343 released a teaser for upcoming Xbox Series X launch title Halo Infinite that confirms the return of a popular villain.
The teaser, below, features a low voice from someone who says “we are The Banished”.
SIGNAL DETECTED. TAG DESIGNATION: FOE Watch on YouTube
The Banished are back for Halo Infinite, then. But who are they? They’re the bad guys from real-time strategy spin-off Halo Wars 2, a group of aliens made up of familiar Covenant races (brutes, hunters, elites etc) who ditched the Prophets (don’t blame them) and that whole Great Journey thing Master Chief got caught up in.
THERE MAY BE HALO 2 SPOILERS AHEAD
The boss of The Banished is a brute called Atriox, who battles against the UNSC in Halo Wars 2 and ends up unleashing the Flood (aren’t they cute!). But he manages to contain the threat, kill a Proto-Gravemind before sentinels turn up to clean up. The video below shows the final cutscene:
Halo Wars 2 : Awakening the Nightmare – Final Cutscene (Campaign Ending) Spoilers!! Watch on YouTube
So what’s The Banished doing in Halo Infinite? Let’s turn to the transcript of the audio message:
“The hour approaches. Forces occupy the ring, within hours it will be under our control and humanity will burn. Their brazen defiance will be all but a memory. No more prophets, no more lies. We stand together, brothers to the end. We are his will, we are his legacy, we are the Banished.”