There are various features from past Halo games that some players would like to see make a comeback in Halo Infinite. While fans speculate about Halo Infinite's release, there are still questions about what features will make their way into the new game.
Recently, 343 Industries held a fan Q&A called Halo Infinite - Zeta Halo that gave fans a chance to see just what they can expect from the game. During the Q&A, the developer confirmed various features that will be available in the game as well as what wouldn't be in the game. One of those features that won't be returning in Halo Infinite is playable Elites.
For years now, there have been fans who have wanted to see a return of the option for playable Elites in Halo games. The last Halo game to feature playable Elites was Bungie's last Halo game, Halo: Reach, where the prequel featured playable Elites for a specific game mode. Since then, playable Elites have not returned to the game franchise due to technical reasons as part of the last few games' development. This time, though, there's a little more to it than that.
In the lengthy Q&A, Halo Infinite's lead sandbox designer, Quinn Delhoyo, responded to several questions in the video, one of which was about whether playable Elites would be returning. The question came up around 6:40. Delhoyo's response was a solid "no" that they won't be returning. The reason being that 343 Industries is focused on telling a Master Chief story in Halo Infinite, particularly a Spartan story, and it wants to emphasize that in the campaign as much as the multiplayer.
Concerning the multiplayer, the developer's focus is on combat between Spartans and how they fight against each other. This means making sure combat in Halo Infinite, according to Delhoyo, feels fair, competitive, and is balanced in the game. However, Delhoyo does say that there's a possibility that playable Elites could be added into Halo Infinite later, but the game's focus will be on Spartan-based combat. "We love Elites – never say never, maybe we'll see that one day – but right now the current plan is you're going to be playing Spartans."
This will likely be disappointing news to players who wish to see playable Elites be a key feature in the latest Halo game. However, playable Elites won't be the only old feature not making a return to the new game any time soon. The Q&A also revealed that Dual-Wielding won't be available in Halo Infinite either. The Q&A does go on to provide more details on Halo Infinite's progress, some of the concepts behind it, and what fans can expect before its release.
Halo Infinite is in development for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.