Terminus

The Terminus is a structure of Forerunner origin, built on Installation 00 to work as part of the Ark's defensive systems.

Overview
The Terminus is a large Forerunner structure consisting of a triangular base with pillars located on each of the three corners. The pillars extend above the base structure and project a large sphere of energy in the centre. The perimeter surrounding the Terminus provides a repair/heal effect similar to that of the Forerunner Spire of Healing structures.

Role
Terminus structures are a vital part of the Ark's defensive systems; they record and index events transpiring on/around the installation, such as the 2552 Battle of Installation 00, in an effort to better-prepare the Ark to defend against future threats. These functions compare modern battle records against the records of historical conflicts - and use their exhaustive databanks to simulate probably outcomes for future scenarios. Terminus structures power this kind of mass-scale information assessment. Were a Terminus to be destroyed, it would result in the corruption in centuries' worth of data analysis - compromising the ability of the Ark to defend itself in the long-term.

Halo Wars 2
Terminus structures first appear in the Awakening the Nightmare expansion for Halo Wars 2. In-game, a Terminus serves as the central objective of the eponymously-named Terminus Firefight mode - a Terminus appears at the centre of the map The Last Bastion and must be defended by the player(s) in order to succeed.

Production notes
The filenames of the Terminus renders uploaded by 3D artist Francisco Alcalde indicate that during development, the Terminus was known as the Nexus.

List of appearances

 * Halo Wars 2
 * Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare