Halo Infiniteis the latest entry in Xbox’s storied franchise and a long-awaited return to the story of the Master Chief. It’s been years since fans have had a new, mainlineHalocampaign to enjoy, andHaloInfiniteoffers a fresh direction for the series filled with new characters, lore, and locations to explore.

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a forest covered mountain range seen through a crumbling, stone ring with the rest of the terrain extending upward in a loop

Halois a game known for its rich lore which makes sense as it was originally developed by Bungie, the studio behind the incredibly lore-denseDestinygame franchise.Halo Infinitedoesn’t hold back on the lore either, weaving in plot points and characters from previous games while alsoestablishing new lore and story contentthat will takeHaloto a place it’s never gone before.

WARNING: Spoilers for Halo: Infinite ahead.

11Zeta Halo

Halo Infinitebrings the Master Chief to an entirely new Halo ring: Zeta Halo. This Halo structure is unlike any that come before, and the secrets it holds are critical to the game’s story and what is yet to come. It’s also the first ring thatChief is able to explore freely,encountering enemies and allies across its surface.

Zeta Halo itself is believed to be one of the original Halos created by the Forerunners to wipe out all sentient life in a galaxy. This was meant to starve the Flood, parasitic organisms that infest and take over living beings. However, both Master Chief and the Banished believe that Zeta Halo had another purpose as well.

a glowing, blue hologram of a woman in military attire standing in front of a large, green-armored soldier

10The Weapon

The Weapon is an AI whose sole purpose is to track down and deleteCortana after she went rogue and began a war on behalf of artificial intelligence throughout the galaxy. During his time on Zeta Halo, Chief teams up with the Weapon to take on the Banished and the Harbinger.

The Weapon is physically and constructionally identical to Cortana, and intentional design choice by Dr. Catherine Halsey to mimic the security systems on the Halo that Cortana herself set up. Because of this, the Weapon is essentially a new Cortana, though it isn’t revealed what name she chooses for herself.

a glowing, translucent, purple woman with an orb-shaped robot floating behind her

9Cortana’s Fate

Cortana was last seen during the events ofHalo 5: Guardiansafter she’d taken control of powerful, Forerunner constructions known as Guardians. Since the end of that game, Cortana has been waging war against any systems in the galaxy that stand against her.

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After the Weapon managed to lock Cortana down, she was captured by the leader of the Banished, a Brute by the name of Atriox. He insists that she join with the Banished and help him activate the Zeta Halo, but she sacrifices herself to incapacitate the ring and keep the Weapon alive to aid the Master Chief in her place.

7Escharum

The de facto leader of the Banished,Escharum is one ofHalo’s more tragic villains. An aging Brute with a terminal illness, Escharum had placed all of his hopes and expectations for the future of his people on the shoulders of his protege, Atriox.

After Atriox’s death, though, Escharum had to take control of the Banished himself. The loss of his star pupil, coupled with Cortana’s destruction of the Brute homeworld, has left Escharum a husk of his former self. It’s only when faced with the challenge of defeating the Master Chief that the Brute warrior finds his spark once more.

a large, hairy, gorilla-like being covered in heavy armor and a metal helmet with a single horn on top

6The Harbinger

The Harbinger is a new being in theHalouniverse and a relic of a bygone era. She is visually distinct from all other alien creatures the Chief has faced off against during his service, and the power she possesses is nothing short of miraculous.

The Harbinger claims to belong to an alien race known as the Endless, and she has allied herself with the warlike collection of Covenant exiles to revive the rest of her people who are trapped within Zeta Halo. The Chief thwarts her attempts to rebuild the ring, destroying her in the process, but her dying words promise that the Endless will return.

an alien being with a long, slender frame, gray skin, and a suit of metallic, futuristic armor holds a glowing blue object in one hand

5The Endless

The Endless are an enigmatic race of alien beings that were alive during the time of the Forerunners. According to the Harbinger, the Endless somehow managed to survive the galaxy-cleansing power of the Halo array. The Forerunners, fascinated by this level of survivability, imprisoned the entire race on Zeta Halo.

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a purple hologram of woman faces a blue hologram large, bearded, gorilla-like alien in a large chamber

Little is known about the Endless, and the Harbinger is the only member of their race the Chief has seen as of yet. The Forerunners apparently imprisoned the Endless in an attempt to study them, which is revealed in a secret, post-credits scene that only unlocks by beating the game on the Legendary difficulty.

4Spartan Killers

The Banished have all but won the war against the UNSC on Zeta Halo, and they owe much of their success to their elite troops, the Spartan Killers. These enemy combatants are among the best the Banished have on their roster, and they’re specifically trained to hunt and kill Spartans.

The Master Chief encounters three members of this specialized unit while on Zeta Halo, and each of them poses a unique challenge for the Spartan. The most fearsome of the lot is Jega ‘Rdomnai, a Sangheili Elite who wields the Bloodblade, a red variant of the famous Energy Sword.

an alien being in red and black armor with two large, glowing red blades on either hand

3The UNSC Loss To The Banished

Halo Infiniteopens with Atriox and the Banished assaulting the UNSC Infinity and tossing the Master Chief out into space. Chief is rescued six months later only to find that the Banished have routed the UNSC forces on Zeta Halo and occupied the entire structure.

The UNSC has never faced a loss like this, especially with the Master Chief onboard. It gives the opening moments ofInfinitea different feeling from otherHalotitles; the UNSC is not just an underdog here, it’s practically nonexistent. It falls on the Chief to rescue captured troops and recapture lost bases in order to stand a chance.

a long, glowing, orange hologram on a table with a large, gorilla-like alien standing at the far end

2Atriox’s Death

Atriox was the main antagonist of the spin-off title,Halo Wars 2, and featured heavily in one of its expansions as well. As the leader of the Banished, it’s expected thathe would be a prominent figure inHalo Infinite’s story, but it’s revealed that he died before Chief even reaches the ring.

The circumstances of his death remain shrouded in mystery until Chief discovers that he was killed when Cortana sacrificed herself to destroy part of Zeta Halo. The post-credits scene reveals that not only did Atriox not die, but he has somehow managed to unlock the prison housing the Endless.

a close up shot of a scarred, angry-looking gorilla alien in heavy armor