Recap of Infinite’s 1st Chapter: Spoilers below.
6 months adrift in space…the Chief waits. Those that made it off the Infinity alive fight for survival on the Ring below… Scattered, non-unified resistance made occupation of Zeta Halo easy for the Banished. A fraction of their planet invasion forces were all that were needed to mop up Infinity’s remaining crew. The Banished’s arrogance would soon be exploited by The Demon, now back from the dead…
Within 24 hours of ring fall, The Chief, The Weapon and Echo-216 rescue and rally surviving UNSC forces, hunt and kill The Banished’s top commanders and establish a foothold to thwart Escheram’s plans of carrying out Atriox’s will. Chief comes to terms with Cortana’s loss and sacrifice while learning about a new threat that is even worse than the Flood; The Endless. Chief defeats the Harbinger but her plan to free the Endless may have already taken root… As the Silent Auditorium collapses upon her defeat, Chief and The Weapon escape into a mysterious teleporter opened by an unknown ally, transporting them to a remote location on the ring…
What now? The ring still crawls with un-unified Banished forces. Lasky and the Infinity are still MIA. Atriox lives. And a new threat, “The Endless” are on the cusp of returning. We also know the Flood’s codex is on this ring as well.
ENTER CAMPAIGN DLC 1: THE ENDLESS.
RATED M FOR MATURE.
Summary:
Atriox resurfaces to find out that his right hand and mentor Escheram has been killed in single combat by The Chief. Most of his top warriors, his closest comrades, have also been slain by The Demon. His invasion forces are no longer unified during a power struggle for a new War Chief and have lost almost all ground since he’s been gone.
Furious, Atriox commands his entire fleet (who quickly rally with jubilance upon his return) to land on the ring. Warships in orbit converge on UNSC FOB’s. Squadrons of Banshees and Phantoms control the skies. The Chief and remaining UNSC are forced to fall back and escape to a new part of the ring.
MISSION #1: ATRIOX RETURNS.
The grounded remains of a UNSC frigate, once a former Banished fortification, is back under UNSC control. A LZ of Pelicans, Wasps, and a vehicle depot with Scorpions and Warthogs can be explored. Echo-216 and a few mechanics are working on a Pelican. Marines patrol and hang out in various locations. (Maybe some are playing cards, some are repairing vehicles… others in a cafeteria…etc) There are at least 50 NPC marines strolling about doing scripted tasks. They all stop what they’re doing to salute when you [the Chief] walk by and express their gratitude for saving them.
Player can:
A: keep exploring this current section of the ring as they have been, taking any vehicle for a test drive
B: Start the sequence to the next chapter. The player can no longer freely explore the first section of Zeta Halo once started as you will lose the field to The Banished.
B IS SELECTED: The Chief who is acting field commander, enters a makeshift war room with the Weapon to give a brief on their new findings, “The Endless”. (You have to ‘activate’ the brief to begin the following sequences.) ODST’s are seen leaning casually against the wall in the back of the room. An op is set up to explore the desert section where the Chief was teleported by the unknown ally… The Weapon [new name?] gives most of the brief.
As the op is about to begin, air raid sirens howl. Banished warships incoming. All of them. H3 Tsvao highway type expanse with Warships flying in fast and low overhead, canisters and crates shaking and falling all around. The fight to save the base begins.
[[FIREFIGHT MISSION ON STEROIDS - HOW LONG CAN YOU HOLD THE FORT??]]
A cut scene of marines lining up at the fortress wall, weapons drawn. Fearless Marines, inspired by the Chief, pile into warthogs to meet landing forces. As they do, Scarabs suddenly start to fall from the warships overhead… (The first few closest to the base must be boarded and destroyed).
This section is mostly scripted - no matter how well you do against the invasion forces it’s a Nobel 6 endgame type situation; the enemy just keeps coming and more scarabs are deployed. Maybe it’s timed, maybe it’s based on how many scarabs Chief takes out… Either way, the base gets literally trampled. Eventually, you’re forced to retreat in pelicans. Michael Biehn screams "Marines, we are leaving!!” as you all cram into pelicans, guns blazing…
Depending on how well you do, a sequence unlock happens mid-battle where the two pelicans first off the ground dive bomb a pair of scarabs, with the second Pelican quickly pulling up to a hover at the back deck of a 3rd, overloading Scarab, as the ODST squad escapes before detonation…
At the end of the scene, Atriox is seen outside on the front deck of his personal Scarab as he watches the Humans “cower in fear”.
MISSION #2: DESPERATION
(This mission could be split up into multiple missions, need to work on the formatting…)
Intro similar to H3’s ‘The Ark’. Your pelicans land in the desert mountains [ENTER DESERT BIOME] further up the ring. That team of ODST’s you saw in the Command Tent are force recon and have already secured an LZ based on The Weapon’s coordinates and have set up a make-shift FOB. (You see them deploying tables, setting up some sort of comms device…etc) An ODST slams a heavy medical-crate on top of one of the tables as the camera pans to Echo-216’s pelican – only the 3rd to land. More and more damaged and smoking pelicans carrying equipment and vehicles follow and land nearby. A pair of wasps patrol over head. Injured Marines pour out of the pelicans and into a field hospital. This continues for roughly 5 minutes should the player decide to just stand and watch. (Can get creative with the IWHBYD background chatter…)
Chief had the element of surprise when he first landed on the ring, but now the Banished know he’s here and have witnessed firsthand what he’s capable of. Atriox won’t make the same mistake twice. It won’t be long before the Banished track you here. The remaining UNSC force is now backed into a corner, again. Chief issues a quick command of securing and fortifying the local cave systems before taking a platoon of Marines to explore the Forerunner structures below. Chief asks Echo-216 to take the team of ODST’s to the highest nearby mountain peak to set up a distress beacon. (Enter: Snow Biome)
HALO 2 type character switching is about to take place. Mission #2 splits into multiple parts and jumps back and fourth:
- ODST squad on snow capped mountains with Echo-216. [ENTER SNOW BIOME]
- Chief and The Weapon with a Marine platoon underground. (Caves with different weather systems)
Part 1: ORBITAL DROP SHOCK TROOPER:
Echo-216 approaches the summit, idle banter and joking among the ODSTs in the back of the pelican as it nears its destination. (Think intro to Predator…Long Tall Sally playing in the background, broadcasted over the ODST’s personal comm…) Frost begins to develop on the edges of the pelican’s cockpit glass. You can see 216’s breath. He rolls down his sleeves and starts to button up his flight suit as an ODST throws a joke his way about the cold.
Echo-216: “This is as high as I can get you; winds are too strong for a safe landing at the top”.
A specialized self-driving Razorback is dropped loaded with equipment and is towing a Gungoose. Both it and the Razorback have arctic track wheel adapters. This is essentially an escort mission to the top, you must keep your squad and the gear safe. Echo-216 heads back to a meadow at the bottom of the mountain.
ODST CHARACTERISTICS:
- Can’t jump as high as the Chief
- VERY limited motion tracker
- Fog on edges of visor as the player breathes (this increases in combat, further limiting visibility)
- Silenced SMG’s and pistols
- No over shields
- Physically much smaller and slower than the enemy
- Constant banter between team members
- No grapple hook
Shortly after the ODST’s are dropped, 3 camo Elites appear out of thin air. They were waiting. You later learn that a banished detachment of spec-op Elites have been scouting this section of the ring for some time. After a brief fight, the squad pushes up the mountain, fighting off ambush after ambush. You try your best to keep you and your squad alive, but the snow gets deeper (and thus the player slower), the wind more intense, visibility diminishing and the attacks more frequent.
This mission is the inverse of the ODST mantra, as they must climb to the top of Mount Rainier. An ODST with a very familiar voice jokes about “signing up for this” as they trudge through the knee high powder.
[[CUT TO CHIEF]]
The descent into the cave system is all about atmosphere (fear if you’re not wearing MJOLNIR) and less about gun fights for the first half of the mission. The Chief (and player) recalls 343 Guilty Spark as you travel deeper into the mountain. Fog on the floor starts to appear. The deeper you get, the higher the fog rises… The cave system turns out to be a Forerunner weapons laboratory. The flashlight is used HEAVILY in this first section. No action…yet…
[[CUT TO ODST]]
It’s getting dark. Almost at the summit. Another ambush. An Elite lifts you by the throat, you think that this is the end. Just as he’s about to impale you with an energy blade, a figure launches out of a white explosion of snow like an Amur Tiger. Spartan Locke! He quickly dispatches the Elites and saves the ODST squad. Locke looks rough, helmet and chest plate gone. He has a full beard now, caked with crusted snow and snot and is wearing a simple sailor’s winter hat. He’s got a plastic tarp as a scarf/cape and it’s all covered in…something… He explains that after he evacuated the Infinity, he’s been gathering intel on Banished HVT’s this whole time after his hunt for Atriox went cold. He was currently tracking this Elite squad. (He does not mention his encounter with Hyperius…) The player starts to get Sgt. Johnson vibes from Locke, as he is quick with a quip and talks trash to you and your ODSTs [for almost just dying] as you continue out your mission. To the player who has played H5’s campaign, this Locke seems a bit unhinged. The player observes how he seems to handle the Elites you encounter with relative ease in comparison to you and your ODSTs.
Part 2: ESCAPE
A 5 member ODST squad and an ONI agent make it to the summit. Oddly, there’s a small structure here. An ODST jokes, “seems the Forerunners appreciated a good view too!” A Forerunner observatory cabin? Your squad starts to unpack the gear from the self-driving Razorback. Comms relay has been set - distress beacon activated - frequency: everyone. Within moments the whole mountain begins to shake. Your position is being shelled! A Banished warship starts to descend from low orbit above. It’s time to go.
Scripted, liner action sequence as you escape back down the other side of the mountain. Two ODST’s pull a large crate off the Razor back and open it up. ODST 2-4 hands a pair of skis to another and says in a very mocking, somewhat Irish tone, “name one thing you’re gonna need these stupid skis for?!” You can hear another in the back reply “I hear the rec-center on the Infinity is amaaaazin’” “Locke; ski crate comes in a set of 6, got a pair for you too.” The squad descends down the mountain, silenced SMG’s in hand, and you shoot pursuing bad guys out of their Phantoms and Specters, racing against avalanches. James Bond fans rejoice. Echo-216 flies in at the edge of a cliff and you make your daring escape…
(Alternately if this Ski thing is totally stupid, they just pile in the Razor back and Gungoose and head down…)
[[CUT TO CHIEF]]
The Chief and Marine Platoon continue deeper into the caves which now are full on forerunner structures. Preservation tanks with mutated organic matter floating inside are all over. A tentacle-like specimen in one tank flails to life, slapping against the tank and causes nearly the entire platoon to jump in fright (and then attempt to laugh off the fear…) The Weapon taps into a computer and gives her assessment . It’s The Flood. It’s evident that someone else has been through here, and recently… The knee deep fog starts to ripple as if something was swimming below… The Chief swiftly takes point pushing a Marine out of the way, he knows what’s coming. Flood pod infectors jump in a synchronized wave and explode against his MJOLNIR. A Marine issues orders to his platoon “Short controlled bursts! Anything that moves.” As you progress through the level, Marines fire their MA40’s in short semi-auto bursts, a few shots every 5-10 seconds at various pod infectors. No marines die in this section.
The Flood stored in this facility has been released by an unknown force and you must fight your way out while trying to keep your Marines alive. You learn that the Flood is being used by Atriox (and later on, vice versa as the Gravemind also needs Atriox to free the Endless) and that it’s Atriox’s intent to form an alliance with them [the Flood]. The deeper you get, the higher the fog. Once it’s roughly chest-high on the Marines, they start to get pulled under and turn into combat forms that you must then fight. “Get to high ground” is the theme, as the floor means certain death to the Marines. Their demeanor turns to panic and hysteria. Only a few keep a cool head.
This mission can be divided into many – the cave could be much more than that, could open up into huge cavernous open areas. Think Two Betrayals, areas with bridges and fields below. If you can get a signal out, perhaps Echo-216 finds a way in and drops support vehicles that you then use to traverse… Could even have different weather systems as if “the designers wanted the installation to have inclement weather…”
On A Pale Horse begins to play in the background as you leave a cramped room to an open canyon…
MISSION 4 NEEDED
MISSION 5 NEEDED
MISSION 6 NEEDED lol
I have a general idea of how I want the DLC, or the story of The Banished to end, but I don’t know if Mission#7 (the ending) below should follow directly after the cave mission, or whether the cave mission should happen later. Again the cave sections could be split into missions 4,5,6…etc. Offensive Bias needs to come into play somewhere…
MISSION #7: THE ENDLESS
Part 1: After escaping the Flood containment and experiment facility (the end of the cave system) the Chief and 3 remaining marines exit the mountain in pursuit of Atriox who has already entered the Spire ahead. The only thing separating him and the Chief is an open desert field. The sand dunes begin to grow as the field shifts towards them, pulsating, almost breathing. It’s an entire army of Flood.
Questions that need answers:
- How did Artiox go from stomping the UNSC stronghold to jumping ahead to the Desert Spire
- Why were the Forerunners storing an army of Flood?
- Did Atriox feed his conscripts to the Flood to raise the army?
The 3 Marines, one badly injured and being helped along by another, fall silent as they stare in shock. What they just fought their way through in the mountain was only a few handfuls of Flood…
The injured one says, “Leave me - I’ll just make us Flood food out there. I’ll post up and provide cover fire, try to give you time.” Chief replies –“once we’ve cut through we’re coming back for you.”
-“Chief, you don’t really think we’re getting through there?!”
-“We have to try, Atriox must be stopped. This army of Flood let him pass and they’re going to let us whether they want to or not.” Chief hands a SPNKr to the Marine with his right hand as he racks his M90 shotgun in the left.
-Chief states calmly: “Mountain 1 do you read. Status report:”
-Locke: “We read you Chief, about to breech the SPIRE, can smell the -Yoink!- from here.”
Locke and the ODST squad crest a hill just before the spire and see a rolling expanse before them.
ODST-2-6: “Mother of Christ” as he stares at the field of Flood. 4 friendly tags glow at the opposite end of the field against his visor. A few small muffled explosions occur out of focus. “Locke, we can’t leave him there – we’ve gotta distract them, let the chief slip through.”
Locke – “Chief gave us orders; we have to stop Atriox at all costs. Every second that passes is a moment closer to releasing the Endless and I need each of you in order to take him DOWN. We’re going IN.”
ODST Commander, ignoring Locke, “Akuma-2-6 I’m going to need you to get level and friendly with Charlie down there and cut a path to the Chief with the M6, I’ll carry the batteries. Locke; ____, ____ and _____ are my best. I’ll see you boys in Hell.” Sergeant Stacker smacks 2-6 on his shoulder armor and they race down the hill.
[[CUT TO CHIEF]]
You [the player] fight the oncoming wave of Flood for 60 seconds before a cut-scene: The Chief and the two fearless Marines barely make a dent into the Flood Horde and are completely surrounded. You fight for some time but the torrent won’t stop. The hill of dead Flood gets higher and higher as you climb over mounds of twitching flesh. The Marines have resorted to small arms and a shotgun. Chief’s shield cracks, his armor shorting as he fights off combat form after combat form. He looks back as a Marine is being engulfed in pod infectors. The other marine blasts them off with a shotgun. Chief looks ahead as a Tank Form charges through the pile of corpses. He hears a cracking sound above and looks up…
Part 2: THE BEACON
“SWORDS OF SANGHELIOS! MY BROTHERS – THE DEMON HAS CALLED FOR AID AND WE SHALL ANSWER! LET US CHARGE WITH HIM INTO _________” (sangheili version of Valhalla). Insert better, more triumphant Keith David badassary lines. Sangheili wars cries echo over comms.
10 Sagheili drop pods are shown falling from low orbit. A trio of Oghal-pattern Banshee Ultras race downward past them, fuel rod bombs screeching down.
The deafening scream gets louder as the scene transitions back to the Chief with explosions all around him that incinerates the surrounding Flood.
Drop pods smash down, pulverizing anything underneath. Elites led by the Arbiter eject with energy swords drawn and double back to the Chief. An Elite with a jetpack lands in front of Chief, slaps an over shield on him while handing him something familiar… He shouts with great enthusiasm; “Demon! A weapon from our first encounter, I keep it loaded” and hands the Chief an M6D. The Arbiter helps Chief to his feet and says [something inspirational yet badass] while placing a Prophet’s bane in his left hand.
- Dual wielding is back, but only for this moment.
- Zoom scopes pistol in.
- Melee slashes with sword.
- The chief will automatically block incoming Flood with the sword.
- No lunge, but grappling with sword in hand acts as lunge-melee.
Two enormous drop pods suddenly crash in front of them and a pair of gigantic Hunters emerge. These Hunters are the Arbiter’s longest serving and have fought alongside him since the Great Schism.
The Arbiter lets out a battle cry as Banshee’s scream by overhead, doing a fuel rod bombing run in front of them, creating a lane.
You fight through this scripted section for a few minutes.
- Elites slowly drop one by one.
- The banshees quickly run out of fuel, one is shot down.
- The jetpack units dual wield plasma rifles and skip forward and back as you fight. One gets overwhelmed, ignites plasma grenades and flies into the thickest nearest mass of Flood and detonates.
Only a few remain and are forming a Phalanx with the Chief and Arbiter, the two Marines still in back. There’s also a spec-ops grunt with a fuel-rod because why not. The mgalekgolo form the center. A tidal wave of Flood is about to engulf them once again. Suddenly, a circular hole of steaming, dripping flesh opens up adjacent to them, a parting sea of charred flood carcasses crashes left and right.
“Hit ‘em again 2-6!” The ODST’s send a second salvo. One of the Hunters lunges into the path of the beam and deflects it forward off his shield. (He will do this a few more times throughout the sequence, working with the ODST). Keep moving. The Phalanx charges through the path. The two Lekgolo tower in front and part the oncoming torrent.
More than half way to the Spire. You continue to fight. The entire time the wall of Flood in front of you keeps growing and growing to protect the Spire. Futility sets in once more. One of the Hunters falls and the other goes berserk, charging blindly into the mass of Flood. A section of the desert field shifts and forms a raging river straight to the ODST fire team.
One elite draws an energy sword while throwing an overheating plasma rifle into the mass - the Chief automatically shoots it as it passes over the heads of Flood causing it to explode, melting them with hot plasma. The last Hunter begins to be engulfed by the Flood and overcharges its assault cannon to detonate as to not be consumed. A single Lekgolo worm that anchored the Hunter’s spine escapes and coils itself around the Arbiter’s left arm. The Arbiter says something personal to the chief, signifying that their ‘great journey’ is about to end. Where it so easy…
Part 3: SPARTANS NEVER DIE.
Scrambled comms begin to come into clarity: “SIERRA-117 DO YOU READ!” THE BEACON AGAIN! The Spirit of Fire suddenly emerges through the clouds above the Spire.
Cpt Cutter: says off comms as he stares with awe into the view screen of the battlefield below: “The Chief and Arbiter stand alone…”
Jerome-092: “Not alone”. “Red team on standby ready to drop”.
Repeat scene of Johnson smacking the Chief’s drop pod above delta halo as ODSTs and Jerome scramble to drop pods. Red team and an ODST Company primed and ready. The Spirit of Fire lists starboard side towards the field; dozens of UNSC drop pods pointed at the mass of Flood fire out like bird shot.
FEET FIRST INTO HELL
Slow-mo top down scene of drop pods falling straight into the Flood Mass. A pair of Longswords fly underneath them across the screen napalming the field. The drop pods disappear into the fiery abyss below.
Cpt. Cutter: “Fire salvo danger close, clear an LZ and make a lane to the Chief. I want Cyclops and Grizzly units on the ground in 60. Flame units up front.”
Pelicans loaded with Marines chase after the drop pods. “Get a bird to the chief asap!” A UH-144 Falcon races to rescue the two splaser ODST’s. Echo-216? flies in and drops a Gausshog in front of the Chief. (Need to figure out why he’s late to the party or where he is during all of this…) The Chief, Arby and an Elite in pearlescent white armor hop into the Gausshog. The remaining marines, an Elite and grunt escape in the Pelican.
The Spirit of Fire’s ground forces are seen cleansing the field ahead of you as you race up the lane in the Warthog towards the Spire. Player must drive through The Flood during the Red Team Reunion for a few minutes until the sequence times-out (or you reach the Spire) forcing a Warthog driving cut scene.
Part 4: THE SPIRE OF THE ENDLESS
[[CUT TO ODST]]
Locke and the three ODST’s enter the Spire before the Arbiter’s forces land. The large ornate hall is filled with pillars, supporting the ceiling above. Banished flags are in the process of being hung from the pillars. Atriox is waiting.
Atriox: “I see Hyperius lied… Well Spartan, you think you’ve tracked me. Even if you weren’t downwind your wretched scent could be detected from miles away. I’ve lead you here because my clan deserves a feast for today’s celebration.” He grins and leaves the room as 4 snarling Brutes emerge from behind pillars near the door.
You fight through 3 rooms of Brutes as the ODST. Brute rank increases per room. Cut scene on the final room – one ODST is mortally wounded, along with Locke who attempts to save him. The door opens and Jega ‘Rdomnai enters along with three Brute Spartan Killers… Just as they’re about to execute Locke and your squad, a Gausshog blasts through the window at the opposite end of the corridor into the hall. (The hog is on fire and totaled, un-usable at this point) Chief, Arbiter, and Rtas ‘Vadum exit the hog and look down the passage way towards Locke and Jega.
Main Hall Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 (Locke and ODST’s) Atriox
[[CUT TO CHIEF]]
Jega goes into cloak as the Brutes charge with Gravity hammers.
The Arbiter and Rtas ‘Vadum immediately go into active camo. Rtas shouts “Coward! If you emerge so shall we!” Jega obliges, reappearing in full sprint just a few feet away. Rtas parries his strike as he and the Artbiter also reappear; “I’ll end this disgrace – you kill the Brutes!”
Rtas trash talks with Jega as they sword fight. The Chief [now the player] and the Arbiter fight off the 3 Spartan Killer Brutes in the first room. After you kill one of the Spartan Killer Brutes, a long cut-scene occurs:
- You see the 2nd brute slide off the Arbiter’s Prophet’s Bane, dead.
- The leokogo worm on Arbiter’s left arm launches out (still attached) and rips the gravity hammer out of the 3rd Brute’s hands. ARBITER NOW HAS GRAPPLE?! (shorter distance than Chief’s)
- Just as the Arbiter is about to one handed hammer the 3rd Brute’s skull in (the leokogo worm supercharges his arm) – another crash. They all look back as the Flood comes bursting into the lobby like an ocean wave.
- Jerome over Comms: “Chief do you read – we’re being overrun, ground forces are being airlifted out, we’ll give you air support and a bird out.” The cut-scene depicts these events; the Flood is just too many. A Grizzly tank disappears beneath a wave of Flood.
- The Weapon hacks in and begins sealing the doors.
- Jega and Rtas briefly postpone their dual, and sprint with the Chief, Arbiter and the Brute Cheiftan into the room with the ODST’s and Locke as the doors close in sequence behind them. The Brute is sealed in the second corridor by himself as he didn’t make the third in time. Distant drumming as the Flood attempts to break down the first door.
- Jega suddenly appears out of active camo behind the Chief and is about to assassinate him when Rtas does the same – grabbing Jega’s neck from behind while jamming his sword up through his spine and out his chest.
- Rtas: “Chief, I’ll stay behind with your men. We will slow down the Flood.”
- The Chief, kneeling next to Locke, hands him the M6D. (Chief still dual wields any weapon along with the Prophet’s Bane at this point if the player still has it…) Locke apologizes to Chief, wishing he could have done more. The Chief tells him he’s a good soldier or something touching.
- The Arbiter and Chief enter the final door after Atriox
[[CUT TO ODST]]
The first door breaks down at some point and you can hear the chieftain roar as he attempts to fight the Flood. He is quickly silenced and the 2nd door leading to your room begins to be hammered. You, ODST 2-7 and Rtas have barricaded the door with anything nearby and are posted up next to Locke and the dying ODST, guns pointed. Rtas’ sword is drawn. This brief section is all about suspense as you wait to be engulfed by the Flood.
This section lasts roughly 1 minute. You [the player] are ready to die. Locke has a monologue. You say goodbye to your squad. Just as the door is about the burst a Falcon descends through a sky light above. Glass falls all around as Stacker and 2-6 rappel down to extract the squad and Rtas to safety. Just as they strap in Locke, the door crashes down - the entire room is quickly Flooded, no way you would have stood a chance. You see Jega’s corpse start to animate as a Flood infector crawls inside… Stacker pours a crate of grenades overboard as you lift upward and out.
[[CUT TO THE CHIEF AND ARBITER]]
Not entirely sure how I want this section to end. Where and when does Offensive Bias come into play?
The Chief and the Arbiter enter the final room. Atriox becomes incredibly agitated as they walk in – he did not expect to see them. This means Jega and his Spartan Killers are all dead and that his army of Flood has failed to stop them. And the presence of The Arbiter? An insult to be sure… “Useless!” he shouts. “Fine, I will do it myself.”
The room is huge, similar to where you killed Tartarus at the end of The Great Journey mission. It is the prison of the Xalanyn, where all of their cylix are contained.
You fight Atriox with Arbiter. When the Arbiter’s shields drop he falls back and you have to step in to distract Atriox or else Arby’s toast. When your shield’s drop, Arbiter does the same and you trade off over and over until Atriox is worn down. Arbiter is still dual wielding a hammer and sword. The Chief is still dual wielding sword and gun.
When you’re about to kill Atriox another cut-scene. The Arbiter is ready to swiftly execute him but the Chief stops him. You convince Atriox that he’s being used by a Gravemind and that The Xalanyn will become assimilated by the Flood should he open their remaining cylix’, making the Flood truly unstoppable. There will be no home for The Banished, no home for anyone if this happens.
You team up with Atriox and fight your way out of the Flood. (You realize that The Endless are just a Red Herring, that the real threat is and always has been, The Flood…)
END CAMPAIGN DLC1.
ENTER CAMPAIGN DLC 2: THE FLOOD.
The 3rd chapter is all about stopping The Flood. Does the UNSC form a tentative alliance with The Banished? Is the notion of time travel hinted upon again? Do you need The Endless’ (suspected) ability to control time to stop The Flood? Is this where Offensive Bias presents itself? The Spirit of Fire is now at your disposal along with a company of ODST’s. New units can be manned such as the Grizzly and Cyclops.
Hope you enjoyed!
