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Halo 4 Story Spoilers and Speculations

LiK

Member
So what exactly did The Librarian do to the Chiefmaster? Made him resistant to the orange beams of doom?

I think Librarian altered his body with synthetic materials. Not sure what else it will cause aside from the immunity to the Composer. Probably more powers in the sequel.
 

Squire

Banned
I have the crazy feeling that Dr. Halsey is nothing more than the human form of the Librarian. Or that the Librarian's memories are dormant in her.

No evidence to support it, just a hunch.

I can't wait to see how she's involved in SPOPS. I'm guessing she's brought to Infinity because she knows about Forerunner tech.

Really, I just wanna see her reaction to the S-IVs.
 

Mush

6.0
Also, the entire scene with The Librarian was poorly explained. I had no fucking clue what was going on. Something Composer digitizing people? Something something flood?
 

LiK

Member
Also, the entire scene with The Librarian was poorly explained. I had no fucking clue what was going on. Something Composer digitizing people? Something something flood?

Apparently we need Halo novel or Halopedia knowledge for it. I only know of the Librarian from the terminals in Halo 3.
 

Squire

Banned
Also, the entire scene with The Librarian was poorly explained. I had no fucking clue what was going on. Something Composer digitizing people? Something something flood?

You weren't paying attention then.

Seriously, the game lacks exposition in spots, but now we're getting people acting like the entire plot is incoherent and it's not. Christ.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
So. The thing at the end where the Chief set off the bomb, then was floating somewhere and Cortana touched him, and then he was floating in space in one piece despite the place being blown to shreds.

Been mulling that over since I beat it a few days ago. Here's what I can come up with:

Huh?
 

wwm0nkey

Member
So. The thing at the end where the Chief set off the bomb, then was floating somewhere and Cortana touched him, and then he was floating in space in one piece despite the place being blown to shreds.

Been mulling that over since I beat it a few days ago. Here's what I can come up with:

Huh?
Cortana probably formed the light bridge around his body and expanded it after the nuke went off and also used the hard light to give herself physical properties momentarily.
 

strata8

Member
So. The thing at the end where the Chief set off the bomb, then was floating somewhere and Cortana touched him, and then he was floating in space in one piece despite the place being blown to shreds.

Been mulling that over since I beat it a few days ago. Here's what I can come up with:

Huh?

Cortana manipulates the light bridge to create a bubble around him.

I don't understand why this isn't more obvious, considering the background looks exactly the same as the light bridge he was standing on when the bomb exploded.
 

MormaPope

Banned
So. The thing at the end where the Chief set off the bomb, then was floating somewhere and Cortana touched him, and then he was floating in space in one piece despite the place being blown to shreds.

Been mulling that over since I beat it a few days ago. Here's what I can come up with:

Huh?

Cortana had control over the plasma bridge, right when the nuke detonated she constructed a fortified plasma cube that held Chief and protected him from the blast.
 

Daft_Cat

Member
I loved the campaign, although I went through it in coop..so it didn't sink in properly. I'll replay it again in the next few days..but I'll just say this...

If
Cortana is dead, then Halo 5 is not sounding as sweet as it should..especially after she got that amazing redesign.
Please... someone reassure me.

Also, I loved the score. Different than Marty, but enough thematic callbacks to sound familiar while also managing to set a new musical tone for the new trilogy. It's actually maybe the most innovative aspect of the entire package.

Also, I agree with those of you arguing that the plot needed more exposition. I happen to be mostly familiar with the Halo lore, but I imagine a lot of the plot would go over the casual fan's head.
 
Has their been any story threads that suggest that the Didact wasn't the only Forerunner still alive?
Additionally, has their been any mention to the Composer leading for the digitized to life, rather than the other way around?

To be perfectly honest, I think The Didact's plan was better than the Master Builder's, so long as it would have actually worked. Composing humanity is a little less of a blow than recreating life in the entire galaxy.
 
Okay. I've played through the campaign about 3 times now.

I don't know why, I must be a masochist.

It has to be the most unenjoyable campaign out of the mainline HALO games. I just haven't found myself having fun in any particular encounter. I find myself wanting to go back to certain sections for the art design alone, but I don't actually enjoy playing it.

Just loaded up HALO 3 to have a quick squiz of The Ark for comparison and just finished The Covenant.

HALO 3 shits on HALO 4 in absolutely every respect outside of some visual enhancements. The gameplay is just so much goddamn fun and every encounter is just so goddamn tight. The enemy A.I is lightyears ahead.

I can't believe there are some people who say otherwise.

It also made me realise how shitty the in-game radio/marine chatter is in HALO 4.
 
Has their been any story threads that suggest that the Didact wasn't the only Forerunner still alive?
Additionally, has their been any mention to the Composer leading for the digitized to life, rather than the other way around?

To be perfectly honest, I think The Didact's plan was better than the Master Builder's, so long as it would have actually worked. Composing humanity is a little less of a blow than recreating life in the entire galaxy.
Opposing the Master Builders Halos, Didact had also planned on using Shield Worlds for interstellar battles and star hopping. They were considered to deal more devastation than the Halos. A GAF member had pointed this tidbit in Primordium awhile back.
 

jet1911

Member
So. The thing at the end where the Chief set off the bomb, then was floating somewhere and Cortana touched him, and then he was floating in space in one piece despite the place being blown to shreds.

Been mulling that over since I beat it a few days ago. Here's what I can come up with:

Huh?

I guess they decided that scene would be a good idea in the same meeting where they decided to hide all the important stuuf of the story in the Terminals.
 

Flipyap

Member
Has their been any story threads that suggest that the Didact wasn't the only Forerunner still alive?
Additionally, has their been any mention to the Composer leading for the digitized to life, rather than the other way around?
Guilty Spark #2 is convinced that the Librarian is still "alive".
The Librarian mentions that their attempts to return composed individuals "to biological states created only abominations" (foreshadowing for Flood 3.0?)

"He would have encrypted your entire race"

As in disintegrating them?
"I would have glassed your entire planet!"

"One single Flood spore can destroy a species"

"The rings will kill us all."

You know, focusing on the story of Cortana would have been the perfect opportunity to maybe lower (or rather "shrink") the galactic stakes a bit, while raising personal ones.
Humanity barely survived the original trilogy, every other race is in turmoil, but instead of toning it down a little, maybe showing how an actual in-universe society operates for the first time, instead of showing the challenges of rebuilding after everyone's civilizations, cultures have been destroyed, we get humanity at its most badass since... uh... prehistory, as close to ruling the galaxy as we've ever been, reigniting the original conflict for amusement. So, clearly, we're going to need an enemy to match our newfound power, even if he has only one ship (and some spacefaring sidekicks, but those don't really matter when we can just fly through them).
Meanwhile, you as a player will mostly run around pushing buttons. A thousand lifetimes orchestrated to create a mass killing button pusher, now important only because the plot places him in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time.
It might be just me, but the balance between the players', their character's and his world's stories seems completely messed up, more than ever.
 

NBtoaster

Member
You know, focusing on the story of Cortana would have been the perfect opportunity to maybe lower (or rather "shrink") the galactic stakes a bit, while raising personal ones.

The threat of digitization of the human race is a bit lower than the threat of extinction of all life in the galaxy.
 

Flipyap

Member
The threat of digitization of the human race is a bit lower than the threat of extinction of all life in the galaxy.
I guess it is, at least on paper, it just doesn't feel like it when humans are the only species interested in opposing this ANCIENT EVIL, and the only one wholly worth fighting for.
That's also assuming that the Didact would politely go back inside his ball once he's done with us, and not try to entertain himself by collecting the remaining races. Seriously, what the hell is that dude's long-term plan?
"Welp, so that's done. Now I have a whole lot of robots... and mah ball."
 

aries_71

Junior Member
In the epilogue, you can see Master Chief walking in the huge hangar bay where Spartan IV are being equipped. You also see Palmer looking at him. I noticed two things:

- He clenches his right fist, as if he was in rage.
- Palmer looks at him as he walks past. But she doesn't smile or show any appreciation. In fact she seems to show some concern.

Also, in the legendary ending, you get to see MC eyes. They gives a somber look.

It's almost as he in enraged to see that so many other persons are being converted into Spartans, and thus deprived of part of their humanity. A humanity he is starting to realize by the loss of Cortana.

Am I reading too much in this?
 

monome

Member
In the epilogue, you can see Master Chief walking in the huge hangar bay where Spartan IV are being equipped. You also see Palmer looking at him. I noticed two things:

- He clenches his right fist, as if he was in rage.
- Palmer looks at him as he walks past. But she doesn't smile or show any appreciation. In fact she seems to show some concern.

Also, in the legendary ending, you get to see MC eyes. They gives a somber look.

It's almost as he in enraged to see that so many other persons are being converted into Spartans, and thus deprived of part of their humanity. A humanity he is starting to realize by the loss of Cortana.

Am I reading too much in this?

Dude has been out of the loop for 4 years.
No longer alone, brought back to what he knows best (the army), he's walking Hulk even without his armor, and a walking female Hulk stares at him.
Methink it's an american studio who did the video, a french one would have seen him humping her right there, right now. Palmer is hot, don't get me started on her hard as stone Spartan ass, and those legs...ggrrrrr breaking your bones while she's crushed under your Spartan manlyhood.
 
I guess it is, at least on paper, it just doesn't feel like it when humans are the only species interested in opposing this ANCIENT EVIL, and the only one wholly worth fighting for.
That's also assuming that the Didact would politely go back inside his ball once he's done with us, and not try to entertain himself by collecting the remaining races. Seriously, what the hell is that dude's long-term plan?
"Welp, so that's done. Now I have a whole lot of robots... and mah ball."
There are a bunch of silly reasons that I could try spout on their behalf. Oh 343.
Methink it's an american studio who did the video, a french one would have seen him humping her right there, right now. Palmer is hot, don't get me started on her hard as stone Spartan ass, and those legs...ggrrrrr breaking your bones while she's crushed under your Spartan manlyhood.
....
 

daedalius

Member
I guess they decided that scene would be a good idea in the same meeting where they decided to hide all the important stuuf of the story in the Terminals.

I really don't find it difficult to understand what Cortana did.

She mentioned the internal teleporter systems, and she had control of the light bridge.

Does everything have to be explained verbatim to some people? I mean, sometimes it certainly seems like it.

However, I do agree that the terminals should have been further integrated with the game; or at least not force you to go to a website to watch them :(

I can't believe there are some people who say otherwise.

Halo 4 is more enjoyable than stomping on pathetic brute faces in Halo 3.
 

LAUGHTREY

Modesty becomes a woman
Dude has been out of the loop for 4 years.
No longer alone, brought back to what he knows best (the army), he's walking Hulk even without his armor, and a walking female Hulk stares at him.
Methink it's an american studio who did the video, a french one would have seen him humping her right there, right now. Palmer is hot, don't get me started on her hard as stone Spartan ass, and those legs...ggrrrrr breaking your bones while she's crushed under your Spartan manlyhood.

whatthefuckamireading.jpg
 

Fracas

#fuckonami
Dude has been out of the loop for 4 years.
No longer alone, brought back to what he knows best (the army), he's walking Hulk even without his armor, and a walking female Hulk stares at him.
Methink it's an american studio who did the video, a french one would have seen him humping her right there, right now. Palmer is hot, don't get me started on her hard as stone Spartan ass, and those legs...ggrrrrr breaking your bones while she's crushed under your Spartan manlyhood.

this should be the legendary ending

the people have spoken, retcon time, 343
 

Brolic Gaoler

formerly Alienshogun
Dude has been out of the loop for 4 years.
No longer alone, brought back to what he knows best (the army), he's walking Hulk even without his armor, and a walking female Hulk stares at him.
Methink it's an american studio who did the video, a french one would have seen him humping her right there, right now. Palmer is hot, don't get me started on her hard as stone Spartan ass, and those legs...ggrrrrr breaking your bones while she's crushed under your Spartan manlyhood.

How old are you? Because this post makes a strong case for your age being below the allowed NeoGAF posting age.

this should be the legendary ending

the people have spoken, retcon time, 343

Don't encourage him.
 

AHA-Lambda

Member
You weren't paying attention then.

Seriously, the game lacks exposition in spots, but now we're getting people acting like the entire plot is incoherent and it's not. Christ.

No, I'm sorry, I agree with him, I felt the scene was very poorly explained and it felt to me that thee was some prior knowledge obviously somewhere from the backstory that was missing.

Also I'm now hearing stuff about Guilty Spark no.2? And I heard on the giant bombcast the flood are still somehow a factor in all this aswell? WTF man?
I appreciate 343's attempt at putting a bigger emphasis on story over the prior games but they need to sort out their storytelling for Halo 5. Neverthless, credit where it is due, I felt the relationship between Cortana and MC, Cortana's rampancy and then death in this game was very well done.
 

Sec0nd

Member
You weren't paying attention then.

Seriously, the game lacks exposition in spots, but now we're getting people acting like the entire plot is incoherent and it's not. Christ.

I also had no fucking clue what was going on during that scene to be honest though. Had to come to GAF and ask what on Earth the Librarian just told me.

Sure, English isn;t my first language but that entire part was so damn hard to follow. You're bombarded with a massive amount of information about the entire backstory of the universe of Halo in about 1 minute. This made it extremely confusing in my opinion.
Edit: Plus, the actual backstory is pretty darn weird with an ancient human race and such.
 

wwm0nkey

Member
In the epilogue, you can see Master Chief walking in the huge hangar bay where Spartan IV are being equipped. You also see Palmer looking at him. I noticed two things:

- He clenches his right fist, as if he was in rage.
- Palmer looks at him as he walks past. But she doesn't smile or show any appreciation. In fact she seems to show some concern.

Also, in the legendary ending, you get to see MC eyes. They gives a somber look.

It's almost as he in enraged to see that so many other persons are being converted into Spartans, and thus deprived of part of their humanity. A humanity he is starting to realize by the loss of Cortana.

Am I reading too much in this?
Pretty sure he is pissed he just lost Cortana and that the person responsible is still out there, I fully expect him to go ape shit on the Didact in Halo 5.
 

Sec0nd

Member
Could explain why the sentinels weren't aggressive? Can't really remember much from the previous Halo's but I remember fighting them. Something happened in Halo 3 I can't remember?
 
Could explain why the sentinels weren't aggressive? Can't really remember much from the previous Halo's but I remember fighting them. Something happened in Halo 3 I can't remember?

They aren't aggressive in Halo: CE until Guilty Spark gets pissed at you.
 

Insaniac

Member
Question: at what point in the campaign is Spartan Ops taking place, and is Spartan Ops supposed to expand on the story behind campaign or is it its own completely separate story?
 
Question: at what point in the campaign is Spartan Ops taking place, and is Spartan Ops supposed to expand on the story behind campaign or is it its own completely separate story?
Six months after the campaign.

Probably expands and leads somehow will lead into Halo 5. Not sure of directly or indirectly.

People-sucking artifact box as seen in Episode 2 may play a major role in this (?)
 
Re:Light bridge, how does that work if the machinery producing the light have been nuked?
Why would the most advanced battleship in the fleet not have a super powerful gun?
Why would Earth's defences not have the same? The infinity has been around for 3/4 years now. Enough time to arm your most important planet with the best of the best.
 
That's also assuming that the Didact would politely go back inside his ball once he's done with us, and not try to entertain himself by collecting the remaining races. Seriously, what the hell is that dude's long-term plan?

Would be neat if the Didact started to digitize the other species and came back with Promethean Elites. Also if he forced his way into Elite society it would give the Arbiter a reason to come back.
 
In the epilogue, you can see Master Chief walking in the huge hangar bay where Spartan IV are being equipped. You also see Palmer looking at him. I noticed two things:

- He clenches his right fist, as if he was in rage.
- Palmer looks at him as he walks past. But she doesn't smile or show any appreciation. In fact she seems to show some concern.

Also, in the legendary ending, you get to see MC eyes. They gives a somber look.

It's almost as he in enraged to see that so many other persons are being converted into Spartans, and thus deprived of part of their humanity. A humanity he is starting to realize by the loss of Cortana.

Am I reading too much in this?

Most likely. I think Palmer was in awe more than anything.
 
That's also assuming that the Didact would politely go back inside his ball once he's done with us, and not try to entertain himself by collecting the remaining races. Seriously, what the hell is that dude's long-term plan?

It's to "reclaim" the mantle for The Forerunners as humanity has inherited it, or has started to inherit it. Which is why I think we can assume that there are other living Forerunners out there that we will see in Halo 5, and or 6. To regain the mantle, he plans to extinguish humanity. The last time he defeated them, he set them back in their evolution, but we still managed to climb back to power. This time he just wants to rid the galaxy of humans altogether.

Remember, The Forerunners also committed genocide against The Precursors, who actually created The Forerunners.
 

Coconut

Banned
Re:Light bridge, how does that work if the machinery producing the light have been nuked?

Why would Earth's defences not have the same? The infinity has been around for 3/4 years now. Enough time to arm your most important planet with the best of the best.

Great question I think we should start an online petition to let 343 know that true fans of Halo want real answers for the series' real questions such as why does cortana appear as a specific sex? Why do grunts in the first games speak English but no other language? Do Spartans have sexual urges, or are they some how controlled by the military so that Spartans don't have unauthorized off spring? These are the real important things people want answered in the next game. We need to make our voices heard
 

daedalius

Member
Re:Light bridge, how does that work if the machinery producing the light have been nuked?

Why would Earth's defences not have the same? The infinity has been around for 3/4 years now. Enough time to arm your most important planet with the best of the best.

Maybe Cortana was using her mad skills to wirelessly transmit power from one of the dying reactors to power the bridge.

Maybe there was just enough juice left for her to form it into the protective shield for the momentary blast.

Maybe the lightbridge is self-sustaining.

Basically, they could just make something up and explain it away, but its not really necessary.
 

ultron87

Member
It seems like the Infinity is kind of an eggs all-in-one basket scenario for the UNSC that would be prone to tragedy. Though, it is obviously a very large, very impressive basket. Still doesn't seem like the best strategic decision.
 

enzo_gt

tagged by Blackace
Guilty Spark #2 is convinced that the Librarian is still "alive".
The Librarian mentions that their attempts to return composed individuals "to biological states created only abominations"
Interesting. I pondered in this thread earlier that if she could build a cryptum for the Didact, why wouldn't she for herself? It's a useless sacrifice that isn't really dramatic enough because it doesn't make sense. That said, she says the only organism alive in the galaxy right? So she could have holed herself up outside of the galaxy theoretically, and could have taken up the role of a watcher to oversee the rebuilding of the galaxy.

In the epilogue, you can see Master Chief walking in the huge hangar bay where Spartan IV are being equipped. You also see Palmer looking at him. I noticed two things:

- He clenches his right fist, as if he was in rage.
- Palmer looks at him as he walks past. But she doesn't smile or show any appreciation. In fact she seems to show some concern.

Also, in the legendary ending, you get to see MC eyes. They gives a somber look.

It's almost as he in enraged to see that so many other persons are being converted into Spartans, and thus deprived of part of their humanity. A humanity he is starting to realize by the loss of Cortana.

Am I reading too much in this?
Yes. I replied to a similar post in this thread before, but why would he be surprised?

Why would he assume they wouldn't continue such a successful program that saved humanity multiple times? Also.. They're not Spartan IIs and are nowhere near on his level, with nowhere near the amount of augmentations or discipline. To him they could only be Spartan in name, and just a bunch of soldiers dressed pretty, part of the same basic war machine humanity has had forever. I think the scene is meant to evoke the theme of humanity/machines but I think that was a personal moment and the context/montage was less directly related and just for context really.

EDIT:
This seems to be the sum total we are told of Didact, his origins and motivations and to set the stage for the rest of the game. And this is told by an unknown character that isn't referenced in any of the games, short of hidden terminals. A figure that appears out of the sky seemingly at random as you try to shut down some central turret controls.



This is intermingled with tales of Humanity at war with the Forerunner, without the reminder that we are talking of a long lost humanity, wiped out by the firing of the Halo rings.

Its quite a lot to take in at one time, and you don't have the courtesy of reading and re-reading text to make it all fit in real time and inform the gameplay.

Good storytelling would be to reinforce these notions by having other characters in the game ask the very basic and simple questions that we the player would also ask, whether in-game or as an extension to an existing cutscene. It could have been a matter of putting the player into the conversation aboard the Infinity earlier, where we could hear the Chief or Cortana explain their take of what the Librarian had said and their experience on Requiem. You know, the tales of an aging Spartan and his malfunctioning AI.
This is a good post and I agree wholeheartedly.
 
Interesting. I pondered in this thread earlier that if she could build a cryptum for the Didact, why wouldn't she for herself? It's a useless sacrifice that isn't really dramatic enough because it doesn't make sense. That said, she says the only organism alive in the galaxy right? So she could have holed herself up outside of the galaxy theoretically, and could have taken up the role of a watcher to oversee the rebuilding of the galaxy.
This is something I really don't understand. Kill off all the caretakers and leave the genocidal warmaster as the only one who lives? And then specifically plant seeds in the human index to help them overcome the machinations the Didact was sure to unleash when he was eventually released?

I don't get it.
 
So what exactly did The Librarian do to the Chiefmaster? Made him resistant to the orange beams of doom?

I'm guessing she mentored his ascendance to a higher rate. Maybe something she stored in our genes from the beginning. The Didact became immune after a mutation, maybe that's what she did to the Chief?
 
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