Halo Infinite will just be the most recent in the long and illustrious series, and is attempting to take the famed Xbox IP into a new era. In addition to bringing Halo's first ever free-to-play multiplayer, Infinite is also attempting to pivot its grandiose, linear campaign mode to an open-world format. This is bringing many changes to how players will take control of Master Chief, the iconic protagonist, including the addition of item upgrades that can be acquired throughout the campaign.

Infinite has been in development for quite some time, and the campaign itself is largely responsible for the long wait. Over a year ago, gameplay from the campaign was shown off for the first time and was met with tremendous backlash, mostly pertaining to the game's visuals. Infinite is bringing Halo into the new generation (though it's still available on Xbox One), and a particularly ugly Halo Brute from the first gameplay reveal was widely mocked before 343 Industries announced a delay.

Related: Halo Infinite's Spartan-Hunting Elite & New Enemy Type Revealed

A new Campaign Overview trailer has now assuaged some of the lingering concerns related to the campaign's quality. The graphics appear to have received a satisfactory overhaul, and even more of the game's systems were shown off, including a quick look at some of the upgrades players will be able to acquire for Master Chief. It appears that the operative currency for these upgrades will be Spartan Cores, which may be some form of collectible, a reward for certain tasks, or Halo Infinite's version of skill points upon leveling up.

Upgrades Shown In Halo Infinite's Campaign Overview

Players can upgrade Master Chief's abilities in the Halo Infinite campaign

In addition to seeing Halo Infinite's improved visuals in the Campaign Overview, some of Master Chief's possible upgrades were revealed:

  • Grappleshot
  • Shield Core
  • Threat Sensor
  • Drop Wall
  • Thruster

Each of these upgrades had five tiers visible, but it's unclear whether or not there will be more tiers or even more upgrades in the final version of the game. Grappleshot is the arm-mounted grappling hook that has already been seen in Infinite's multiplayer; Shield Core is a straight upgrade to Chief's resilience; Threat Sensor appears to be a projectile that can be fired in order to scout an area for enemies; Drop Wall will provide players will deployable cover; and Thruster will rapidly push Master Chief is a specified direction when activated. Each one has a set of upgrades, but only the Thruster given time and scrolled through in the Halo Infinite Campaign Overview.

Upgrading the Thruster will give players a second charge of the ability, reduced cool down time, increases its power to launch Chief further and faster, and a final upgrade to cloak the user for four seconds after activation. The others will have similar upgrades, based on the symbols in the menu. For instance, the Threat Sensor might get enhanced range for highlighting enemies through surfaces, and the Drop Wall might have greater durability when upgraded. Halo Infinite adopting an open world format for its campaign is a bold new step, but the developers seem to have given players a handful of upgradeable tools that will be useful in the Zeta Halo sandbox.

Next: Halo: Infinite Story Trailer Reveals Improved Next-Gen Graphics

Source: Xbox/YouTube