Last year, in April, it was revealed that season two of Halo Infinite would succumb to an unprecedented six-month extension. It was due to wrap up in November 2022, but following lengthy delays, internal issues, and a lack of development, Halo Infinite season three has only just launched, dropping a staggering 308 days after season two began. This all-new season, dubbed ‘Echoes Within’ has admittedly done little to satiate frustrated and hungry Halo fans.

There was an interim winter update that dropped to fill the gap between season two and season three, but it didn’t offer much in the way of an expansion. It did finally bring the Forge to the Halo Infinite ecosystem, though. With that, players have entertained themselves by building their own maps and modes in-game, with some creators recreating environments found in other shooter franchises, such as the Zombies maps found in older Call of Duty titles.

Now that Halo Infinite’s season three update has dropped, what has actually changed in the game?

Near-Infinite Season

Image Credit: 343 Industries

It seemed that season three would never drop, and by way of the delays, it has set something of a record for the longest gap between seasons in the history of multiplayer shooters. Fortunately, now that season three is here, all manner of fresh content has been injected into the dwindling platform that is Halo Infinite. Recently, we’ve looked at the state of the player count in Halo Infinite – and the number of people watching Halo esports – and there’s an unfortunate decline across the board.

For a while, it seemed as though the only people holding firm on the game were the die-hard fans and the skilled players still climbing the Halo Infinite ranks on the multiplayer platform.

Now that Echoes Within has finally arrived, it has brought with it three new maps for players to explore:

• Oasis (Big Team Battle), a map reportedly inspired by Halo 4’s Exile map.
• Chasm, an Arena map that takes elements from Halo Infinite’s single-player mode.
• Cliffhanger, an Arena map with a mid-sized structure.

There are also new modes and events for players to enjoy, starting with Escalation Slayer, which works in a similar fashion to Gun Game in Call of Duty. For every kill, the player receives a new loadout, but a melee death will send them back down a level. Reportedly, a mid-season update is set to bring Infection, another classic Halo mode.

There’s an event live now to celebrate the launch of Halo Infinite season three, and its name is Mindfall. It’s supposed to add something to the multiplayer platform’s loose story, and it’ll be expanded on further with Site Unseen, which is yet to pick up a start date. Then, later in the season, a Fracture event kicks off, dubbed ‘Firewall’, which’ll give players the opportunity to unlock some legendary cosmetics.

And of course, a whole new season for Halo Infinite means an entirely new battle pass, premium battle pass, and even a new weapon – the Bandit Rifle. There’s also a ‘Shroud Screen’ equipment item coming with season three, so admittedly, there is a fair amount of content to enjoy.