After years of teasers and delays, the long-awaited Halo Infinite has finally been released. Set on the Zeta Halo, you once again assume the role of the Spartan, Master Chief. Rescued by a fellow USNC soldier, Master Chief is tasked with dispatching a rogue faction of the Covenant called The Banished. Unlike other entries in the franchise, Halo Infinite mixes classic linear level design with a large open-world that players can explore.
During your journey, you’ll encounter a lot of tough foes — one of the most dangerous being the Banished leader, Escharum. One of the last bosses you’ll face, Escharum is a two-phase fight that can be exceptionally tricky on higher difficulties. Here’s a breakdown of this battle and the best way to defeat this fearsome Brute Chieftain.
How to Defeat Escharum
Phase One
When the fight begins, Escharum will begin attacking Master Chief with a large scrap cannon. Quickly dive behind cover and wait until the barrage of bullets ends. I recommend scavenging for some Plasma Grenades and stronger weapons from the firearms scattered around the perimeter. Most basic weapons — like the Battle Rifle, Sidekick Pistol, and Assault Rifle — won’t do a significant amount of damage to Escharum. Personally, I found the Shock Rifle to be a very consistent damage dealer during this first phase.
Your goal, for now, is to just damage Escharum until about 10 percent of his health is depleted. When this happens, Escharum will go to the center of the room and activate a shield. Not Cortana will inform you that, in order to lower the shield, you’ll need to destroy a power cell in the center of the room. This is a glowing yellow tube embedded in one of the four columns where Escharum is hanging around. If you have a Plasma Grenade, hitting the cell directly will cause it to instantly explode. Because of this, Plasma Grenades are the fastest way to lower the shields; however, this can be tricky on higher difficulties.
If you’re struggling to get close to the power cell, keep moving around the perimeter of the main arena until you get a good angle on it. Now, just use the walls for cover as you fire at it. Occasionally, Escharum will block the cell by standing in front of it. If he does this, run to the other side of the arena to bait him to move towards you. Quickly move to where you can see the cell and destroy it before Escharum pushes your position. This will lower the shield around him, letting you get some damage in.
This will happen three more times before Escharum permanently breaks. I strongly recommend using the turret on the ground near a pile of weapons. While you’re slowed down when carrying it, the amount of damage you can do to Escharum is staggering. Plus, you will need to be mobile during Phase Two, so this is the best time to use it.
Phase Two
When Escharum gets below 50 percent health, he will forgo his scrap cannon for a modified Gravity Hammer. Equip your Thrusters ability and get ready to move. Escharum will go into a frenzy, quickly chasing you around the map in an attempt to crush you. Because of this, you really can’t stop moving; otherwise, he will do a comical amount of damage once he closes the gap. This makes the Thrusters great for this fight, as they allow you to quickly boost away when Escharum lunges at you. If you keep back-peddling, you should be able to avoid almost all his attacks with relative ease.
Unlike the previous phase, there are no other gimmicks for this fight, so just keep shooting at him. If you’re running low on ammo, there are some Bulldog shotguns and Skewers that are surprisingly strong during this fight. The latter is especially dangerous since Escharum almost always charges in a straight line, which makes headshots quite easy. Once you defeat Escharum, go back to the control panel and save the pilot.
