Halo Infinite Ranked Arena Guide | How It Works

Halo Infinite has been out for just over a week now, and in that time, the game has seen updates, improvements and even a whole event in, Fracture: Tenrei. With more updates down the line, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is shaping up to be one of 2021’s highlights.

For the most part, Halo Infinite is pretty easy to get to grips with. The menus are clear, there are all kinds of tutorials, and you can even do weapon drills to hone your aim. One thing that goes unexplained, however, is the Ranked Arena mode, how Ranks work, and how the Solo/Duo queue differs from the Open queue.

What Is Ranked Arena

Ranked Arena is where you go for seriously competitive Halo Infinite gameplay. It is a different kettle of fish compared to Quick Play or Big Team Battle. For starters, you have no Motion Tracker, the equipment comes with fewer charges, and weapons have less ammo.

You even start with a Battle Rifle, not an Assault Rifle and Pistol. To top it all off, weapon and equipment spawns are not randomised, making map knowledge and drop placement significantly more valuable. Ranked Arena feels like a different game entirely.

How Ranks Work in Halo Infinite

Your first 10 matches of Ranked Arena are essentially qualifiers. The game will track your win/loss record as well as your personal performance, and after those games are done, will plonk you into a specific coloured rank.

From here, you can play more Ranked Arena to improve your rank, with Matchmaking being tailored to ensure you aren’t pitted against players above your grade.

Halo Infinite Ranks List

There are six tiers of ranking, with every tier being divided into six divisions. The only exception being Onyx, which only has one division. The ranks are:

• Bronze (I - VI)
• Silver (I - VI)
• Gold (I - VI)
• Platinum (I - VI)
• Diamond (I - VI)
• Onyx

Halo Infinite Ranked - Open Queue or Solo/Duo Queue?

When you enter Ranked Arena, you can choose between two different Ranked Queues, Open or Solo/Duo. Each queue has its own ranking system, and each queue will pit you against a different set of players.

Open Queue

This is where Crossplay is fully enabled. You will fight against people on a pad and using a keyboard and mouse. Halo Infinite controls like a dream in both instances, but as is usually the case, keyboard and mouse players are at a noticeable advantage. Pad users may find this queue to be more difficult simply because their opponents are using a more refined control method.

Solo/Duo queue

This queue, on the other hand, lets you pick what kind of players you will be up against. Under Input, you can select Controller or Keyboard/Mouse. This is the ideal queue for pad users who want to play ranked on an even playing field. If you select Controller, then you will only be facing off against other pad users. This queue is not the default, so you will have to make sure you select it every time you boot up Halo Infinite.