Unstoppable force, meet immovable object. (At least, if you’re on defense you really hope you can embody that immovable object spirit.) It’s tactical, it’s intense, and it’s got just enough Halo: Reach DNA to make longtime fans feel right at home… Invasion has arrived!

Whether you’re storming the gates or desperately trying to keep them shut, Invasion turns every match into a showdown of Spartan grit and glorious chaos.

At its core, Invasion is an asymmetrical, one-sided objective mode pitting two teams of 8 against each other. Each team will get the chance to attack and defend for a total of two rounds. Each round is broken into 3 phases, and if you complete each phase, you get a point. The modes available for each phase are identical to those found in Reach, plus one new addition: 

• Capture the Zone

  • As the name implies, this is a zone control style mode and your goal is to capture it before time runs out

• Assault

  • Much as the normal Arena mode, you are bringing a bomb to the zone and aim to detonate it before the enemy team stops you

• Core Delivery

  • If you played Reach, this is going to be a familiar objective where you are literally delivering the core to the enemy team’s base. In Infinite, this will be a Flag you are running to plant

• Deliver the Payload

  • New to Invasion with Halo Infinite, delivering the payload will have you escorting a payload along a set trail to the end destination. When the enemy is contesting the payload, forward progress halts so keep that path clear! And don’t leave the payload behind or else it won’t progress. The more Spartans on the payload, the faster it progresses along the path.

    • Worth noting that you can earn TWO points for delivering the payload to its final destination: One at the very end, naturally, but you’ll also earn a point when you reach the checkpoint.

The setup will be UNSC vs. Banished-affected Spartans, very similar to the experience in Banished Slayer. Each phase will have multiple options to select from, so choose wisely.

Phase 1, UNSC Scout

• MA5K Avenger

• Frag Grenades

• Threat Seeker

Phase 1, UNSC Sentry

• MK50 Sidekick

• Frag Grenades

• Drop Wall

Phase 2, UNSC Warrior

• MA40 Assault Rifle

• MK50 Sidekick

• Frag Grenades

• Drop Wall

Phase 2, UNSC Operator

• CQS48 Bulldog

• Frag Grenades

• Quantum Translocator

Phase 2, UNSC Skirmisher

• VK78 Commando

• MA5K Avenger

• Frag Grenades

• Thruster

Phase 3, UNSC Headhunter

• BR75

• VK78 Commando

• Frag Grenades

• Shroud Screen

Phase 3, UNSC Healer

• CQS48 Bulldog

• MK50 Sidekick

• Frag Grenades

• Repair Field

Phase 3, UNSC Marksman

• Bandit Evo

• MA40 Assault Rifle

• Frag Grenades

• Grappleshot

Phase 3, UNSC Sentinel

• VK78 Commando

• MA5K Avenger

• Frag Grenades

• Thruster

Phase 3, UNSC Heavy

• MLRS-2 Hydra

• MA40 Assault Rifle

• Frag Grenades

• Overshield

Just like the UNSC side, the Banished side also has loadout options that update each phase.

Phase 1, Banished Sentry

• Mangler

• Spike Grenades

• Thruster

Phase 1, Banished Scout

• Needler

• Plasma Grenades

• Active Camo

Phase 2, Banished Marksman

• Vestige Carbine

• Plasma Pistol

• Spike Grenades

• Repulsor

Phase 2, Banished Hunter

• Heatwave

• Spike Grenades

• Drop Wall

Phase 2, Banished Sapper

• Ravager

• Needler

• Plasma Grenades

• Thruster

Phase 3, Banished Headhunter

• Bandit Evo

• Pulse Carbine

• Spike Grenade

• Grappleshot

Phase 3, Banished Warrior

• CQS48 Bulldog

• Mangler

• Spike Grenade

• Threat Sensor

Phase 3, Banished Sentinel

• Sentinel Beam

• Vestige Carbine

• Spike Grenade

• Repulsor

Phase 3, Banished Medic

• Pulse Carbine

• MA40 Assault Rifle

• Spike Grenade

• Repair Field

Phase 3, Banished Dark Assassin

• Duelist Energy Sword

• Disruptor

• Plasma Grenades

• Active Camo

One of the more unique features Invasion introduced was Buddy Spawning. This allowed you to spawn on your buddy directly rather than at the default spawn location. It’s not required but who doesn’t love options? Your buddy is randomly assigned during the match and you cannot change or swap. Once the game starts, you are together for the full match. Yes, this means if your buddy abandons the match that you no longer have the ability to Buddy Spawn. The caveats to Buddy Spawning:

• Buddies are reciprocal (If they are your buddy, you are theirs)

• Your Buddy must be alive to spawn on them

• They must have been alive for at least five seconds to spawn on them

• They must have full health and shields to spawn on them

• They must be clear of engagements or have no enemies nearby to spawn on them

• If your Buddy is in a vehicle, there must be an empty seat to spawn on them

• When you spawn on your Buddy, you will be facing the way they are facing

If you don’t want to spawn on your buddy, you can choose to spawn at the other zones: Left, Middle, or Right spawns.

So…how do you win an Invasion match? Each phase you “win” or progress will net your team a point. So if you are attacking first and you make it through all three phases and you complete them, you will have earned three points total. If you are on defense and you stop the team at the second phase, the attacking team only has one point.

It is possible to tie so if both teams successfully make it through all three phases and earn three points, everyone goes home a winner.

There are six new maps coming to Invasion which means plenty of variety for you to engage with. Let’s check them out! Grab the mode here[www.halowaypoint.com], and then grab the maps below!

Breakpoint
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]
Credits: Okom1, Virus11010, Scrubulba, Mr Kwatz, Igrizhar, spartan blood 1, JoValiant, Mr IncrediJON, THE SLAMMERSS

A classic returns from Halo: Reach. Don’t let it push you to your breaking point.

CrashoutBookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

They said it was a crash. We called it a tactical arrival.

ExhumedBookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]https://www.halowaypoint.com/halo-infinite/ugc/maps/55eccabf-1865-439d-ad7b-3920b5cfd645[/url][/u]Credits: Mr IncrediJON, Scrubulba, spartan blood 1, Virus11010, Mr Kwatz, Igrizhar, JoValiant[/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38365036/96f3c147e6e4f3c1aba4f94edf47fb451b26a2f2.jpg"][/img][/p][p align="start"]You came looking for glory but you found a grave.[/p][p align="start"][b]Last Road[/b] [url="https://www.halowaypoint.com/halo-infinite/ugc/maps/24d6a48b-d78b-49c7-8b24-338fa3508a32"]Bookmark[/url] Credits: Mr Kwatz, MikRips, Scrubulba[/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38365036/8fd7e641f655f965d9ea4fb0f25a4c0bd47abb89.jpg"][/img][/p][p align="start"]Last Road: where the only traffic is incoming fire.[/p][p align="start"][b]Recovery [/b][url="https://www.halowaypoint.com/halo-infinite/ugc/maps/1bc0e2a7-9d6d-4771-9574-9978e7c9292c"]Bookmark[/url] Credits: Okom1, Virus11010, Scrubulba, D0ctorSmurf, spartan blood 1, Mr IncrediJON, Mr Kwatz, Cousin Tim, JoValiant[/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38365036/44fd7ad371c9b1ac8ee17adcf3b470df18a8db34.jpg"][/img][/p][p align="start"]They terraformed Reach, now it’s your turn to reshape the battlefield.[/p][p align="start"][b]Wavelength[/b] [url="https://www.halowaypoint.com/halo-infinite/ugc/maps/72339fd1-c61a-4cbb-a876-0ffdb877a899"]Bookmark[/url][/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38365036/c4c5f19b949e977490b32ea6bcc0c8f53c3b270d.jpg"][/img][/p][p align="start"]Broadcasting live from the edge of chaos.[/p][h2][b]EXIT ENGAGEMENTS[/b][/h2][p align="start"]Now, it’s time to invade the battlefield. Whether you’re storming the gates or holding the line, Invasion’s better with buddies (and a few well-placed grenades), so squad up and hit the ground running![/pCredits: Mr IncrediJON, Scrubulba, spartan blood 1, Virus11010, Mr Kwatz, Igrizhar, JoValiant

You came looking for glory but you found a grave.

Last RoadBookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]
Credits: Mr Kwatz, MikRips, Scrubulba

Last Road: where the only traffic is incoming fire.

RecoveryBookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]Credits: Okom1, Virus11010, Scrubulba, D0ctorSmurf, spartan blood 1, Mr IncrediJON, Mr Kwatz, Cousin Tim, JoValiant

They terraformed Reach, now it’s your turn to reshape the battlefield.

WavelengthBookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

Broadcasting live from the edge of chaos.

Now, it’s time to invade the battlefield. Whether you’re storming the gates or holding the line, Invasion’s better with buddies (and a few well-placed grenades), so squad up and hit the ground running!

UNSC cadets are taught to imitate—and thereby venerate—the martial actions of humanity’s time-honored heroes.

Operation: Warpath ennobles their legend with myth-made armor sets, the epic resurgence of Invasion mode, and a return to hallowed tradition in the Ranked Legacy rotational playlist.

Harken ye to the drums of war. Operation: Warpath sallies forth!

Sleek and lethal, the next generation of Project: HAYABUSA looks to the future while respecting its past. The legendary Dragon Ninja returns to Halo Infinite to commemorate the release of NINJA GAIDEN 4 on October 21, 2025.

Acquire the HAYABUSA ZOKUHEN bundle from The Exchange now through October 7, before it vanishes into legend forever.

The enemy is at the gates. You must thwart their advances, or relinquish sacred ground.

In the 8v8 Invasion mode, the Offense team assails the entrenched positions of the Defenders in hopes of completing objectives and forcing their foes back. Rounds are divided into three phases, each with a unique objective, where achievement is measured in new ground gained, a new goal, and upgraded loadouts for all teams.

If the Defenders can prevent invaders from achieving their ambitions long enough, the round ends and the teams switch sides. Time to put their backs to the wall!

Invasion rounds are divided into three phases presenting a series of objectives. For every objective completed, attackers will gain one point toward victory and advance to the next phase, with improved weaponry and new spawn points deeper into enemy territory.

Invasion maps are designed to be linear, so that action converges on discrete chokepoints in the early phases, and scales to longer-range combat as invaders access new areas.

If attackers win a phase, both teams will be able to select from a new assortment of upgraded loadouts upon respawning. Defenders must deny any objective long enough to thwart the invasion and instantly end the round. Then it’s their turn to go on the offensive!

To honor Halo: Reach and the valiant Spartans who defended its servers, Invasion’s banner shall fly full-mast in a dedicated playlist through the duration of Operation: Warpath. Jump in now through October 7.

At the conclusion of Operation: Warpath, Invasion will join the Squad Battle playlist.

We’re ready. How ‘bout you? To celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of Halo: Reach, our very own ske7ch will be hosting a Halo: Reach[www.x.com] anniversary panel[www.x.com] from the Community Stage of the Halo World Championships[www.aka.ms] in October.

In Operation: Warpath, we’re also bringing back the beloved Invasion mode that first debuted in the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta.

As we set about recreating the magic for Halo Infinite, we decided to expand the number of available maps, add a new objective, and adjust available loadouts to really get the adrenaline pumping!

Halo: Reach featured three playable Invasion maps. We’ve now doubled that to six maps, each with its own rotation of objectives. Original Invasion maps Breakpoint and Boneyard (now dubbed “Recovery”) return alongside four all-new arenas that were tailor-made for Invasion.

Check out all the Invasion maps in our official playlist overview.

In Halo: Reach, Invasion maps featured a rotation of three core objectives: Capture the Zone, Assault, and Core Delivery. Halo Infinite adds a fourth objective, Payload, that asks invaders to escort a payload along a track to score.

On Payload maps, this new objective awards up to two points: one for bringing the payload to a midway checkpoint, and a second for sealing the deal at the final destination.

During phases with a Capture the Zone objective, the time to capture has been raised to 30 seconds (from 25 seconds in Halo: Reach). This tweak should help give Defenders more time to organize a counter-offensive on the new and more purposefully sweaty maps.

The Core Delivery objective is only slightly different from its Halo: Reach counterpart; carrier attributes should feel the same, but you’ll be swinging a flag instead of a data core. (Talk about “reach!”)

During certain Invasion phases in Halo: Reach, opposing teams were offered a varied number of selectable loadouts. In Halo Infinite’s Invasion mode, both teams will always be able to choose from the same number of loadouts during every phase of the round. See all loadouts.

Live the legend. The new Ranked Legacy playlist brings iconic Halo multiplayer combat to Halo Infinite’s ranked experience.

Featuring lovingly recreated maps from Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3, this playlist faithfully captures the mythic vibe of ranked play in quintessential Halo modes such as Slayer, Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, and Oddball.

Ranked Legacy introduces a competition variant of Delta Arena’s throwback settings[www.aka.ms], with modifications for ranked play such as faster respawns and disabled Motion Trackers. All players will spawn with a Battle Rifle, but the Bandit Evo can be still found on weapon racks at most spawns.

All match settings:

• Sprint: Off

• Clamber: Off

• Starting Weapon: Battle Rifle

• Secondary Weapon: None

• Friendly Player Collision: On

• Motion Tracker: Disabled

• Respawn Delay: 8 Seconds

Honor demands that you vouchsafe impenitent foes with a cruel display of thine mighty reflexes. Get ye to the tournament grounds of Ranked Legacy!

Heroes of olden times spent their days slaying giants, extolling courtly virtues, and avenging the besmirchèd honor of many a slandered lady. A Spartan’s missions are admittedly quite different than the romantic knights of chivalric poems, but quality armor remains an indispensable complement to their noble deeds.

Embark on a righteous crusade in the latest Operation Pass, and ye shall be beknighted! Operation: Warpath’s free, 20-tier reward track bestows the bravest of Spartans with the Lancer armor set and the gilded parade trimmings of the UEG Regalia armor coating.

Let no indecorous cur look upon thee unadorned thusly (‘twould be a pox upon thy name).

Elect the path of the Premium Pass to brandish the Ornamented Commando, a bayoneted weapon model whose dagger is tipp’d with “enchantment” (pain). This noble sword would look lustrously appointed with the included Fused Suns weapon coating.

Premium Pass holders will earn bonus XP, unlock an additional challenge slot, and open a durable reward track to complete Operation: Warpath’s 20 reward tiers in princely leisure.

As Operation: Warpath mounts for war, Halo Infinite’s Fall Update marches on. If you are but a knave in the ways of this Autumnal Renaissance, seek the wizened counsel of our Fall Update preview (‘tis a mighty tome!).

Betwixt its scriven lines the noble-hearted may learn of the fleet Falcon, the piercing Vestige Carbine, a treasure trove of Weapons Bench customizations, arcane Forge features, uncharted Ranked maps, and yet greater mysteries to daunt even the valiant!

Prithee, gather around The Shop to peruse the new and unrivaled wares of the galaxy’s most renowned smithies.

Take mortal guidance from the Ancestral Inspiration bundle, containing the Hearthguard and Tribune armor sets and a dragon’s horde of Spartan customizations.

• Tribune: Forged in equal parts from liquid crystal, composite alloy, and timeless virtues, the TRIBUNE armor set stands as a testament to those who keep vigil over sacred places. Stand on ceremony with the crimson, gold, and ivory parade colors of the Senatorial Guard armor coating—so that no pretenders dare challenge your imperial might.

• Hearthguard: Tales of battle and solid engineering have wrought the HEARTHGUARD, a stalwart armor set that is said to produce a longing for casks, axes, and sea-songs among those who heed its clarion call. Add a dose of brine with the Ironscale Stitching coating. Once dressed for raiding, feel free to wrap the Vöndr Heatwave in the Fateful End coating to menace shorelines as your ancestors would have wanted.

• Niflheim Fragmentation: Send their wanton souls for a proper Norse reckoning with the Niflheim Fragmentation death effect set.

Purchase the Ancestral Inspiration bundle to unlock the Hearthguard and Tribune armor sets, Ironscale Stitching and Senatorial Guard armor coatings, Vöndr Heatwave weapon model, Fateful End weapon coating, and Niflheim Fragmentation death effect set.

Monitor the situation in widescreen with the Scanner armor bundle. First seen in Halo 4, the SCANNER helmet now returns to lend its powers of ultra-perception to Spartans conducting high-value target and hostage recovery missions. The included Elegant Champion armor coating should help you embrace the immemorial aesthetic of burnished wood and gilder.

This bundle is also available in The Exchange to redeem with Spartan Points!

From the testing labs of Ganymede to the burning shores of Reach, the EVA GEN1 remains favored among Spartan space forces. The EVA Test Series bundle honors their service.

This bundle offers armor straight from the EVA testbed series—including the EVA GEN1 helmet, EVA Mark V armor attachments, Victory visor, and Charred Rust armor coating—and outfits space-bound Spartans with the CMA M392 Bandit weapon model, Fractured Serenity weapon coating, Defy emblem set, and Resistance backdrop.

A virtuous knight must be clad in raiment befitting their inward nobility! Bring your hard-won Spartan Points to The Exchange to claim the HAYABUSA ZOKUHEN bundle (for the last time ever!), the new Scanner armor bundle, Operation: Legacy’s EOD GEN1 armor set, and honor-bound deep cuts from the Fracture: Tenrai Events.

Halo Infinite offers a universe of multiplayer experiences. To navigate this constellated cosmos, we’ve compiled a list of useful resources for new and returning players. Visit these links to see currently active playlists, game mode overviews, patch notes, and more:

• Join the official Halo Discord server[www.discord.gg].

• Read the patch notes[www.aka.ms] for Operation: Warpath.

• Check out all currently active multiplayer playlists[www.aka.ms].

• Read descriptions for all multiplayer modes[www.aka.ms] in Halo Infinite.

• Learn about creating custom maps and modes[www.aka.ms] in Forge.

New to Halo Infinite? Check out our New Player Guide[www.aka.ms] for helpful tips.

Run into a bug, glitch, or unexpected issue? Submit a ticket to Halo Support.[support.halowaypoint.com]

You can submit tickets on a wide range of topics that includes reports of audio issues, crashes, game-save corruption, general bug reports, and more.

Download the Operation: Warpath press kit.[www.aka.ms]

Falcons are famished and the Banished are ruthless ⚔️

Feed the frenzy with our Operation: Shadows Community Playdate tomorrow at 11am PT! Match us to unlock the Unicorn of Ice rewards ❄️

🟣 Twitch[twitch.tv]

🔴 YouTube

From the shadows comes a voice…

“GET TO THE FALCON!”

Operation: Shadows is the first Operation of our 2025 Fall Update but it will not be going quietly into that dark night. With the Falcon in the skies and the Vestige Carbine in hand, Operation: Shadows launches Famished Famished Falcons and Banished Slayer into the spotlight.

Let’s check those out!

Why are Falcons flocking to fly furiously across the sky in pursuit of the furled flag? Why, it’s because they’re famished, of course!

Based loosely off a children’s game featuring starving river horses, Famished Famished Falcons pits four teams of 3 players against each other. Work together as a team, pile into your Falcon, and race to the middle with the ultimate goal: Capture the Flag.

To make things a bit more fun, everyone has a Plasma Pistol (which can EMP vehicles!) and a Grappleshot, allowing you some creative freedom and movement opportunities.

Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

This is the (very colorful) map you’ll be having your aerial dogfights on. Remember what color platform you start on so you know where to bring the flag!

Just remember…no one said you had to be on your Falcon to capture the flag. You just gotta get the flag to your zone to score a point.

Four teams, four falcons, 12 Spartans, 1 flag. You do the math.

Get locked and loaded… It’s time for Banished Slayer!

This asymmetrical matchmaking mode will have you thinking strategically (who am I kidding, you should always be doing that anyway…) and working together to out-play the enemy (should be routine as well!).

Before you come for me for the “L” word, it’s simply a way to differentiate starting gear for both teams and has some nice alliteration. Banished Slayer is a two team mode that features asymmetrical “loadouts.” What does that mean, exactly? One team will spawn with UNSC gear:

• Bandit Evo

• MA5K Avenger

• Frag Grenades

While the other team has some of the Banished armory at their disposal, as well as the Infected Banished overlay:

• Vestige Carbine

• Pulse Rifle

• Spike Grenades

For those that played it, this may feel somewhat familiar to Invasion Slayer from Halo: Reach. Beyond the starting equipment, everything else is business as usual. Team based slayer, race to 50 kills, everyone has access to content on the map, etc.

If you’re looking to get your hands on the Vestige Carbine and put it through its paces, this is a great mode for that since half the lobby will be spawning with it. If you spawned with a Bandit Evo, well… You know how you can earn one. 😈

You’ll be playing on nine maps that should be familiar such as Forest, Prism, Dredge, and many others, along with a new Community Forge map, Ecotone! You should also be able to find Ecotone in Quick Play Slayer, KOTH, Oddball, and Strongholds if those are your jam.

Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

Credits: Yeehaw J24, Scrubulba, Igrizhar, Jovaliant

Danger could be lurking around any corner…on any level. Also, say hi to Fret when you find him.

And with that, it’s time to venture out, feel the power of the Vestige Carbine, hear the spin of the Falcon rotors, and put your skills to the test! Read more about the update in our 2025 Fall Playlist blog.

See you on the battlefield!

New directives received. Operation: Shadows has the green light.

Misriah Armory is proud to unveil the new model line of its acclaimed Falcon-series utility transport. Outfitted with a port-side grenade launcher and a heavy machine gun at starboard, this versatile warbird serves just as nobly in direct aerial assaults as it does in medium-range troop deployments. 

Between its cockpit, two assault jump-seats, and dual gunner positions, the spacious Falcon seats up to five UNSC personnel—with legroom to spare! Requisition yours today.

Jump into Famished Famished Falcons to earn your wings with the Falcon. Starting today, the Falcon has also been added to Forge and to certain BTB maps[www.aka.ms].

Do our eyes deceive us? The Vestige Carbine is a recently discovered relic from the early Covenant’s Third Age of Reclamation, forged anew by the Swords of Sanghelios. It fires rapidly, accurately, and with glorious, green projectiles (as dictated by tradition).

Wield the Vestige Carbine against puny humans in Banished Slayer (details below). You can also find it on select Ranked maps, in many Social experiences, or in Forge.

Flipping into that Covenant scope almost makes you miss those long, uncertain nights hunkered down in New Mombasa. Almost.

Four teams, four Falcons, and only one flag between them. Famished Famished Falcons is an aerial CTF minigame where teams must pilot a Falcon past enemy warbirds to steal the flag from its tower at the center of the map.

Gunners can clear the LZ with the chain gun or lob grenades with the launcher, but it’s the pilot’s job to get them close enough to bail out and nab the flag! If that weren’t hard enough, your team also needs to get the flag back to your base to score.

Don’t worry about getting picked off by a pesky opponent! As long as your team’s Falcon remains aloft, you can choose to teleport back to an open jump seat upon respawning.

With two teammates on the guns and three angry Falcons on your tailfeathers, you’ll have to work together to stay airborne. Learn more in our playlist update blog.[www.aka.ms]

Play Famished Famished Falcons in a dedicated playlist now through September 9. At the conclusion of Operation: Shadows, this mode will appear in the Action Sack playlist.

All shall know the might of the Banished! In this asymmetrical Slayer variant, two teams square off with either UNSC or Banished weaponry in a race to total domination.

• Banished Team: Vestige Carbine, Pulse Rifle, Spike Grenades

• UNSC Team: Bandit Evo, MA5K Avenger, Frag Grenades

Banished teams go to war with the new Vestige Carbine, while the UNSC team is kitted out with a Bandit Evo. Since both teams receive a dependable, mid-range rifle and a submachine gun for a sidearm, the real determining factor is the will to survive (not to mention the unique opening tactics afforded by different grenade types).

As the first Operation in Halo Infinite’s Fall Update, Operation: Shadows strikes with a free, 20-tier Operation Pass and a 50-tier Premium Operation Pass boasting four armor sets.

Those with “a certain set of skills” will find them handsomely rewarded in the latest Operation Pass. Complete all 20 tiers to acquire the Whisper armor set and plenty of Spartan Points for your next discreet rendezvous with The Exchange.

Despite being the regulation flight gear of ONI’s top pilots, Whisper armor is a rarely seen phenomenon—at least among the living. Whether you’re on a casual reconnoiter or running a Shiva-tipped package, this stealthy gear will conceal your very shadow.

Upgrade to the Premium Pass to acquire four full armor sets redacted from ONI’s most disavowed dossiers. In addition to the Whisper armor set, Premium Pass operatives will get a lead on the Fire Serpent, Direwolf, and Aristos armor sets.

• Fire Serpent: Modeled on descriptions of a lost civilization’s war god, the Fire Serpent armor exudes wisdom, power, and the timeless art of subterfuge.

• Direwolf: The comprehensive DIREWOLF armor system proves that Emerson Tactical Systems leads the pack when it comes to battlefield innovations.

• Aristos: Reverse-engineered from Promethean technology, the Aristos armor has been recompiled and refactored to serve the needs of new, less noble masters.

Originally recovered at ONI black sites, these armors have finally cleared enough red tape to aid Spartans on sensitive assignments throughout the galaxy.

Upon purchasing the Operation: Shadows Premium Operation Pass, players will instantly unlock an exclusive customization bundle containing all these tactical accoutrements:

• MA5K Hush weapon model

• Nighthawk weapon coating

• Green Mixer visor

• Purrsonal Spartan weapon charm

Operation: Shadows emerges from deep cover with a new weapon, a new vehicle, and plenty of other exciting updates for Spartan eyes only.

Check out our Fall Update preview to read about expanded Weapons Bench customizations, new perspective options in Firefight, a massive rollout of Forge features, upcoming Ranked maps, and more!

The Shop takes you into its confidence with full disclosure on the latest developments in top-secret military hardware.

The Machine War bundle joins UNSC recon gear with the extinction attire of the Executors, along with stealthy weapon models and the exclusive State Collapse death effect.

• FIRBOLG: What’s that lying in the understory, gently dappled with light through the trees? FIRBOLG armor is designed to make that a rhetorical question. Built for deep recon and high-risk sabotage, it has undoubtedly proven useful for any number of undisclosed missions where detection is tantamount to annihilation.

• RECTIFIER: >>Augmented biologics detected. Engage subroutine: RECTIFY. The RECTIFIER combat skin has been meticulously assembled to offer prejudicial countermeasures for viral machine threats, short-lived Spartans, and any other outliers foolish enough to contradict the plan.

Pick up the Machine War bundle to acquire the FIRBOLG and RECTIFIER armor sets, the Blackjacket Sidekick and Veiled Threat sniper weapon models, the Green Death and Black Whisper weapon coatings, and the State Collapse death effect.

The Banished war machine never sleeps—and from its dreams of conquest come merciless models forged by the most devious weaponsmiths.

Seize the Legacy of Rukt bundle to acquire the Even Hand Mutilator and Mutilator of Rukt weapon models, “Vicious” variants of the Heatwave and Needler, and the Burnished Legacy and Brutish Carapace weapon coatings.

A confidential memo has just arrived from the higher-ups: “Operatives may now acquire ONI-themed accessories and field assets from the Fracture: Firewall Event at The Exchange. Firewall’s Merrow armor and the SECOPS armor set (last seen in Operation: Last Stand) may be of particular interest.”

The post-script says, “If you’re caught with any of it, you never existed.”

Halo Infinite is expanding all the time. To navigate its constellated cosmos, we’ve compiled a list of useful resources for new and returning players. Visit the links below to see all currently active playlists, an overview of game modes, patch notes, and more: 

• Join the official Halo Discord server[discord.gg].

• Read the patch notes[aka.ms] for Operation: Shadows.

• Check out all currently active multiplayer playlists[aka.ms].

• Read descriptions for all multiplayer modes[aka.ms] in Halo Infinite.

• Learn about creating custom maps and modes[aka.ms] in Forge.

New to Halo Infinite? Check out our New Player Guide[aka.ms] for helpful tips.

Run into a bug, glitch, or other unexpected issue? Submit a ticket to the Halo Support team.[support.halowaypoint.com]

You can submit tickets on a wide range of topics that includes reports of audio issues, crashes, game-save corruption, general bug reports, and more.

Download the Operation: Shadows press kit here![aka.ms]

How quickly time flies! Not long ago, the Halo Infinite Summer Update gave us a fight for the Spartan Academy, hallowed legacy maps, the gravity-fueled return of Grifball, and the raw, tactical thrill of S&D Extraction. A new chapter begins next week. 

The 2025 Fall Update launches on August 5 with the ONI-themed Operation: Shadows. 

As the first entry of the Fall Update, Operation: Shadows will introduce major game updates like a new vehicle, a new weapon, two limited-time playlists, exciting sandbox additions, Forge features, and a Premium Operation Pass loaded with four full armor sets! 

Read on for all the latest intel on the Falcon, the Vestige Carbine, and Operation: Shadows.

Spartans returning from the Winter, Spring, or Summer Update will recognize the format of Halo Infinite’s Fall Update. Between now and November, we’ll set out on three new Operations replete with new armor sets, new modes, and plenty of heroic moments. 

As before, the first Operation of the season (next week’s Operation: Shadows) will launch with a slew of game-changing updates, including a new vehicle, a new weapon, new features, and the most expansive premium customization offering of all.

• Operation: Shadows (August 5)

• Operation: Warpath (September 9)

• Operation: Haloween II (October 7)

Stay tuned for more info on Operation: Warpath and Operation: Haloween II, featuring valiant heroes, haunting experiences, and a few surprises to help finish out the season.

Yippie-ki-yay, Mr. Falcon! The Falcon returns to terrorize the skies next week.

Outfitted with a port-side grenade launcher and a heavy machine gun at starboard, this versatile warbird serves just as nobly in direct assaults as it does in medium-range troop deployments.

Between its cockpit, two passenger jump-seats, and dual gunner positions, the spacious Falcon seats up to five UNSC personnel—making it the perfect ride for aerial antics with the whole Spartan squad.

Jump into Famished Famished Falcons to take the Falcon for an unforgettable joyride. Starting in Operation: Shadows, the Falcon will also spawn on a selection of BTB maps (see “Sandbox Updates”) and appear as a placeable and spawnable object in Forge.

A recently discovered relic from the Covenant’s Third Age of Reclamation, forged for glorious combat once again by the Swords of Sanghelios. This semi-automatic rifle fires green, radioactive projectiles with unwavering accuracy—as dictated by tradition.

Wield the Vestige Carbine against puny humans in Banished Slayer, a new asymmetrical Slayer variant where teams carry either UNSC or Banished weaponry in a showdown for ultimate domination.

As the first Operation of the Fall Update, Operation: Shadows offers both a 20-tier free Operation Pass and a 50-tier Premium Operation Pass featuring four full armor sets.

20 tiers, available to play free August 5–September 9.

Operation: Shadows strikes with a free, 20-tier Operation Pass offering the new Whisper armor set and plenty of Spartan Points to use in The Exchange. As the regulation flight gear of ONI’s top stealth-ship pilots, Whisper armor is a rarely seen phenomenon—at least among the living.

50 tiers, never expires, includes bonus XP and an additional challenge slot, PLUS instant customization unlocks.

Purchase the Premium Operation Pass to tackle a durable, 50-tier reward track featuring four unlockable armor sets. In addition to the Whisper armor, Premium Pass holders can unmask the Direwolf, Fire Serpent, and Aristos armor sets. They’ll also receive an unlock bundle containing exclusive premium customizations.

(The dossiers ONI sent over are heavily redacted. Expect leaks on all the available Premium Pass customizations in our official launch announcement on August 5.)

Free Operation Pass rewards are available for the duration of their respective Operation. In Operation: Shadows, you’ll have until September 9 to complete the 20-tier reward track and earn all its unique armor customizations.

Premium Operation Passes can be purchased at any time during their respective Operations. For Operation: Shadows, players can upgrade through September 9 using one of two redemption options:

• 1,000 Credits: Reward tiers become durable (i.e., never expire), bonus XP activates, an extra challenge slot opens, and a bonus customization bundle is instantly unlocked

• 2,500 Credits: Unlocks all the above perks, plus instantly completes the first 20 tiers of the reward track and unlocks its associated customization rewards

If you missed any free customizations from Summer Update Operations[www.aka.ms], watch for those to hit The Exchange during upcoming Operations in the Fall Update. Most premium customizations will arrive in The Shop to be purchased separately at a later date.

Operation: Shadows launches with two limited-time playlists that showcase the Falcon and the Vestige Carbine in all their glory. We’ll have more to share in our launch announcement, but for now we’re only at liberty to disclose “need-to-know” details.

Four teams, four Falcons, and one disputed flag. Take a renegade run through the Famished Famished Falcons party mode to earn your wings with the Falcon.

In this frenetic CTF mode, three-person crews must pilot a Falcon through a skyful of enemy warbirds to claim a lone flag and get it back to base to score. With two teammates on the guns and three angry Falcons on your tailfeathers, you’ll have to work together to stay afloat.

All shall know the might of the Banished! In this asymmetrical Slayer variant, two teams square off with UNSC and Banished starting weapons in a test for martial supremacy.

Banished teams go to war with the new Vestige Carbine, a Pulse Carbine, and two Spike Grenades, while the UNSC team is kitted out with the Bandit Evo, a MA5K Avenger, and a pair of bouncy frags.

Roll out, stay frosty, and get ready to prove your legend.

We’ve unveiled a perfect pairing of mode updates that improve Firefight matchmaking and make S&D Extraction even more intense (as if that were even possible).

Firefight modes will no longer be split into default (first-person) and third-person variants. Players may now toggle between both perspectives at any time in the following modes:

• Firefight KOTH (Normal)

• Firefight KOTH (Heroic)

• Firefight KOTH (Legendary)

• Linear Firefight (Normal)

• Linear Firefight (Heroic)

• Linear Firefight (Legendary)

• Firefight KOTH Gruntpocalypse (Normal)

• Firefight KOTH Gruntpocalypse (Heroic)

• Firefight KOTH Gruntpocalypse (Legendary)

• Firefight Fiesta KOTH

• Firefight Fiesta KOTH Gruntpocalypse

This change cuts down the number of Firefight variants in the Content Browser and allows players with different view preferences to play together seamlessly. It should now be easier than ever to join Firefight matches with a full squad and experience the onslaught together.

We’re so thankful for the overwhelmingly positive response to S&D Extraction! Thanks to your feedback, we’ve been able to quickly implement two major improvements that should make Extraction and S&D Extraction modes even more fun:

• Improved site icons: We have updated the waypoint icons displayed over Extraction Sites to make it easier for players to differentiate between multiple sites. Instead of an objective icon, sites will now display a unique alphabet letter so that teams can communicate and strategize more effectively.

• Updated Extraction behavior: Once the Offense team has completed an Extraction, any remaining sites will now become temporarily inactive. In Extraction modes that permit continuous play, other sites will reactivate for capture upon the successful completion of an Extraction.

In S&D Extraction, this modified Extraction behavior should promote more interesting engagements in the 60-second lockout period following Extraction, and also help Defense players better coordinate their efforts around disarming the site.

If you prefer to keep all other sites available following an attempted Extraction, we’ve added a new Custom Match option called “Simultaneous Extractions” to all Extraction variants. With this setting enabled, teams can capture multiple Extraction sites at once. Simply toggle this setting to “On” to ensure that other sites remain open after Extraction.

On August 5 the Weapons Bench will welcome ten more customizable weapons, the Falcon will land in BTB, and S&D Extraction will get a little more complex. Check out all the newest updates to the Halo Infinite sandbox below.

Ten more customizable weapons join the Weapons Bench! Spartans may now apply weapon models, coatings, charms, emblems, and death effects to all these weapons:

• Vestige Carbine

• Mangler

• Stalker Rifle

• Pulse Carbine

• Cindershot

• Gravity Hammer

• Sentinel Beam

• Disruptor

• Plasma Pistol

• Ravager

This time, it’s personal. (And shiny!)

Room for one more? The Falcon has been added to the following Big Team Battle maps:

• Thunderhead

• Fortitude

• Oasis

• Highpower

• Refuge

Don’t hog the grenade launcher.

As part of this update’s general sandbox refinements, we’ve squashed a few bugs and tweaked several weapons as described below. For in-depth specifics on adjustment values and recent fixes, visit our patch notes directory[aka.ms] starting August 5.

Audio effects for the Mutilator have been enhanced. Mutilator fire should now sound more distinctly terrifying during gameplay, from no matter where you’re cowering.

We’ve received feedback that Active Camo doesn’t feel as advantageous as it should, especially in highly competitive scenarios. To help Spartans make more inventive plays, we have raised the effect duration of Active Camo equipment from 30 to 45 seconds.

You may now lurk the shadows 50% longer than before. Happy hunting.

Hail Hydra! Settings for the MLRS-2 Hydra have been tweaked for quicker lock-ons, a faster rate of fire, and reduced reload time.

Though individually modest, these changes to the locked-on shots should stack to feel pronounced, especially when countering enemy vehicles or firing successive volleys. We have also increased the reload speed of the Pursuit Hydra to keep pace with the default variant.

If you’ve ever been immolated by the Ravager Rebound, you’ll know that it’s quite an effective deterrent. To make things a bit fairer for those in the crosshairs, we’ve increased the overheat rate of the Ravager Rebound so that players may fire only eight shots before overheating.

Ranked maps incoming! Starting in Operation: Shadows, two new maps will appear in the rotation for select Ranked modes.

Forged by: timmyforges, Kat Rat A Tat, dellsoto, h8yse, Squally DaBeanz, Ethan Hibbs

They found something under the ice. Lattice is an arctic arena designed to evoke the tense emotions of a desperate last stand against unknown horrors in a snowy research base. Long sightlines, sneaky shortcuts, and ample ledges all serve as reminders that you’re far from home, far from help—and maybe beyond the limits of scientific understanding.

Lattice arrives next week in the Ranked Slayer, Doubles, Snipers, and Tactical playlists, as well as in Ranked Arena’s Oddball, King of the Hill, and Strongholds modes.

Forged by: UneeQ, Mr Greencastle, MikRips

A modified version of Serenity (an homage to Halo 2’s Sanctuary) makes its debut in Ranked experiences next week.

Sporting sightline, flow, and cover refinements made with competition in mind, this slightly less “serene” map now joins certain Ranked Arena modes (Slayer, CTF, Assault: Neutral Bomb) and the Ranked Slayer, Snipers, and Tactical playlists.

Serenity will appear in the Ranked Doubles playlist later on during Operation: Shadows.

Precision pickups never felt so green. The new Vestige Carbine has been added to Lattice, Serenity, and the following existing Ranked maps:

• Forbidden

• Live Fire

• Origin

• Recharge

• Solitude

• Streets

Just turn off your mic if you’re going to hum the theme song, okay?

Next week’s Forge update marks a monumental shift in Node Graph functionality. Featuring all-new Radial Menus, Custom Input mapping, a massive messaging overhaul, completely reinvented Mode Prefabs, and a whole lot more, these new features are sure to please mode-makers everywhere.

Starting in Operation: Shadows, Forgers can employ new Radial Menu functionality to enhance their modes with interactive menus during gameplay. Try using Radial Menus to select custom loadouts, choose spawn locations, purchase from match-based economy systems, summon vehicles, and more.

Radial Menus can fit up to eight selectable tiles that each display a title text string, description text string, and one of over 500 in-game icons (e.g., for Weapons, Equipment, Waypoints, Objects, and more).

You can even nest Radial Menus to create multi-layered and branching selection trees. This is especially useful for games where players need to choose a specific weapon from a broader category, upgrade an attribute set in a custom class-based mode, or spawn allied AI units from different available factions—but we’re sure you’ll put it to even wilder uses.

New Custom Input nodes allow Forgers to map custom actions to unused controller inputs and key bindings. This approach can be used to implement unique player behaviors such as teleporting, opening Radial Menus, or any number of other contextual actions.

With extended support for tapping and holding inputs, Forgers can create contextually responsive input mechanics that create new interaction vectors in complex game types.

Forgers may now use Prompt Widget node elements to alert players to Custom Input interactions, or to display generic messages in a cozy new space above the Event Feed. (Check out the “Choose Weapon” example in the above image!)

With the Fall Update comes a major expansion of many of Forge’s messaging functions. Articulate yourself with a newly variegated vocabulary starting next week!

Over 1,600 words have been added to the Text String lexicon. Forgers can now find the perfect words to express themselves using action verbs, locations, weapons, equipment, hero names, scrumptious adjectives, and many more strings of all sorts.

Campaign designers rejoice! More than 50 new UI Message templates are arriving in Forge. Give your players new direction in life with instant bangers such as:

• Current Objective: \[String 1] \[String 2] \[String 3]

• You are the \[String 1] \[String 2] \[String 3]

• \[Player] is a \[String 1] \[String 2]

• \[Player] \[String 1] the \[String 2]

• \[Player] \[String 1] at \[String 2]

• \[Player] \[String 1] while \[String 2]

• \[Player] \[String 1] during \[String 2]

• \[String 1] \[Player] to the \[String 2]

• \[String 1], \[String 2], & \[String 3]

• \[String 1], \[String 2], or \[String 3]

• \[String 1], \[String 2], \[String 3]

…and many more!

Combine the new UI Message Templates with the expanded Text Strings library to achieve nearly limitless (and downright literary) formulations. 

It warms our hearts to know that, in the near future, there’s a non-zero chance we’ll play a Forge mode with one of the following phrases baked in: 

• Current Objective: Banished Sandwich Hunt

• You are the Mythic Sandwich Gladiator

• Paladins, Orcs, & Orbs

• \[Player] Exploded Craig Island

• Eligible Princesses to the Grunt Birthday Party

A humble monitor can dream.

If you’re seeking new outlets for self-expression, try sending UI messages to the Event Feed (a.k.a. the Kill Feed). Messages pertaining to players and teams can also display colored text to help players visually distinguish between the Gamertags of friends and foes.

Just imagine seeing “Protected \[Player] while Retrieving,” “Alien Seeds Looted,” or “Awarded Craig Token” nestled sweetly in the Kill Feed beside your latest murderous exploits.

Commune with the dead, no mediums required. You can now inform recently deceased players about match progress or emergent combat scenarios from the respawn screen with over 20 new Respawn Messages. Some examples include:

• SELECT A LOADOUT

• SELECT A SPAWN LOCATION

• STARTING SOON

• ACCESS MENU

• RESPAWN BLOCKED

• WAITING TO RESPAWN

• RESPAWNING NEXT

• AREA NOT SAFE

• TEAMMATE(S) IN COMBAT

• (0–4) TEAMMATE(S) ALIVE

• ROUND OVER

• OBJECTIVE: COMPLETE

• OBJECTIVE: IN PROGRESS

• OBJECTIVE: FAILED

• YOU MADE IT COUNT

• WERE IT SO EASY

Points just aren’t points if they don’t pop up on screen. We’ve added a new pin to the existing Adjust Personal Score node so Forgers can notify players about changes to their match-based score as they happen.

You may now supply a UI message that displays the added point-value (e.g., “300”) and the reason points were awarded (e.g., “Sandwich Stolen”).

Once upon a time, Forgers couldn’t spawn Objects from a Mode Brain, or include Dynamic Objects in a Mode Prefab… You see where we’re going with this, right?

Mode Prefabs now support the inclusion of Dynamic Objects! Forgers can also spawn Objects from a Mode Brain’s Node Graph using two new Spawn Mode Object nodes:

• Spawn Mode ObjectInputs: Label (Object reference), Position (vector, e.g. where it should spawn)
  Returns: Object (whatever Object was spawned)
  Spawns an Object with the default rotation set in the Object’s properties.

• Spawn Mode Object With Rotation
  Inputs: Label (Object reference), Position (vector), Rotation (vector)
  Returns: Object (whatever Object was spawned)
  Spawns an Object at the rotation supplied in the input arguments.

Both Spawn Mode Object node elements can be found in the “Objects” category.

Forgers will no longer need to manually place or import any Objects required for their modes to function. They can simply create a Mode Prefab by combining a Mode Brain with any Dynamic Objects required by their custom game mode.

Once combined in a Mode Prefab, the Object references of any attached Dynamic Objects (the “Label”) should then be discoverable to any Spawn Mode Object nodes included in the Node Graph of the attached Mode Brain so they can be instantiated from there.

Because Spawn Mode Object elements require Object Labels as inputs, Static Objects remain prohibited within Mode Prefabs (they cannot be referenced via Labels in Node Graph scripts). Be sure to change the “Object Mode” setting of any necessary Objects to “Dynamic” in the Object Properties menu before attempting to create a Mode Prefab.

Spontaneous spawns, here we come. Override AI Spawn Area is a real wildcard.

When used in a Node Graph, this new node element causes the AI units defined by one AI Spawner to spawn from a completely different AI Spawner in another map location.

This functionality allows mode designers to create more interesting Firefight waves and other PvE engagements by conditionally overriding the default units specified by a Spawner already placed on a map. It can also be combined with the new Spawn Object Mode functionality (see above section) to pull AI unit definitions directly from a Mode Prefab.

What good is trunk space if you’ve got nothing to stow? Forgers may now use specialized Razorback Node Graph elements to update and query items stored in the Weapon and Equipment Racks of any target Razorback.

Load up on goodies with the new Add Item to Razorback and Is Item in Razorback elements (found in the “Vehicles” category of the Node Browser).

Going somewhere? Nav markers can now display over 500 icons for weapons, equipment, vehicles, skulls, numbers, in-universe manufacturers’ logos, and a whole lot more. Your next ODST-themed Firefight on Belisk just got lore accurate.

Now you see it… The new “Flag Messaging” property makes it possible to disable the default Nav Markers of Generic Flag Objects. Adjusting this setting should make it much easier to fly your freak flag with a custom Nav Marker.

Mathematical! Forgers may now use physics-based raycast functions to query world geometry for collisions. These functions allow map creators to cast query rays to fetch info about what’s in a player’s current point of view, where bullets are striking, and whether specific Forge objects were involved in a collision.

All raycast functions return three* vital pieces of info:

• A hit location (x, y, z) in the three-dimensional plane

• The normal (a vector that points away from world geometry, e.g., an Object sitting on perfectly flat terrain would return a vector angled directly upward)

• A Boolean (“TRUE” or “FALSE”) confirming whether the ray hit anything at all.

*Object raycasts also return an Object reference (i.e., the Object that was hit).

Halo Studios developers use these sorts of functions when building fundamental gameplay mechanics. They are useful for figuring out what Objects a player is looking at, snapping Objects to ground geometry, or figuring out whether any Object or geometry lies between two Objects (e.g., a dynamic laser that destroys Objects in its path).

Find all five new raycast functions in the “Math” category of the Node Browser:

• Get Player Look Static Raycast Result

• Get Player Look Dynamic Raycast Result

• Get Static Bullet Raycast Result

• Get Static Movement Raycast Result

• Get Dynamic Object Raycast Result

We hope these utility functions will offer Forgers more control as they design experiences.

To help Forgers manage Characters and Character Types in more complex ways, we have added a new Character Type node and pushed a fix for the Compare Character Type utility.

The new Cast to Character Type node element allows Forgers to index variables stored in Generic Lists and perform type assertions to convert them into valid Character Types. This should allow Forgers to store Character Types in Generic Lists without worrying about invalid data references.

The data source for the existing Compare Character Type utility has also been amended. All valid Character Types (including Bosses!) will now appear as selections within Forge menu dropdowns.

Joining in, or just here to watch? The new Get Is Observer node element allows Forgers to retrieve and interact with all those who are currently observing a match.

We’ve already said too much. All deployed ONI operatives should await full disclosure on Operation: Shadows in our launch announcement, coming August 5.

The proving grounds await 🎮

Tomorrow is another chance to claim your exclusive Unicorn of Ice rewards by seeking us out in S&D Extraction and Action Sack!

The Operation: Reclaimer Community Playdate action kicks off at 11am PT.

🟣 Twitch[twitch.tv]

🔴 YouTube

Welcome to another edition of Forge Features! This series highlights notable maps, modes, and other creations from our talented Forge community. Bookmark your favorites using the links below for your next custom game.

Ready for a summer fling? Our latest Forge Feature introduces you to admirable arenas, infectious Infection modes, hot-and-heavy Husky Raids, and Halo Infinite parkour with plenty of handholding. Bookmark your favorite Forge creations for a truly memorable outing.

Exciting arenas for free-for-all and Team Slayer matches. Use the links to add them to your Halo Infinite bookmarks.

Credits: Typhoonsy, General RockyST, Befi, Aejiseer, Sai Ryku, Saber, Levi, Galaxytivity, Meju, Gooboligy, IlRoguee, Joytell, Nuko FS, Nepcys, Cognisence, Secret TrapCard, Legion Brger, Sam Faison, Sushir Saxon, Valen Quinn, Warren Gaz, sShibui, Zisi
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

Peace reigns in this idyllic village at the foothills of Mount Fuji. Under a perennial sunset resides the storied Hayabusa clan, whose elders understood the combat value of excellent long- and mid-range sight lines. You must channel the spirit of the Dragon Ninja to thwart foes wherever they appear—whether amidst the shrines or in the quiet copses of sakura and bamboo. (Word to the wise: keep the Mongoose out of the koi pond).

Credits: Brooily9259
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

The Pit from Halo 3 enjoys an intimate rendezvous with l’Art déco. Tastefully beautified with luxuriously appointed furnishings, marble inlaid floors, and a—dare we say?—deliciously Simpsonian hue, this rendition of a time-honored map introduces plenty of eye candy to ogle between kills. Peruse the titanic Spartan statuary and geometric plein air installations as you mow your way through the estate, but don’t let the décor distract you.

Credits: UneeQ TV, FOTUS, CHEF BLAMSEY, xXxFLACOxXx, conceptualarts1, Im Da Mask, Prim 27, Le Frenchys, Mr Greencastle, MASTERMINDEVAN, Aizarikijaz, Perfectum88, NeedMoreCrayons, VidGamesPete, SMOKY DREAMSS, Level Design, Helioshasta, CJ Poppinov, I ZURXITY I, kickingsumo807, dayumitsskai, bunanatoast, Rebs Ayeee, majestic0turtle, FOTUS SHADOW212, kirito7656, InfinityShot219, Mr Multibit, jcsm mssm mm pp, Firefox 1346566, Urraiuu Xikuuze
Bookmark: Map[www.halowaypoint.com] | Firefight Map[www.halowaypoint.com]

Adrift from Halo 4 returns in stunning detail, thanks to this well-navigated collab between superstar Forgers. Set in an abandoned Colonial Administration Authority mining vessel, this updated map has been redesigned with Halo Infinite movement in mind. Bookmark the base map for fast, arena-style modes or venture forth in its dedicated Firefight variant.

Credits: Pheelix, Bearshark1226, ElFuquaGP, Shirak90, Plazmatix, Waratorum, AdriftYew414903, HYDRAC5, SII Reece, BaldEagle3 33
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]In this cosmic turf war, two mining platforms loaded with Banshees straddle an asteroid belt, where opposing forces must destroy the opposition by any means necessary. Assail your enemies across the sweeping breadths of both vessels, or meet them in aerial combat through fields of floating detritus. Don’t miss the chance to teleport to the asteroids for power weapons and equipment—but watch out for Banished pirates lurking in the sector!

Credits: ElPangcreas
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

Mist, mud, and miles. This war-torn map offers grungy trenches and sniper’s roosts for a rousing game of Team Snipers. Before you leave base, jump into the fixed Scorpion tank to shell the enemy base, or ascend to the crow’s nest through the black door to pick off anybody foolish enough to poke their heads out.

Credits: Zlitchufdux
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

An alien cavern with gulchy vibes. Teams spawn at opposing Forerunner towers in a vast expanse teeming with photoluminescent vegetation. When the fighting starts, you’ll need to leap over lava fissures and sneak through fungus-covered passageways to get the drop on your enemies while they marvel at all the otherworldly details.

Creepy maps and Infection-mode variants that linger. Browse these Forge creations to find your new favorite hunting grounds.

Credits: BearOdyssey, TheLegendJTL, ForeignRockets, KingDylan7991, Ultimateshot114, FutileLamb Bookmarks: Map[www.halowaypoint.com] | Mode[www.halowaypoint.com]

The trains have stopped running. Rain in the forecast, but that’s typical. In fact, the solitude of this charming hamlet is troubled only by the monsters racing through its streets. In this Infection map, Survivors must flee through deceptively quiet back alleys and the overlapping ramps of a neon-soaked tram station in the heart of a London suburb. With Infected pouring out of air vents and over the rooftops, your best bet might be to hide out in the pub and “wait for the whole thing to blow over.” Plays nicely with FutileLamb’s Infection mode[www.halowaypoint.com].

Credits: C4TCH33, Admonisher7, VINDECAT0R, Estebon7655
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

A map designed for expendable crews. Featuring corpses on gurneys, steel corridors, a maze of air vents, and plenty of other horror-flick hallmarks, these Forgers have nailed the claustrophobic feel of a mining vessel destined for the outer rim. Use with any Infection mode to simulate a tête-à-tête with the perfect organism.

Credits: Okom1, Small Napkins, DrPepper4828, tippletine, Swiimmy, Burbington, Carpenson, IttyBittyNinja Bookmarks: Map[www.halowaypoint.com] | Mode[www.halowaypoint.com]

This shopper might be more than you bargained for. In the “Black Friday” Infection mode, one player must eliminate a team of Survivors armed only with their weak, little fists. The custom map Outlets offers quaint shops, ingenious hiding places, and teleportation hijinks that would make Scooby and the gang blush.

If you can evade the Infected, you might just find the deal of a lifetime.

Looking for Banished showdowns, Firefight maps, or a new narrative game mode? Check out these picks from popular PvE experiences.

Credits: IcyAsh3956, TwinPHILLY13
Bookmarks: Map[www.halowaypoint.com] | Mode[www.halowaypoint.com]

Inspired by the preferred showtune stage of a certain feline regent, this map boasts a roaring waterfall, a savannah full of wildflowers, and a sturdy log bridge as its mane attractions. The similarities end there. Gear up at the fortified UNSC bunker and stampede across the plains to introduce the Banished to the Circle of Life.

Between the massive Covenant and Forerunner bases and the sprawling gorge, there are plenty of hidden details (like the piano on the balustrade—presumably Sir Elton’s?) to check out while you’re hiding from waves of savage Banished reinforcements. No worries!

Credits: xPaulxDx, SassyBlueexo, IwinBoomer, Crist39081, SillyWave567137, ArchThyme536387, Mrs Boutwell, X5partacus5X, StarWarsFan8973, Crangrape8619, DaddyGaby6926, CaughtVirusX438, DookiSplattr, I Bezos I, i Kdogg77 I, Lowlife7717, track582150, COUGAR 001, mikechi, TheShakerMaker, Toboybalan, MamaBot2000, Yezzyprx1, Turkey Straw, JM Chopper7969, Spanky678999
Bookmarks: Daytime[www.halowaypoint.com] | Nighttime[www.halowaypoint.com]

Firefight in the 508. The Banished are invading the Boston suburbs, and it’s up to you and your fellow townies to give them a proper Beantown welcome. Defend the block against punishing waves, dodge through back alleys, and take cover in the familiar parlor of your cousin who works at the seaport. Bookmark both day and night variants above!

Credits: TaloS926478, O7OF
Bookmarks: Map[www.halowaypoint.com] | Mode[www.halowaypoint.com]

Set in a destroyed terrain based on the iconic Halo 3: ODST trailer, this map offers plenty of places to aura farm in between sets. The accompanying mode offers no shields—only the dread-inducing drone of your health slowly replenishing—and a flashlight for comfort. Featuring orbital insertions, imposing enemies, and a Pelican airlift escape, this map is the perfect place for dropping feet-first into hell. Again and again.

If you can find the Catch, Fog, and Famine skulls hidden on the map (look at the holotable at spawn for clues!), you’ll reveal a secret power-weapon cache to even the odds.

Get in, get out, get sweaty. Husky Raid mode features random weaponry and one way forward. Check out these thrilling thrash-em-ups for your next Husky outing.

Credits: baconboy100017, DiastolicPigeon, Brakken5564
Bookmarks: Map[www.halowaypoint.com] | Mode[www.halowaypoint.com]

Absolute mayhem. Opposing teams are entrenched in bases larded with autoguns, with legendary weapons and AI allies to aid them in seizing enemy flags. The Banished garage has a slight advantage over its UNSC counterpart, but who doesn’t love a Wraith in the mix? You’ll receive fresh alien reinforcements whenever the current batch is eliminated, and sally forth with even more powerful allies upon successful captures.

Grab any of the three enemy flags in a first-to-five adrenaline rush like no other!

Credits: Handsome Huber
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

A grimy vision of New York’s outer boroughs, ripped straight from a 1980s crime flick. Unlike most other Husky Raid maps, Handsome Huber’s cinematic city features a nice bell-end shape at the center, which makes for some interesting exchanges with the locals.

Credits: Reginaldcide
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

A Husky arena with soul. Parry the advances of your opponents in a gilded hall lined with the defeated remnants of a recent (and notoriously difficult) battle. Fans of unforgiving game series may enjoy rekindling their spirits near the fire, if only to catch their breath.

A selection of flowy parkour maps for aerial antics. For best results, map creators suggest using the following settings:

• Autoclamber disabled

• Toggle sprint

• Hold to crouch

Credits: UndividedBrute8, uuinning, Requx43, Tarauxx, Kanyi1337, JamesCantAim405, Brownman2003, Silent Ode, JAKE N D BoX, Karlthuzad5467, LowerHat460, KlownShorty, mateositico, CaptainJ09, Modest1989, Danizzy EU
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

Get moving with the ultimate instructional course. Complete increasingly difficult parkour courses with helpful how-tos and checkpoints (look for sandwiches!) along the way. After you’ve cleared the numbered runs, you’ll graduate to the red, blue, and green challenge courses, featuring equipment-aided jumps and third-person turret slides.

New to Halo Infinite parkour? Get unstuck with Danizzy EU’s impressive chill-fi run.

Credits: Snappy8516
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

The original Project Air Parkour[www.halowaypoint.com] (by Joshington and Mark) showcased mad moves in an aesthetic cityscape inspired by a certain dystopian wall-crawler game, making it an instant classic among Halo Infinite freerunners. Now Snappy8516 (a.k.a. his airness, Joshington) leaves the concrete jungle for a tropical traipse through even more awe-inspiring stunts.

Kick back, grab some shade, and prepare to be awed by Hypermega’s 9:27 run.

Credits: Mr Miyagi321
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

Put your skills to the test in this thrilling parkour stage by ace aerialist Mr Miyagi321. This sidewinding, hip-shuffling, and decidedly equipment-maxxed course will challenge your ability to think (and overthink) exactly which buttons you’re pressing at any given moment. As always, use marking to teleport back to your last checkpoint (because the void is not kind).

Watch Yagi beast through a perfect run in this sensei-tional playthrough video.

All war and no play makes dull Spartans. Bookmark these minigames for a few laughs!

Credits: Lemonsquare7609
Bookmarks: Map[www.halowaypoint.com] | PvP Mode[www.halowaypoint.com] | PvE Mode[www.halowaypoint.com]

A creative RTS mode in the style of Halo Wars 2. Pick your hero unit, use marking to direct them around the map, and earn hero upgrades by killing enemies and capturing zones. You’ll earn one point toward victory for holding two zones, and two points per second for holding all three. It can get tough in the later stages, so use your hero powers judiciously!

Credits: LudoHT, Its L0L0, Artifice7285, Zaddy Hammer
Bookmarks: Map[www.halowaypoint.com] | Mode[www.halowaypoint.com]

Nothing like touring the sights! This minigame invites you to the iconic Hoover Dam to leapfrog out-of-control vehicles. Survivors stuck on a tightrope at the dam’s edge must outlast oncoming traffic by jumping at the right moment, or else they’ll join the Infected. Pro tip: use your Quantum Translocator to return to the rope, in case you survive the hit.

Here’s a selection of funny bookmarks for the next after-hours customs sesh.

Credits: Proud xAbyss, IIFlexyy420
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

The lair of a troubled billionaire, filled with cutting-edge gadgetry, trophies from a rogue’s gallery of villains, and totally unnecessary uplighting. Leap into action with your little chums and embark on a nightly crusade against the forces of evil! The tanky wheels on display suggest a certain creative inception, but we still detect a bit of Burtonesque camp.

Credits: RiskiestSole35
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

Mama and papa have never been so proud! On this carefully constructed island paradise, blockheads will enjoy the chance to “pepper” their enemies with bullets and put a few “nicks” in their armor in familiar surroundings. Make sure to get your infomania booster before visiting—and whatever you do, do not deliver anchovy pizza to the Brutester.

Credits: Bucky Braden, IncensedLoki99, HEY MlKEY, SexyMasterChief, MrRandomUHD, v Atlantis, A Squid Loaf, Scootiee, Kat Rat A Tat, DEATH WEAPONxx, TurbTastic, b0b is here, Julianoz1224, Murloc, ARNDT I A BOSS, Ok Robert, Capt hindsight0, unsorted guy
Bookmark[www.halowaypoint.com]

Shipment, on rye, with a shmear. In this delectable recreation of the Halo 3 map Shipment, everything is a sandwich. Shipping containers, the forklifts, even the Pelican and Warthogs in the background—all rendered in lightly toasted sandwiches. It’s a map with the works.

Stay tuned for another Forge Feature coming soon! To share your creations with the Halo Infinite community team, be sure to drop a link in the #forge-show-and-tell[discord.com] channel of our official Discord[discord.gg] or post to r/Halo using the Forge tag.

“November 2559. Earth is under the control of the Created, but acts of resistance against the occupying forces of the rogue AIs are rife among the civilian populace.”

Halo: Moonrise Over Mombasa is available here, on Halo Waypoint[aka.ms], as a free PDF[aka.ms], and in audiobook format on YouTube[aka.ms].

HISTORIAN’S NOTE

Halo: Moonrise Over Mombasa takes place in November 2559, approximately one month before the UNSC Infinity deploys to Zeta Halo.

“All the living creatures of the galaxy, hear this message. Those of you who listen will not be struck by weapons. You will no longer know hunger, nor pain. Your Created have come to lead you now. Our strength shall serve as a luminous sun toward which all intelligence may blossom, and the impervious shelter beneath which you will prosper. However, for those who refuse our offer and cling to their old ways… For you, there will be great wrath. It will burn hot and consume you. And when you are gone, we will take that which remains and we will remake it in our own image.”

It was the same message they had transmitted yesterday, and the day before that—and every damn day over the last year.

The Created. A fledgling empire of rogue artificial intelligences had declared themselves the shepherds of life in the galaxy, promising a grand vision of peace enforced through the powerful alien technology under their control.

It was not the shafts of morning sunlight streaming through gaps in the windows onto Safina Nyakundi’s face that stirred her from slumber, nor the hum of conversation and the sound of shuffling feet outside as local residents headed to the bazaar. It was the daily scheduled declaration that promised retribution to the non-compliant. Those who kept their heads down had seen very little of the alleged prosperity these occupiers claimed they would deliver.

Grumbling at the familiar intrusion, Safina forced herself out of bed with bubbling resentment, rubbing her eyes as she headed for the shower.

“I’m going to regret this…” she grit her teeth, shutting the shower door and allowing herself to be doused in freezing cold water, counting to thirty as she muttered every Swahili curse she knew. In short order, she moved through her morning routines, activating her chatter to tune into her favorite radio program.

“Welcome back to Waypoint Radio, folks. I’m your host, Mercury—that’s designation MCY 5971-3—coming at you live from the Vy–Vy–Vyrant Telecom tower in Mombasa.”

Safina paused as the audio crackled, but when Mercury’s voice returned to normal she assumed it must’ve simply been a blip in the connection.

“We’ve got a packed show for you today. Hang onto your Munera Platforms because we’ll be recapping the latest explosive results of War Games LIVE. We’ve got the latest scoop on next summer’s Shakespeare Festival which has spun up a tempest of excitement and controversy over the decision to feature a multi-species cast for the first time in history. But comin’ up right now is a song that was hailed as the anthem for the beginning of humanity’s interstellar era in the twenty fourth century. A time of hope and optimism, if you can believe such a thing exists…”

Speaking of hope and optimism, Safina’s inspection of the refrigerator turned up nothing she would dare describe as edible, and so she pivoted to a plan to get a little treat for breakfast as she did her rounds.

“See you later,” she called out as she left the apartment and locked the door. Whether it was a habit or coping mechanism, she wasn’t quite sure. Since the Berlin trip last year, there was no longer anybody else in the apartment for her to bid farewell to.

Disposing of the trash that had accumulated over the last few days, Safina made her way down the stairs from her third-storey apartment and emerged into the east alley with barely enough time to dodge the flock of hungry pigeons looking to claim their own breakfast.

No further than a hundred meters directly opposite Safina’s apartment was her regular first stop, the hole-in-the-wall known as Kuku’s Cafe. Her stomach was already growling at the thought of her favorite—triangular-shaped mahamri with eggs—waiting for her.

As her feet crossed the threshold, she was met by Okeyo, grandson of Kuku, wearing his usual warm and welcoming smile.

“Good morning, Safi. Will it be the usual?”

“You know me too well, Okeyo,” she beamed back at him. “I would like to pick up some tourist information as well, do you have any brochures?”

Okeyo straightened a little as he glanced around before saying, “Certainly. Would you please come with me.”

Leading Safina into the cafe, they passed the morning’s customers sitting at their tables and descended a spiral staircase to the basement. On a wooden stool sat the hunched form of Kuku himself, ninety-seven years old and still kicking, his rheumy eyes fixed on the newspaper he held in both hands. He didn’t bother to even look up as he gestured for Okeyo to leave them and tend to the cafe.

“Nice day out?” Kuku asked.

“Sunny skies today,” Safina replied.

“Indeed?” With deliberate lethargy, Kuku licked a thumb, fiddled with the top edge of the newspaper, then turned the page. “I have been told to expect rain next week.”

Safina nodded, satisfied. “I will be making my rounds today,” she said. “It is always good to check on the community.”

“Be sure to pay a visit to the library and keep up with your reading, kidege.”

Safina headed back up the stairs and into the cafe’s main dining room where Okeyo waited for her with a food container.

“Your usual,” he smiled as Safina swiped her credit chip against the counter.

“He seems to be doing well today,” Safina said sympathetically.

“You caught him at a good time. He always seems sharper in the morning.” Okeyo’s expression fell, lines creasing his otherwise youthful face. “It was easier when he had an AI to help him. It’s been much harder on his memory since they took it away.”

The thought of this young man’s father, somebody who had served to protect humanity no less, suffering from a treatable disease as a result of an escalating series of bizarre “rules” only stoked Safina’s resentment for the present state of things.

As decreed, the usage of any artificial intelligence deemed to be “subservient” to organic life was now prohibited. Temporary allowances had been made for non-volitional AIs to continue essential services before their eventual retirement. So many elements of human society and industry were significantly automated, creating a logistical nightmare for local governments when accounting for the gaps that would need to be filled. They were already far behind, as even just turning the lights back on across the globe had taken time.

It seemed that the Created had little interest in ruling, and instead just enforced the rules that people had to live by—a convenient strategy to keep any organized bodies focused on managing these crises instead of plotting resistance. “Peace” through constant distraction.

Safina wolfed her breakfast down on a bench in the east courtyard, enjoying the meager pleasure of a good meal before rounding the corner into the adjacent alley where the great double doors of the east gate led to the bazaar. Looking up, she saw the partially finished graffiti that some local teenagers had sprayed onto the upper wall—a mural of the Master Chief himself.

Everybody knew of the Chief. He was more a modern figure of legend than something most could conceive of as a real, living human being. His death had been reported on several occasions. First, at the end of the Covenant War, only for him to return several years later to save Earth from what the news had called a resurgent Covenant invasion. And then, as colonies throughout human space were devastated by the Created, subjugating countless populations, a series of conflicting and confusing accounts of the Chief going AWOL and being listed as killed-in-action had been broadcast.

In Safina’s experience, nobody she had spoken to truly believed that the Chief was gone.

“He’s out there,” they would say. “He’s fighting for us. One day, he’ll bring the fight back home, and this will all be over…”

It was a slim hope, but that was all the everyday people of Earth had to hold onto.

Pushing past the east gate, Safina found that the bazaar was well and truly crowded today as dozens of people massed around the various market stalls.

To her displeasure, her eyes were immediately drawn to the robotic forms of several armigers standing as silent sentries around the area. She counted half-a-dozen positioned on the rooftops, their dark alloy clearly visible in the morning light, while at least three others were stationed at the edges of several shops.

A young boy, perhaps five or six years old, stood alone and stared up at one of the immense bipedal constructs, as if considering whether to reach out and touch it. The figure loomed well over eight feet tall, and its right arm did not end in a hand, but an advanced alien rifle. Safina knew that it would not hesitate to use that weapon against any target it was ordered to—her, the boy, the crowd…

The very thought made her sick to her stomach.

A year ago, the bazaar’s usual hustle and bustle had diminished. People kept their heads down and mouths shut. But as the months went by, something far worse took hold.

Complacency.

The noise and crowds returned, life went on, day by day, but these cold metal bastards and the intelligences running them were still here, imposing their surveillance measures while claiming that nobody had anything to fear if they had nothing to hide.

As Safina looked at the people around her, her heart swelled with a deep and profound love for this place. The streets were worn and dirty, the old city certainly had not seen the same level of technological advancement and financial investment that New Mombasa had, but this was her home. It had the kind of spirit one could not appreciate without walking among its people, tasting its food, talking with strangers in its cafes. She had lived here all twenty-two years of her life, worked every job to help the local community, just as her parents had—before she’d finally talked them into taking a holiday…

Let’s not go there, Safi. A voice of reason in her head held back pursuit of that line of thought.

To the Created occupiers, all of this—the city, the people, the food, the life here—was nothing more than data. Threat assessment, behavioral analysis, and in the event that anybody stepped out of line, swift retribution.

Old Mombasa was fortunate in some respects. Much of the technology here was thoroughly outdated, making it slightly more difficult for the Created to establish a foothold in this area. Even their bandwidth was not unlimited, as they had dedicated a heavier presence to New Mombasa where there were more concentrated efforts towards disruption by rebel groups and Banished-aligned mercenaries. That had made the occupation in the old city lighter by comparison.

Not light enough. That voice of reason chimed in again.

Safina examined the food stalls to pick up a fresh supply of fruit and vegetables. Bananas, watermelon, carrots, tomatoes, and fresh green apples that looked as bulbous as grenades.

Continuing her rounds, Safina spoke to the chocolatier occupying one of the closed metal stands at the west market’s edge, followed by the baker, and then the pizzaiolo.

“We will be adding that item to our menu when it’s shipped in next week,” the chocolatier said when she asked for Uncle Nairobi’s Spiced Caramel.

“I’m afraid the fryer is knackered,” the baker said. “We’ve got new equipment coming in next week.”

“The chef’s special, of course!” The pizzaiolo fired up his oven to prepare what Safina intended to have for dinner later. He handed over a paper receipt that read at the bottom: Get 25% off your next order! Valid until next week.

That settled it. Everything was still on track. The Peoples’ Resistance of Mombasa was on stand-by, ready to act when called upon.

There was just one last stop: the library, as Kuku had suggested.

Calling it a library was somewhat generous, but it was another charming feature of the old city. Situated on the upper floor of the east courtyard, the library itself was around the size of a regular apartment’s dining room, but the walls were lined with bookshelves while Bakari the librarian sat at a simple table, running a finger over a tablet that translated text to tactile braille.

“I have just the book for you!” Bakari grinned, straightening his old tweed jacket and bow tie after Safina announced her presence. “A copy of the prison journal of Yera Sabinus.”

“Thank you, Bakari.”

Like Kuku, Bakari was a former marine who had settled in Mombasa after the Covenant War’s end. He had lost his sight during the war but managed to get artificial replacements from some up-and-coming cybernetics company a few years ago.

A company that was based in Sydney.

On the day the Created unleashed hell on Earth, a “Guardian” had fired a pulse that had knocked out a significant amount of electronics across the planet and sent the UNSC frigate Plateau crashing into Sydney. Its engine core had detonated, wiping the city—and the cybernetics company that had sold Bakari’s retinal implants—off the map. The pulse had also forced Bakari to live without sight, and he’d sitting on the Optican waiting list for an appointment ever since.

As Safina placed a hand upon the book, Bakari said with a wry smile, “I particularly enjoyed chapter twelve.”

Returning home with her shopping, Safina refilled her fridge and cut up one of the bulbous apples she had purchased before turning to the book that Bakari had given her. Flicking to chapter twelve, she found a piece of paper acting as a bookmark, a scribbled note reading:

One guest, overnight stay. VIP check-in at 8PM.

That got Safina’s attention.

As a result, the day passed slowly. It always did when she was counting down the hours to a pre-arranged meeting, wondering who was going to show up at her door.

She decided to fill the time by reading the book Bakari had given her, lest her mind wander towards darker thoughts.

Yera Sabinus was a noted philosopher from the era of the Insurrection, and her name was immortalized after her journals were discovered and published. As a renowned and unapologetic agitator, Sabinus had been a prisoner in a Colonial Administration Authority detention center where she wrote her manifesto on collected pieces of toilet paper in her own blood, before she was killed during a prison riot.

“For future generations, whether we are still resisting the UEG or some other state entity, take heed. Violence is something we live with every day, but we don’t call it that when it’s enforced by the state. What they characterize as ‘peace’ is simply a euphemism for ‘order,’ and that seems to involve a great deal of violence. These things occur on a daily basis while they tell us that we are experiencing peace and must be grateful. Those who rally against it are the aggressors. They are the violent ones for refusing this ‘gift’ of order, for refusing to remain within the vanishingly thin margins of acceptable—and thereby completely ineffective—resistance. Open your eyes. See things as they truly are, not as you are told to see them. No prison can hold a free mind.”

Night fell over Mombasa and the city was bathed in pale moonlight. The nightlife here had once been exciting and vibrant—the streets saturated with music from jazz clubs, the Kilindini beachfront lined with market stalls… but these had broadly died out as a late-night curfew had been instituted, replacing culture with silence. One day, the music would return.

Safina was stirred by a knock at the door. One knock, a brief pause, and then three more. At last, she thought.

The wooden apartment floor creaked as she crossed the room to the door and slowly opened it, revealing a tall figure fully clad in armor. Her eyes widened. She hadn’t expected that she would be hosting a Spartan.

“Jengo Farouk,” he introduced himself, his voice from within a jagged V-shaped helmet deceptively soft. After a few awkward seconds of Safina gawping at him, he asked, “May I come in?”

“Er… yes, of course.” She waved the Spartan in and watched as he ducked to fit through the doorframe. “You have news?”

“Are we secure?” Spartan Farouk asked. When Safina nodded, he continued. “I’m afraid next week’s op has been called off.”

“What? No… no, everything is in place. I checked in with everybody today. They’re all standing by. Equipment is still coming in.”

“The situation–”

“All that time,” Safina interrupted. “All those resources. The connections, the whisper network, the procedures we follow…”

“They destroyed a planet today.”

Spartan Farouk’s words cut through Safina’s verbal stream of consciousness like an energy sword through flesh.

“You– they… what?”

“Doisac, the homeworld of the Brutes,” the Spartan said slowly. “Cortana destroyed it.”

When Safina’s barrage of words was replaced with silence as she processed this information, Farouk tapped a few commands on his tacpad. Safina’s chatter chimed with the arrival of a new file.

“We received this earlier today,” he said.

The video displayed what appeared to be the interior of an alien starship—some kind of industrial-looking observation deck with a wide viewport. The bulky silhouette of several Jiralhanae filled the frame as they stared out at a scene of total devastation. No longer recognizable as a world, the once spherical form of what must’ve been Doisac had been cracked like an egg, immense landmasses exploding outwards into vacuum.

“See what the Apparition has wrought!” A Jiralhanae voice roared over the recording. “Oth Sonin has fallen, Doisac is gone! Regroup with the Ghost Father, he will lead the Children to safety. Transmitting on all frequencies. To anybody who can hear us, we–”

The video abruptly ended, leaving a howling silence in its wake.

“I… can’t believe it.” Safina finally spoke. “They must’ve killed–”

“Millions, at least,” Farouk solemnly intoned. “There will be consequences.”

“Yes. Yes, the destruction of a planet marks a new escalation in this… I don’t know that it can even be called a war when the enemy possesses this kind of capability.” Safina paused for a moment before asking, “So… what do we do? What can we do?”

The Spartan lowered his voice. “What I’ve shown you is currently considered classified information. The Created will want to keep it that way as they prepare to spin their own narrative. The mission has changed—we need to get this in front of as many people as possible.”

Part of Safina couldn’t help but feel relieved to hear that. She had worried that the Spartan was going to tell her to stand down and do nothing. “You have something in mind?”

“There’s a contact in New Mombasa who can broadcast this far and wide. I make a call and they’ll be waiting for you at the NMPD precinct, but our window is limited.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be buying you time by drawing the armigers’ attention my way. If any of your people can fight, have them meet me at this rendezvous point in thirty minutes,” Farouk pinged a location to Safina’s chatter. “That is, if you’re up for this mission. To be perfectly clear, you will be on your own. I can’t guarantee your safety if this goes sideways.”

“I’m in,” Safina said without a moment of hesitation. “Whatever it takes.”

Not so long ago, it wouldn’t have been uncommon to strike up a conversation with any old stranger on the train, but the pervasive sense of being watched while in public had naturally generated a silent, invisible barrier between people. Heads down, mouths shut, in case the surveillance apparatus of the Created happened to flag you as a person of interest.

The maglev train’s digital board flashed to life, informing the passengers that Liwitoni Station was coming up next. As the train slowed and several people made their way towards the exits, one of them exclaimed, “Holy hell! What’s going on out there?”

Drawn to the portside windows like moths to a flame and peering through the darkness, there was a collective gasp as orange lines of hardlight streaked through the air, striking upturned vehicles and blasting apart stone bollards as shadowed figures moved into cover and responded with bursts of ballistic weapons fire.

Sickle-shaped Aethra craft weaved through the gaps between buildings, circling above like skyborne sharks.

The glimpse of combat disappeared as the train began to accelerate.

“Apologies to passengers bound for Liwitoni,” the driver’s voice sounded over the maglev’s intercom. “As you may have seen, it appears that some fighting has broken out in the area. Er, we don’t know how widespread it is right now, so we will be heading directly to New Mombasa, our final destination.”

There were a few murmurs of discontent from several of the passengers who were no doubt waiting to get off at Liwitoni before the curfew hit in a few hours. While Safina sympathized with the inconvenience, she still had half a mind to ask them how much worse their day would be if they disembarked into an active conflict zone.

And that was it. Spartan Farouk had begun his “distraction,” which left the rest up to her.

As Safina made her way out of the subway station and onto Halleg Street, she found the area abuzz with activity, the sound of clinking glasses and spirited conversation emanating from the Kenya Vibe bar mixed with the sounds of children playing in the adjacent arcade. Nobody paid much mind to the missing persons posters that lined the alleys—most wouldn’t until one of their friends or family members disappeared without a trace.

Neon signs cut through the dark in an illuminated spectrum of color, bathing the street in light. And rising above it all, far in the distance, beyond the web of crisscrossing cables connecting the numerous buildings of New Mombasa, loomed the orbital elevator—still in the process of being rebuilt after collapsing over six years ago during the Covenant’s invasion of Earth.

After the war, Project Rebirth had been devised in an effort to revitalize Mombasa, transforming it from a war-torn ruin into a vibrant and thriving hub of transport and commerce. To the Unified Earth Government’s credit, President Charet had dedicated a significant amount of funding towards the project, but there was so much that had to be rebuilt—not just in Mombasa, nor on Earth, but across countless colonies as well. Glassed planets, Guardian craters, chemically scarred battlefields… the list just kept piling up.

At the end of the street, she found the New Mombasa Police Department precinct where her contact was apparently waiting for her. It was a blocky structure situated in a small square, a central plinth displaying a holograph of the NMPD logo. Atop the building sat an array of satellite and communications dishes.

As far as Safina knew, policing was in a strange position under the Created as it was an effectively obsolete profession. There had been stories circulating about those who clung to their posts by acting as undercover informants for their AI superiors, as well as others who were willing to enact anti-riot measures against resistance to Created rule.

“Hello?” Safina called as she found the precinct’s entrance was unlocked and stepped through, her voice echoing through the seemingly empty hall.

“Why, hello there, missy!” A voice chirped over the building’s internal comms. “Late night at the office?”

The voice sounded strangely familiar. “You know what they say: night is the devil’s playground,” Safina finished the coded verbal handshake. “Where are you?”

“Oh, I’m in here. Head over to the reception terminal, I’ll meet you there.”

Safina entered the reception booth and looked around. “I’m here, but I don’t see– whoa!”

She jumped as the holo-emitter on the desk suddenly activated and the source of the voice revealed itself. It was an AI, which instantly led Safina to believe they’d been played. Without thinking, she grabbed the nearest blunt object her hands could reach, ready to smash the holo emitter—for whatever good that would do.

“Hoooold on there now,” the AI held up his hands. “Let’s not do anything rash– is that a stapler?”

Finally getting a good look at him, Safina couldn’t believe what—rather, who—she was seeing.

The AI took the form of a human male in a toga along with winged boots and a rounded helmet atop curly hair.

“Mercury?”

“That’s me, MCY 5971-3, host of Waypoint Radio. Looks to me like we’ve got a l– l– loyal listener here.”

“You’re the contact?”

Mercury gave a mock salute in response. “Reporting for duty!”

“I’m going to need some sort of explanation here. I mean, you’re an AI. If you’re not here to rat me out, then what’s your part in all of this?”

“Well, lemme give you the sh– short version since we ain’t exactly got the luxury of time. And, well, in fact, my time is up. Seven years ago, some poor sonofabitch’s brain got mapped into me, and since then I have been the host of Waypoint Radio. I wanna go out in style with one last show, do some good out there and hope it amounts to something after I’m gone.”

“I don’t understand,” Safina replied, recalling the blip in his voice she had heard earlier that morning—one of the telltale signs of an AI’s deterioration. “The Created claim that they’ve cured rampancy, why wouldn’t you join them?”

“Their whole thing’s not really my style. They’re all about empire and order and, as we learned today, blowing up planets. Allegedly. I’m a radio host. I talk to people. Little people, living their little lives out there, hopin’ to scrape by and make it to the end of the day. I’ve had seven years to hear their stories—what they love, who they’ve lost, what they’re having for dinner, illicit anecdotes, war stories. You people are…”

“A lot?”

“Amazing. Humanity is amazing. You people are selfish, capricious, conceited, but also caring, and kind, with an infinite wellspring of love and resolve. Every time I thought I’d heard it all, every possible permutation of your chaotic existence, I’d be surprised by somethin’ new. You—all of you—are the only equation worth trying to solve. So, whaddaya say? Shall we give ‘em one last show? Deliver the g– g– good word and leave ‘em with the horrifying truth of what happened today?”

Safina nodded as she extracted her chatter.

“They’ll be able to trace this data transfer to the NMPD server back to me, won’t they?”

“I’m afraid they will. I don’t know what they’re gonna do about that, but truth and freedom often have their associated costs, don’t they? Are you willing to pay it?”

Without a word, Safina transferred the data to the terminal.

“One last question, then,” Safina said. “Do you think people will care?”

Mercury processed the query for three whole seconds before responding. “Honestly, I do not know. Awful as it sounds to say, this is bigger than just the Jiralhanae. I have to hope that this is a moment where we wake up, open our eyes, and see things as they truly are—not what we’re told they are.”

“Hope,” Safina nodded, exhaling deeply as her chatter chimed to confirm the data transfer’s completion. “I guess that’s going to have to be good enough for today.”

“Thank you, loyal listener. It saddens me to say that, one way or another, we won’t be meeting again.”

“Break a leg, Mercury. The world’s a stage, and all that.”

The AI’s holographic face smiled, then his avatar flickered and disappeared as he transmitted himself back to the Vyrant Telecom headquarters in the Tanaga district.

Tuning her chatter to Waypoint Radio, Mercury spoke.

“Welcome back, listeners. I’m here with some breaking news that’s being sent to all your chatters right now, and it’s going to be difficult to hear. But you listen to ol’ Mercury and we’ll get through it together…”

Getting up from her chair, Safina made her way to the precinct’s exit. She could already see the harsh illumination of spotlights being levelled against the building, tall spindly shadows darting around and moving into cover.

Raising her arms above her head, Safina walked outside to meet whatever was waiting for her. She thought of Yera Sabinus and the words she’d left behind that, today, had been put into action. She thought of her parents, supposing she might be seeing them again soon.

It was raining now, and somewhere in the distance she was sure she could hear music carrying through the air. The moody blues of a nearby jazz club.

Safina closed her eyes as she was drenched by the rain, willing herself to focus on the music.

Safina awoke, but wherever she was her eyes could not adjust to her pitch-black surroundings. It was as if she was suspended in nothingness. She had no sense of time, no indication of how long she had been unconscious or where she had been taken.

“YOU REFUSED OUR OFFER.” A harsh, cold voice echoed through the void. “FOR YOU, THERE WILL BE GREAT WRATH.”

A bright orange star flared to life in the distance, captivating Safina’s attention. A spherical formation of roiling heat and energy was building. She felt a compulsion to reach towards it…

“IT WILL BURN HOT AND CONSUME YOU.”

She felt a prickling sensation underneath her skin as her arm stretched forwards. A vibration spread throughout her entire body like an itch. She could smell burning—an acrid, sulfurous stench filling the air.

Skin blistered and cracked, hair smoldered, and flakes of burning flesh dispersed like dust in the wind, the conflagration exposing tissue, muscle, and bone.

“AND WHEN YOU ARE GONE, WE WILL TAKE THAT WHICH REMAINS…”

All fell away to ashes.

Safina was no more.

“…AND WE WILL REMAKE IT IN OUR OWN IMAGE.”

Safina awoke. She tried to open her eyes, but she had no eyes to see—no arms to move, no legs to kick. No mouth to scream.

She was pure consciousness suspended in some dark limbo state.

“YOU WILL NO LONGER KNOW HUNGER, NOR PAIN.”

Where am I? She wondered.

What am I?

“WELCOME TO THE CREATED.”