Have played Halo from CE to Infinite and wanted to give my opinions on this multiplayer so far, more specifically the Battle Pass and progression in general.
First of all, loving the gameplay! Would like to see the Quick Play playlist separated into their individual modes while still retaining the playlist for those that want to play random modes, but that’s besides the point of this post.
Keep in mind, I understand Infinite’s multiplayer is free-to-play, however there are better methods for monetization while rewarding players at the same time:
1.) Battle Pass contents are lackluster – The concept of the Battle Pass (BP for the sake of brevity) is a fantastic idea, however Halo Infinite utilizes it poorly and has the adverse effect of making me not want to buy it. A lot of BPs include the currency (Credits) used to purchase the BP, incentivizing the player to play the game to “re-earn” their money spent on the Credits to purchase the next BP, or purchase something from the cosmetic store instead, however Infinite does not have this. The closest thing we have to this are XP boosts and Challenge Swaps, yet these don’t feel nearly as rewarding as gaining the Credits back to purchase the next BP, assuming the BPs after this are purchased the same way. As for the cosmetics, they’re fine but nothing special; this is more of a nitpick. Halo Reach was a great game and the armour does look awesome, but they aren’t new and don’t pull me in to wanting to grab them as much as new armour would.
Suggestion: Add Credits into the BP to allow players to fully earn the next BP and some extra Credits to save up for a future cosmetic item from the store.
2.) Progression is exhausting and slow – To put it simply, Infinite’s Challenges are not fun or rewarding at all, especially as the sole means for XP. Instead of encouraging players to be creative and feel comfortable within their playstyle, Challenges put players in the awkward situation of either playing how they like and be penalized in their progression, or conform to these challenges and awkwardly use a weapon that the game situation may not call for. In short, these Challenges go against team play, they make the player feel awkward when using a weapon for an unnatural gameplay scenario and ultimately put the player and the team down. It even seems like the 343 is aware of how annoying the Challenges can be and were designed as such, given that Challenge Swaps are a reward in the BP to allow the player to switch a Challenge they don’t like. Why should a “reward” in a game be to switch out a Challenge? Difficult Challenge’s should feel rewarding to complete, not swapping them out. Not trying to attack 343 by any means, just explaining how I see it from a monetization standpoint (make Challenges grueling to incentivize players buying BP ranks.) On top of creating clumsy gameplay, the amount of XP these challenges grant is low, making the BP tedious to level up.
Suggestion: Reward XP for Kills, Assists, Objective Time and even Medals. Wouldn’t it feel great to know that, after making a huge play and seeing your medals pop-up with the announcer to hype you up, you’d also get a sum of XP for it? If Challenges must stay, let them be supplemental to a more core, organic XP system that awards XP for simply playing the game the way players want to play.
3.) Cosmetics in the Shop cost too much – While not directly associated with the BP, its still related and important. A couple of specific examples: the Chonmage set shouldn’t be 2000 credits, or $20, as its only providing variants to an existing skin, not a skin itself, and the Sentinel’s Blades are 1500 Credits, AKA $15 ($20 if you don’t have 500 Credits in your bank to purchase the 1000 Credit pack) as its only katanas sheathed on the hip and an emblem for a few different pieces. Not only are these overpriced, but seeing these new cosmetics makes me realize they were saved for the Shop and leave me yearning for a more exciting BP to complement the Reach armour.
Suggestion: Reduce the cost of items in the Shop! This in tandem with Credits earned in the BP would reward players for not only spending time playing Infinite, but also reward them for purchasing the BP in the first place.
Again, the game is incredibly fun and I would like to keep playing, however the monotonous Battle Pass progression turns me away. I have no problem spending money on Battle Passes in free-to-play games when they’re done right, but the current structure of Infinite’s Battle Pass coupled with some very obvious, intrusive monetization methods has the opposite effect and makes me not want to buy it and play another game instead.
TL;DR: Add earnable Credits to the Battle Pass to incentivize initial purchase, rewarding players’ time invested with the prospect of future Battle Passes or Shop items, award XP for Kills, Assists, Objective Time and Medals and reduce the cost of Shop items.