“Captain wake up, something’s different.” These are the last words the player hears upon finishing the campaign of the Halo franchise Real Time Strategy (RTS) game, Halo Wars. Now 28 years later for the crew of the UNSC ship Spirit of Fire return for the exciting sequel, Halo Wars 2.

With the events of Halo Wars being somewhat distant from the more widely known Halo lore of the Master Chief story arc you may be wondering if the successor to the original Halo RTS is also going to take place in a removed section of the Halo narrative. Well as it turns out, yes and no. Halo Wars 2 bring the journey of Spirit of Fire 28 years into the future to a time, and possibly place, that we are all quite familiar with.

I wanted to have that…it’s strange to say “continuity” with 28 years in between, but as far as Cutter and Anders and all the crew on the Spirit of Fire, that really is the next moment. They close their eyes, and then this happens. They’ve missed everything that’s in between, and catching them up on that passage of time is a big part of bringing them back into Halo.

The new timeline takes place during the current events of the Halo franchise, setting up just after the events of Halo 3 and putting us somewhere in the current time frame of Halo 4 and 5. This new timeline opens up numerous opportunities for the Halo Wars franchise. With all the events following the Master Chief with the fall of the Flood and the fracturing of the Covenant Empire Halo Wars 2 has a wealth of lore to pull from to further advance the journey of the crew of Spirit of Fire.

Now going back over the Halo series looking at all the various enemies that the UNSC has had to deal with I would have to propose that the most overlooked faction is indeed the Brute wing of the Covenant alliance. Sure they had a part to play in Halo 2 and a bit in Halo 3 but their moment was somewhat brief when compared to the other antagonists of the Halo franchise. This particular fact makes it all the more exciting that the developers of Halo Wars 2 have decided to make the backbone of the new antagonists none other than the zealous Brute force of Atriox, a particularly vicious and cunning Brute Warlord and Chieftan of the Banished.

In the shadows of the Ark lurked a banished legacy of the shattered Covenant: a new opponent fueled not by religious fervor, but by raw lust for power.

Not only is the narrative of Halo Wars 2 opening new doors for the continuance of the Halo RTS franchise but the games developers have also alluded to the game providing a substantial amount of influence on the future of the Halo franchise as a whole. In a sense, Halo Wars 2 will be knocking doors down all over the place to make room for big things to come in the Halo franchise.

Is it (Halo Wars 2) going to have significant effects on, let’s say, the next first-person shooter for Halo?
It’s absolutely going to. I mean, it is a part of what’s happening in the universe right now. So, yeah, its absolutely going to have a big impact on what’s coming next. It’s still early for whatever’s going to happen in the future, but I can tell you for sure that if you played Halo 5, there are some important implications in Halo Wars 2 that you’ll be able to pick up on.

With all the exciting new locations, enemies, and characters, Halo Wars 2 is setting up to be one heck of a ride. Are you excited to see what Halo Wars 2 will bring to the table for the future of the beloved Halo Franchise? Let us know! And if you want more Halo Wars 2 news check out the new multiplayer aspect of the game here: Halo Wars 2 Multiplayer Everything You Need to Know.