You’re reunited with him, he is there with you the entirety of the game, then, he’s taken down in combat. In that situation, I think Chief should be more sad than when Cortana was killed. If I were Chief in that situation, I would cry.
No really, I would cry.
I doubt Chief would be as sad as he was with Cortana, frankly the two don’t have that close of a relationship.
If he dies, it’s got to be epic, no if, and, or buts.
Taking on the Didact in single combat should be sufficient.
He would need to die in a 1v1 with the Diiadact to make it worth it.
100% agree above.
> If he dies, it’s got to be epic, no if, and, or buts.
>
> Taking on the Didact in single combat should be sufficient.
Force push
Game Over
If Arby dies, I agree, it shouldn’t be done in the books. He should have a hero’s death. Maybe he can distract the Didact/whatever the enemy will be in Halo 5 so that Chief can get away, and die in the process?
That would be sufficiently dark for me 
As long as he has an epic death for good purposes (and isn’t killed by Travis’s), I wouldn’t be too mad.
I’d actually be kind of sad and really miss him.
Halo 5 is said to have a dark story for the protagonist. I would be surprised by Thel’s death and if it happens I totally hope it is the most epic ever, possibly at the same height as Dom from Gears. I just wonder now how bad the situations are going to be for the characters…
Betrayed by his own men (or at least overzealous fellow Sangheili) I think would be a bolder choice, and more in line with what 343 is doing with that species, than some “epic” hero’s death. That’s a cliche, and is too satisfying.
If you want the player to hurt, make em’ REALLY hurt I say. Then Chief can go about avenging his fallen comrade’s death
Time spent with cortana? At least 7 years.
Time spent with Arby? 1 year.
Should Arby get an awesome death, if he deserves one? Yes, but it shouldn’t be more emotional than Cortana’s; it just wouldn’t make sense.
Important Note: I’d much rather see him live. At the moment he’s the best ambassador for us to the elites, and it would take too much time developing another character when Bungie spent so much time developing Arby through H2 and H3.
I think Master Chief has more of an admiration for joining us more than having a true friendship with him. They’ve only known each other shortly.
I don’t want to see another crucial protagonist die. It’s best not to eff around with the Aribter’s character in Halo.
> I doubt Chief would be as sad as he was with Cortana, frankly the two don’t have that close of a relationship.
I wouldn’t describe them as “buds”, but it did seem like they respected each other greatly over the course of Halo 2/3.
> I don’t want to see another crucial protagonist die. It’s best not to eff around with the Aribter’s character in Halo.
I disagree. Both Keyes and Johnson died in the original trilogy, and it added weight to the drama. Made the war feel real.
Do we want the story to take risks, and have real stakes, or not?
> > I doubt Chief would be as sad as he was with Cortana, frankly the two don’t have that close of a relationship.
>
> I wouldn’t describe them as “buds”, but it did seem like they respected each other greatly over the course of Halo 2/3.
I know, but I <3 the Arby.
> <mark>Time spent with cortana? At least 7 years.</mark>
>
> Time spent with Arby? 1 year.
>
> Should Arby get an awesome death, if he deserves one? Yes, but it shouldn’t be more emotional than Cortana’s; it just wouldn’t make sense.
>
>
> Important Note: I’d much rather see him live. At the moment he’s the best ambassador for us to the elites, and it would take too much time developing another character when Bungie spent so much time developing Arby through H2 and H3.
Wrong, actually. Cortana wasn’t introduced to Chief until the Fall of Reach (at which time she was already 3 or 4 years old). She spent about a month or so with him over the course of the trilogy (including the separation in Halo 3) and then Chief went into cryo.
I agree with the rest. Arby should live IMO, but if he does die, he should have an epic death.
> > <mark>Time spent with cortana? At least 7 years.</mark>
>
> Wrong, actually. Cortana wasn’t introduced to Chief until the Fall of Reach (at which time she was already 3 or 4 years old). She spent about a month or so with him over the course of the trilogy (including the separation in Halo 3) and then Chief went into cryo.
>
> I agree with the rest. Arby should live IMO, but if he does die, he should have an epic death.
Well, to dig out the facts:
She ‘chose’ the chief when they were testing the new Mk. 5 armor, and that’s where they first met. The date the armor was officially comissioned: 11/2551. Now, field tests usually come several months before actual release. Since I don’t want to actually open the book, I’m going to guesstimate around July-September the test was done. So 7/2551. It’s even possible for the field test to have even been before that, however a few months is irrelevant.
Date of Halo 4: 2557… that brings us pretty darn close to 7 years. Sure it was around half a year to a year off, but for going strictly off memory that’s close enough.
Sources: Date Halo 4 Takes Place
Date Mk. V armor was comissioned
Cortana meeting John 117
Arby? You guys want him to die?
Forerunner’s be -Yoink!- have you people gone mad?!
He is by far the only living thing in Haloverse that can even compare to the Chief, and he’s an elite. We played as him in Halo 2, and there we saw him fight the flood, the sentinels, and the brutes. He killed Tartarus a brute chieftain that even the most combat experienced High Councilors, Zealots, Spec-ops and Shipmaster elites couldn’t bring down (with the help of Johnson of course).
I wouldn’t want him to die. The original duo wouldn’t exist anymore.
I doubt Arby would die. He is essential to the reconstruction of Sangheilios without angry genocidal aliens.
I don’t think Thel will die, now Rtas? I am worried for Rtas. And Halo just won’t be the same knowing Half-Jaw is dead.