Halo Infinite Season 4 is finally launching and with it comes some big changes, including a healthy mix of new additions as well as quality-of-life changes to the popular first-person shooter.

Halo Infinite Season 4: Infection will continue the story from Season 3 and brings a new threat of contamination. The return of the fan-favorite Infection game mode ties into the plot of the new season. The new game mode gives players incentives to keep playing with new challenges and rewards.

The Forge will also be getting an update, including a new minigame mode that allows creators to build from scratch, and a new 100-tier battle pass, once it arrives on June 20.

What we know about Season 4

The biggest update coming to Season 4 in our opinion is the return of the Infection game mode. This mode was originally a player-made mode from Halo 2 but quickly became a fan-favorite for players who enjoyed fending off Zombie Spartans who will try to turn everyone on the map into Zombies.

The developers even added a story to the Infection mode with Spartans attacking each other after a training simulation accident. In the game mode, a random gun drops from fallen Spartans for players to pick up and use against the undead horde. The last survivor will get special traits such as unlimited ammo and Overshield to help them survive for as long as possible.

With the addition of Infection, 9 maps have been reworked to fit into the theme of the new Season.

Here's what the level designer, Cliff Schudlt, said to Xbox News about the decision:

We made special versions of 9 maps to support the theme and the gameplay for the mode, and make it feel like something unique to Infection: Aquarius, Bazaar, Behemoth, Chasm, Cliffhanger, Forest, Launch Site, Recharge, and Streets have all been reworked to fit the theme.

Season 4 also sees the addition of the Career Rank progression system. In this new ranking system, players can advance through military-style ranks similar to the progression in Halo: Reach and Halo: Master Chief Collection. Players can earn ranks by simply playing the game, with the Personal Scores being taken into account.

Two multiplayer maps in Forest and Scarr will be added with the new season. The Forest Arena Map is a dense jungle area with old ruins that players can use as cover. Scarr Big Team Battle Map is set in an arid and hostile landscape.

Season 4 will add the Quantum Translocator and Threat Seeker to the Spartan’s arsenal. The Quantum Translocator marks a location that players can teleport to when activating the item. The Threat Seeker sends out a pulse to reveal nearby enemies that are hiding behind cover.

The new season will also feature a new battle pass. Not much is known about that rewards can be acquired from the 100-tiers.

Coincidentally, Season 4 of Halo Infinite comes just as Phil Spencer "'defended" the series amidst concerns that Microsoft had forgotten it after its absence at the Xbox Games Showcase.