What you need to know
- A surprise Halo Infinite update has arrived, kicking off a new free event called Noble Intention and adding a new Forge playlist to matchmaking.
- The event is based on Halo: Reach concept characters Rosenda-A344 and Thom-A293, and allows players to earn their armor as well as additional armor pieces, coatings, and a new pose from Noble Intention's 10-tier event pass.
- The Forge playlist, meanwhile, features four community-made Forge Arena maps: Perilous, Starboard, Salvation, and Absolution.
- Noble Intention is slated to last until February 21, giving players two weeks to earn the event's rewards.
Update 2:41 p.m. ET: Previously, we reported that the update only added a Forge playlist to matchmaking, as a Halo Infinite technical issue prevented the Noble Intention event from appearing properly in-game. We've since updated the article with the event's details.
A surprise Halo Infinite update has begun a new free event titled Noble Intention, complete with a 10-tier event pass that players can earn a variety of new rewards from. The event has been paired with a Community Collection playlist in matchmaking that includes several Forge maps made by the game's community.
Since it launched with the Winter Update in late 2022, Halo Infinite's Forge level editing and creation tool has taken the game's community by storm. Fans have been hard at work creating incredible maps, with many asking developer 343 Industries for a matchmaking playlist that features the best of them. Now, that wish has been granted.
The playlist features the Slayer, Strongholds, Oddball, King of the Hill, CTF, and One Flag CTF Arena modes across a variety of community-made maps, including Perilous, Starboard, Salvation, and Absolution. Perilous is an overgrown UNSC facility that gets players right into the action with a layout that evokes Halo 3's Guardian, while Starboard is a beautifully detailed UNSC-themed reimagination of the classic three-lane map Midship. Salvation is a Banished and Forerunner-themed remake of the popular Halo: Combat Evolved map Damnation, and Absolution is an original stage inspired by the aesthetic of the Delta Halo location from the Halo 2 campaign. You can see images of the maps below.
The Noble Intention event itself is themed after two conceptual characters for Halo: Reach: Rosenda-A344 and Thom-A293 (the latter appeared in the fan-favorite Deliver Hope trailer). By completing gameplay challenges and accruing XP during Noble Intention, players can earn armor kits that look exactly like the MJOLNIR suits worn by Rosenda and Thom. Several Recon and CDO armor pieces, Rosenda and Thom-inspired armor coatings, and a new Noble Rose pose are available from the event pass as well. These rewards will remain accessible until February 21, which is when Noble Intention ends.
Overall, it's great to see the Halo Infinite devs spotlight some of the best Forge maps that the community has made thus far, and the new cosmetics added in this event are great, too. I do wish that a wider variety of levels and alternative game modes were included in the Forge playlist, though. Some of the most popular maps made with Forge so far have been ones developed for hilarious and unique minigames, such as the amazing Digletts whack-a-mole mode inspired by Pokemon. Perhaps 343 will create a social playlist for maps and modes like this in the future.
Halo Infinite is available now on Xbox and PC. Despite its issues, it's one of the best Xbox shooters on the market right now for fans of arena-style FPS combat, and since the multiplayer is free-to-play, there's zero barrier to entry. The campaign is fantastic, too, as it features exhilarating gameplay and an excellent story.
