Halo may be a household name, but not everyone knows what its easy-to-remember title means. Fans of the series will be the first to point out the franchise is named after the series' Halo Array — a set of stupendously large space-rings that, when activated, produce a blast capable of wiping out all sentient life in the galaxy. Naturally, these mammoth structures are central to several of the Halo series' major conflicts, and that trend looks to go unchallenged based on what's been shown of Halo Infinite.
Halo Infinite will hardly be the first game in the series to allow players to explore a Halo ring on foot. The first Halo had an entire level set on the surface of Installation 04, while Halo 3 is notable for its explosive finale wherein players must escape from a self-destructing Halo ring. But where Halo Infinite differs is that it seems a Halo ring will be its core setting, rather than just a single level. However, this isn't just any Halo ring: Halo Infinite's setting of Installation 07 is perhaps the most perplexing piece of the Halo Array thanks to the lack of concrete information regarding the so-called Zeta Halo.
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Right off the bat, the biggest difference between Installation 07 and its neighboring rings is that it wasn't built at the same time as the others. Rather, Installation 07 used to be part of a 12-ringed Halo array that predates the seven-ringed set commonly referenced throughout the series. However, as a consequence of the prehistoric war between Halo's Forerunners and the Flood, 11 of the rings were lost, leaving Installation 07 as the odd one out of the new array.
In 2552, nearly 100,000 years following the Forerunner-Flood war, humankind learned of the Halo Array's existence. However, Installation 07 wouldn't be discovered until a few years later in 2555 when Doctor Luther Mann's research unveiled its location. Man's findings kickstarted the creation of the Zeta Halo Project — a human-led effort to study Installation 07, as well as secure the superweapon to ensure galactic stability.
However, the Zeta Halo Project wasn't the most fruitful endeavor. Unlike the other rings, which had fairly easy-to-find control rooms, monitors, and libraries, Installation 07's most important structures were pretty well-hidden. Doctor Mann hypothesized that this Halo's monitor could be keeping the ring's central facilities out of plain sight due to humanity and the Covenant's destructive history on other Halo rings throughout the Human-Covenant War. The control room was eventually discovered, but as of the events of Halo Infinite, the library and monitor have yet to be unveiled, leaving many of Installation 07's secrets untapped.
One could presume that the ring's elusive elements will likely play a key role in Halo Infinite's campaign, as one of the Banished's goals is to take over the installation. Logically, it would make sense for Master Chief and the rest of humanity to want to beat them to the punch.
Not only is Installation 07 an in-universe mystery, but since its introduction into the Halo lore, the information communicated to fans regarding it has been sparse, and at times, contradicting. The question of its geography is fairly contentious; texture files ripped from Halo 3 imply the ring has more of a rough, volcanic surface, while other forms of Halo media have described the structure as having a desert-like landscape, or being dense with forests, or being layered in thick clouds.
However, Halo Infinite has seemingly put speculation regarding Installation 07's landscape to rest. Last year's demo shows that the ringworld doesn't look all that different from Earth. That being said, it should be noted that Halo Infinite's gameplay showcase only offered a look at one part of the colossal structure. Given its size, it's possible that Halo Infinite's setting could feature multiple biomes that align with previous descriptions of the ring, but that remains to be seen.
Installation 07 is shrouded in mystery, but Halo Infinite seems poised to pull the curtain back on this enigmatic piece of Halo lore. Since Halo Infinite will primarily be set on Installation 07, it seems likely that it could go from being the most mysterious Halo ring to, ironically, the one players know the most about by the time the credits roll.
Halo Infinite is expected to release in Fall 2021 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.