Halo 3 received its last official new map all the way back in 2009, as part of the Mythic II Map Pack release. Now, 343 Industries has announced that a new map, first featured in Halo Online, will be added to the next round of Master Chief Collection beta testing.
In a blog post released today on Halo Waypoint, 343 announced a new round of flighting for the Master Chief Collection. Flighting is a series of limited beta tests for certain players. It’s how 343 tests out new, upcoming features and changes. 343 says that the new round of beta testing, which will include the new Halo 3 map, could start as soon as February 18.
This new map comes out of Halo Online, a now-shuttered online-only spin on Halo developed by Saber Interactive built with a modified version of the Halo 3 engine. Released only in Russia in 2015 via a closed beta and no longer updated fans have attempted to mod Halo Online and make it playable worldwide, but Microsoft has pushed back against these efforts. Many fans have also asked about bringing Halo Online maps into MCC, and now 343 has gone and done it.
Based on a screenshot included in the post, the new map looks like a human military base located in some icy glaciers. While 343 says this will be “a new map for Halo 3 from Halo Online,” looking at Halo Online maps, it doesn’t quite match any of the maps that appeared in the shuttered game. It also doesn’t look quite like any of the supposedly canceled maps that were never added to Halo Online before its shutdown. However, the URL for the screenshot included in the blog post mentions the name “Waterfall,” which is a canceled Halo Online map that featured some icy concept art. Still, what map this actually is remains a mystery. But getting a new map for one of the best shooters ever made is exciting.
There’s more to be excited about with this upcoming MCC Update. The Master Chief Collection is getting a proper server browser. Considering how much content is packed in MCC, it can be hard to find a specific match using the basic matchmaking tools. Being able to scroll a list of servers to find folks playing Lockout Swords 24/7 at three in the morning sounds perfect.
I’m also happy that the FOV slider on Xbox Series X will work in 120hz mode soon, and that FOV sliders will be added to all Xbox versions of the game. FOV sliders for everyone!