Halo Infinite will be shaking up the formula typically used in battle passes, as players won't be able to progress by simply earning XP. It's been revealed that the only way to make progress in Halo Infinite's battle pass is to play and complete challenges, making players likely to spend even more time to complete the battle pass and use playstyles they'd otherwise avoid. This has led to some backlash and annoyance from fans.
As Halo Infinite nears its December release, fans are growing more irate with 343 Industries. For starters, the game will be missing otherwise key staples to the franchise such as campaign co-op and Forge mode. The modes will be added later, but since 343 already delayed the game an entire year, some are confused as to why it's still missing such substantial content. The developer claims it considered another delay, but it wouldn't help much as it's a live service game that will also be adding content and never truly be "finished." Now, fans are getting annoyed with some of the content that is actually in the game.
343 has seemingly angered Halo Infinite fans even more, as community manager John Junyszek noted to a fan that the battle pass can only progress via challenges. Most games, such as Call of Duty, allow players to progress through its battle pass by playing the game and earning experience points over time. There are ways to level up faster, but progression mostly happens through simple gameplay. 343's Head of Design Jerry Hook noted the team will be looking at ways to expand the progression system in the future, but the plan is still to launch with challenges being the only way to progress. At the bare minimum, 343 plans to include lots of challenges, as noted in another tweet from Junyszek, so it'll be incredibly difficult for players to run out, though not impossible.
Although there are some good qualities regarding Halo Infinite's battle pass, such as the fact they never expire like they do in other games, fans still have compaints. There will probably be some fun challenges, but making it the exclusive way to progress as opposed to an optional side challenge for dedicated fans seems a bit counterintuitive. Perhaps 343 will make some changes before launch or shortly after, as the team seems to be listening to fan feedback quite closely.
As of right now, Halo Infinite is leaving some fans very skeptical about its launch and beyond. Although there's still a little over 3 months until release and there will likely be more tech tests, fans are confused regarding the lack of campaign footage and the strange choices being made with regards to multiplayer. Only time will tell if the project comes together.
Source: Jerry Hook/Twitter, John Junyszek/Twitter