Halo Infinite Reveals Huge Forge Mode Update Details

gamerant.com:

Halo Infinite has confirmed the details of a huge update coming to the game's Forge mode on January 30. After a rocky launch back in 2021, Halo Infinite continues to make positive steps in winning over the game's community.

Ever since it debuted in 2007's Halo 3, Forge mode has been a staple of the franchise, allowing players to create their own maps using a robust editor. With each iteration from Bungie and 343 Industries, the complexity of the mode has increased, which only challenges the community further to show what is possible. Some of the maps even end up in matchmaking rotation, indicating the developer's confidence in what can be achieved. Just recently, one player even recreated a classic Halo: Combat Evolved campaign level in Infinite's Forge, which shows how powerful the tools are right now. With this upcoming update, they're about to get even better.

The full details of the upcoming updates to Forge mode were published via HaloWaypoint. Content Update 29 (CU29) arrives on January 30, bringing a host of changes that increase the power of the Forge tools. Creators haven't been able to use the iconic purple colors of the series' main antagonists, the Covenant, in Halo Infinite's Forge mode yet, but CU29 will see these options become available as the first big change. On top of this is a new feature called the Forge Mode Creator, which will make it easier for creators to combine custom maps and modes with the addition of new assets called Mode Brains and Mode Prefabs.

In addition, players will now have access to material swaps between decals and foliage, allowing creators to substantially change the appearance of many of Forge mode's more decorative pieces. This has the potential to completely change the visual possibilities in Forge, even in existing maps. To top it all off, CU29 is bringing further refinements to the Forge AI toolkit, which allows creators to place NPCs in their custom maps. The AI toolkit was a huge addition and a first out of every Halo ga