Halo: Master Chief Collection Update Coming in Next Few Days, Update Notes Released

Halo: The Master Chief Collection's next update will be available within the next few days, potentially a little later than initially planned, 343 Industries has announced.

343 Industries said that the content update is undergoing further testing, but for now it has released detailed notes on what the update will include. As it previously said, the update will focus on UI, matchmaking, game-specific multiplayer and campaign, controls, and stability.

"We continue to work on additional content updates that will include added improvements for matchmaking, parties, and other top community items," 343 Industries said.

Below are the content update notes as written by 343 Industries.

MATCHMAKING:

• Improved matchmaking search success rates.
• Made an update to reduce instances of “Awaiting Privileges” matchmaking errors.
• Made an update to ensure player counts more reliably match the expected numbers for each playlist.
• Fixed an issue where player would sometimes appear to be searching in an incorrect “FIND GAME” screen.
• Added countdown sound effect to the voting timer.

GENERAL MULTIPLAYER:

• Made several improvements to party joining through the in-game Roster.
• Made an update to ensure that the mute icon is visible while in Matchmaking.
• Fixed an issue in Halo 4 where players could equip the same weapon as their primary and secondary weapons.

GENERAL CAMPAIGNS:

• Made several improvements to stat tracking for Halo: CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 4.
• Made changes to Halo 3 and Halo 4 scoring to ensure that players are not penalized for destroying empty vehicles.

GENERAL MENU:

• Lowered the music volume level in multiplayer menus.
• Fixed an issue where friend emblems in roster would show up as default when exiting a game session.
• Made updates to UI and menus to improve multiplayer status messaging, such as when a player joins your lobby.

CONTROL LAYOUTS:

• Made an update to the Halo 2 Anniversary “Legacy” Stick Layout.

STABILITY:

• Made stability improvements across multiple titles for campaign and multiplayer.

The Master Chief Collection launched in November, and immediately faced a number of networking issues that made the game near-unplayable for some. 343 has worked consistently since then to fix the game's online woes, which have now been largely eradicated. In a bid to make it up to fans, Microsoft is giving Master Chief Collection owners a free copy of Halo 3: ODST and more.