Fans of Halo Infinite's free-to-play multiplayer mode will be seeing a major update on how Competitive Skill Rankings operate, a change that will be resetting every player's ranked skill level. The latest game in the Halo franchise launched its multiplayer last November, a month earlier than previously announced surprising fans. Halo Infinite's multiplayer and campaign scored well with both fans and critics. Still, months later, fans are asking the developers to make some needed changes and additions.
Like most big-budget video games released today, Halo Infinite has had its share of issues since it launched. For months, players experienced disconnections while in the middle of a match while playing Big Team Battle, one of Halo's most popular game modes, until the game developer fixed the issue with a patch earlier this month. While the game's social media outlets update fans on new events and ongoing issues, not every answer successfully thrills the Halo fanbase. Many fans have begun seeing an increase in uneven matchmaking while playing competitive ranked matches. A new update looks to make some helpful changes at the cost of resetting ranked players' skill levels.
Incoming updates to Halo Infinite's multiplayer matchmaking promise to reduce inaccurate skill assessment and uneven matches. However, players' Competitive Skill Rankings will be reset, resulting in players needing to redo ranked placement matches. News of the upcoming update released on Halo Waypoint detailing issues with Halo Infinite's current matchmaking placing players in a higher skill bracket than they belonged. 343 Industries says that those playing Halo Infinite's ranked modes should see improved matches and more evenly matched battles when the new update and rank reset go live during the afternoon of February 22nd.
The changes to Halo Infinite's rankings and matchmaking systems may anger some fans who are losing the rank they've played for hours to achieve. Still, rank resets are not an uncommon practice among competitive shooters who typically reset between new multiplayer seasons. Tweaks made should allow skilled players who previously earned their way to the game's upper-Diamond and Onyx ranks to progress much faster than before. At the same time most of the game's fans who play in the Bronze to Gold tiers should see fewer matches filled with higher-level enemy teams.
Halo's multiplayer has always been a major staple for the franchise. The new changes included in the next update look to help Halo Infinite's ranked matches feel more balanced and less frustrating for players trying to improve their skills. Developer 343 Industries promises that more updates and content will soon come to Halo Infinite. While players will need to wait for more news of the games Forge and Cooperative modes, new multiplayer maps and modes would be a lot more fun, thanks to the newly balanced matchmaking.
Halo Infinite is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Sources: Halo/Twitter, Halo Waypoint Blog