Halo Infinite provides Master Chief with updated abilities and powers, including new shields and skills that come from a tragic source. While each Halo game introduced new characters, weapons, and themes to the sci-fi universe, many of these origins involved alien societies or recovering technologies from ancient civilizations and UNSC soldiers. Often, these pieces of technology advanced the storyline and provided a backstory for the setting. Halo Infinite takes an unfortunately tragic turn with its equipment discoveries, forcing Master Chief to harvest technology from fallen UNSC Spartans across the Halo installation.
Halo Infinite's story campaign takes place on Halo Installation 7 (also known as Zeta Halo), which has suffered extreme damage from unknown sources. Players can come across several hostile factions scattered across the open world, such as the Banished, a Brute-led organization from Halo Wars, and remnants of the Covenant, Halo's most infamous enemy. It's unknown if the Prometheans are returning to Halo Infinite, but Cortana continues to occupy a central plot point. Master Chief travels to Zeta Halo to locate an AI known as "The Weapon" in hopes that it can lead him to Cortana's location. Destroying The Banished and ending Cortana's deadly reign are the two primary goals for players in Halo Infinite.
As Master Chief tracks the Spartan Hunting Elite throughout Halo Infinite, he uncovers the bodies of various Spartans littered across different UNSC bases. Like other games, Halo Infinite supplies players with various armor abilities and upgrades. One such armor ability is the thruster pack, which gives Master Chief the ability to rapidly evade projectiles or maneuver midair. Chief finds this equipment in the ruins of a base, surrounded by dead Elites and Brutes. However, the most startling discovery involves a deceased Spartan, who appeared to bleed out after wounds inflicted by the Assassin. When players discover equipment and deceased Spartans, they are privy to conversations that reveal more about the equipment's owner. For example, the original owner of the thrusters was Spartan Theodore, who used to be a weapons specialist and managed to kill an Elite with a screwdriver before his death. Additionally, a deceased Spartan Stone supplies Chief with a MJOLNIR Shield upgrade.
Halo Infinite's Dead Spartans Have Terrifying Implications
While previous Halo games scattered equipment, weapons, and abilities throughout the map (or at checkpoints), Halo Infinite uses their discovery as a plot tool. The dead Spartans prove the Assassin's competency of defeating the UNSC's best. Spartan IIs are historically the most powerful Spartans within the Halo franchise, but only fourteen remain active during Halo Infinite's campaign. These new abilities offer powerful upgrades in combat, enabling Spartans to take more damage and utilize greater mobility when facing Elites or Brutes. The fact that the Assassin could still defeat these Spartans with these upgrades proves how dangerous they are and what Zeta Halo can throw at players.
343 Industries also released a UNSC Archives video titled "Unspoken," which detailed the in-game origins of Halo's Spartan shield equipment. Two UNSC Marines in charge of defending a passenger ship from incoming alien threats successfully confiscated a version of an Elite's shields. Through a heartbreaking narrated story told by the surviving Marine, viewers learn that the sacrifice of these soldiers helped save hundreds of lives. After successfully adopting the Covenant's shield technology, the military outfitted Spartans like the Master Chief with impressive absorption shields.
Halo Infinite provides players with the most advanced title in the beloved franchise ever, featuring an open-world and less linear mission progression. Familiar enemies like Halo Wars' Banished and Halo's Covenant allow players to enjoy the franchise's roots. With Infinite's multiplayer release early, players have received a quick glimpse at what the game can offer. Halo Infinite's campaign releases December 8th for Xbox and PC systems.