Halo: Campaign Evolved received its first major post-launch update on August 17, adding video options that let players switch off effects the remake previously forced on, a free armour set and a long list of gameplay and stability fixes, Destructoid reported.
New video settings
Chromatic aberration and film grain, used throughout the game for visual effects and rendering systems, can now be toggled individually from the Settings menu under Video, in the Video Motion & Effects section.
On PC, the update adds a "None" option under Upscaling Technique in the Advanced section, which turns upscaling and anti-aliasing off completely. Setting Upscaling Quality to Native at 100% render resolution had removed resolution upscaling but left image reconstruction and anti-aliasing running; the new setting disables that processing entirely.
A new Recompilation Armor customisation is available to all players and is redeemed through Halo Waypoint by signing in with the Microsoft account used to play the game. The update also adds an in-game Unlinking Help screen under Settings and Account, which lists currently linked accounts and starts an unlink request.
Gameplay fixes
- Jackals can be staggered more reliably when targeting their hands and feet
- Several fixes for Sgt. Johnson in Boarding Action that could block mission progression
- The Assault Rifle's rate of fire and spread corrected on Xbox and PC to match the PlayStation 5 behaviour
- Marines and Flood Marines now fire their Assault Rifles when the Magnified Skull is enabled, and Marines with a Battle Rifle fire as intended
- Active Camo uncloaks less often when falling from a ledge or crossing small bumps
- The Magnum reloads correctly when the input follows immediately after firing, and reload animations for the Fuel Rod Cannon, Rocket Launcher and Needle Rifle can be interrupted with grenades
- Achievement progress is no longer awarded incorrectly with restricted Skulls or difficulty modifiers, and achievements earned offline are granted on reconnecting to the Xbox network
- Muddy, crackling and popping audio during the mission Keyes reduced
- Campaign Remix no longer crashes when Flood replace a group of enemies intended to enter vehicles
Platform work
PC stability and performance drew the largest share of the changes. Custom mouse and keyboard bindings no longer reset to default on restart, maximum frame rate options were adjusted for VSync on high refresh rate displays, and stability improved when combining XeSS Frame Generation with a frame rate limit and when loading co-op sessions. Every graphics quality option from Very Low to Ultra is now selectable regardless of device or hardware class, and all supported AMD graphics cards use Advanced Shader Delivery, cutting shader loading times and in-game hitching. Frame Generation now switches off automatically during cinematics and back on when gameplay resumes.
On PlayStation 5, enemies and objects are less likely to skip frames or stutter in high-activity areas, and frame rates were improved.
