Halo Infinite: Best Skills To Upgrade

With five sets of skills to upgrade and lots of Spartan Cores to find, it can be hard to know which Halo Infinite skills you should start with when it comes to upgrading the Master Chief’s capabilities.

Each skill tree works the same way, with the first upgrade costing one Spartan Core, two for the second and three for the final two. Fortunately for you, we’ve put together a handy little guide that explains the upgrade trees for each skill in Halo Infinite, along with a recommendation of whether or not you should invest in those skills early.

 

Grappleshot

The game’s poster child ability, Halo Infinite feels like it was built around the versatility of the Grappleshot. Firing the Grappleshot at a nearby surface, enemy or vehicle will cause Master Chief to be propelled towards them at high speed, closing the distance for some close-quarter kills. If you fire it at weapons or fusion cores, Chief will pull them back towards him, immediately equipping them.

Here’s all the purchasable upgrades:

– Voltaic (Rank 2): Grappleshot stuns grappled enemies for several seconds.
– Quick Shot (Rank 3): Reduces Grappleshot cooldown by 40%.
– First Strike (Rank 4): Delivers a powerful shockwave blast when holding melee while grappling.
– Reachfall (Rank 5): Increases damage and radius of shockwave blast. Enemies within it will be stunned.

For most players, upgrading the Grappleshot should be priority number one, as it makes traversal and engaging enemies so much easier. The second upgrade that reduces cooldown allows the Chief to scale large walls, which is useful for scaling large walls where collectibles and enemy snipers can reside.

 

Shield Core

The only passive upgrade skill in Halo Infinite, finding the Shield Core gives you a boost to your maximum shield capacity, raising it to 115%. It doesn’t sound like much, but any extra damage you can sponge is fantastic.

Here’s all the purchasable upgrades:

– Fortress (Rank 2): Increases shield capacity by an additional 15% of base shield strength.
– Bastille (Rank 3): Increases shield capacity by an additional 15% of base shield strength.
– Redoubt (Rank 4): Increases shield capacity by an additional 15% of base shield strength.
– Citadel (Rank 5): Increases shield capacity by an additional 15% of base shield strength.

For those playing through Halo Infinite on Heroic or Legendary, the extra health is a godsend, though the third and fourth upgrades are more expensive for the same level of shield increase. There’s a level of diminishing returns with the Shield Core in that respect, but Spartan Core are scattered across Zeta Halo, meaning there’s more than enough to unlock all of the upgrades. Consider this a must upgrade.

 

Threat Sensor

As the name would imply, the Threat Sensor senses threats. Excellent deductive work on my behalf, I agree. Chief fires a recon dart in front of him, which reveals enemies through walls, even if they’re cloaked, within a set radius.

Here’s all the available upgrades:

– Seeker (Rank 2): Increases Threat Sensor detection radius by 50%.
– Operative (Rank 3): Adds a second charge to the Threat Sensor.
– Clairvoyant (Rank 4): Reduces Threat Sensor cooldown by 40%.
– Omniscience (Rank 5): Adds uninterrupted enemy visibility to the Threat Sensor and reveals their health.

To put it bluntly, the Threat Sensor is the lowest priority upgrade in the entire game. It has some use, primarily against enemies and bosses that use cloaking abilities to try and take you down, but for the most part, you can rely on your native motion sensor to get the general lay of the land. Maybe skip the upgrades for this one if you’ve got other upgrades you’re saving for.

 

Drop Wall

If taking damage doesn’t sound like something you want to do today, the Drop Wall skill should be a huge focus for you. Upon use, Chief drops a large barrier in front of himself, which blocks projectiles. The Drop Wall contains various segments that have their own amount of shield strength. Different segments can be destroyed independent from each other, meanwhile players can stand behind the barrier and shoot at enemies on the other side.

Here’s all the upgrades:

– Swift Shelter (Rank 2): Reduces Drop Wall cooldown by 20%.
– Rampart (Rank 3): Increases Drop Wall strength by 35%.
– Blockade (Rank 4): Increases Drop Wall strength by 70% and increases Drop Wall size.
– Direct Current (Rank 5): Adds shock damage to any projectile fired through the Drop Wall.

Upon first inspection, the Drop Wall is a great defensive tool that allows you to put some separation between yourself and the enemy. The first three upgrades are useful, increasing the survivability and usefulness of the Drop Wall along with the amount of times you can actually use it, but that final upgrade is a game changer. Taking less damage is great, but dealing more damage as you do so is even better.

 

Thrusters

Familiar to those who played Halo 5, the Thrusters are a dodge mechanic that allows you to dash a small distance in any direction. The Thrusters are great for avoiding projectiles like the Needler, which can home in on players, or quickly getting behind cover during hectic firefights.

Here’s all the upgrades:

– Afterburner (Rank 2): Adds a second charge to your Thruster.
– Thermal Control (Rank 3): Reduces Thruster cooldown by 20%.
– Impulse (Rank 4): Adds significant power to the Thruster, allowing further and faster travel.
– Escape Velocity (Rank 5): Adds a personal cloak effect to Thruster, lasting 4 seconds after activation.

Given that the Thrusters are the last upgrade you unlock, it makes sense that they come into their own during the late game. Players can use the Thrusters to maneuver around the various bosses that rear their heads later on, but that final upgrade is almost overpowered, allowing Master Chief to disengage and recover much easier from firefights. By the time you unlock everything, you probably won’t have much else to focus on anyway, so dump everything you can into it.

Halo Infinite is available on PC, Xbox Series X | S, and Xbox One.

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