New Halo Infinite trailer drops, teases return of The Banished

Halo fans have been patiently waiting for substantial news regarding Halo Infinite, the latest game in the main series that was revealed at E3 2018. While the most recent teaser doesn't yet provide that, it most likely signifies the start of the big marketing campaign leading up to the release.

(Picture: 343)

The video in question is a small clip uploaded to Halo's official YouTube channel titled SIGNAL DETECTED. TAG DESIGNATION: FOE and features the voice of what many fans think is Atriox, leader of the mercenary organisation known as The Banished.

In the video, a voice claims that "forces occupy the ring" and that they will take control of it within the hour. It's clear Infinite will feature a new Halo ring and Atriox's band of misfits will look to seize control of it for reasons yet unknown.

During the trailer presented at last year's E3, a Pelican dropship received a transmission: "Signal detected. Tag designation: ally." It's safe to assume the broadcast by The Banished is a threat directed at the UNSC, possibly at Master Chief himself.

The clip ends with a very telling quote: "No more prophets, no more lies, we stand together. Brothers to the end, we are his will, we are his legacy, we are The Banished."

Who are The Banished in Halo?

Lead by Atriox and Decimus, The Banished were formed during the Human-Covenant War (the original Halo trilogy) after rebelling against the leadership of the Sangheili and the Prophet's quest to find The Ark by following the great journey, a road that would lead the Covenant to transcend above all other lesser species, inheriting the mantle of the Forerunners as the dominant race in the universe.

Of course, in reality, had they activated Installation 00 (The Ark) all life in the universe would cease to exist, luckily Master Chief stopped them in Halo 3, but I digress.

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Back to The Banished, years later after The War ended, they grew in numbers thanks to The Great Schism, a sort of civil war that happened during the Covenant-Human War, that severely weakened The Covenant's strength.

The consequences of this can be seen in the real-time strategy game, Halo Wars 2, where the UNSC Spirit of Fire encounters Atriox and his followers taking control of The Ark. Long story short, they are the main baddies of that title, and it seems the Halo Infinite storyline take place in or around the events depicted in the RTS.

Previous toy leaks indicated The Banished would be featured in Infinite with the teaser serving as further confirmation. Now, it remains to be seen what Microsoft has in store for its flagship franchise when the next Xbox Series X reveals comes along.