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Where should Halo go from here? (Campaign + SpOps Spoilers)


Convas
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LONG READ, GTFO if lazy

 

After the events of Halo 4 with the recent conclusion of Spartan Ops Season 1, the Halo universe has been shaken to it's very core.

 

Master Chief has, for all intents and purposes retired, Cortana has ceased to "exist", ONI has ordered Halsey be disposed of, and Halsey has been shot and had her arm amputated (no doubt a result of a clumsy, fumbling Sangheili surgeon with no human medical experience LOL), Requiem has been flung into it's sun, and the Janus Key is the link to the remaining Forerunner Technology, but is split between the UNSC and Storm faction.

 

Halo 4 campaign's story was interesting and I enjoyed it, but I felt that it left too many details unsaid in a bid to push folk to the Terminals, when truly, it should've been added to the game's main storyline.

 

Heck, adding Osman into SpOps wouldn't have rung any bells for anyone unless they've read Glasslands and Thursday War.

 

343 did nothing in the game to explain that the Storm faction is a group that has rebelled under the Arbiter's rule, explaining their sort of delipidated look and their guerrilla tactics. Also, the explanation of the Didact's sudden hatred for humanity seemed ... wrong.

 

But after all that, I have to wonder, where is this all going? What can the story of what has ultimately ALWAYS been a struggle against the Flood offer up in future Halo games?

 

Halsey's betrayal has apparently left her bitter, and she wants revenge now. What does this mean? Present company accounted for, Jul M'Dama and co., perhaps she is just fronting in an attempt to ultimately get the other piece of the key to the UNSC.

 

I can't see Dr. Catherine Halsey, creator of a program that kidnapped scores of children to use in a secret military experiment which subsequently saved Humanity, join up with the very scum who would seek to start up a war with humans ONCE AGAIN.

 

On the other hand, it would be an interesting story point to see Master Chief deployed by ONI to stop a dangerous "human insurrectionist in league with Covie stragglers" just to find out that, OH SNAP, IT'S HALSEY. At the same time, we've been fighting Covenant for every Halo game now, and have not fought any Flood since 2007. (See Precursor part below)

 

And what of the Janus key? Does anybody remember Halo War's secret ending? Serina's message about "something has happened"? Supposing they were sucked into a Shield World, could the Janus key lead to their location and subsequent return to the Halo universe?

 

Finally, Precursors.They created the Flood as plan, or even a punishment for the Forerunner, to unite all life under one banner as it were. According to lore, some Precursors survived the Forerunner uprising and fled the galaxy. Coincidentally, the ships containing what is considered the start of the Flood (the fine, dessicated powder found on the ships that was later used on the Pheru) are thought to have come in from the "edge" of the galaxy ...

With humanity on the verge of discovering all of the Forerunner technology, I can see a very compelling reason to return and prevent the ascendance of humans aided by their rebellious Forerunner children's technology by blighting the universe with the Flood once again.

 

Add to the that hint in the Forerunner Saga that the Precursors could actually be part of the Flood themselves, it leaves open a world of possibilities. Perhaps the Flood's purpose/genetic directive is to consume all sentient life and reseed the galaxy with Precursors, effectively giving them a second chance to rule again.

All in all, the path for Halo 5 and 6 is incredibly vague, with no real direction available for consideration. I know O'Connell said they already have the entire trilogy planned out, but I hope they add back in some of the deeper lore plot points and drive this in an interesting direction.

 

What sayeth thee?

Edited by Convas
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Hell yeah! This is my kind of thread!

 

LONG READ, GTFO if lazy

 

After the events of Halo 4 with the recent conclusion of Spartan Ops Season 1, the Halo universe has been shaken to it's very core.

 

Master Chief has, for all intents and purposes retired, Cortana has ceased to "exist", ONI has ordered Halsey be disposed of, and Halsey has been shot and had her arm amputated (no doubt a result of a clumsy, fumbling Sangheili surgeon with no human medical experience LOL), Requiem has been flung into it's sun, and the Janus Key is the link to the remaining Forerunner Technology, but is split between the UNSC and Storm faction.

 

Halo 4 campaign's story was interesting and I enjoyed it, but I felt that it left too many details unsaid in a bid to push folk to the Terminals, when truly, it should've been added to the game's main storyline.

 

Heck, adding Osman into SpOps wouldn't have rung any bells for anyone unless they've read Glasslands and Thursday War.

 

343 did nothing in the game to explain that the Storm faction is a group that has rebelled under the Arbiter's rule, explaining their sort of delipidated look and their guerrilla tactics. Also, the explanation of the Didact's sudden hatred for humanity seemed ... wrong.

 

I agree with you that they should've focused more on story than Terminals, but I can understand and even appreciate 343 doing what they did regarding a few points in the game. In the past Bungie neglected to acknowledge the novels at all. Everything in the books went unheeded and Bungie decided to plow forward their own way. Even though Reach took elements of the FoR novel, a lot of the canon was actually plowed through (some for better, some for worse.)

 

Now with 343 at least the extended universe is being brought to people's attention. Sure it sucks people may not know or appreciate these elements, but it's there more for those of us who do read the books and watch the movies.

 

The inclusion of Osman is a great "Oh shit!" moment because those who know about her and Parangosky know what they're capable of, but enough detail was given for other people to know she's in charge of ONI and they'll catch on to the rest soon enough.

 

With the Storm Covenant, it sucks there wasn't more campaign focus on them and Jul 'Mdama in particular, but I feel they did it intentionally to relegate the focus on them to the S-Ops story. Unfortunately the story feels a little shafted because of the hindering nature of the new Co-op mode, but I feel the story was told well enough. In regards to explaining the fact that they're rebels against the Arbiter's forces, that may or may not be false at the time of Halo 4 since the game takes place 3 years after the events of the books. For all we know the Arbiter and his allies are dead. I think the goal was to save some surprises for the third Traviss novel. Doubt the entire Covenant is reformed, but the discovery of a surviving Forerunner and 'Mdama's revealing of his confinement on Trevalyn could very well sway those that lost their faith after the San'shyuums' deception (The absence of 'Telcam suggests there might have been some sort of conflict. He was alive last we saw him in Thursday Wars.)

 

As for the Didact's hatred, he definitely possessed a disliking of Humanity for what they did during the Human Vs. Forerunner war, but honestly I'm confused as to when the events of the Terminal actually took place. Since he was confined in his Cryptum on Earth until Bornstellar freed him and has been imprisoned up to this point since, it has to take place sometime after he is freed of his Tormenter in the upcoming Silentium (Just a few more days until that's out!) The Terminals are deceptive because it makes it seem like the transition from the War to Composer development and Imprisonment were seamless when they were actually broken apart by generations of time. At any rate, they gave a very default reason for him to hate humanity for the masses, but us hardcore fans get a more in-depth look at his madness and reasoning.

 

But after all that, I have to wonder, where is this all going? What can the story of what has ultimately ALWAYS been a struggle against the Flood offer up in future Halo games?

 

Halsey's betrayal has apparently left her bitter, and she wants revenge now. What does this mean? Present company accounted for, Jul M'Dama and co., perhaps she is just fronting in an attempt to ultimately get the other piece of the key to the UNSC.

I can't see Dr. Catherine Halsey, creator of a program that kidnapped scores of children to use in a secret military experiment which subsequently saved Humanity, join up with the very scum who would seek to start up a war with humans ONCE AGAIN.

 

On the other hand, it would be an interesting story point to see Master Chief deployed by ONI to stop a dangerous "human insurrectionist in league with Covie stragglers" just to find out that, OH SNAP, IT'S HALSEY.

 

At this point she definitely seems interested in giving the finger to ONI and UNSC, but I don't think it's her primary focus. The Janus Key is the epitome of Dr. Halsey's life work and so long as she has one piece, she's going to do whatever it takes to actively pursue having the two together for her own uses. I don't think she wants the Covenant to have them because it puts Humanity in danger, but she doesn't want the UNSC to have it because they'll prevent her from ever seeing it herself. By dividing the two, she's bought herself enough time to work out how to get both pieces to herself. Demanding revenge entices Jul to trust her and further his drive to obtain the other piece. It's not a question of if, but when will she betray the Covenant and take all of the knowledge for herself.

 

And if Master Chief comes into play against her (because you know the UNSC will play that game) it's a wild card how this plan will turn out since he's protecting Humanity, but his actions in Halo 4 prove his willingness to disobey orders for the greater good. He's now a wild card.

 

That said, I'm still not completely convinced this plotline is going to carry further into the series. Spartan Ops is still supposed to have a Season 2 and maybe even 3, so I'm willing to think the plot will continue to feed through this while we wait for Halo 5 to launch. If that's the case, I'm not sure Chief would even be directly included in the new mode (though it would be cool to see him in some cutscenes (just please god don't make him an NPC character. It wouldn't do him justice.)

 

And what of the Janus key? Does anybody remember Halo War's secret ending? Serina's message about "something has happened"? Supposing they were sucked into a Shield World, could the Janus key lead to their location and subsequent return to the Halo universe?
I had theorized before Infinity was revealed that Spirit of Fire had stumbled upon Sigma 7 (now known as Requiem.) This would've been the Chief's salvation, his solution to going home if only they could find a forerunner replacement for their Shaw-Fujikawa FTL Engine. With the revealing of the Infinity, though, I kind of lost hope in Spirit of Fire ever coming back into play and I fear this hangar may be left permanently.

 

This is disappointing since there are 3 perfectly good Spartans on-board and ready to help in the coming war (And boy will they be surprised to see how much has changed since they disappeared in 2531.) My biggest complaint I still have with the series is that Master Chief is still the only S-II. Sure it worked fine in the beginning when we thought he was the only one left, but after First Strike, Halo Wars, Cole Protocol, and Glasslands revealed even more S-II survivors, I really want to see the S-II's become a cohesive squad again. They were created to be teams, not one-man armies. Chief is successful because he's lucky (consequently his luck is actually the Forerunner Geas planted in his blood millenia ago, another plot point I called back when Cryptum was first released.

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Finally, Precursors.They created the Flood as plan, or even a punishment for the Forerunner, to unite all life under one banner as it were. According to lore, some Precursors survived the Forerunner uprising and fled the galaxy. Coincidentally, the ships containing what is considered the start of the Flood (the fine, dessicated powder found on the ships that was later used on the Pheru) are thought to have come in from the "edge" of the galaxy ...

With humanity on the verge of discovering all of the Forerunner technology, I can see a very compelling reason to return and prevent the ascendance of humans aided by their rebellious Forerunner children's technology by blighting the universe with the Flood once again.

 

Add to the that hint in the Forerunner Saga that the Precursors could actually be part of the Flood themselves, it leaves open a world of possibilities. Perhaps the Flood's purpose/genetic directive is to consume all sentient life and reseed the galaxy with Precursors, effectively giving them a second chance to rule again.

Actually just a slight correction, but it's not actually confirmed that the Precursor created the Flood. It's been inferred and they've proven they are capable of creating entire races, but it's not set as fact yet.

 

That said, I do believe the two Races are intertwined and the focus is going to begin shifting over to the Precursor. Maybe not so much in Halo 5, but definitely a focus in Halo 6. Halo 5 I feel is going to be largely focused on the Flood actually beginning their intergalactic invasion again (So far, no invasion has happened. Only outbreaks of samples contained on the Halo's already.) Humanity and the Storm Covenant fighting is going to cause problems and rebels are going to make things even harder for Humanity to overcome the real threat, so I can see a focus on knocking out the other antagonists and maybe finding some allies (kind of similar to ME3, but obviously not done in such a ridiculous way.)

 

It's also worth noting that in the Forerunner trilogy, it's pointed out that Humanity never actually found a cure, but that the Flood were intentionally diverted away from Humanity. They chose to eliminate the Forerunner that rose up against them and have decided to push Humanity along and to test them later on. Perhaps with the Janus key offering all Forerunner tech to Humanity, like you said, it's time to begin the invasion to test Humanity. Some of kind of result that the Precursor are seeking will tell them what they want to know about Humans, though if Humanity does pass their test, it will still choose to rebel against the Precursor rather than become them, so the whole issue with Precursor vs. Forerunner will begin anew.

 

My theory on the Precursor/Flood relationship is that Precursors are the ultimate evolutionary form.

 

Viral - Infection - carrier - Proto-gravemind - Gravemind - Precursor(?)

 

Perhaps similar to how the Reapers harvested races worthy of becoming one among their own ranks, maybe the Precursor have to consume "worthy" races to ascend past the ranks of Gravemind (hence why GM was so interested in Earth and never became more than what he was at the time.) At any rate, Gravemind proved in Halo: Evolutions that there's more to the Flood's consumption of Races than simply eating and infecting. They catalog knowledge and experiences of every race they consume, perhaps forever preserving that races existence within themselves.

 

All in all, the path for Halo 5 and 6 is incredibly vague, with no real direction available for consideration. I know O'Connell said they already have the entire trilogy planned out, but I hope they add back in some of the deeper lore plot points and drive this in an interesting direction.

 

What sayeth thee?

Their intentions are vague, but we have the fortune of having many story paths left open and many directions that the series can take us in. I personally hope the series will take a more sci-fi approach and focus less on the military side of things. I like my supernatural elements and while the first games in the series were very military, Halo 4 took a turn and had a very Sci-Fi story to it (Most of the levels were even very Tolkien-esque, with less focus on story and more on the development of Chief and Cortana. I liked seeing that in the series so long as it doesn't take it too far overboard (Like I mentioned, I see a couple elements pushing close to ME3 did with the Reapers and the other Races. Hopefully we don't get what ME3 gave us in the end though.)
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Never said that a Season 2 is in the works, but we've been given confirmation that Season 2 is at least intended. 343 themselves have said Season 2 would be determined on response to the 1st season, so they obviously built it with the intention of creating S2 in mind. Whether or not we actually get it now is a completely different story.

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Never said that a Season 2 is in the works, but we've been given confirmation that Season 2 is at least intended. 343 themselves have said Season 2 would be determined on response to the 1st season, so they obviously built it with the intention of creating S2 in mind. Whether or not we actually get it now is a completely different story.

 

Ohhh, I never knew that was their intentions. I really doubt we'll get one though. If we do, it'll probably be in the Fall right before the new consoles come out.

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I'm guessing we'll know something about Season 2 before the year is over. If they're going to scrap season 2 than I at least hope they tell us rather than letting hope die off slowly. I do have to question how their ending will even allow for a Season 2 to continue. Only alternative I can think of is through the use of Installation 03 or 07 since Humanity knows the locations of both for certain. Unsure whether or not humanity has located 01, 02, and 06 yet. This would enable the Forerunner architecture to continue and the use of some of the other multiplayer maps to supplement the levels.

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If they do a season 2, I bet they'll just go the ODST route and do some story about something happening to some other people on Requiem so they can reuse assets.

 

The safe route. I can see them doing this and it would be incredibly uncreative if they did. But whatever, I just wanna play Halo 5's Campaign. Forget MP and SpOps lol.

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Well if you want to play that game, my #1 goal is to own and run an Internet Cafe that I can use to fund a small private team of Indie developers to publish the innovative and brilliant ideas that I have to bring to the industry. Playing Halo 5 is my #1 "If I lived in a world where I had no responsibilities or expectations" goal :p

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I think Halo 5 will have the return of the Didact and the chief will have to battle in big war and kill the didact but then the didact kill chief in fight and chief finds cortana in the afterlife and comes back together and kill didact in halo 6 but in Halo 6 there will also be big war and the flood come back and chief will control the mind of the flood because he is a ghost that came back from the afterlife and he will use the flood to kill the didact.

 

That was a YouTube comment I saw a few months ago. Not exactly word for word, but I tried to ressurect it from what I remembered. Poor kid ended up typing well over 1,000 characters in an attempt to express his ideas.

 

My #1 goal in life is to own a nice house down the shore

 

Maintaining a house on the Jersey shore? Or somewhere else?

 

I couldn't live anywhere by a shoreline, close to the equator, at least. Sandy was a freak of nature. Fuck hurricanes.

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