343 Industries have been sporadically adding classic game types and features toHalo Infiniteover its near three-year lifespan. While the return of Forge, campaign co-op, and Firefight are welcome additions, there’s still one fan favorite feature still missing fromHalo Infinite: assassinations.
First introduced in 2010’sHalo: Reach, assassinations were dynamic kill animations players can perform on Covenant forces and opposing players if they’re physically struck directly on their back. This would predominantly feature a Spartan-III taking a knife and stabbing enemies in unique, entertaining ways with few exceptions.
The Art of Halo Assassinations
InReach, if someone played as an elite, their assassinations would use small energy daggers from wrist-mounted gauntlets to slay foes instead of knives. If both elites or Spartans hit an enemies’ back while wielding an energy sword, these assassinations would display the player artistically killing the opponent with the sword instead of the dagger or knife. Some of these animations includedan elite thrusting a Spartan into the airwith the sword before dropping them to the ground, or a Spartan jumping on top of an elite’s back with the sword. All warriors of the Covenant could be assassinated as well, except for engineers, drones, and hunters.
Assassinations were a satisfying reward for players who successfully snuck up on menacing Covenant soldiers or snipingSpartans sneaking around on maps like Hemorrhage. If players were skilled enough, assassinations could even be performed in the air, either by jumping onto someone from a high position or using the jetpack armor ability. They even brought some comedy to slayer matches; if someone in the midst of being assassinated was killed by another player, they would earn the comical medal “Yoink!” While it was often frustrating to miss out on an assassination animation this way, hearing the multiplayer announcer Jeffrey Steitzer say “yoink” brought some much-needed levity to those moments.
Performing several assassinations inHalo 4multiplayer earned players the assassin commendation and unlocked theDead Spacereminiscent Venator armor set. Venator was later unlocked only through randomized REQ packs inHalo 5: Guardians.
343 Industries’ Assassins
Master Chief finally got to show some dynamic Spartan prowess in gameplay thanks to the continued implementation ofassassinations in 2012’sHalo 4. 343 Industries expanded upon assassinations in many ways with their first mainline title. Hunters were still immune to assassinations, but players were now able to assassinate the Forerunner Prometheans, from the hulking knights to the flying watchers. These new foes brought with them more lively animations, such as Master Chief ripping off a knight’s own arm-blade to slay them or riding a crawler before ripping their heads off into the air. These new animations weren’t limited to the campaign, however. Players could break opponents' spines and, in Capture the Flag matches, use the flag to stab enemies on the ground. Even the Flood could assassinate players in the mixed Flood infection gametype.
Assassinations were a satisfying reward for players who successfully snuck up on menacing Covenant or sniping Spartans sneaking around on maps like Hemorrhage.
Assassinations reached their peak embellishment inHalo 5: Guardiansthanks to the introduction ofWarzone requisition (REQ) packs. Players can randomly unlock unique and extravagant assassination animations through these randomized packs, including a Bane-style backbreak or a300-style kick. Bosses were able to be assassinated for the first time as well with the Warden Eternal. This feat was one of the most difficult to attain inGuardians,but that made it all the more rewarding when players were able to dynamically slay the rather frustrating Forerunner construct.
Halo’s Assassination Loss and Future
Halo Infinitewas designed to be a spiritual reboot for the franchise in terms of both story and gameplay. This caused a lot of “redundant” weapons to be scrapped and accessory features to be dropped, including assassinations. Now, when players melee opponents in the back, they simply die just as they had inHalo: Combat Evolved,Halo 2, andHalo 3.
Halo Infinite’s Assassination Potential
As more and more events and operations are expected to be released later this year,343 could use the skilled,Samurai-like nature of Tenraior the more literal, sharp or brutal nature of Banished Honor to reintroduce assassinations inInfinite. Tenrai refers to an alternate FractureHalouniverse where the Samurai aesthetic and culture became prominent on Earth, leading to the creation of Samurai-like Yoroi power armor. With a fourth Tenrai event expected to be released in June, it would make sense to reintroduce assassinations then, especially since a lot of Yoroi armor features swords and knives.
While assassinations haven’t returned in thecurrent Banished Honor operation, a future Banished theme event or operation would be a great opportunity to reintroduce assassinations. This potential event could be centered around the Banished Bloodstars and Silent Shadow forces, hyper-lethal soldiers of the faction. Both groups were originally formed among the Covenant as special operations units, often composed of elites and brutes equipped with active camouflage. The groups were designed to hunt down or assassinate high priority targets such as Spartans and Covenant political figures.
The Bloodstars and Silent Shadowwere both absorbed into the Banished, so it would make sense to see some Spartan armor inspired by these units, especially for Banished Spartan mercenaries. An event like this would be perfect to reintroduce assassinations, perhaps alongside some new lore about Banished Spartans conducting assassinations against high-ranking UNSC, Swords of Sanghelios, or Created personnel.
The Power of a Classic Halo Feature
The return of assassinations could entice new and veteranHaloplayers to playInfinite’smultiplayer. Alongside new ones, old animations could be brought back, such asReach’sclassic knife assassinations. An assassination featuringthe shock rifle or even the skewercould be some of the most brutal seen in the franchise (pun intended). Assassinations could even highlight some ofInfinite’s less popular arsenal; perhaps an assassination with the ravager could present a Spartan pinning another and melting their face with the ravager’s overheated, red plasma. At the very least, it’d be nice to hear Steitzer yell out “assassination” and “yoink” again inHalo Infiniteslayer matches.
Halo Infinite
WHERE TO PLAY
When all hope is lost and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he’s ever faced. Step inside the armor of humanity’s greatest hero to experience an epic open-world adventure and explore the massive scale of the Halo ring.With Network Campaign Co-Op and Mission Replay, you can relive your favorite moments, rediscover collectibles and explore the wonders of Zeta Halo on your own or with up to three other fireteam members.Experience Halo’s celebrated multiplayer reimagined and free-to-play! With over 70 maps in matchmaking, billions of customization configurations, and countless community Forge creations to experience, Halo Infinite is the franchise’s most expansive multiplayer offering to date.Enjoy an unprecedented variety of gameplay experiences, ranging from fast-paced intense ranked modes to whimsical mayhem in Custom Games, or even co-operative coordination in the wave-based survival mode Firefight: King of the Hill. Assemble your Fireteam and conquer every mode – Halo offers endless opportunities for teamwork, strategy, and unforgettable victories.
