Halo Infinite Campaign Footage Reveals Outpost Gameplay and a New AI Companion

A new video detailing the Halo Infinite campaign has revealed brand new footage of the Master Chief’s next mission, as well as an introduction to his new AI and some of the activities that can be completed.

Halo Infinite’s campaign – which 343 Industries claims is the biggest Halo campaign to date – is set on the Zeta Halo, an open world Halo ring where the Banished, a splinter faction from the Covenant, led by the Brutes, have settled. They’ve been building outposts, which can be found on your travels and taken out, akin to similar outposts in open world games like Far Cry. In the video, we can see Chief finding an outpost – named Ransom Keep – and scanning it for weak points. He then uses a rocket launcher to detonate a large silo, suggesting each outpost may have different ways of shutting them down. This is part of 343’s intention to offer “more freedom to take down the Banished”.

This chapter of the Halo saga will see Master Chief working with a new AI companion, known as The Weapon. Following the events of Halo 5 and Cortana’s defection, The Weapon has been created to answer the question of what happened to Chief’s previous AI, and to lock her down. It seems like once again the relationship between Cortana and Chief will be in the spotlight for Halo Infinite.

Also seen in the trailer is a glimpse at the upgrades tree, which includes enhancements for Chief’s new Grappleshot, as well as his Thrusters, Shield Core, Threat Sensor radar, and a Drop Wall shield. Those thursters can be used to quickly dodge out of the way of incoming attacks, while the Drop Wall shield functions akin to the Titan’s shield wall from Destiny. An amusing moment shows off the Grappleshot, in which Chief grapples onto a Banshee midair to hijack it. It all looks very dynamic and wild.

We see a few new enemies, including the flying Skimmers, a new named villain called Jega ‘Rdomnai who’s said to be a sadistic Spartan killer, and something that calls itself the “Harbinger of Truth” and claims that the Forerunners were liars.

We also see a new Chief using a Wasp, the VTOL aircraft first introduced in Halo 5. The Wasp is summon from a vehicle station, and we see Chief also had the option of other classic vehicles such as the Mongoose.

This is our first look at Halo Infinite’s campaign since we saw it at the Xbox Games Showcase in July 2020 ahead of the launch of Xbox Series X/S. Master Chief’s latest adventure was set to be a launch title for Microsoft’s next-gen consoles, but the game was delayed following blowback about Halo Infinite’s graphics and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its development timeline.

For more, see our multiplayer review in progress, check out the Halo Infinite Xbox Series X console and Elite controller, the game’s accessibility features, and our look at how Halo Infinite’s delay was the right one, even if it was painful.

Halo Infinite will launch December 8 on Xbox consoles and PC.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer.