Quote from December 20s Inside Infinite :
(can look it up in the article here on Waypoint)
" CB : This is a great question and one we think about all the time. We see and hear the current concerns of our community, specifically right now around coatings, and we look to our systems to make sure we are doing the right thing both for our players and their ability to represent themselves as well as what is right for a free-to-play service-driven title.
Yes, being free-to-play does mean that there will be some premium cosmetics, but players will still obtain tons of customization content through things like playing campaign, challenges, skill, special events, legacy rewards (such as the Halo 5 SR 152 reward), the progression system, and more.
We will always provide value for pure engagement and simply playing the game. We believe that providing value isn’t exclusive to monetary transactions, it’s also about making sure you’re properly rewarded for the time you’re investing into the game. Players that play for free will be able unlock items across a multitude of different customization types to allow them to represent themselves in-game. "
… Didn´t age that well, did it?!
Least, thats what they said and it sounded all right, but for now there is not much,
that is not unlocked besides by paying for it seperatily.