Halo: Master Chief Collection update adds new Flood Firefight mode

343 Industries is no longer running seasons in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, but the developer is still supporting the game. The next big update is coming Monday, kicking off with a fan-favorite Halo mode called “FloodFight” to Halo 3: ODST. You know, adding the Flood to Firefight.

Firefight – This is a cooperative survival mode in which waves of enemies attack. 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. It was first tested in beta last year. The new update includes “numerous networking enhancements” and fixes many bugs. The improvements, 343 Industries said, “benefit Firefight across the board.”

The Flood themselves in Halo 3: ODST are a bit different, too. Here’s how 343 puts it:

First, players will notice that Flood are accompanied by dense fog which gives each Firefight mission a new and spooky ambiance. Players will see this fog dynamically fade in when a Flood wave spawns and fade back out when a regular Covenant wave spawns (in variants which mix Flood and Covenant enemies).

Flood can now occupy vehicles for the first time since Halo 2 and players will encounter (and potentially commandeer) these across multiple Firefight missions. The Flood enemy now has a number 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.

In 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.

The Flood allows you to use all of their existing strategies. Stalker Forms can climb on walls and deploy as Ranged Forms in unexpected locations, totally changing the way the classic Firefight missions play. Flood can be dropped onto the map by dispersal pods.

Lastly, unlike Master Chiefs, ODSTs may be infected with the Flood and resurrected. You may need to battle your own resurrected friends or even yourself.

343 Industries has added “boons” to assist players, like weapons racks with assault rifles or battle rifles. Some maps feature flamethrowers or NPCs from allied countries, such as marines and Elites that are delivered via 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 4, new multiplayer medals in Halo 3, changes to monthly challenges, and new skulls to Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 3: ODST. The full rundown is available at the Halo Waypoint blog.

The developer has also discussed new updates scheduled for the rest of the year, like mod support for all games in the Master Chief Collection. It said it plans to deliver “multiple updates sprinkled throughout 2022.”