Three takeaways from the opening weekend of the Halo Infinite preview

The first weekend of Halo Infinite’s technical preview has ended with thousands of fans from across the globe getting in on the action. The excitement continues next weekend with more maps, modes, and playtime. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the weekend-long event and what it means for the future of Halo Infinite.

Halo Infinite’s weapon damage needs tweaking

Halo Infinite’s gunplay felt as smooth as it had been in previous titles, however, what felt awkward was the number of bullets required to finish a target. Spartans would often run out of ammunition while in a gunfight and have to reload. This was substituted using the Sidekick Pistol which proved to be an effective finishing strategy after players ran out of rounds in their clip.

This was the only real hitch from the multiplayer technical preview and the solution is simple. What needs tweaking is either the damage that the weapons do or the adjust the time to kill across all weapons. This would make Halo Infinite feel smoother and more on par with other FPS titles like Call of Duty and Apex Legends.

Battle pass allows for a lot of customization

The Halo franchise has always been about making the player’s Spartan look exactly the way they want. This was showcased in the technical preview through both the customization and the battle pass. Spartans are customizable from the helmet down to what prosthetics players want to add. One of the most impressive features shown during the technical preview was the battle pass for when the game releases on Dec. 8.

The battle pass tiers give players who pay for the pass, and those who don’t, several customization options just from playing the game. These include different armor plates, armor colors, visors and helmets. In addition to the battle pass, players can also unlock extras to customize their Spartans through the shop.

Maps and game modes feel crisp

One of the highlights from the technical preview was the handful of maps alongside a few different game modes. Smaller maps like Recharge, Bazaar and Live Fire were utilized for Capture the Flag and Slayer game modes. The one large map that was introduced during the technical preview, Behemoth, showcased the return of different vehicles that have become staples in the Halo franchise.

Both the objective and deathmatch game modes felt smooth and like they lasted an appropriate amount of time. Overall, the four maps and three different modes introduced during the preview showed strong promise for the release.