Well, what do you know: Halo Infinite flighting is coming back at the end of the month and fans will finally be able to jump right back into testing, helping 343 Industries get everything as ready as it can be for the game's launch on December 8. (And if you're not already invited for this one as an Insider, there may be another opportunity - click here to check out your options.)
The big news is that flighting - testing, basically - will this time take place over two back-to-back weekends (exciting), and the second weekend will let players dive into Infinite's Big Team Battle mode for the first time (well exciting). But unfortunately, as is to be expected with any positive Halo news, 343's monkey's paw closes one finger. Matchmaking will be limited to two four-hour windows each day - although the Training Academy modes of Weapons Drills and Training Mode will be available at any time.
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Those who took part in the previous flight know all about Weapons Drills, a simple target range that allows you to train up with any weapon you chose against a series of spawning-in bots. It's simple but will be helpful for new players to get to grips with all the weapons, and for experienced veterans to understand changes to classic guns while easing in the new ones.
Then there's Training Mode, a new feature for flight testers. According to David Ellis, designer of Halo Infinite's academy, it's a single-player experience "where you can load into MP maps and play with and against bots".
"When can I drop in and shoot other players in their stupid spartan faces?" I hear you ask?
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The first weekend is based solely around Arena mode, just like the first flight, and will run from Thursday September 23 to Monday, September 27 - although not every day will actually allow matchmaking.
Matchmaking will only run on Friday 24, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 during the hours of:
5pm - 9pm and 1am - 5am BST (UK Time)
(10am - 10pm and 5pm - 9pm PT)
The first flight will end Monday September 27 at 5pm (10am PT), and players won't be able to play anything until weekend two.
The following weekend will see Big Team Battle for the first time, although Arena Slayer will still be an option. Flighting kicks off on September 30, but similar to the previous weekend matchmaking will only be available during set hours on set days:
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Friday October 1, Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 during the hours of:
5pm - 9pm and 1am - 5am BST (UK Time)
(10am - 10pm and 5pm - 9pm PT)
The flight will fully conclude on Monday October 4 at 5pm (10am PT), and that will be that.
Hopefully, this won't be the end of Halo Infinite flighting and we will get hands-on again before launch. But with the game releasing on December 8, the wait for the complete experience isn't far off now at all. Watch our thoughts on the previous flight test, below.
Topics: Halo, Xbox, Halo Infinite