Great Journey

Lore & Background

The Covenant leadership – the High Prophets – declare humanity an affront to their gods, and prosecute a lengthy genocidal campaign against the technologically inferior race. The Covenant discover that the Forerunners designated humanity 'reclaimers' of their legacy, and that the Covenant religion is built on falsehoods; to prevent the truth from being uncovered, they instigate a genocidal war against humanity. In 2552, the Covenant discover and destroy Reach, one of humanity's greatest military strongholds.

A human ship fleeing the battle discovers a Forerunner ringworld, Alpha Halo. The Covenant believe the activation of these rings are key to bringing about salvation, but the ring is destroyed by the human supersoldier Master Chief. Soon after, the Covenant falls into civil war as the truth of the Halo rings' purpose is revealed: they are actually weapons of mass destruction built to stop the spread of the parasitic Flood. The disgraced Covenant commander known as the Arbiter ultimately allies with the Master Chief to stop the Covenant and Flood, ending the Human-Covenant War.

Reader's Guide

In Halo 2 the Gravemind reveals to the Arbiter that the "sacred rings" are actually weapons of last resort and that the Great Journey is a lie, a fact the Master Chief confirms. However, the revelation that the Halo Array was actually a galactic-scale extermination device triggered the Great Schism. The Sangheili, realizing they had been deceived, allied with humanity to stop the activation of the remaining rings, while the Jiralhanae (Brutes) and Prophets attempted to force the Journey anyway.

Did You Know?

• The Covenant's superior technology gives them a distinct advantage in the war against humanity.
• In the post-war era, various factions replace the power vacuum left by the Covenant, including the Banished.