Why is there Reach armour in the store that isn't in the battlepass?

Games Halo Infinite
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Honestly, I can see both sides of the argument here, and can understand why people are frustrated. I, myself, am wondering why several high-profile pieces of Halo Reach’s armor sets are absent from the Battle Pass (Mark V Helmet, Pilot, Grenadier Pauldrons, CQC, Eternal Armor Effect, etc.)

In fact, the very first piece of armor unlocked through the free Battle Pass is a piece of armor that doesn’t even fit the Mark V[B] core and is only unlocked after reaching Level 81. If you paid $10 up front for the Premium Pass that would not really be an issue since there are quite a few cosmetics unlocked between Level 1 and Level 81.

While I will laud 343i for finally giving us a Halo game that harkens back to the days of old while simultaneously appealing to new fans by maintaining several facets of modern-day FPS games, I cannot help but to scratch my head and wonder just what the hell they were thinking when they structured this Battle Pass. There is far too much filler for Premium players and not enough content available for free players to warrant the desire to complete it…

As for monetization, I would prefer something akin to a catalogue over the rotational item shop that is currently in the game. That way, I can purchase exactly what I want when I want to purchase it. Not only would this offer players the cosmetic customization that was promised by 343i, but it would also allow all of us to truly create a Spartan that is unique to us while supporting 343i.

Maybe you disagree with me, maybe you don’t. That is perfectly fine. You can disagree with someone on the internet and not hate them, after all. However, this is my opinion on the matters of the Battle pass and Infinite’s monetization.

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Among some of the other problems I’ve been having with this game, for the most part I’ve been really enjoying it. One thing though that really feels like a smack to the face to me is that they are selling the old reach armour in the store, like who decided that was going to be a good idea and go over well? If it was new armour that we haven’t seen before that’s a little different, but selling old armour we’ve had before in previous titles is honestly completely unacceptable to me.

What they need to do with the store as a whole is do what Gears 5 did after a bit because it was sort of in a similar state as Infinite right now. If they are going to keep the same system for the microtransactions they need to adjust the prices for one, but also have a way to earn store credits in game so you can still earn stuff in the store rather than pay for it. Some of the store issues people have right now would still be there but at least you could have a way to earn rather than pay

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It’s precisely for that reason they put it in the store. The executives are banking on our nostalgia to make them money.

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Are you serious, this is a 20 year old franchise, not fortnight. The fan base expects basic level things that have been in every other halo game. If you think a skin is worth a 3rd of the cost of campaign, you’re crazy. I’m halo reach we had 10 times the content this game will have in a year and we had it all at launch. This game is a joke atm

Also no halo fan asked for a free multiplayer. And the one we currently have is a joke. I would much rather pay for multiplayer with the campaign and actually have maps and game modes at launch rather then this dumpster fire of 6 Maps and 4 game modes. Halo CE had more at launch. They had 6 years to make a game and were drip feeding content right now, like what a joke. What did they do for 6 years

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Mcdonalds is a 66 year old franchise, why can’t I still get a hamburger for $.05? Couldn’t be because things get more expensive over time could it?

Very definition of a “you problem” for those fans. Game was announced as FTP and that it would have microtransactions several months ahead of its original launch window. Also tired of hearing the “been in every other Halo game” nonsense. 2 games had major customization suites, which would be Reach and 4, 2 games. Thays 1/3 of the franchise titles. The original 2 titles let you choose colors, the 3rd titles introduced a limited and fixed set of customization pieces, and 5 reduced what you could customize, then locked everything behind rng based lootboxes (which they would also charge for if you felt like expediting the process).

The big kicker being every one of these games had an upfront purchase price, whereas Infinite does not. Reality is that for most of the franchise people played Halo MP because it was Halo MP. No one was around here simply for the cosmetics.

If all I ever buy in this game is one armor bundle, and get to continue enjoying an entirely free game on $20 bucks, I’ve come out ahead. Your assertion hinges heavily on the notion that ANYONE needs most/all of these armors to enjoy the game, let alone multiple or even any.

Literally no one ever asked for anything to cost money, ever. Yet we have an economy built around the concept. This argument has no substance or relevance outside of simply being mad that you’re tasked to pay for something that you want but don’t feel you should have to.

Since you didn’t actually answer my very specific question, I’ll ask you this instead. How much would you be willing to have paid for multiplayer and campaign in a single package? If you’re gonna say $60 you need to get real. That price point has long been out of step with AAA development costs, which is what got publishers looking for alternative revenue streams in the first place nearly a decade ago.

Infinite has more than 6 maps and 4 game modes. Not like what we have is a lot, but let’s at least be accurate shall we? CE had 13 maps for its Xbox launch I believe, and Infinite has 10, score for CE. CE launched with 5 core gametypes, slayer, ctf, king of the hill, oddball and race. Infinite launches with slayer, ctf, strongholds, oddball, Fiesta (in limited rotation, granted), btb iterations of 3 of those types, and btb stockpile. So if we don’t count the btb copies of arena types Infinite dropped with 6 (with potentially more in planned rotation) , and I believe 6 is technically more than 5. A more damning comparison would be a comparison between FTP models from current games that do a better job with their battlepass content, store front, or how their microtransactions present more value. This is an aspect where Infinite clearly lags behind what they’re attempting to accomplish.

Look, I don’t like FTP but its the reality of the industry. Expecting Halo to ignore that is flatly naive. If you’re in the same boat as several others are and would willingly had bought the MP for $60 as a standalone with all content included until the next major title update then I’d understand your issue. But griping about having to pay for something in an entirely free game is just that, griping. They need to make money somehow, that is reality, not opinion, so what should they make that money from?

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While I certainly agree with almost all of your aforementioned points, I will dispute the point that $60 is out of step with AAA development costs.

EA, as an example, is now charging $70 a year for games that equate to little more than asset flips and roster updates and are still making billions from predatory microtransactions. While other publishers are equally as guilty of this practice, EA is the most extreme example that I can think of.

I agree with you that the money has to come from somewhere. I, myself, have happily purchased items from games like Halo Infinite and Warframe in order to support the games that I have come to like.

However, there is what 343i is doing, and then there is what other, more egregious, publishers have stooped to in order to swindle more money than necessary from their fanbases while expecting their “consumers” to pay a $70 premium first. This is the largest reason that I am happy that Halo Infinite’s multiplayer component is completely free.

Don’t get me wrong; there are some truly good games out there that are worth their price tag, but those games are becoming a rarity nowadays. So long as the Activision/Blizzards and EAs of the world can make money off of their gullible and vulnerable fanbases, they will continue to support a “ship it broken and support it later” mentality. If you need an example of that, you need look no further than Call of Duty: Vanguard and Battlefield 2042.

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Bungie’s Destiny is the only online game that I know of that actually made a in game catalog of every item from the shop.

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Incidentally the only thing I think they did well regarding their approach to FTP.

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I agree with pretty much everything you laid out, a handful of companies have unquestionably created an irreparable view of microtransactions and the free to play model. I’d disagree somewhat on the “$60” point though, but only inasmuch as not all AAA dev’s play within the same range of fund’s.

Its more than a little ridiculous that the companies who need astronomic revenue the least employ the most aggressive microtransactions. Especially when you consider the amount of projects (and even studios) that have failed because they didn’t generate enough profit to cover the requisite investment for big budget gaming, and didn’t have the safety net of insanely large publishers and their investors.

Sadly, consumer behavior continues to encourage the practice. People would still rather keep paying $5 on impulse buys instead of paying a reasonable price upfront, because “reasonable” is higher than it used to be and therefore unacceptable. I’m glad you brought up Battlefield, perfect comparison to lend perspective. All 343i really has to do is remove the microtransaction feedback loop of swaps/boosts in the pass paired with the sluggish progression, increase the actual content in the pass (free and premium), and open up the storefront in its entirety every season and they’d be in a very good spot compared to other FTP games. Wouldn’t hurt if they’d unlock coatings and visors for use on all cores, but thats more of a value move.

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Exactly. If they [343i] gave me the option to look through all of the offerings for the entirety of the season, I would indubitably have no issue picking and choosing what I want in order to complete my look and buying everything up-front. That is not the case, though, and this is what is encouraging impulse spending in the industry at large…

Your suggestion of removing the filler from the Battle Passes would encourage more players to invest in them. Whether the $10 is worth it or not, however, is completely intangible since that is always going to be up to every individual player to determine for themselves.

Unfortunately, the same could also be said for all of the items in the store. I am in agreement with what you have said regarding comparing what 343i charge for their items and what some of the other developers/publishers charge for their own items. Not everyone will look at it that way, though… It is because of topics like this that I am often reminded of a quote from Mass Effect 2; “If three humans are in a room, there will be six opinions.”

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