The challenge system frustrates many players to the point of dropping the game. Something needs to change.
 
 
I believe I understand the 343’s perspective and objectives in regards to the challenge system, the mechanics, limitations of the user interface, and I have a finger on the pulse of the community.
 
 
I have gathered the best ideas from players across multiple platforms, and compiled them here for consideration.
 
 
If someone from 343 is reading this, take it seriously.
 
 

This Proposal is Balanced for 343, and the Players

From a developers perspective the challenge system exists to:
 

• Keep players engaged with the game each week
• Populate a variety of game modes
• Funnel players into the current event
• Teach players how to use a variety of weapons/mechanics
• Earn income through player purchased challenge swaps.

Why players are frustrated with the current challenge system:
 

• Five weeks ago, the ultimate challenge was: Win 3 Capture the Flag Matches in Ranked

• One event challenge a player may get is: Backsmack Enemy Spartans in Tactical Slayer

Why Should the Challenge System Change?

This proposal a*sumes multiple presuppositions, these may not reflect some player views, but I am under the impression I represent the overwhelming majority of players who are evidently frustrated.
 
 
The primary objective of most matches should be to play in a way which benefits your team, using strategies which secure victory, and ignoring sub-optimal play-styles.
 
 
The current challenge system encourages players to compete in ways which impair overall team performance, and ruin the core game-play experience for the people who want to play seriously.
 
 
I want to be an a*set to my team, I want to play to win, I want to know that my time isn’t wasted, I want to be certain about how long these challenges will take.
 
 
I don’t want to camp in a corner, waiting until a team-mate engages with an enemy half way across the map, hoping to snipe them for a Guardian Angel.
 
 
I don’t want to be forced to endlessly re-queue, in hopes of being lucky enough to land the right game-type for my challenge.
 
 
I don’t want to annoy my team mates by being a bad team player, but I feel I’m forced to.
 
 
 

Challenges: Preamble

This section will list (and sort), every challenge in the game, detail whether it should be included in the game, and offer suggestions to improve player outcomes.
 
 
 

Challenges: I LOVE IT! But…

It’s redundant, and doesn’t encourage a diverse playlist population.
 

• Weekly – Play any Match

I love seeing ‘Play any Match’ on my weekly challenge list. However, I think it should be removed.
 
We already have Daily – Play any Match, this is sufficient for a Free Space on your Bingo card.
 
 
 

Challenges: I’VE PLAYED 20 MATCHES AND NO CTF!!! (not hyperbole)

Game-type (and map) specific challenges must be removed – PERIOD!
 
This is egregiously disrespectful of a player’s time.

• Complete (game-type) Matches
• Win (game-type) Matches
• Kill Enemy Spartans Carrying the Ball
• Capture Enemy Flag
• Return your Flag
• Kill Enemy Flag Carriers
• Kill enemy Spartans Trying to Return their Flag
• Capture a zone
• Kill Enemy Spartans Defending their zones
• Kill Enemy Spartans Attacking a Friendly Zone
• Kill an Enemy Spartan with a thrown Fusion Coil

Challenges: WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SPARTAN DOING?!

These challenges encourage players to compete selfishly.
 
They encourage counterproductive play-styles.
 

• Kill an Enemy Driver of a moving vehicle with a Sniper Rifle
• Save allies’ lives from far away
• Shock a set of 4 or More Enemy Spartans with a Single Chain
• Knock Enemy Spartans off the map with the Repulsor
• Kill an Enemy Spartan by flattening them with a Repulsor
• Kill Enemy Spartans by hitting them with a Vehicle

Challenges: THE MAIN EVENT (sucks)

Fire whoever thought these were a good idea.
 

• Stop Enemy Killing Sprees in Fiesta
• Backsmack during Tactical Event
• Kill Enemy Spartans with the Mangler in Tactical Slayer

Expecting this kind of stuff from players is disgusting.
 
 
 

Challenges: are they tho?

If they aren’t challenging, they shouldn’t be challenges
 
Most players get these without trying to
 

• Kill Enemy Spartans
• Get Assists
• Earn a Double Kill
• Kill Enemy Spartans with a Melee Attack
• Kill Enemy Spartans from behind with a Melee Attack
• Kill Enemy Spartans with a Headshot
• Destroy (vehicle)
• Earn a Killing Spree
• Kill an Enemy Spartan using a kinetic semi-auto or burst weapon with peak efficiency

Challenges: PRACTICE VARIETY – FIESTA STYLE!

This challenge system fix also presupposes Fiesta is the only non-competitive playlist, and serves as a playground for testing weapons, and messing around without consequence.
 
 
These challenges are important though, they encourage players to try all weapons and equipment, learn their functions, strengths and weaknesses, and get practice using them.
 

• Kill Enemy Spartans with (weapon)
• Kill Enemy Spartans by Sticking them with a Plasma/Spike Grenade
• Kill an Enemy Spartan with a Shock Chain
• Headshot Enemy Spartans while looking down the scope of a Sniper Rifle
• Grapple Shot an Enemy Spartan
• Grapple to and Hijack Enemy Vehicles
• Interrupt an Enemy Spartan’s Energy Sword lunge

However, outside of Fiesta, these challenges encourage a player to compete selfishly.
 
It is very frustrating to see players attempt to use impractical weapons in non-Fiesta playlists.
 
Fiesta needs to be updated so players start with random grenade types to accommodate.
 
 
These challenges are important, as they encourage players to practice a variety of vehicles, but there isn’t a playlist which encourages vehicle practice.
 

• Kill Enemy Spartans with (vehicle weapons)

Attempting these challenges in Big Team Battle is very frustrating, as players swarm to vehicles they are unfamiliar with; it’s a nightmare. Maybe we could have a playlist like Fiesta, but with a heavy focus on chaotic vehicle combat. Until then, remove these challenges.
 
 
 

Challenges: CONSOLIDATION!

These three challenge types should be consolidated into a single system.
 

• Complete (playlist) Matches
• Earn Cumulative Player Score in (playlist) Matches
• Win (playlist) Matches

My proposal is simple:
 
First, increase the Cumulative Player Score point requirement:
 
[4,000] Normal / [8,000] Heroic / [12,000] Legendary.
 
Second, remove the Complete and Win challenges entirely.
 
Third, completing now grants [1,000], winning now grants [2,000] points,
 
 
The updated system encourages better performance from all players, reduces frustration felt toward team-mates, and a*sures players ALWAYS make progress, even when they lose.
 
 
 

How Long Should We Be Expected to Play Each Week?

The aforementioned revised Cumulative Player Score is a great benchmark for estimating how long the player should be expected to engage with the game per week.
 
 
Just to recap, I propose the Cumulative Player Score challenge score be increased.
 
from: [2,000] Normal / [5,000] Heroic / [7,500] Legendary
 
to: [4,000] Normal / [8,000] Heroic / [12,000] Legendary
 
 
Completing the match grants a default of [1,000] points, winning grants [2,000] points. It is common for the MVP of a match to get [~2,000], other players average [~1,000].
 
 
Averaging out the values of these two outcomes, players should earn [3,000] points per match.
 
 
Matches typically last about 10 minutes, but vary depending on playlist types. This equates to [3,000] points / 10 minutes.
 
 
With 8 Normal Challenges, 8 Heroic Challenges, and 4 Legendary challenges, this equates to [144,000] points per week ([32,000] Normal / [64,000] Heroic / [48,000] Legendary)
 
With an average of [3,000] points per 10 minutes, this would average 48 matches / 480 minutes / 8 hours.
 
 
I believe 8 hours is an appropriate amount of time for an average player to spend each week, specifically for challenges. This system offers certainty to the player.
 
 
 

What’s left?

After all my purposed cuts, the challenges would be reduced to:
 

• Earn Cumulative Score in (Quick Play, Team Slayer, Free For All, Fiesta, Tactical Slayer, Ranked, Big Team Battle) Matches
• Earn Cumulative Score in (current event) Matches
• Appropriate (current event) Challenges (headshots in Tactical Slayer for example)
• [Variety Challenge] Kill Enemy Spartans with (weapon)
• [Variety Challenge] Kill Enemy Spartans with (vehicle weapons)
• [Variety Challenge] (equipment challenges)

Considerations

• Each week the player is given 8 Normal Challenges, 8 Heroic challenges, and 4 Legendary challenges. This is 20 challenges total.
• At any given time, 3 challenges are active, or 4 with the season pa*s.
• If there is an event, 10 challenges are dedicated to it.

How to Optimally Distribute 20 Challenges

I’m sincerely convinced my revised Cumulative Player Score challenge system should be used as the primary mechanism for completing challenges, as it:

• Encourages population distribution amongst all playlists
• Retains appropriate player engagement
• Guarantees challenge progression during every match
• Ensures players never feel their time is wasted.
• Encourages proper strategies and team congruence.

 
First, lets split the challenges down the middle.
 
Event gets 10 challenges; 4 Normal, 4 Heroic, 2 Legendary.
 
Non-event challenges also get 4 Normal, 4 Heroic and 2 Legendary
 
 
I believe it’s a good idea for players to hit every game mode once a week, it a*sures variety, and distributes the population of players fairly well amongst the playlists.
 
Earn Cumulative Score in (playlist) (Normal – 4,000 points) x 3
 
Earn Cumulative Score in (playlist) (Heroic – 8,000 points) x 3
 
Earn Cumulative Score in (playlist) (Legendary – 12,000 points) x 1
 
If players don’t like a particular game mode, they are free to use the challenge swap.
 
 
Isolate the three remaining challenges (1 Normal, 1 Heroic, 1 Legendary) to my Variety/Fiesta proposal. This frees up every other game mode for players to compete seriously, without team members who are only concerned with completing challenges.
 
 
When there isn’t an event, simply divide those 10 challenges among the Cumulative Score challenges and be done with it.
 
 
 

Leave Feedback!

It is imperative that I update this guide to reflect the views of the majority of players in accordance with sound judgement.
 
 
If you have suggestions for improvement, or criticisms, please let me know.
 
 
If someone from 343 is reading this, you should consider this seriously. Halo Infinite is on life support, and the challenge system as it exists now is a major part of the problem. It must be updated.
 
 
 

Fellow User Feedback

“343 has designed challenges to be bad on purpose, so players will be forced to buy challenge swaps”
 
I don’t doubt it, but I’m confident challenge swaps make less than a single digit percent of their in-game store income. Judging by the outrage I’ve seen, I’m convinced that the challenge system is reaponsible for losing more money than it earns
 
 

 
 
I hope you enjoy the How to Fix the Challenge System – Halo Infinite guide. This is all for now! If you have something to add to this guide or forget to add some information, please let us know via comment! We check each comment manually!