One of the oldest and most puzzling easter eggs discovered within the Halo universe has perplexed fans for 14 years and only now, we may have an answer as to what it is! The Easter egg we're referring to of course is the mysterious ancient texts discovered on the Halo 3 multi-player map, Sand Trap.
These gold engraved markings on the sides of the pyramid-like structures have never been properly fleshed out in Halo campaign but remain subtly embedded in the game's environments for those with a watchful eye! One fan, a YouTuber that goes by Red Nomster, has put in extensive research on the topic and has obsessed over this mystery since Halo 3.
Interestingly enough these texts have made a more prominent appearance in the newly released Halo Infinite campaign, offering new clues as to what they are and with rumored DLC campaign expansions on the horizon, we may finally get some official clarity! Red Nomster employed a number of decryption tactics in order to make sense of the jumbled symbols - which he broke down into alphabet-like symbols, digital-numeric like symbols and breaks. Below are three videos he produced, spanning his entire process and explanation for what he believes the texts mean. The entire series is quite fascinating and Halo fanatics will surely enjoy the deep dive.
If you got through all three of those videos you'll have learned that Red Nomster theorizes that this ancient text is actually the Mantle of Responsibility, created by the Precursors, an ancient race of super-species which created the Forerunners - the Forerunners whose structures you explore throughout Halo. The ancient texts are thought to be akin to the Biblical 10 Commandments; an outline and instruction on how to manage the universe and its various species within.
The increased focus on these ancient texts in Halo Infinite suggest they may play a more important role in the storytelling yet to come. Do you think Red Nomster is on to something? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
