When Halo Infinite launches later this year, it will be arriving just in time for the series' 20th anniversary. Since Halo 1's debut, the franchise has grown exponentially. Like many other popular sci-fi series, Halo is home to various species, groups, and whatnot, whose relationships–some of which span hundreds of thousands of years–serve as the backbone for much of the conflict present in the series’ timeline.
Like its predecessors, Halo Infinite will prominently feature multiple factions; potentially the most of any mainline game to date. Each major player in the Halo universe boasts a rich history that one can only hope will be further added to through any new revelations Halo Infinite might have in store.
The United Nations Space Command and Humanity
The United Nations Space Command (UNSC) includes the Spartans, ODSTs, Marines, and virtually all human groups or individuals seen in the Halo canon. As humanity’s primary governing body, the UNSC has played a major role throughout the games, and based on Halo Infinite’s available footage, that's only going to continue.
Throughout the series’ timeline, humanity has been involved in several wars with other species. In prehistoric times, humanity fought the Flood and lost a war against the Forerunners. In the Halo games, the species faced off against the Covenant, Flood, and Promethean forces, but has also forged alliances with other species, specifically the Covenant separatists led by the Arbiter, Thel ‘Vadum.
The Forerunners and Prometheans
This ancient race is responsible for the creation of the titular Halo rings. The Forerunners, along with humanity, were created by the Precursors–a race that initially chose humanity to be the guardians of Halo’s galaxy. Not content with the Precursor’s judgment, the Forerunners took them out and assumed the role themselves. However, a war with the Flood would later force the Forerunners into exile, thus halting their reign.
One notable Forerunner, the Ur-Didact, appears in Halo 4 as the antagonist, but the species’ creations, the Prometheans, have certainly had a larger spotlight in the games. While neither has appeared thus far in previews for Halo Infinite, given that Halo 5 ends with Cortana dead-set on enforcing “peace” throughout the galaxy via the AI-controlled Prometheans, it’s all too likely the Forerunners' creations will be featured in a large capacity.
The Flood
The Flood is a parasitic species whose members are joined together by a collective consciousness. The species is capable of infecting almost any living organism, and they are considered to be perhaps the greatest known danger to the galaxy. The Flood nearly took down the Forerunners, and previously posed a threat to both the human and Covenant forces throughout the Human-Covenant War before being stopped by Master Chief and the Arbiter.
Like the Forerunners, the Flood has not been confirmed to appear in Halo Infinite, but the game’s setting–Zeta Halo–is notable for being a testing ground where the Forerunners experimented with the parasite. With this in mind, it’s possible the Flood could make a return to Halo after a long absence, but that remains to be seen.
The Covenant
The Covenant consisted of several alien species that led a galactic conquest motivated by the group’s worship of the Forerunners. During the Human-Covenant War, one of these species, the Elites, splintered off to join forces with humanity following an internal conflict. Together, humanity and the Elites took down the Covenant, but several rogue groups proceeded to rise from its ashes.
One such group led by Jul ‘Mdama was featured in Halo 5 but was quickly put down by Spartan Locke’s Fireteam Osiris. However, there is another notable, similar faction that is set to have a huge presence in Halo Infinite.
The Banished
The Banished were previously introduced in Halo Wars 2 as a splinter faction of the Covenant. Brutes–one of many species making up the Covenant–grew dissatisfied with Covenant leadership, who had a tendency to view Brute casualties as acceptable losses. In response, many Brutes rose up, and thus the Banished were formed.
In Halo Infinite’s campaign demo, a Brute named Escharum was shown to oversee the Banished, which maintained a strong grip on the game’s setting of Zeta Halo. Given the group’s prominent presence thus far, it’s safe to assume the Banished will be among the main villains Master Chief will face in the game.
Halo Infinite will launch in 2021 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.