After a year since it released and two years since it was planned to be, Halo Infinite has finally added a few features that long time fans have been asking for, including online co-op, mission replays and access to the Forge, though that last one is a beta release.

Depending on your point of view, the update is going to offer different things for you, personally the co-op and mission replays are more exciting than some more maps.

While the developers call it online co-op in some places, they also call it network co-op in others, but the basic gist is that you can now run around with a friend or three and take on the Banished. The co-op feature is fully supported by cross-play, which includes Xbox consoles, PC and Cloud, so if you have a single Xbox in your house, but you have a mobile device, you can still game together. One nice confirmation is that all players bring their progress with them, and all progress that you earn together stays with each player.

Mission replays don’t need you to revisit the location of the mission, you can just select them from the games map screen, so that makes it nice and simple.

For those who are more creative than destructive, the Forge is finally back in Halo, at least in a beta form. This is a tool that lets anyone make their own maps and modes, creating some unique experiences in Halo.

The Forge Beta in Halo Infinite launches with six canvas maps, a new visual scripting engine, object scaling, lighting and audio tools, bot support, huge budget increases, file sharing capabilities, and much more to help you create and share your maps, modes, and prefabs.

Something that the team clarified is that while it is a beta release, it is not a test case for a full release, it will remain, this is just the first steps.

Now the rest of the update is focused on multiplayer, from new maps and modes to battle pass and more, but let us start with the battle pass, as the Winter Update brings with it a new Battle Pass that is completely free for all players and will never expire.

Featuring 30 tiers of rewards, the Winter Update Battle Pass sees the return of many highly requested, fan-favourite Halo: Reach-themed cosmetics, check out what is included below.

Finally let us look at the new maps and modes, this information is provided directly by Xbox. There are two new maps included in the update Argyle and Detachment.

ARGYLE

Set within the narrow corridors of a UNSC vessel, Argyle comes to Halo Infinite as one of the first multiplayer maps to be built entirely within Forge. This tight, indoor, symmetrical map makes for a competitive arena environment that showcases merely a fraction of what the Forge tool is capable of.

DETACHMENT

Also built entirely within Forge, Detachment comes to Halo Infinite as a new symmetrical arena map. Set atop a rocky outcropping, this once-abandoned UNSC research facility is composed of indoor and outdoor environments, providing opportunities for dynamic combat that suits a variety of game modes and play styles.

The new mode for the update is called Covert One Flag, a new take on the capture the flag gamemode that Halo built its name around.

COVERT ONE FLAG

Covert One Flag arrives as a unique variant of One Flag CTF. In this round-based mode, attackers and defenders swap sides as they battle for control of a single flag.

Asymmetric team loadouts equip attackers with Active Camo to help sneak their way past enemy defense while defenders possess Threat Sensors to help spot the intruders. The team who wins the majority of rounds wins the match.

If all that sounds like a lot, don’t worry it is. Thankfully the team have put together a long deep dive video, that explains most of it in richer detail, you can check it out below.