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Halo is over 20 years previous, and whereas there’s loads of lore on the market now, Halo Infinite serves as a jumping-on level for each new and lapsed gamers — Halo’s franchise growth director, Frank O’Connor, referred to Halo Infinite as a non secular reboot in an interview with Polygon. Besides, there are elements of the marketing campaign that can make extra sense if some mild historical past, or refresh your reminiscence in the event you’ve been away from the collection for some time (or simply forgot what occurred on the finish of Halo 5: Guardians).
Nicely, we’re right here to assist. Listed here are seven fast story questions you want answered earlier than you begin Halo Infinite.
[Ed. note: While this article does operate on some assumptions regarding important story beats based on Halo Infinite trailers, it does NOT contain spoilers for Halo Infinite.]
What’s Grasp Chief’s historical past?
Grasp Chief’s historical past is slightly lengthy, so we’re not going to enter all of it right here. (Try our “Every part you’ll want to find out about Halo” put up if you’d like the lengthy model.)
Right here’s the gist: Grasp Chief is a human man named John, his code quantity is 117, and Grasp Chief is each his rank and nickname. He’s essentially the most well-known Spartan — a genetically engineered squad of supersoldiers initially designed by the United Nations House Command (Earth’s future navy) to quell a human rebellion. Within the authentic Halo online game trilogy, he fought a conflict towards an alien group referred to as the Covenant on humanity’s behalf. Naturally, he received.
John was kidnapped by the navy when he was 6, chosen as a result of he was each sensible and powerful for his age. He then went by bodily augmentation and coaching to grow to be an early 2000s online game protagonist.
He’s 50 years previous on the time of Halo Infinite.
Who’s Dr. Halsey?
Dr. Catherine Halsey is the founding father of the Spartan-II program, the one which resulted in Grasp Chief. She’s each a superb scientist and a conflict legal (, for the kid abduction and torture). She’s often fairly grumpy, though she does specific some guilt over what she did to John and the others. She’s additionally the previous lover of Captain Jacob Keyes from Halo: Fight Advanced, and the mom of Miranda Keyes from Halo 2 and Halo 3.
It’s price noting that Dr. Halsey additionally created Cortana, the AI with whom Grasp Chief spends all of his time within the authentic Halo video games. Furthermore, Halsey primarily based Cortana on herself.
Halsey is 69 on the time of Halo Infinite.
Why does Cortana matter a lot to Chief?
Picture: 343 Industries/Microsoft Studios
Because the senior Spartan from the Spartan-II program, Chief was tasked with defending Cortana.
As a result of he carried her round in his head for thus lengthy — by the primary two Halo video games — the 2 fashioned a robust attachment to 1 one other.
At its easiest, they’re finest associates. However if you wish to look deeper, they’ve shared a headspace for thus lengthy that they’re part of each other — a symbiotic relationship the place the keen AI will get to backpack on a physique to discover the world and the lonely soldier will get a companion. And whereas this facet of their relationship doesn’t actually seem within the video games, the truth that Cortana is a extra open and accessible model of Halsey — arguably a maternal determine for Chief — definitely contributed to their attachment.
So, when Cortana finally “dies” in Halo 4 after which is resurrected because the villain in Halo 5: Guardians, it’s personally devastating for John. Chief is a faithful soldier, so his failure to guard her, as he was charged to do in Fight Advanced, weighs on him.
Wait, why are we mad at Cortana?
In Halo 4, Cortana began affected by “rampancy,” a type of AI malfunction that occurs once they acquire an excessive amount of data. It usually leads to character shifts, like a drive for energy or violence. AIs like Cortana are purported to be deactivated after seven years to stop rampancy.
Cortana begins to lose management towards the tip of Halo 4, and finally sacrifices herself for Chief. However a fraction of her is resurrected and rises to energy in Halo 5: Guardians.
This totally rampant Cortana builds a brand new faction referred to as the Created, which is basically simply a military of AIs who’re trying to show the tables on the people who made them. She arrives on Earth on the finish of Halo 5: Guardians, able to primarily enslave the planet.
That’s the final time we see Cortana in-game earlier than Halo Infinite.
What do the Halo rings do, once more?
Picture: 343 Industries/Xbox Recreation Studios
The Halo rings are weapons, worshiped by the Covenant (keep in mind that alien cult Grasp Chief fought within the first three video games?) and created by a precursor race referred to as the Forerunners. They exist to defeat the Flood, zombielike parasites that may infect practically each dwelling organism. However the Halo rings don’t kill the Flood; they kill Flood meals (i.e., each dwelling creature within the galaxy).
Halo Rings usually produce other capabilities as nicely. They can be utilized to analysis species and conduct experiments, or reseed life again into the universe as soon as the ring has been activated. Every Halo is exclusive and has its personal totally useful ecosystem.
There are seven Halo installations, with the primary recreation happening on Set up 04, the second shifting to Set up 05, and Halo Infinite happening on the mysterious Zeta Halo.
Who’re the Banished and Atriox?
The Banished are a rogue faction of the Covenant; they splintered off from the primary spiritual cult earlier than its demise. They don’t comply with the Covenant faith, and as an alternative act principally as a horde of pirates. With the Covenant gone, the Banished rose to energy by taking a number of the Covenant assets to develop their operations.
Atriox is the founder and chief of the Banished. He and his Banished served as the first villains in Halo Wars 2, and Atriox led his military to Zeta Halo previous to the beginning of Halo Infinite.
I simply performed the primary hour of Halo Infinite’s marketing campaign and I nonetheless don’t perceive what the hell is occurring. Assist???
Halo Infinite begins in medias res, that means there’s already a narrative happening earlier than the participant takes management of Grasp Chief. To be clear, the story we’re referring to here’s a new story, so even gamers who’re all caught up on their Halo historical past will nonetheless be confused. That’s by design.
Be affected person — the sport will make extra sense over time.
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