FAQ

This is a page for some frequently asked questions or questions that are likely to be asked by people new to Project Daybreak. For more, also check out Daybreak Continuum, the Daybreak Reference Manual and the Canon Policy.

What exactly is Project Daybreak?
Project Daybreak is a multi-contributor alternate universe and canon expansion project for Halo. It encompasses the ongoing development of the evolving collection of interconnected lore, stories and artwork that comprises the Daybreak Continuum.

Where does Daybreak diverge from the official Halo canon?
Circa 2009, give or take. Unlike most alternate universes, there is no single in-universe point of divergence that pushes things in a different direction since we're tampering with the entire timeline from ancient history onward, and we're assuming that a lot of events from post-2009 canon never happened in the first place. See Canon Policy for more information.

Why draw the line at 2009 specifically?
Because that's about the point where the amount of canon is still contained enough for any issues to be resolved with minimal alterations. After that, things quickly start spiraling out of control. At the same time, the original games and novels are retained as "canon" because we also need a shared foundation to build on. That said, minor details of that early fiction have been reinterpreted or changed for the sake of worldbuilding cohesion.

What's your stance on the Halo 4-Halo 5 art style?
It was a stylistic experiment that even 343i themselves has since rolled back with Infinite. 343i wanted to do their own thing, but by and large, Daybreak's art direction has more in common with the stylistic continuum of the original games. How things look forms a big part of the identity of a fictional setting, and while we want to build on that identity, we also don't want to reinvent the wheel. For a more elaborate answer, see the Visual Style Guide.

Are you Bungie purists?
If we were Bungie purists, we wouldn't have included Microsoft Franchise Development Group material like Halo Wars, Halo's original Xbox.com timeline, the novels (other than Contact Harvest), and we most certainly wouldn't have picked The Fall of Reach over Halo: Reach. 343 Industries has many competent people working for them, but many of the creative and corporate decisions made under their tenure have made it increasingly difficult to work within their version of the Halo universe as a framework.

But I like [insert favorite piece of 343i-era media here]!
In that case good for you; we're not trying to convince you otherwise. It's just that Daybreak is its own continuity where things happen differently, and we hope you can accept that on its own merits as a chance to have a fresh take on Halo. The 343i canon isn't going anywhere, at any rate.

Do you incorporate any 343i-era fiction or characters?
A lot of it, actually. Some of it gets reinterpreted in various ways, though.

I'm interested in contributing to the project. How can I get involved?
Get in touch with us. You can contact or  on the wiki via our talk pages or on SpaceBattles.

Can I use the Daybreak setting in my own content?
Absolutely! The Daybreak Continuum is a sandbox, and we invite people from outside the project to play in it. Write a fanfic, make mod, run a tabletop campaign, whatever. If our amateur worldbuilding inspires the creation of better Halo fan content we consider that a win. Just be sure to credit us if you do. Getting word of Daybreak out in the wild helps generate interest in the project, and besides, nobody likes a plagiarist.

Why did you nerf the post-war UNSC?
The post-war UNSC is only nerfed if you look at things from the perspective of 343i lore. We're reconstructing the UNSC's depiction based on the state they were left in at the end of the war as depicted in Halo 3 and Ghosts of Onyx, and new super-ships and Spartan generations are not a natural follow-up to that state, even if 343i canon has made them the norm in recent years.

What about the Master Chief and Cortana on the Dawn?
Out of contact as of 2580.

What about the Spirit of Fire?
TBD at this point.

What about the Didact?
We don't know what happened to him since he fired the rings.

Are the Banished a thing?
Yes. Just don't expect them to be the next big threat for a long while.

Can I have my Spartan in Daybreak?
Chances are that you can. However, their numbers are limited depending on generation, and you might want to think twice if your character really needs to be a specific kind of Spartan, or a Spartan at all. See Portal:Spartans for some guidelines.

Why ditch the Reclamation plot line / Ancient Humanity /etc?
Because they didn't add anything to our version and were in some ways thematically opposed to what we're trying to do. See here for details.

What's this I hear about Earth being taken over?
Trust us, it'll make sense when it happens. But it's hardly the most notable thing about Daybreak.