First released in 2021, the first-person shooter Halo Infinite was the sixth mainline entry in the beloved and long-running Halo series. Halo Infinite also marks the third installment in the Reclaimer Saga — the next generation in Halo's storytelling that started with Halo 4. Despite some initial blowback from fans after Halo Infinite's gameplay reveal in 2020, the game's release was met with praise from players and critics alike. With its captivating story, dynamic gameplay, and open-world design, Halo Infinite showed off the best that the series had to offer, and reminded players why Halo became such a video game staple.
With six main games under its belt — in addition to multiple books, comics, and even a live-action Halo TV series on the way — the Halo franchise has a rich history of lore. Spanning an interstellar war between different species and factions, multiple iterations of humanity, and ancient alien tech that has galaxy-destroying capabilities, it's safe to say the Halo storyline is fairly expansive. However, with such an extensive narrative to slot into, fans are wondering how the newest entry into the series fits into the long-running Forerunner saga and its evolving history.
Introducing The Forerunners
Although the Forerunners play an enormously important role in the Halo series, players didn't really learn about them until the later games. First cryptically mentioned in 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved, the Forerunners remain a mystery, and their origin and purpose become convoluted by the beliefs of various factions within the Halo universe. The Forerunners are an ancient and long-lost species that overthrew their creators known as The Precursors in order to take up the "Mantle of Responsibility" — a system where stronger species protect weaker ones throughout the galaxy.
The Forerunners were the ones that created the Halo array as a last-ditch attempt to rid the galaxy of the parasitic Flood. However, these monumental weapons would also wipe out all sentient life, but this would deprive the Flood of sustenance and lead to its destruction as well. The Covenant worship the Forerunners, believing them to be deities and their left-behind technology to be holy relics. They continually try to activate Halos, thinking they will reunite the Covenant with the Forerunners, and are initially unaware of the Halos' destructive capabilities.
The Forerunner Saga is also the name of a trilogy of Halo EU novels by Greg Bear, which takes place approximately 100,000 years before the events of the main Halo games. In the books, readers learn more about the Librarian — an influential Forerunner and wife of the Didact (the former Promethean supreme commander of the Forerunner military and antagonist in Halo 4). The Librarian is key to helping humanity take up the Mantle and continues to aid them through personality imprints, and helps explain the Forerunners to Master Chief.
Halo Infinite's Role In The Forerunner Saga
One of the main antagonists in Halo Infinite is the Banished, a Covenant breakaway group of mercenary raiders comprised of many species. The Banished control Zeta Halo — otherwise known as Installation 07 — which is one of the seven rings of the Halo Array created by the Forerunners. The Zeta Halo is the last remnant of the original Halo Array of twelve rings. After the array was activated long before the events in the Halo series to kill off the Flood, almost all sentient life was destroyed.
However, a race known as the Endless unexpectedly survived the cataclysmic event, and the remaining Forerunners imprisoned them on Zeta Halo in order to study them. One member of the Endless, known as the Harbinger, was released by the Banished during the events of Halo Infinite, forming an alliance with them in order to repair the Halo and retrieve her fellow Endless. Master Chief and an AI called the Weapon are able to defeat the Harbinger and stop her search for the Endless imprisoned somewhere on Zeta Halo with the help of an unknown entity, but not before they are located.
The Harbinger also managed to send a message to a mysterious ally in her last moments, telling them her mission was complete as she vowed to Master Chief that the Endless would return. With the tying up of many loose ends and remaining questions in the Forerunner and Reclaimer sagas so far, Halo Infinite also opens the door to new story possibilities with the introduction of the enigmatic Endless. They will no doubt have an important part to play as the Reclaimer Saga continues, although their ultimate plans remain unknown.
Halo Infinite is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.