The Halo Master Chief Collection package came out as an Xbox consoles exclusive over 6 years ago but has since been released on Steam for PC users for just a little over a year, and since then there have been several updates from gameplay tweaks, bug and glitch fixes, to even a number of cosmetic updates. Each season introduced added another game to the MCC, starting with Halo Reach, and going forward in chronological order, ending with Halo 4. Now that every game has been added to the MCC, most fans were worried this would be the end of the support game developers at 343 Industries would be giving the franchise, at least until the release of the further delayed Halo Infinite. But luckily the optimistic fans were right and 343i is still updating the game to fix whatever minor bugs may exist and even more surprisingly, adding new cosmetics to the game. Let’s get into it with the more technical aspect of this update.
Known Glitches and Fixes
There are some minor bugs that generally aren’t a problem, but may cause some confusion if they continue to exist. One of these examples is an issue with saving a change in the game’s settings. Sometimes, instead of there being a “save settings” button, it will say “reset to default”, even if the settings are already in their default position. This issue is not too much of a problem, as long as you know about the issue, otherwise, it may just cause confusion and time wasted looking back through the settings to make sure everything saves correctly after exiting.
Another issue is the settings may show an incorrect resolution value when using a second monitor, though this is not major because it will be rendering at the correct resolution. Other minor issues include the keybind prompt not closing when pressing escape, so instead you will have to mouse over the exit button. As well, the progression of nameplates and badges of friends might not be accurate.
Other issues that were a little more concerning included things like not being able to properly keybind text chat to one of the following keys: W, A, S, D. Usually, fps games using a mouse and keyboard will automatically use those keys for movement. Not being able to change this is forcing players to either use alternate keys, which may impact certain players. Another is an issue with saving game type and map files. They are being saved correctly but when opened in the MCC they appear corrupt and do not work. At the moment there is no solution to this, so your best option is to save multiple versions of these files, or to spread them to friends. The files themselves are not corrupt but the game treats them as such. One of the more major issues is the game crashing for the Xbox Series X consoles if the resolution of game clips is changed away from 1080p. Luckily, this can be fixed by opening the Settings app, navigating to the Preferences tab, and going to Capture and Share. You may have to enter your Xbox live account password in order to change the settings, but once you are in the capture and share setting you will go to the Capture heading and then the Game Clip Resolution option, and change it to 1080p.
Cosmetics
Some of the more fun parts of this update include new nameplates, new skins for weapons and vehicles, and most surprisingly is the addition of new armors. To start off, they have announced new themed nameplates that are only available for limited time periods. The first that will be available through the month of February is the Black History Month nameplate, dawning a Pan-African flag aside a Master Chief green colored Mark VI helmet. The second of the timed nameplates is a Women’s History Month which will last for the month of March, featuring a war-scarred Halo Reach’s Kat without a helmet on.
They have also added limited time armors and skins, the most anticipated of them being the addition of the Mister Chief helmet, a childlike drawing of our beloved Master Chief made by a Bungie-Employee that has since been featured in several Halo Bungie updates and has become somewhat of a running joke amongst fans since. He has also been given his own nameplate to accompany the comedic helmet. This season will also provide an assortment of nameplates and skins that will be obtainable indefinitely through the game’s life span, as well as some new pieces of armor never before released in a Halo game.
For more information on this update, 343 Industries has provided a detailed video that goes through all parts of this update available here.