In Halo Infinite, the Banished can use your own weapons against you

What you need to know

• While describing what Halo Infinite's dynamic audio threat detection system is like in action, Project Lead Joseph Staten revealed that the Banished are capable of using UNSC weapons on the player. In this case, Banished forces fired a SPNKr rocket launcher at the player's Warthog.
• This harkens back to Halo 2, where Brutes made use of the UNSC shotgun against Master Chief and the Arbiter during the campaign.
• Beyond the rocket launcher, it's unclear what other types of human weapons (if any) the Banished can use against the player in Halo Infinite for now.

In 343 Industries' March 2021 Inside Infinite article, the Project Lead for Halo Infinite, Joseph Staten, closed out the blog post by describing what the game's dynamic audio threat detection system was like in action (check out our roundup of the music and sound effects details for more information). While playing a campaign level and driving a Warthog, Staten explains, Banished forces fired a SPNKr rocket at his vehicle. Thanks to how the threat detection system prioritizes the sounds of weapons being fired directly at you, he was able to hear the rocket coming and dodge it. But wait...a SPNKr rocket?

If that designation sounds familiar, it's probably because the SPNKr rocket launcher is the one used by the UNSC — and, by extension, the player — throughout the series. This means that in Halo Infinite, the Banished will likely make use of human weaponry such as the SPNKr against the player on occasion.

Old-school fans of the Halo series will remember that in Halo 2, Brutes would sometimes use the UNSC's shotgun against Master Chief and the Arbiter in the campaign due to their love of brutal non-plasma projectile weapons. It seems that 343 Industries has taken inspiration from Halo 2 in this regard for Halo Infinite, and is making it possible for the Banished to occasionally employ a human weapon against the player alongside their typical Banished arsenal. It's currently unclear what other weapons beyond the SPNKr the Banished will be able to use (if any), but if we had to guess, we'd say that there's a strong chance we'll find Brutes using the UNSC's shotgun on Zeta Halo just like we did on Halo 2's Delta Halo. Ultimately, though, only time will tell.

Halo Infinite is expected to launch in Fall 2021 (possible in November, according to voice actors) on the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One consoles. It will also launch on Windows 10 PCs. Multiplayer for the game will be free to play, but the full game is expected to cost $60 like other big AAA titles. While you wait for it, we highly recommend checking out Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which includes all six of the pre-Xbox One Halo shooters in a $40 bundle. It's easily one of the best Xbox One shooters available, so don't miss out on it.