"The most fun I've had in Halo PvE in a long time": I played Halo Infinite's surprise new Gauntlet mode, and I'm hooked — it's something I've wanted for ages

Given that Halo Infinite developer Halo Studios said the game's big Operation Infinite update last November would be its last, I — along with most other Halo fans — figured we'd never see more new content come to the winding down free-to-play Xbox and PC live-service shooter. That assumption turned out to be wrong, however, as this week, the studio added a new Gauntlet mode to the game in a surprise update.

The update dropped out of nowhere and raises questions about whether or not Halo Studios is truly done with Halo Infinite, but that's not the subject of this article. Instead, I'm here to gush about how fun the new Gauntlet game type is, and why I'll probably be grinding it whenever I can convince my friends to join my fireteam.

Gauntlet is a four-player co-op PvE mode that essentially plays like Firefight on steroids. Players are given a short time to grab preferred weapons and equipment and then select an upgrade for their damage, speed, health, or shield regen; then, they're teleported to a randomly selected mini combat arena where endless hordes of Banished troops spawn.

The objective is to kill minibosses — elite enemies taken straight from Halo Infinite's campaign — that spawn alongside the waves of regular baddies, as defeating them all will win you the round and give you a chance to get more upgrades and powerful weapons. Failing to do so quickly once they appear, however, will result in the Harbinger from the campaign showing up. Though killable, she's tanky and harasses you aggressively, making her tough to contend with.

You and your teammates can revive each other, though since this takes a few seconds, it can be risky to do. Alternatively, downed players can respawn after a lengthy 30-second timer. If all four players are downed at once, it's a game over.

I dove into the mode myself for a few hours today, and am ecstatic to report that it's an absolute blast — though it's also surprisingly difficult, and much more challenging than Halo Infinite's existing Firefight PvE. Outside of Legendary campaign difficulty, it's the closest thing we've ever had to an endgame Halo PvE experience.

Even on the "Easy" difficulty at the start of a match, the Banished are about as threatening as Heroic campaign AI — and the difficulty only continues to scale up as you progress, demanding better accuracy, positioning, and use of different weapons with each passing round. The never-ending waves of Banished also means the action is intense and constant; perfect for players like me that crave Halo PvE chaos.

It also demands truly intelligent use of Halo's sandbox, as the way the game encourages you to quickly kill bosses facilitates combining different damage types for maximum killing efficiency. An Elite boss with a shield is best taken down with plasma guns followed by a clean headshot with a precision weapon, while a Gravity Hammer-wielding Brute or a Hunter is most susceptible to explosive heavy weapons or skillful plasma grenade sticks.

Now, the mode isn't perfect — I feel a few of its combat stages lack adequate cover, the timer to get weapons and upgrades is frustratingly short, and the experience as a whole is a bit janky since Halo Studios used the Forge mode to make it — but it's still excellent fun, and a great way to enjoy the famous PvE action Halo is famous for.

Thus far, the community agrees: "Gauntlet is some of the most fun I've had in Halo PvE in a long time," reads one of the top posts on the Halo subreddit right now.

Overall, I've wanted something like this for Halo PvE for years, and I'm very glad we've finally gotten it. I hope we get something similar in the next mainline Halo game, or perhaps as a mode brought to the upcoming Halo: Campaign Evolved at some point after launch.

Are you going to jump into Halo Infinite to check out the Gauntlet mode? Let me know in the comments, and in our poll.

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