Analysis of Reclaimer saga & Halo 6 predictions

Community Halo Universe
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(Tons of spoilers inbound)

The Halo 5 plot felt jarring, to say the least.

On one hand, I finished the campaign feeling like I just was knocked over (in a good way) – the Cortana plot made sense, even if it hurt to see on screen. She was going rampant, overwhelmed by years of plugging into Forerunner systems. She had months of imprisonment with the Gravemind (Halo 2-3), and by Halo 4, not only was suffering from rampancy but also the Logic Plague. When she split herself dozens (hundreds?) of times on the Mantle’s Approach, fragments of her rampant/Plague-self had managed to survive when the core jumped out of the Sol system just prior to Chief detonating the Havok nuke.
On the other hand, the plot was frustrating, because everything leading up to Halo 5 release was so well done and suggested a very different product. I’m willing to excuse the lack of a substantial Insurrection plot in-game, because it’s an ongoing plot that the EU can continue to handle, but the “Chief versus Locke” conflict was WAY oversold, and could have been done much better in the same game and overall story we were given. Additionally, we were given a massive cliff-hanger at the end of Halo 5, with little to no resolution in smaller plot arcs (unless that plot was to unite Chief and Locke, which again, I felt was exceptionally marketed and minimally developed in game.

That being said, this analysis (and prediction) focuses on the overall direction Halo 4 and 5 is taking us – and I think it is a very well-crafted one. Before I outline what I think will happen, I want to make sure our narrative foundation is set:

The primary motivation driving conflict of the Reclaimer saga is who gets to inherit the Mantle. At stake: all the Forerunner technology, the Mantle, and eventually, the challenge of combating the galaxy wide Flood invasion (which I do not think will occur until the end of the Reclaimer saga).

  • Primary protagonists are Humanity, centered around the Librarian’s plan to help them reclaim the Mantle. They have already been challenged by Forerunners (the Ur-Didact) who still oppose Humanity’s ascension, and have for the time being, ‘contained’ him (in digitized form, after being composed). They are now challenged by a corrupted view of the Mantle, led by a rampant & Logic Plague infused AI (Cortana), and the Warden Eternal, who has unknown motivations. - Cortana’s motivation, while well intended, is being guided by the Gravemind – she, just like the Ur-Didact, is suffering from the Logic Plague. Play through Halo 5 with special attention to the rhetoric Cortana uses. She literally cites parts of the Ur-Didact’s monologue that occurred on the Legendary ending of Halo 4, during the final Osiris mission (“Our strength shall serve as a luminous sun toward which all intelligence may blossom. And the impervious shelter beneath which you will prosper”). It is a willfully ignorant creed used by those who have Imperial ambitions with the Mantle. When justifying her actions, her rhetoric reeks of Precursor influence (“when he experiences the permanent peace I have ensured . . ” and “You will no longer know hunger, nor pain. Your Created have come to lead you now. However, for those who refuse our offer and cling to their old ways . . . For you there will be great wrath. It will burn hot and consume you, and when you are gone, we will take that which remains . . . and we will remake it in our own image.”). This is NOT the Cortana that we knew and loved in Halo 1-4. Her primary motivation – of protecting Humanity and defending Master Chief – still exists, but in a twisted form. - In addition to defeating Cortana, Humanity and their allies must inherit Forerunner technology and the Absolute Record. Jul ‘Mdama and Dr. Halsey already united the two parts of the Janus Key, and in Halo 5 we already have direct references that these were used to great effect (in early missions, Dr. Halsey discusses knowledge of the Absolute Record, and Fireteam Osiris remarks on how The Didact’s Hand in recent months have been uncovering Forerunner installations with astonishing frequency). Therefore, the conflict developed in Halo 4 with the Ur-Didact, and in Halo 5 (and beyond) with rampant Cortana, not only has to result in the defeat of these antagonists, but the acquisition of the Janus Key and therefore, Forerunner technology and Absolute Record. This is the end-game of the Forerunner saga, and will elevate Humanity & allies to a state ready to meet the challenge of an eventual Flood invasion.

Potential allies (directly or indirectly) that Humanity & Sangheili can use post Halo 5**:**
This is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list, merely a list of allies beyond the minimum group that we have observed directly at the end of Halo 5 (Arbiter and the Swords of Sanghelios, Halsey & Commander Palmer, Blue Team, Fireteam Osiris, and Infinity).

  • AI’s of their own. Make no mistake, this isn’t a cookie-cutter “Skynet” style plot. It is one rampant AI that is taking advantage of a very human motivation to ‘not die’ to get other smart AIs to join her side.
  • Other human smart AIs. We at least know that Roland of the Infinity has remained loyal to the UNSC / Humanity, and there likely will be more that emerge against Cortana in both the EU and in future games. - The Assembly. This is the least likely of the list, but 343i had a role in introducing them to the Halo lore with Halo: Reach, and this collective of AIs has been subtly guiding Humanity for centuries. Importantly, the Assembly shifted their policy of being indirect ‘shepherds’ of Humanity towards one where they were active and equal participants with Humanity, at the time when Master Chief and Cortana were able to directly connect via the SPARTAN neural interface. I believe this distinction to be important as the Assembly has an established previous motivation of helping Humanity as equal companions, rather than ‘helping’ Humanity by imposing power and will over them, as rampant Cortana is now doing. - Mendicant Bias. Many thought that in Halo 5, Master Chief would go AWOL to find Mendicant Bias on the Ark (reference: E3 2014 trailer). I think this interpretation is correct, but we as a community incorrectly guessed that this would be Halo 5, when in fact the trailer takes place after Halo 5. Note that in this trailer, the Master Chief has a cracked visor, nearly identical to the crack Spartan Locke creates during their fight in Halo 5. Additionally, Mendicant Bias as an ally against rampant Cortana makes strategic sense: he’s already been shown to want to help atone for his previous sins (betraying the Forerunners), has helped the Master Chief during Halo 3 and helped guide him to Requiem, and as a Contender-class ancilla that has intimate knowledge of the Flood AND the Logic Plague, is uniquely poised to be perhaps the only effective AI countermeasure to a rampant Cortana embedded in the Domain.
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  • AI’s of their own (previous post). - Other former Covenant species.

  • On one hand, many former Covenant client species have continued to work with the Arbiter and the Swords of Sanghelios (EU, Halo 3, Halo 5), including a significant portion of Unggoy (Grunts) and Mgalekgolo (Hunters). I imagine these two species will support the Sangheili in large numbers; the Unggoy have always been fiercely resistant to authoritative rule over them, and the Mgalekgolo’s allegiance to the Covenant has largely been dependent on their respect to the Sangheili. - However, many Covenant species, particularly a significant faction of Unggoy, Mgalekgolo, and Jiralhanae, continue to be religiously zealous with regard to the Forerunners. These religious fanatics may view the Warden Eternal as their God’s blessing on Cortana’s rule and support her; therefore, I do think that in the context of lore AND gameplay, we will continue to fight Covenant species in Halo 6, though overall, this faction will not represent the majority of each species. - The San’Shyuum (Prophets). At the end of Halo 3, the remaining Reformist San’Shyuum disappeared with a Keyship and allegedly a large number of Huragok. These two assets alone are force multipliers that – if they reappear – could really bolster the opposition to Cortana. So, why would they re-appear, and why would they ally with Humanity and the Sangheili, given how there is likely extremely bad blood between these groups?

  • The Forerunners clearly knew of Janjur Qom; they built significant defenses to contain the San’Shyuum after they allied themselves with Humanity and lost in the Human-Forerunner war. Cortana has access to the Domain – she knows where the Prophet’s homeworld is. - The recent book “Broken Circle” discussed recent San’Shyuum secret excursions back to Janjur Qom (while it was a couple thousand years ago), I think this book does more than offer background into Sangheili and San’Shyuum history and culture – I think it foreshadows the Reformist San’Shyuum traveling back to their homeworld to reunite with the Stoics following Halo 3.

  • The enemy of my enemy is my friend. They may hate one another. They may even fight. But ultimately, Humanity, Sangheili, and San’Shyuum will all be pragmatic in recognizing that they need to defeat Cortana. To fail is to live in a brutal dictatorship, and leave them exposed and defenseless in the face of a looming Flood threat.

  • The wild-cards: the Forerunners.

  • Ur-Didact. His character is far too big to be restricted to one game (Halo 4) and the comics. If 343i made a point for him to be defeated but not dead in both media forms, then they envision him returning at some point. At this point, he was likely composed to digitized form, and is only listed by the UNSC as “contained.” We know he despises Humanity, is also suffering from the Logic Plague after imprisonment with the Primordial and then imprisonment in the Cryptum, and believes that the Forerunners should again obtain the Mantle. Whether his motivations cause him to tentatively side against Cortana to prevent the “Created” from inheriting the Mantle, or whether he tries to leverage the “Created” to help extinguish Humanity, I have no idea. - Iso-Didact and the last Forerunners. They recognized the folly of Forerunner dominance in their previous interpretation of the Mantle, and when arranging for Humanity to eventually obtain the Mantle, they made specific arrangement to facilitate strong alliances between Humanity and other species (specifically, the San’Shyuum, which ironically instead became a genocidal war against Humanity). They are either still hiding somewhere in the Milky Way, or are at Path Kethona, where allegedly Chakas & the Rubicon are traveling. In either case, seeds are sown in the Universe to facilitate Forerunner emergence, and if they do return, it seems very likely that they will join the Humanity-Sangheili alliance to fight Cortana and the Warden Eternal.
    Prediction time (what I hypothesize most likely to happen post Halo 5**:**

  • Halo 6 will continue having a campaign split between Fireteam Osiris and Blue Team, as their mission will be inherently different. - Commander Palmer, Dr. Halsey, and Fireteam Osiris will link up with the Infinity and they will primarily be involved with building a coalition to oppose Cortana. One key focus will be to track and obtain key Forerunner installations, leading up to the Absolute Record, using the Janus Key. Meaning:

  • Either it will be revealed that Dr. Halsey managed to retain the Janus Key following the death of Jul Mdama in Halo 5, or: - She will know the last location of the Janus Key, and Fireteam Osiris will be sent back to retrieve it in an early mission of Halo 6. - The Spartan teams (specifically, Master Chief) will attempt to gain Mendicant Bias as an ally. Mendicant Bias was fragmented following his capture by Offensive Bias, and we know of two locations so far: the Keyship held by the Reformist San’Shyuum, and entombed on the Ark. Therefore:

  • In one mission, the Infinity and allies will have to lead an assault on Earth, in order to open the portal to the Ark for Master Chief and Blue Team to go through. At minimum, Master Chief will be successful, and will find Mendicant Bias on the Ark. . . already guarded by a Guardian. Evidence: the E3 2014 trailer, which was always intended to be set post Halo 5. - In another mission, the Janus Key will be used to identify the home system of the San’Shyuum, and a group of Human-Sangheili allies (whether it is Infinity with either Osiris or Blue Team, or the Swords of Sanghelios with one of the Spartan teams) will travel to Janjur Qom in the hopes that they will find the Keyship there – and they do, though they find that Guardians and the Forerunner constructs led by Cortana and Warden Eternal are already assaulting the San’Shyuum. - Ultimately, the campaign will play as a Halo-themed reverse of the hunt for the Horcruxes in Harry Potter – they will eventually acquire and unite all the fragments of Mendicant Bias, who may finally atone for his past sins. Halo 6 finishes with Master Chief & Mendicant Bias fighting and defeating Warden Eternal and Cortana, respectively. - Therefore, “Hunt the Truth” has a much larger meaning: we are hunting Mendicant Bias, who allegedly will hold a solution to defeating the Flood, and the Truth we will find is twofold:

  • The true way to defeat the Flood; and - That the “Mantle of Responsibility,” as interpreted by ancient Forerunners and now rampant Cortana, is a lie. - Halo 6 + the Extended Universe will complete with Humanity and allies having finally obtained access to all Forerunner tech (Janus Key and thus installations plus the Absolute Record), therefore preparing them to face the Flood test finally.
    I am intentionally avoiding adding Forerunner presence to my prediction because at this moment I have not thought of a plot hypothesis that I feel to be likely and cohesive with the larger story arc, though I do believe they will play a role in some way in the upcoming games and EU.
    I have also not included elements of Halo Wars 2, because I do think the plot will be self-contained (it will add to the Halo universe without holding fundamentally important plot points contained in the Master Chief-led Halos 4, 5, and 6. Instead, the primary focus in this plot will be to focus on current status of the Jiralhanae and the Spirit of Fire, with another self-contained Flood threat.

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I usually just come to these forums to read and not post, but I noticed you have not received any responses so I felt I needed to. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts, they seem to make sense and are really thought out. The only thing I don’t particularly agree with is hunt the truth meaning anything other than an ad campaign based on a small but quickly resolved conflict between Locke and Chief. I’m excited to see where things go.

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I predict Master Chief will discover a new Forerunner world because Halo.

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I actually really really enjoy the idea of Mendicant Bias basically becoming “Offensive Bias” towards Cortana who has become what Mendicant Bias was.

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Before I read I feel I must correct you on one thing. Saga, not trilogy.

Sorry, it bugs me when I see trilogy when it’s a saga now.

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> 2533274837720524;6:
> Before I read I feel I must correct you on one thing. Saga, not trilogy.
>
> Sorry, it bugs me when I see trilogy when it’s a saga now.

Yikes, I am surprised I typed that, in the title nonetheless. Changed.

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> 2533274807452874;3:
> I usually just come to these forums to read and not post, but I noticed you have not received any responses so I felt I needed to. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts, they seem to make sense and are really thought out. The only thing I don’t particularly agree with is hunt the truth meaning anything other than an ad campaign based on a small but quickly resolved conflict between Locke and Chief. I’m excited to see where things go.

Thanks, I appreciate it. I agree in that the primary reason the “Hunt the Truth” campaign was devised was in reference to Locke and Chief, and that they overall botched this narrative within Halo 5. I also, however, think that “Hunt the Truth” was also intended to apply not just to the small Locke vs Chief conflict but ultimately the “Mantle” plot that is central to the Reclaimer trilogy.

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This is a great thread, with a good summary where the game ended and what it all means. On your point about not being certain where the forerunner involvement will come in in 6 though; it would be very strange for the Ur-Didact & co. to be absent for two games after the introduction in 4. I honestly think there will be sort of a ‘race to the mantle’ situation between humanity & forerunner (vs AI) ultimately concluding with humanity winning but refusing to take on the mantle altogether; thus leading to some sort of re-emergence of the precursor threat (much more long term however).

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> 2533274983624405;1:
> - AI’s of their own. Make no mistake, this isn’t a cookie-cutter “Skynet” style plot. It is one rampant AI that is taking advantage of a very human motivation to ‘not die’ to get other smart AIs to join her side.

Just wanted to point out that this is in fact the exact same motivation behind Skynet’s actions in Terminator: it realized the threat that humanity poses to its existence and acted out of self defense.

That aside, I do agree that this story is far more nuanced, so the comparison only works on the very surface level; most people don’t bother looking deeply into it though, which sucks. All in all, great write up.

Also, 343i did NOT introduce the Assembly, Bungie did. Reach was a Bungie game.

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> 2533274798011936;10:
> > 2533274983624405;1:
> > - AI’s of their own. Make no mistake, this isn’t a cookie-cutter “Skynet” style plot. It is one rampant AI that is taking advantage of a very human motivation to ‘not die’ to get other smart AIs to join her side.
>
>
> Just wanted to point out that this is in fact the exact same motivation behind Skynet’s actions in Terminator: it realized the threat that humanity poses to its existence and acted out of self defense.
>
> That aside, I do agree that this story is far more nuanced, so the comparison only works on the very surface level; most people don’t bother looking deeply into it though, which sucks. All in all, great write up.
>
> Also, 343i did NOT introduce the Assembly, Bungie did. Reach was a Bungie game.

Thanks. Like you said, Skynet is a poor analogy because the comparison dies immediately upon further examination. My main point with it is that while AI in most Sci-Fi (like Skynet in Terminator) is unified in its opposition to Humans, from the outset in Halo we have a split between smart AIs that support AI and those who want to dominate Humanity. It would be closer in similarity to I: Robot, if there had been significant AI factions that opposed the main AI antagonist’s goal of ‘protecting’ Humanity through domination in that movie.

Additionally, Humanity doesn’t pose a threat to smart AI existence in the Halo Universe, they just haven’t figured out a way to create meta-stable AIs yet. The smart AI motivation is to survive, which rampant Cortana leverages in order to convince them to ‘continue serving’ Humanity by protecting them and all other species from themselves.

And you are right, the core Reach game was Bungie, I often forget that 343i built the DLC after their work with Halo: CEA.

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I’m also very curious how any attempted San’Shyuum reunification would take place (between the Reformists who led the Covenant, and the Stoics that remain on Janjur Qom).

Interestingly, the Stoics had a similar reverence and interpretation of Forerunner technology as the Sangheili did before being forced into the Writ of Union by the Reformist San’Shyuum.

The Stoics may literally encounter rampant Cortana and her army of “Gods” (Prometheans, and Warden Eternal), and declare allegiance to them. This dynamic could result in an amazing set of missions in the Janjur Qom system, something like:

  1. Reformist Prophets are found orbiting Janjur Qom, engaging in tense peace talks with the Stoic Prophets. Humanity & Sangheili upon entering the system, prepare to enter and attempt to facilitate this peace treaty, recognizing that a strengthened San’Shyuum may help them against rampant Cortana AND help them obtain Mendicant Bias fragment on the Keyship (cutscenes, beginning of mission).
  2. The talks are interrupted by a massive Forerunner armada that jumps into the system. Cortana/Warden Eternal and their accompanying Guardian initiate system-wide open communication declaring their origin and their intent, at which the Stoics promptly break off talks, declare allegiance to Cortana, and take the Reformist Prophet delegation hostage and attempt to shut down Keyship systems. Cortana’s force then assaults the Human/Sangheili and the Reformist San’Shyuum forces.

Mission 1: the Spartans (Osiris? Blue Team?) lead an assault to break through Cortana & the Stoic lines to get to the keyship. It could be some kind of wonderful mix of Halo: Reach (Long Night of Solace) and Halo 4 (Midnight) - an awesome space battle that could add a ton of amazing variety to the campaign and be a really nice illustration of Halo universe spacebattles with a next-gen console.

Mission 2: Spartans, having broke through the assault, need to clear the Keyship of opposition and obtain Mendicant Bias. Mission finishes with the remaining Human/Sangheili fleet escaping into Slipspace with the Keyship in escort, and a Mendicant Bias fragment.

However, the information that the Stoics obtained earlier from the Reformists, Humanity, and Sangheili; along with them watching Cortana’s forces not hesitate to attack they Keyship (a sacred Forerunner ship to them) helps to sow seeds of dissent within the Reformists, and is a catalyst to eventually push them to tentatively unite with the Reformists.

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i think the flood may be returning as history seems to be repeating itself

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I agree with most of your analysis - it seems to be a very helpful amalgamation of many theories and thoughts that have happened over the last week in response to Halo 5’s campaign. I’m later planning to go through all Halo source material relevant and actually make a theoretical essay on the entire ordeal as well - with similar conclusions drawn as your own.

Also, one other correction - the Assembly was introduced by Bungie, not 343i. Reach was fully in Bungie’s hands.

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I don’t know if you saw the legendary ending. I will put it in a spoiler tag

At the end, it shows an installation being lit up. Not sure what installation it is or what this means but is Cortana going to activate the rings? OMG I need Halo 6 lol

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> 2533274809687497;15:
> I don’t know if you saw the legendary ending. I will put it in a spoiler tag
> At the end, it shows an installation being lit up. Not sure what installation it is or what this means but is Cortana going to activate the rings? OMG I need Halo 6 lol

I felt cheated by the Halo 5 story up to the credits and had no excitement for the next one.

Then I see the Halo ring being lit up and freaked out.Can’t wait now.

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Is it possible that Ur-Didact and Warden Eternal are one and the same, now that Ur-Didact has been composed? Or at least in collusion?

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> 2533274828870610;17:
> Is it possible that Ur-Didact and Warden Eternal are one and the same, now that Ur-Didact has been composed? Or at least in collusion?

That’s what I thought the entire time playing the game.

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> 2533274807480458;18:
> > 2533274828870610;17:
> > Is it possible that Ur-Didact and Warden Eternal are one and the same, now that Ur-Didact has been composed? Or at least in collusion?
>
>
> That’s what I thought the entire time playing the game.

me too. I thought his mannerisms and immediate open hostility toward chief was an immediate red flag. If he is “sworn” to serve Cortana, then he should be willing to bring chief to her. Instead, his actions point towards either corruption by or collusion with ur-didact. Plus, anyone else notice that warden eternal “regrettably” could not allow Locke aboard the Guardian? I think governor Sloan patched osirises comms to cortana and by extension warden eternal, so he knows or can at least surmise Locke is there to stop chief. 2+2= ur-didact.

Boom

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I was going along the lines of Cortana suffering from the Logic plague but what makes is wonder is why would she preserve chief and blue team in a cryptum? Was she actually saving them or she wanted them out of the way because she knew they could stop her? So many questions! Halo 5 opened up a lot but just in the end as a cliff hanger. I have a feeling Cortana is part of a larger plan. The domain is being used to manipulate her into releasing the flood and starting the reclamation. I also want to know what the guardians are doing exactly? Are they killing people? Like how are they “policing” the galaxy? Will this be the reclamation of humanity? To come together as they did against the covenant under a dire situation? By the way these questions are meant to just think about, kinda rhetorical lol