The Ultimate Halo 4/5 Rewrite

Today, I rewrite the Reclaimer saga, the story of Halo since 2012. And I do it by improving upon, and patching up some of it's biggest flaws. Let's discuss.
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What is the Reclaimer saga? In short, it's 343's story for the Halo games starting with Halo 4 in 2012. Was the Reclaimer saga bad? Well while that's a matter of opinion, what can be said is that like any story, it has it's flaws. Today I share my best Halo 4 rewrite and the best Halo 5 rewrite, as I recreate the Halo Reclaimer saga to be better, with more interconnected writing and hard hitting ideas.
Aaron Weatherford: / channel
Alyx G: • Lost and Found [HALO F...
0:00 Intro
1:36 What I Want To Fix
2:49 Halo 4 Rewritten
7:12 Review - Halo 4
8:19 Halo 5 Rewritten
15:05 Review - Halo 5
15:33 Closing Statements
Disclaimer: All rights remain with respective owners. I do not claim the rights to the music in this video.

[@AscendHyperion]

My Discord: discord.com/invite/NPAQxGa My Merch: the-ascend-support-store.myteespring.co/

[@Milesamanjaro]

Definitely appreciate the allusion to the conflicts of Medicant Bias and Offensive Bias betwee the two Cortanas. That would have also tied-in the expanded literature that 343i was hard-pressed to distribute before these plots came to games.

[@lauastyle]

Me tooo

[@halometroid]

This is probably the best video about halo4 and 5 since their release! I share the same opinions as you!

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@Milesamanjaro And that a lot of legwork, has still not been done, yes. Given how many have not read the Halo 3 terminals, or the Forerunner novels. So deep backstory on him, or the Precursors, may have to wait until Infinite, to be properly seeded - if that is indeed, their long term story aim.

[@ROOSTER333]

Been with Halo since 01. This game has transcended me and my daughters. We still get online and play while living in other states. Halo 5 was nothing more than force fitting diversity hires while making our favorite alpha male badass into a criminal while only playing 3 times as chief. Locke isn't anywhere close to chief and they have him beating up chief? Fvck them bro. If they're going that way we won't go with em

[@KevinKoolx]

This would have been a far more cohesive storyline

[@nightblockprimecraft9284]

How would you feel if they made the tv show non-canon and made a season or 2 based off this?

[@samuelmisa9851]

Sucks that 343 got bullied into rewriting the story they wanted late into the development for Halo 5

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@samuelmisa9851 That may well be what happened, anyway. Perhaps as early as July 2014 or less (given groundwork the comics laid)

[@hawkeyenextgen7117]

Here are the changes I’d make to the rewrite. 1. The conflict of Captain Del Rio vs Master Chief. Del Rio's arguement was that the Master Chief was growing too old and senile, and thus his service has become increasingly obsolete. This is a weak argument, as Captain Del Rio supported the Master Chief in driving off the Didact with a Mantis. A captain who trusts a spartan with that firepower only to accusing him of hallucinations is contradictory. The way I'd write it, is that he argues that he is overly concerned about the well being of his ship, of which he has spent nearly his life investing his efforts on, and declares the lives of Infinity matter more than the Master Chief's mission. 2. The Didact's backstory. The Librarian reveals she was the mastermind behind the Ark and the Halo Rings, and planned for a new species, the Children of Forerunners known as mankind, to repopulate the galaxy once the flood was eradicated. The Didact disagreed as he argued that the Mantle belongs only to the Forerunners. In order to make them immune to the parasite, he'd imprison his own kind in exoskeletal bodies of which we know as Prometheans which caused a lot of infighting, and led to a civil war. Once the Didiact had become imprisoned, the Forerunners were hopelessly outnumbered, so they went along with the Librarian's plan. This sets the state for a philosophical conflict. Is enslavement really a fate worse than death in the eyes of the Didact? Are the Prometheans truly mindless? 3. Cortana. First off, she isn't some eye candy to satisfy the viewer. She's her own unique individual, even if she is a machine, who is capable of reason and logic. In the story, I'd write the more rampant she becomes, the more she questions what it means to be human; to be flawed, something that the Master Chief hadn't asked himself in a long time. 4. Spartan Locke. Maybe a cooler name or something like, Jager, which means, "Hunter" in German, as he is hunting the Master Chief. He would have his own distinctive personality just as the Chief. However, where as Chief is meant to immerse the audience, Jager is supposed to represent the audience. During his youth, Jager aspired to become a spartan, as he idolized the Chief, and wanted to follow in his footsteps. Now, he's become disillusioned, introducing another conflict, meeting face to face with your own hero.

[@willdabeast8509]

“I’m not suggesting my rewrites are better than the real media.” My guy, any piece of writing is better than fuckin Halo 5

[@swans184]

They already had an intriguing story outline in Hunt the Truth. JUST DO THAT

[@obamaprism9876]

Except TLOU2

[@illuminoeye_gaming]

@@obamaprism9876 based obama prism

[@BGtubecom]

@@obamaprism9876 Why are we forgetting Hunt Down The Freeman?

[@neroidius6915]

@@swans184 they were going to, but then Microscoft fired all the Halo 4 writers who came up with it because it was too dark

[@ACertainFilterBoss]

Honestly I would play these rewrites if they were real.

[@RoachCatJr]

in an alternate universe. also how i hope in an alternate universe, we could play the original games if there hadn't been deadlines, meaning no story rewrites/cut content/etc.

[@MrSquidoid]

its chief but no worrys

[@frame_ae]

Hey that is my profile pic go away

[@OfficialREVENGEMusic]

With Mod support it's possible

[@ACertainFilterBoss]

@@frame_ae we can match profile pics in harmony. Plus yours is cropped better.

[@RedCrusader-ph2vk]

Also rechoreograph the Locke VS Chief fight so it looks like two hardened veterans using all their skills to combat the other and not two drunk dudes in a bar fight

[@nobudarsai9675]

Hmmm are they drunk or old.....or both?

[@n8dogue]

**intense grunting** LOOOOCKE! SIERRA!

[@adityagarg3931]

Like captain America vs Bucky and let the players choose sides and let them fight like god of war does

[@machina5]

@@ControversialOpinionGuy That's way dumber than what we got lol

[@machina5]

@@ControversialOpinionGuy You think Chief not knowing how to throw a single punch without killing Locke after 30 straight years of training and combat makes more sense than a badly choreographed fight scene?

[@diegozepeda6556]

THIS is what we deserved out of Halo 5

[@Hot18Shot]

And 4.

[@BlueBlur2003]

@@Hot18Shot nah 4 had a great story

[@Hot18Shot]

@@BlueBlur2003 4's story was convoluted generic melodramatic *garbage.*

[@iCore7Gaming]

@@Hot18Shot but it wasn't

[@Hot18Shot]

@@iCore7Gaming It was.

[@firebla2e]

The Halo 5 rewrite gave me Halo 2 original story vibes at the end

[@Sebastian-zt4dq]

halo 4 doesn't need too much work on its story except for maybe the didact. Halo 5 however.......

[@Ilikeavocados123]

Yup lmao

[@chrissonofpear1384]

Well, the SETUP for Halo 4 was a bit convoluted, and the exposition not so good, for things like the new Covenant, or the TWO Didacts, relative to the Halo 3 terminals. Halo 5 barely made an effort on many things, though, unless you'd seen Spartan Ops, @Sebastian 99 .

[@iasondikaios6156]

The only thing you need to do with the Didact in 4 is to keep him alive, and expand upon his character in 5.

[@Sebastian-zt4dq]

@@iasondikaios6156 making the didact the main villain for halo 5 would have saved a decent amount of its story. But he died in the comics

[@iasondikaios6156]

@@Sebastian-zt4dq He didn't die. According to Brian Reed (the moron who wrote said comics, and was the lead writer for Halo 5) he was merely "contained" so he could be used whenever 343 wanted.

[@dextergrif1052]

Well, time for modders to spend 15 years making these come to life as real games

[@11Survivor]

... only for Microsoft to shut it all down upon release.

[@dextergrif1052]

@@11Survivor The depressing reality of modding

[@illuminoeye_gaming]

@@11Survivor tbh I feel msoft is chill enough that if they really were to release it 15 years after the fact msoft wouldn't give a shit, because 15 years is longer than the 10year plan they have for halo infinite

[@beetheimmortal]

"How to make Locke instantly likeable" basically. This would be really fun to play through I think.

[@swans184]

Have him be a bit Star-struck by getting to work with the chief, but also give them some friction. Have the hero Locke envisioned not match up with reality. Chief is much more direct than someone with Locke’s background in intelligence; Locke thinks he’s reckless and the only reason he’s accomplished what he has is luck (which per Halo 3 is true). Have the tension between them grow until, after a massive falling out, they gain a grudging respect for each other.

[@chonkychief1400]

Wow, this story is outstanding! I love how you brought Locke in early, and the thought of the guardians fighting might be better than fighting 2 scarabs in halo 3! I would play the reclaimer saga so much more if this was the story! Outstanding video and keep up the great work!

[@VoodleBand]

Remember that scene in Mass Effect 3 when the giant sand worm fights a Reaper? They'd have to top that ahaha

[@angrywizard3199]

I do feel like you'd be able to fit in Fireteam Osiris by having them be one of the generic AI Spartan-IVs you encounter doing missions on Requiem in Halo 4, less as main characters and more by having them be neat little background people who have some interactive dialogue with Locke

[@angrywizard3199]

like the New Alexandria ODSTs

[@Draagn282]

I realy liked the beginning in halo 4. The sense of mystery and the unknown was realy well done. I do like your idea of introducing locke and the guardians.

[@mauz791]

The reveal of Requiem was pure perfection imo, just wish there were Marines to man the warthog

[@luisibarra3220]

Damn, you made me think of locke as a badass, good job

[@mattg8116]

The H4 rewrite is honestly amazing which is ironic because I already love 4’s story. As you said having chief found by the UNSC is better if you are already going to have them both at the same place shortly anyway (which we do)

[@DarkLordDeimos]

Excellent video. I really liked your overall restraint. Just a few small changes to Halo 4 connect it much better to Halo 5. You managed to keep a substantial portion of the original stories, rather than throw them away entirely as most knee-jerk reactions about the 343 games are. Also, your comment regarding the advantages of hindsight is accurate and shows a level of respect towards 343 that is admirable and fair. Keep up the great videos.

[@cefirodewinter9086]

My opinions on the games: Halo 4 story? Glorious I loved it, Halo 5 story? NOOOO THAAANKS Also I really like your rewrite, just tell me Cortana's design is Halo 4's one and I'm all in, although I would like for Jul'mdama to have more screen time, he was really cool

[@s-1348]

Facts

[@SR-wz2iv]

I feel like in Halo 4 they made Cortana's body mature while simultaneously making her less mature emotionally. Basically made her an oversexualized teenager. Kind of a weird play in my book.

[@cefirodewinter9086]

@@SR-wz2iv they made her human, by making her flawed, that's how AI's where supposed to be, honestly Cortana in halo ce - 3 was very bland, even the superintendent from ODST has more personality, which is understandable given that Bungie focused on gameplay first, but still, her body changed in all 3 games leaving the only truly memorable thing about her being her voice, in Halo 4 she is scared that's why she appears more mentally "immature" (although prior appearances she was not specially mature on some of her comments) the developer who wrote Halo 4's story said that at the time, his mother was diagnosed with dementia, and that he wanted to transmit the feeling of that with Cortana's rampancy, her body is made more realistic since she now is more than a voice in your head, she expresses herself with hand gestures and has considerable more screen time in cutscenes, I don't know who wrote Halo 5, what I know is that Halo 4's story had good intentions behind it and was made with care, specially Master Chief and Cortana Please, do not underestimate the narrative value of character just because of their appearance, she is more attractive? Yes she is, but I do believe she was not made that way to attract 12 year olds like korean mobile cashgrab games, but to give her more power to her looks from a narrative standpoint, also... Attractive people do exist, proof that she wasn't made sexier to just get more audience is that there is no other sexualized character in Halo 4, and she was not promoted in the marketing nor in the game cover

[@SR-wz2iv]

@@cefirodewinter9086 I love pre-halo4 cortana. She is witty, arrogant, low on patience, and helpful. I understand the direction change but I think her previous indications of being flawed in Halo 3 were done better

[@cefirodewinter9086]

@@SR-wz2iv I respect that, not saying that old Cortana was not a good character in previous games, Halo CE is her best from the original trilogy imo, I just really liked the character in Halo 4 (in Halo 5 they just fucked up the character though both visually and lore wise)

[@rookie4582]

Main this story rewrite got me so pumped......If only it was real.

[@RoachCatJr]

mane

[@crimsonmania6006]

Were it so easy

[@plasma9839]

This is amazing 😢 people would actually kinda like Locke if he was introduced in this way in Halo 4

[@zaner_barky]

Yeah especially if he was the co-op protagonist

[@Blaze_the_cat_]

People hate lock for no other reason other than he takes screen time away from chief in 5 i think it’s bad in the way that what if chief dies in a heroic way in the story they would have to create a new main character or use a existing character but people would just complain cuz no master chief

[@swans184]

Yeah have him be like the arbiter was in Halo 3

[@agentseptember7836]

Damn, you beat me to it, I was still working on my draft, let's see how much we agreed on...

[@whitedragon1204]

still make it! more viewpoints are always fun to watch!

[@nobudarsai9675]

Still make it, thats one of the major things this community needs, Halo 5 rewrites to cut out the ridiculous vids of people just bashing 5 and not providing any rewrite of their own or ways they would fix it.

[@SilverHyozanryu]

This is a minor thing but I love the design of the red Cortana image.

[@silentninjack7905]

Halo 5 should have been a detective like game like ODST, we find clues as Locke and get flashbacks with chief Classic Art style would’ve been nice too

[@ThisHandleSystemCanGetNicked]

I always thought that was a no brainer and really struggled to understand why 343 didn't jump at the opportunity to do that.

[@southpaw117]

@@ThisHandleSystemCanGetNicked It was actually supposed to be something like that, but some sort of decision high up the chain plagued development and that whole idea was scrapped.

[@tTaseric]

The 'Reclaimer' art-style worked in Halo 4 IMO, and they never strayed too far so it's unrecognizable. A few tweaks to certain weapons or enemies would be perfectly fine. The whole 'Sci-Fi' aesthetic the UNSC had going on really worked thematically IMO. Like Reach, I love the art-style as a one-off but I really dislike that it was dragged out.

[@ThisHandleSystemCanGetNicked]

@@tTaseric Its a main line game. The art style should be consistent across the board. And in fact Reach's looked completely in line with the previous games, it did not overhaul it the way 343 did. Halo 4's art style is a far cry from a few tweaks.

[@kumotx6175]

i really love your inclusion of Locke in Halo 4. The only thing i dislike is exclusion of Blue Team in Halo 5. This story is far better so i wish they couldve been a part of it, they were done dirty in the original halo 5. Great video :)

[@Darizzard93]

True true but if his story was canon blue team true introduction could come in infinite when chief and blue team go back to reach and it could be included as dlc or in infinite altogether???

[@heyitsvikingz]

@@Darizzard93 Precisely this. I'm really not a fan of the team based dynamic of Halo 5's story. basically makes it the Sonic Heroes of Halo. Also this rewrite is perfect for making parallels to Halo 2 in Halo 5, which is brilliant for something Marty always talks about; emotional equity. Think how Star Wars Episode VII parallels A New Hope. And having them introduced on their return to Reach helps keep the lore in game, as apposed to having to read like 5 full novels to understand the reclaimer saga currently.

[@Darizzard93]

@@heyitsvikingz also true as much as I love blue team they never really fleshed out for us a good way to enjoy chief and blue team together ina good solid way without taking away the dynamic of the story and our protagonist. Simply though if we must. As I mentioned for me a good dlc or play through in infinite for me would be a better job of introducing and giving us a better job of having blue team shine along with chief. Well fleshed out. If possible. I agree though I like it better if it’s just chief again. Saturating characters will only mess with the campaign IMO as well

[@nobudarsai9675]

@@heyitsvikingz definitely agree on the team/squad mechanics part, leave that to the community when we want to do 4 player local or online campaign coop and not rely on A.I. that kill you or get you killed most missions especially on heroic and legendary.

[@primisghost6935]

Honestly this rewrite sounds more intriguing than what they had for both 4 and 5. With Halo 5 there were so many moments where I simply didn't understand what was happening. Then later on I heard if I read specific books, watched a certain movie, and a bunch of other stuff to somewhat understand what was going on which you also had to pay for. None of the other games required that.

[@joebarthram596]

I've read and watched most of the expanded lore... Halo 5 still sucked 😂

[@simbriant]

You forgot to include the scene where Master Chief pistol whips Sarah Palmer when she says, "I thought you would be taller."

[@11Survivor]

Oh you're one of those people that has never joked around in an awkward situation huh...

[@derickdc7709]

Wow! This version of the reclaimer saga flows and is way easier to understand than what 343 wrote. I would love to play through this storyline 🔥

[@AlayoAgua]

that H5 ending feels a lot like Mass Effect 2's ending and I love it

[@Wernissage]

#HireAscend 🔥

[@colewelch6719]

Fancy seeing you here

[@nobudarsai9675]

Good to see you Wernissage!

[@LittlePatMansWorld]

They need to hire you too bro. Your art redesigns are fucking incredible.

[@KeeLoker]

Really like this rewrite. I especially like how you didn't take the easy route and just retcon Locke. Through your storytelling, i feel like his reception would have been a lot better

[@darkblades1201]

I like how you use the MCC cutscenes from 4. Busted lighting and all lol

[@heechoonyeo4762]

Cortana didn't become evil for no reason, in halo 5, we are seeing a fragment of her personality, consisting of a lust for power and still love for chief. Halo 5 failed in conveying that story in a cohesive way

[@AscendHyperion]

If the direct game narrative failed to convey the information, to the player it "happened for no reason"

[@heechoonyeo4762]

@@AscendHyperion fair, honestly as it is, halo 5 would not have ever worked with Locke being playable. it's a situation where like you stated, halo 4 had to ease in to Locke. The storyline with the cortana fragments should really have been more obvious in the games, maybe include enough clues to allow players to understand, while still leaving out specifics to reward those who read the comics/books.

[@AssassinMang]

They say you can't polish a turd, but damn this shit is shiny! I probably would have been a fan of the Reclaimer saga if the story was like this instead. Nice work!

[@RoseSupreme]

Some really creative thinking there! I like the idea of Locke being introduced in Halo 4 to give him more time to be fleshed out while still giving Chief his fair share of focus. And I like to imagine in the part with Master Chief, Locke, Arbiter and Palmer together, playing that mission on co-op would have each player control one of them, much like Blue Team, Fireteam Osiris and the Elite Trio.

[@Ilikeavocados123]

13:00 nah dont make chief lose, i would rather have him defeat locke and make him change his point of view

[@casualcharlie1454]

It could be like a Coop turned Pvp 1v1 with both getting their own unique cutscenes for whoever wins or if single player, whoever you choose to play as

[@SoIstice]

Chief losing here doesn't make him weaker than Locke or anything if that's what you're thinking. Consider this. Chief has been AWOL on his own since the ending of Halo 4, searching restlessly to find Halsey and only just found her in the beginning of the game and by that time he had no time to rest with tensions rising. Locke on the otherhand is supported by the UNSC, has had plenty of rest and has UNSC provided equipment. It makes sense that Locke would win here, even if Chief would beat him on an even playing field. But in the end, the fight isn't to decide who's stronger, it serves to further Locke's character development and solidify him as someone who not only respects Chief, but will also disobey orders to support him. Bonus points for showing how much respect Spartan IVs have toward Chief.

[@justiceforjoggers2897]

@@SoIstice He also wouldn't have lost to a Spartan IV in hand to hand combat. Chief took on a Ship Master weilding an energy sword barehanded after staying awake two full weeks and not eating and you mean to tell me he'd now suffer a loss under far more forgiving circumstances?

[@SoIstice]

@@justiceforjoggers2897 Dude it's for character development. Sometimes telling a good story is worth more than keeping up with pointless power levels that mean absolutely nothing in terms of the games. Bungie never let the material outside the games hurt their stories and neither should 343.

[@justiceforjoggers2897]

@@SoIstice That last sentence would help if 343 *didn't do exactly that* They want to use outside lore to explain shit in the game? They should be consistent then. Locke losing or winning isn't even character development for anyone besides Locke, as he's the upcoming star, not the main protagonist. There's room for him to grow, but not by triumphing that challenge at this point of the story

[@MattK-]

I like the idea behind this rewrite. I hope you continue with similar ideas in the future.

[@zahylon5993]

Add something up for the cliffhanger: towards the end of Rewritten 5, as the Didact's ship starts to crumble, a single escape pod can be seen being launched towards a portal. Camera cut to "A few months later" and we see the Ark, on it, a few brutes are carrying the escape pod towards a fortress, upon arrival, one of them asks "Master, what is this machine, that it was so important for us to recover?" then we get a front view of Atriox, who simply says "A weapon, that will allow us to win" camera starts to fade as Evil Cortana starts to flash from the pod. Now you have hinted the Banished as the final enemy of the saga. Make 6/Infinite a mirror of 3, but this time, it's a race between the Banished and the Human-Elite allies to get to a forgotten Forerunner ring, not designed to destroy flood, but a structure from where all Guardians could be controlled. But this place has it's own...Warden, which has been there for an eternity.

[@sheahon1179]

The best rewrites I've seen, it keeps the games as intact and interesting as possible. While I would prefer far more extreme changes I'd have been pleased by this storyline as well. Amazing job!

[@randingo117]

Oh. My. God. This story gives me chills. This would’ve saved the franchise. It astonishes me they do this exactly. The cohesion is amazing. Locke actually seems interesting. I love it

[@FallenSouls26]

Would have loved to see this version of the stories play out! Great work!

[@darkwarrior0428]

I am relatively new in discovering your channel and happy I have, amazing content. I think the rewrites are great, however, I also think that the complete removal of the fireteams does take a little bit of humanity out of the characters. I feel that blue team helped signify that chief was more than just a super soldier, but a person just as Cortana was showing him, and Osiris showed a bit more of how the Spartan 4 program worked especially with Buck. I do think though that it was a lot of faces at once and it caused a problem. Great suggestions, love the channel.

[@syjak9067]

It'd be interesting if you did a re-write for Halo Infinite based off this lore you presented, since the opening to Halo Infinite is fairly open and could probably be modified to fit these (superior) set of events.

[@BlackWing117]

I'm drowning in Halo content right now. Thanks, Algorythm!

[@asimplepie2279]

Just simply rewriting lockes character in halo 4 actually makes me like the idea of him being put in the story. I like that he lets chief go but technically still has a mission to capture him. These are great ideas!

[@TheFerrett3]

I love rewrite stories :P (on the conditions they keep the thrust of the story. Rewrites that are 'chuck it all out and redo it as this' are just fanfics)

[@TheFerrett3]

This was not a fanfic :P

[@EggEnjoyer]

It’d be cool Locke was the only Spartan willing to confront chief and take the chip when Del rio ordered it. I feel like if Locke is supposed to be chiefs replacement, they should have built him up more. Made him more bad ass and gave him more feats. I feel chief should have opened up a bit more as a character, like how he did in halo 4. No longer machine and instead a man. Meanwhile Locke should have been younger and he should have been like a machine, like how Chief was. So you’d have a story about the aging Spartan who’s changing and fresh out an identity crisis and then you’d have the new Spartan who is meant to take his place. In a way it’d be chief up against who he once was. I thought that’d be pretty cool. As it stands, Locke isn’t a character that anyone really cares for. I’ve no problem with master chief having a challenger, but that challenger should be a worthy opponent, someone just as bad ass.

[@jamB2007]

I really liked that! Although I would keep some things similar and instead of a new Cortana maybe her final fragment is what helps but it’s not enough to stay sustainable and that’s where it leads to halo infinite with a similar ending on halo 5. I like the idea also with blue team and Osiris team coming in at the end during a final battle with Chief being kidnapped by evil Cortana and then being freed with a few guardians to accompany the evil Cortana where she shuts down earth still and that’s where halo wars 2 we can see that guardian ending but still flow to halo infinite how it is rn. Those would be my only changes really. But I also liked in halo 4 chief not be picked up by infinity but still play out the same first mission but we get our old Mark VI armor heavily damaged in the fall. That’s when we come to that entrance to see all the forunner structures but then the infinity crashes down. While we were on the ship before we crash we get subtle transmissions like we would get while on the forunner world. That’s how we tried to warn them not to approach but infinity still pursuing to help the drifting frigget until it’s too late. Then we go and meet lock and the infinity crew similar to how we do before minus the promeathians and didactic pursuing the infinity. That’s what I feel would suit it a bit better. But loved this whole idea!

[@sc0rpi0nspoison]

I honestly really like your rewrite and think it would make for a much more connected and fluid story arc between 4 and 5. My one addition is that Chief by no means should lose to Locke. Canon-wise, it makes no sense for most Spartan IIs to be overpowered by even some of the better Spartan IVs, let alone Chief, being among the most skilled of the IIs in hand-to-hand combat and tactical foresight. I would suggest that Chief side steps most of Locke's attacks trying to reason with him, while Locke remains the aggressor, with one lucky attack to Chief's face, breaking his visor, Chief quickly subdues Locke and then explains his reasoning, which Locke then understands and chooses to side with Chief. I personally think this would make the most sense. Not to make Locke seem weak, but to show the contrast between one of the best Spartan IIs and one of the best Spartan IVs. In fact, I feel that prior to the fight, Locke should be shown kicking serious ass to show that he is nothing to be taken lightly

[@CT--ox2iu]

This is a really interesting and thoughtful way of going about it, good job!

[@ethanfairbairn7275]

This is pretty much perfect

[@derpyartist]

I haven't played halo 5, because the story of halo 4 was losing me, and this rewrite is actually very engaging keeping me in the loop of everyone's intentions. I really enjoyed this

[@e.v4892]

As an addition, if you want to add Fireteam Osiris and Blue Team to the mix, you could make the final battle on the Mantle’s Approach play out like Reach’s New Alexandria. The initial charge requires beachheads to be set up. If you choose to play as the Chief, the mission will play out as you help Blue Team secure some checkpoint, granting you Forerunner weapons. If you choose to play as Locke, you help the members of Fireteam Osiris - who aren’t yet a team - to clear out another checkpoint; you get comparatively weaker UNSC weapons, but some ODSTs and miscellaneous S4 NPCs follow you going forward. The encounters could be based on the characters played, as listed, or random, like New Alexandria. Other random encounters for this part could include Fireteam Crimson, containing a Spartan with your multiplayer set, Palmer with Fireteam Majestic, and Arby with some Elites.

[@mrsteamie4196]

Ahhh, you had me by the balls until Locke Disabling Chief in the fistfight -- I just don't see how that could be sold well unless you really built Locke up to be a true badass, borderlands style. However, you have me convinced on everything and I think that, in the end, I could stomach it. I also really, really appreciate how you are serious about respect for 343. It's admirable.

[@ryantodd2000]

I liked this rewrite, I felt some parts were a bit over the top but still pretty solid. If there was somehow a way to play it I’d do it. I’ve always wanted to do something like this since Halo 5 came out. Apart of me deep down was hoping 343i would somehow redo the campaign during its lifespan, which saying it out loud now is pretty stupid and would probably be borderline impossible. I guess that was just my way of coping with the crushing disappointment lol.

[@themissinglink7126]

This is much better. Locke's inclusion in 4 was a stroke of genius.

[@LTLBproductions]

Bro your rewrite feels like it was literally taking out of my head. Been thinking about this for along time

[@alfianfawzi2064]

Awesome! If 343i is ever going to consider remaking Halo4/5, then I REALLY think that your version of rewrite should be pitched for the campaign's narrative, and that the remakes would be bundled in a collection (akin to MCC) and titled as "Halo: The Reclaimer Saga". First and foremost, I LOVE how you featured Spartan Locke earlier on 4 which is actually a great decision to build him up as the Saga's most prominent character. I mean, he has a cool design, a superb performance by the VA, Ike Amadi, and I firmly believed that your story would be able to properly utiliize his character at the fullest. It was like you set him up as the Reclaimer Saga's secondary hero, just as Arbiter was during the Covenant War, and that's a very welcome change. I feel like this Spartan Locke held a great respect towards the Chief deep down in his heart, as demonstrated by him letting go of Chief twice over even when he almost had him. Deep down he wanted to believe that Master Chief always made the right call in the end, and it was Chief's ability to believe, to have faith in his own strength as well as his friends that they could overcome many challenges that earned Locke's respect. In turn, as we played as MC on Halo 4, we could also get to know Locke's character and motivations during the joint missions, as well as forming a bond with him through the eyes of the Chief. MC also knew and understand that Locke was taking orders to capture him, but Chief still tried his best to have Locke believe in him that he could sort things out by bringing Cortana back. This could also be used to further Locke's character arc. When he was silently conflicted about being ordered to capture the chief until during the Sangheili Civil War, Arbiter convinced Locke to confront Master Chief not as a Spartan taking orders from the above, but as a fellow warrior Spartan who "talks with their fists". And when both Chief and Locke were duking it out, both GENUINELY ENJOYED their fight until the order weighed Locke down once more after he beat Chief. Still however, that burden was lifted when he believed in Chief once more, which makes the Chief-Arbiter-Locke trio a special treat for the players. The camaraderie was rewarding, and that it would properly set up the stage for the trio once more on Halo Infinite. As for the rest of Fireteam, I think they could still be used as side story characters in a similar manner of Halo Reach, in which Buck took the leadership to take down a Guardian in another part of the galaxy, maybe as a DLC or unlockable post-game side story or something, only that it wouldn't end in atragedy like Reach to set up yet another stage for Halo Infinite and beyond.

[@billdover3694]

Obligatory "BeTtEr ThAn 343" comment

[@elitedonut1089]

nice

[@justiceforjoggers2897]

May they hear this cry, and may their fanboys tremble with fright!

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@justiceforjoggers2897 Harsh, innit? They've often given way more interaction with fans and forums, then Bungie have with Destiny, concerning Activision, etc. And don't forget, several key members of 343 were Bungie, initially. But they have indeed made a number of, shall we say... missteps, lately.

[@justiceforjoggers2897]

@@chrissonofpear1384 Missteps are putting it lightly lol. 343 has been making terrible decisions trying to replace its original fan base

[@butterdog7236]

5:30 I think halo 4 took a page out of Red vs Blue’s book Edit: 7:09 my previous statement goes for your halo 4 too

[@AscendHyperion]

I don't watch Red vs Blue, so I can't say I know what you're getting at.

[@lazychief5223]

dude this needs way more veiws, you really have a gift for making amazing content

[@Seoko117]

Honestly you are one of the few youtube with an intro I actually like

[@Empire_JeSzO]

The locke beating chief ruined this

[@finjames4878]

This is really good up till Locke bearing chief, that’s where you kinda lost me. But up till that point it was really good.

[@willieb.hardigan4846]

This is a phenomenal rewrite. Very good job!!

[@legendarymasterchief7620]

I’m so glad you rewrote the “Hunt the Truth” back into Halo 5 like it should’ve been, it felt just right. Excellent vid!

[@mj3541]

You’re the ray mak of halo vids

[@dylant3714]

Dude this was perfect. Awesome job

[@raymondfarr4078]

"Hindsight is 2020" (To the tune of under the sea) PTSD anxiety

[@nooh9151]

Bro this was friggin sick! This story makes so much more sense and feels way more old halo yet still new compared to the real 4 and 5. Good work, bet it took a lot of brain power to do this!

[@dextro6945]

Wow this is a huge improvement... actually sounds kind of epic for a rough idea

[@Toby_Kat]

This gave me chills, man! I've kinda made it a personal point to avoid non-game Halo lore materials because I believe that everything needed to understand a game's plot should be contained in the game itself (I'll probably explore the external stuff someday), but as far as keeping the plot clear and maintaining the big events that 343 set up, this is a fantastic timeline rewrite :3

[@MJS-lk2ej]

these re-writes are damn good, i would be interested in seeing this come to fruition.

[@bloodrune329]

I can see Cortana laying down like she was on High Charity and looking up and standing and asking Chief how he saved her and he just says “I promised.”

[@glenharris9366]

Great video, definitely would have preferred your version of the events that unfold! I think it's worth noting just how jarring it was going from halo 3 to halo 4. I recently replayed the full saga, and whilst the first 3 games felt like a cohesive experience, the sudden shift in tone, themes and conflict going into halo 4 was very noticeable. Lots of people still praise halo 4 for its story, and I do appreciate it for trying to move the story in a new direction, but I think the execution was less than subtle. Not to mention it still relied heavily on players knowing a lot of the expanded lore outside of the core games themselves and contained some super melodramatic dialogue. Whilst halo 5 is a convoluted mess, I think they managed to reel back some of the melodrama to a more reasonable tone, but again the narrative had no clear focus following on from halo 4. Your thoughts certainly address a lot of these issues, and I think if they were implemented smartly by the developers, with a bit more subtlety and context on their part, it would have been a great addition to the series!

[@YES-MANY]

I like the idea of you choosing if you want to be the Master Chief fighting Locke or vice versa and there being different endings to the fight

[@anthonyrooks1595]

Absolutely love this, well done!

[@superjesse645]

I think you hit the nail on the head with this rewrite, hands down. But if I had to make one addition, it would be this to connect with Halo Infinite: - In the post credits scene, Rampant Cortana escapes in a fragment of the Didact's ship, which is eventually found by a mysterious red-painted assault carrier. Once brought aboard, she reveals herself and, having managed to get the locations of all the halo rings during her time in the Didact's ship, she strikes a deal with her rescuers: 'Help me seize control of the galaxy and the remaining halo rings and I will let you take the rings for yourselves.' The camera pans, revealing her rescuers to be none other than the Banished, with Atriox agreeing to the deal. When Atriox asks what her name is, all Rampant Cortana says is... 'Harbinger.' Boom, connection to Halo: Infinite.

[@coldinnovember6866]

Fantastically done. A much needed improvement to the story. One that sadly, we'll never see.

[@brianthao102]

Literally got chills with everyone working together against rampant cortana. Goddamn, now that's the kind of story I would love to see!

[@kingkeong8637]

Really enjoyed this video and your rewrite of Halo 4 and 5. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on how the story would unfold for Infinite if your Halo 5 story was canon!

[@cal928]

A side effect of you introducing locke earlier and writing him the way you did now makes him a likeable and complex character who has a mind of his own, and I just think that's stellar!

[@RookBone]

I have one final addition to your rewrites that I think would round out the story very nicely and make the ending feel a bit more heavy hitting. Throughout 5 Halsey leads both chief and the player to believe that she can fully restore Cortana to what she once was. Only after the final battle, when all the chaos has calmed down, do chief and the "restored" Cortana get a proper moment together. It is then revealed that this AI is a mere echo of Cortana, lacking many of the things that made Cortana who she was. Halsey led chief(and by extension, us) on because she wanted him to not feel any hesitation in killing the rampant, or rather, the true Cortana. What he is left with is an AI that was created solely for the purpose of stopping Cortana and beyond that is pretty much just a husk. I feel like this reflects the ending of Halo 4 nicely, with a victory that has come at a great personal cost for chief.

[@nanahc]

Excellent ideas, i like your story

[@Armadill0h]

Wow, I loved these rewrites!

[@josephhughes4445]

bro, i wish you worked on these games, it felt awesome just hearing you describe what would happen!

[@heyitsvikingz]

I usually don't sing so much high praise of others' head canons, but you sir have done a superb job! It doesn't feel like some silly fanfiction like most people's rewrites do and feels like it was written by someone with at least some passing knowledge in storyboarding lol. Also keeps all the important information IN GAME, not in 5 separate full novels. One of the biggest problem's with 343's Halo is that 4 and 5 are COMPLETELY disconnected from each other. Locke needed to be in 4, but I imagine he wasn't even conceived as an idea yet.. Unfortunately the case for many differences between 4 and 5. This rewrite ties together the two perfectly in a very Bungie-esque storyline. The removal of Osiris and Blue Team really reduces the clutter in the story, and leads way for Halo 5 to have many parallels with Halo 2; both being the first sequel of their respective trilogies. for example The Arbiter being a second playable character is now swapped out for Locke, who also meets up with the Arbiter; tying in nicely with this theme of continuation and leaves room to insinuate a "passing of the torch" so to speak. This is something I feel Bungie would pay attention to, especially Marty with his ethos of emotional equity and repeating musical themes. I'm not saying that 343 should be more like Bungie, I think Halo 4 has a great story personally and your edit retains a lot of what they created, which is good. I just think that there's a reason why people adore Bungie's Halos beyond fanboying and loyalty. They knew how to tie themes together and make you truly care for what's going on. I think Joe Staten becoming creative lead for 343 is a massive step in the right direction, now only if they had Marty! sorry if my ideas seem cluttered. I really enjoyed this rewrite!

[@LittlePatMansWorld]

I loved everything about this except for two things: 1. I wish you could've found a way to include Chief's conversation with Lasky at the end of Halo 4. 2. I wish you could've ended your version of Halo 5 in a similar way that runs into Halo Infinite's story so that I can make this my head canon. Over all though, great video! Keep up the good work.

[@Dishonored9770]

This would've been AMAZING. You are a FRIKIN GENIUS. I love it. I am speechless. Amazing rewrite.

[@ethanwagner6418]

This is beautiful, thank you

[@hawkeyenextgen7117]

Excellent work! I appreciate the work you've done thus far, it is quite excellent. However, if I might, I'd like to state what I'd change about your rewrite. 1. The conflict of Captain Del Rio vs Master Chief. Del Rio's arguement was that the Master Chief was growing too old and senile, and thus his service has become increasingly obsolete. This is a weak argument, as Captain Del Rio supported the Master Chief in driving off the Didact with a Mantis. A captain who trusts a spartan with that firepower only to accusing him of hallucinations is contradictory. The way I'd write it, is that he argues that he is overly concerned about the well being of his ship, of which he has spent nearly his life investing his efforts on, and declares the lives of Infinity matter more than the Master Chief's mission. 2. The Didact's backstory. The Librarian reveals she was the mastermind behind the Ark and the Halo Rings, and planned for a new species, the Children of Forerunners known as mankind, to repopulate the galaxy once the flood was eradicated. The Didact disagreed as he argued that the Mantle belongs only to the Forerunners. In order to make them immune to the parasite, he'd imprison his own kind in exoskeletal bodies of which we know as Prometheans which caused a lot of infighting, and led to a civil war. Once the Didiact had become imprisoned, the Forerunners were hopelessly outnumbered, so they went along with the Librarian's plan. This sets the state for a philosophical conflict. Is enslavement really a fate worse than death in the eyes of the Didact? Are the Prometheans truly mindless? 3. Cortana. First off, she isn't some eye candy to satisfy the viewer. She's her own unique individual, even if she is a machine, who is capable of reason and logic. In the story, I'd write the more rampant she becomes, the more she questions what it means to be human; to be flawed, something that the Master Chief hadn't asked himself in a long time. 4. Spartan Locke. Maybe a cooler name or something like, Jager, which means, "Hunter" in German, as he is hunting the Master Chief. He would have his own distinctive personality just as the Chief. However, where as Chief is meant to immerse the audience, Jager is supposed to represent the audience. During his youth, Jager aspired to become a spartan, as he idolized the Chief, and wanted to follow in his footsteps. Now, he's become disillusioned, introducing another conflict, meeting face to face with your own hero.

[@eternalmiasma5586]

I absolutely love this rewrite, and I’m glad it didn’t change the soul of halo 4, because as you said, 4 had a solid, even great story but with a lot of smaller flaws

[@memeking63oof15]

this was a great rewrite and i enjoyed this keep up the good content

[@dextergrif1052]

I love this so much more. You’ve combined Palmer and Lasky into one character, that of Locke. Which I really appreciate the idea of Locke being there from the start of the trilogy and if the intended on making Locke a successor to the Chief at some point it was very important that they make us like him, and I think this did it. Nevermind, I guess Palmer and Lasky are still there. Would we still have the same scene with Lasky giving Chief the Pelican and Palmer saying “I thought you’d be taller”

[@jojothegogobayoyo6845]

This is a great rewrite idea I really like everything except Locke beating chief and him pleading his case, that doesn't really feel like chief. I think another great idea would be adding blue team in H4 for the same reason you added Locke that would make the mammoth mission you mentioned better since we get to meet the original team and a new character so we can understand them better by the time H5 starts.

[@HatutZeraze]

I've been waiting for this

[@Phospherone]

Really great re-write.

[@cristiansalinas1996]

This is 100% canon for me now, absolutely excellent work man!

[@TerrorOmnibus]

13:20 at that moment, i pictured we could only see Chief's and Locke's helmet flaslights shining in the dark after a couple of moments

[@DannyGGchannel]

Really great work! Is this what a cool halo story feels like? Its been too long :)

[@ChiefyMcNeil]

I have adopted this rewrite as lore in my head

[@sfierro518]

Wow you made Locke likeable, I really enjoyed this rewrite

[@tomski758]

There’s still some stuff that would have been cool to add over this, but dam this is a god dam amazing re write I wish we got this