Dropping at the end of last year, Halo Infinite had a bigger impact than most expected, with a free-to-play multiplayer mode being shadow-dropped first and building hype for the main course. While some Halo fans still held out hope for Infinite's eventual release, the numerous delays and underwhelming gameplay footage left many skeptical, which just served to make Halo Infinite's release all the more surprising - with many viewing it as the return to form that the franchise needed. However, along with campaign co-op, there's one Halo staple that's missing from Infinite: a Forge mode.
Ever since Halo 3, the franchise has included some form of Forge mode. This mode allows players to add new structures, objects, weapons, and vehicles to a map, paving the way for some particularly creative players to make some of the most iconic custom games ever made. Through Forge mode, classic custom games like Duck Hunt, Sky Battles, and Jenga were all created, elevating the Halo multiplayer experience even further. Right now, Halo Infinite's Forge mode is still in development, and some fans believe it should draw more from Halo Reach's Forge offerings than Halo 5's.
Why Halo Infinite's Forge Mode Should Take From Halo Reach More Than Halo 5
On paper, Halo 5's Forge mode is technically better than Halo Reach's. Though it took a few months after Halo 5's release to launch, that game's Forge mode features a completely reworked building system, with even more objects, structures, and customization options. Halo 5's Forge mode objects are separated into themes, giving players a plethora of human, Sangheili, Forerunner, and Covenant items, each with their own unique visual style.
On top of this, each individual object in Halo 5's Forge mode can be textured with a certain material, such as brick or steel. These objects can then be customized further, with players being able to change the color of the object or structure. As opposed to previous Halo Forge modes, Halo 5's allowed every object to be placed on every map, and removed the limit for individual object placement.
Where in previous Forge modes players had a budget for many structures, objects, weapons, or vehicles they could place, Halo 5's Forge mode removes this budget mechanic altogether, and instead makes it clear just how many individual objects can be placed of a certain type. Players who really invested the time in Halo 5's Forge mode also found that the new placement mechanics, adding to Reach's "Phase/Fixed" modifiers, allowed for greater freedom in how structures and blocks could be placed.
Halo 5's Forge mode is by far the most ambitious iteration of the mode, seeking to be an ambitious map creator, as opposed to just a map editor. However, in trying to give players more freedom and choice, Halo 5's Forge mode lost one of the series' defining features: its accessibility.
Once Halo 5's Forge mode finally released, many long-time Halo fans dashed to their forum of choice to voice their discontent over the mode's new controls. Many players found that the new UI and rotation controls in particular were a confusing mess, and far from the intuitive formula they'd come to expect from previous Forge modes. Even those who logged hundreds of hours into Halo 5's Forge mode lamented its controls, admitting that it took quite some time to get used to the new system.
Rather than take the Forge 3.0 system used in Halo 5, Halo Infinite should instead return to the series' roots, much like it has for the other aspects of the game. Halo Reach's Forge mode may not offer quite as many build or customization options as Halo 5's, but it is fondly remembered for being extremely easy to pick and mess around with, with simplistic UI, and placement options that are very self-explanatory.
With the popularity of Halo Infinite making it one of the most successful Halo games in years, it seems likely that the franchise has more new fans than ever, some of which will be trying out Forge mode for the first time. In turn, it's an absolute must that Halo Infinite's Forge mode is the most intuitive, accessible experience possible, much like Halo Reach's was.
Halo Infinite is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.