Halo Infinite's Winter Contingency III operation now live

Halo Infinite's new holiday-themed update is now live, brings a new free 20-tier battle pass.

It's Christmas time, and that means snow is falling, millions of people are wrapping presents, and Winter Contingency is back in Halo Infinite.

The new seasonal event features a 20-tier free battle pass with a multitude of rewards, including the Winterknight legendary helmet and the Frost Glaze epic visor effect. Other rewards include 4x XP boosters, 3x color effects, and various Mark VII armor pieces (except for the endcap level 20 unlocks, which are multi-core).

343 also updated their playlists, putting in an experimental 8v8 PVP multiplayer playlist alongside King of the Hill Firefight Legendary. This last mode is extremely unforgiving and not really advisable if you want to have a bunch of fun, but if you need a challenge, this is for you.

Gamers can also choose to buy a $5 battle pass, which includes a bonus shader that makes the operation permanent as well as boosting XP and an extra challenge slot. There's also a $20 battle pass, as per usual, that unlocks the full operation in one go.

Deck the halls with Spartan Santas! The Santa's Little Helper bundle is available in Halo Infinite's Shop, featuring the following items:

• Stocking Stuffer MK50 Sidekick, Slay Bells BR75, & Holiday Cheer M41 SPNKr weapon models
• Santa's Little Helper, Good Morning, Payment Due, & Krampus Coat weapon coatings
• Yule Kick, Blood Jumper, & Hearth Fire armor coatings
• Gifted Step mythic armor effect set
• Winter Step & Winter Lights armor effects
• Chill Out kill effect
• Snowballer weapon charm
• Kaleidobolt, Kaleidoshot, and Kaleidochip nameplate & emblems