While it made a surprisingly big impact upon its initial release, Halo Infinite has had a bit of a bumpy 2022. Though it didn't have a lot of content, Halo Infinite's free-to-play multiplayer was met with acclaim from critics, fans of the series, and even some newcomers, but as time has gone on, 343 Industries' promise of more content and technical tweaks hasn't quite been fulfilled, leading to some players losing interest in the game. With the release of Halo Infinite Season 2, these issues have only been highlighted even more, with 343 Industries admitting it'd dropped the ball during its rollout.
Halo Infinite's second Season also saw the removal of a fan-favorite campaign feature: the "Tank Gun." Found at the top of Outpost Tremonius, atop one of the artillery batteries, the completely invisible Tank Gun is essentially just a handheld version of the Scorpion tank's main cannon, with an unlimited ammo supply. Due to its unparalleled power in Halo Infinite's campaign, the Tank Gun soon became a fan-favorite weapon, but just before Season 2, 343 Industries removed it, only to add it back in just a few days ago.
Why Halo Infinite's Tank Gun Was Removed
The Tank Gun, by its very nature, was impressively over-powered. Capable of firing high-impact, explosive rounds at just about any range, the Tank Gun could tear through the Banished forces within milliseconds, and its unlimited supply of ammo ensured that no other weapon would be needed throughout Halo Infinite's campaign. Used by the right player, the Tank Gun could kill even Halo Infinite's toughest bosses in just a matter of seconds, fights that would normally take at least 10 minutes or so.
According to 343 Industries Senior Community Manager John Junyszek, Halo Infinite's Tank Gun was never intended to be in the game at all. When the Tank Gun was first found, many fans had thought it was a neat reference to Halo 2's infamous Scarab Gun Easter egg, but Junyszek's tweet confirmed this was not the case.
Back in April, Junyszek announced that the Tank Gun was indeed a glitch, and that it would soon be removed from the game during its next wave of updates. The reason for its removal from the game seems to be that it was never intended to be part of the game, and in removing it, 343 Industries was ensuring that Halo Infinite fit the developer's original intention.
Why Halo Infinite's Tank Gun is Back
When Halo Infinite's Tank Gun was removed, a good deal of the fan-base reacted extremely negatively toward the decision. Since its discovery, the Tank Gun has instrumental in the Halo Infinite speedrunning scene, becoming the weapon of choice for just about any run. Similarly, the Tank Gun was a favorite of achievement hunters who were trying to complete the game on LASO difficulty.
So when the news of the Tank Gun's removal was announced, both the speedrunnning and the achievement hunting communities were pretty vocal about their disappointment with the decision. Outside these subgroups, the general player-base was also a little confused by the decision, believing that the Tank Gun was a fun little Easter egg that doesn't take anything away from the core Halo Infinite experience, as it is only present in its campaign mode and is a completely optional pickup.
A few weeks ago, Junyszek announced that the Tank Gun was heading back to the game, citing the immense fan backlash as the reason for its return. And, just a few days ago, the Tank Gun was returned to its rightful spot above Outpost Tremonius.
Halo Infinite is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.