I think it is actually ‘biological neural structures as well as neural physics objects’. Harbinger is definitely the former and not the latter. That does make me wonder if the purpose of bringing the ring within range of the Endless home world was based on threatening their planet’s infrastructure (maybe built on neural physics objects?). Would connect them to the Precursors that way too.
We’ll see, I hope they don’t overcomplicate the reason, because it should be understable by a parge audience, the Mantle is already a very abstract concept to digest for many. XD
It might be a technological reason, the Harbinger seems to be able to use Forerunner tech at a never seen level outside Forerunner themselves.
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I will fight you Prog
But tbh most of the good Mass effect lore is what predates the Protheans and in Andromeda’s case the Jardaan, the scourge and the Keth.
So I finally finished the game. Loved the story but there are still a lot of mysteries. Do we know how Cortana’s empire fell and what broke Zeta Halo ? I suppose a big explosion. Also, do we know if the Infinity landed on Zeta Halo or just got teared apart in space ? And how Atriox left the Ark after Halo Wars 2 ?
Hoping for a book or a comic to explain what happened between Cortana’s domination over the galaxy and her downfall. Also the follow-up to Halo Wars 2’s ending (with Cortana’s Guardian intercepting Anders and Installation 04C).
Also, I suppose this scene from the 2020 July trailer is related to the next chapter as it wasn’t in the game.
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Yea was cut for some reason
Cortana blew up that portion of the ring to keep Atriox from getting the Index, killing herself in the process. It is presumed Cortana’s empire fell due to the Weapon successfully confining her on Zeta Halo, which likely caused the Guardian to fall from the sky and onto the ring. Everyone of consequence seemingly abandoned the Infinity, to I assume it landed on the ring somewhere. We dunno how Atriox left the Ark after Halo Wars 2 at this point afaik. Nor do we know how he survived Cortana blowing apart the ring as he was right there in the room with her.
The more I think on it, the more convinced I become that the Endless are Precursors…every day tehre is new info that seems to line up. Both have telepathic abilities via controlling spacetime, Forerunners betrayed them, the Halo array could not destroy them (Precursors became Flood, which the rings did not kill and Primordial survived the ring firing while in his cell), both knew the truth about the Forerunners and represented a threat to their control over the Mantle, the reclaimer symbol for the Mantle is seen on Harbinger’s armor. Hell, even ‘reclaimer’ itself sounds like some entity is returning to claim something which does not really make sense wrt humans. Then of course we know the Harbinger uses a phrase ‘Now I will talk and you will listen’ with the exact same cadence and emphasis (seemingly) as was used in Halo 2 by the Gravemind. The Gravemind also had similarly flappy mandibles not unlike the Harbinger’s.
It also answers my question as to why the Forerunners brought Zeta Halo within firing range of the Xalanyn home world as while it could not kill them, it could still destroy the technology the Xalanyn world was built from, so the ring’s presence would be a legitimate threat to the Xalanyn in that way. There are apparently some similarities too in the descriptions of the physical forms for the Precursors compared to the Harbinger.
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It happens in Halo: Shadows of Reach
99% it land-crashed like the Pillar of Autumn
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This got me thinking about a DLC where we explore it akin to the Maw in CE. Maybe even have a warthog run at the end of it. :o
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I was about to link it. XD
Imo this is a better theory than the HiddenXperia one.
Tbh I am not really seeing what his actual reasoning is. It seems like his only argument is that since the rings don’t kill the Endless that they must be a totally new species…but do we have evidence that the rings would kill Precursors? The rings don’t kill the Flood, who are Precursors, and the Primordial survived a ring firing iirc, so why assume we need a new species to fill this role of not being killed by the rings? His other arguments seem based around concept art showing some thought was put into central nervous system of the Harbinger at some point. I don’t really find that very compelling in a vacuum.
Important to also not forget that anything coming into the game as a central story pillar (like the enemy faction) needs to be straightforward enough to be grasped by non-hardcore Halo fans. The notion they would make the big enemy some secret offshoot of the Precursors seems to be straining that imho.
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So, apparently the whispers from Cortana towards the end of the game are actually her reciting lines from a famous suicide letter from 1941 (the suicide of Virginia Woolf).
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Holy shit you’re right.
IIRC Virginia Woolf drowned herself. 
For those wondering, this was the letter, addressed to her husband.
Dearest, I feel certain that I am going mad again. I feel we can’t go through another of those terrible times. And I shan’t recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and I can’t concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness. You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don’t think two people could have been happier till this terrible disease came. I can’t fight it any longer. I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I can’t even write this properly. I can’t read. What I want to say is I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say that—everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can’t go on spoiling your life any longer. I don’t think two people could have been happier than we have been. V.
I am not sure if there has been any discourse on mental health and depression and how the concept of Rampancy maybe explores that in the Halo series, but wouldn’t be surprised if there was, especially during the H4 days. Now, perhaps not so much after all the H5 shenanigans and cleaning up that Infinite had to do, smh.
I remember this specific section from the whispers
If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can’t go on spoiling your life any longer.
That is definitely a nice nod, tbh.
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Oh interesting!
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That is quite interesting - those Cortana whispers (great voice acting from Jen Taylor) added quite a lot to the feel/atmosphere of the latter levels IMO.
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I mean, the rings do kill the Flood, except for infection forms which are essentially spores, which die anyway without biomass to consume.
Anyway, the concept of different offshoots of Precursors having different meaning and purpose from the Flood is heavily told in Point of Light (I just finished reading): without too many spoilers of the book, there are plant-like beings which are a “good” offspring of dying Precursors, who didn’t become all corrupted powder and then Flood.
The Endless can easily be another offspring of thar species.
Or a completely new one, which is still the most likely outcome, as I said previously, the fact there were only a handful of advances species in the galaxy, was a little strange. Precursors, Forerunners, Ancient Humans and Ancient San’Shyuums were the only to reach a very high livel of technology, now there’s a fifth race.
Cant we just take that the Endless are just another set of species separated from the Precursors, Forerunners and Ancient Humanity? A true species native to the galaxy and not seeded like the last 2.
Holy shit
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How did the Primordial survive a ring firing while he was captive? And killing their food isn’t relevant here.