Thanks to a mammoth effort by modders, Halo Infinite now has an ODST mode whose gameplay is heavily inspired by Helldivers 2.
Helljumpers Is Out Now on Halo Infinite
While Helldivers 2 is probably the first thing many gamers will think of when they hear “troops dropping from orbit”, Halo fans will instead think of ODST. Orbital Drop Shock Troops have been a part of the Halo canon since the franchise’s inception. In-lore, they drop from orbit using special pods and infiltrate the enemy’s territory, just like the Helldivers. ODST (also called Helljumpers, to confuse them even more with Helldivers) are so iconic for the Halo franchise, featuring in many games as NPCs.
Still, unfortunately, they have just one standalone game – Halo 3: ODST. While a gaming masterpiece with a memorable and unique jazzy soundtrack, the title was released way back in 2009. For 15 years players have been left without the ability to get in the boots of an ordinary human (albeit an elite-trained one that drops to the battlefield from orbit), stuck in the horrible war against the all-powerful Covenant.
However, thanks to the epic efforts of a group of dedicated modders, fans will now be able to have a similar experience to Helldivers, but with the gameplay, grit, and aesthetics of any Halo game. This is done through a Halo Infinite mod aptly named Helljumpers, a giant PvE experience built by the renowned community development team The Forge Falcons.
What Is Halo Infinite’s Helljumpers?
Made through one of Halo Infinite’s biggest boons, the Forge mode, developers The Forge Falcons have crafted a truly epic experience worthy of the franchise as a whole. The Helljumpers mode is heavily inspired by Helldivers 2’s gameplay and mechanics. It features detailed maps and custom-made stratagems, randomized objectives, an extraction system, and a mid-match progression system, similar to what you have in Helldivers.
Originally announced back in March of 2024, the team has produced a highly detailed urban map that looks straight out of Halo 3: ODST. The game mode features over 4,000 scripts and the whole experience can take up to 5 hours to complete. You can do so either with up to three friends, or alone, but the former would be more interesting.
It should be noted that the game mode is not completely finished as of yet, so it may have some bugs and glitches. According to The Forge Falcons, the team decided to release the mode in early access in order to help with further development thanks to the players’ feedback.
The team does eventually plan to fully launch the experience with a 1.0 version but first wants to let fans test it out and report any issues they run into. Problems can be reported through the official The Forge Falcons Discord server, so make sure to join if you want to contribute to the mod’s development.
How to Play Helljumpers?
To play the new game mode, you must bookmark both the Helljumpers map and the mode to play on it on Halo Waypoint while signed in with your Microsoft account. Alternatively, you can bookmark these in-game with Halo Infinite’s Content Browser. Once you’ve done that, you have to go to Custom Games to get a session running. Your last option is to look for public Helljumpers lobbies with Halo Infinite’s Custom Games Browser to find an already-hosted game.
A mode like this is a welcome sight in Halo Infinite. For one thing, fans have long been wanting another ODST game, so Helljumpers will be able to satisfy their thirst at least a little bit. Another potentially good consequence of the release of the mod could be a much-needed uptick in the game’s player base. For many months now, Halo Infinite has struggled with a declining player population. Some even think that Halo Infinite is a dead game now, considering there are just a few thousand players online at a time.
It’s interesting to note that Helljumpers is particularly beneficial for Xbox users, as they can finally get a Helldivers 2-like experience. Helldivers is only on PS5 and PC right now and it’s not known when, or if, the game will come to Xbox. So for now, Halo Infinite’s Helldivers is a great alternative, while sporting the ODST gritty feel and aesthetic.
We should once again praise The Forge Falcons for the monumental effort in making the mod over the past months and now we eagerly await what next they could announce.
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