So in the Encyclopedia it’s mentioned that some of the Created had started uploading themselves into Promethean shells. These are essentially independent units that can command small armies and operate independently of the central command; the Domain.
Which raises an important question. Cortana had forces on Zeta Halo. That presumably would have included some of those Created Knights. If a few thousand marines could survive on Zeta Halo, why wouldn’t a Created Knight and some Armigers?
Now, why didn’t we run into any in the main campaign.
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Cortana was probably directly controlling the forces at the Silent Auditorium and the other forces were elsewhere on the ring.
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The campaign is at the heart of the explosion. The Created were likely concentrated at the SA; so would have taken the brunt of the explosion and fighting.
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You’re in the centre of Banished occupation. So it’s likely that they were destroyed in this area.
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Cortana seems to have had a specific plan for how Chief and the Weapon were going to meet up. Perhaps she deliberately teleported these Prometheans to the other side of the ring to prevent or at least delay them interfering with this.
But elsewhere on the ring. It’s entirely possible they are still active and may make an appearance at some point.
The propaganda grunt does mention that the area you are at was a cushy assignment and implied there was something dangerous inside the ring. Could be flood but honestly I doubt the Banished could keep a Flood outbreak under control. So it could be Created remnant are active where Banished control is less secure.
They could also misdirect us. In the Dr Who episode The Last Dalek, they play up this drama that he’s the last of his kind and use that to reintroduce the faction in a smaller more intimate story. Only to later make the reveal that OMG there’s thousands of them. They could do something similar with the Created. Have Chief and the Weapon encounter a crazed Created Knight. Only to later have the whole clown car show up at Zeta Halo and reveal the state of the Galaxy.
So far as the “something dangerous inside the ring”, I’m more than certain that’s the Xalanyan that he’s talking about.
But their plan is to release the Xalanyn so how could they already be fighting them if they are still in Cylexes?
Plus they’re allied with the skimmers and Harbinger so why would it be a dangerous assignment going down there?
The propaganda grunt basically says that there’s some kind of nasty and dangerous fight going on inside the ring but cuts off before he blurts out what it is.
It could be other things but
- Flood - If they were out everything dies
- Xalanyn - Still in Cylex
- Sentinels - A good candidate if they weren’t allied and also no different than the ring where you are so why make that distinction
- Something else we haven’t encountered. Maybe there are other prisoners. But little to suggest this atm.
- UNSC, but then why would Chief be worried about that?
Which leaves some sort of Created Remnant.
I would say it depends on when it’s heard. The Banished were “allied” with the Harbinger, but she was really just using them. It’s unclear if the Skimmers are one and the same with the Xalanyn.
If it were the UNSC, the Chief would be worried because they’re fighting the Banished, and have been on the ropes for the last six months.
It could be the Flood, as they would need to form a Proto-Gravemind, then a Gravemind to truly become a threat. If the Banished are prepared they could be containing that threat for now.
Frankly there’s as little to suggest “Created Knights” (which aren’t even hinted at in the game, really) as there is the “something else” possibility. Or, given that the Propaganda Grunt also asks for an Xbox controller, maybe there’s nothing to it at all. There’s too little to go off.
The term Created Knight is used in the Encyclopedia to refer to Created who upload themselves into Promethean shells that can act autonomously of any central command. So there’s no quotation marks required. That’s canon.
Why bother adding that piece of lore if it wasn’t going to in some way factor into some story? Plus it pretty much states that there is a Created remnant faction of some description. Why wouldn’t there be any of them remaining on Zeta Halo given that it was essentially Cortanas base of operations?
Could be it’s not Infinite. But, I don’t think they would have bothered putting a potential book or comic story in. Plus the Season 2 cinematics we have seen do seem to have something to do with AI.
In fact they frame the lore in precisely such a manner to explain why they would still be operating if Cortana and the Domain were destroyed.
They’re allied from start to finish. You find the Harbingers open Cylex in the second mission.
The grunt frames it so that Chief would be in danger if he went inside the Halo Array. He has nothing to fear from UNSC. If anything he would want to go there.
No, in Halo Wars 2 the Flood wipe the floor with the Banished even before they get a proto Gravemind. Which is consistent with how they’re depicted. A single flood spore would set in motion the destruction of the Banished. They only barely won in HW2 and even then only because they had the containment facilities. Also Despondent Pyre mentions the Flood are in a containment facility. So they aren’t out yet.
They mention that Cortana had an army and you see a giant disabled robot in the skybox. Considering this is likely stuff way down the road; that’s still a fair bit of foreshadowing. They also remind you about her taking over the Galaxy and a vague reference to her “forces” and “empire”.
Ah, good to know; I’m still waiting on my Encyclopedia, and can’t wait to dive into it. However from what I’ve seen there’s likely a lot added in to the Encyclopedia (like the Covenant fringe species and the Drone queen) that are added but have no inclusion yet, nor plans for inclusion. It’s not a lot to go off, is all I’m saying.
As you went through the other possibilities and said “It can’t be this because x, y, z,” the same can be done (with more evidence, I’d say) for the Created Knights. Namely in that before the events of Halo Infinite, Cortana sacrificed herself, her command over her forces, and likely her control over said forces. There’s a dead Guardian on the Halo ring off in the distance; that’s significantly more powerful than a Knight armiger, even piloted by a Created A.I. From what it looks like, when Cortana blew up the ring and herself, her hold on everything dropped.
They certainly put them to the ropes, but the Banished were also unprepared for that assault. As well, they didn’t really “wipe the floor” as the Banished were able to contain them. Despondent Pyre also mentions that the Flood are contained before Cortana blows everything up, six months before the events of Halo Infinite’s main campaign.
Yes but the Created Knights are explicitly said to be autonomous of the Domain and the central command which is why they would survive. So yes there isn’t a single clear leader of a Created faction atm. But what we are discussing is if on Zeta Halo you might end up running into one of these remnant Knights.
One single flood spore can destroy a species. The Flood are by definition the ultimate threat and if Chief can single handedly wreck the Banished I don’t see why the Flood would have a tough time of it. Plus in that expansion you are playing as the Banished so you’re ostensibly up against the ropes. They also never put a number to Banished casualties but given the number of combat forms you fight….that’s a lot of supposed Uber veterans who got massacred. So they barely got through that encounter alive and it’s hubris for Atriox to think “let’s go open another Pandora’s box!”
Survive, but have no more General. No leadership to rally them as a cohesive threat. It’s probably that they would become autonomous, individual threats rather than a true army. It could be them, it could not be them. There’s not a lot of evidence to say “It’s definitely them and not these other possibilities”, is all I’m saying.
And yes, Rtas’ chilling words. A Flood spore can destroy a species and a planet. Yet time and time again we’ve seen containment measures extend a battle significantly, in both Halo: CE and Halo 2. The Flood were really contained in Halo: CE. They only really became a galactic threat because the Flood was able to gather enough biomass on Delta Halo because of the Covenant showing up to provide that biomass.
The Chief is “singlehandedly wrecking the Banished” on a very small segment of the Ring. Really only taking out their leaders. The Banished as a whole are much bigger, much more prepared, and if they know what they’re going into - not a rag-tag group expecting nothing but treasure - they’re not going to be careless about it.
It’s described more in terms of them being an autonomous general of local forces. Presumably soldiers or sentinels. This seems to establish that the Created are a local and vastly diminished threat rather than a galactic threat led by a singular leader. Although it implies something or someone might eventually fill that void.
Not definite. But it’s a lot more likely than it was before they put a big chekovs gun into the story.
Because in Halo Wars 2 they are only loose for a few days but are able to quickly get access to a Proto Gravemind with the insinuation they could get the big show himself. So any big long term war with the Flood would generate a Gravemind very quickly. Certainly over six months and the length of Infinites campaign.
He’s just one man and he kills thousands (not including the Gbaarakon) of them including their most elite warriors and temp leader. Escharums main boast is that he destroyed the Infinity which only had 8000 humans on it. So Chief, on his own kills more Banished than this galaxy conquering army has killed humans. That really does not speak to the power of the Banished. Bluster and hubris won’t help against the Flood. Basically I think the Banished are full of it and are playing the fools in the story by releasing the Endless/Flood.
Getting back to this way late, but having gotten my Encyclopedia yesterday I had a thought.
Now, on the page with the Created Conflict (pg 397) it describes what you noted with the Created Knights, and shows the variant that we see in Halo 5. Tanaka notes on Kamchatka that it’s the “new kind” like what was reported on Oban. On the image, seen on pg 397, it does identify that variant as a “Created Knight”. Big realization here is that the Created Knights weren’t a new thing after or during Pax Cortana, but very early indicators of what was to come, and that the Created had moved to War even before Cortana’s edict.
We could see Created Knights in the future, but with what’s said, I don’t think they would be an organized threat, or even that great of a threat at all. The Created Knights were a formidable foe, but without Cortana’s direction and rule they are relatively easily handled.
An AI with access to even a limited amount of Forerunner Technology is still very dangerous. It’s just not conquer the Galaxy in a day dangerous.
The way I’d read it is that, they need Cortana to get back to where they were and a reason to explain why they aren’t as significant as they were in Halo 5.
It also allows for different Created to have different priorities and agendas. Rather than a single homogenous faction directed by a single will. For example, some might end up teaming up with the UNSC again. Some might bunker up on Earth. Some might try to seek out where Cortana died. Some might be stuck on Zeta Halo and think they’re the last.