Analyzing the concept art video! The outline for Halo 4?? YES.

Mind you, this is somewhat lengthy, but if you want to know what I feel is going to happen in Halo 4, you WANT to read this. I feel it’s quite well reasoned and the community should see and discuss.

Hey all! By now I imagine most of us have seen this by now. But what sort of information can we gather from it? With some speculation and logical reasoning, I imagine we can gather a fair bit. And if you think about the video in a chronological order, it makes a TON of sense.

0:07- We start out with an alien planet that actually looks quite natural, contrary to the mysterious planet we’ve been seeing the whole time. But what makes it weird is that it transitions to the Forward Unto Dawn plunging into the planet, engines first. This type of transition sort of implies that it’s continuity cutting and that the artificial planet and the natural looking planet are one and the same. This, and a specific point that I will bring up in a little bit may support this.

0:27- We see next the ship has crashed, presumably, inside the dyson sphere and we see the chief coming out of the launch bay that he crashed into at the end of Halo 3. From here is the searching portion.

0:30- The next set of images are of the master chief looking out onto massive backdrops and forerunner structures. It is here that I want to explain a small theory.

Today at the Halo 4 panel, Frankie stated that these forerunner structures and technology aren’t abandoned and offline. They are very much online. It has been theorized that the MC will be acquiring some Forerunner armor for himself. And with Cortana well on her way to rampancy, her life is very much at risk. It can be seen and read in Halo: Cryptum that Forerunner AI lasted so very much longer than human AI ever had a chance of. With Cortana’s longevity at stake and MC’s armor being more make-shift than it ever has at this point, and with all this running Forerunner stuff online, I would imagine that somewhere along the way, these problems will be addressed and fixed. By which I mean, Cortana is going to be going through some forerunner upgrades to make her life-span last much longer, while the chief will recieve some new toys. Though I imagine this wouldn’t happen until the end of Halo 4-the beginning of Halo 5 (in the same way he went from Mk V to Mk Vi in Halo 2). I really wanted to bring this up instead of the Halo Fest music during the Q&A session, but it was likely that they wouldn’t be saying much of anything. Also at the Halo 4 display at Halo Fest, we see Cortana in a… curled up position, very forlorn looking and sad. Surrounded by the black of space, and her impending rampancy, her light is flickering out and will probably be a huge issue in Halo 4. PLEASE DISCUSS!!

Now back to the video: 1:01

The next big theory starts here. We see what look to be Human vessels heading into the same planet that the Chief is in. I presume these are Human mostly due to the 2 pelicans flying along side them. And I say they’re heading into the planet because if you look in the background, it looks quite the same. And if you have been to Halo Fest this weekend, and have seen the Halo 4 display, seen here, we see the picture titled, “Grandeur.” This picture is of a UNSC vessel over “an alien planet.” A planet quite like the one from the beginning of the concept art video? And if the two planets are one and the same, these 2 pieces of art pretty much shout out to the audience that the UNSC was able to receive Cortana’s stress beacon (from Halo 3) and they have come to rescue her and the chief, because at this point, the stuff they know is quite valuable to the Humans.

1:10- We see the chief looking upon Forerunner ships being deployed (Primordium cover art). VERY INTERESTING POINT that supports other theory that will be stated in a moment.

1:13- ship wreckage everywhere floating around space. Like I said before, if you take this video in a chronological manner, it probably means that the UNSC forces sent to retrieve the chief and cortana have been decimated by the Forerunner ships we have just seen launching.

We see the Halo 4 logo.

1:30- We see a non-organic being that is humanoid in shape but with a bright blood-red eye, which, with a few exceptions, tends to imply rampancy in AIs. Presumably forerunner, these humanoid machines are, i imagine, going to be our new primary enemies, and the ones that have attacked the UNSC forces. You can see the full imagine in here

So what do you all think? I am quite excited to see what is in store for us in Halo 4! Please discuss everyone!

P.S.- One more side theory:

This new trilogy is called “The Reclaimer Trilogy.” When one reads this, they must have to wonder why that name and what significance does it have in representing the overall story? Once MC and Cortana are all fixed up and Forerunnerfied, we will see them spearheading the movement to (Drumroll please) RECLAIM this technology from the now rampant AI that has taken over. Once this trilogy is over, The chief and cortana will have helped humanity turn to a new age with new knowledge and history and technology. These characters will usher in a new age.

> Well I used these shots for another post but fit here also.
> Screenshot2
> Screenshot3
> Screenshot4
> Screenshot5
> Screenshot6
> Screenshot7

Use these screen shots as a reference to what I am talking about, but I disagree with the one ship being covenant because all covy tech is based on Forerunner tech and it’s launching from inside the planet…

I agree. The music sounds very good and the concept art looked amazing. Mysterious, Creepy and exploration of a creepy environment. Sorta like Halo CE.

> I agree. The music sounds very good and the concept art looked amazing. Mysterious, Creepy and exploration of a creepy environment. Sorta like Halo CE.

Yes! I didn’t even mention the music! I just read that thread that was completely bashing it and I couldn’t help but wonder why? the piece used was a spectacular supplement to what was being shown. In particular when the music changed at 1:02, it was like the part where the audience is supposed to be like “Holy -Yoink-, the plot just became quite escalated.” I thought this piece was absolutely genius

Very interesting theory. While I have not read Halo: Cryptum yet, the forerunner planet showcased in the tidbits of the teaser trailer and concept trailer seem to be of great importance to the Halo 4 plot. In terms of a story and gameplay standpoint, the “evolution” of the Chief and Cortana make sense and perhaps can add more meaning to the moniker of “The Reclaimer Trilogy.” I am not as informed with the lore of the Halo Universe as much as I would like to, but Halo 4 seems to be taking a more grand and elaborate atmosphere compared to previous Halo titles.

On a side note, loved the music! Many criticize that it is too “Mass Effecty”, but I feel it adds more to the mystery of the plot and environment than what a more conventional sound would be able to accomplish.

> Very interesting theory. While I have not read Halo: Cryptum yet, the forerunner planet showcased in the tidbits of the teaser trailer and concept trailer seem to be of great importance to the Halo 4 plot. In terms of a story and gameplay standpoint, the “evolution” of the Chief and Cortana make sense and perhaps can add more meaning to the moniker of “The Reclaimer Trilogy.” I am not as informed with the lore of the Halo Universe as much as I would like to, but Halo 4 seems to be taking a more grand and elaborate atmosphere compared to previous Halo titles.
>
> On a side note, loved the music! Many criticize that it is too “Mass Effecty”, but I feel it adds more to the mystery of the plot and environment than what a more conventional sound would be able to accomplish.

Ah, thank you for mentioning the name! That reminds me to add on more tidbit to the end of the OP

Could not have said it better myself.
In the end we are gonna learn more about the universe which is all I really care about.

I thought of Primordium when I saw that part of the trailer. I love how there’s that sense of being alone in this huge world, and the creepy, eerie feeling of the unknown, and almost like you’re being watched.

Don’t forget at 0:19 some type of ship is flying around the Foward untill Dawn.

> Could not have said it better myself.
> In the end we are gonna learn more about the universe which is all I really care about.

I’ve just added a small side-theory about the naming of the trilogy. Go look and ponder, and then reply so this stays high up in posting and can be seen by all

> Don’t forget at 0:19 some type of ship is flying around the Foward untill Dawn.

I believe those are sentinels taking down what they can as a defensive measure, much in the same way that the forerunner ships will take down the UNSC forces

Did you guys even read the description of the video?

> Did you guys even read the description of the video?

…WELL -Yoink-. I was feeling so good about this too! Although, there isn’t too much I feel I took from it and used other sources as well. I am actually going to stick by this. Stories change, but not in such drastic ways. Those pictures are there for a reason and that should be recognized.

> I thought of Primordium when I saw that part of the trailer. I love how there’s that sense of being alone in this huge world, and the creepy, eerie feeling of the unknown, and almost like you’re being watched.

That is what I hope the game is like. That is what I felt playing Halo CE. It was very mysterious to me and I loved it. I wanted to know more. From what I heard from Halo Fest is that Halo 4 is gonna go back to that. This massive world where you can explore and is very mysterious and creepy.

> > I thought of Primordium when I saw that part of the trailer. I love how there’s that sense of being alone in this huge world, and the creepy, eerie feeling of the unknown, and almost like you’re being watched.
>
> That is what I hope the game is like. That is what I felt playing Halo CE. It was very mysterious to me and I loved it. I wanted to know more. From what I heard from Halo Fest is that Halo 4 is gonna go back to that. This massive world where you can explore and is very mysterious and creepy.

Yeah, I know what you mean. We know about that side of Halo now, we’ve almost beat that to death, now let’s see something different that can hopefully thrill us once again like before…

Dam i just posted something like this but i dont beleive those are human ships i think they might actually be Precursor ships thye have something that looks exactly like a Pelican from UNSC.

Also here is a link all about Precursors i also beleive that the guy at the end i a Precursor in battle armor. Precursors (Necros) | Halo Fanon | Fandom

> > I thought of Primordium when I saw that part of the trailer. I love how there’s that sense of being alone in this huge world, and the creepy, eerie feeling of the unknown, and almost like you’re being watched.
>
> That is what I hope the game is like. That is what I felt playing Halo CE. It was very mysterious to me and I loved it. I wanted to know more. From what I heard from Halo Fest is that Halo 4 is gonna go back to that. This massive world where you can explore and is very mysterious and creepy.

and I imagine that is what 343i wants to go for. The audience loved being in that atmosphere. And I think they are gearing us up for that with Halo CEA. They want us to get ready for what is to come

> > I thought of Primordium when I saw that part of the trailer. I love how there’s that sense of being alone in this huge world, and the creepy, eerie feeling of the unknown, and almost like you’re being watched.
>
> That is what I hope the game is like. That is what I felt playing Halo CE. It was very mysterious to me and I loved it. I wanted to know more. From what I heard from Halo Fest is that Halo 4 is gonna go back to that. This massive world where you can explore and is very mysterious and creepy.

My first reaction to watching the video was that it reminded me of Shadow of the Colossus for the PS2 a bit. The towering structures, grand landscape and variety of locations. This is one of the biggest reasons why I fell in love with Halo: CE, the sense that you are alone and the need for exploration and discovery was paramount to your survival and understanding of the world you now live in. After Halo: CE, no other Halo title came close (ODST was the closest, but that is a given). My hopes for Halo 4 is that it can replicate that first time I felt awe and wonder when exploring the ringworld back in 2001.

> Dam i just posted something like this but i dont beleive those are human ships i think they might actually be Precursor ships thye have something that looks exactly like a Pelican from UNSC.
>
> Also here is a link all about Precursors i also beleive that the guy at the end i a Precursor in battle armor. Precursors (Necros) | Halo Fanon | Fandom

but you have to keep in mind that that entire page, and for that matter, the entire website is for fanfiction and doesn’t actually have any effect on the actual halo canon

> > Dam i just posted something like this but i dont beleive those are human ships i think they might actually be Precursor ships thye have something that looks exactly like a Pelican from UNSC.
> >
> > Also here is a link all about Precursors i also beleive that the guy at the end i a Precursor in battle armor. Precursors (Necros) | Halo Fanon | Fandom
>
> but you have to keep in mind that that entire page, and for that matter, the entire website is for fanfiction and doesn’t actually have any effect on the actual halo canon

Yeah but its strange how it looks very very similar.

> > > Dam i just posted something like this but i dont beleive those are human ships i think they might actually be Precursor ships thye have something that looks exactly like a Pelican from UNSC.
> > >
> > > Also here is a link all about Precursors i also beleive that the guy at the end i a Precursor in battle armor. Precursors (Necros) | Halo Fanon | Fandom
> >
> > but you have to keep in mind that that entire page, and for that matter, the entire website is for fanfiction and doesn’t actually have any effect on the actual halo canon
>
> Yeah but its strange how it looks very very similar.

well the reason for that is because the only thing that the fan artists had to go off of was forerunner technology, and that’s what we’re dealing with here as well, which is actually official artwork