Halo Infinite Season 2: game update patch notes, Xbox and PC Battle Pass, multiplayer changes - and new maps

The multiplayer component of Halo Infinite has officially begun its second season of content.

Lone Wolves launched on 3 May as part of a 14.8GB update for the game that brought with it two new maps as well as a pair of scheduled narrative events and three new game modes: King of the Hill, Land Grab, and the brand new Last Spartan Standing.

But 343 Industries have given players so much more to get stuck into.

Here’s everything you need to know about it.

What are the Narrative Events?

This season's two new timed narrative events, which each contain ten particular rewards for players to obtain by participating in event-specific activities, tie in with Season 2’s Battle Pass.

Interference is the first, and runs until Sunday 15 May having already begun. Following that, the next event will be called The Alpha Pack, and runs from Tuesday 19 July until Monday 1 August.

Interference and The Alpha Pack are the first narrative-driven multiplayer events in Halo Infinite, and they continue what started in Season 1 with the introduction of Spartan Commander Agryna.

Both will incorporate your multiplayer Spartan into the tale, as well as introduce two new heroes: battle-scarred veterans Spartan Dinh and Spartan Eklund, who arrive at the Avery J. Johnson training centre with a hazardous treasure, as well as crucial information about the Banished's ambitions.

343 Industries says these events mark the start of “an engaging, multi-season storyline that centres your Spartan in the thick of the action”.

What are the new game modes?

As you may have guessed from the mode’s title, Last Spartan Standing is essentially Halo Infinite’s answer to the popular Battle Royale sub genre of video games.

Think the mass mayhem of games like Fortnite or Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, only with a Spartan overcoat.

Halo Infinite’s take on the genre isn’t quite the same as those games, but it does share many similar elements.

It has a shrinking danger zone that limits the area of the playing field - guaranteeing you can't just hide in a cubby hole while the timer ticks down - and every spartan fights for survival with only five lives to spare.

But it also incorporates gameplay features from the Call of Duty series' 'Gun Game' mode, with players' loadouts being upgraded as they rack up kills and assists, or collect AI from downed players.

Once five minutes have passed, or when all players have exhausted their respawns, the game's Danger Zone will begin closing in on the battlefield - players will receive damage if they remain in the Danger Zone.

When all players have run out of respawns and just one Spartan remains, the round of Last Spartan Standing is over.

King of the Hill has always been a favourite of Halo fans, and makes its return to the series with Infinite’s latest update.

Two teams of four players compete in King of the Hill to take control of a neutral zone on the map; the “Hill” is the name for this neutral zone.

The capturing team receives a point for capturing the Hill, after which a new Hill appears somewhere else on the map.

Land Grab takes the concept of King of the Hill further, introducing three capture points on a map simultaneously - though it won’t be made available within Halo Infinite until Tuesday 24 May.

In the mode, players must have uncontested control of a neutral zone for only a few seconds in order to take it. Once a zone has been seized, it is no longer available for capture, and the team who captured it earns a point.

Once all three active zones have been captured, a new set of three neutral zones will appear on the map, which teams must race to capture before the other.

What are the new maps?

The two new multiplayer maps introduced to Season 2 of Halo Infinite are Breaker and Catalyst.

Breaker is a new Big Team Battle arena that transports players to a large Banished scrapyard, and is littered with sniping positions, tunnels and jump pads.

With multiple floors that twist and turn around within a relatively compact indoor space, Catalyst is a much tighter affair, only playable in Arena mode.

It’s set within an abandoned Forerunner bunker with tight hallways, balconies, and an exposed central light bridge.

How does the Battle Pass work?

This season also marks the start of a brand new Battle Pass, which features 100 tiers of both free and paid cosmetic items (up to 180 in total) to earn as you complete tasks.

The premium Battle Pass comes in at two price points.

One costs 1000 in-game credits, while the other costs 2,800 credits and instantly unlocks the first 25 levels of rewards.

How can I switch between Battle Passes?

As with last season's premium pass, Season 2’s is a permanent fixture that you can progress through at your own leisure.

But what if you’ve still outstanding cosmetics and rewards to mop up from last season?

Fortunately, you can now switch between the Heroes of Reach and Lone Wolves Battle Pass content by entering the multiplayer suite.

From here, access the Battle Pass content menu by pressing Y on the main screen of the mode. Then you can choose between the two season passes, before selecting "equip" to move to the content you want.

What are the new framerate modes?

There are also some "new target frame rate option" for both the Xbox Series X and S consoles, according to Season 2's lengthy patch notes.

Xbox Series S consoles can now once again support a 120hz refresh rate, and Xbox Series X consoles can now support a 30Hz refresh rate.

The ‘Video’ tab of the ‘Settings’ menu allows you to change these settings.

How do I get Clippy?

Clippy is Microsoft's iconic Office Assistant, a defunct intelligent user interface for Microsoft Office that aided users through the use of an animated paperclip mascot.

343 Industries has added Clippy to Halo Infinite as a legendary gun charm and an epic emblem, following an online campaign to add Clippy to the game as an AI assistant.

Both will be available at some point during Season 2.