Halo: Master Chief Collection update adds new Flood Firefight mode

343 Industries has ceased to run seasons. Halo: Master Chief CollectionHowever, the game’s developer continues to support it. The next big update is coming Monday, kicking off with a fan-favorite Halo mode called “FloodFight” to Halo 3: ODST. You already know that adding Flood to Firefight is possible.

Firefight, a co-operative survival mode in which waves of enemies attack, is called FloodFight. FloodFight, as 343 Industries is calling this iteration, sends waves of the Flood in to fight — changing up enemies in the regular mode from the Covenant to the Flood’s creepy crawlies. The mode was beta tested last year, but the new update adds “numerous networking improvements” and fixed plenty of bugs. The improvements, 343 Industries said, “benefit Firefight across the board.”

Floods themselves Halo 3: ODSTThere are some differences. Here’s how 343 puts it:

Players will first notice Flood are accompanied with dense fog, which creates a unique and frightening atmosphere for each Firefight mission. The fog can be seen to dynamically change from one flood wave to the next, and back again when there is a Covenant wave. There are also variants that combine Flood enemies and Covenant enemies.

Vehicles can be occupied by flood for the first-time since 2005. Halo 2Firefight players may encounter and possibly commandeer these enemies in multiple missions. The Flood enemy now has a couple of new animations that allow them to fly these vehicles and traverse the area more efficiently. They can also use support weapons such as turrets.

ODST, there are also three new types of Flood Combat Forms—the infected civilian, the infected ODST, and the infected Elite Major which sports red armor and energy shields.

Floods can use all of the familiar tactics. Flood can use Stalker Forms to scale walls and transform into Ranged Forms, completely changing how the Firefight missions work. Flood can be dropped onto the map by dispersal pods.

Lastly, unlike Master Chiefs, ODSTs may be infected with the Flood and resurrected. Beware, as you may have to fight your own resurrected allies—or even yourself!

343 Industries has added “boons” to assist players, like weapons racks with assault rifles or battle rifles. Some maps have flamethrowers, or allied NPCs — like marinesAnd allied Elites delivered by pods.

Elsewhere in Monday’s update, 343 Industries has added UI adjustments, changed Forge and mod tools, and added campaign cross-play for Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST. There’s also campaign customization in Halo 4New multiplayer medals Halo 3Changes to Monthly Challenges and New Skulls Halo 2, Halo 3And Halo 3: ODST. Full details are available on the Halo Waypoint Blog.

Additionally, the developer discussed plans for new updates for the rest of 2011, such as mod support for all game systems. Master Chief Collection. It said it plans to deliver “multiple updates sprinkled throughout 2022.”