinite's multiplayer

Today 343 Industries revealed a ton about Halo Infinite's multiplayer. Lots of things are changing from the classic shooter sandbox we know and love, including a lot of modernized tweaks.

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Halo Infinite's free-to-play multiplayer looks fresh, frenetic, and fun. But it's a departure from the Halo we grew up with. The shooter is adding new equipment like the grappling hook that will fundamentally change the flow, scope, and tactical nature of the game. This hook can fling you across the map, grab nearby items, and even grab fusion cores for destructive chaos.

Another big change is how overshields and active camo work. In Halo Infinite these will be equipment-like power ups that go into your inventory, allowing players to activate them when they want. The downside is that if you die without using it, the enemy can pick it up and use it too.

Other changes include new vehicles like the Razorback let you store weapons in them. Yes, really. You can put power weapons and even objectives onto the vehicle. Of course these things are lost to enemies if it gets blown up.

"We're kicking off an experience that's going to evolve month-to-month, season-to-season, year-after-year," Joe Staten said.

Here's a breakdown of the latest Halo Infinite multiplayer info:

Tons of customization

There are "millions" of customization options for Spartans on the battlefield. It looks like there's a color-coded rarity scheme, too. Includes armor coatings, armor emblems, armor effects, and armor pieces.

Players can change their body type, their voice, and for the first time ever, add prosthetic limbs. Gamers can add a custom AI that gives them tips while they play, customize AI's voice and color.

You can also customize weapons and vehicles. There's a SHOP tab, but we don't know what's in it, and we don't know about microtransaction pricing yet (although they will be in the game).

There's lots of opportunities for monetization here but they're all cosmetic.

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Big Team Battle is much crazier than before

343i is going all out with BTB. Expect tons of vehicles dropped off intermittently throughout the battle, air-delivered by Pelicans, and weapons to be randomly dropped throughout the match via airpods. Weapon pods fall from the sky (think ordinance from Reach).

"Vehicles are no longer spawning at bases any more. We have Pelicans delivering them. We have a commander in your ear telling you that these Pelicans are going to be dropping them off."

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New Razorback vehicle, is a cousin to the Warthog

"The back has this kind of multi-storage compartment that you can put power weapons, detached turrets, fusion coils, and objectives."

Beta tests still happening

"Later this summer, we still plan for limited pre-release technical previews with Halo Insiders to help us stress test and improve the game on the road to launch."

Academy training with bots

The Academy is a training mode within multiplayer. It's a good warm up before you head into frenetic PVP matches, lets new players get acclimated with the game. You can even play against bots for more challenge.

The bots also have varying degrees of challenge and can be programmed based on certain parameters, and you can customize loadouts for them too.

What we know about Halo Infinite's multiplayer

• Free-to-play on consoles and PC
• Cross-play, cross-progression
• Will have paid battle passes
• Bunch of new equipment and weapons
• Up to 120FPS on Xbox Series X and PC
• Training mode with bots
• Seasonal content