Halo 2 is turning 20 next week, and the series" latest entry is getting a season focused on celebrating the classic shooter. Dubbed Operation: Great Journey, the latest season is bringing a Halo 2-inspired playlist containing a number of classic maps and some of the original gameplay elements like no sprint and friendly collision. The previously announced third-person mode is also being introduced in this update.
"Twenty years ago, the gaming world was introduced to Halo 2, and things were never the same," said Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) in a blog post. "The multiplayer experience forged friendships, propelled online gaming to the mainstream, elevated MLG to another level, and was truly a catalyst of the early gaming and online eras."
Remade using Halo Infinite"s powerful Forge tools, Ascension, Turf, Lockout, Warlock, Midship, Sanctuary, and Beaver Creek, with some of them sporting updated names, will be playable in the new Halo 2 playlist named Delta Arena. It will also feature changed gameplay rules to make the experience more authentic to the 2004-released experience.
This means no sprinting or clambering, increased jump height for Spartans, and enabled friendly player collision. Slayer, Oddball, Capture the Flag, and King of the Hill will be the modes in rotation.
Meanwhile, the third-person mode"s introduction into Halo Infinite starts with the Firefight co-op mode, with playlists for Fiestafight and Gruntpocalypse King of the Hill modes entering. While only normal difficulty will be available at first, Halo Studios is planning to introduce Heroic and Legendary options later. For those wanting to try out third-person in other formats, custom games will gain a brand-new camera style with the update, too.
Aside from all that, Operation: Great Journey is also updating the ranked playlists with two more maps, Inquisitor (Midship) and Fortress. Leaks say that Halo Studios has more up its sleeves to drop during the season, like a brand-new weapon, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
Halo Infinite"s Operation: Great Journey season is releasing on November 5 across PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.