Here is my proposal of what an updated Halo 5’s campaign would look like with bold text denoting Blue Team missions:
1.Osiris
2.Blue Team
3.Orbital (Covenant fleet attack after Argent Moon is destroyed, some space combat, Blue Team dialogue to expand on characters, talk of ONI and AWOL repercussions)
4.Glassed (More debate on Blue Team, Locke revealed to be bitter at Chief for not saving his homeworld from being glassed and is disillusioned with the idea of Chief being the saviour of humanity “Our greatest threat is believing in a hero”)
5.Meridian Station
6.Hunted (Blue Team learns of Locke and Osiris hunting them, revealed to be declared KIA by ONI “The official word, an evolving lie”, attacked by Prometheans on way to Guardian)
7.Unconfirmed
8.Evacuation (Much more debate and friction on Blue Team, Locke is determined to bring in Chief, Tanaka is sympathetic to Blue Team, Vale doesn’t have an opinion, Buck is more angry towards Sloan and Cortana)
9.Reunion (More debate within Blue Team about going AWOL, Blue Team beginning with Fred starts to question Chief’s leadership and moral high ground)
10.Swords of Sanghelios (Halo 2 Anniversary cinematic at the end because when did that meeting happen? Was it even canon)
11.Alliance (Cortana misleading Locke on Chief’s absence in that he is helping her activate Guardians to build Locke’s resolve against him “My mission is clear, take down a verified traitor”, driving Chief towards her side "Spartans never die, but equipment can be retired)
12.Whispers from the Past (Dialogue mission, context behind Cortana’s return, Warden’s origin, Chief’s destiny, Didact’s fate)
13.Enemy Lines
14.Before the Storm (Edited to include Locke warning Osiris that ONI wants Chief dead and prepping them on the possibility of having to put him down)
15.Gateway (Exploring the Domain facility, exposition behind where Promethean soldiers came from and Bastion Forerunner Builder, debating what to do with Locke)
16.Battle of Sunaion
17.Genesis (Edited to include Blue Team**/Fireteam Osiris** boss battle at the end but Cortana**/Exuberant Witness** breaks up fight before player lands killing blow, player can choose which team they play as according to who they think is more morally superior)
18.The Breaking
19.Gaurdians (Librarian reveals the overall importance of the Master Chief to Locke and how Chief must be saved from Cortana, Chief witnesses Osiris’ efforts to save them and forgives Locke for hunting them)
Upon reading that you may notice that a running theme in my updated campaign is the hunt for Chief and the conflict of interests between him and Locke. I believe that one of the main reasons the campaign is considered to be a letdown is how it was marketed opposed to what it was. We were told through the excellent podcast “Hunt the Truth”, the live action trailers “All Hail”/“The Cost”, the “Halo 5 Experience” and “Fall of a Hero” commercials and even the front cover depicting the two Spartans opposing each other that this campaign was revolved around a conflict between two soldiers with different ideologies, histories, personalities, goals and methods that in their mutual concern for humanities safety clash. This dark plotline was highly anticipated and we were ready to see how this conflict would play out, the ambiguity created around the Chief’s disappearance and whether or not he was a traitor had terrific potential to venture into new story paths that Halo hadn’t gone before. Instead this Hunter vs Hunted plotline was basically stopped after ‘Unconfirmed’ where Chief and Locke fight for 30 seconds. The next time they meet Chief and Locke bury the hatchet in 10 seconds and become best friends by the end. The intrigue we were expecting and the tension between these two heroes was nearly nonexistent and the plot unwisely shifted to stopping Cortana/Warden.
Having 80% of the game about Locke and Osiris COULD have worked if Locke himself was a compelling character, however without having any exposition around his backstory, morals and supposed skill as an assassin tracker we aren’t that invested in him. My proposal actually does more to develop Locke’s character as when we learn of Locke’s long held grudge towards the Chief for not saving his home planet despite being hailed as the ‘saviour of humanity’ we get to see a side of the Halo universe we haven’t seen yet, that maybe Chief isn’t a saviour and Locke is right in saying “Our greatest threat is believing in a hero”, which he will come to think more on by the end of the game and maybe change his mind. Locke can be seen as the anti-Chief, the only one who won’t bend over backwards to glorify to legend of 117 and this is summarised perfectly by his “All hail the conquering hero” speech. If you would have run Locke’s character on this premise alone I guarantee you the fans would warm up more to his character. As for Chief we have his arc based on the “Is this what you wanted?” speech in which he is so obsessed with finding Cortana that he has blinded himself to the bigger picture and how much of a threat Cortana has become. Through Fred (the only member of Blue Team who can offer constructive criticism to John’s actions) we will start to doubt if Chief is making the right choices and whether we should side with Locke in the end. At the end of the mission ‘Genesis’ we would get the climax of this conflict, Locke who believes that Chief is a fallen hero who for the good of humanity must be put down vs Chief who is obsessively trying to save his AI friend at the expense of the safety of the galaxy at a whole. We the players after seeing both sides would get to choose who we go with, if we choose Osiris we fight Blue Team right up until Locke is going to deliver the killing blow and Cortana teleports an injured Blue Team away BUT if we the players stay loyal to Chief we fight Osiris until Exuberant Witness intervenes and teleports Blue Team away before Chief can execute Locke. After that ‘The Breaking’ would continue as normal. In the last mission ‘Guardians’ the ghost of the Librarian would finally appear to Locke and reveal that Chief is essential to humanity claiming the Mantle and despite Locke’s personal issues with him; Blue Team must be saved. From his Cryptum, Chief would witness Locke’s efforts and once he is freed they will make up.
With this updated campaign, the plot we were hoping for between the Hunter vs the Hunted is resolved with all the intrigue and duality we were hoping for. Though the flaws of the Chief, Locke becomes a fascinating character who gives us context to John and whether he really is the saviour of humanity. During the campaign Osiris would also argue about Chief’s absence and define themselves by it, giving them personality that is sourly lacking in the campaign as it is (except for Buck who we all love). In the end I will say that the central theme of Halo 5 should be 'What is a guardian?", is Locke the guardian of humanity by having the conviction to do what no other Spartan can OR is Chief the guardian of humanity because he’s the Master Chief for crying out loud and he’s earned the right to make executive decisions like going AWOL and pursuing Cortana at his discretion. If the campaign is updated to primarily reflect this question (as greatly implied by its marketing) while giving somewhat equal time to both its protagonists I promise you it will be redeemed (a passing mention to the events of Halo: Nightfall would be nice too because seriously, what was the point of that?)