Halo: Campaign Evolved July 29 Patch Fixes Plasma Pistol One-Shots and Mission AI
The July 29 update fixes charged Plasma Pistol one-shots, several campaign AI problems, PC stability issues and account-linking details.
Halo Studios released the first post-launch Halo: Campaign Evolved patch on July 29. Build 2026.07.25.1112544 fixes the charged Plasma Pistol's unexpected one-hit kills, several enemies that failed to patrol or engage, and a handful of PC stability problems.
There is one detail to know before installing it: the update clears your current mid-mission save. Missions and Rally Points you have already unlocked remain available, but you will restart the mission you were playing.
The Plasma Pistol should no longer one-shot a fully shielded player
A fully charged Plasma Pistol bolt could kill a player at full health and shields on any difficulty. The patch removes that behavior. This is especially welcome on Legendary and LASO runs, where a single unexpected Covenant shot could end an otherwise clean attempt.
The notes do not say that the weapon has been broadly rebalanced. The confirmed fix is specifically for charged shots killing a fully protected player outright.
Mission AI fixes cover five campaign levels
Several encounters were not behaving as designed. The patch addresses both passive enemies and movement problems:
- The Pillar of Autumn: improved stability across the mission.
- The Truth and Reconciliation: Jackals in the hallway near the hangar should now patrol correctly.
- Assault on the Control Room: the Spec Ops Elites near Rally Point Delta should engage the player, and enemies should stop walking into the exterior of the Control Room.
- The Silent Cartographer: the Hunter pair at the facility entrance should now engage.
- The Maw: the opening cinematic is more stable when FSR is enabled with AMD drivers 26.6.2 or 26.6.4.
These are targeted encounter repairs rather than mission redesigns. If you previously passed an Elite or Hunter group that simply stood still, it is worth expecting a real fight on the next run.
PC stability and account linking also received attention
The game now warns PC players when it detects an AMD or NVIDIA driver known to cause stability problems. Halo Support still recommends using the latest stable driver for the GPU, and our PC settings guide has a practical order for adjusting resolution, upscaling, frame rate and latency settings.
The patch also reduces hitching for players with large friends lists on Windows PC, Steam and PlayStation 5. When a PlayStation or Steam account is linked to a Microsoft account, the confirmation screen now shows the associated Xbox Gamertag, making it easier to catch a link to the wrong profile.
Download sizes
Halo Support lists the following downloads:
| Platform | Download size |
|---|---|
| Xbox | 13 GB |
| PlayStation 5 | 7 GB |
| Microsoft Store / Xbox app on PC | 4 GB |
| Steam | 21 GB |
Steam has the largest listed download, while the Microsoft Store and Xbox app version on PC has the smallest. Allow the update to finish before loading a campaign save, then use the Mission or Rally Point menu to resume from an unlocked starting point.
What to check after updating
If the build number has changed but the game still crashes, first verify the installation and check the current graphics driver. Sign-in problems have a separate set of causes, covered in our login failed troubleshooting guide. Issues not listed in the patch notes can be submitted through Halo Support's Game Issue Report form.
Sources
Last reviewed: July 30, 2026