I Wish Experience Points In Halo Infinite Meant Something

The battle pass and progression system in Halo Infinite need some serious work.

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Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is excellent, although in its beta state the game is still missing a few things. It has a battle pass, several maps, and plenty of modes – but the act of progression currently moves at a snail’s pace, even for a free-to-play experience that everyone is able to jump into. I want it to be faster, and I want my performance to mean something.

I’ve poured several hours into the game since its surprise launch earlier this week, and have only managed to progress two whole levels in the battle pass. There’s no bespoke rank for your character, with all of the cosmetic and mechanical spoils being found in the free or premium variants of its seasonal pass. Having a battle pass be the sole focus of progression is perfectly fine, and many games take this approach, yet Halo Infinite relies on challenges in a way that is borderline detrimental. Go after those or you’re shit out of luck.

Gunplay is fast and chaotic, but as each match concludes you return to the lobby to see your experience bar fill up an inch or two before diving into the fray all over again. Unlike Call of Duty or Fortnite, the serotonin that comes with pushing forward is painfully slow and I’m failing to understand why. The battle pass can only be conquered by completing daily and weekly challenges which cycle out on a regular basis. This can involve playing a certain number of matches, blowing up a Warthog, or achieving several kills with a single weapon. It’s simple stuff, but it’s also the only way to earn battle pass levels from what I can see.

Challenges reward you with experience points, and these are required to climb the ranks. Your performance in matches and medals earned seem superfluous, despite having a numbered value applied to them for each action. I’m fine with this not adding to the battle pass, the game is free-to-play after all, but a set amount of experience for winning or completing a match wouldn’t be the end of the world right? It would certainly encourage me to keep playing, instead of having to adjust my playstyle to fit challenges I have no interest in completing.

The whole thing just feels lightweight right now, and failing to reward me for my sick skills can make it feel like the game doesn’t care that I’m good – it would rather I abide by a progression model that already feels outdated. It’s slow and boring, and the cosmetics themselves aren’t nearly exciting enough to justify the grind. I’ll earn them by playing regardless, but why not copy Apex Legends or Fortnite and introduce unique challenges – maybe like the older Call of Duty titles where certain rewards are unlocked by dedicating time to specific weapons or gadgets. This doesn’t even need to broach upon the battle pass, it can be an individual avenue of progression that compliments what we already have.

343 Industries’ free-to-play model likely forced it to adjust the economy of Halo Infinite, providing only a subtle breadcrumb trail of rewards so players are eager to pick up the battle pass. The thing is that I’ve done just that and I don’t feel like I’m having a better time, many of my matches slowly being dictated by a specific grind that robs Halo of the joy it is otherwise so wonderful at expressing. I believe the existing model can remain, it just needs to be enhanced, or adjusted so satisfaction comes from every aspect of the experience instead of being cynically mined from a single source.

Halo Infinite is amazing, but I hope the few weeks remaining until its full release will give 343 Industries time to balance things out, since right now I don’t think the multiplayer progression is in a place that will keep me playing for months on end. It needs something more.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/halo-infinite-multiplayer-experience-battle-pass-progression/