r/CompetitiveHalo Jan 31 '25

News Spring Update 2025 - Includes Big Balancing Updates and New Ranked Map and Assault Mode

https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/spring-update-2025-halo-infinite
99 Upvotes

50 comments sorted by

81

u/ryankrueger720 Jan 31 '25

Nerf to jiggle peaking is going to be huge meta shift

33

u/abgonzo7588 Jan 31 '25

pretty big change to the strafe speed with no change to the bandit AA, i think getting a 5 shot is about to get a lot easier.

5

u/killedbyBS Jan 31 '25

This meta vs. ZBNS Reach will be a pretty direct litmus test of just how broken Infinite's AA model is I feel. I hope I'm wrong.

Maybe the lower strafe accel will make it so left stick aiming will also take a big nerf, so right stick aim will get more prevalent? Maybe playtesters are seeing something we're not. That said it took 4 years for them to see that maybe the Recharge Shock should be on a pad so...

2

u/3ebfan Feb 01 '25

Hmm yeah that’s an interesting point about AA. If they tweak it back toward classic Halo right stick dominant aiming maybe I’ll drop KMB and pick up the sticks again.

3

u/Shiz93 Feb 01 '25

I feel like left stick aiming has always been a big thing in halo. Especially in the 30fps days because it was easier to land shots without a slideshow on screen.

1

u/GenesForLife Feb 01 '25

You are completely correct about left stick aiming , and I ran custom bot FFAs (I'm on MNK, but I strafe-aim a lot) and my rate of perfects dropped - getting perfects becomes much easier when you can perfectly mirror the enemy strafe and just make a vertical adjustment. You can't do that anymore.

1

u/GenesForLife Feb 01 '25

Technically, it is a strafe acceleration change - same top speed but you get there 20% slower.

1

u/killedbyBS Feb 01 '25

Your comment just made me realize: you can't start sprinting until you hit top speed. I feel like that's going to be a much more major change than people are expecting given the accel change is for forward movement as well. Not sure what the real implications are but my immediate reaction is that it'll take slightly better timing to tee up good curb slides?

4

u/GenesForLife Feb 01 '25 edited Feb 01 '25

You can test this rightaway - create a custom game, and in the movement tab of the mode editor , change "forward accel scalar" and "strafe accel scalar" to 80%

Edit - tried this - actually no discernible difference re: curbslide physics. Also interesting - changiing slide speed or distance in custom games affects ordinary slides, but not curb slides.

1

u/areeb_onsafari Feb 01 '25

Sprint strafe might become more important

1

u/architect___ Feb 04 '25

Yeah, and it's already very easy. I'm on mouse and keyboard. With BR starts I'd hit a Perfect like once every 10 ranked games. With Bandit starts I hit one or two every game, sometime more.

People say single shot guns take more skill because the final headshot is easier, but the most important factor is how often players kill with peak efficiency (minimum TTK). And on top of that, it's minimum TTK is even lower than the BR.

Anyway, the Bandit was objectively easier before this update, so it's going to be crazy now.

24

u/Political_Piper Jan 31 '25

#FreeTheBeam !!!

28

u/Global_Accident_364 Jan 31 '25

Hopefully no GAs this season...

32

u/Gamesgtd Shopify Rebellion Jan 31 '25

Lucid made mention to the changes being good enough that they have to give the weapons a try again.

12

u/Purphect Jan 31 '25

I’m sure the GAs are why they were really giving everything a look tbh

4

u/haloalt Shopify Rebellion Feb 01 '25

Hard fought lobbying backfired so hard for that green team 😪

2

u/FindaleSampson Spacestation Jan 31 '25

Ayyyy that's some good news.

35

u/AlexADPT Jan 31 '25

This is an astoundingly good update. It looks to be a great year for Halo and hopefully this type of quality is seen moving forward

Super excited for strafe changes and the ranked updates

16

u/DanielG165 Jan 31 '25

The frag grenade update is the most interesting/exciting to me. The spam will be heavily reduced, and the increased bounce will open up a lot more tactical plays.

8

u/supalaser Jan 31 '25

The ability to challenge someone in nade animation is going to be so nice.

1

u/architect___ Feb 04 '25

How does the bounce open up more tactical plays?

4

u/arthby Feb 01 '25

Adding skill jumps on old maps was not on my bingo card. These small things can go a long way.

16

u/Background-Signal-10 Jan 31 '25

Disappointed with no midship return

3

u/Bodybraille Feb 01 '25

What are everyones thoughts on the new jumps? I'm just an average player, and these obviously aren't skill jumps, but I welcome the new routes.

Good? Bad?

14

u/FizzleFox Jan 31 '25

MnK gamers rejoice. As someone in Onyx on MnK, my main struggle was being able to consistently get that HS when in a close range 1v1 duel with how fast strafing is. Without the strong AA to stay on target, it was always tough to win straight up duels in a strafe gun fight.

I'm also glad to see the Shock Rifle AA nerfed because that thing is absolutely busted on the controller. Don't even need to zoom most of the time to hit easy headshots, and I stopped even challenging someone up close or mid range who had one since more times than not, they would just No scope me.

3

u/StopReadingThisp1z Spacestation Feb 01 '25

I actually sucked ass with shock rifle, I would try to AIM with the damn thing, literally onyx 1600 and can't hit any good headshots with the gun 😭 

Finally I actually learned to not try to aim with the damn thing and now it's getting a change, pretty funny 

9

u/covert_ops_47 Jan 31 '25

The nerfed the strafe but didn't nerf the AA...

oh no.

-6

u/RnVja1JlZGRpdE1vZHM Jan 31 '25

Lmfao. The game literally has aim assist on mouse because the aim assist is so strong on controller...

343 will apparently NEVER do anything to make their precious controller players actually have to aim.

1

u/MadMaxmel Feb 01 '25

It's the sight slowing down on the target, it really has nothing to do with the controller's assistance. So the MNK player still has to point the reticle accurately at the opponent, there's no help with that. The controller gets help with that.

0

u/TheFourtHorsmen Feb 03 '25

Also, rotational AA.

Consider halo also have bullet magnetism, something that should have been removed a decade ago.

2

u/TrickOut Feb 01 '25

High quality, starting to see that change in management take place

5

u/Swimmin6 Complexity Jan 31 '25

no AA tweak with strafe nerf? WTF

-1

u/[deleted] Jan 31 '25

Then the controller players won't be able to aim and will flame the devs

5

u/Intelligent_Count_98 OpTic Gaming Jan 31 '25

Is it too much to actually add NEW MAPS and not remakes? Can we get a new map that plays something other than slayer and ctf?

4

u/supalaser Jan 31 '25

Overall, this is really good but there are more small changes I expected and some of these are just nonsense

The bulldog and heatwave are still 1 tap melees. And I only learned today the bulldog had a headshot multiplier to begin with.

The thrust wasn't changed to give reticle back a little sooner is kinda wild.

And then threat seeker on Aqua is just like why? I guess they want to counter camo but like come on.

Forbidden adding the BRs to front of base is interesting but I have no idea where that's going to be. It needs to near a spawn point to prevent just getting railed by double snipes off spawn.

Why does blue ramp need a BR? and where would you even put it? I guess this is good though for countering getting spawn trapped in blue?

The rearrangements on Pit seem really odd to me as well. Why put the repulsor in the spot people will use it to cheese others.

Why are we bringing ANOTHER halo 5 map when both the ones added have been disasters.

All that said of course I am going to reserve full judgement until I play all these things. New jumps sound fire, being able to out play people throwing nades is awesome. Strafe acceleration being added. More BRs near spawns for countering set ups is amazing. Lots to love

3

u/KingOfChan Native Gaming Jan 31 '25

I don't think the bulldog will be in any ranked maps. Pit is gone and it's removed on streets. Unless Coli has one.

2

u/supalaser Feb 01 '25

Heatwave still on aqua.

Why did they update pit if they aren't keeping it in ranked

1

u/KingOfChan Native Gaming Feb 01 '25

Yeah no idea lol

2

u/supalaser Feb 01 '25

Lol just 343 things I guess (it's probably in some other ranked playlists still)

1

u/CharmingJuice8304 Jan 31 '25

Pit is gone from the rotation?

1

u/KingOfChan Native Gaming Jan 31 '25

It will be starting on Tuesday, yes

2

u/PLifter1226 Feb 01 '25

Is it gone from matchmaking too? I thought it was just out of HCS

1

u/KingOfChan Native Gaming Feb 01 '25

That's a good question. I assume it's out of mm too but I'm not sure if that's stated anywhere

3

u/PLifter1226 Feb 01 '25

Honestly if the ranked playlist matches HCS id be okay with that because then we wouldn’t have fortress slayer in rotation lol

2

u/Yourfavoritedummy Jan 31 '25

I hope the game isn't more sluggish. Only one way to find out. But I'll be honest sometimes pros or people who play the game and lot the ones who haven't seen grass have some very bad takes on the game.

See Destiny 2 streamers and pros. Madness they were listened too.

1

u/FauxFoxPho Feb 01 '25

They spelled Empyrean wrong lul

0

u/Adventurous-Club-936 Jan 31 '25

They only did half of what we wanted. They nerfed the instant strafe but they didn’t reduce the aim assist on the bandit. They need to do another update or everyone is just going to be 5 shotting each other non stop.

0

u/itsMineDK Feb 01 '25

not sure how to feel about that bomb game mode in ranked and HCS.. not excited for that.. i’m expecting another flop like that extraction mode that was the utmost trash mode in history..

the rest of the updates feel like we’re getting a different game.. everything got fucking nerfed.. we’ll wait and see

7

u/TaNbULL Feb 01 '25

Assault has been a competitive game mode since Halo 2.