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Subject: Why I did not like the Didact as an antagonist in Halo 4

I persist too long after my own defeat,
Yet I still press forward, staggering on my feet.
But I know that my resolution will be my end.
And once I fall, I shall ruefully transcend.

*glares at the OP*

  • 12.24.2012 1:45 AM PDT

Halo: CE Anniversary Achievement Idea
C-C-C-CANNON BREAKER!
Let Sgt. Johnson die on Halo.

He was not in enough of the game either. I was also disappointed at the "boss fight" towards the end.

  • 12.24.2012 1:48 AM PDT

"So- So this means Im just going to be miserable for the rest of time?!"

"No. This means that you have to live life to the fullest. You have one life, live it well. Make sure you die without regrets. Get a new life, new mate, new family. You, out of all people, don't deserve a terrible fate of misery like that. Having nothing to look forward to is good. It makes sure you want to keep on going. Living is a right, not a privilege."

Its hilarious how misinformed you all are.....

  • 12.24.2012 1:57 AM PDT

Really? Through all we know about him through all mediums available, I just chalked it up to a man who is just trying to save his race and ensure its rise now that the flood were gone. No doubt if it was an all powerful human and a race that him/her had previously fought was rising and taking the old tech the humans had left behind and started calling it their own advancements, I would expect action. The poor guy is just trying to save his people. Though I do agree he is represented in the cut scenes to be rather pointed and loathing. He just didn't get enough screen time. It was just intro and end. I just hope Halo 5 brings perspective from both sides more. Just like Bungie did with Halo 2 with Arby, how about introduce a Forerunner protagonist? We would definitely get a real taste of what they stand for and such. Plus with cutscenes between both of those factions.

Just my two cents. :P

  • 12.24.2012 2:01 AM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

Posted by: ArmedAssassin72
Really? Through all we know about him through all mediums available, I just chalked it up to a man who is just trying to save his race and ensure its rise now that the flood were gone. No doubt if it was an all powerful human and a race that him/her had previously fought was rising and taking the old tech the humans had left behind and started calling it their own advancements, I would expect action. The poor guy is just trying to save his people.


Thing is though, his own people condemned him for his actions from the sounds of it and his own wife abandoned him. I think they'd be horrified if he reclaimed power the way he did.

  • 12.24.2012 2:03 AM PDT

Call me Stu


Posted by: blackhawk945
Didnt like it either.

  • 12.24.2012 2:09 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

I agree and disagree.

On one hand, the Didact got a very one-sided portrayal in the main game, he did seem to be just your 'run of the mill' "DEATH TO HUMANS!" villain, much like Truth, they really skimped on a great deal of essential plot points which not only shaped the Didact but the future of humanity as well - Timeless One's 'prophecy'.

But taking that into account with the Terminals and Silentium's description, it just seems like poorly structured releases on 343's part. Silentium was delayed because it's riddled with Halo 4 spoilers, but it contains an essential part of the story where the Ur-Didact turns against the Librarian. In my mind, I can see how this plays out, since the Terminals do touch on it (albeit lightly).

Silentium should have been released either before or alongside Halo 4, there's a massive gap in his character's development. I reckon that once we have the full picture we'll appreciate it more, but at this time you're right, he was pretty poorly executed and lost much of his potential as a sympathetic figure.

  • 12.24.2012 2:10 AM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

Posted by: ajw34307
I agree and disagree.

On one hand, the Didact got a very one-sided portrayal in the main game, he did seem to be just your 'run of the mill' "DEATH TO HUMANS!" villain, much like Truth, they really skimped on a great deal of essential plot points which not only shaped the Didact but the future of humanity as well - Timeless One's 'prophecy'.

But taking that into account with the Terminals and Silentium's description, it just seems like poorly structured releases on 343's part. Silentium was delayed because it's riddled with Halo 4 spoilers, but it contains an essential part of the story where the Ur-Didact turns against the Librarian. In my mind, I can see how this plays out, since the Terminals do touch on it (albeit lightly).

Silentium should have been released either before or alongside Halo 4, there's a massive gap in his character's development. I reckon that once we have the full picture we'll appreciate it more, but at this time you're right, he was pretty poorly executed and lost much of his potential as a sympathetic figure.


Thank you ajw. I was a bit worried about your reaction seeing as how I've kinda gathered you liked Halo 4 lol. But yeah, maybe my opinion may change, but Halo 4 will still remain as a dark spot on 343is storytelling record IMO.

  • 12.24.2012 2:12 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

I do like it a lot, I thought it had some excellent bits (until you had to run errands for the Infinity rather than making the most of exploring Requiem), but I'll be the first to admit there are some small and large mishaps. There really needed to be a 2-part mission on Installation 03 instead of that mission on Ivanoff Station, they could have taken the chance to give us bits of the Didact's history throughout the story which would make John and the player question exactly who was in the right and what you were fighting for.

What if, for instance, the Didact was aggressively nurturing humanity into warriors to fight the Precursors by granting them immunity to the Flood, opposing the Librarisn's snail-paced plan of careful development? That would be a great conflict since you see that the Didact is saving humanity in one way, being consistent also with what he says to Forthencho about humanity rising again.

  • 12.24.2012 2:23 AM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

Posted by: ajw34307
I do like it a lot, I thought it had some excellent bits (until you had to run errands for the Infinity rather than making the most of exploring Requiem), but I'll be the first to admit there are some small and large mishaps. There really needed to be a 2-part mission on Installation 03 instead of that mission on Ivanoff Station, they could have taken the chance to give us bits of the Didact's history throughout the story which would make John and the player question exactly who was in the right and what you were fighting for.

What if, for instance, the Didact was aggressively nurturing humanity into warriors to fight the Precursors by granting them immunity to the Flood, opposing the Librarisn's snail-paced plan of careful development? That would be a great conflict since you see that the Didact is saving humanity in one way, being consistent also with what he says to Forthencho about humanity rising again.


See? That would've worked. I'd be down for that.

  • 12.24.2012 2:24 AM PDT
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You think he wants humans eradicated just because he thinks "we're evil?" Do you know anything about the Didact? I'm not even going to waste my time here.

[Edited on 12.24.2012 2:40 AM PST]

  • 12.24.2012 2:40 AM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

Posted by: Night Watchman
You think he wants humans eradicated just because he thinks "we're evil?" Do you know anything about the Didact? I'm not even going to waste my time here.


Okay.

  • 12.24.2012 2:41 AM PDT
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3rd edition. Now with more grunt.

TFS 4 lyfe

I feel the terminals flesh him out really well.

  • 12.24.2012 3:01 AM PDT

To sort out any confusion over the Didact in Halo 4, there are two Didacts - Bornstellar and the Ur-Didact.

If I remember correctly, The Bornstellar Didact was the one who went with a wounded Chakas to interrogate the captive. This was the one who began feeling sympathy for Chakas after all he had been put through. The Primordial said that Forerunners were never worthy to inherit the Mantle, which infuriated the Didact, who killed the captive, who also said there was no cure for the Flood.

The Ur-Didact, after his trial with Faber, was sent to a Flood-Infested planet, left to die.

So that's what the two Didacts were doing before all the confusing stuff happened.

One of the Didacts started coming up with ways to stop the Flood, advancing into a new form which still was not immune. His Prometheans volunteered to be Composed as the Didact's new form was immune to the Composer. Upon seeing that this worked against the Flood, he began using the Composer on humans, which the Librarian considered genocide and locked him away in a Cryptum. This is Halo 4 Didact.

Halo 4 Didact could be Bornstellar Didact for several reasons:
-He was the one who was told that Forerunners were not meant for the Mantle. Alternatively, this could have stopped him from trying to attain the Mantle.
-He was also told there was no cure for the Flood, which could have compelled him towards finding a solution. Alternatively, it could have deterred him from it and made him see activating the rings as the only solution.

Halo 4 Didact could be Ur-Didact for several reasons:
-This was the Didact who went to war with the humans long ago, and holds a personal grudge against them.
-This Didact was not told about not being worthy for the Mantle, so he could still think that Forerunners are the rightful holders of it.
-In the Silentium blurb, it describes the Ur-Didact or the Librarian making an "ultimate sacrifice" or something. This COULD be the Composer, however, it could also be activating the rings. It could also be the Librarian locking the Didact away in a Cryptum.

One of the Didacts tried to stop the Librarian from trying to save all the sentient species, but the Librarian eventually became stranded on Earth. This Didact saw no choice but to acitivate the rings. This could have been Ur-Didact, making his "ultimate sacrifice", or it could be Bornstellar. This Didact is NOT the Halo 4 Didact.

This is probably written in a confusing manner, however this information, plus what we will find out in Silentium, will probably help us deduce which Didact we faced in Halo 4.

If the Didact we see in the Terminals is the same one throughout, then it is DEFINITELY the Ur-Didact, as he was the only one who fought the humans. However, there is a chance that in the middle it switches to the point of view of Bornstellar Didact.

I guess we'll have to wait for Silentium for us to find out. Hopefully it'll expand on the Didact a bit more and further explain his motives. Personally, I liked him, probably because of his Harbinger voice.

  • 12.24.2012 3:20 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.


Posted by: BF117HALO

'Tis the Ur-Didact because Silentium's description states that the Bornstellar-Didact has been travelling the galaxy with the Librarian as she indexes races:

Evidence-gathering agents known collectively as Catalog have been dispatched to collect testimony from the Librarian and both Didacts: the Ur-Didact, treacherously abandoned in a Flood-infested system, and the Bornstellar Didact, who accompanies the Librarian as she preserves specimens against the dire possibility of Halo extermination.

A conflict between the Ur-Didact and the Librarian is established:

Because of that barbarism, a greater evil looms. Only the Ur-Didact and the Librarian -- husband and wife pushed into desperate conflict -- hold the keys to a solution.

We see this in Halo 4 where the Librarian believes humanity is the solution to the Precursor question, while the Didact sees the Composer to, to quote the Librarian in Halo 4, "provide his solution and his revenge".

Herein lies the problem with Halo 4 then, as Cobra pointed out. There are holes in the narrative that Silentium has to fill in, at this moment in time we can't fill those with anything beyond (insertgenitaljokehere) reasoned logical assumptions based on what we already know. It was a mistake to delay Silentium for the purpose of keeping Halo 4's story under wraps, it should have been released alongside the game.

  • 12.24.2012 3:34 AM PDT


Posted by: ajw34307

Posted by: BF117HALO

'Tis the Ur-Didact because Silentium's description states that the Bornstellar-Didact has been travelling the galaxy with the Librarian as she indexes races:

Evidence-gathering agents known collectively as Catalog have been dispatched to collect testimony from the Librarian and both Didacts: the Ur-Didact, treacherously abandoned in a Flood-infested system, and the Bornstellar Didact, who accompanies the Librarian as she preserves specimens against the dire possibility of Halo extermination.

A conflict between the Ur-Didact and the Librarian is established:

Because of that barbarism, a greater evil looms. Only the Ur-Didact and the Librarian -- husband and wife pushed into desperate conflict -- hold the keys to a solution.

We see this in Halo 4 where the Librarian believes humanity is the solution to the Precursor question, while the Didact sees the Composer to, to quote the Librarian in Halo 4, "provide his solution and his revenge".

Herein lies the problem with Halo 4 then, as Cobra pointed out. There are holes in the narrative that Silentium has to fill in, at this moment in time we can't fill those with anything beyond (insertgenitaljokehere) reasoned logical assumptions based on what we already know. It was a mistake to delay Silentium for the purpose of keeping Halo 4's story under wraps, it should have been released alongside the game.


Yeah, that's why I thought it was the Ur-Didact too.

  • 12.24.2012 3:36 AM PDT

Posted by: DecepticonCobra
No. The difference being is that all the Harry Potter books exist and skipping them is flawed logic. Silentium does not exist, so I can't factor it.
You can't factor it yet. Which is why it's pretty dumb to be saying the story doesn't make sense when you can't factor in a whole third of the story. And the Harry Potter analogy is perfectly valid. You don't seem to know what you're arguing.
So because they think it will change what I think, I am wrong?
Because you are judging it and saying you believe the story will be fine when you know the actual story, saying the story is bad because of your own ignorance makes you wrong.

So it is dumb for me to expect the story of the game to be properly told...in the game. What madness.
It's dumb for you to say a story isn't properly told when you only know the beginning and ending of it.
It is silly of me to say a character in a video game is bad as a villain because of motives and behavior not shown in the game and not backed up by the canon because I have not read a book that does not exist yet?
It's silly of you to say a character in a video game is bad as a villain despite the fact that his motives are EXPLICITLY stated (humanity is a threat and doesn't/shouldn't have the 'mantle of responsibility') in the game, but you're saying it is told poorly because you have half the backstory and not the whole thing.

You're basically -blam!-ing about the release date of the book, not about the character or the story. You don't know what you're arguing because the thing you were originally stating is clearly ridiculous. It's very simple.
:/

  • 12.24.2012 11:00 AM PDT
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Like many things in Halo 4, the Campaign was just another missed opportunity.

  • 12.24.2012 11:05 AM PDT

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