Halo Infinite – 343 Industries Details Dynamic Weather, Day/Night Cycle, Open World Biomes, and More

Being billed as a spiritual reboot for the franchise, Halo Infinite is promising to deliver an experience the likes of which the series has never seen. Among the many radical changes it’s introducing is the addition of an open world setting, and recently, in their latest monthly Ask 343 series, developers 343 Industries shared several new details on that part of the upcoming first person shooter.

Things such as dynamic weather and day and night cycles are, of course, staples of open world game design, and will be featured in Halo Infinite as well. Where dynamic weather is confirmed, Halo Infinite will have dynamic wind and fog systems, while 343 teases that other weather patterns such as sandstorms and snowstorms will be added to the game with post-launch updates.

Meanwhile, the game will also have a day and night cycle, which will have an impact on various aspects of the game. Cutscenes, for instance, will change depending on the time of day (while what weapons you’ve got equipped will also show up in cutscenes). Meanwhile, nighttime will also see more enemy patrols, including Phantoms, shield enemies, and enemies using searchlights. At the same time, you will also run into sleeping Grunts with greater frequency.

Meanwhile, the open world will also have several biomes. The game’s primary biome is based on the Pacific Northwest, but you can also expect to run into other areas such as swamps, war-torn locations, caves, Forerunner structures, Banished bases, and more. The open world will also have wildlife that players will run into (some of these will have bioluminescence at night), though there won’t be any hostile wildlife.

Where side activities are concerned, players can look for audio logs in the environment, which will receive additional narrative details on the Zeta Halo ring, its people, and its past. Players will also be given the freedom to explore the world and tackle side quests at their own leisure (some of which will tie into the central narrative as well), though the game will, of course, have a single, linear critical path that cannot be skipped or tackled out of order.

Several more details were also revealed during the video, which you can view in its entirety below. All of this comes as 343 Industries’ decision to share “high-level” details on the shooter on a monthly basis. Last month, 343 Industries talked about vehicles, combat, and more.

Halo Infinite is due out this Fall for the Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.