WhenHalo Infinitelaunches later this year, it will be arriving just in time for the series' 20th anniversary. SinceHalo 1’sdebut, the franchise has grown exponentially. Like many other popular sci-fi series,Halois home to various species, groups, and whatnot, whose relationships–some of which span hundreds of thousands of years–serve as the backbone for much of the conflict present in the series’ timeline.
Like its predecessors,Halo Infinitewill prominently feature multiple factions; potentially the most of any mainline game to date. Each major player in theHalouniverse boasts a rich history that one can only hope will be further added to through any new revelationsHalo Infinitemight have in store.
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The United Nations Space Command and Humanity
The United Nations Space Command (UNSC) includes the Spartans,ODSTs, Marines, and virtually all human groups or individuals seen in theHalocanon. As humanity’s primary governing body, the UNSC has played a major role throughout the games, and based onHalo Infinite’savailable footage, that’s only going to continue.
Throughout the series’ timeline, humanity has been involved in several wars with other species. In prehistoric times, humanity fought the Flood and lost a war against the Forerunners. In theHalogames, the species faced off against the Covenant, Flood, and Promethean forces, but has also forged alliances with other species, specifically the Covenant separatists led by the Arbiter, Thel ‘Vadum.
The Forerunners and Prometheans
This ancient race is responsible for the creation of the titular Halo rings.The Forerunners, along with humanity, were created by the Precursors–a race that initially chose humanity to be the guardians ofHalo’sgalaxy. Not content with the Precursor’s judgment, the Forerunners took them out and assumed the role themselves. However, a war with the Flood would later force the Forerunners into exile, thus halting their reign.
One notable Forerunner, the Ur-Didact, appears inHalo 4as the antagonist, but the species’ creations, the Prometheans, have certainly had a larger spotlight in the games. While neither has appeared thus far in previews forHalo Infinite,given thatHalo 5ends with Cortana dead-set on enforcing “peace” throughout the galaxy via the AI-controlled Prometheans, it’s all too likely the Forerunners' creations will be featured in a large capacity.
The Flood
The Floodis a parasitic species whose members are joined together by a collective consciousness. The species is capable of infecting almost any living organism, and they are considered to be perhaps the greatest known danger to the galaxy. The Flood nearly took down the Forerunners, and previously posed a threat to both the human and Covenant forces throughout the Human-Covenant War before being stopped by Master Chief and the Arbiter.
Like the Forerunners, the Flood has not been confirmed to appear inHalo Infinite,but the game’s setting–Zeta Halo–is notable for being a testing ground where the Forerunners experimented with the parasite. With this in mind, it’s possible the Flood could make a return toHaloafter a long absence, but that remains to be seen.
The Covenant
The Covenant consisted of several alien species that led a galactic conquest motivated by the group’s worship of the Forerunners. During theHuman-Covenant War, one of these species, the Elites, splintered off to join forces with humanity following an internal conflict. Together, humanity and the Elites took down the Covenant, but several rogue groups proceeded to rise from its ashes.
One such group led by Jul ‘Mdama was featured inHalo 5but was quickly put down bySpartan Locke’sFireteam Osiris. However, there is another notable, similar faction that is set to have a huge presence inHalo Infinite.
The Banished
The Banishedwere previously introduced inHalo Wars 2as a splinter faction of the Covenant. Brutes–one of many species making up the Covenant–grew dissatisfied with Covenant leadership, who had a tendency to view Brute casualties as acceptable losses. In response, many Brutes rose up, and thus the Banished were formed.
InHalo Infinite’scampaigndemo, a Brute named Escharum was shown to oversee the Banished, which maintained a strong grip on the game’s setting of Zeta Halo. Given the group’s prominent presence thus far, it’s safe to assume the Banished will be among the main villains Master Chief will face in the game.
Halo Infinitewill launch in 2021 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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