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[Adam Blue]

Cortana will be in physical form in Halo 5, created in a similar way as the Prometheans - her blue AI appearance housed in armor. Retractable helmet/visor for cutscenes. The Librarian, infusion with the Didact ship controlling the Composer, led to Cortana being able to save herself for physical creation. She will be used in the campaign as a partner, with different abilities. In two-player co-op, one player assumes the role of Cortana to use her abilities for progression; the other player uses Chief's.

I'm pulling all of this out of my ass.

 

[Flipyap]

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.

Oh no! John, calm yourself! He already endured two QTEs, he won't survive another!

PRESS X TO FUCK DIDACT'S SKULL

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.

It would be neat, but first they'd probably have to rework the entire concept for it to make any difference; and I have trouble imagining ever seeing a friendly Elite in this trilogy, not after they've been narratively devolved into inarticulate monsters, not once ONI's civil war scheme goes public, not while UNSC is the galaxy's leading xenophobic power with a nearly infinite supply of good-enough supersoldiers.

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.

And if there are no other living Forerunners...?
Personally, I wouldn't read too much into the delusions of a space madman. He refers to himself and his army of Soylent Greenbots as "Forerunners", he calls THAT a return of his master race. He's a sad old ANCIENT fool.

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.

They don't have to worry about it as long as two whole modes are dependent on its existence. And that's the secret to immortality: merchandising!

 

[NullPointer]

I'd love to see some Prometheans besides knights add to the mix of enemies in the next game. Something (or several somethings) needs to really add to and mix up the formula of the watcher/crawler/knight combo.

That and yes, I'd like to see the flood again, or some alternate (ancient?) version of them.

 

[gollumsluvslave]

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.

I'm hoping Silentium gives some answers:-
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0765323982/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Facing the imminent collapse of their civilization, the Librarian and the Ur-Didact reveal what they know about the relationship between the long-vanished Precursors and the Flood.

The Precursors created many technological species, including humanity and the Forerunners. But the roots of the Flood may be found in an act of enormous barbarity, carried out beyond our galaxy ten million years before...

Because of that barbarism, a greater evil looms. Only the Ur-Didact and the Librarian--husband and wife pushed into desperate conflict--hold the keys to a solution.

Facing the consequences of a mythic tragedy, one of them must now commit the greatest atrocity of all time—to prevent an insane evil from dominating the entire universe.

What is this barbarism?

I'm assuming that the 'atrocity' is the firing of the Halos, it states one of them must commit the atrocity, but I've always assumed that one of the Didacts fired the Halos? Maybe it was the Librarian herself?

The 'insane evil' is too close to 'an ancient evil awakens' to be coincidence, I've never bought that either of the Didacts were the real antagonists in all this...

 

[ultron87]

I'd love to see some Prometheans besides knights add to the mix of enemies in the next game. Something (or several somethings) needs to really add to and mix up the formula of the watcher/crawler/knight combo.

That and yes, I'd like to see the flood again, or some alternate (ancient?) version of them.

I think something that is primarily melee focused could have a good impact on the combat. Just don't have whole levels where that is the only enemy.

 

[TheOddOne]

Another Ancient Evil Awakens!

 

[Zeouterlimits]

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

I could annoy you further by giving a bunch of answers to your questions, but you're clearly missing the point. Sure, the games don't have to stick to every neat detail, it's good to be somewhat flexible, BUT, to maintain some sense of reality and believability, they need to maitain a certain level of in universe consistency.

There are plenty of ways for them to do what they needed to and not have it be some magical light bridge.

Anyway, it was more a response to everyone going "Oh, don't question how the Chief survived a point blank nuke that destroyed this normally almost invulnerable Forerunner tech, she made a light, how dare anyone suggest this might be silly"

 

[NullPointer]

I think something that is primarily melee focused could have a good impact on the combat. Just don't have whole levels where that is the only enemy.

That could work. I've also day-dreamed about some kind of adaptive spawning system, where watchers or other battlefield commanders could call in specific reinforcements based upon how the battle is going (which enemies are getting decimated and by what, or to adapt to the number of players). Add some more dynamism to things, and make the composition of enemies/support adapt to how the players fight. The way Prometheans spawn into battle makes this an interesting possibility.

 

[Coconut]

I could annoy you further by giving a bunch of answers to your questions, but you're clearly missing the point. Sure, the games don't have to stick to every neat detail, it's good to be somewhat flexible, BUT, to maintain some sense of reality and believability, they need to maitain a certain level of in universe consistency.

There are plenty of ways for them to do what they needed to and not have it be some magical light bridge.

Anyway, it was more a response to everyone going "Oh, don't question how the Chief survived a point blank nuke that destroyed this normally almost invulnerable Forerunner tech, she made a light, how dare anyone suggest this might be silly"

Oh no totally agree with you on consistency I just think it'd be funny to see a petition demanding an explanation of the master chiefs sexual urges or lack their of.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Oh no totally agree with you on consistency I just think it'd be funny to see a petition demanding an explanation of the master chiefs sexual urges or lack their of.

... wat

 

[enzo_gt]

I'd love to see some Prometheans besides knights add to the mix of enemies in the next game. Something (or several somethings) needs to really add to and mix up the formula of the watcher/crawler/knight combo.

That and yes, I'd like to see the flood again, or some alternate (ancient?) version of them.

What they need (repeated from my post in Halo 4 OT):

• A brute promethean for pressure purposes
• Another infantry unit besides the crawler. With crawlers there is no dynamic between them, and they appear to move and operate independent of Knights regardless.
• Diversification of Knights in their combat roles and visual identification ability (also should apply to other prometheans). Use colours to identify rank 343, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
• Promethean Knight primes to command the battlefield and interact and direct other AI/prometheans
• Watchers need to be split up into different roles. I propose an engineer for building/maintaining turrets and healing, and a second watcher type for revival and offense. This creates a dynamic between Watchers and doesn't make them an obvious "kill this thing first" enemy.
• Overall more diversity. I don't give a fuck if they use the exact same roles the Brutes/Elites had, they worked and there were no glaring issues with their model. Even the Flood fulfilled these roles to some degree, and better than the prometheans.

The flood need to undergo heavy redesigns to even be interesting IMO. The aesthetics and dumb AI have always held them back, but if they could somehow find a way to make them visually interesting and not turn my Halo into boring zombie game #324098, I would be down for it.

 

[DesertFox]

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.

The way I looked at it - the Librarian could not bring herself to kill her husband, so instead sealed him away. I don't think she was delaying a madman from returning, but rather dealing with him in a way that wouldn't lead to his death. As far as seeding humanity with a way to deal with him 100,000 years later - not sure. Maybe her intention was to give humanity the tools to deal with the Flood, not the Didact.

[*]Promethean Knight primes to command the battlefield and interact and direct other AI/prometheans

"Direct intervention is necessary"
Jokes aside, I completely agree with your list. The Prometheans are a very confusing enemy to fight - but with the right amount of tweaking they could be really cool.

 

[zlatko]

Is the composer just a weapon and not a forerunner too?

I could have sworn in one of the terminals it shows the Didact talking about waking the composer or some shit, and there was an image of someone that is shown. Or it was in game, forget which.

Anyone?

 

[TheOddOne]

Dump the Covenant, say they have been turned into Knights (make 'em green). Don't let the Watcher always revive the Knight, make sure every enemy can be killed on their own merits.

 

[enzo_gt]

Dump the Covenant, say they have been turned into Knights (make 'em green). Don't let the Watcher always revive the Knight, make sure every enemy can be killed on their own merits.

A very good design standpoint to stick to.

Actually, dumping the Covenant, or all of the allied Covenant submitting to the Didact's power and allowing them to take his "great journey" into the digital realm sounds like a good plot point to me, which would also allow them to start semi-fresh with new enemy designs too.

 

[zlatko]

A very good design standpoint to stick to.

Actually, dumping the Covenant, or all of the allied Covenant submitting to the Didact's power and allowing them to take his "great journey" into the digital realm sounds like a good plot point to me, which would also allow them to start semi-fresh with new enemy designs too.

+1 to Promeveants becoming a thing in H5.

Edit: Hunters that can be revived and use the new promethean rocket launcher instead of their green one? *panics*

 

[DesertFox]

A very good design standpoint to stick to.

Actually, dumping the Covenant, or all of the allied Covenant submitting to the Didact's power and allowing them to take his "great journey" into the digital realm sounds like a good plot point to me, which would also allow them to start semi-fresh with new enemy designs too.

That's actually a perfect tie-in to the original trilogy. I hope 343 has already thought of this - as it would give the new storyline much more merit.

 

[ultron87]

Diversification of Knights in their combat roles and visual identification ability (also should apply to other prometheans). Use colours to identify rank 343, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Something that would really help with this would be to make the Promethean Weapons more visibly different. Because I sure can't tell the difference between a knight holding a Light Rifle and a Knight holding a Scattershot.

 

[Blue Ninja]

He'd need some new tools to do it, though, since the Composer got nuked.

 

[NullPointer]

Something that would really help with this would be to make the Promethean Weapons more visibly different. Because I sure can't tell the difference between a knight holding a Light Rifle and a Knight holding a Scattershot.

Light Rifle and Binary Rifle are twins too.

 

[Karl2177]

I love all of the peeps reaching for answers about the end. Here's the only one that makes sense.

Space Jesus.

 

[User 73706]

Will try and make a revised set of enemies based on the overall "Chess motif" they went with initially as well as trying to make a few new Promethean weapons so the UNSC, Covenant and Forerunner are all even on that front. Hopefully I can get started tonight.

Also, really obvious way to maintain distinction between race's weapons while still being identifiable:
Covenant get cool colors. Blues, greens, purples, etc.
Forerunner get warm colors. Reds, oranges, yellows.

 

[Flipyap]

A very good design standpoint to stick to.

Actually, dumping the Covenant, or all of the allied Covenant submitting to the Didact's power and allowing them to take his "great journey" into the digital realm sounds like a good plot point to me, which would also allow them to start semi-fresh with new enemy designs too.

But why would the thing used to make some stupid AIs have anything to do with their designs?
They can have either an unlimited amount of variants right now, or they could all be the same most powerful type of robot, since resources don't seem to be an issue and training or experience don't even enter the equation when something chooses their ranks.
Talk about a nonsensical videogamey enemy.

 

[NBtoaster]

Knights with Incinerator Cannons or scattershots are already visually different to the others, they have a red crest on their back. Perhaps they could have made that more obvious.

 

[DesertFox]

But why would the thing used to make some stupid AIs have anything to do with their designs?
They can have either an unlimited amount of variants right now, or they could all be the same most powerful type of robot, since resources don't seem to be an issue and training or experience don't even enter the equation when something chooses their ranks.
Talk about a nonsensical videogamey enemy.

Maybe it depends on the "donor" when they're composed? Maybe the battlewagons would be the equivelent of Covenant Ship Masters that are experts on tactics, and the standard Knights would be your standard Elite, who doesn't have the experience or know how that higher ranks do. I don't know maybe I'm reaching here...

 

[GhaleonEB]

A very good design standpoint to stick to.

Actually, dumping the Covenant, or all of the allied Covenant submitting to the Didact's power and allowing them to take his "great journey" into the digital realm sounds like a good plot point to me, which would also allow them to start semi-fresh with new enemy designs too.

That is my hope as well. In that regard Halo 4 feels like a transitional game. We start out with a new combat sandbox and set of a abilities, fighting the familiar Covenant on the training mission. The Prometheans came in later and the game slowly transitioned to them to greater and greater degrees as the game went on, to the point where the final level had nothing but them.

So it feels like we've moved beyond the need to have the Covenant now. Given what a poor version of Covenant we got - from visual clarity to AI to overall combat flow - I'd rather 343 focus on an entirely new set of enemies. And thoroughly re-imagining the Flood along the way.

Though, they need to improve dramatically over the Prometheans. They were not interesting enough to sustain an entire mission, much less much of the game. I agree with your post a bit ago about the ways they need to be reworked. Everything from their roles to classes to interactions (we should never, ever have one clear #1 priority in every encounter, as we have with Watchers) need to be rebuilt.

 

[NullPointer]

Knights with Incinerator Cannons or scattershots are already visually different to the others, they have a red crest on their back. Perhaps they could have made that more obvious.

Battlewagons are easy to discern from a distance - its the others that I mix up. Same with crawlers - alphas are distinct, but the other two are easy to confuse, until one of them vaporizes you. And all but ranger elites look the same to me. (racist!)

Though, they need to improve dramatically over the Prometheans. They were not interesting enough to sustain an entire mission, much less much of the game. I agree with your post a bit ago about the ways they need to be reworked. Everything from their roles to classes to interactions (we should never, ever have one clear #1 priority in every encounter, as we have with Watchers) need to be rebuilt.

They've got to mix it up so that the start of every encounter doesn't just involve killing all the watchers and then moving in. Knights need to be more aggressive and move around the battlefield more. Crawler packs need to protect the watchers and react more to the state of knights and watchers alike. Elites will actually rush you - but knights tend to stick to an area and only do that tele-melee attack every so often.

I've found on harder difficulties, or due to level layout I sometimes can't get a watcher kill. I'll get a few shots off and they'll scurry away, and I'm forced to use those precious moments to push an attack to take down the knight - I *like* this, as it gets me into a mindset of creating opportunities and then immediately seeking to exploit them; Of moving between defensive ranged play and aggressive closer ranged combat. A Halo player should feel creative when in combat, not somebody mostly going through the motions in a predefined order. You need to be forced to use the sandbox in ways that may not have been apparent at first glance.

Of course, this is all easier said than done.

 

[Fuchsdh]

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.


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 is a good post and I agree wholeheartedly.

I don't see any reason for Chief to BR surprised by more Spartans. He had always thought they were going to be the first members of an army--didn't work out that way. (A Nylund book explores this thought, don't remember which.)

 

[User 73706]

Idea for Promethean rank identfication;

-Use the warm color spectrum (so, red - orange - yellow) for lighting.
-Experiment with different intensities of light. For example, a Knight with vibrant, almost lens flare-inducing glows will attract more attention than a dim one.
-Use different metallic hues. Silvers, bronzes, golds, coppers. Maybe even have "ancient" boss-type enemies be metallic green like the Statue of Liberty (faded copper).

 

[Card Boy]

Just clocked it on Solo Legendary.

Is it possible another Cortana model will be created for Halo 5?

 

[Daft_Cat]

Just clocked it on Solo Legendary.

Is it possible another Cortana model will be created for Halo 5?

I doubt it. Her new one seems really popular...and for good reason. Her face is some of the best character design I've ever seen in a game.

 

[TheOddOne]

Idea for Promethean rank identfication;

-Use the warm color spectrum (so, red - orange - yellow) for lighting.
-Experiment with different intensities of light. For example, a Knight with vibrant, almost lens flare-inducing glows will attract more attention than a dim one.
-Use different metallic hues. Silvers, bronzes, golds, coppers. Maybe even have "ancient" boss-type enemies be metallic green like the Statue of Liberty (faded copper).

How about going more drastic, change the armor and design.

 

[Dennis]

How did Chief survive the nuclear blast?

 

[Zeouterlimits]

How did Chief survive the nuclear blast?

Cortana used the light bridge to protect him.

Spoiler

Even if the ship that was powering the light bridge was destroyed.

It was a dumb way of handling it.

 

[Dennis]

OK thanks.

They need to make some story excuse for us going back to a halo world for Halo 5. I miss seeing that awesome band when I look up.

 

[Fuchsdh]

Another Ancient Evil Awakens!

Halo 5: Another Ancient Evil Awakens
Halo 6: More Evil, More Awakening
Halo 7: Best Part of Waking Up Is Ancient Evil In My Cup

Cortana used the light bridge to protect him.

Spoiler

Even if the ship that was powering the light bridge was destroyed.

It was a dumb way of handling it.

I agree it was kind of dumb, but I can see the bridge lasting long enough to protect him from the blast.*

*Of course you have to assume the light bridge could actually *take* a nuke going off on it...seems excessively resilient even by Forerunner standards, but I guess we've never seen a reason it couldn't. But yeah, the entire thing could have been handled better.

I guess that's what I'd say about the game as a whole--a lot of the parts were there, they just weren't handled as effectively as they should or kind of went all screwy, like the Cortana goodbye, or Lasky's introduction.

 

[Card Boy]

I doubt it. Her new one seems really popular...and for good reason. Her face is some of the best character design I've ever seen in a game.

No i meant as in a Cortana 2.0 from a story point of view. Maybe Halsey can make a new one.

 

[monome]

(we should never, ever have one clear #1 priority in every encounter, as we have with Watchers)

It's true, but I wonder if 343i wanted to introduce average gamers (me) a more "sophisticated" combat flow. It's a bit of a chore for sure, buit it does require a player to focus.

I like to be taught new tricks, no COD game has taught me anything except rushing to a point beyond the respawn line.

 

[Petrichor]

Seeing as covenant weapons and vehicles were allegedly based on ancient forerunner technology - it would be cool to see the "original" forerunner versions of say, the needler or the plasma rifle. It would allow 343i to shake up the weapon sandbox a bit whilst retaining familiar aesthetics.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Halo 7: Best Part of Waking Up Is Ancient Evil In My Cup

Love it.

I agree it was kind of dumb, but I can see the bridge lasting long enough to protect him from the blast.*

*Of course you have to assume the light bridge could actually *take* a nuke going off on it...seems excessively resilient even by Forerunner standards, but I guess we've never seen a reason it couldn't. But yeah, the entire thing could have been handled better.

I guess that's what I'd say about the game as a whole--a lot of the parts were there, they just weren't handled as effectively as they should or kind of went all screwy, like the Cortana goodbye, or Lasky's introduction.

If the light bridge could take, then surely the rest of the ship could?
But anyway.

I'd agree with that.

 

[Fuchsdh]

Love it.


If the light bridge could take, then surely the rest of the ship could?
But anyway.

I'd agree with that.

I think the idea is that hard light is... well, harder than any conventional Forerunner material--hence why it's used as joints and connectors and bridges. Of course, then the question becomes why isnt *everything* made out of hard light, so I assume there are certain restrictions (aside from gameplay.)

 

[Waaghals]

He could have been teleported away to safety.
There were portals earlier in the game, and in CE cortana used outright teleportation to get him into the Truth and Reconciliation.

There is a precedent for this.

 

[TheOddOne]

Who says Cortana wasn't changed by The Librarian? She got magic power now, yo.

 

[Clay Davis]

No i meant as in a Cortana 2.0 from a story point of view. Maybe Halsey can make a new one.

I think they should do this and have cortana 1.0 come back in some way and be angry that mc has moved on and taken on another ai. it could even build into her becoming a big bad in the sixth game with her feeling spurned and such by mc.

basically, I hope they don't just bring cortana back. I hope they go down a path where she becomes increasingly hostile towards chief and other humans and has to be put down.

 

[Der Flatulator]

Halo 7: Best Part of Waking Up To Finish The Fight Is Ancient Evil In My Cup

Fix'd

 

[Mindwipe]

I think you have to assume that Cortana teleports the Chief out of range of the nuke and then wraps the bridge around him to just protect him from the resulting shrapnel or something.

Because yeah, it doesn't make a damned bit of sense that the bridge is invulnerable to nukes at immediate range even though they destroy the rest of the ship.

It's just a shame this wasn't spelt out more clearly, as it wouldn't have done anything to ruin the emotional intent and would have just made more sense.

 

[IHaveIce]

I'm still surprised the bomb could destroy the ship.. I thought for some reason forerunner buildings are nearly indestructible?

Maybe I'm confusing this with Precursor creations.

 

[Fuchsdh]

I think they should do this and have cortana 1.0 come back in some way and be angry that mc has moved on and taken on another ai. it could even build into her becoming a big bad in the sixth game with her feeling spurned and such by mc.

basically, I hope they don't just bring cortana back. I hope they go down a path where she becomes increasingly hostile towards chief and other humans and has to be put down.

I don't think she needs to be evil, but bad
Fiction ignores the "no free lunch" law. You bring someone back there's got to be hardship and sacrifice involved, otherwise no one will accept it.

 

[Mindwipe]

No i meant as in a Cortana 2.0 from a story point of view. Maybe Halsey can make a new one.

Well, she clearly can as a hint was dropped as to how in the Halo: Reach Collectors Edition diary - Cortana was greated from a flash-cloned brain of Halsey, and Halsey made three such clones and kept the others frozen for future use.

I suppose if they did that you'd have to play on the drama of the Chief not being very friendly to her, seeing her as a pale imitation of the real thing with none of the memories of their adventures together.

It'll be that or, as others have said, something along the lines of the original Cortana using the Composer to create herself a new, physical body that must be on Requiem somewhere. That body would presumably still be rampant. I can't help but feel that the line that Cortana's rampancy could be cured with access to Halsey's neural net must have been put into Halo 4 for a reason.

It could be possibly be both. Then you have the Chief warming up to the new Cortana, and then boom, he finds out the original still exists, and has gone loco.

 

[exYle]

Maybe the future games will feature a Mendicant Bias-type storyline for Cortana.