Halo Infinite August 9 update patch notes: Visor and helmet customization, balance changes, more

Halo Infinite’s August update has just dropped, bringing with it changes to the game’s multiplayer adding more customization and the promise of the fan-favorite doubles playlists to be added in the coming weeks. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the update as well as the official patch notes listed below.

Halo Infinite devs 343 announced last week that a new update for the game would be dropping on August 9. The patch notes, revealed via Halo Waypoint, gives fans a rundown of what they can expect to see changed to the game after downloading the update as well what new content will be dropping in the weeks following this August 9 patch.

The August Drop Pod update is, according to 343, “set to expand each player’s customization options, include QoL improvements, and will lay the groundwork for even more community-requested features.”

Here are some of the biggest changes coming to Halo Infinite with the new August Drop Pod update.

What changed in Halo Infinite’s August 9 update?

Added customization for Visors and helmet attachments 

One of the biggest criticisms Halo Infinite’s multiplayer has faced since launch was the lack of customization options and freedom. 343 has been slowly fixing this problem with each new update that drops. The looming release of game mode Forge also appears to be offering up major customization options for players.

This August 9 update introduced much more freedom to players when it comes to visors. Players can now equip any visor they’ve unlocked to any helmet of their choosing, regardless of the armor core that is being used. 

As well as this, specific Mark VII helmet attachments will be available to use on any Mark VII helmet, something that was not able to be done previously.

The promise of more ranked playlists added, including doubles 

On the gameplay front, Infinite will be adding a number of new ranked playlists to multiplayer throughout the month of August. Notably, Infinite will finally be getting Ranked doubles, which is scheduled to arrive two weeks after this update goes live. So while players won’t have access to these playlist right this second, this new update is setting the groundwork for them to be added in very soon. 

For those wanting to play more casual and laid-back doubles matches, a social Team Doubles playlist will also be dropping at the same time. The game will also be getting a CSR reset.

Layout changes to make viewing active challenges easier 

343 will also be changing up the look of the pause menu so that players can quickly check what active challenges they have during games. This design change comes directly from fan requests and is something that the devs were “very happy to get implemented.”

For the moment, the challenges will not specify how far off players are from achieving a challenge in terms of numbers remaining or total required to complete the challenge. However, 343 has promised they will be adding in these extra details later.

Continue reading below for the full list of patch notes for this latest Halo Infinite update

Halo Infinite August 9 patch notes

New Features

Several quality-of-life improvements and new features have been added to Halo Infinite in this update. Visit the “August Drop Pod Preview” blog to learn more about these features and other improvements coming to Halo Infinite in the future.

Cross-Core Visors

All visors are now compatible with all Armor Cores. This change applies to all previously released visors and all visors that will be released moving forward.

Improved Mark VII Helmet Attachment Compatibility

Several Mark VII helmet attachments are now compatible with more Mark VII helmets. If you have already unlocked an updated helmet attachment, no action is needed for it to be available with additional helmets.

Full list of updated Mark VII helmet attachments

Brawler

• FCI-I/Proforma
• FC-I/Basil

Enigma

• FC-I/Basil

ISR

• FCI-I/Proforma

Soldier

• FCI-I/Proforma

Celox

• FCI-I/Proforma

Linebreaker

• FCI-I/Proforma

Rampart

• FCI-I/Proforma
• FC-I/Basil

Stormfall

• FC-I/Basil
• FCI-I/Proforma

Trailblazer

• FC-I/Basil
• FCI-I/Proforma

Zvezda

• FCI-I/Proforma

Firefall

• MK12T2 CBRN/Trailwatch
• FC-I/Basil
• FCI-I/Proforma

Warmaster

• FCI-I/Proforma

Challenges are now visible on the pause menu

Active Challenges will now be listed on the Pause menu during multiplayer matches; however, Challenge progress is not visible during a match. Challenge progress will be added to this feature in a future update.

Resolved Issues

The following changes were made in the August 9, 2022 Drop Pod.

Multiplayer

• The volume of a nearby player’s shield recharging has been lowered, especially when the recharging player is out of the line of sight.
• Choppers will no longer continue boosting after being disabled by a Dynamo Grenade’s EMP effect.
• The M41 SPNKR’s damage radius has been improved and now more consistently damages enemies.
• A fully charged shot from the Plasma Pistol will now correctly deplete all Shields, including active Overshields.
• Mark Assists and medals related to the Mark system will now appear correctly when the Superintendent AI is equipped.
• Players can no longer mark enemies who are obscured behind waist high cover.
• Headshots more consistently register on enemies without shields when using precision weapons such as the Mk50 Sidekick or the Stalker Rifle.
• In Custom Games, King of the Hill now goes to Overtime when both teams have the same score as time runs out.
• In Free-For-All King of the Hill matches, the mini scoreboard near the bottom of the screen no longer shows unused meters and the full scoreboard shows the following stats:
  • Points
  • Score
  • Kills
  • Deaths
• In Custom Games, Attrition rounds now consistently end when a team is fully eliminated.
• While spectating a player in Observer Mode on PC, player weapons will no longer shake when the camera moves up or down.
• Resolved an issue where dropped Equipment could not be picked up near the lower light bridge on Catalyst.
• Observers will no longer be counted as a member of the enemy team in Attrition Custom Games.
• The outline of the Danger Zone’s final circle will no longer appear early in Last Spartan Standing Custom Games.
• Dropped weapons will no longer accumulate during Tactical Slayer matches.

Menus

• The fourth Challenge slot will now always be enabled when a Premium Battle Pass is equipped.
• Visor colors will now appear correctly when using the following helmet and attachment combinations:
  • Cambion helmet with the UA/Februus attachment
  • AKIS II-GRD helmet with the TAS/Lantifrid attachment
• Land Grab and Last Spartan Standing now have unique Game Mode icons in various menus.
• In the Ranked Arena playlist menu, changing the Ranked Queue type now correctly updates the Estimated Wait tooltip.
• Error messages now consistently appear in matchmaking playlist menus.

Balance Changes

Grappleshot

To maintain multiplayer balance, players will no longer be able to exit a vehicle to cancel an enemy’s Grapplejack.

Light and medium vehicles

Non-tank vehicles, such as the Ghost or Warthog, are now more resistant to small arms fire. All of these changes apply to Multiplayer and a few apply to Campaign as well. See the Developer Notes for a full breakdown of the changes in each mode.

Warthhog

The Warthog can now be knocked around more easily by players using weapons such as the M41 SPNKR or the Repulsor Equipment.

Known Issues

With this update, the team has added one new issue to our Known Issues list. Visit the Known Issues & Workarounds section for more information.

• In Last Spartan Standing Custom Games, bots do not level up after gaining enough score to improve their loadout.
• The Xbox app or Microsoft Store app version of Halo Infinite may download extra data upon launching the game.

Download Size

Update only (all platforms): approximately 2.0 GB or less