Halo Infinite new player guide: Oddball tips, tricks and more

Halo Infinite's multiplayer has been live for just over a week now. Players on both Xbox and PC have gotten the chance to get familiar with the fan-favorite game modes that put Halo on the map. Esportsgg will be providing newer players with the ultimate guide to one of Halo Infinite's biggest modes, Oddball.

In its simplest definition, Oddball is a game mode in which two teams battle over possession of a human skull, also known as the ball. Whichever team is in possession of the ball will start scoring points for their team. In Halo Infinite, an Oddball match is split into a best-of-three. The way a team wins a round is if they hold the ball for 100 seconds (100 points).

While killing does not count towards any points in this objective game mode, having the numbers advantage will play a crucial role. When a single member is in possession of the ball, that player will be unable to use their equipment or weapons for the duration that they are holding the Oddball.

That doesn't mean the Oddball cannot be used as a weapon, however. The Oddball is actually very effective and at close range will cause chaos. The ball is a two-hit kill with the first melee removing an enemy's shield.

It goes without saying, the Oddball carrier must be protected in order to win. Even in high-stakes competitive matches, players can often treat objective modes as if they were playing deathmatch. While slaying is an important part of the mode, it needs to be in a controlled and coordinated manner.

While to established Halo veterans this is an obvious play to make, to newer players they may not know this could happen. When a player falls out of bounds with the ball still on them, the ball will be reset to its collection point. This is an extremely useful tip and one player will be thankful they knew.

Resetting the ball comes in handy when you are the last alive and your team has spawned far away. Another instance is when you are leading but the match time is about to expire, jump out of bounds and ensure the enemy team cannot stop the clock.

The grapple shot is one of the best pieces of equipment in Halo Infinite. As players will already know, you can actually grapple items to yourself. This concept can also be applied to Oddball. One of the great ways to steal the ball from an incoming enemy is to pick it up from a distance using the grapple.

If you have made it this far, tips will mostly prepare you for ranked as these are the maps that feature Oddball:

Ask any Halo Infinite ranked player and they will give you the same answer. Orange pipes are the best place to hold the Oddball on Recharge. Orange pipes is a small corridor that has only two access points. Meaning players can stack an entrance and stop the enemy from getting anywhere near the ball carrier.

Use of equipment is key for locking down this area, on the left-hand side of the corridor towards where the A flag would be located, there is a grenade pick up just as you walk into Orange pipes. As grenades are a key part of Halo multiplayer, this only makes it easier to defend the ball. On top of that, if players are able to lock down the Energy Sword, it is free kills for the wielder.

With Live Fire being a "base centric" map for many modes, it is no surprise both spawn areas are the best locations for holding the Oddball. Starting with "Tower", this is a prime spot to hold the Oddball. Players can stand far enough away so they are out of sight from a long distance, as well as only having two clear ways players can access from. On top of that, players can reset the ball by jumping off of the map from the tower if they are in danger of giving the ball away.

Secondly, House, also A flag for Strongholds is another great location for players to hold the Oddball. This is a popular area both for ranked play as well as competitive play. While there are more access points for players, there is also better vantage points for the team holding the ball. The ball-holding team has the option to stretch the enemy team and force them to come from multiple directions.

One of the better maps for Oddball, in my opinion, Streets offers multiple areas for players to hold the ball. The first area that will be discussed is the Subway/Tram area. This area offers very little love to the opposing team trying to capture the ball. Most of the fighting comes down the left side, Subway end. Players must go up a flight of stairs which gives the ball holding teal the advantage from the get-go.

This next spot plays more into ranked players, the Station Inside room. This is a small square room with three doors for opposing players to get through. If guarded properly, the enemy team will be unable to clear you out and retrieve the ball without losing a large chunk of points. As players can see in the image, there is a small desk that adds extra protection for the ball carriers. We hope this Halo Infinite Oddball guide helps you improve your game and master this mode.

Map layouts courtesy of Mapgenie.io.

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