Halo Infinite bot bootcamp is gone, leaving players without a permanent PVE playlist

Halo Infinite's bot bootcamp mode is gone as of the newly-released winter update, leaving players without a permanent PVE playlist.

The mode's removal was technically announced as part of a blog post last week laying out the playlists which would be available after the winter update. Bot bootcamp was not among them, but since 343 Industries did not directly address the mode's removal, players held out hope that it might still somehow be part of the game. But now that the winter update has arrived, bot bootcamp is nowhere to be found.

Bot bootcamp is billed in-game as a way to introduce players to Halo Infinite's multiplayer game mechanics, but even experienced fans continued to use it as a way to enjoy multiplayer in a lower-stress environment. It also served as a particularly easy way to grind through the game's regular challenges.

"Halo Infinite’s playlist offerings will continue to evolve and shift in response to player behavior in-game (where players spend their time) and community feedback," the devs said in last week's blog. Playlists in core and social modes are going to keep rotating on alternating weeks, so maybe bot bootcamp will return in some form sooner rather than later.

The biggest addition in the winter update is Forge mode, which might end up being a workaround for players looking to compete against bots, since you can theoretically build bot matches of your own. Unfortunately, Forge doesn't currently support the same sort of matchmaking as bot bootcamp, so it won't be a replacement. You will, at least, be able to play around on maps made out of 150,000 bananas.

Take aim at the best FPS games with our guide to the genre's brightest stars.