Halo Infinite is on the horizon and very little is known about both the gameplay or the story. With the most recent creation of the Created in Halo 5 and the introduction of the Banished in Halo Wars 2, it’s highly possible that one of these newer factions will be the main enemy of Halo Infinite.
Whilst some of the older factions like the Covenant are completely gone, some of the other old factions, such as the Flood may return. The question still remains though, in terms of story and gameplay, which faction would be the best for Halo Infinite? Here are a few possible choices.
A GRAVEMIND AND THE FLOOD
The Flood have been a reappearing enemy in the Halo franchise ever since they were first introduced in Halo Combat Evolved. Their endless need to consume all sentient life makes them perhaps one of the most frightening and merciless foes in Halo. Despite not being seen in game since Halo 3, they recently reappeared in the Halo Wars 2 DLC named Awakening The Nightmare.
Despite the Flood being seemingly defeated in the Halo Wars 2 DLC, it has been made clear in past Halo games that the Flood is not so easy to destroy. The Shipmaster in Halo 3 stating that “one single flood spore can destroy a species.” The possibility of bringing back a well known enemy faction in Halo Infinite is high, as it helps players feel that they are in somewhat of a familiar setting.
Adding a Gravemind to lead the flood would reinforce this feeling of familiarity for fans. As seen in Halo 2 and Halo 3, a Gravemind can be a successful antagonist. The logic plague, a tactic used by the Gravemind in Halo 2 and Halo 3, could also be used once again as a way of defeating Cortana in the upcoming Halo titles. Another alliance between the UNSC and the Flood would be a moment that all fans would savour.
If the past Halo games have taught us anything, it’s that the Flood are not to be taken lightly. If any Flood remain in the galaxy, it is likely they’ll play a part in trying to stop Cortana and the Created in the future Halo titles. It will be exiting to see what new Flood enemies we could see, along with the possibility of a brand new Gravemind.
CORTANA AND THE CREATED
Unlike the Flood, the Created is a brand new enemy faction that we know very little about. In Halo 5, Cortana has become an enemy of humanity and aims to rid the galaxy of all war based races. The Created, as far as we’re aware, is a collection of A.Is that have become followers of Cortana due to their need to cure rampancy. Rampancy is the breakdown of a smart A.I after its estimated life span of 7 years.
In Halo 5, Cortana leads various Promethean Units. The Prometheans of course were originally lead by the Didact in Halo 4, but in Halo 5 follow Cortana. Cortana also controls a Forerunner A.I named Warden Eternal. He is fought many times throughout the Halo 5 campaign.
Following the events of Halo 5, Cortana also convinced the Unggoy, also known as Grunts to support her. She, in turn, gave the Grunts nearly limitless resources. With this revolution in terms of enemies joining different factions, it is highly likely that we will see Grunts working alongside Prometheans in Halo Infinite.
A description of one of the Halo 5 maps, Riptide, allows us to have a glimpse of the true power of Cortana and the Created. The description reads as follows:
The Created have wasted no time in extending their influence across inhabited worlds, burrowing into Forerunner machinery and UNSC information systems to turn terraforming equipment and world engines to their own grand designs. Unbound by the limited foresight of mortals, the agents of Cortana can reshape worlds into verdant gardens teeming with life after only a few decades of manipulation, but at much short-term cost. Scarred by wars both ancient and new, the Created have judged this planet to be in need to significant remediation and remodeling; shifting continents and oceans after the AI constructs carefully balanced the drawbacks and benefits of both limited extinction events and damage to the existing colonial infrastructure.
With such large amounts of power and influence on various planets, it will be interesting to find out what other species will want to work with Cortana and the Created in the future. Cortana holds the potential to be an incredibly powerful antagonist that the likes of the Halo franchise has never seen.
With such control over technology, her followers and other species, she is shaping up to be somewhat of an impossible enemy to defeat. This, as mentioned early, may allow unlikely alliances to be formed between other groups.
ATRIOX AND THE BANISHED
The Banished, much like the Created, are a relatively new enemy faction in the Halo franchise. The Banished were first seen in Halo Wars 2 and have yet to be seen in any other Halo title. Led by their fearsome leader Atriox, the Banished seek to destroy all who appose them.
Originally starting as a small splinter group, the Banished quickly grew into a force worthy of fighting the Covenant during the times of the Human-Covenant War. The Banished have continued to grow and have become an incredibly powerful faction capable of taking on nearly any foe.
Atriox and The Banished proved to be interesting foes in Halo Wars 2, but would provide an even better challenge in a FPS Halo title. The Banished is made up of a majority of the same species that made up the Covenant – Brutes, Elites, Grunts and various other races.
These races are familiar in the Halo franchise and have been well established as enemies. With the Covenant and Storm Covenant completely destroyed, the Banished would be a good enemy faction that would allow these enemy species to return.
The Banished would also allow for the reintroduction of boss fights to FPS Halo. Despite being very repetitive in Halo 5, boss fights could once again be exciting and varied in their approach. Atriox has various subordinates that would allow for a range of battles to keep the gameplay and story interesting.
Another possibility is that the Banished and Atriox work together with the UNSC to fight Cortana, but after the fights that take place in Halo Wars 2, that is highly unlikely.
Halo has always included multiple enemy factions and multiple antagonists. Could we see some unlikely alliances in Halo Infinite? Could the UNSC work with The Banished to defeat Cortana? We’ll have to see what the future holds.
