Halo Infinite's First Event Is Going Off The Rails Already

A little over a week has passed since the surprise release of its open beta multiplayer mode, and "Halo Infinite" has been generally well received by players and critics alike. Though it isn't perfect and might be missing a few things, the title has been seen as a return to form for many, making people anxious for the release of the full game and its single-player campaign. With competitors such as "Call of Duty: Vanguard" and "Battlefield 2042" catching flak from players, 343 Industries is capitalizing on the positive reception to "Halo Infinite" by introducing the game's first limited-time event, "Fracture: Tenrai."

In addition to introducing a new game mode, the "Fracture: Tenrai" event offers players the chance to earn unique in-game items, including samurai-inspired cosmetics. On paper, this kind of challenge and immediate release of extra content should be seen a good thing. Unfortunately, the event already seems to be going off the rails, thanks to a poor progression system and a perceived disparity between free-to-play rewards and those purchased using microtransations. To put it lightly, fans are not too thrilled with "Fracture: Tenrai."

One of the biggest issues surrounding the limited-time "Fracture: Tenrai" event is the fact that it isn't quite as "limited" as one would think. Instead, the event will span from November to April, with six separate week-long events occurring during that time (per Dexerto). Each challenge and tier nets players a set amount of XP and specific rewards. This ultimately doesn't allow players to progress at their own pace and limits the event to a more linear experience. 

Players are also limited to small pieces of the aforementioned samurai-inspired armor for their Spartans. For instance, as noted by Dexerto, players can only unlock one piece of shoulder armor at a time — one can be unlocked during the current weekly challenge, with the next not being available for unlocking until January.

Making matters even worse, it seems that "Halo Infinite" is giving better items to those who are willing to hand over real-world currency for them. To illustrate this divide, Paul Tassi of Forbes posted on Twitter a screenshot of what's available to unlock via the "Fracture: Tenrai" event vs. what he was able to acquire in a paid loot crate. 

This kind of disparity between free-to-play content and that of loot boxes has unsettled players. Some of the replies to Tassi's screenshot have complained about the prices of the microtransactions, while others have voiced concerns over the future of the "Halo Infinite" Battle Pass and progression system as a whole.