Halo: Master Chief Collection gets new 523MB patch

Microsoft has released another new patch for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, this time weighing in at 523MB.

The update contains the latest set of fixes from developer 343 Industries, including improvements for the game's beleaguered matchmaking.

While nowhere near as hefty as the game's 15GB day one content update, the patch is still another large download for Halo players.

Also included are fixes for the game's party, lobby and custom games modes, as well as stability and UI updates.

Earlier this week, 343 Industries studio head Bonnie Ross released a statement offering Master Chief Collection players "heartfelt apologies" for the problems faced so far.

"We have not delivered the experience you deserve," Ross wrote. "I personally apologise for this on behalf of us all at 343 Industries. Our team is committed to working around the clock until these issues are resolved."

More patches are on the way.

Read the full release notes below.

Matchmaking

• Made improvements to the way the matchmaking system handles player matching
• Made improvements to the team selection process to improve team balancing
• Made an update to the party system to improve searching with parties (2+ players)
• Made further improvements to how matchmaking progress is communicated to the player
• Made an update to ensure that players do not enter a non-joinable state after searching for a match
• Made an update to ensure that the "Game Session" UI does not persist after leaving a matchmaking lobby
• Resolved a variety of incorrectly displayed matchmaking prompts
• Improved matchmaking roster presentation during team creation phase to remove roster flickering
• Corrected a "connecting to host" message that incorrectly displayed during the matchmaking searching phase
• Made an update to ensure that FFA players do not appear as if they are on the red team in the pre-game lobby

Party, Lobby, and Custom Games

• Made an update to ensure that custom game settings persist between matches
• Made an update to ensure that player's player emblems load correctly when returning to lobby
• Made an update to improve nameplate and emblem display
• Improved the display of emblems in the "Games Session Details" screen
• Made improvements to parties to ensure that parties are merged when the host joins another player and "brings party"
• Made an update to improve party stability after completing a matchmaking game
• Made an update to ensure that players are joinable after playing a matchmaking game

Stability

• Made a variety of updates to improve UI stability
• Resolved stability issues that occurred while viewing medals in "Player Details"
• Made an update to prevent stability issues caused by controller disconnects
• Made an update to improve post-game-carnage-report stability
• Made an update to address in-game stability for Halo 2
• Improved matchmaking stability while searching with parties (2+ players)
• Addressed a crash that could occur after searching in the Halo 2: Anniversary Rumble playlist
• Resolved a variety of miscellaneous stability issues to improve overall performance

Achievements

• Made an update to ensure that the "Zealot" achievement is unlockable