Blightlands: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:37, October 7, 2024

Blightlands on Installation 04, as simulated by 343 Guilty Spark in Terminal 6 of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

343 Guilty Spark imagines a Flood infestation on Installation 04.

Blightlands are large regions which have been infested by the Flood. While the Flood are capable of operating in almost any environment (including the vacuum of space), the Flood Super Cell (FSC) generally has a fairly narrow band of habitability where it is most effective. In more localised Flood outbreaks, this kind of ideal environment can be established in the climate-controlled conditions of a Flood hive; however, for larger infestations, conversion of a region into blightlands offers many of the same functions.^[1]^[2] This conversion generally begins once the Flood has entered the Coordinated stage of an outbreak.^[2]

The establishment of a blightland begins around a hive or Cocooned base^[3], with specialised Flood growths emerging that are designed to harvest nutrients from the soil, soak up solar energy, and consume all native life within its boundaries. Eventually, these zones are consumed to provide biomass for the construction of city-sized spore towers, oceans of FSC, and pseudo-organs that are designed to finish the process of consuming an entire planet.^[1]^[2]

Static Flood growths generally found inside infested regions such as Blightlands include hives, dens, nests, colonies, Spore Mounds, spore launchers, roots, portas, and vents. Flood Blightstalkers are also some of the most dangerous keymind inhabitants of the blightlands, alongside any Graveminds or Proto-Graveminds that may reside at their heart.

History

Etran Harborage

An infected Sangheili in the Blightlands on the outer surface of the Etran Harborage.

Prior to 2531, a Flood outbreak on the surface of Trove had led to the establishment of Flood Blightlands across the shield world's outer surface. The infection of humans from the UNSC Spirit of Fire and Covenant forces would lead to the establishment of Flood dens, hives, nests, colonies and, most importantly, a Proto-Gravemind.^[4]^[5]^[6] The shield world's destruction would ultimately destroy the blightlands here.

The Ark

Following the destruction of High Charity in the Battle of Installation 00, the gargantuan Flood hive's ruins were quarantined by the installation's Sentinels. Approximately three-hundred meters away from the perimeter, life stopped growing and the area was absent of any kind of noise.^[7] For seven years, the Flood inside the quarantine zone would continue to fester until the shield was broken by Voridus during the Second Ark Conflict, hoping to salvage old war-era Covenant equipment from the ruins of the city.^[8] The Flood would quickly escape this breach and begin turning the area surrounding the destroyed ruins of High Charity into a blightland, eventually cocooning UNSC and Banished bases and establishing a new Proto-Gravemind. The Gravemind was eventually destroyed by Banished Antlion artillery, however, and the Sentinel network activated to reenact the quarantine of the facility.^[9]

Gallery

Development images

Concept art of Blightlands in Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare.
Concept art of Blightlands in Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare.
Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.
Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.
Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.
Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.
Halo Wars 2 concept art of maps set in Blightlands.
Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.
Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.
Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.
Blightlands on a Halo ring in Project Foundry.

Screenshots

Blightlands in the Forerunner-Flood war.
A simulation of New Mombasa-turned Blightlands.
Simulation of Flood combat forms in an urban Blightland.
Simulation of Blightlands rapidly spreading over East Africa.
Atriox standing before a Proto-Gravemind in the Blightlands surrounding the destroyed ruins High Charity.
Blightlands on Installation 00.

List of appearances

Halo 3 (First appearance)
Halo Wars
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
- Terminals
Halo: Spartan Assault
Halo Wars 2

Sources

^ ^a ^b Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs: Blightlands
^ ^a ^b ^c Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 413
^ Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs: Cocooned Base
^ Halo Wars, campaign level Anders' Signal
^ Halo Wars, campaign level The Flood
^ Halo Wars, campaign level Shield World
^ Halo Wars 2, Pandora's Box
^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level What Could Go Wrong?
^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level Manifestation

[PL-1] Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs: Blightlands

[Enc22-2] Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 413

[3] Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs: Cocooned Base

[4] Halo Wars, campaign level Anders' Signal

[5] Halo Wars, campaign level The Flood

[6] Halo Wars, campaign level Shield World

[Pandora.27s_Box-7] Halo Wars 2, Pandora's Box

[8] Halo Wars 2, campaign level What Could Go Wrong?

[9] Halo Wars 2, campaign level Manifestation

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Status|Canon}}
 [[File:TerminalHaloInfested.jpg|300px|thumb|[[343 Guilty Spark]] imagines a Flood infestation on [[Installation 04]].]]
-{{Quote|The Flood can survive and grow in almost any environment, but it thrives in a surprisingly narrow band of habitability. The interior of Flood hives provide a controlled environment for accelerated growth, but in time an entire planet's biosphere can be altered to approximate these ideal conditions.|Phoenix Logs}}<ref name="Blightlands">'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]] —  Blightlands''</ref>
+'''Blightlands''' are large regions which have been infested by the [[Flood]]. While the Flood are capable of operating in almost any environment (including the vacuum of space), the [[Flood Super Cell]] (FSC) generally has a fairly narrow band of habitability where it is most effective. In more localised [[Flood outbreak]]s, this kind of ideal environment can be established in the climate-controlled conditions of a [[Flood hive]]; however, for larger infestations, conversion of a region into blightlands offers many of the same functions.{{Ref/Game|Id=PL|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Blightlands}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=413}} This conversion generally begins once the Flood has entered the [[Coordinated stage]] of an outbreak.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
-'''Blightlands''' are [[Flood]]-infested areas which serve as the first step in the process of converting an environment to suit the Flood's biological needs. [[Flood hive]]s develop specialised forms which harvest vitality from the soil, absorb solar energy and consume native life. These zones are eventually consumed to provide raw material for Flood spore mountains and Flood "organs" that finish a planet's ruination. [[Cocooned base]]s can often be found at the heart of Blightlands.<ref>'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]]'' - Cocooned Base</ref>
+The establishment of a blightland begins around a hive or [[Cocooned base]]{{Ref/Game|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Cocooned Base}}, with specialised Flood growths emerging that are designed to harvest nutrients from the soil, soak up solar energy, and consume all native life within its boundaries. Eventually, these zones are consumed to provide biomass for the construction of city-sized spore towers, oceans of FSC, and pseudo-organs that are designed to finish the process of consuming an entire planet.{{Ref/Reuse|PL}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
+Static Flood growths generally found inside infested regions such as Blightlands include [[Flood hive|hives]], [[Flood den|dens]], [[Flood nest|nests]], [[Flood colony|colonies]], [[Spore Mound]]s, [[Flood launcher|spore launchers]], [[Flood root|roots]], [[porta]]s, and [[Flood vent|vents]]. Flood [[Blightstalker]]s are also some of the most dangerous [[keymind]] inhabitants of the blightlands, alongside any [[Gravemind]]s or [[Proto-Gravemind]]s that may reside at their heart.
 ==History==
 ===Etran Harborage===
-[[File:Old HW Infestation.png|thumb|300px|An infected [[Sangheili]] in the Blightlands on the outer surface of the Etran Harborage.]]
+[[File:Old HW Infestation.png|thumb|250px|An infected [[Sangheili]] in the Blightlands on the outer surface of the Etran Harborage.]]
-Prior to [[2531]], a Flood outbreak on the surface of [[Trove]] had led to the establishment of Flood Blightlands across the [[shield world]]'s outer surface. The infection of [[human]]s from the [[UNSC Spirit of Fire|UNSC ''Spirit of Fire'']] and [[Covenant]] forces would lead to the establishment of Flood [[Flood den|den]]s, [[Flood hive|hive]]s, [[Flood nest|nest]]s, [[Flood colony|colonies]] and, most importantly, a [[Proto-Gravemind]]. The shield world's [[Battle of the Trove|destruction]] would ultimately destroy the blightlands here.
+Prior to [[2531]], a Flood outbreak on the surface of [[Trove]] had led to the establishment of Flood Blightlands across the [[shield world]]'s outer surface. The infection of [[human]]s from the [[UNSC Spirit of Fire|UNSC ''Spirit of Fire'']] and [[Covenant]] forces would lead to the establishment of Flood [[Flood den|den]]s, [[Flood hive|hive]]s, [[Flood nest|nest]]s, [[Flood colony|colonies]] and, most importantly, a [[Proto-Gravemind]].{{Ref/Level|HW|Anders' Signal}}{{Ref/Level|HW|The Flood (level)|The Flood}}{{Ref/Level|HW|Shield World (level)|Shield World}} The shield world's [[Battle of the Trove|destruction]] would ultimately destroy the blightlands here.
 ===The Ark===
-Following the destruction of ''[[High Charity]]'' in the [[Battle of Installation 00]], the gargantuan Flood hive's ruins were quarantined by the installation's [[Sentinel]]s. Approximately three-hundred meters away from the perimeter, life stopped growing and the area was absent of any kind of noise.<ref name="Pandora's Box">'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]]'' - Pandora's Box</ref> For seven years, the Flood inside the quarantine zone would continue to fester until the shield was broken by [[Voridus]] during the [[Second Ark Conflict]], hoping to salvage old war-era Covenant equipment from the ruins of the city. The Flood would quickly escape this breach and begin turning the area surrounding the destroyed ruins of ''High Charity'' into a blightland, eventually cocooning UNSC and [[Banished]] bases and establishing a new Proto-Gravemind. The Gravemind would eventually be destroyed by Banished [[Eklon'Dal Workshop Antlion]]s, however, and the Sentinel network activated to reenact the quarantine of the facility.
+Following the destruction of ''[[High Charity]]'' in the [[Battle of Installation 00]], the gargantuan Flood hive's ruins were quarantined by the installation's [[Sentinel]]s. Approximately three-hundred meters away from the perimeter, life stopped growing and the area was absent of any kind of noise.{{Ref/Game|Id=Pandora's Box|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Pandora's Box}} For seven years, the Flood inside the quarantine zone would continue to fester until the shield was broken by [[Voridus]] during the [[Second Ark Conflict]], hoping to salvage old war-era Covenant equipment from the ruins of the city.{{Ref/Level|HW2|What Could Go Wrong?}} The Flood would quickly escape this breach and begin turning the area surrounding the destroyed ruins of ''High Charity'' into a blightland, eventually cocooning UNSC and [[Banished]] bases and establishing a new Proto-Gravemind. The Gravemind was eventually destroyed by Banished [[Eklon'Dal Workshop Antlion|Antlion]] artillery, however, and the Sentinel network activated to reenact the quarantine of the facility.{{Ref/Level|HW2|Manifestation}}
 ==Gallery==
+===Development images===
 <gallery>
-File:Anniversary, The Flood.jpg|Blightlands in the [[Forerunner-Flood war]].
-File:Flood_city.jpeg|A simulation of [[New Mombasa]]-turned Blightlands.
-File:Flood_city2.jpeg|Simulation of [[Flood combat form]]s in an urban Blightland.
-File:HSA Flood infesting Earth.jpg|Simulation of Blightlands rapidly spreading over East [[Africa]].
 File:HW2_Blightlands_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of Blightlands in ''[[Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare]]''.
 File:HW2_Blightlands_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art of Blightlands in ''Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare''.
@@ Line 30: / Line 28: @@
 File:HW2_ATNMission3Detail_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.
 File:HW2_ATNMission3Detail_Concept_3.jpg|Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.
-File:HW2_ATNMission3Detail_Concept_4.jpg|Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.
+File:HW2_ATNMission3Detail_Concept_4.jpg|Concept art of a Blightland on Installation 00.File:PF BlightlandsEnvironment Screenshot.png|Blightlands on a Halo ring in ''[[Project Foundry]]''.
+</gallery>
+===Screenshots===
+<gallery>
+File:Anniversary, The Flood.jpg|Blightlands in the [[Forerunner-Flood war]].
+File:Flood_city.jpeg|A simulation of [[New Mombasa]]-turned Blightlands.
+File:Flood_city2.jpeg|Simulation of [[Flood combat form]]s in an urban Blightland.
+File:HSA Flood infesting Earth.jpg|Simulation of Blightlands rapidly spreading over East [[Africa]].
 File:HW2-Atriox&Protogravemind.png|[[Atriox]] standing before a Proto-Gravemind in the Blightlands surrounding the destroyed ruins High Charity.
 File:HW2_Installation00Blightlands.jpg|Blightlands on Installation 00.
-File:PF BlightlandsEnvironment Screenshot.png|Blightlands on a Halo ring in ''[[Project Foundry]]''.
 </gallery>
@@ Line 49: / Line 54: @@
 {{Flood}}
 [[Category:Flood]]
+__NOTOC__