Tenrai IV kicks off next Tuesday, June 4, and Halo Infinite will receive an update alongside the launch of this latest Operation. Players can expect a few fixes under the hood, but the most exciting component of this next content update will be the release of the long-awaited Match Composer functionality for matchmaking!
Today, we want to give you a quick preview of what you can expect and how this feature will offer more flexibility to play the experiences you enjoy the most.
So, what exactly is a “Match Composer?”
This new matchmaking functionality allows players to choose a high-level playlist based on criteria like team composition (4v4, BTB, FFA, etc.) and then choose the specific modes you prefer to play (Husky Raid, Team Slayer, Team Snipers, etc.).
Originally, players would just be able to select “Team Arena” which could end up putting you into any of the supported game modes within that playlist. Now, you’ll be able to “compose” your match experience from the start and only search and play the specific types of experiences you want to play within a playlist. You can compose parameters and search one playlist at a time.
Not only does this new feature give you greater control to play what you want to play, it also allows us to take niche offerings that were previously relegated to limited-time rotationals and make them into permanent Match Composer mode choices (for example, Team Snipers is available to play all the time now within the Quick Play playlist).
At face value, Halo Infinite’s matchmaking menus will look quite similar—you’ll be presented with a list of available playlists and if you select a Match Composer-enabled playlist (denoted in the description), the next screen will then offer a list of all the available modes to choose from. By default, every mode option will be enabled to help expedite searching and get players into matches quickly, but players can select and deselect as few or as many as desired.
One important note here is that selecting fewer options adds more constraints to the matchmaking search parameters and can result in longer wait times depending on current online population and general popularity of the modes you’ve chosen. If you aren’t picky and just want to jump into a 4v4 match as fast as possible, leave everything selected. If you only want to play Team Snipers but not that many other players online have opted into Team Snipers, it may take longer to match into a game.
Playlist Offerings
Most, but not all, of Halo Infinite’s playlists will support Match Composer functionality when this feature is released next Tuesday. In general, most Social playlists will have Match Composer options but Ranked will not. Here’s the list of Social Match Composer enabled playlists that will be available upon release:
Tenrai IV
[FFA] [8 Players] Enjoy Tenrai-themed content including new community modes as well as the new original community map, Hanami
This is the new Tenrai Operation themed featured playlist, available for a limited time.
Quick Play
[4v4] All things 4v4 from Team Slayer to Husky Raid. Curate your preferred 4v4 experiences here
This playlist will include the majority of Halo Infinite’s 4v4 social game modes and offers numerous different choices ranging from Mini Slayer to CTF to Dodgeball and more. Players who only want to play on community-created Forge maps can select the “Community” version of a specific mode (i.e. “Community Slayer”).
Team Doubles
[2v2] Assorted games for teams of two. Work together or die alone; teamwork is critical here
Rumble Pit
[FFA] [8 Players] A mix of Slayer variants and other Free for All modes. You’re on your own, Spartan
Infection
[FFA] [12 Players] Infect the enemy team or survive until the time limit. Players killed by Infected become Infected
Big Team Battle
[12v12] For those who prefer a bigger battle. Here you can curate between standard BTB, BTB Heavies, and other variety BTB modes
Mode selection options include entries from the original BTB Core, BTB Social, and BTB Heavies playlists such as Total Control, Team Snipers, Stockpile, Fiesta Slayer, and more.
Squad Battle
[8v8] Your traditional fix for large scale warfare. Curate your experience with Team Slayer and objective gametypes
Mode choices include CTF, King of the Hill, Slayer, One Flag CTF, Land Grab, and Total Control.
Firefight Legendary
[PVE] [LEGENDARY] [4 Players] Take the fight to the Banished. Curate your Firefight experience with different modes on Legendary difficulty
Firefight Heroic
[PVE] [HEROIC] [4 Players] Take the fight to the Banished. Curate your Firefight experience with different modes on Heroic difficulty
Firefight Normal
[PVE] [NORMAL] [4 Players] Take the fight to the Banished. Curate your Firefight experience with different modes on Normal difficulty
Each of the three Firefight playlists offer the same options (regular Firefight: KotH, Gruntpocalypse, or Gruntpocalypse Fiesta) but are differentiated at the playlist level based on difficulty choice.
Ranked Playlists
To ensure Halo Infinite’s Ranked experience maintains the highest level of competitive integrity, these playlists will not support Match Composing. However, the consolidation that the Match Composer offers us on the Social side means we’re able to expand the core Ranked playlists with this release to include:
Ranked Arena
[4v4] – Bandit Evo Loadout. Motion tracker disabled. Team Slayer, CTF, Oddball, KOTH, and Strongholds gametypes. Face off against other Spartans to earn or progress your rank.
Ranked Slayer
[4v4] – Bandit Evo loadout. Friendly Fire enabled. Motion tracker disabled.
Ranked Doubles
[2v2] – Slay the enemy team. Bandit Evo loadout. Motion tracker disabled.
Ranked Tactical will be available as a Ranked Rotational offering beginning next week.
Play Your Way
The Match Composer comes to Halo Infinite as part of a free update alongside the next Operation: Tenrai IV next Tuesday, June 4. Check back next week for the full patch notes and additional details on the update and what you’ll find in the Tenrai Operation Pass and Exchange refreshes.
We’re excited to get this highly requested feature into your hands and will be keeping a close eye on feedback and game telemetry to ensure the Match Composer is delivering a great online experience.
We’ll see you online, Spartans!