Halo MCC Season 8 Patch Notes Include New Halo 3 Campaign Collectibles

The Halo: Master Chief Collection Season 8 patch notes include - among many other things - Halo 3 multiplayer cosmetics, campaign collectibles, and new map Icebox. With Halo Infinite's release having been delayed for more than a year, Halo: The Master Chief Collection was the only relatively "new" release in the series that players on either PC or Xbox Series X/S could enjoy in its stead.

343 Industries has also released a Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 8 trailer which shows off some of the content added in the Season 8 update, including new armor for Halo 3 inspired by different ancient and medieval cultures and mythologies such as the Vikings, the ancient Greeks, and medieval knights, to name a few. The trailer also gave fans a glimpse of the new Icebox map for Halo 3, which was originally seen in Halo Online, as well as some of the other content that players will gain access to in Season 8.

A new Halo Waypoint page includes the full Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 8 patch notes. Dubbed “Mythic,” Season 8 is introducing several new customization options for Halo 3 and Halo: Reach, such as new armor, back accessories, weapon and vehicle customization, and more. There’s also the aforementioned new Icebox map, in addition to Reach-themed campaign collectibles for Halo 3, joining the game's existing skulls. Season 8 also introduces a bevy of new gameplay and accessibility options, as well as the addition of Steam account linking and PC File Share. Lastly, the new update also resolves quite a number of issues across all the games in the compilation.

New Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 8 Content

New Season 8 Customization Content

New Halo 3 armor
New Halo 3 back accessories
New Halo 3 techsuits
New Halo 3 animated visors
New Halo 3 weapon customizations
New Halo 3 vehicle customizations
New Halo: Reach armor
New animated and static nameplates

New Map for Halo 3: “Icebox”

A new map for Halo 3 arena modes, “Icebox,” is now available in matchmaking and custom games. Icebox is a reimagining of the multiplayer map “Turf” from Halo 2.

Custom Game Browser Support for Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3

The Custom Game Browser (CGB) has been improved to include Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3, as well as updates to filters, search options, and updates to the Create, Browse, and Search pages.

Halo 3: ODST Firefight Updates

Per-wave customization options including skulls, dropships, map hazards, bonus rounds, and enemy squad types.
Several new squad types including Jackal Snipers, Brutes only, Drones only, and Hunters only.
Squads with the Sentinel enemy type, new to ODST Firefight.

More Customization Choice in Halo: Reach and Halo 4

Halo: Reach and Halo 4 now have the ability to select body type and voice separately, and Halo: Reach’s customization menu now includes a Firefight Voice preview.

Updates to View Model Offsets for Weapons Across All MCC Games

View Model Offset settings are now available in the Settings under Gameplay. They can be set by weapon category and are available for all games within Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Campaign Collectibles in The Halo 3 Campaign

Golden moa statues have begun appearing in Halo 3 missions in locations that change every week. These can be collected by shooting them and are tied to challenges.

Campaign Customizations

Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3 now support vehicle and weapon customizations during missions if this option is toggled on in the campaign mission options.

Accessibility Improvements

New accessibility options include all-new color blindness settings.

Halo: Combat Evolved Heads-Up Display (HUD) Options

For Halo: Combat Evolved, the heads-up display (HUD) can now be toggled between the classic or remastered HUD, and scaled manually or automatically to your display’s resolution with the Auto HUD Scale setting.

Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 Classic Gamma Sliders

For Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 Classic, the Gamma settings for classic and remastered campaign visuals are now separate settings. This allows visuals even closer to the original games.

Player Reporting in Scoreboards and Roster

Scoreboards during and after a match now include the ability to report a player.

Steam Account Linking

Steam accounts can now be linked to Xbox accounts in the player profile menu when playing on Steam. This populates the friends list with Steam friends.

PC File Sharing

PC players can now save or upload Forged map and game variant files from their recent custom games. A new “File Share Trust Level” has been added in Settings under “Gameplay.” It is set to “Official” by default but can be switched to “Friends” or “Anyone."

Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 8 Resolved Issues

Graphics

Customization menu previews no longer show graphical glitching on certain items on “Original” or “Performance” Graphics settings.
The LG OnScreen Control app on PC with an LG monitor display no longer causes performance drops and hitches.
While adjusting Field of View (FOV) settings, the background preview image is no longer blurred, and adjusts in real-time to changing the FOV setting.

Custom Game Browser

Attempting to join a full game session now gives a “waiting to join” dialogue and will join the session the next time a slot becomes available, instead of sometimes attempting to connect and failing.
Players can now join or invite their friends with Custom Game Browser matches.
Players who have received a server ban will now receive an error letting them know they are banned when trying unsuccessfully to host a Custom Game Browser session.
A new Team Changing option, “Auto,” rebalances sessions to prevent matches from starting with an imbalanced number of players on each team.
The Post-Game Carnage Report will no longer occasionally show players with the default Emblem or Service ID instead of the ones they chose.
Longer Game Variant descriptions in non-English languages now fit in the Game Variant Description box.
On Xbox, the loading screen when joining a Custom Game Browser session no longer flickers briefly.
In the Session Details menu, the Report Game function now prompts players to choose a category to report.
On mouse & keyboard, right-clicking while hovering over sessions in the Browse menu no longer shows a small drag cursor.
After leaving the Add Variant menu, leaving the Create menu no longer requires pressing Back twice.
When viewing Session Details, the spacing of information in the Session Details box has been increased.
In the Create menu, session names and preferences now carry over between game launches regardless of whether a match was created.
Players with older Custom Game Browser data who add three variants in the Halo: Reach Create menu no longer lose the data for the third variant when restarting the game.
After backing out of a Session Details menu, random sessions will no longer appear as if selected.
When scrolling at the bottom of the list, half a page of results will now load instead of sessions loading one at a time.
Player count in each game session will now be accurate even after refreshing.
Game session titles that could fit in the space provided are no longer cut off by ellipses.
Rapidly pressing the Session Details button no longer requires pressing the Back button the same number of times to exit the Session Details menu.
Sorting by Players (Descending) now shows full sessions at the top of the list.
While using a mouse & keyboard, scrolling the list of game sessions while a session that is partly out of view is selected no longer causes the list to scroll suddenly or unpredictably.
Game sessions that use more than one map now say “(+X)” instead of “(+X in rotation)” in the Map column.
Game sessions that use only one map no longer display with “(+0 in rotation)” added to the map name in the Map column.
The chosen Sort method is now remembered after viewing Session Details and returning to the Browse menu.
An indicator now helps clarify that the Player column is the default Sort option.
The highlight that indicates the current menu selection no longer disappears entirely after accessing the Roster, opening the Chat window, or moving the highlight focus to the right.

Forge

The “Save” widget now properly appears on the Forge pause menu without requiring the player to use “Save As” once first.

Halo 3 Master Chief Collection Moa Collectible

Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 8 Resolved Issues On PC

Changing window mode with the F11 key no longer reverts Gamma settings to defaults.

Halo: Combat Evolved Resolves Issues

Graphics

Restarting the game no longer causes the customization preview in the Customization menu to show default options.
Framerate has been improved for the campaign mission “Halo” while running with Remastered visuals.
Cortana’s face animations now appear properly in Remastered visuals.
The lighting in the 343 Guilty Spark cinematic in Classic visuals is now consistent with the original game release.
The target distance and elevation measurements on the Sniper Rifle zoom are now aligned properly and consistent with the original release.
On PC, the 2x zoom HUD element on the Magnum and Rocket Launcher no longer appear too close to the reticle.
The final cinematic now has motion blur effects to be consistent with the original Halo: Combat Evolved release.
After modifying Graphics settings, a thin line no longer appears in the bottom and right edges of the screen.

Audio

In Campaign with Classic audio, the reverb on music and dialogue is now consistent with the original game release.
In Campaign with Remastered audio, Assault Rifle shooting audio can no longer become muffled or completely silent near the end of a clip.
In Classic audio, various audio effects like weapon fire and grenade explosions are no longer slightly pitched down compared to the original game.
In Classic audio, the first music track that plays after the opening Cinematic of the campaign no longer has audio popping sounds.
In the Campaign mission 343 Guilty Spark, the Pelican radio/Covenant radio crate ambient audio no longer becomes quieter abruptly after moving a certain distance away.
When the source of a sound becomes blocked behind an object, it no longer becomes quieter abruptly.
On the Multiplayer maps Battle Creek, Infinity, and Gephyrophobia, the reverb level on audio has been reduced to be consistent with the original Halo: Combat Evolved release.

Achievements

The “Madrigal Debut” achievement now unlocks as expected when activating the associated hidden soundtrack cue.

Every Halo Game, Ranked Worst To Best Combat Evolved Wide

Halo 2 Resolved Issues

Campaign

In the mission “The Great Journey,” the Wraith near the end of the mission no longer spawns upside down.
In Classic visuals, cinematics now properly crossfade when transitioning to the next scene.
In the mission “Uprising,” the Zealot Elite reinforcements that drop in to assist the player will now follow the player through indoor areas.
Picking up a Skull now displays the Skull’s name in the top left of the HUD to be consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
In the missions “Armory” and “Cairo Station,” the mission audio now happens at the correct times, consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
The player reticle is no longer missing during the look tutorial in the Armory.

Gameplay

Ghosts now animate their self-destruct instead of only playing audio and an explosion, to be consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
In Halo 2 Classic Multiplayer gameplay, falling from a great height no longer causes fall damage, consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
Graphics – Classic Visual Updates
On snow maps like the Campaign mission “Sacred Icon” and “Quarantine Zone” or the multiplayer map “Lockout,” there is now a falling snow weather effect, consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
On maps with rain like “Backwash” and “Warlock” or the Campaign mission “The Great Journey,” the rain is now more noticeable, consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
On the Campaign missions “The Arbiter” and “The Oracle,” the wind color has been lightened and storm density increased to be consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
Lights emitted by enemies in Campaign no longer show through some solid objects briefly when the enemy moves out of view.
On certain Nvidia GPUs and in Classic visuals, foliage is no longer missing from areas with plant life throughout Campaign and Multiplayer.
Bloom effects in cutscenes are now more noticeable and consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
The “bump mapping” dark outlines on objects like trees and Forerunner technology have been reduced to be consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
The Halo 2 Multiplayer map Gemini now has dynamic fog and lighting to be consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
The sun now renders properly on any multiplayer map or Campaign mission where the sun is present.
The water on several maps has been darkened to be consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
When marines and Johnson fight alongside the player, they no longer have armor clipping issues on their head, arms, or chest.
The Prophets no longer have graphical glitching on their chairs or clothing during cutscenes.
Lights emitted by armor on Elites in multiplayer matches no longer show through some solid objects.
The jet propulsion on Pelicans is now brighter and more visible to be consistent with the original Halo 2 release.
In Campaign and multiplayer, the model for the SMG now adjusts when looking up or down and not dual wielding.
Object shadows throughout the Campaign and cinematics now appear properly.

Halo 3 Resolved Issues

Graphics

Resizing the game window during gameplay no longer causes bloom lighting to spread out and flicker in resolutions above 1080p.
In an 8-player free-for-all game, backpack colors now respect the primary color chosen for the player’s armor customization.
In Capture the Flag, the flag color no longer changes to the team color of the carrier after being picked up.

Customizations

Tertiary colors for Elites no longer disappear when the New Skins in Halo 3 toggle is set to Disabled.
Elite neck models no longer show seams and mismatched techsuit textures when Legacy helmets are equipped and the New Skins in Halo 3 toggle is set to Disabled.
Back decals on Elite back armor no longer disappear when the New Skins in Halo 3 toggle is set to Disabled.
Emblems no longer disappear if the MARK VI or non-Legacy shoulder armors are equipped and the New Skins in Halo 3 toggle is set to Disabled.

Multiplayer

During gameplay in matches involving large groups of players (8+), gamertags no longer occasionally appear over the wrong player.
Removed a legacy exploit involving players being wrongly flagged for betrayals and removed from the game.

Multiplayer Maps

Waterfall

Significant framerate and performance improvements have been made to several areas of Waterfall.

Edge

There are now Sentinels flying around in the Forerunner pillar room as intended.
The small bumps on the ramps near the center of the map and in some hallway entry and exit points have been removed.
Removed an exploit that involved jumping behind the pillars at the Red and Blue bases.
Removed an exploit that involved reaching the top of the doorway in the spaces above the orange lifts.

Forge

Smaller objects set to fixed or phased physics no longer behave like they are set to normal physics when playing online.
On the map Sandbox, objects no longer rapidly flicker when viewed from certain angles.

Halo 3: ODST Resolved Issues

Firefight

It is no longer possible to use rockets to get a Phantom stuck and be unable to progress.
Friendly voice lines now play as expected for all players, not just the host.

Halo: Reach Resolved Issues

Graphics

On some Halo: Reach missions, shadow lines no longer appear on the ground when viewed from certain angles.
On Nvidia GPUs, vertical lines no longer appear on walls to the left of the player when viewed from certain angles.

Firefight

Halo: Reach Firefight mode now tracks stats correctly, earning progress toward Challenges and Achievements.
The Post-Game Carnage Report will no longer show that the match difficulty was Normal when the match difficulty was actually Heroic.

Custom Game Browser

Playing multiple Custom Game Browser games back-to-back no longer causes certain textures to turn black for the rest of the game.

Forge

On Halo: Reach map variants created in Forge, objects no longer rapidly flicker when viewed from certain angles.

Halo Infinite Teases Halo: Reach Armor Customization

Halo 4 Resolved Issues

Graphics

The lighting in the final cutscene of the “Reclaimer” outro cinematic is now the correct brightness.

Spartan Ops

The Spartan Ops films audio are now fully localized to supported languages.
Spartan Ops chapter 6-1 now loads even if Halo 4 multiplayer is uninstalled.

Forge

During Forge gameplay on mouse & keyboard, the Change Loadout menu is no longer always bound to the spacebar.
While using an Xbox controller, hovering over an object and holding Down on the D-pad will now correctly duplicate the object.

Other Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 8 Fixes

User Interface

When Network is set to LAN or Offline, buttons for game modes that require matchmaking (Social Games, Competitive Games, and Firefight Matchmaking) are now greyed out.
The Roster tab now marks the leader of the game session with an icon in all game types.
Failing to join another player due to one of the players not following the other now results in a more helpful error message.
Mousing over the ellipsis menu button on a text chat message no longer moves that message to the center of the chat window.
In Custom Game Browser matches, the loading screen between subsequent matches now includes the session’s server region info.
The Customization menus for Halo 3, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4 now list the Visor category after the Helmet category instead of being near the bottom of the list.
The Customization menu’s animated background now consistently displays the weapon and armor background that was in use previously, instead of sometimes showing the main menu animated background.
While loading into a multiplayer game of Halo: Combat Evolved, the loading bar will now properly match loading progress instead of only partially filling.
The “Fish Stick” control scheme from the original release of Halo 4 is now available as an option in the Button Layout settings.
On Xbox, the virtual keyboard that opens when reporting a player no longer uses the debug text “$REPORT_PLAYER.”

File Share

Temporary files generated after playing a Multiplayer or Firefight match now display their actual file size instead of the maximum allowed file size.

Accessibility

The Narrator function no longer adds “Custom” after reading session information on the Browse menu in the Custom Game Browser.

Steamworks Mod Tools

There have been fixes and improvements to the mod tools for Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Steamworks.

Halo Master Chief Collection Season 8 Patch Notes Chief Arbiter

The latest season of Halo: The Master Chief Collection is certainly introducing a wide assortment of new content, changes, and fixes. In all, it seems rather appropriate since Halo: MCC Season 8 is 2021's final update for the year, and it may end up going down as one of the MCC's biggest updates of its seven-year lifespan so far.

With Halo Infinite finally releasing on December, Xbox Game Studios and 343 Industries seems intent on not distracting players with any other new Halo: The Master Chief Collection content releasing around the same time as the new flagship entry in the franchise. It’s unclear whether the studio still plans to churn out as much content for the compilation next year as its focus will understandably be prioritized for Halo Infinite, but it has confirmed that the Halo: The Master Chief Collection will continue to be supported in 2022.

Next: Which Halo Infinite Modes Players Will Have To Wait Until 2022 For

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.

Source: Halo Waypoint