Armor coatings (Halo Infinite)

Armor coatings, also known as armor skins, are an element of player customization in Halo Infinite. They are a seven layer system that change the materials and coloration of a player's armor permutation.

Coatings act much like base color selection in previous Halo titles. By default, Halo Infinite features an array of average colors for the player to use for free. Additional coatings can be earned through the game's multiple battle passes, events, and challenges. Some coatings could only be obtained through promotional campaigns and the release of certain toys and collectibles that started in 2020. Exclusive coatings, such as Watchdog and Master Builder, can only be obtained through acts such as reaching SR-152 in Halo 5: Guardians, or managing to get a map featured in the Community Collection playlist in Infinite respectively. Finally, a majority of coatings can be purchased, either individually, or through bundles that rotate in through Infinite's Shop.

Coatings are currently not compatible across every armor core, although updates during the Winter Update and Season 03: Echoes Within have furthered progress on allowing this to be the case. Additionally, as per the Spartan Chatter Discord talk held on May 19, 2023, new coatings released for Season 04: Infection will be naturally compatible across all armor cores and weaponry.

Changes
Between their unveiling and release, certain armor coatings underwent changes, ranging from minor to major. These include:
 * The Granular coating, the render of which originally displayed a predominantly cyan Spartan with green accents. The techsuit of said Spartan was yellow and red. The final version of the coating has the player's Spartan taking on a primarily yellow color, with some minor red, blue, and green accents, while their techsuit is fully black. In the final game, the 343 Industries-exclusive armor coating, Unicorn Dream, bears a large resemblance to the pre-release version of Granular.