******************************************************************************* ,o##o ."";. .'@%; .,"##@O'. .;'"Oo""oOOO%";. '##o .###" .""O##%; '###O 'o;. .;O#@" '###@oooooO###" ,;"ooo@###O, '###O .oO. ,@@O;. ,###'; '###O .###" ,o##%, "@##o, '###O ,. . .;"@#@o ,"@##@", ."@@o 'o@#@O; ,%@##";, .;"@##@OOOOOOOO%, ;oOoOO%@#@%o'. ASCII ART by Dark Phenomenon ******************************************************************************* A Comprehensive FAQ/Walkthrough for Halo (Legendary Difficulty) by Thuyker Version 1.2 E-mail: Thuyker AT aol DOT com ******************************************************************************* _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ TABLE OF CONTENTS _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ (KEYWORD) I. Introduction .................................................... kw-int II. Frequently Asked Questions ...................................... kw-faq III. Game Basics ..................................................... kw-bas A. Background Story ........................................... kw-sto B. Playable Characters ........................................ kw-cha C. Controls ................................................... kw-con D. General Strategies ......................................... kw-str IV. Walkthrough ..................................................... kw-wth A. Level 1: Pillar of Autumn .................................. kw-poa B. Level 2: Halo .............................................. kw-hal C. Level 3: Truth and Reconciliation .......................... kw-tar D. Level 4: The Silent Cartographer ........................... kw-tsc E. Level 5: Assault on the Control Room ....................... kw-acr F. Level 6: 343 Guilty Spark .................................. kw-343 G. Level 7: The Library ....................................... kw-lib H. Level 8: Two Betrayals ..................................... kw-bet I. Level 9: Keyes ............................................. kw-key J. Level 10: The Maw .......................................... kw-maw V. Weapons and Vehicles List ....................................... kw-app A. Human Weapons .............................................. kw-hwp B. Convenant Weapons .......................................... kw-cwp C. Human Vehicles ............................................. kw-hve D. Covenant Vehicles .......................................... kw-cve VI. Enemies List .................................................... kw-ene A. Covenant Troops ............................................ kw-cov B. Flood Troops ............................................... kw-flo C. Forerunners ................................................ kw-for VII. Multiplayer (incomplete) ........................................ kw-mul A. Maps (incomplete) .......................................... kw-map VIII. Guide Information ............................................... kw-inf A. Version History B. Email information C. Credits D. Legal Stuff To quickly jump to a specific section, click HERE first, then press CTRL-F and type in the Keyword. _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I. INTRODUCTION kw-int _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Halo was released in November of 2001, to coincide with the launch of the Xbox. At that point in time, I had long lost interest in console video gaming - there simply wasn't anything that captivated ME the way games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or classic Sierra adventure games used to. All that changed, however, when I first laid eyes on Bungie's masterpiece. First-person shooters were never my favorite genre, nor will they ever be; nonetheless, Halo blew me away with its storyline, beautiful graphics, and most importantly, its amazing gameplay. In essence, this game is what, for better or worse, brought video gaming back into my life. Whether your opinion of Halo is lower or even higher than that of mine, I hope that you find this FAQ/Walkthrough very helpful. Do note that it has been written for the game's hardest difficulty, Legendary, which should probably be tried by those already familiar to the game, although people playing on lower difficulties should find it useful nonetheless. Above all, remember to have fun! Good luck! _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ II. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS kw-faq _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Q: I saw a screenshot of the Master Chief using a Flamethrower. Where do I find it? A: Unfortunately, the Flamethrower is not in the game. The screenshot was made before Halo was released, and the weapon taken out of the game. --- Q: How many different endings are there? One for each difficulty? A: No, there are only two endings. Easy, Normal, and Heroic all have the same ending, while Legendary has a slightly extended ending. --- Q: Are there any cheats for Halo? A: While there are Easter Eggs and such hidden throughout the game, there are no cheats along the lines of "unlimited ammunition" or "invincibility." Of course, this makes completing Legendary difficulty that much more rewarding, right? --- Q: Are there any bots in Halo? A: No, there are not - Bungie is supposedly considering them for the sequel, however. _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ III. GAME BASICS kw-bas _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ =============================================================================== = A) Background Story kw-sto =============================================================================== February 03, 2525. At approximately 1423 hours, the orbital platform over the Outer Colony planet of Harvest makes radar contact with an unidentified vessel. Shortly thereafter, contact with Harvest is lost. The scout ship Argo is then dispatched to investigate. April 20, 2525. The Argo arrives in the Harvest System, and makes contact with Fleet Command to confirm arrival. No other transmissions are made - the UNSC destroyer-class ship Heracles and two frigate-class ships, the Arabia and the Vostok, are ordered to the Harvest System. October 07, 2525. The battle group arrives at Harvest and discovers that the planet and its three million inhabitants have been destroyed. The unidentified vessel launches an attack against the battle group, decimating the Arabia and Vostok. The Heracles jumps out of the system, fleeing back to the Reach UNSC Military Complex. Transmissions from the unidentified vessel were partially translated: "Your destruction is the will of the Gods...and we are their instrument." By the year 2552, the war with the Covenant was slowly and surely being lost. Colony after colony was being destroyed, and the Covenant were steadily making their way closer toward the Human homeworld, Earth. One of humanity's last bastions of defense was the UNSC Military Complex of Reach, training ground of the elite SPARTAN II soldiers and heavily armed with MAC orbital guns, which were capable of incapacitating Covenant battleships. Despite the presence of over a hundred UNSC battleships rallying to defend Reach, the Covenant armada, over three hundred and fourteen ships strong, was simply too much. Typically, the humans were able to win battles only when outnumbering their enemies 3-to-1, not the other way around. Facing imminent destruction, the UNSC Halcyon-class ship Pillar of Autumn, commanded by Jacob Keyes and carrying the last surviving SPARTAN II, enacted the Cole Protocol. That is, when forced to withdraw, ships must make a blind jump through space, so that the Covenant are not inadvertently led to Earth. Unfortunately, the Pillar of Autumn exited Slipstream space into a system already inhabited by Covenant forces. The only recourse was to make for a nearby, massive, ring-like structure... =============================================================================== = B) Main Characters kw-cha =============================================================================== _________________ _____________________________________________________/ MASTER CHIEF \ / | | CODENAME: SPARTAN-117 | | | | RANK: UNSC Master Chief | | | | BIO: At the age of six, the soldier now known as the Master Chief | | was already displaying remarkable strength, intelligence, even | | luck. As such, he was abducted for an experimental program | | conducted by the military and headed by one Dr. Halsey. A | | total of seventy-five children were taken from their homes to | | the planet Reach, to undergo the SPARTAN project. | | | | Basic training was initiated almost immediately, and continued | | for almost eight years, until 2525. In March of that year, | | the trainees underwent a dangerous augmentation, including the | | grafting of reinforced material to their bones, enhancement of | | neural dendrites, and so on. Over half of the SPARTANS did | | not live through the procedure - of those that did, many were | | crippled, deformed, handicapped. | | | | The survivors that were still able continued their training, | | and eventually started to see combat. Years later, they were | | outfitted with the culmination of Dr. Halsey's work, MJOLNIR. | | Perhaps the most notable feature of the armor was the energy | | shielding, replicated and improved from that of the Covenant. | | In addition to the augmented strength it provided, MJOLNIR is | | even capable of carrying an AI, such as Cortana. | | | | In the year 2552, the Master Chief, aboard the UNSC Pillar of | | Autumn, embarked on a mission to infiltrate a Covenant ship, | | in hopes of discovering the location of their homeworld. This | | mission was aborted, however, when Reach was attacked shortly | | after it started. Defeat at Reach led to the blind jump to | | Halo's system, where the game then begins... | | | \_______________________________________________________________________/ _________________ _____________________________________________________/ CORTANA \ / | | | | BIO: Cortana is an artificial intelligence construct, or AI for | | short. Though all AIs are extremely intelligent, Cortana is | | a more advanced, "smart" AI - that is, knowledge and creativity| | can continue to grow. She has been programmed with the Office | | of Naval Intelligence's (ONI) best insurgency software, as well| | as Covenant-language-translation software. | | | | The programmed software has many uses, in particular allowing | | Cortana to infiltrate Covenant computer and communication | | systems. She also plays the role of shipboard AI for the UNSC | | Pillar of Autumn, controlling such aspects as ship defense and | | navigation. | | | | Finally, Cortana is able to be integrated into the Master | | Chief's MJOLNIR armor, in essence serving as a neural bridge | | between the human and his armor. Nevertheless, she has her | | own distinctive personality, modeled after that of Dr. Halsey, | | the creator of the SPARTAN II program. Life-expectancy of | | smart AIs estimated about seven years. | | | \_______________________________________________________________________/ _________________ _____________________________________________________/ KEYES, JACOB \ / | | | | BIO: Captain Jacob Keyes, though he did not know the true purpose | | of the program until much later, served as an assistant to Dr. | | Halsey during the early stages of the SPARTAN project. Years | | of service, during which he displayed tactical brilliance and | | extreme bravery, led to several promotions, until he was then | | specifically chosen to command the UNSC Pillar of Autumn. | | | \_______________________________________________________________________/ =============================================================================== = C) Controls kw-con =============================================================================== ______ ______ /L.TRIG\ /R.TRIG\ /ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ`-,____,-`ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ\ / \ / /ŻŻŻ\ \Ż\/Ż/ (Y) \ Left Stick------|-> | | /_/\_\ (X) (B) | | \___/ XBOX (A) | (Back)------|-> O _____ | (Start)---------/--> O /_| |_\ /ŻŻŻ\ O <-\------(Black) | |_ + _| | | O <---|--------(White) D-PAD------|--------> \_|_|_/ \___/ <---------|----Right Stick / \ | /`--------ŻŻŻŻŻŻ--------`\ | | / Controller S \ | | / by Thuyker \ | \____/ \____/ Halo offers the ability to do a great amount of customization when it comes to controls. Both the Button Settings and Thumbstick Settings can be adjusted independently of one another, and are described below. Feel free to choose whatever combination you're most comfortable with. _____________________________________________________________________________ | | | --- BUTTON SETTINGS --- | |_____________________________________________________________________________| | || | | | | | |BUTTON|| DEFAULT | SOUTHPAW | JUMPY | BOXER | GREEN THUMB | |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| |ŻŻŻŻŻŻ||ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ| | (A) || Jump | Jump |Throw Grenade| Jump | Jump | |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| | || | | | | | | (B) || Melee | Melee | Melee |Throw Grenade| Scope Zoom | |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| | || | | | | | | (X) ||Action/Reload|Action/Reload|Action/Reload|Action/Reload|Action/Reload| |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| | || | | | | | | (Y) ||Switch Weapon|Switch Weapon|Switch Weapon|Switch Weapon|Switch Weapon| |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| | || | | | | | |Black ||Swap Grenade |Swap Grenade |Swap Grenade |Swap Grenade |Swap Grenade | |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| | || | | | | | |White || Flashlight | Flashlight | Flashlight | Flashlight | Flashlight | |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| | || | | | | | |L.TRIG||Throw Grenade| Fire Weapon | Jump | Melee |Throw Grenade| |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| | || | | | | | |R.TRIG|| Fire Weapon |Throw Grenade| Fire Weapon | Fire Weapon | Fire Weapon | |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| |LEFT || | | | | | | STICK|| Crouch | Crouch | Crouch | Crouch | Crouch | |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| |RIGHT || | | | | | | STICK|| Scope Zoom | Scope Zoom | Scope Zoom | Scope Zoom | Melee | |______||_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________|_____________| _____________________________________________________________________________ | | | --- THUMBSTICK SETTINGS --- | |_____________________________________________________________________________| | || | | | | | STICK || DEFAULT | SOUTHPAW | LEGACY |LEGACY SOUTHPAW| |_________||________________|________________|________________|_______________| |ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ||ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ| | Left || Move, Strafe | Look, Rotate | Move, Rotate | Look, Strafe | |_________||________________|________________|________________|_______________| | || | | | | | Right || Look, Rotate | Move, Strafe | Look, Strafe | Move, Rotate | |_________||________________|________________|________________|_______________| =============================================================================== = D) General Strategies kw-str =============================================================================== "The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals." While you will be by yourself for most of the game, whenever you have the support of fellow Marines, use it! Keep them alive as long as possible, and they'll keep you alive longer in turn, drawing fire away from you and preventing you from being overwhelmed. --- "Though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays." Take things slow - there is almost never any need to rush blindly into a room, especially one full of enemies. Doing so will only result in lots of damage taken, if not death. Take a few enemies out at a time, then retreat to recharge your shields and regroup. --- "Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected." Many times, you have the opportunity to kill the Covenant before they even know that you are present, whether it is by using a melee attack, a Plasma Grenade to the back, or sniping. Regardless, doing so not only conserves your shields and health, but ammunition as well. --- Don't pick up Med Kits and some types of ammunition whenever you run across it. Instead, keep note of where you saw it, and go back when you really need it. There is no need to heal yourself if you're only missing a bar or two of health, nor is there a need to pick up a box of 16 S2 AM rounds when you are only 4 rounds short of your maximum. --- Know what weapons work well against certain enemies, and what weapons don't work. See the below list of Weapons and Enemies for more details. (Quotes are from Sun Tzu's "The Art of War") _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ IV. WALKTHROUGH kw-wth _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Some notes on using this guide: as mentioned in the Introduction above, this walkthrough was written while playing through Halo's Legendary Difficulty. As such, if you are playing on an easier difficulty, there will definitely be some differences. While objectives remain the same, the strengths of enemy forces you encounter will be much greater, in terms of numbers and/or abilities. For instance, you may encounter a Stealth Elite in one area of Normal, but meet a Commander Elite in the same area on Legendary. Nonetheless, this guide should still be useful - you will simply be over prepared, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it? Anyone familiar to Halo knows that the game uses a "checkpoint" save system. Below, I list all the checkpoints, for a couple of reasons: first, because it is always helpful to know how much further you need to proceed or what enemies you need to kill before you can save and relax. Second, to help prevent you from reaching a "point of no return." For example, there are instances in which you will have to fight a major battle, and possible be beaten to within an inch of your life. You wouldn't want to move forward and have the game save if the next Med Kit is really far away, would you? Instead, you should revert to your last save. Read ahead, so that you know when the next supplies are available and when the game will next save, to save yourself a lot of trouble. Also note that I describe the cutscenes that you'll watch over the course of the game. I've done my best to clearly delineate them, so that you can easily skip over them if you'd rather watch the story progress yourself. Now, having said all that, on to the walkthrough! Good luck - you'll need it! =============================================================================== = A) Level 1: Pillar of Autumn kw-poa =============================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-= = Reveille =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-=-= _____________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Find Captain Keyes on the Bridge |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ On Legendary, the game assumes that you already know how to walk around and look at things, so it skips the basic tutorial. I'm hoping you are completely comfortable with that, because if you aren't...well, let's just say that you're in for a tough time. Anyways, as soon as you gain control, the tech will let you know that you need to find Captain Keyes, and start leading the way. Follow him out the door of the Cryo chamber, and then turn a right. The tech will start running towards another door, so keep following (but not too close) him until the explosion rips through the door you were heading towards, killing him. Poor guy - we don't have time to grieve, though, so turn around and head in the opposite direction. Almost immediately, you will see a green arrow labeled "Maintenance" pointing to the right. Run and jump over them, then turn right (the door to the left is locked). You should be facing another door, which you can go through with no trouble at all. Once you enter, you'll be in a narrow corridor - head straight across and through the next door, but be mindful of an explosion that comes out of the right wall just before you get to the door. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As soon as you are through the door, you will see another human to your left, just beyond a half-opened door. Crouch and walk under it, but be careful to not get hit by the plasma bolts fired by the Covenant. Unfortunately, we're still unarmed and aren't much use in combat just yet. Soon after, the door between the battling Humans and Covenant should close, so head to the right. Directly ahead is another group of Covenant, who will also be firing at you and the Humans. Once again, the door should close, so don't worry about them too much. On the ground, you'll notice a blue arrow labeled "Bridge" pointing to the left. Go through the door it's pointing at and enter a darkened room. Continue straight across, and then turn left, following the green lights of unlocked doors if you get disoriented. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ At the end of another corridor, turn right, and you should see some more fellow Humans straight ahead, battling some Covenant troops to the right. Once again, all we can do is sit and watch, until another door closes and blocks them off. Once it has closed, walk up to the Marine, standing on another blue arrow. He'll tell you to follow him the rest of the way to the Bridge, so do so. You'll move through a large, spacious room before getting to another narrow corridor, with Covenant to the right. Another door will seal them off, so turn left and follow the Marine to another blue arrow, pointing right. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Go through the door that the arrow was pointing at, then left, and you'll have arrived at the Bridge (you'll see a sign with a red star to the right). Make your way around the room with the red star, and you'll eventually find yourself at Captain Keyes' position. __________ -=| Cutscene |=- ŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ\ | Captain Keyes will tell you that things aren't going so well. The | | Pillar of Autumn will soon be hit by a boarding party, and it's MAC | | Cannon, the main form of defense, disabled. Since destruction or | | capture of a shipboard AI such as Cortana is unacceptable, the Master | | Chief is charged with the task of getting her off the ship. She is | | then inserted into your helmet, and Captain Keyes gives you his | | sidearm, the M6D Pistol. | |_______________________________________________________________________| =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = AI Constructs and Cyborgs First! =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Get off the Pillar of Autumn |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Unfortunately, the M6D isn't loaded, so we'll have to find some ammunition for it. Walk back around the way you came, to the entrance to the Bridge. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Once you've exited the Bridge, turn left, and then a quick right through the open door. As soon as you're in the short corridor, you should pick up some ammo. Quickly reload, and then wait: a Major Grunt should walk right into your view. Take him out with a single headshot, then repeat with two Minor Grunts around the corner. Head down the corridor the Grunts were in and turn a quick right through the unlocked door (once again, with green lights). You should pick up an MA5B Assault Rifle, and already see a skirmish taking place. Now, some people feel that the Marines are useless. I disagree, and even if they were absolutely worthless, I'd still feel guilty letting them die. So, quickly rush into the cafeteria and head straight ahead, where two Minor Elites are firing near another door. There will also be a Major Grunt chucking Plasma Grenades, so quickly take him out first. Personally, I prefer the Plasma Rifle to the MA5B, so I'll trade for one if possible, as well as pick up any grenades lying around. Shortly after the Elites are dead, another group of Covenant should make their appearance. This second group is much more formidable, consisting of at least three Minor Elites and several Grunts. It wouldn't be a bad idea to quickly dispatch the Grunts as soon as possible, as they will throw a few Plasma Grenades otherwise. Hopefully, you got through the last battle without taking much damage. Walk around and scrounge around for grenades and any ammunition you might need, then head through either of the two unlocked doors that the Covenant entered the room by. There may be a Major Grunt or two as soon as you go through the door, if they didn't join the last battle. Head for the red arrow labeled "Airlock" on the ground, and walk through the door, picking up the Med Kit to the right if you need it (hopefully you don't). Walk to the end of the corridor, turn left, and then right. As soon as you come out of the right turn, you should spot a Major Elite. Oftentimes, his back will be turned, making for an easy melee attack or Plasma Grenade to his rear. Anyways, you'll notice that he's a bit tougher than the Minor Elites you faced earlier. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ After the Elite is dead, switch rifles if you need to, and pick up any Plasma Grenades you can. A group of Marines should have appeared by now, so continue down the corridor. The ship should then lurch, as if something had hit it. Continue on your path towards the Airlock, and you should see an explosion take out a couple of soldiers. Chuck a grenade where you saw the explosion, to hopefully kill some Covenant as they emerge. The first to appear will probably be a Minor Elite, as well as a few Grunts. Finish them off if the grenade didn't, and then get ready for another Major Elite and another Grunt or two. Once they're all dead, you'll see that they boarded on one of their ships, which has two Overshields in it. Grab one, and exit their boarding ship. Head to the right, along with the Marines. Shortly, you'll arrive at a green arrow labeled "Stairs" on the floor, pointing into a darkened room. Be very careful, however, as there are a couple of Elite hiding in there. Take them out, using Plasma Grenades to make the task a little easier. Once they are taken care of, continue down the dark corridor until you reach the more well- lit area. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Make a left turn, and you should see Marines battling in the far distance. While you have the option of heading straight towards them, instead take the first right you can (the corridor floor should be bloody, with a dead marine). Then, make a quick left, and you should see a group of Covenant, including at least four Minor Elites and eight Grunts. Toss a Plasma Grenade in there, preferably hitting one of the Elites. Continue mopping up with such weapons as the Plasma Rifle and more Plasma Grenades until they're all dead, then walk around and replenish your weapons. If you'd like, walk all the way back to the Covenant boarding ship from before and pick up the remaining Overshield. Otherwise, look for another red arrow labeled "Airlock," taking the nearby Med Kit if you need it. Go through the door, and continue down the corridor, until you encounter another group of Covenant. This group consists of at least one Minor and one Major Elite, as well as several Grunts. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ After they're all dead, move on, following the surviving Marines. You'll soon find yourself face to face with more Covenant, including several more Elites. Use your Plasma Grenades to quickly kill several Covenant once, then pick up the ones they drop. Occasionally, an Elite will be hiding behind a stationary energy shield. There should be plenty of grenades lying around, so use one to take down the shield, then quickly finish off the Elite with another or your weapon. Continue down the corridor towards the energy shield. Before you get there, however, another Covenant boarding ship is to the right (there will be a red arrow on the ground pointing towards it), and this one also contains a pair of Overshields. Pick one up, and then move on. Once you're past the energy shield, turn left, and you should see a darkened room, with flaming barrels - head towards them. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ To the right of the flaming barrels is a half-closed door, which you'll have to crouch and walk underneath. As soon as you're through, quickly take the first right and make your way through the corridor. You'll soon encounter a Minor Elite - take it out quickly however you choose. Go to where he was standing and look through the opened door, and you'll see several Grunts and a Major Elite. Since they're packed so closely together, use another Plasma Grenade to take as many of them out as you can, then mop up the rest. There's a Med Kit near where they were bunched up, if you need it. Continue on through the door with the green arrow labeled "Stairs" pointing at it, then turn right and go through another unlocked door. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Once you go through the door, you should see more red contacts on your motion tracker. Hurry in that direction, and you'll hear that there are Covenant on the landing above. Run up the stairs, quickly taking out any Elites or Grunts you encounter. You will almost certainly take damage rushing up like that, but if you do it quick enough, the Elites will oftentimes be firing down below at the Marines. This makes for an easy melee attack to the back or Plasma Grenade stick. Circle around the top landing, killing any enemies you meet, then drop back down and help the Marines finish off any down below. After such an intense battle, walk around and pick up any fresh Plasma Rifles (or ammunition for whatever weapon you're using) and Plasma Grenades you can find, then walk back upstairs. At the top of the stairs, go to the opposite side of the upper landing, and turn a right. There will be more Covenant up ahead, so use the pillars/supports for cover. They're unaware of your presence if you're far enough away, so I like to be a little sneaky and throw a Plasma Grenade at the Major Elite. If you're lucky, you'll take out most, if not all, of the Covenant. Proceed cautiously, in case there are any stragglers, taking cover behind the various blockades and pillars. You'll approach another stationary energy shield, with a darkened room behind it. Be careful - you may have noticed a red contact on your motion tracker. Quickly take out three Grunts in the dark area, using your flashlight to make it a little easier. Continue on, but don't go all the way out of the darkened room. More Covenant are waiting on the other side, in the well-lit area, including a Major and Minor Elite and several Grunts. Again, it's possible that they won't notice you at first, so aim well and hit the Major Elite with a Plasma Grenade. Duck back into the dark room if they start returning fire, then pop out for a few more quick shots. Once they have all been taken care of, continue on towards another stationary energy shield, then turn right as you pass it. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ You should hear the call to abandon ship, but don't worry about that just yet. Move down the corridor and turn right. You should find yourself in a corridor with windows to your left, with life pods blasting off. There's also a Med Kit on the ground, if you need it. Turn left at the end of the corridor, and you should find yourself in another Airlock area. In the far distance are three Grunts, which you can take out from before. Move towards where they were, and Cortana will tell you that the blast doors are closing. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Cortana will also put a navigation marker on your HUD, so continue walking towards it. Eventually, you'll find yourself at a green arrow on the ground, labeled "Maintenance." Walk through the door, and turn on your flashlight to make things a little easier to see. Turn left the first chance you get, and move through the winding corridor. After a few turns, you'll see an unlocked door (notice the green light?) ahead of you. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ You might have also noticed that there are now red contacts on your motion tracker, so be careful. Don't go through the door in front of you! Instead, turn right, and walk towards another unlocked door in the distance (you'll pass a second one on the left as well, but ignore that one). Once you go through the door and exit the dark Maintenance tunnel, turn off your flashlight and go through another door just ahead and slightly to the left. Make your way around the winding corridor, noting that the red contacts are to your left. Shortly, you'll come across an open door to your left, facing the doors to the Maintenance tunnels. Walk past it, however, then turn left at the end of the corridor. There should be a Minor Elite facing away from you - easy kill. Unfortunately, there's also several grunts, another two Minor Elites, and a Major Elite that you have to take care of. I would recommend sticking a Plasma Grenade to the back of the first Minor Elite that you snuck up on, in hopes of him taking several of his buddies with him. Run back the way you came, as another Minor Elite will probably go through the door that I told you to walk past earlier. You do NOT want them flanking you, so wait by the door until he comes in, then quickly kill him. Now, we still have a Minor and Major Elite to take care of, as well as any remaining Grunts. Do a little ducking in and out of the corridor to take pot shots at the Grunts until they are dead, making your job a little easier. Oftentimes, the last two Elites will duck into the Cryo B corridor (there is a yellow arrow pointing at it), occasionally popping out. Anyways, take them out with a combination of grenades and weapons fire, then pick up the nearby Med Kit (if you need it) and enter the Cryo B corridor. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Just after you walk down a small ramp, you'll see the observation deck to the right, looking down on where you were frozen. There are three Major Elites down there, but the glass is protecting you from them for now. Walk through the observation deck and you'll come across the body of Sam Marcus, the tech. Let's get some revenge for him, shall we? You'll be in a very long corridor, with a Major Elite at the far end. There's several different strategies you could try - chucking grenades, charging full speed and firing as quickly as possible, etc. Once he's dead, be mindful of a group of Grunts in a little nook to the right, across from some flaming barrels. Also be careful of some explosions that occur in that area as well - they aren't just for show, they actually cause damage! Once the Grunts have been taken care of, look for a small door in the nook that they were in. Enter and turn on your flashlight, and move through carefully. After making the first right, there will be a Major Grunt right after you make the turn. Kill him, then turn right again and take out a Minor Grunt. Once you've done that, turn around and head down the corridor. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ You'll be at a T-intersection, with the left path leading to a dead-end, the right leading to an unlocked door. Through the door, you should see a Minor and Major Elite, and maybe a Grunt. Quickly move to the door to automatically open it, then chuck a Plasma Grenade (or two) to quickly kill them before they get your Marine buddies. There will also be a couple more Grunts running around, so take care of them as well. Take the Med Kit hanging near a door if you need it. Go down the hallway (right after you exited the door, it'd be to the left) towards the blue-striped barrels, then turn another left. Take out some Grunts at the end of the corridor, near some yellow barrels, then proceed cautiously. Turn right at the yellow barrels, and there will be more Covenant forces, some of them hiding behind another stationary energy shield. Throw a Plasma Grenade or two over the energy shield, and mop up with your weapon. Hopefully, you'll be able to take out the Major and Minor Elites with the grenades. Continue moving forward, using the beam supports as cover. Also note that just before the first stationary energy shield is a corridor to the right, with several Grunts in it. Kill them, so that they don't shoot you from the sides or back, then move on, towards the second stationary energy shield. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Turn left at the shield, and you'll see another Airlock area. In the far distance, you'll see another stationary energy shield and Covenant, but between you and them is a barricade. Luckily for you, the right side of the barricade has quite a few M9 HP-DE Fragmentation Grenades for you to try out. There's plenty, so chuck a bunch at them to take out the Major Elites and Grunts. Once they're dead, hop over the barricade and continue on, killing several more Major Grunts. Continue down the corridor, and you'll hear Cortana say that you need to hurry to the last lifeboat. Go through the Airlock door, and you are done! __________ -=| Cutscene |=- ŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ\ | Just before boarding, Master Chief rescues a Marine and tosses him | | like a sack of potatoes into the lifeboat. Unfortunately, on approach| | to the ring-like structure dubbed "Halo," the lifeboat starts losing | | altitude way too fast... | |_______________________________________________________________________| =============================================================================== = B) Level 2: Halo kw-hal =============================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = Flawless Cowboy =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ _________________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Evade the Covenant patrols searching for you |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ___________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Head for higher ground |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _______________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Search for other lifeboats |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Quickly exit the lifeboat and pick up all the M9 HE-DP grenades and MA5B rounds you can, then turn left and run over a narrow bridge. As you cross, a Covenant Dropship should fly overhead. Ignore it for now, turning right as soon as you are over the bridge, and running as fast as you can. Keep close to the rock face to your left, and shortly thereafter, you should hear the familiar whine of a Banshee. Ignore that as well, and keep running until you get to some big boulders. If you do this quickly enough, the Banshee won't even have the chance to take a shot at you, as it leaves you alone as soon as you get to the boulders. Of course, you could go ahead and take out the Banshee if you wish, but doing so doesn't really benefit you that much. Anyways, as soon as you get to the boulders, you'll notice a Grunt in the distance running your way. Zoom in with your M6D and take him out, and you'll see a Major Elite and more Grunts running towards you as well. Take out the Grunts with your M6D, to make killing the Elite much easier. If you wish, go ahead and try to use the pistol against him, but I find that he simply ducks behind boulders as soon as his shield is gone. So, I just charge him with my MA5B and take him out as quickly as possible. Of course, I like the Plasma Rifle much better, so I switch for it as soon as he is dead - keep the MA5B if you prefer, however. Continue up the hill, turning slightly to the left. Once you're at the top, the path will narrow and start descending. Walk down and jump off a small ledge, keeping the large boulder to your left. Continue on, and Cortana will tell you that there is a lifeboat just beyond the next hill. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Run as fast as you can, and you'll notice that a Covenant Dropship is rising. That means it must have just dropped off some troops, so we'll have to hurry if we want to keep our Marines alive. As you run towards the Dropship, try to stay to the left, and jump just before the big drop, so that you go over the boulder. Run around the huge boulder on the slope to the left, and then turn right and start taking out Grunts left and right. There will also be several Major Elites, so try to stick them with Plasma Grenade. Even if you miss, they are useful for flushing them out of cover. Hopefully, you'll be able to kill them all easily enough - the reason I said to go around the left side is so that you don't get attacked by Covenant on both sides, making your task much easier. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ _____________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Stay with the survivors |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Protect the human survivors |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Wait for an evac dropship to arrive |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Quickly run past the large building structures, and you should see a Covenant dropship about to land. Run to the Dropship's right side, throwing a bunch of Grenades just as the troops are about to be dropped off. If you do this right, you should be able to take out the Major and Minor Elite, and maybe some more enemies. Once you've thrown the grenades, however, you may want to back up and find some cover. Finish off the Jackals by circle-strafing and firing, until there are no Covenant left. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Unfortunately, you'll get a message that another Dropship is on approach. Look up in the air to quickly locate it, then move towards it rapidly. You may want to pick up a Needler...they are simply the best weapon against Elites. The Dropship dumps off at least one Major and one Minor Elite, so unload full clips of needles at each, and they should explode. Otherwise, repeat your hit and run strategies, ducking behind cover when your shield is down. You'll also have to take out a large group of Grunts, but they're easy enough to take care of, and drop more Needler ammo. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Again, another Covenant dropship approaches, this time near where you first entered this area. As I said before, I like to use the Needler, as it makes ducking out of cover and quickly taking out an Elite much easier. Of course, there is also a large number of Grunts to take care of as well, but they simply run straight at you, so should be relatively easy to take care of. Take them all out and quickly replenish your ammunition and grenades. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ This time, TWO Covenant Dropships appear, one after another, and in the same areas as the first and second ones. Uh oh...if you need a Med Kit, there is a crashed lifeboat roughly in between where the two new Dropships appear. Littered around the entrance to the lifeboat are some grenades, ammunition, and the Med Kit. In addition, there is also a Med Kit or two atop the large structure. Now, these battles are so dynamic that it's hard to give a specific walkthrough. However, there are several strategies to keep it as painless as possible. First, do not attempt to take on both groups of Covenant at once, as you will certainly die. Instead, go around the sides, trying to isolate each group of enemies. Secondly, there's no shame in running. When you're hit, run and take cover behind the various structures and boulders until your shields recharge. Keep in mind that they seem to sense that you're hurt, though, so oftentimes, they will pursue you - be ready for any Covenant troops foolish enough to chase you around a corner, using grenades and weapons fire to keep them at bay. It may take you several tries to kill all of them, but keep at it until you succeed. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ _______________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Search for the three additional groups of |--+ +--| human survivors |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Protect the human survivors |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _______________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Wait for an evac dropship |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Good job. You should hear Foehammer relay a message, and Cortana will inform her of your position. Shortly thereafter, you should see several lifeboats crashing onto Halo, and Cortana will request that Foehammer drop her M12 LRV Warthog. Make your way to the Warthog (a navigation marker appears on your HUD), and climb in. Before you do so, however, make sure you stock up on ammunition and grenades, and even if you're only missing a tiny bit of health, grab a Med Kit anyway. We're not coming back here, so there's no reason to save it for later. Once you're in the Warthog, head in the direction it was already facing and drive down the grayish ramp cluttered with boulders. As you round the bend, Cortana will inform you that the cave is not a natural formation - since someone built it, "it must lead somewhere," right? Drive through, and Cortana will beep in again, letting you know that she's monitoring the Covenant's radio chatter. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Continue driving through the tunnel, and eventually, you'll see a ledge to your left. The ledge drops down to a ramp, which leads up to a gap and another ramp on the other side. Drop down to the close ramp and move as far back from it as you can. Now, align your Warthog so that it's going straight up the middle of the ramp and gun it. You should have enough speed that your vehicle makes it over the gap. Continue on through the tunnel. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Shortly thereafter, the tunnel should open to the left, into a large, expansive room. You'll see some Covenant troops patrolling in the distance, but don't rush down to engage them yet. Now, there are certainly different strategies you could try down here. I'm not the most aggressive player, however, so I like to simply drive straight down the path to the bridge while the Gunner does his job. Then, I turn around and head back to where I entered the room, and keep going back and forth as many times as it takes. Eventually, most, if not all, of the nearby Covenant should be dead. Doing this, I always avoid taking any damage whatsoever, to the Master Chief or to the Gunner. Of course, you could try something more aggressive, like try to run over the Covenant. Whatever way you finish off the Covenant, after you're done, head to the right side of the room (coming from where you entered). Get out of the Warthog and walk along the wall until you come to a narrow passage- way heading up. Once you get near the top, be careful: just around the left turn are three Major Elites. Carefully peek around the corner, and stick a Plasma Grenade to the closest Elite - this should hopefully take out two of them. Finish off the last one, then head down the corridor. After it ramps up slightly, you should see a blinking blue light in the distance. Walk up to it, then press (X) to activate the light bridge. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Walk back down to your Warthog, and drive over the now activated bridge. After you cross, you'll enter another narrow tunnel, and get a message from Cortana. Apparently, a lot more people got off the Pillar of Autumn than was first thought - if you can find Keyes and the survivors, a more effective resistance could be coordinated. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Continue driving through the tunnel, which is an easy enough task, as there is no resistance whatsoever. After driving for awhile, you should see the tunnel open up to the outside world. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = Reunion Tour =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As the Mission Objectives state, we need to find the three groups of survivors. Not that we can do them in any order, but I'm going to start with the closest group first. As you exit the tunnel, just ahead of you you'll see a river and waterfall; turn right and drive up the hill. While heading in this direction, you might see some pulsating blue lights over to the left, but ignore them for now. Once you're at the top of the hill, the river should be narrow enough that your Warthog can easily cross, so do so. As soon as you cross, turn left and head back towards the blue lights I mentioned earlier and drive up the narrow passageway. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As you traverse the small hill, you'll see a large structure ahead of you, and Cortana will mention that the humans may have taken cover inside of it. Of course, you know the area will be crawling with Covenant forces. Once again, you can try various strategies. What I feel is the safest route, however, is to turn right as soon as you've over the hill and drive through the two large structures. Your gunner will have plenty to keep him occupied, so keep driving back and forth between the two structures, and he'll thin their numbers by quite a bit. Once all of the Covenant on the ground are killed, dismount and enter the structure (there are at least two entrances). +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Make your way down, and you will eventually find the Marines. You'll also meet quite a few Major Elites, but fortunately, they're usually busy fighting the Marines, so stick a Plasma Grenade on their back for a quick kill. Continue moving deeper into the structure, and it'll eventually start leading back to the surface, where the other entrance was. Once they're all clear, Foehammer will come in to pick up the survivors. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ ___________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Search for the two remaining groups of |--+ +--| human survivors |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Protect the human survivors |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _______________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Wait for an evac dropship |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Pick up the Med Kit near the structure, on the side near the cliff, if you need it, and get back into the Warthog. If you didn't already have one, a Marine should accompany you in the passenger seat. Now, orienting yourself from where you came in, drive towards the right, and you should see another hill, with another narrow passageway. Drive through and down the hill, towards more blue lights and the river. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As soon as you're through the aforementioned opening and down the hill, you should see more pulsating blue lights across the river. Drive right across it, and you may encounter a pair of Banshees. Drive in erratic patterns to avoid getting hit, letting your gunner make short work of them with the M41 LAAG. Once they've been taken care of, drive up the hill near the blue lights. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As you round a big left bend that opens up into a wider area, you should see another structure up ahead, and a crashed lifeboat nearby. Drive town towards the lifeboat, letting your gunners and passenger take care of the two Jackals or running over them yourself. Now, drive back and forth closer to the large structure, so that the Marines you're driving can thing down the number of Covenant around it. Soon, you should hear Cortana say that there are some Marines hiding in the hills above the structure. You can continue attacking the enemies near the structure, or you can go ahead and drive up the hill (to the left side of where you came in). If you do the latter, two Major Elites will probably come up the hill to attack - hop out of your Warthog to add your fire to that of the Marines. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ There are probably still Covenant troops down by the structure, so get back in the Warthog and drive down there. Don't get too cocky, however, as a Covenant Dropship will arrive near the crashed lifeboat and drop off more enemies. Be careful of the Dropship's plasma beams, and run over as many troops as you can, letting your Marines take care of the rest. In particular, try to run over the Elites, as they do the most damage. It shouldn't take long before all of the Covenant are dead, at which point you'll get another message from Foehammer. Shortly thereafter, she arrives to pick up the Marines. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ _________________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Search for the last group of human survivors |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Protect the human survivors |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _______________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Wait for an evac dropship |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Head over to the aforementioned crashed lifeboat, and hop out to pick up any supplies you might need. Get back in the Warthog and drive up the hill that the Marines were on earlier, and follow the left rock wall as it curves around to another opening on a hill (you should see a huge waterfall directly ahead). +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Cortana will chime in and say that you need to hurry and find the last of the lifeboats, so drive down the hill and turn right. Look for a segment of the river that is short enough for you to cross, then do so and turn left, heading back in the direction of the waterfall. To the right, you will see a tunnel descending into the rock wall - drive through. Turn right as you leave the tunnel and enter the open area, and head for the crashed lifeboat ahead (look for the smoke). On your way there, you should encounter some Grunts to the left, near the rocks, but your Gunner should be able to take care of them. If you'd like, hop out near the lifeboat and grab any supplies you need, including the S2 AM Sniper Rifle! Now, get back in the Warthog, and drive up the hill near where you first entered. There are some tight areas, but you should be able to squeeze through and drive all the way to the surviving Marines! Now, get ready for a Covenant Dropship that appears near where you came in, and take out the tougher Covenant with your newly found S2 AM. Be careful of the Dropship's plasma beams, and take out as many as you can. One thing that made this part of the mission much easier for me was the park near where you met up with the Marines, then hop out and help with your weapons fire. The hill you are on is pretty defensible, especially with the added firepower of the M41 LAAG and you on foot. Stick in the general area of the Warthog, retreating to it when you're hurt, so that it can cover you. Several waves of Covenant Dropships will unload, so be prepared for groups of Major Elites and Grunts that come up from paths to your "rear" (near the rock wall, not facing the big grassy area down below). Once they're all dead, look around near the crashed lifeboat and where the Covenant Dropships appeared, taking out any stragglers. Usually, I find a couple of Major Elites that stay down below, so take them out with two quick S2 AM rounds to the chest. Finish all of the Covenant off, and Foehammer will radio in, as will Cortana. Looks like Captain Keyes has been found, and is being held on a Covenant cruiser, the Truth and Reconciliation. Get back in your Warthog, drive back down to where Foehammer is waiting, and hop in. Congratulations! =============================================================================== = B) Level 3: The Truth and Reconciliation kw-tar =============================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = Truth and Reconciliation =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ _______________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Board the Covenant Battle Cruiser |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Alright, the Covenant Cruiser is about 300 meters away, on the other side of the plateau. We'll have to fight our way over there, of course - luckily, you are equipped with one of the most powerful weapons in the game, the S2 AM. The Marines that are accompanying you are going to hold back, while you take out as many of the Covenant Stationary Guns and troops as you can. Having said that, it does not mean that you should go rushing in for the kill. If ever there was a good time to be as inconspicuous as possible, it is now. If you get noticed and fired at while you're trying to snipe, you might as well go back to your last checkpoint. The S2 AM is a wonderful weapon, but if an Elite is firing at you, he WILL hit you and your scope is rendered worthless. So let's start, shall we? Head to the right, but don't go too far into the narrow path. I like to position myself so that I can see the stationary energy shield and Shade right behind it, but as far to the right and back as possible. Zoom in to 10x with your S2 AM and turn on your light-amplification - you will probably see a Major Elite walking from left to right, passing behind a large boulder just in front of the stationary energy shield. Take him out with two headshots. In front of the boulder I mentioned above, either a Minor Elite or Major Elite (it varies) should appear every once in awhile - kill him with a single headshot if he's a Minor, two if he's a Major. Also make sure to target the Grunts that man the Shade, as well as the Jackals. Once you've cleared all the Covenant that walk into your viewpoint from here, move further to the right, against the rock wall, and forward until you can see more enemies. Kill them as well, using as little ammunition as possible (that means go for headshots every time). Finally, move as far right along the ledge as possible until you can see a second Shade far to the left - take out the Grunt manning it as well. Once the area is clear, rush in and grab some Plasma Grenades, and switch your MA5B for a Plasma Rifle as well, if you wish. Make your way to the large corner near the second Shade, and use a combination of grenades and weapons fire to kill the Covenant as they arrive. The first wave should have a Major Elite or two, but the rest are pretty easy - just Grunts and Jackals. Once they stop coming, round the corner and head up the path (be careful not to fall off the ledge to the left). +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As you climb up the path, stop at the large boulder and pull out your S2 AM - up ahead you should see a Major Jackal, which you can take out with one shot. As soon as you do so, take out the Minor Elite that appears, as well as the Grunt that runs for the Shade. Head forward, and take out another Major Elite, as well as Grunts that fire from the ledge above. There's a Med Kit and ammo, but I would really recommend saving them for later - if you're badly hurt at this point already, you may want to just start over. Make your way around the bend curving to the right, cautiously. If more Covenant show up, back up and regroup with the Marines for assistance, if necessary. Continue on, taking out and stragglers left behind, then walk up the narrow path, once again making sure not to step off the ledge. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Cortana will let you know that Covenant forces have been detected up ahead. As you round the corner, you should see another Shade on a ledge up high. Walk towards it, stopping at the tree to the left, near the edge of the ledge. Look straight ahead (slightly to the right of where you see Halo's ring), and you should see another ledge, with some spiky looking plants on it. Zoom in with your S2 AM, and wait for a Minor Elite that shows up. Quickly take him out, then a Jackal that appears to the left and below where the Elite was. Now, what I like to do is walk back to the ledge that the Shade was on. In the corner where that ledge meets the rock wall is a boulder. Move to the left of the boulder and you should be able to jump on. Switch to your rifle, and you can just jump up and down for a little while, taking out any nearby Covenant as you pop up, while their shots miss you as you descend. Sneaky, huh? Of course, you could go the direct route if you prefer. Move around the path, and to your right, you'll see a hill that leads up to where all the Covenant are. Run past it though, until you get to an area with a tree and a spotlight. Peek around the right corner, and you should see a Major Jackal - kill him quickly. Now, look further right, and use your sniper rifle to take out another Jackal and a Major Elite. At this point, Cortana should radio in, saying that you've taken the left flank, so the Marines should go up the middle (the hill I told you to run past) for the attack. Run up to the rock wall ahead/left of you, and use a Plasma Grenade to take out the Shade and Grunt manning it. Also make sure to take out any other manned Shades first thing, so that your Marines stay alive longer. Quickly run in and take out the rest of the Covenant, and Cortana will let you know that a Covenant Dropship is inbound. Run towards it, and chuck as many grenades as you can as the doors open, to hopefully take them out as soon as possible, then finish any survivors off with your weapon. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Now, head to the path (it has two ledges to either side, with a Shade on each) that heads further into the plateau, grabbing the Active Camouflage near a tree to the left of where you first entered this area. Of course, you can save it for later as well. Several Grunts and at least two Major Elites should come out, so back up and kill them, with the assistance of your Marines. Plasma Grenades work wonders in the small passageway that they come through, by the way. Once they're all dead, Cortana will say that you're now directly under the ship - all you have to do is simply use the gravity lift to enter the cruiser. Unfortunately, it's not going to be that simple. If you're low on health, go all the way back to that Med Kit near the beginning, then head back here and make your way through the narrow passageway. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Even before you are fully through the passageway, you'll notice some red blips on your motion tracker. Head back to the side of the area that you entered from. On a hill, there should be three gnarled trees, and on the ground near them is an Active Camouflage! Line yourself up with the passageway, then run full speed and pick up the camouflage while heading straight for the red blips. Don't fire your weapon, but instead club two Jackals as soon as you exit the passageway, then go up a hill to the right and club an Elite and some Grunts. By this point, your Marines should have joined the fray and helped finish off the rest of the Covenant that were present. However, a Covenant Dropship soon comes in and unloads more troops. One strategy that worked well for me was to quickly take out all of the Shades, and then get in the middle one in the rear (furthest from where you came in). From there, you can use the Shade's rapid fire to quickly take the Covenant from the dropship, and then the ones that drop down from the lift. Of course, you can try the old-fashioned run and gun, but that will require lots of running around scrounging for ammunition and grenades. The important thing to remember if you use the Shade is to GET OUT when your shield is drained - you are a sitting duck while you're in it. This tactic will work best if you keep your fellow Marines alive, obviously, as they will draw fire away from you. Anyways, after several waves, each with a few Grunts, Jackals, and an Elite each, the battle slows down its pace. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Instead of the swarms of enemies coming out, you're now going to battle a pair of Hunters. If you were using the Shade strategy, now is the time to stop. Not only is the stationary gun ineffective against them, but their Fuel Rod Cannons will make mincemeat out of you. Again, there are several different things you can try. Hopefully, you still have the S2 AM, and can quickly snap off a shot to the weak spot of each. I actually find it easier to pick up an MA5B, however, and close in. Then, one at a time, sidestep each and unload into their weak spots. You'll have to repeat this a few times with both of them, but if you have the sidestep timing right, it should be no problem at all. The trick is to get in close enough to both of them that neither of them fire their Fuel Rod Cannons, yet far enough from one of them that you're only being charged by one at a time. Once they're dead, Foehammer will arrive with more Marines, thankfully. They all make their way straight to the lift, but don't do so. Instead, scrounge around for weapons, grenades, a Med Kit, etc. Ideally, you should have a full bar of health; trust me on this one. And in my not so humble opinion, you will definitely want the S2 AM, with as many bullets as possible. You might be wondering why, since we're going into a ship, which means close-range combat, not sniping. Well, you're right on that count - but even if you can't use the scope of the sniper rifle, the power of each individual round is unmatched by anything else you can lay your hands on so far. Think of it as one big, dumb- fire hand cannon. Once again, feel free to do as you wish, as this is just my recommendation. As for your other weapon, I'd recommend either the Plasma Pistol or Rifle, as I feel that they are more effective against Covenant than the MA5b. After you've loaded up on ammunition and health, step onto the lift. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = Into the Belly of the Beast =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ___________________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Find the ship's brig and rescue Captain Keyes |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Keep your head on a swivel, listening to a small chime and flashing lights that indicate that a door is opening. Without using the scope of the S2 AM, simply point and shoot - it's a Stealth Elite with a Plasma Sword. It'll take two shots, unless you are lucky enough to hit him in the head. As soon as he is dead, look for contacts on your motion tracker and run towards the door in that direction. Sometimes, it's a Commander Elite, which will require three S2 AM rounds to the chest. Don't wait for him to die - just pump three into his chest as fast as you can, then quickly use a grenade to take out the Jackals and Grunts behind him. If it's not the Commander Elite that comes out, chuck a grenade at the door to hopefully take out most of the Covenant (Jackals and Grunts) that come pouring out, then quickly switch to your Plasma weapon to finish them off. Don't get distracted, though - continue to watch your motion tracker, as another Commander Elite may appear from another door. It is imperative that you kill them as fast as possible, because they can absolutely decimate your Marines, not to mention you. Always make sure your S2 AM is fully reloaded. Remember, if it's not an Elite that comes out of the door, throw a grenade and switch to your Plasma weapon to finish them off. If it is, shoot him three times, and then throw a grenade and switch to your Plasma weapon. If you do this quickly enough, constantly keeping and eye on your motion tracker and running to the doors that the Covenant come out of fast enough, you'll succeed, even if it takes a few tries. I'm proud to say that I'm able to do this while keeping most of the Marines alive! An alternative strategy to try if you can't keep them alive and are getting overwhelmed is to grab the Active Camouflage, which is behind a crate near the left of the two doors that interconnect (the other two doors lead to darker corridors with dead ends). After you've grabbed it, quickly run around and use your melee attack from behind, as well as grenades, to take out as many of the enemies as you can (especially the Elites). After a little while, if more Covenant are still pouring out of the doors, you may want to run up into the corridors that they run out of. From there, you can quickly pop out and take out an enemy or two, then retreat back. Keep in mind that if you entered the better-lit doors which lead further on into the level, they often appear to your sides or rear, so keep an eye on your motion tracker to make sure you don't get flanked. Eventually, they should all fall. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ You've just survived what is probably the toughest battle of the game for most people, so give yourself a round of applause. Take a well-deserved break if you need to, but when you're ready to play again, run around and find a dead Marine and switch your Plasma weapon for a MA5B. A pair of Hunters should come out from the side doors, so run up close to them to keep them from firing their Fuel Rod Cannons at you or your Marines. Sidestep when they charge, and unload into their orange weak spots. You can also use a single S2 AM round for each, but I prefer to use the MA5B, simply because I like to conserve sniper rifle ammunition. After those Commander Elites, Hunters are a piece of cake, huh? +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Even if you are really low on S2 AM ammunition, I still recommend that you keep it with you, because it'll come in handy a little bit later. For now, though, pick up a Plasma Pistol to go with it. Go down the passageway that the Hunters came out of, and you'll see that the next door is locked. The Marines will stay here, while you go and look for another way around. Go back up, and enter the second door on the right as you exit. Near it is a Med Kit, if you need it. At the top of the ramp, turn right, go through the door, and kill two Grunts with your Plasma Pistol. Walk to where the passageway turns left, then immediately turn around and run back to where you came from. A red contact should have appeared on your motion tracker, representing either a Jackal or two Grunts. You'll have to repeat this constantly in this passageway, unless you want to get attacked from the rear. Anyways, head back to the left turn and move further up, until the Elite spots you. Retreat, and wait for him to come after you, then kill him with an overcharged shot (to take down his shield) and a few more normal shots. You may also be able to sneak up on him and melee attack him, as he stands in a nook on the right side. Either way, once he's dead, turn back around. Take out the two Grunts or Jackal that appear at your rear (on the other side of the door), then walk back to the left turn. You'll have to repeat this process of going up the ramp, then doubling back to clear your rear several times. It can get a little tedious, but eventually, they'll stop appearing behind you. Note that there is also a second Elite up the passageway, in addition to the first one you killed. Once both your front and rear are safe, make your way to the top of the ramp, near the pillar. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Turn right at the door, and cautiously approach. There will be a pair of Major Jackals in front of you, as well as a Major Elite. Quickly throw a few grenades, and supplement that with your overcharged Plasma Pistol shots to take out most of them quickly. If you ever need a fresher pistol, simply walk back and pick one up from the countless Jackals and Grunts you killed earlier. There will also be another Major Elite and a pair of Jackals further up ahead and slightly to the right. Take the Jackals out with overcharged shots; if you can find a Needler, those work well against the Elite. Once the upper landing has been cleared, feel free to take out a few of the Covenant down below and to the right as well. Cortana will point out that the locked door blocking the Marines is down there. If you wish, you can jump down there, but I prefer to go through the passageways, as that is a bit safer. Go all the way across the upper landing and through the door. As soon as you go through, you'll see an intersection just ahead. Use a grenade and your Plasma Pistol to take out two Jackals and two Grunts lurking around the right corner. Go down the passageway that they were in, then turn left at the pillar, then right again. Move slowly, however - there is a Major Elite just around the right corner. Hopefully, you'll be able to sneak up on him and place a Plasma Grenade right on his back. Continue through the nearby door, then turn right once again, and you should be at the bottom floor of the hangar. Proceed in cautiously, and pick up some S2 AM ammunition from the bodies of the Marines. Now, a word about doing this: you may have recalled starting off with 64 rounds of ammo for your sniper rifle, at the start of the level. That was a one time thing, though - once you went below 24, that is the maximum you can ever have from now on. Since each box of S2 AM ammunition gives you 16 rounds, don't waste them! For example, if you still have 20 rounds, don't go and pick up a box, because you'll only get 4 (reaching the 24 maximum limit) - wasting 12 very, very valuable bullets. There's also a Med Kit on one of the bodies if you need it. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ A wave of Covenant should soon enter the room, consisting of several Grunts and Jackals and at least two Minor Elites. Play it safe and back up into the passageway you just came out of, forming a chokepoint, and using a single S2 AM round into the head of each Elite. Once the first group of Covenant has been killed, another wave should come, so quickly restock on ammunition or a fresh Plasma weapon if you need to, then retreat back into the passageway. If you'd like, you can even go back up to the upper landing if that's easier for you. Once all the Covenant have been killed, make your way to the console marked by a navigation arrow, and use it to open the door blocking the Marines. Now, make your way through the next door, marked by another navigation arrow on your HUD. For some reason, my Marines wouldn't follow me, but no matter. Turn left at the intersection, right at the pillar, then kill the Jackal around the corner. Continue on, taking out another Jackal and a pair of Grunts. Note that you will pass a dead-end on your left walking down the long corridor. The second dead-end on the left sometimes has a Major Elite hiding in it - if not, he'll be further down the corridor. Kill him and continue all the way down, finally arriving at another door. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Walk forward until the door opens, then stop. Here starts my favorite music in the game! Also, if you had any surviving Marines from before, they should meet up with you here. Anyways, you'll see a Covenant Dropship take off, and to the left, a pair of Grunts. Move a little bit forward until you can see the top of a high platform directly in front of you, with a patrolling Major Elite. Take out the Grunts with your S2 AM (note that if you fire early enough, before the Dropship leaves, it may be a single Grunt and a Jackal to the left), and then the Elite above with two headshots. A second Grunt (if you killed the Jackal instead of him earlier) should come running around the left side, so kill him quickly as well. Move a little bit further into your room, and a second wave of Covenant should come pouring in, from the right. Most likely, your Marines will die here, so to avoid being overwhelmed, duck back into the passageway you came out of. Pop back out and use your S2 AM to one by one take out the Covenant. Once the first wave has been destroyed, another will come out. This second wave will have Jackals up above, so be careful. If you run low on rounds for your sniper rifle, there is some at the base of the platform that the Elite was walking on earlier. Once the area has been cleared, make your way further into the bay. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ More Covenant should quickly appear, so run back as fast as possible to the same door/passageway. Once again, kill them all with your S2 AM, since there is plenty of ammunition around. Once they're all dead, run further in to the bay, and then all the way back to the door. If you went far enough, you should have triggered another wave of Covenant, with some of them coming out the door we've been hiding behind. Quickly kill the Grunts and Jackal coming out of it, then repeat with the others that emerged from a different door. After you have cleared the area, move to the far side of the bay and approach the door. Once you get close enough, Cortana will say that she's going to try and override the door - run back to, you guessed it, the original door. A few Grunts should be coming out, so use a grenade to quickly kill them. Also kill an Elite that should be lurking around, and after they're all dead, the music will change tone. You've heard it a few times before, usually when Hunters appear. Well, guess what? Trade whatever plasma weapon you're using for one of the Marines' MA5B rifles, then charge in to close range, so that they don't fire their Fuel Rod Cannons. Once again, sidestep and unload, sidestep and unload. Of course, you can try to back far away and use your S2 AM as well. As soon as they're dead, Cortana will open the door. Before moving through, make sure to pick up the Overshield near the newly-opened door and the Med Kit near the S2 AM ammunition, if you need it. Once you're all stocked up, go through the door. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As soon as your turn right, you'll see a Grunt that is easily taken care of. Keep on your toes, however, as up ahead are more Grunts and a Major Elite. Use grenades to kill these quickly, as they are so effective in narrow corridors like this one. Up ahead are more Grunts and two Stealth Elites - and this time, they're not armed with Plasma Swords that totally defeat the purpose of being invisible. You may be able to use your S2 AM to try and take them out, because the light-amplification makes them slightly visible. However, I prefer to simply throw grenades and rush in with my Plasma Rifle. They're not very well shielded, so are pretty easy to kill. Continue on, keeping an eye out for several Jackals as well. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Sometimes, the Jackals will be going in the same direction as you, and walk through the door that you're headed towards. Try to take them out before they get there, as it makes things slightly easier. Go through the door, and use a few grenades to take out several more Jackals, as well as a Major Elite. For the latter, it may be easier to run back down and grab a Needler, then switch back to whatever you were using once he's dead. Now, run straight ahead about halfway down the landing you're on, then turn around and run back to the door. From the left (when looking out the door), several Covenant, including about two Elites, should run in. Use the Needler again if you wish, as the exploding needles may even take out several enemies at once. After they're all dead, continue down the left side, but walk down that way BACKWARDS (facing the door we've been hiding behind). After just a little ways, you should see the door flash and hear it opening. Quickly throw a few grenades and supplement that with weapons fire to kill the Covenant that come out. Walk all the way down the left side now, then slowly approach the door to the left. If you're lucky, the Major Elite on the other side will be facing away from you, making for an easy kill. Kill the Grunts in the corridor as well, then go through. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Turn right at the pillar, and there may be several more Grunts, if they didn't come out earlier. Further in the distance are a pair of Major Jackals as well, so use your S2 AM to take them out easily. Pick up a Needler from one of the Grunts you killed, then move up to where the two Jackals were. Turn right, then immediately unload a full clip of needles into the Elite to quickly kill him. Go ahead and switch back to a different weapon if you wish, and if you are running low on S2 AM ammunition, you can still run all the way back down to the bottom floor (where you fought the Hunters) for more. Continue on the path where the Elite was, and the ramp will start to descend slightly. Turn the corner and take out a couple of Grunts, then move on, as the corridor starts to climb again. At the top, turn right, and you'll see the door leading to the third floor. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As soon as you go through the door, immediately turn right. In the distance, near an opened door, you'll see a Major Elite and two Grunts. Use your S2 AM to quickly take out the Elite, then kill the Grunts however you choose. Walk down to where they originally were, then turn left. Now, proceed very, very cautiously. Once you get far enough, a group of Covenant will appear to your front, another from the door that you entered this room from. You have several options to make this battle easier. One, you could drop down to the lower level, then walk all the way back up, so that none are behind you. Or, what I prefer to do, being too lazy to walk that far, is simply run as fast as you can back to where you came in. Throw a few grenades and use your Plasma weapon to quickly destroy the Grunts and Jackals. That wasn't so bad, was it? As soon as they're taken care of, go ahead and take care of the far ones. Once again, it's only Grunts and Jackals, so you shouldn't have too much trouble. Again, walk all the way down to the other end of the landing, and you'll then reach a door to the right. You should be expecting this by now: two groups of Covenant appear, one from behind and one from the door. I prefer to just use grenades to clear the Covenant exiting the door, but of course, you can always jump down to the next level and work your way back up if this is easier for you. This wave of Covenant is slightly tougher, as there is a Minor Elite from behind the door you're trying to go through. After all the Covenant lay dead, continue on through the door, turning left at the pillar. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Once you get to the next pillar, turn right - by this point, you should see quite a few red contacts on your motion tracker. Ahead of you, you will see a four-way intersection. To the left is a dead-end with a Med Kit and S2 AM ammunition, while straight ahead is a door into the control room. Taking the right path and going through the door leads to another passageway, with another two entrances to the control room. Stock up on ammunition if necessary, then enter the control room from the door straight ahead. You should see several Grunts laying asleep, but I wouldn't recommend trying to go in to club them. There is a few Major Elites patrolling on the lower level, and a Commander Elite (armed with a Plasma Sword) on the raised platform. If you entered from the door I told you to, one of the Major Elites, as well as the Commander, should both be in plain view. Use two S2 AM rounds to kill the Major Elite first - the Commander Elite should then charge you. Quickly reload your rifle while backing up into the hallway, then pump him full of three S2 AM rounds to the chest. From the relative safety of the hallway, try to take out a Jackal, the other Major Elite, and the Grunts, backing all the way up to the pillar to make sniping easier. Several Grunts from another room will also rush in to help, but are more of a nuisance than anything else. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ After all the enemies are dead, restock on ammunition and health if you need to. Cortana will tell you that Captain Keyes' signal is strong, so must be pretty close. Head towards the door indicated by the navigation marker on your HUD, go through, then turn left. As you reach the next left turn, a pair of Grunts will be right around the corner, so quickly kill him and approach the right turn. Peek around the corner, and take out a pair each of Jackals and Grunts. Move on once they're dead, turning left at the pillar. Carefully take the next right, as a pair of Jackals are patrolling the small intersection ahead. They probably won't be able to see you right away, so simply throw a grenade to take out both of them. Move past their bodies and turn left, then right at the next intersection. Up ahead, you'll see a locked door, while an unlocked one is to the left. First go down the right path, however, which descends slightly. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Look around the left corner, and you should see two Jackals walking one behind the other. Quickly take them out with your S2 AM, then head down to where they were. To the right is an opened door, in which you should be able to see a Commander Elite wielding a Plasma Sword, as well as more sleeping Grunts. Don't be fooled, however - there are also a pair of Stealth Elites in there as well. Head back where you came from, all the way to that unlocked door I told you to ignore earlier. Go through, and you'll see that it's empty. Move to the control panel and hit (X) to open the prison doors. In the far right cell (looking from the panel) is a Med Kit and S2 AM ammunition, while behind the platform that the console is on is an Active Camouflage. Now, before you pick it up, do you remember the way back to the room with the Commander Elite and Stealth Elites I told you about? Okay, pick up the Active Camouflage and haul ass all the way back to that room. Before your Active Camouflage wears off, melee attack everyone you can, or stick a Plasma Grenade on them. The Stealth Elites can be pretty difficult to see, but do your best. Hopefully, you'll be able to take everyone out before they even know what hit them. Stock up on grenades and fresh Plasma weapon, the go up to the console and hit (X) to open the prison doors. __________ -=| Cutscene |=- ŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ\ | Captain Keyes admonishes you for coming to rescue him - but despite | | appearances, he is nonetheless very thankful that you did so. He and | | the Marines grab some weapons, and Cortana informs you that she has | | learned that the Covenant seem to think that Halo is a weapon, and | | are trying to figure out how it works. Of course, we have to stop | | them from doing so, but first we need to get out of here... | |_______________________________________________________________________| =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = Shut Up and Get Behind Me...Sir =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Return to Shuttle Bay for Extraction |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Immediately after regaining control of the Master Chief, run towards the door to the prison. Throw a grenade as the door opens, and firing as well. Two Stealth Elites are entering, and even if you don't destroy them, hitting them reveals where they are, for your Marines to help finish off. Go through the door and kill a pair of Jackals as well. Now, I've already mentioned in this walkthrough that I really like to keep my Marines alive as long as possible. Many others simply don't care, and consider them useless. Whatever your stance on their effectiveness, it is absolutely imperative that you don't let your fellow soldiers (in particular, only Keyes, really) die. This means that you should always be at the front of every melee, taking damage to save them from taking it. Yeah, it sucks, but what're you gonna do - it's your job. Turn left after exiting the prison, then quickly take out the Elite with your S2 AM. Finish off the Grunts as well, then continue down the corridor. Turn right, then left, and take out another Major Elite. This one is too close to snipe, so use your Plasma weapon or a grenade. Continue through the corridor, taking out several more Grunts and Jackals, then press on towards the control room from before. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Turn right and move slowly up the ramp to open the door to the control room, and you will see a pair of Stealth Elites (wielding Plasma Swords) on the lower level. Use two S2 AM rounds each, firing where you think their bodies are. Keep in mind that they hold their swords in their right arms, and that the S2 AM's light-amplification makes them easier to see. There is a third Stealth Elite on the lower level as well, but he's usually on the far end of the room, obscured by a pillar. When you finally spot him, repeat as you did with the other two, then immediately run far enough back into the corridor that the Marines and Keyes are not in the control room. Cortana will request Foehammer come in for an extraction, but the Covenant are keeping her from doing so. We'll have to find our own ride - Captain Keyes will ask Cortana to locate a ride, and she'll find a Covenant Dropship that is still docked. Now, slowly approach the control room, trying to keep the Marines from rushing ahead of you. A large swarm of Grunts will have entered the control room, and would have made short work of your soldiers if you hadn't backed out. Try to take out as many of them as you can, before the Marines rush in. Don't they ever learn that they should leave the hard work to you? Anyways, shoot the Grunts before they can throw any grenades, and your group shouldn't have any casualties. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ If you have any Med Kits and ammunition stockpiles you didn't pick up earlier, go ahead and run all the way back to pick them up, then return to the control room. Now, make your way back to the hangar from before, using the navigation marker on your HUD as a guide. Go through the door into the hangar, and as soon as you do so, throw a few grenades, preferably at the nearby Major Elite. This is the last battle of the level, so there's no longer any need to conserve your weapons. Again, don't let the Covenant throw any grenades, as these can easily take out all of your troops. Once they're all dead, move to the nearby console and hit (X) to release the Dropship clamps. __________ -=| Cutscene |=- ŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ\ | The Master Chief, Marines, and Keyes board. Rather then wait for | | Cortana to interface with the controls, Keyes decides to pilot the | | Covenant Dropship himself, quickly pancaking two Hunters that rush in | | to attack. The getaway is then made - now, on to finding Halo's | | control room. | |_______________________________________________________________________| =============================================================================== = B) Level 4: The Silent Cartographer kw-tsc =============================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = The Silent Cartographer =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ _________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Clear the landing beach of hostiles |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ As soon as you regain control of the Master Chief, run straight ahead and throw a fragmentation grenade at the Grunts in front of you. As soon as you throw it, turn left towards some boulders near the rock wall. Use your MA5B or M6D to take out the two Grunts taking cover there, then quickly switch your MA5B for the Needler. Head in the original direction you were going, unloading a full clip of needles into the Elite, then on any other Grunts nearby. Taking cover behind the next set of barricades (past the stationary energy shield) is another Major Elite, so use another clip of needles on him. Your Needler should be just about out of ammunition, so switch it for the Elite's Plasma Rifle. Continue on as fast as you can, trying to stay ahead of the Marines. As you pass the large structure to the right, into a darkened area, use a few grenades to clear out several Jackals, and the finish off two more Major Elites. Make sure to focus on one at a time, as they will try to hide behind the boulders when their shields are down. With the combined firepower of the Marines behind you, you shouldn't have much trouble. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ _______________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Find the entrance to the map room |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Foehammer should then fly in, dropping off a M12 LRV Warthog. Note that if one of the Marines in your Warthog is pretty hurt, you can walk over to his spot hit (X) to make him exit the vehicle. Then, get in the driver's seat and head over to where the other Marines are, and another one (hopefully in better shape) will get in. Just be careful not to run them over. Once you're happy with your crew, head down the beach in the same direction as you were running, keeping the water to your right, then round the big left curve. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As soon as you've rounded the corner, you should see some Jackals far ahead - some on the beach, some on a large rock slightly to the left. I like to aim for the Jackals on the beach and gun it, trying to run them over while the passengers support you with weapons fire. You should be able to get the Jackals on the beach with one run, although the ones on the rock are harder to hit, because of the angle. Also note that there are several Grunts and a pair of Elites near the steep path as well, although they like to take cover among the trees. Simply drive back and forth, letting your Marines do the work. If the Covenant on the rock are giving you too much trouble and you can't seem to finish them off, feel free to dismount and go take care of them on foot. After all the Covenant are dead, make your way up the climbing path that the two Elites and Grunts were near. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ At the top of the hill, you should see some Jackals below you to the front, and a large structure to the left. Be warned that the structure is very well guarded, with at least five Major Elites and one Minor Elite, as well as a large number of Grunts. I like to drive straight for the three Elites outside, on the far side of the structure, then turn just before I get to them. Time it right, and your slide should take out all three of them. As soon as you come out of the turn (you should be facing where you came from), gun it to get out of there. Go just far enough so that your gunner can cover the exits of the structure, then get out and finish the rest of them with Needlers or Plasma Grenades. Once again, feel free to try other strategies, such as sniping from afar with your M6D pistol. I just like the more direct approach, because you can catch the three Elites outside unaware, running them over faster than they can react. Also, go ahead and take out the Jackals down on the beach if you wish, as there is an overshield near the barrels down there. Hopefully, your Marines will not have taken much damage, if any at all. Park your Warthog and make your way into the structure, and Cortana will contact you. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ _________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Find the Silent Cartographer |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Go down the steep ramp to the right, turn left through the door and go down another steep ramp, then carefully poke your head around the left corner at the bottom. Throw a grenade or two down there to take out the Major Elite and four Grunts. You may have noticed a Plasma Sword wielding Elite on the other side of the door down there, which Cortana will tell you to not let them lock. Unfortunately, it does get locked, so Cortana will contact Captain Keyes, who is on his own mission. He requests that you find some way into Halo's control room, so we'll need to find a way to get this door open. _____________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Find the main facility security override |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Make your way back up to your Warthog and climb in, then drive down to the beach. Continue in the same direction as before, keeping the water to your right, and passing underneath a small overpass. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ After going beneath the underpass and making a slight left, you'll see a small hill in front of you. Park at the base of it, then get out and walk up the hill - at this point, Cortana should inform you that there is a path into the interior of the island. Climb up until you can just barely see over the edge, and you'll spot a Major Elite, about seven Jackals, and some Grunts. It's a long distance throw, but you should be pretty good at aiming grenades by now. First hit the Elite with a Plasma Grenade, then use a few more to take out most of the Jackals. There will most likely be a few stragglers, so head back to your Warthog and start driving back and forth in front of where they were (near another crashed Warthog), until your Gunner takes care of the rest. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Climb out and pick up any supplies you need from the crashed Warthog, as well as from the dead Covenant, then head towards the narrow path. If you'd like, you CAN drive your Warthog through, by squeezing to the left of the tree in the middle of the path, with your left wheels on the rock. To get through, you have to be driving pretty fast, then turn right just as you get to the gap. It's not necessary, of course, but either way, be prepared for another Elite and several Grunts. The Grunts will be moving from left to right at the top of the hill, with the Elite following soon after. After the first group, another group of Grunts and an Elite will be further ahead, behind some boulders to the left. Grab a Needler from one of the Grunts you killed earlier to make getting them much easier. Once the area is clear, climb up the hill that the last group of Covenant were on. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ At the top of the hill, you'll notice some large red blips on your motion tracker. To your right is a large structure, as well as a pair of Hunters. They should be absolutely no problem at all, however, with your M6D. Snipe them if they haven't noticed you, or rush in and sidestep their charge. As soon as the Hunters are dead, a group of about five Jackals will come down the hill opposite of where you entered this area, so use a grenade or two to help whittle them down, before taking care of the rest. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Littered around where the Hunters were are several crates, and two overshields right near them. Also, there is a Med Kit and some ammunition on the grassy area, near where you came in. Once you're all stocked up, head on up the hill that the Jackals came from. It descends into another area, with an Elite and a about five Grunts straight ahead in the open, and about three Jackals to the right. If you were able to get the Warthog through, this part should be a piece of cake. Park at the top of the hill, climb into the Gunner's seat, and use the M41 LAAG to take out the Grunts in the open, as well as the Jackals that very stupidly move into view. Then, drive back down and let your Marines take care of the Elite. If you don't have the Warthog, however, use your M6D to take care of the Grunts first. Pick up a Plasma Pistol, and use overcharged shots in combination with your M6D to take care of the Jackals, and then finally, the Elite. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Continue on the narrow path to the left of the large structure. As soon as you turn the corner, you should encounter a large number of Grunts, which you can take out whatever way you wish. Make your way around the structure, keeping it to your right, and you'll see a total of three overshields on the ground! Go ahead and pick one up (or, run back to get one of the ones near where the Hunters were, to keep these ones closer at hand), then enter the structure. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Go down the large ramp, then turn left into the room with all of the crates. Quickly run to the left into one of the lighted nooks, then use the scope of the M6D to locate the pair of Hunters in the far end of the room. You may only be able to see one at first, but that's ok - if you ran here quickly enough, you should be able to snipe him without him even knowing you're there. Repeat with a single shot to the next Hunter. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Check your overshield - is it still at full strength? Good, let's move on, then. Continue on through the door behind where the Hunters appeared, all the way to the end. Cortana says to use the console to shut down the security system, so hit (X) to do so. You'll see a short scene of the locked door opening, with the Plasma Sword-wielding Commander Elite waiting. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = It's Quiet... =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Find the Silent Cartographer |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The name of the sub-mission says it all; it's TOO quiet, in fact. Head back towards the room where you killed the Hunters, and you should hear a distress signal from a Pelican Dropship, that is losing altitude. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Continue heading back towards the room with the Hunters, but don't enter quite yet. I should probably warn you that there are five, count 'em, five Stealth Elites now present. It's probably not a good idea to stay in an open room and take on five Elites of any type, let alone ones you can't see. So run as fast as you can through the room and up the ramp; hopefully, the overshield I told you to pick up before should prevent you from taking too much damage. You can also use M9 HP-DE grenades as you run through, to hopefully clear a path. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Once you're outside, go ahead and pick up another overshield. Cortana will inform you that Bravo 22, the Pelican we heard earlier, was bringing us heavy weapons. Crashed near the cliff across the way, you'll be able to see the Pelican, and it doesn't look like there's any survivors, unfortunately. Now, there are two ways to get down there: you can simply drop down, or you can go all the way back to the beach and drive around the island to get back to this point (keep in mind that there are new enemies on the way back, however). Dropping down is a lot quicker, but whatever you decide, try to take out the Grunts on the far away cliff first. Then, once you drop down or drive around to the Pelican, take out two groups of Jackals, one at each end of the cliff. You shouldn't have much trouble running them over and letting your Marines finish off the rest. Once they're all dead, drive over to the Pelican and dismount. There's four Med Kits if you need one, as well as an M19 SSM Rocket Launcher! Personally, I would recommend keeping your M6D Pistol and trading whatever else you're using for the rockets. Once you're done picking up the goodies, get back in the Warthog and drive down the beach, in either direction, back towards the structure with the locked door that we just opened. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As soon as you climb the large hill just before the structure, you'll encounter a trio of Jackals waiting for you at the top. Now guarding the structure is yet another pair of Hunters, and these ones are pretty aware, so you may have a hard time trying to snipe them, what with Fuel Rod Cannons firing at your head. Go ahead and try to use your M19 SSM if you wish! Or, use your Warthog to run them over/take them out with the M41 LAAG. I have a thing about saving ammunition, even though there's plenty of it, so I usually do the latter. Anyways, once you're ready, head down into the structure - we don't need to worry about that Commander Elite just yet. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Go down the right ramp as before, down another ramp, and then left through the opened security door. =-=-=-=-=-= = Shafted =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-= +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ That was a quick checkpoint...oh well. Turn right after having gone through the security door, and you'll see a short cutscene, in which Master Chief looks down at the depths of the room. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Once you regain control, you may have noticed some red contacts on your motion tracker. Turn around and head back, then take the second left (the first takes you back to where you entered). Proceed down this corridor slowly, and then peek your head round the right corner. You should see a Major Elite staring at one of those purple crates (or whatever they are), so go ahead and give him a whack in the back of the head. It doesn't make much of a difference, but I like using the M19 SSM to do this, just for laughs. Now, keeping in mind that we're soon about to fight a whole bunch of Covenant, you might be better off switching your M19 SSM for the Elite's Plasma Rifle. We can always come back here and pick it up again, of course, so don't worry. Walk partway up the ramp to the right, just enough so that you can see a Grunt patrolling back and forth. When he's walking left, run up and club him in the back of the head, then repeat with a sleeping Grunt in a little nook to the left. Now, head back down the ramp, and peek your head around the door near where the Elite was. You should see a second Major Elite ahead, partially obscured by a pillar. Aim carefully, as this throw is going to really count, then stick him with a Plasma Grenade. Now, back up into the narrow corridor, and take out the Grunts and Jackals as they stupidly come after you. Use grenades to make the task even easier. Alternatively, you could ignore the Elite at first and try sneaking around like you're Sam Fisher, but I prefer the first route. Note that if you go the sneaky route, the Jackals might not come in, as they are originally behind the door to the left, and only come in when they hear the fighting. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Go through the door on the left, that the Jackals came out of, and make your way down the winding ramp. Don't fall off, please. Go through the next door, carefully, as you may have noticed the motion tracker contact. Take out the two Jackals in the corridor to the right, then another two Jackals that are usually found in the middle section of the room. Finally, whip out your M6D and take care of the two Hunters, sidestepping their charge before putting a single bullet into their backs. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ You may have noticed some supplies to the right of where you first entered the room - if you need some, go ahead and grab them. Otherwise, run back upstairs and grab your M19 SSM again. We're going to be doing a lot of this "leap- frogging": taking a weapon we want to keep, dropping it for something more useful, then running back to get it again, etc. Walk back down into the room with the Hunters, then move to the far end of the middle section. In the back is another winding ramp, so carefully make your way down, even though it's pretty short. Turn left into a wider area, and you'll hear that the Marines have company; two Covenant Dropships are inbound with a bunch of reinforcements. The Marines will try to hold them off as long as possible, while we continue our search for the map. Anyways, you'll be on a high ledge, overlooking a large room. Head down into it. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ I would STRONGLY recommend that you remember the layout of the room - it can be quite confusing, with all the pillars and such all over the place. Drop down from the ramp heading down into the room, though, and look underneath the ramps. You should see two doors, one on the left, one on the right. If you go through the left door, it leads down a small ramp to an Active Camouflage. Do not pick it up yet, as you'll need it later; the right door is where we want to go next. Go down the winding ramp, then turn left and you'll see a long corridor, with three patrolling Grunts. Take them out from long range with your M6D, then move cautiously down the corridor that they were on. To both the left and right are small triangle-shaped holes, in which you can see more Covenant forces. Throw a grenade through the left hole to try and whittle their numbers down, hopefully killing at least the Major Elite. If you go too far into the middle of the ledge, you'll be in plain view for them to fire at you. Anyways, hop down and move to the left side of the room to finish off any remaining Grunts. If you continue down the nearby ramp, there's an overshield, but save it for later. Now, exchange your M19 SSM for a Needler and go down the ramp in the far right corner (if facing the direction that you were when you originally entered the room). Don't go around the left corner yet - orient yourself so that you will be facing down that corridor if you step to the right. Now, quickly pop out and unload a full clip of needles, then sidestep left back out of view. The first clip should take out the first Elite, so sidestep right and unload a second clip of needles to take out the second. Head back up to where the overshield was, then pick it up and drop the Needler for your M19 SSM again. Head down the corridor where the two Elites were, then hit (X) to active the Silent Cartographer. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ _________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Return to the surface for extraction |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ After you have discovered the location of the control room, Cortana will try and contact Captain Keyes - apparently, he is unable to be reached, however. Head back the same way that you came in, past the Elites, and up the ramp. Cross the room straight across, and you'll head up another ramp. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Some red contacts will appear on your motion tracker, and the music will then change, so you know you're in for a fight. Turn right, and you'll see some type of hologram on a ledge above - partially obscured are two Jackals, so toss a grenade up there to clear them out. That ledge is actually where the Active Camouflage I told you to save earlier is, but we can't jump up that high. So, head back to the last room, then climb up onto the long ledge that the Grunts were on earlier. Head back up the winding ramp, taking out the lone Major Jackal. Now, if you remember from before, the door near the one we're facing led to the Active Camouflage. So, head through this one and immediately turn right to run to the next one. Of course, you can always stay put and fight, but I find running to be easier, as the room is literally swarming with Jackals. Once you've picked up the Active Camouflage, head back up through the door and to the far side of the room. The Jackals actually are quite useful, as they light the way up the ramp. Run up the ramp, making sure not to fire your weapon. Melee attack them if you get behind them, but for the most part, you just want to run as fast as you can. Continue following the winding path around, and you'll come across a Major Elite accompanied by several Grunts - stick a Plasma Grenade on the back of the Elite and continue on. Head up another ramp and then turn right around a corner to encounter more Jackals. Your Active Camouflage is probably about dead by now, so use grenades and weapons fire to take them out. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Continue up the winding ramp, again being careful not to fall of the ledge, then go to the top of the ramp to find yourself in the room where you fought the Hunters a while back. Once again, the room is now filled with enemies. There are three Major Jackals, a Major Elite, and several Grunts. There are various things you can try, but I like to run up from the ramp, then jump left out of the middle section. Then, turn left and head to the dead-end, and use that area for cover. The three Jackals should arrive first, but you can make short work of them with your M6D as they come around the corner. Hell, use your M19 SSM if you wish, we've been lugging it around all day. Once the Jackals have been taken care of, move ahead a little bit until you can see all the way across the room to the right. Zoom in with your M6D and take out the Grunts, then make your way around the room and take out with Elite, with grenades or your rocket launcher. Also, those supplies from earlier should still be here as well, if you need them. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Head through the door and up the winding ramp, to the next door. Move just far enough that the door open, then stop. You'll see several Jackals on a high ledge, as well as a few more and some Grunts down below. Use your M6D to take them out from afar, ducking back down the ramp to avoid fire. If you wish, use your M19 SSM, but make sure to save one or two rockets for later. Then, move just a tiny bit into the room, so that when you face right, you can see the doorway where you clubbed the Major Elite earlier. Another one should be there along with a Jackal, but hopefully they haven't noticed you yet. Throw a grenade in there to clear them out. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Now, head through that door and down the narrow corridor, very cautiously. You haven't forgotten about our Commander Elite friend, have you? In the corridor, he's in the first right. As soon as you see him, stick him with a Plasma Grenade and get your ass away from him. After all that buildup, that showdown was kind of a letdown, huh? Oh well...continue down the corridor he was in and up the ramps. Cortana will request pickup from Foehammer, and she'll be on her way to extract you. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ Be careful - there are a total of six Stealth Elites milling about, waiting to kill you. Since this is just about the end of the mission, this is a great time to use the rest of your rockets. Of course, we're in a narrow area, so make sure not to kill yourself along with them. Most are in the top area in which you can see outside, but sometimes, one may be further in the structure, on the ramps. Anyways, once they're all dead, run to the back of the Pelican and hit (X) to enter. Congratulations! +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ __________ -=| Cutscene |=- ŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ\ | The coordinates for Halo's control room are underground, so Foehammer | | heads there to drop you off. You'll see a large landing-type area, | | already occupied by the Covenant and reinforced with Shade stationary | | guns. A Grunt then runs off - presumably to gather his buddies for | | your welcoming party... | |_______________________________________________________________________| =============================================================================== = Level 5: Assault on the Control Room kw-acr =============================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = I Would Have Been Your Daddy =~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ _____________________________________________________________ +--| MISSION OBJECTIVE: Reach the transition to the second chasm |--+ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ As soon as you're out of the ship, IMMEDIATELY turn to the right and start for the door. Throw a fragmentation grenade just before and just after it opens, and you'll hopefully take care of both the Minor and Major Elites that come out. Mop up the Grunts with your MA5B, then switch it for a Plasma weapon if you prefer. If you were able to get both Elites early on with the grenades, you probably will still be at full health, hopefully. If you're low, you may want to simply restart the level. Grab some Plasma Grenades as well, and head through the door. There may be a straggler Grunt here, but he should be easy enough to take care of. +------------- - CHECKPOINT - -------------+ As soon as you enter through the next door, you'll see a Major Elite. Quickly hit him with a Plasma Grenade and back up. After he's dead, walk just a tiny bit into the room, and look to the right. You should see another Major Elite that you can try to sneak up on and melee if you wish, but I prefer to just hit him with a Plasma Grenade as well. You should really get familiar with the layout of these rooms, by the way, as you'll be seeing a lot of them. Note the large central room in the middle, and the side paths on either side. There are also ledges above the side paths, which usually have a Grunt or two on them. Anyways, once you've taken care of both Elites, work your way around the room, taking care of the Grunts and/or Jackals however you choose. Usually, I like to stay by the entrance, move in a little bit, then when I see an enemy, fire at them while moving back to the entrance for cover. Doing this also lessens the chance of you getting flanked from b