The first four hours of Halo Infinite‘s campaign opens up a whole new world for longtime fans. 343 Industries’ Reclaimer trilogy began with Halo 4 in 2012 and continued with Halo 5: Guardians in 2015, but it’s been a whopping six years since the latter game’s cliffhanger ending – though not as long in-universe. Halo Infinite doesn’t continue immediately after Halo 5‘s ending and bringing in Halo Wars 2‘s villains the Banished into the fold changes what fans believed they would be getting; however, there’s a captivating throughline that exists within Halo Infinite‘s foundation.
Set approximately 18 months after the events of Halo 5, Halo Infinite works with the Weapon A.I. and the Pilot, who was first glimpsed in the original teaser trailer, to rid Zeta Halo of the Banished and find out exactly what happened to Cortana. Fighting the Covenant-turned-Banished on yet another Halo ring feels very much reminiscent of early Halo games, and the linear progression at the start of the campaign certainly exemplifies the spiritual reboot 343 was going for. It’s only when Master Chief hits the ground that things change.
There’s a reason many people consider the mission “Halo” from Halo: Combat Evolved to be one of the best, because it introduced a fascinating, vast new world that was unbelievable at the time. Nowadays, practically every game can achieve that, and more with open worlds. Halo Infinite gets in on the trend, which is why when Master Chief finally lands on the ringworld, an entirely new Halo experience begins. Microsoft and Xbox provided Screen Rant with early access to the first four hours of Halo Infinite‘s campaign, and here’s everything we learned (that we can share).
What Happened Between Halo 5: Guardians & Halo Infinite
Following Cortana’s supposed death in Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians sees Cortana return in a much more nefarious role, assuming the Mantle of Responsibility and using her new faction, the Created, as well as the Forerunners’ Guardians, to control and subjugate the galaxy. At the end of the game, Cortana’s plan is unleashed and she is last seen on an unknown Halo installation, presumed to be Zeta Halo in Halo Infinite.
In the time between the events of Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite, the UNSC, led by the flagship Infinity and supported by Dr. Halsey, created a new A.I. based on Cortana called Weapon; its entire purpose was to infiltrate Zeta Halo and act as bait to lure Cortana in for deletion. Weapon herself was supposed to be deleted upon the mission’s completion, but she wasn’t. Finding out why she wasn’t deleted, along with defeating the Banished, rebuilding the UNSC, and uncovering the mystery behind what happened to Cortana will be Master Chief’s mission(s) in Halo Infinite.
Unfortunately, not much is explicitly revealed about what happened between Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite (yet), but UNSC audio logs, particularly those from Captain Lasky and Dr. Halsey, shed some light on those events. Sometime after Cortana sent her Guardians to planets around the galaxy, Dr. Halsey’s lab assistant informed her that Cortana’s Created took over another 16 systems and that there was no way to stop her. The doctor then met with Master Chief and believed that he might be the only person who could stop her. Master Chief told her that “goodbye” was the last thing Cortana said to him, and that word apparently haunted Dr. Halsey.
On October 7, 2559, Dr. Halsey and Blue Team returned to Reach, and Master Chief was sent on his mission to defeat Cortana. Dr. Halsey created Weapon and it was entrusted to Master Chief to see Cortana deleted. In that time, Captain Lasky redeployed Blue Team for an as-of-yet unknown mission without Dr. Halsey’s knowledge or say-so, but given the UNSC was in shambles, Lasky felt that the Spartan team was needed elsewhere. It’s unclear if this mission refers to Blue Team infiltrating CASTLE Base on Reach, which was first revealed in a Halo Waypoint post two years ago, but given Lasky’s wording, it sounds different. As for Spartan Locke, he was tasked with continuing a mission known as Breaker Trip, though specific details on what that is are currently unknown.
What Happened To Cortana After Halo 5: Guardians
Cortana is dead, apparently, as was revealed through past campaign trailers. In order to defeat Cortana and bring an end to the Created’s reign, Captain Lasky and Dr. Halsey devised a plan to have Master Chief infiltrate Zeta Halo and use the Weapon A.I. to lure in Cortana, trap her, and bring her back to the UNSC Infinity for deletion – upon which Weapon would also be deleted. However, something stopped that process from carrying through. At least in the first four hours of Halo Infinite‘s campaign, Cortana is presumed dead, though parts of her remain aboard Zeta Halo. As Master Chief traverses the ringworld before making it down to the surface, players see blue particles swirling in the air; data waiting to run out of energy, according to Weapon.
Interestingly, there are times when Master Chief can unknowingly access that data and hear Cortana and Dr. Halsey, all of which are presumably memories from previous games – since at least one is taken directly from Halo 4, when Cortana warns Master Chief that the UNSC would attempt to replace her with another A.I., even one that might look just like her (which they did; Weapon) – or, in some cases, possibly new dialogue that builds upon Master Chief’s relationship with Cortana, including when they first met and when Cortana revealed her name (which she chose herself) to John-117.
Halo Infinite Open World Map, Locations & Collectibles
Halo Infinite‘s open world is controlled via the TacMap, which includes discoverable areas that can be opened up (though not specifically unlocked in the traditional sense) by capturing Forward Operating Bases. Each region in the Halo Infinite TacMap has its own share of collectibles, from audio logs to Skulls to cosmetic items.
Spartan Cores: Boxes found at various points on the map contain Spartan Cores that are used to upgrade Master Chief’s equipment, such as the grappleshot.
Forward Operating Bases (FOBs): Capturing FOBs will make points of interests available in the nearby area; FOBs also allow Master Chief to fast travel back to that location from wherever on the TacMap.
Mjolnir Lockers: Cosmetic items for Halo Infinite multiplayer can be found in Mjolnir Lockers – one such item is the Banished Deception Ridgeback Coating. Each item can be equipped in the Armor Hall in multiplayer.
UNSC Marine squads: Squads of UNSC Marines and personnel are stranded in every region. Saving these squads from the Banished increases Valor.
Audio logs: UNSC, Banished, and Spartan audio logs are found around the map, particularly at FOBs and major points of interests, and are identifiable via a pinging sound. And those audio logs are useful for piecing together the narrative gap between Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite.
Skulls: A Halo staple, Skulls are also found at various places on Zeta Halo. A list of Skulls already acquired can be found under the Database section of the menu.
Propaganda Tower: Grunt comms officers preach from Propaganda Towers across Zeta Halo. Destroying these towers produces Valor and weakens the Banished’s influence over UNSC Marines in the area.
Targets: High-valued targets/members of the Banished who’ve been identified by ONI for Master Chief to eliminate.
Strongholds: Each region typically has a stronghold-like location, such as The Tower and Redoubt of Sundering, that Master Chief needs to liberate from the Banished.
Halo Infinite Upgrades & FOB Valor Explained
Halo Infinite has RPG-like elements in it, including an upgrade system for Master Chief’s armor and weapon abilities. In the press preview build, three of the first five upgradable items in Halo Infinite – Grappleshot, Shield Core, Threat Sensor, Drop Wall, and Thruster – were available, likely because the other two come later on in the campaign. Each item contains four upgrade slots that require Spartan Cores (found on the TacMap in the open world) to unlock. But while the first slot only needs one Spartan Core, the subsequent slots have an increased requirement; slot 2 requires 2 Spartan Cores, while slots 3 and 4 required 3 Spartan Cores. The same Spartan Core requirements are applicable to each item.
Grappleshot: Voltaic (first slot) enables the grappleshot to stun enemies for several seconds when grappled; Quickshot (second slot) reduces the grappleshot’s cooldown by 40%; First Strike (third slot) delivers a shockwave blast when holding down melee while grappling; Reachfall (fourth slot) increased the damage and radius of the aforementioned shockwave blast, while also stunning enemies in the affected area.
Shield Core: Fortress (first slot) increases shield capacity by 15%; Bastille (second slot) increases shield capacity by another 15%; Redoubt (third slot) increases shield capacity by an additional 15%; Citadel (fourth slot), you guessed it, increases shield capacity by a final 15%.
Threat Sensor: Seeker (first slot) increases the threat sensor’s radius by 50%; Operative (second slot) adds a second charge; Clairvoyant (third slot) reduces cooldown by 40%; Omniscience (fourth slot) adds uninterrupted enemy visibility while also revealing the enemy’s health.
Valor can be used to unlock weapons, vehicles, Marine deployments, and more at FOBs. One of the ways Master Chief can acquire Valor is by liberating UNSC personnel or saving Marine squads stranded across Zeta Halo. Saving one squad of Marines earns 30 Valor. It seems the Rocket Hog is the last FOB unlock and it requires 3,200 Valor. It’s worth noting that Valor isn’t currency; it can’t be spent on unlocks. Rather, it accumulates over time and Master Chief unlocks the objects and Marines once players hit a certain level – distributed at every 100 Valor. So, hitting 900 Valor unlocks Commando; 1,100 unlocks the Scout Marine reinforcement.
Halo Infinite Targets & Special Weapons
Halo Infinite employs a target system akin to ones seen in various action-adventure titles from the 2010s; here, Master Chief is told by Weapon that ONI has classified certain members of the Banished as high-valued targets that should be eliminated. Each one is known for various deeds or accomplishments within the Covenant or Banished, and are therefore worthy of being removed from Zeta Halo. One such target is Okro ‘Vagaduun, an elite whose skills with an energy sword was legend; he was named Blademaster by the Minister of Resolution, but in the time following the Covenant’s fall, Okro joined the Banished and became part of the group known as Bloodbrave. Killing Okro earns players the Duelist Energy Sword, a specialized version of the iconic blade that can be summoned at any FOB.
Another target is the High Sumpter Briglard, a grunt whose violent tendencies were noted by even the Arbiter. Briglard’s ONI file states that he not only killed scores of UNSC troops but did so in ways that were “horrific and disturbing,” thus earning a distinct reputation among the Covenant. In Halo Infinite, killing Briglard gives players an Unbound Plasma Pistol that’s gray in color. Based on the target screen provided in the Halo Infinite press preview build, there are 15 targets spread throughout the map, with some being more difficult and requiring different skills and equipment than others; for example, using the threat sensor is needed to defeat Okro but Briglard can be killed easily by having a Marine in the gunner seat of a warthog.
Miscellaneous Halo Infinite Gameplay & Story Details
- The Mangler and Shock Rifle will become the go-to weapons whenever they’re on the map; each one is better than their respective counterparts like the Sidekick and Commando, at least with solid accuracy. Shock Rifles act as one-hit kills similar to a sniper rifle and can stun vehicles as well.
- Sound effects are vastly improved over previous titles. The open world environment feels alive, a feeling that is amplified by hearing birds caw and flap their wings as you drive by in a warthog and chirping in a distance when you stop driving. The effects are also applied to the Forerunner structures, the warthog changing gears, and even the Scorpion turning its turret. Combining all of it results in an immersive experience.
- Ammo can be resupplied at stations designated for kinetic, plasma, and shock weapons. Doing so reduces attrition.
- Hitting a drop ship a few times with a Ravager seems to overload the ship’s core and destroys it as it flies away. Two or more people can presumably destroy drop ships quickly before the Banished’s troops drop, if they have the right weapons.
- Halo Infinite gunplay is exemplary; everything has a certain heft to it and each weapon requires a different set of skills to use effectively.
- The best aspect of Halo Infinite‘s open world is that a standard four-hour playthrough can easily turn into eight hours by exploring the map.
- Halo Infinite naturally begins with a linear story akin to every previous installment in the main series, with the open world coming only as players land on Zeta Halo. It gives players time to grapple with the new game and story before being thrust into a radical new environment.
Halo Infinite officially releases on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on December 8.
About The Author
