HALO 2 FAQ/Walkthrough Version 1.55 Username: SyNeRgY Email: [email protected] Copyright 2004-2005 Trevor Shaffer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following sites have permission to host this FAQ/Walkthrough: GameFAQs - http://www.gamefaqs.com/ Gamespot - http://www.gamespot.com/ Cheat Code Central - http://www.cheatcc.com/ Cheat Planet - http://www.cheatplanet.com/ IGN - http://www.ign.com/ Neoseeker - http://www.neoseeker.com/ Cheats Ahoy - http://www.cheatsahoy.com/ The Gamers' Temple - http://www.gamerstemple.com/ SPOnG - http://www.spong.com/ Halo 2 Help - http://www.halo2help.cjb.net/ Keyes ODSTs - URL With-held Game Revolution -http://www.gamerovolution.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *WARNING* This FAQ/Walkthrough contains many, many spoilers. If you use the level guide, I suggest you only do so after having attempted the level and seen the story up until that point. Once you have read the part you need help with, I suggest not looking any further until you've played through it in game. NOTE: SOME LEVELS ARE MISSING FROM THIS FAQ AT THE MOMENT. NOTE THE NAME OF EACH LEVEL, OR YOU MAY END UP READING INTO A LEVEL YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED BEFORE. IF THE NAME SOUNDS UNFAMILIAR, DO NOT LOOK AHEAD UNTIL YOU ARE CERTAIN IT IS THE ONE YOU WANT. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Author Notes: [11/09/04] 'Lo peeps. Anything that I just feel like saying but doesn't really relate to the game will be posted here. I've had many projects set up for GameFAQs, and many were put up on my own websites, but I always lost interest in them. This one actually looks like it'll get finished. Wish me luck... Cool Z. ~~~~~~~ UPDATE: For the New Year [01/05/05] Due to the slow speed of update demonstrated by most sites, I've chosen to make IGN my top priority submission choice. In other words, the latest version of my guide will be on IGN. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ EMAIL NOTES [last updated 18/11/04] Please, no more emails requesting help with a specific mission! I am working my ass off at this thing, trying to improve it. I find Legendary pretty hard. I don't have the time to write a walkthrough for one specific person. Please have patience and wait for that specific levels walkthrough. Either that, or find another walkthrough, if that's even possible at this stage. I believe I have one of the first on the net just now. I'm not doing this for money, and it drills into my free time. Correction Emails: If you notice any errors in the FAQ (no spelling/grammar errors please, just game related things), please email me with the correct info, and it will be corrected as soon as possible, with credit given to the general senders under the words "And all the others who submitted info to the guide". Your email must stay true to the following example: [Subject:] Halo 2 - Correction [Main email:] Question Emails: Also, if you have any questions, please email them to me. Your email must stay true to the following example: [Subject:] Halo 2 - Question [Main email:] Also, any requests for a Gmail account will be ignored, and your email address will be blocked. It isn't worth a try. Theory Emails: If you have a theory you wish to submit, just email it to me. Your email must stay true to the following example: [Subject:] Halo 2 - Theory [Main email:] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Contents: 0. Version History 1. Weapons Human a. Battle Rifle b. SMG c. Shotgun d. Magnum e. Sniper Rifle f. Rocket Launcher Covenant g. Plasma Pistol h. Plasma Rifle i. Brute Plasma Rifle j. Needler k. Covenant Carbine l. Beam Rifle m. Fuel Rod Cannon n. Brute Shot o. Energy Sword Forerunner p. Sentinel Beam (Silver) q. Sentinel Beam (Gold) Grenades r. Fragmentation Grenade s. Plasma Grenade 2. Vehicles Human a. Warthog b. Scorpion c. Pelican Covenant d. Ghost e. Spectre f. Shadow g. Wraith h. Banshee i. Phantom j. Scarab Miscellaneous k. Orbital Drop Pod 3. Allies and Enemies The Humans a. Navy Crewman b. Marine c. Orbital Drop Shock Troopers The Covenant d. Grunt e. Jackal f. Drone g. Hunter h. Brute i. Elite k. Prophet The Flood l. Infection Forms m. Combat Forms n. Carrier Forms The Forerunner o. Sentinel p. Enforcer 4. Characters 5. Level guides a. The Heretic [TBC] b. Armory c. Cairo Station d. Outskirts e. Metropolis f. The Arbiter g. Oracle h. Delta Halo i. Regret j. Sacred Icon k. Quarantine Zone l. Gravemind m. Uprising n. High Charity o. The Great Journey 6. Theories 7. FAQs 8. Credits Note: Copy and paste the contents title (including the number) into the Find box (CTRL + F), then press find twice to bring you straight to that section of the guide. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------ 0. VERSION HISTORY ------------------ (DD/MM/YY) Version 0.0 - 09/11/04 This is currently just a blank page with nothing more than this text placed on it. It is here that I begin the Great Journey. Version 1.00 - 11/11/04 First posted version at GameFAQs.com When this guide is updated, the next version will be 1.1, 1.2, and so on. Level guide section is currently in pieces. I've done up to "The Arbiter" level, including part of it. Then, I went on to the ODST Assault and then High Charity. It's basically just the ones fresh in my mind. I'll be updating the rest in order from here on out. Version 1.10 - 13/11/04 Minor updates. Just had a taste of the email madness that FAQ writers have to put up with everyday. It's been up on GameFAQs for one day and I've already received about 100 emails (good thing I recently changed to Gmail). Heh, as much as I'd like to credit you all, I can't. It's way too much work. Sorry to all those that don't get a mention. I plan on having another couple of levels done by the weekend. I've corrected some minor errors like rounds per clip and such. I've also completed the guide for the Arbiter level. Version 1.11 - 14/11/04 Cosmetic update. I've simply added a few things that I feel make the guide easier on the eyes. Also a few minor errors corrected, like shots per clip and such. The Outskirts guide has also been improved slightly. I've put more detail on the harder part of the mission. Version 1.20 - 16/11/04 Due to popular demand, I've written a proper guide to what I considered a simple enough level. The Cairo Station guide is complete. I've also... at least I think I've finished the Outskirts guide. Minor notes have been added elsewhere. Version 1.25 - 21/11/04 Bits and bobs added around the place. Nothing Veteran. Finished the Guide for the level "Oracle". Done a little bit on "Delta Halo". Completed the guide on "The Great Journey". Version 1.30 - 28/11/04 Delta Halo walkthrough completed, Regret started. Some other walkthroughs have been improved. Smaller additions as usual. I've updated the Elite and Grunt ranks. If you see any more ranks that need to be added, please email me. Version 1.35 - 10/12/04 The guide now covers everything up to the end of Quarantine Zone. It won't be long until the entire thing is finished. Version 1.37 - 05/01/05 Had a long break over the Christmas and New Year period. Hope you all had a good time. Back to work now. I've made minor changes to the guide. Gravemind has been started. Version 1.40 - 06/01/05 Minor changes made. Added Vegechan's great theory to the file. Changing the look of contents. Some things in contents are in the wrong order right now. Done a bit more of the Gravemind level. Version 1.45 - 06/01/05 Gravemind guide completed. Yet to start the next mission. As usual, minor changes have been made. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ----------- 1. WEAPONS: ----------- ------------ Battle Rifle ------------ This is a great weapon. The bullets are fairly powerful, and with the three shot bursts it can be devastating. A great weapon for clearing out jackals, especially those damned snipers. On legendary, if an enemy sniper spots you, you will probably have no more than 2 seconds at the very most to react. If you can peek out of a corner with your scope set in the general direction of the Jackal, one quick burst should at the very least injure him, giving you the chance to set your sights for the kill. There is no single fire for the Battle Rifle. I believe it is to make the Carbine more useful. Otherwise, I doubt many people would take much notice of it. 36 rounds per clip. 2x Zoom. --- SMG --- In game, it is known as the SMG. For those [few] of you who don't know, this stands for Sub-Machine Gun. This weapon is, in my opinion, the best for Drones. On legendary, I very rarely used it for anything more than Drone and Grunt cleanup. Every now and then, it served well against a single Elite. If a tricky Elite is hiding in a corner, and you have no available grenades, this weapon is just screaming for it. Peek around the corner with two of these and BAM! No more Elite, lots more purple paint. It can be a bit risky though, so I tend to stick with Plasmas for Elites. 60 rounds per clip. Dual Wield. ------- Shotgun ------- This is a weaker version of the original. It's still a great Flood stopper, but Elites won't go down as easily with it. It used to stun them when hit by a point blank shell. Now, it'll damage then, but it definitely won't stun them long enough for a clean kill. 12 rounds per clip. ------ Magnum ------ Thankfully, this is definitely going to be less of a favourite than the old handgun. It is still useful, but not so much past the first level. At least this shows it won't be the "One man army" weapon the old one was. Update: After trying this thing out a bit more, I like it a lot. It is pretty powerful. Add that with the good rate of fire, and you have a nice Elite stopper. I like using this with an SMG. Think about it: The SMG gradually eats the Elites shield away, and the Magnum packs a small punch every half second or so. The Elite will go down in no time. 12 rounds per clip. Dual Wield. ------------ Sniper Rifle ------------ It's the same as the one in Halo. I can't really say any more than that. I'm not sure there is a Night-Vision feature anymore, but it wouldn't really be useful in Halo 2 anyway. A couple of headshots should take out the average Elite. Pretty useful, nothing special. 4 rounds per clip. 5x Zoom. 10x Zoom. --------------- Rocket Launcher --------------- Just another Halo replica. It has a new homing feature. You must hold your sights on the enemy vehicle. Once it turns red, hold "R" until a beeping sound plays, indicating a lock-on. Fire away. This feature is best used over a fair distance, but nothing too exaggerated. For the melee, the Spartan/Elite swings the launcher round the shoulder, and hits the enemy with the butt of the weapon from above. 2 rockets per clip. 2x Zoom. ------------- Plasma Pistol ------------- Halo replica, 'nuff said. The charged bolt takes 10 charges from the gun. It used to instantly deplete an Elites Shield. Now, there is one that can take a blast and still have decent shielding. The Spec Op Elite (Silver) has a much more powerful shield than the rest. If you have something like an SMG as an alternative weapon, a good strategy is to dual wield Plasma Pistols and send two charges into the Elite. Not only will it be stunned momentarily, it will also be vulnerable to bullets. Quickly switch to the SMG and fire away. For the melee, the Spartan/Elite thrusts his fist straight at the head of an enemy of equal height. 100 charges per pistol. Dual Wield. ------------ Plasma Rifle ------------ This thing fires weak plasma charges. This paired with an SMG is an amazing anti-Elite combo. The Rifle takes out the shield with ease, and then the bullets pierce the physical armour, killing the Elite in the process. This is great against anything with a plasma shield of any sort. 100 charges per rifle. Dual Wield. ------------------ Brute Plasma Rifle ------------------ This is a Plasma Rifle with a faster rate of fire and slightly stronger bolts. It also overheats faster. 100 charges per rifle. Dual Wield. ------- Needler ------- It feels slightly different from the original one, but it is essentially the same thing. The needles blow slightly faster. This thing is an awesome Brute stopper. Dual wielding these is all you really need to take down those stubborn Brutes. If they won't budge, it's all the better to pierce their skin. 30 needles per clip. Dual Wield. ---------------- Covenant Carbine ---------------- This thing is a single shot version of the Battle Rifle. I think this weapon is the sole reason that the Battle Rifle doesn't have a single shot. I haven't thought much about this, but I think this is my favourite weapon. It is a great weapon for Brutes. Two or three shots should remove the helmet, and the next couple should finish him. It is also quite useful for stationary drones and both types of Jackals. 18 rounds per clip. 2x Zoom. ---------- Beam Rifle ---------- It's basically the Covenant sniper rifle. Two consecutive shots will overheat it. One hit from this on legendary will usually finish you. [I think] It depends on where you are hit, but you will die 90% of the time with a full shield. 100 charges per rifle. 6 charges per beam. 5x Zoom. 10x Zoom. --------------- Fuel Rod Cannon --------------- I never actually used this thing, but my friend did when we we're player co- op. I remember him saying that it's more powerful that the rocket launcher. It may just be that the target happened to be weaker to this than to rockets, in the same way Plasma Shields are weaker against plasma than bullets. I've found that it takes approximately four rods to kill a Hunter. However, I never got the rods to make contact with the skin. The Hunter was hit head on. 5 rods per clip. ---------- Brute Shot ---------- It's a grenade launcher, and a favourite of the Brutes. The grenades seem to explode randomly on first or second impact. Now, I am reaching when I say this, but I think the grenades explode automatically when locked on. I mean, you lock on and fire a grenade, but you can tell it's going to miss. Well, just as it's about to pass the target, it blows. This is a great anti-vehicle weapon. About three or four grenades can take out most smaller vehicles. Add this up with the firing rate, and you've got yourself a damn useful weapon. This also has an under-slung blade. This blade seems almost as, if not just as powerful as the Plasma Sword. 4 grenades per clip. ------------ Energy Sword ------------ I prefer to call it the Plasma Sword, but that's the official name. The Sword has charges (ammo), and these go down whenever you kill an enemy. It starts at 100 (assuming the enemy you got it from didn't use it first), and goes down depending on the enemy killed. Killing the Flood loses three charges. Killing anything else drops it by ten. The lunge attack usually kills lesser enemies in a single swipe. Elites, Brutes, and Hunters can survive it. Hunters are practically immune to the thing due to their mass amount of armour. Elites without their Shields would be insta-killed. The Brute can take the damage directly on their body and live. If you hit a Brute with this thing, it will probably get pissed, so be sure to finish it quickly. Another thing to watch out for with this is the Brute Shot, which, as said before, has an under-slung blade for close combat. If you do lunge for a Brute, back off as soon as possible, then lunge again as soon as you've locked on. The Sword will collapse to nothing once it has run out of charges. The handle can still be used, but I really wouldn't advise it. 100 charges per Sword. ---------------------- Sentinel Beam (Silver) ---------------------- This shoots the old orange/yellow beam from the original sentinels. It's relatively useful against Plasma shields and other Sentinels. This weapon is also the Holy Anti-Son-of-a-***** machine, as far as the Flood go. No other weapon compares in power. -------------------- Sentinel Beam (Gold) -------------------- This is a more powerful, blue beam, which can be retrieved from a Gold Sentinel. --------------------- Fragmentation Grenade --------------------- These have a shorter fuse than the one in the original. It's half a second as soon as it strikes a surface. Still mainly useful against the lesser Covenant and he Flood. 4 frags at once. -------------- Plasma Grenade -------------- It's almost the same as the original. I find it useful for Elites, Brutes, Heavy Sentinels, and Vehicles. The fuse is slightly shorter. It starts counting once it settles on the ground (or an enemy). It's nowhere near as useful if you just get it to land near the target rather than on them. 4 plasmas at once. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------ 2. VEHICLES: ------------ ----- Ghost ----- Comes with dual Plasma Cannons, There is a boost function. It's single seat only. It's probably the most common Covenant vehicle. Luckily, they aren't that hard to destroy. In Ghost-to-Ghost combat, just get a few bursts in right off the bat, and the front of the wings will collapse. The Ghost will jump a bit to one side and in that time you should be able to finish it. When boarded from the front, the Spartan/Elite leaps onto the left wing of the Ghost and jump-kicks the driver off the Ghost. To finish it off, he lands right on the seat. When boarded from the rear, the Spartan/Elite grabs onto the back of the ghost, and punches the driver in the back of the head before hopping into the now empty seat. ------- Banshee ------- These come equipped with dual Plasma Cannons and a Fuel Rod Gun. There is a boost function too. It's single seat only. These can be a pain in the ass. They have a pretty good aim. If you're in a 'Hog or Ghost, they can be safely ignored. If you're in something slower, like a Wraith, I would suggest getting out and hiding. Wait for it to swoop you and give it a good go with your rifle. Either that, or if you're feeling lucky, try to 'jack it. When boarded, the Spartan/Elite grabs hold of the Banshee. If it is AI driven, it will most likely go upwards in an attempt to shake you off to your doom. The Spartan/Elite will pull at the driver's leg and toss him out of the Banshee, before taking control of it himself. The driver will meet a sticky end. ------- Spectre ------- Best described as a Covenant take on the 'Hog. It has a turret on the back, a driver seat (obviously), and two side… wing thingies, which two other people can sit on. It is similar to the Shadow, which can be found in the pre-halo screenshots in Bungie's official site. When boarded from the front, the Spartan/Elite jumps onto the front of it, a foot on either side of the pilot hatch. Then, he gives the driver a good whack and sends him out of the vehicle. The Spartan/Elite then jumps back off the vehicle to go for the kill. When boarded from the rear, the Spartan/Elite pulls himself onto the edge of the turret stand, and puts his arm around the gunner's stomach. He then swings the gunner off the vehicle. The Spartan/Elite then jumps back off the vehicle to go for the kill. Note: Cannot be boarded and driven in the one action. The Spartan/Elite will always jump off the vehicle after boarding. You must then treat it just like you would any other empty vehicle to drive it. ------ Wraith ------ This is the Covenant tank. It's basically a mortar tank. When AI driven, it has two side guns, which fire when a target gets very near. I can't find out how to operate them as the player though. When boarded from the front, left, or right, the Spartan/Elite jumps on top of the Wraith and moves up to the left or right side of the hatch. You must then press "B" to beat the hatch. After three or four hits, the hatch will snap off, revealing the driver. You can then either press "B" again one or two times to kill the driver, or press L to plant your currently selected grenade in the Wraith, killing the driver and damaging or destroying, the Wraith. You must then press "X" to jump off the Wraith, and "X" again if you wish to drive it. When boarded from behind, the Spartan/Elite grabs onto the back of the Wraith and breaks a hole in the back. Once open, a grenade can be thrown in. Getting a grenade in here seems much more likely to destroy the thing outright. ------ Shadow ------ This is a Covenant War Bus. It has a gun turret on top, and looks like it can carry a Wraith underneath, though I've only ever seen it carry a Ghost. I think they can carry passengers in the sides too, but I'm unsure of this just now. Every time you destroy one of these, you'll be rewarded with a next to perfect Ghost. They're pretty tough, only because of their armor quality. This vehicle cannot be driven. However, the topside gun can be both boarded and used by you. ------- Phantom ------- This is the primary Covenant Dropship. It can be devastating in legendary if no cover is around when it makes a drop, as it has three high-powered gun turrets on the underside. These guns can be destroyed with small arms. A few bursts from the Battle Rifle should do it. Shooting rockets at the rear underside of the ship seems to have a cosmetic effect, but I can't seem to down it (as I expected). However, I may simply need more heavy weaponry. This vehicle cannot be boarded or driven by the player. Note: This ship seems to be AI driven, rather than driven by completely fixed paths that the Pelican and the U-Ship from the original went through. ------ Scarab ------ This is basically a large building, with four legs supporting it. It also has what resembles an eye. This eye is a large plasma cannon, and when I say large, I mean you haven't seen anything in any way comparable to the destructive power of this thing. I found that on legendary, it's very rare to get your Scorpion destroyed. In fact, it only happened to me once. However, when I came across this beast, there were a few marines with fixed machine gun placements on the roof of a building and a Scorpion on a ramp right below. The Marines weren't really worth noticing for the Scarab. The Scorpion was doing it's best to down the cannon on board the Scarab. However, after about 5 well-placed shots (well, it's hard to miss something that big), the Scarab had it's cannon fully charged, and unleashed chaos upon the tank. The turret of the tank was blown clean off and the rest of the tank was in pieces. IIRC, you'll only come across two of these in the entire game. This seems to be driven by fixed paths rather than the game's AI. ------- Warthog ------- Comes with two different turrets. The first version, the one with the good old chaingun, can be treated in just the same way the one from Halo was. The only difference worth mentioning is that you must now watch the damage you take because after a good beating, this thing is just gonna give in to the strain. The second version has a Gauss Rifle on the back. I have completely fallen in love with that turret. On legendary, it should take no more than two direct hits to kill a Veteran Elite. A Spec Op Elite might take 3-4 shots. The best way, IMO, to describe a Gauss Rifle is to consider it a very powerful shotgun blast, point blank possibly. From what I can make of the word "Gauss", this weapon fires a metal rod, or slug, at extreme forces using magnetism. The passenger seat is now in 3rd person too. I personally think this was a bad move. I don't find it very easy to get used to. It could just be that I'm used to using the passenger seat in 1st person though. You can now reload in the passenger seat. Simply tap "X", since you now have to hold "X" to get in and out of vehicles. I know that many of us had a problem with sitting in the passenger seat. You'd get to about 20 bullets in your rifle, then hit "X" to reload, and would be flung out of your Hog. Not a problem now. Note: As the AI marines can now drive Warthogs, you are free to use their turrets or laze around in their passenger seat. However, the AI is definitely inferior to the average player as far as driving is concerned. It can get you killed sometimes. And no, I don't mean that every now and then you will happen to die, just like you would with a player driving. What I mean is that sometimes they will do the stupidest thing possible, and get themselves trapped between a couple of Wraiths. When boarded, a similar scenario to that of the Spectre takes place. -------- Scorpion -------- This thing is probably the vehicle with the most similarities to the Halo counterpart. It just feels so similar. The only difference I can thing of seems more like a bug in the game more than anything else. When a player is driving the Scorpion on Coop, the other player cannot sit on the side of the tank, while the AI can. When boarded, a similar scenario to that of the Wraith takes place. ------- Pelican ------- Basically, it's the same as the Phantom. It does have a bit less firepower though. It has a high-powered gun on the underside of the nose. It also has a chain-gun just like the one on-board the Warthog. The gun is placed right at the edge of the passenger section of the ship. Like I said with the Phantom, it seems to be AI driven. ---------------- Orbital Drop Pod ---------------- These are the pods used by the Hell-jumpers and Elites for quick insertion into hostile territory. Survival is not guaranteed whilst riding in one of these. The arrival of these extra troops is enough to turn the tide of the battle. Not AI driven. Falls from the sky at preset points. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------ 3. ALLIES/ENEMIES: ------------------ ***** Grunt ***** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. Covenant 2. Covenant Heretics 3. Covenant Rebels ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Plasma Pistol 2. Needler 3. Fuel Rod Cannon 4. Plasma Turret w/ Plasma Pistol (for backup) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ They are pretty much the same as in Halo. Not worth noticing on the two lower difficulties. They're a minor annoyance on the higher difficulties when in small numbers. In larger numbers, they can be a bit of an ass. They are the weakest and simplest of the Covenant. Killing a more experienced Covenant around them can cause them to break formation and flee. Some of them also come with Active Camouflage. If they get near an empty Ghost, they may attempt to drive it, but they are much easier to take down than an Elite driven Ghost. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ Minor Grunt: Orange Armor. No challenge whatsoever. Veteran Grunt: Red Armor. It's barely a step up from the original. Occasionally (yet rarely), it comes with a Fuel Rod Cannon. Multiple of these Grunts can lead to a bad headache. Support Grunt: Green Armor. These guys come with Plasma turrets. They're the only ones who can set one of the turrets up. Can be a right ***** if you aren't careful. Finish them before they complete their job. They sometimes come with a Fuel Rod Cannon too. Spec Op Grunt: Black Armor. Comes with the Fuel Rod Cannon more often. Elite Grunt: White Armor. The top notch, as far as Grunting goes. They use grenades much more often than the other types. Usually hangs around high ranking Elites. Heretic Grunt: Yellow Armor. These seem to be the equivalent of a Veteran Grunt, only on the Heretics side. ****** Jackal ****** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. Covenant 2. Covenant Loyalists ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Plasma Pistol w/ Plasma Shield 2. Beam Rifle w/ Plasma Pistol (for backup) Description: The first weapon set acts just the same as in Halo. The Beam Rifle weapon set takes the role of the Covenant snipers. In legendary, they almost never miss a shot. If you shoot the gun out of their hand or scare them a bit, they'll drop their Beam Rifle and flee, using a Plasma Pistol from then on. They won't have a shield though. The shield of a Jackal can be destroyed by being shot with heavy fire... a couple of Beams form the Beam Rifle or something similar should do it. They break formation and flee when their Plasma Shield is destroyed. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ Minor Jackal: Blue Shield & Armor. Lowest Jackal. Veteran Jackal: Orange Shield & Armor. These are slightly stronger shield with higher accuracy. Sniper Jackal: No Shield & Grey Armor. They're definitely the more dangerous of the bunch. Takes fewer bullets than the average minor grunt. ***** Drone ***** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. Covenant 2. Covenant Loyalists ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Plasma Pistol 2. Needler ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ They usually come in swarms between 5 and 10, but I have seen slightly larger numbers. Can be a bit of a **Female Dog** to hit. Only difficult if surrounded by them, especially when they're using Needlers. The Marines refer to them as Buggers. I think this is a smart assed comment, about them being bugs, and a royal pain in the ass. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ N/A ****** Hunter ****** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. Covenant 2. Covenant Rebels ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Tweaked Fuel Rod Cannon w/ Large Metal Shield. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Hunters are actually as fierce as their appearance is intimidating. They move at approximately the same speed as in Halo. However, their close range attacks are pulled off in a swifter manner, meaning less time for those belly shots. No longer can you beat a Hunter senseless whilst standing at it's back. It will pull a big leap around on the spot and smash you into the ground with its shield. Close range attacks are absolutely devastating on Legendary, and almost as bad on Heroic. Now, the Fuel Rod Cannon from Halo was embarrassing. This weapon can now cause absolute chaos. If Hunters didn't always have a Bond Brother I would still consider them a pushover. One Hunter could distract you whilst the other demolishes your ass with a well-placed Fuel Rod. It is now slightly modified. It handles differently from the average Fuel Rod Cannon - specially modified for the Hunters. The Cannon fires two large blasts which travel through the air faster than a rocket, though not by much. The blasts are always fired within half a second of each other. The recharge time for the Cannon has been shortened significantly, and the Hunter can now fire it whilst moving. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ N/A ***** Brute ***** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. Covenant 2. Covenant Loyalists ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Brute Plasma Rifle 2. 2x Brute Plasma Rifle 3. Brute Shot 4. Covenant Carbine 5. Unarmed (Last resort) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Their behavior with the Brute Plasma Rifle and the dual Brute Plasma Rifle isn't that much different from the Elites. The Brute Plasma Rifle is slightly better than the Plasma Rifle though. Their version fires at a slightly faster rate, and the bolts are slightly stronger, but it will overheat at a faster rate too. When armed with the Covenant Carbine, they'll stand near the back of the bunch and take shots at who ever they can. With the Brute Shot, they'll stand at a fair distance and bombard you with grenades. The grenades seem to blow up on the second impact, but I'm not sure of this yet. Also, if you get too close to a Brute with this, they'll take a swipe at you with the under-slung blade. The damage dealt by this is similar to, but not quite on par with the Energy Sword. If a Brute is unarmed, you better have an Energy Sword on you, or else you better keep as large a distance as possible between you. A Brute is never initially unarmed. However, when it gets pissed (in a similar way to the Jackal getting scared), it'll toss it's weapon on the ground, and will charge any enemy it sees. If you are aware of the charge, and have access to an Energy Sword, you can line up your sights and slap it silly with the lunge attack (which is an insta-kill on most enemies on legendary). ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ Minor Brute: These ones come with a silver helmet. Pretty basic. Captain Brute: These ones come with a small, red flag on their back. They are always (AFAIK) armed with Brute Shots. Honor Guard: These are the Holy Guards of the High Prophets. They are the toughest of the Brutes. Watch out for them. They wear a red helmet, and have lighter fur than the average Brute... similar to Tartarus' fur. They are also noticeably tougher and bulkier than the average Brute. Getting into close combat with these things isn't the best of moves. ***** Elite ***** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. Covenant 2. Covenant Heretics 3. Covenant Rebels ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Plasma Rifle 2. 2x Plasma Rifle 3. Fuel Rod Cannon 4. Covenant Carbine 5. Beam Rifle 6. Sentinel Beam 7. Energy Sword 8. Plasma Rifle w/ Energy Sword (for backup) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the most part acts like it does in Halo. With the Carbine, it acts just like the Brute does. With two Rifles, it acts like it has one, except it fires two. Not hard to understand at all. Some Elites come equipped with a thruster- pack for maneuvering in space and other low-gravity areas. All the Elites that the Chief encounters are in full body armor. The true appearance of an Elite is seen only in the intro and one later sequence. Their skin is black, and lizard-like. Also, Silver Elites (which seem to have replaced Black Elites), now come with a Plasma Rifle initially. However, piss it off too much, or get too close with a couple of SMGs, and it'll whip out its Energy Sword and show you the meaning of pain. Back off quickly enough though, and you have an easy hit, as it doesn't seem to use the Plasma Rifle again (though I haven't yet confirmed it). If you're ever having a specifically hard time with an Elite, try your luck in close quarters. Elites have a noticeable weakness to melee attacks. They take about a second or so to recover from a hit. However, don't attempt close combat with an Energy Sword toting Elite (usually Commander), and NEVER attempt to attack a Spec Op up close, whether it's armed with Energy Sword or not. If a Spec Op gets pissed at you, you know what happens. If you're too near when it happens, you have signed your own death warrant. Also note that while Elites attacks are fairly basic to dodge, it isn't always the smartest of moves to get into a melee fight with one. The Spec Op Elite not only gets pissed at you for smacking it one in the face as stated above, but it also gets especially pissed if you dodge its counter- attack. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ Minor Elite: Blue Armor. It is the lowest Elite rank. On Legendary, even these can be challenging. Seems to concentrate mainly on ground combat. It sometimes drives a Ghost. These guys also take the Thruster Packs into battle when necessary. Veteran Elite: Crimson Armor. It's just a single step up from the Minor rank. Not a very noticeable difference, but still very challenging. Pilot Elite: Red Armor. They seem to solely concentrate on piloting. I never noticed them before, but recently I noticed two shades of red Elites, so I had a look and noticed the difference. These guys can be found piloting the more dangerous vehicles, like the Scarab, and Banshees and such. Spec Op Elite: Silver Armor. The Silver Armored rank seems to have replaced the old Spec Op [Halo 1 Black Armor] rank. Get them pissed, and they'll pull out an Energy Sword and ram it up your rear end. They also come equipped with improved Energy Shielding. Black Op Elite: Light Brown Armor. These are the Elites with Active Camouflage modules. Elites can now wear a weak Energy shield along with active camouflage. Spec Op Commander: White Armor. These guys lead Spec Op teams, and are in charge of important but small-scale operations. Like the Spec Op, the Commander Spec Ops also carry Energy Swords, and improved Energy shielding. Warrior Elite: Black Armor. These guys seem to be included in special operations, for important, heavy-duty tasks. Whenever the odds are against the Covenant, these guys seem to be there. Commander Elite: Gold Armor. This one always has an Energy Sword. These are the commanders of Covenant ships and fleets. If you see one of these, a couple of Spec Ops usually aren't far behind. Heretic Elite: Yellow Armor. Seems easier than a Minor Elite, if you ask me. Well, nothing special to mention. Most commonly comes equipped with the Covenant Carbine. Honor Guards: Fancy-assed armor. The Elite of the Elites. These are the High Prophets' Holy Guards. Be very wary when faced with one of these. With two armor styles, they wear red armor similar to that of the Veteran Elite, or the silver armor of the Spec Op, but you can tell them apart from the other Elites by the red helmet they were. ******** Prophets ******** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. Covenant 2. Covenant Loyalists ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ Prophet Chair ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flies around on a chair. The Chair has two yellow circles on the underside. These circles are capable of firing destructive lasers. Prophets are capable of teleporting from one location to the other within the one room. Prophets are also impervious to all firearms available to you. The only way to kill a Prophet is to board his Chair. Once on, you can press B to melee him. Generally you can get 4 or 5 hits in before he teleports, forcing you off. They take quite a beating, but without support from other forces, they are almost harmless. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ N/A *************** Infection Forms *************** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. The Flood ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ N/A ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ These come in large numbers and swamp their targets until they are completely overwhelmed. They are just about exactly the same as those in Halo. Infections are slightly more damaging, so you shouldn't let them suicide on you as much. The Flood, contrary to popular belief, aren't meant to be super-strong life forms that mercilessly slaughter all in their path. They are, however, supposed to be extremely lethal. They depend on numbers to swarm the enemy and infect others. Any Flood lost will be regained once their enemies have become infected. They will turn into a Combat Form of the Flood hours later. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ N/A ************ Combat Forms ************ ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. The Flood ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ The Combat Forms can use all of the available weapons. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ These are infected Humans and Elites. They don't bother with strategy anymore. They simply charge. They are capable of using all weapons, so their threat level varies. Their arms can be shot off to force them to drop their weapon. I'm not sure, but I don't think a Flood can dual-wield. I've never seen one do so. Combat Forms can drive vehicles - any vehicle in the game in fact. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ Human Host: There is generally no difference between the hosts, except appearance. Elite Host: Again, just about no difference. Ah, these guys sometimes have a weakened Energy Shield. Nothing much more to note. ************* Carrier Forms ************* ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. The Flood ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ N/A ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ These are infected Humans and Elites. They don't bother with strategy anymore. They simply charge. They are capable of using all weapons, so their threat level varies. Their arms can be shot off to force them to drop their weapon. I'm not sure, but I don't think a Flood can dual-wield. I've never seen one do so. Combat Forms can drive vehicles - any vehicle in the game in fact. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ Human Host: Carrier Form: A badly injured Combat Form or an Infection Form, which has survived a long time, is thought to mutate into this form. Other beings, which are deemed unworthy of Combat status, like the Grunt or Jackal, are also thought to serve this purpose. They are basically a big bag on stumpy legs. Once they come within a few meters of a target, they explode, releasing a new bunch of Infections. ******** Sentinel ******** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ 1. The Forerunner 2. Covenant Heretics ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Sentinel Beam ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's the same as in Halo. They have a new rank, which comes with a blue beam. These are stronger than the orange beam. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ Basic Sentinel: Silver plating. They fire orange beams. Enhanced Sentinel: Gold plating. They fire blue beams. ******** Enforcer ******** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ The Forerunner ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Heavy Needler 2. Rocket Launchers Description: First off, these things have a large, 2 part shield similar to that of the Jackals. The Heavy Needler acts just like a Needler, except on a much larger scale. The needles are also red. The rockets are mainly used against vehicles. A burst of about 10 rockets is launched at the vehicle and that vehicle is demolished if it doesn't move. It also has the devastating ability to lift vehicles up and crush them instantly. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ N/A ************ Navy Crewman ************ ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ Humans ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Handgun 2. Battle Rifle 3. SMG 4. Auto Rifle Description: Actually of some use in Halo 2. You won't see much of them, as they are only present near the start of the game. There isn't really much to say about them. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ N/A ****** Marine ****** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ Humans ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ They can use all weapons in the game except Energy Swords. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ You will see these throughout the whole game. The rest can be read above. Note: Sarge seems to be invincible now. He always seems to come to a set part of the level and leave all of a sudden. He never seems to die. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ N/A *************************** Orbital Drop Shock Troopers *************************** ~~~~~~~~~ Factions: ~~~~~~~~~ Humans ~~~~~~~~~~ Equipment: ~~~~~~~~~~ They can use all weapons in the game except Energy Swords. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ More commonly known as "Helljumpers". Just think of them as beefed up marines. There is nothing more to say. ~~~~~~ Ranks: ~~~~~~ N/A +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------- 4. Characters ------------- [SPOILER ALERT] **************** The Master Chief **************** The Chief (or Spartan-117) is a genetically enhanced soldier equipped with state of the art "MJOLNIR" Battle-Armor. One of the few surviving SPARTAN-II super-soldiers, he is set to play a huge part in the war against the Covenant. He is one of the few survivors of Halo. If not for the Chief, Halo could have been set off, extinguishing all life in the galaxy. *********** The Arbiter *********** The Arbiter is an Ex-Commander Elite. He was in charge of the Covenant on Halo. Having allowed Halo's destruction, and failing to kill the Chief afterwards, he is stripped of his position, tortured, and set up for execution. However, the High Prophets of Truth and Mercy have other plans. They decide that, while he rightly bears the blame for his failure, he is no heretic. He can be put to other uses. He is then given the ancient armor of the Arbiter. ******* Cortana ******* A Smart AI who works alongside the Chief, Cortana is capable of breaking into Covenant security systems, and all sorts of other high security computer systems. Based off of Dr. Halsey, the head of the SPARTAN-II Project, she is full of smart-ass comments for anyone unfortunate enough to walk into them. ***** Sarge ***** Sergeant A.J Johnson, more popularly known as Sarge, is a hard-assed Marine brought up with the pure hatred of the Covenant engraved into his very bones. Nothing pleases him more than a dead Covenant soldier... except maybe two dead Covenant soldiers. He is one of the few survivors of Halo. As the Pillar Of Autumn was set to self-destruct, he entered a Cryo-pod, and shot off into space, just in time to avoid the explosion. **************** 343 Guilty Spark **************** The Monitor of Installation 04, AKA Halo, he is the reason Halo had to be destroyed. After leaving Cortana's side, the Chief was tricked by the Monitor into fighting through the Library in order to retrieve the Index. The Index is a small key, able to fit into the Chief's hand, which is capable of activating Halo and destroying all the life in the galaxy. Once he realized what was going on, the Chief refused to activate Halo. 343 Guilty Spark ordered his Sentinels to attack. Since 343 Guilty Spark use the Index by himself, his only option was to kill the Chief, and find another to use the Index. The Chief and Cortana had no other choice than to destroy Halo. More to come soon... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ---------------- 5. LEVEL GUIDES: ---------------- Note: The Veteranity of this guide is designed for Legendary, unless otherwise specified. ============= Cairo Station ============= "Alert - Boarders inbound!" Miranda and a couple of others will take the Tram to their ship. Follow the Marines down the stairs and grab the weapons on the wall. You might want to switch to the SMG and pick up a second one for later. Sarge will pick up an Automatic Rifle from the crate below. Follow him and the Marines through to the next room. "How's it going Malta?" "Stand by... they're latched! Check your targets - watch the crossfire. They're in standard formation: little bastards up front, big ones in back. Good luck Cairo." Out of the window you will see a large ongoing battle out in space. A Covenant boarding craft will close in rapidly before a small pod is inserted into the ship and they unload. Muffled gunfire can be heard from the next couple of rooms. Sarge will deploy the Auto Rifle at the top of the stairs. The Marines will start scurrying around for cover. The center of the door starts to glow orange/white, as the Covenant burn through it. All you can do is sit... and wait. ******************** Home Field Advantage ******************** OBJECTIVE - Repel the Covenant boarders. The door burns and burns, and then suddenly explodes into small pieces. Covenant forces come swarming in, and Sarge opens up with the MG. He will kill the Veteranity of them. Take out any stragglers with your SMGs. If it's an Elite, draw him out in front of Sarge. Watch out for the Elites who come from the upper floor. Those ones have a tendency to end the party without you having any idea what just happened. They are armed with dual Plasma Pistols. They can fire them off at almost the rate of a Plasma Rifle. Run through the door with the Marines and turn right. A small group of Covenant forces will be attacking a lone Marine. He will be attempting to hold them off with an Auto Rifle - unsuccessfully. Clear them out and move on. Go up the stairs and use the Auto rifle conveniently placed at the window. A bunch of Covenant forces will come rushing at the two Marines below. Protect them as best as you can. Remember, an extra Marine is a great help in Legendary: You have more bait for the enemies. Careful - as soon as that Auto Rifle starts rattling, an Elite or two may come up the stairs to investigate. Once the room seems clear enough, move to the lower floor. Move on to the other side of the room, with the Marines leading the way. Careful - Elites and Grunts will come out from both doors. I suggest concentrating on those on the right first. Make sure to find something that covers you specifically from the left side of the room. This could take a try or two, but you'll get there. Once you've cleared them out, take the left door and move up the stairs. You'll come to the upper floor of a room similar to the one in which you met your first contacts. "We've got boarders in the fourth Pelican bay!" In here, a boarding craft has already been latched on and Covenant forces are attempting to kill some resisting Marines. There's a bunch of Plasma Grenades lying around here. They are going to be very useful here. Finish everyone out in the room and then concentrate on the energy barrier fixed inside the craft. It shuts off every now and then for reinforcements to come out. Your job is to tag a couple with Plasmas before they make it onto the ship floor. "Hey, check it out. The Malta's already driven off its boarders." "Malta: what is your status? Over." "I don't believe it! They're retreating. We won!" As the Covenant ships withdraw, and the explosions die down, the Malta seems free in the distance. Suddenly, a blinding white light - several times the size of the thing - erupts from the Malta. Pieces of the MAC gun fly off into the distance. "This is bad... real bad." The Cairo station starts to vibrate from the extreme force of the distant explosion. Drop down to the floor below and move under the Pelican. Covenant parties will move in from the door ahead. A quick Plasma grenade and a few Battle Rifle bursts should be sufficient force. Move on through the corridor, ignoring the Auto Rifle. There is another Pelican bay ahead. The Marines in this one are at a disadvantage... or a bigger disadvantage, at least. A couple of Grunts above have the Marines pinned with Plasma Turrets. A couple of head bursts should do it. Once that has been dealt with, concentrate on the boarding craft ahead. Hopefully you are well stocked on Plasmas. Toss any you have at the Elites, and kill off the Grunts. Remember, many more boarders will jump out of the craft. I believe there are three waves in total. The third wave includes Spec Ops. Read the Elite description for a hint or two on beating them. "Oh oh! Hey, they're leaving the Athens." In the same manner as the Malta, the Athens breaks into pieces and falls away into the distance. "Cortana - assessment!" "That explosion came from inside the Athens - same as the Malta. The Covenant must have brought something with them: A bomb." "Then they sure as hell brought one here. Chief - find it." Repel the Covenant Boarders - COMPLETE ************** Priority Shift ************** OBJECTIVE - Find the Covenant bomb. Proceed down the stairs and into the lower floor. Kill off the Grunts and Elites, the move to the next door. Be aware - an Elite with Active Camo waits. There is another Elite with Active Camo walking through the door you didn't pass through. Be sure not to get back-whacked. "Come on, now! Is that a weapon, or a flashlight?" - Marine Once the door opens, move up the stairs and kill the Veteran Elites. Move on through the door. Run over to the other wall, and through the small, dark corridor. Quickly take the grunts out with your SMG and then beat the Elite to death - that is, assuming he is still in the concealment of the corridor, otherwise, grab a Plasma Pistol and charge it up. Quickly burst him then finish him with your Rifle. Remember to swap your weapon back. Go out on the platform and back-melee the Support Grunt sitting at the Plasma Cannon. "Hang on, Everyone!" - Lord Hood Once you reach the end of this small corridor, charge over to the adjacent one and kill off similar forces. Clear out the Gunners sitting up in the above room. Kill the Elites, with accompanying Grunts, in the final branching corridor. This party of Elites can vary from a Minor, a Spec Op, and a Veteran Elite, to three Veteran Elites. Move into the corridor, kill off the supporting Gunner, and continue up the stairs into the Gunners room. As you move in here, a team of boarders will come storming through the door opposite. They are made up of a Spec Op, and Minor Elite, and a few Grunts (including a Support Grunt). Finish them and move on through the door. Ignore the stairs and move through the next door. Help out Miranda and her crew, who are pinned down by boarders. Miranda moves on through a corridor to her ship. Move on past the bodies and prepare for yet another group of boarders. Finish them and move on through the corridor. ************************* Authorized Personnel Only ************************* The door behind you locks and the one ahead opens, only to reveal Elites with thruster packs. They have dual Plasma Rifles and are extremely dangerous on Legendary. A plasma grenade or two will finish these ones in this one-off close quarters opportunity. Move on out of the door and out into space. This area is low gravity. Watch out for the other Thruster Elites. Once you land below, immediately turn around. This is the way you must head, and people are easily lost in this area because of that. "Sir: Boarders have breached the fire-control center. They have a bomb." "Can you defuse it?" "Yes, but I'll need the Chiefs help to make contact with the detonator." "Chief, get to the bomb - double time!" "Cortana, prioritize targets and fire at will!" Move on through the door along this part of the ship. Pick up the ammo from the dead Helljumper. A couple of Marines will be stationed ahead - not fighting though. "Registering all hostile vessels in the kill zone. Thirteen Cruisers, two Assault Carriers. I'm going live!" Since Cortana has just started fighting ships using the Cairo, you're going to have to put up with powerful vibrations and moving parts of the station for a while. Move along to the end of the room. Suddenly, a swarm of Drones comes rushing from the freight elevator shaft! Use your SMG and pump 'em full of lead. Once they've been cleared out, the elevator starts to rise. Get ready, as there are many Grunts and Elites riding it. Clear them out, then jump onto the elevator. Hit the switch to descend. Once you hit the bottom, go through the door, and out into space again. There are three Thruster Elites ahead, two of which are dual-wielding Plasma Rifles. The other is on a Plasma Cannon. The latter is more threatening at a distance, the former at close range. Kill them with your Battle Rifle and carefully move up the machinery. Once you reach the door at the other end, move on through it. The inside turns out to be an elevator. "Just so you know, there are quite a few Elites guarding the bomb. You may need to get creative." **************** Return to Sender **************** Once the elevator hits the top, rush for cover behind the crate. Peek out slightly, and have a look around. Your best bet is to Plasma grenade the Elites as best you can, then dual-wield a Plasma Rifle with your SMG and finish everyone else off. The Grunt should be last on your priority list. ========================================================= ========= Outskirts ========= Three Pelicans fly from a Human ship towards the city. The Chief stands right at the edge of the passenger section. Underneath, four Warthogs are drive along the road. "The message just repeats: Regret, Regret, Regret" "Catchy, any idea what it means?" "Dear Humanity, we regret being alien bastards, we regret coming to Earth, and we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!" "Hooo-ah!" "Regret is a name, Sergeant. The name of one of the Covenant's religious leaders - a Prophet. He's on that carrier. And he's calling for help." A sniper and a spotter are laying prone on a rooftop, scanning the area. "Immediate: Grid Kilo-two-three is hot. Recommend mission abort." "Roger, Recon. It's your call Sarge" "We're going in. Get tactical, Marines!" The Marines grab all their weapons and equipment, preparing for insertion. "Master Chief? Get aboard that carrier. Secure the prophet of Regret. This is the only place on Earth the Covenant decided to land. That prophet is going to tell us why." "30 seconds out, stand by to - whoa!" A Scarab stumbles around the Corner and faces directly at the Pelican. The Energy Cannon charges, and then fires, just scraping the top of the Pelican. In an attempt to evade, it pulls a hard left. A smaller Plasma turret opens up and gets a few hits into the belly of the Pelican as it passes over. The Pelican loses control, hits the roof of the nearby building, flips over, scrapes along, falls over the side and finally crashes in a large pile of rubble. Master Chief is forced to fight through the streets, along with a few squads of Marines, to repel the Covenant invaders. *********************** They'll Regret That Too *********************** "Chief, Blink if you can hear me..." The screen blacks out and back in, indicating the blink. Sarge quickly takes charge of the remaining Marines. "Shake it off, Marines. Clear the crash site. Go, go, go!" From the burning wreckage of the Pelican behind you, move towards the doorway ahead. A Grunt will be heaving itself up the stairs. Give him a few shots from your SMG, and move on. You'll find yourself out in a courtyard littered with Covenant communication equipment and weapon crates. A couple of Grunts and Jackals will be walking around. Finish the grunts with your SMGs, and then toss a quick frag at the Jackals. Once they keel over, move into the large building next to you. An important thing to take note of is the wrecked, overturned truck that the Jackals were next to. This will be a common hideout for Elites and Grunts. Anyway, move into the building and take care of the Grunts. There will most likely be two Elites here. Usually, One of them is a Minor, and the other is a random rank. Finish them and have a quick look around. The 2nd floor of this building is going to be your home for the next half-hour... if you are attempting Legendary. "If they didn't know we're here before, they do now." Says Sarge calmly to the Marines. "Yup, here they come. Up high!" OBJECTIVE - Defend the Marines until help arrives. A few Jackal snipers will hop onto the rooftops along with a Veteran Elite. Sarge will most likely have taken care of the Elite by the time you've taken the Jackals. Once you've cleared the rooftops, swarms of grunts will come rushing down the alleys and, with every group, comes an Elite. Dual SMGs are very attractive at this moment in time. Pick one up from a dead Marine body. Spray 'n' pray is my game here. "We've got Jackals in the courtyard." This is pretty self-explanatory. Run over to the Turret, and use it on the Jackals. The bullets will easily get through their shields. If you don't kill them fast enough, they'll gang up on you from several sides. In this case, get off the turret and use your SMG. Watch out for the Elite leader of the group. Finish them off quickly. Suddenly, a swarm of drones comes in from over the rooftops next to your Pelican. SMGs are my personal favourite for these gits. I see people using their Battle Rifle on them, but I personally consider this a waist. Those bullets feel a lot stronger, so I just get a sense of loss after downing one with it. Once they've been downed, another bunch of Jackals (with the customary Elite escort) come storming through the building that the last came through. After these ones, more Grunts and Elites swarm out of the alleyways. Watch for reinforcing Snipers on the rooftops. "Eyes up - the Phantom is back." Upon hearing this message, hide in the building, and make sure you have a roof over your head (glass windows don't count). It'll drop out a few Grunts and Elites. Ah, and the drop includes a Commander and a Spec Op Elite, as well as one other. As soon as it clears off, make a run for the truck I told you to take note of earlier. A few grenades at the side of it should take them all out. Finish them off with the SMGs. More Jackals and Elites will come running from the Pelican. Finish them off. Defend the Marines until help arrives - COMPLETE A Pelican pilot informs Sarge that the courtyard is too small to make a drop in, and he'll make a drop one building along. Sarge orders someone to set a satchel on the large gate. OBJECTIVE - Rendezvous with the Pelican. Suddenly, the gates will start vibrating violently. After ten good seconds, they'll suddenly stop. All of a sudden, the doors come flying off, and two Hunters walk out, tall and proud. The Hunters are seriously beefed up now. They are slightly more agile, recovering faster from shield swipes. They are also MUCH more accurate with their Fuel Rod Cannons. The Cannons can still fire two rods between recharges. They always fire two rods, one a second after the other. If you attempt to take them from close range, you're in for a shock. The Bond-Brothers work together a lot more now. If you tease one with close range pot-shots, you'll quickly find the other has crushed your bones between his shield and his friends back. Luckily for you, this time at least, Sarge will make short work of them with his Sniper Rifle. If, however, Sarge happens to have difficulty with them, take them in the rubble out the front of the building. If you hide in the building, they'll probably get you in a Fuel Rod crossfire. On the 2nd floor, I'm sure you've noticed the crumbling wall around the edge of the building. If you attempt to hide behind that, the rods will pound through it with ease, taking you out in the process. If you do manage to get onto the Turret safely, fire away and the Hunters will be too busy trying to stand still to fire at you. After a few seconds, they'll keel over. Move on through this building. The Pelican will make a drop in a clearing through here. Jackals are on the opposite end of the clearing. Take them with your Battle Rifle. Sarge will leave at this point. Rendezvous with the Pelican - COMPLETE OBJECTIVE - Find the Marines from the second downed Pelican. After a while, you'll come across a building full of Marines, attempting, in vain of course, to hold off some Elites. You happen to be behind the Elites, so charge them from behind and melee them to death, but be careful, as the Marines are using a fixed machine gun placement against the Elites. You don't want to be the receiver of that. Find the Marines from the second downed Pelican - COMPLETE Once you go through this building, a Phantom should be dropping a Covenant raid party. There are a lot of them here. Hide out in the rubble to the left of the exit of the building. Finish them and make for the Warthog under the bridge. Since this is your first encounter with an AI driven warthog, I recommend going into the passenger seat and testing out the AI. If things get sticky, swap seats, or get a Ghost from the nearby Pelican wreck. Watch out for the Ghost which attacks the 'Hog from behind. ****************** A Day At The Beach ****************** OBJECTIVE - Destroy the Covenant on the shoreline. "The highest concentration of Covenant troops is directly below the carrier. I don't think they want you to get on board." "That bridge is the most direct route to the city center." [NOTE: This part of the guide assumes that you are driving, as being the Gunner or Passenger is basically a rail shooter experience, you need not know where to go then.] Drive down the road and onto the Beach. Note the downed Pelican to the right. There is a Ghost parked next to it, which you can use in place of the 'Hog, if you'd prefer. I personally think the 'Hog is much more effective at this part of the level. "Oh man I just love the beach." - Passenger "I hope you packed a suit mate." - Gunner "Cut the chatter - we got trouble!" - Cortana Drive along and over the bump. There is a large Plasma Gun here. Its just part of the scenery, but the area is very well defended. There are a couple of Elites hiding out around the gun, behind some crates. There is a Covenant Sniper tower. There's also a Ghost, a few Elites and Grunts at the small tunnel ahead, and A Support Grunt, which is setting up a Plasma Cannon. Drive around in circles a bit, letting the Gunner mow them down. Once they're down, move on through the small tunnel to the next beach section. Here there is yet another Ghost, a few Elites and Grunts, and an Elite hiding out in the small human tower. I personally recommend finishing the Ghost and Elites quickly, then heading off over the small bump to the third beach section, before the Phantom has a chance to drop reinforcing Ghosts. Once over, I then recommend you drive straight through the Covenant camp-out, and straight into the tunnel. Once in here, drive along, and simply follow the road. Destroy the Covenant on the Shoreline - COMPLETE **************** Speed Zone Ahead **************** OBJECTIVE - Take the highway tunnel to the bridge. Drive along to the first Covenant post. Force the 'Hog up onto the side of the road and run over the Elite. Another 'Hog will come from behind you and help out. Clear the whole post, for the 'Hog, then follow behind it. Follow along, and down the fairly steep hill. There is a second post here. This one has roughly the same defences: Elites and Grunts. However, there is also a Plasma Turret here. Your first priority should be the Elites on the road, run them down quick to stop them from getting in the Ghost. Next is the Plasma Turret. Small burst of Plasma should destroy it. Then there is the Elite up on the side of the road. Finally, there are the Grunts. After this, wait for the second jeep to make its way onto the side, so it can get past the damaged road. Follow him past the wrecked road. You'll now encounter the third post. However, if you're in a vehicle like you should be, this can be one of the most dangerous. There is a small swarm of Drones hiding out right under the broken road, waiting to ambush. The main problem is that Drones can "board" vehicles. They can't steal and drive them, but they can sit on top and melee the driver (similar to the scenario when faced with a Wraith or Scorpion). They should be one of the, if not the top priority. Luckily, as I previously stated, the swarm is small. There are less of all the usual defences, which balanced it out. Moving on, we come to the fourth post. This one is similar to the first one, but a bit weaker. Follow the second 'Hog up the hill. Now you'll find yourself in a large square room, with a huge pile of rubble in the center. Follow the 'Hog through to the next road. As you get close to the rubble, a huge plasma beam fires through a hole in the roof and blows up another 'Hog which was sitting there. The Scarab can then be seen walking past overhead. Continue on. Two Ghosts come out from behind a large crate just as you're about to hit the next road. You take one, the other 'Hog gets the other Ghost. You'll have some extra support from a Marine on an Auto Rifle and another Battle Rifle Marine, both sitting up on the side. You may like to pick one up. Anyway, moving on. Follow the road round the bend and into the large room. You'll see a Plasma Turret and a Shadow up ahead. The Shadow has a Plasma Turret on top of it. This Shadow has no driver, but there is a Gunner. Take out the Turrets, and Elites. You'll be getting reinforcements about now, in the form of a third 'Hog. Now, follow the Hogs through to the next road and along a bit. You'll see Shadows in the distance... three to be precise. An even match. Hurry on up to them and go up the ramp at the side of the road. This will give your Gunner even height with the Shadows Gunner. By the time the third Shadow (being the last in line, the first one you'll reach) is down, your 'Hogs will have caught up for a full slaughter of the second and first Shadows. Soon, you'll come to another large room similar to the one with the Scarab encounter. There are a few Ghosts, two parked Shadows, a Support Grunt w/ Plasma Cannon, and some foot soldiers. Once you clear this room, the exit to the tunnel is straight ahead. Take the highway tunnel to the bridge - COMPLETE ========================================================= ========== Metropolis ========== ************************* Ladies Like Armor-Plating ************************* OBJECTIVE - Crush Covenant resistance on the bridge. Again, set in the New Mombassa East African Protectorate. The Chief meets up with a pair of struggling Marines, a Male and Female. They claim to have attempted attacking the Scarab with rockets, in vain. If this is single player, you have a Scorpion available. This is the tougher option, as you're about to go across a HUGE bridge (by game standards) at such a slow speed, under attack from many Ghosts, Banshees, a Wraith, and two Phantoms. You have those two marines though. The Male has a Rocket Launcher, and the Female a Battle Rifle. If this is Co-op, you have the much easier (but less tempting) option of a Warthog. You can simply zoom past the Majority of the Covenant, with the gunner taking most Ghosts out. However, you'll be forced to leave behind one marine (which I wouldn't recommend considering an upcoming battle), or have one player take the Scorpion. If someone does take the Scorpion, I recommend the other player DRIVES the 'Hog, and waits behind the Scorpion. The Scorpion can take the Majority of the Ghosts with one or two hits, and the Wraith with three or four. The Banshees will be a bit tougher for the Scorpion to take, so the 'Hog can deal with them. [NOTE: I've had quite a few emails sent in informing me of a Warthog with Chaingun sitting near the start of the mission. I had a look around, and sure enough, it's there. It is already damaged though. Take it if you wish. Just look to your right at the start of the mission and you'll see the front peeking out of the barrier.] Back to SP: Halfway along the Bridge, you'll have passed the Wraith. Most likely you'll have taken hits, and possibly lost a Marine or two. There should be a couple more Marines running along the bridge wall. Stop and pick them up. After the Bridge, you'll have to go through a few more Wraiths, which can be pretty tricky in a Scorpion, *hint, hint*. Get out of your Scorpion at a safe distance, and sneak up to one of the Wraiths. Board it from behind (tricky because of it's fast turning speed, which is why you need to sneak), and press "B" to melee the weak plate at the back. This will break into the engine. Now, make sure you have Plasma Grenades selected, if you have any. Press L once or twice to toss a couple of grenades in. This should blow it outright. If you boarded it from the front, it takes more grenades, so don't bother. Instead, press "B" a couple more times to beat the Elites head. Once the Elite dies, press "X" to jump off, then again to drive it. It'll be damage a little, but you can use it to take the other Wraith. Go back to your Scorpion and travel through the tunnel. You'll meet up with another Warthog, and three marines riding it. The tunnel ahead is partially closed, so they're forced to get out and go ahead on foot. "It's tight quarters on the other side, Sir. Use this." The female Marine from the other 'Hog offers you her Shotgun. Take it, as it'll be much more useful against Elites in here than the SMG. Be sure to keep your Battle Rifle. There will be a large firefight in here. There are a lot of Human vehicles in here. Civilian cars, trucks, an overturned school bus; it makes for plenty of cover. ***************************************** This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us ***************************************** Once you emerge from the tunnel, you'll see the Scarab firing in the distance. It isn't a threat at the moment. However, there are marines in trouble over the ledge. The first thing you should notice, aside from the overly obvious Scarab, is the Sniper Jackal aiming at the Gauss 'Hog below. Melee him from behind, and jump down. Any surviving marines from the tunnel will take the structure in the middle. The 'Hog will be wheeling 'round to you now. When it stops, get on the Gauss Rifle. This thing fires metal rods at an extreme force using magnetism. Try it out on the Covenant weapon caches sitting on the central structure. Now the driver will start circling the structure. Your job is to take out as many Elites as you can, ASAP, for the Marines above to take the structure by surprise. There are a few Plasma turrets, which you should make 2nd priority to Elites. After this area, the driver will wheel back and make for the small opening in the wall. You'll quickly find yourself facing two Ghosts and a Wraith. The Wraith, whilst more distant, is the larger threat. Take it as soon as you can. Once it's down, concentrate on the Ghosts. Whilst you can only see two at first, there're about 6 in total. After this, the 'Hog will make for another wall opening. Once you go through a small corridor, you'll see a Chain 'Hog taking on some Ghosts. Help them out; it should take two hits per Ghost from your Rifle. After this road has been cleared, the 'Hogs will move up the road and turn a corner to meet two Wraiths. The Gauss Rifle is the best you have for these things, so I hope you do still have it. Once you've taken these things, the 'Hogs will roll up next to a building. This is your queue to get out and run into the building. A Corporal Perez will brief you in a hurried manner, before running to the 2nd floor of the building. *************** Field Expedient *************** Follow him out, onto the balcony, and you'll find yourself staring at a large, blue plasma beam, emerging from the road that your 'Hogs came round minutes before. You'll find yourself face-to-face with the Scarab's main cannon. However, you don't have to worry. There are a few other marines on the balcony, one manning the fixed machine gun. The MG Marine will be attempting to take the cannon out, but when rockets failed, he has little success. However, looking over the edge, you'll notice a Scorpion sitting on a ramp down below. It holds position, firing at the cannon. The Scarab is closing in, slowly but surely. The cannon is glowing light blue. After about 5 or 6 shells, the tank begins to reverse down the ramp, but in a blinding blue light, the turret flies off and hits the building. The bodywork of the tank is in flames. The Scarab simply walks over the wreck, ignoring you and the Marines, and walks ONTO the balcony, climbing up onto the roof of the building, and over the side of a small tower. Follow Cpl. Perez into the tower and up the stairs. You'll see the Scarab walking by outside a huge building. Proceed up the next flight of stairs. Walk out of the door at the top, and you'll find yourself on the ledge of the tower, overlooking a river. There are several connecting bridges to the next tower. Along the ledge and on some of the bridges, you'll see crates with Human weapons on them. Rocket Launchers, Sniper Rifles, SMGs, and many more. Choose whatever you want and be prepared for a big battle. Once you've got close and personal, there is no returning for ammo. The Scarab will be walking IN the river below. I suggest grabbing a rocket Launcher for now, whether you plan on taking it close or not. Now, take a few pot shots at the Elites on board. However, you must remember that with every stride the Scarab takes, it moves about… 50 meters or something. Once you've expended your ammo, grab a Sniper Rifle or Beam Rifle if you have one. Now, take as many as you can. After this, run to the end of the ledge, before taking the final bridge across to the next tower. Run to the end of the ledge and pick up at much ammo as you can. Corporal Perez and a few other Marines will take the remaining Elites, or as many as they can manage in the 10 seconds that it takes for the Scarab to clear the Bridge. Make sure you have the nearby Battle Rifle. The Scarab will have turned the corner by the time you've reached the end of this ledge. Kill as many minor enemies as you can with it, then focus on the Elites. Now, take the Elites. Once it gets within a few hundred meters, get on the nearby Machine Gun placement. Take all remaining Elites. The Scarab will come to a halt. Now, it's time to get personal. Grab the SMGs, (C) and a Rocket Launcher as reserve. Jump on board. More Elites will come to investigate from the inside. Switch to the Launcher, and kill any that emerge. Now, switch back to your SMG, and pick up the one you dropped. Run in and clear out any Elites that survived, most likely with damaged shields. Once you've finished everyone, turn the corner and you should see one final Veteran Elite. If you are like me, you'll want to finish him off in a way that says "Get the hell off my territory!" Drop your off-hand SMG, (O) and run up to him, fire a single shot from your other SMG. He'll get pissed and turn on you. If you're as near as you should be, he'll attempt to smack you in the head. Unlike in the original, this can be fatal, no matter your shield. Quickly dodge to the left. Now, circle round to his back and give him a whack. You've just owned a Scarab. MC emerges on the Head of a wrecked Scarab, and, through the smoke, sees a Pelican. (O) Sarge is in the cockpit, and goes on his usual ranting about how the Covenant were *******es to try and take on the Human race and such. The nearby Covenant Cruiser, (L) which is currently in the city, starts charging a Slip-Space jump. For those of you who haven't read the books, Slipstream space is a sort of alternate space, which can be used to travel light-years in seconds. It's similar to the border world in Half-Life. Transferring to Slipstream Space takes up so much energy that making the jump will result in a large explosion, (Z) enough to lose the city. In their small cruiser (small as in a fly compared to the Covenant one), Miranda has the pilot charge after the ship, so that they are within the jump zone. It makes it, and is pulled across the galaxy. New Mombassa is no more. The huge explosion absorbs the entire city. Later, after the jump, the cruiser floats silently in space. Everyone stares at a foreign object in the distance. "Cortana, what is it that we're looking at." "That… is another Halo." ========================================================= =========== The Arbiter =========== The Elite seen in the intro is being dragged by a couple of Brutes to the Chamber of the Arbiter, where the High Prophet of Truth is waiting. Disgraced, he expects execution. However, what greets him is one of the greatest honors an Elite can wish for. A position in which they can go on suicide missions, fight to the last man, and die close and personal for what they believe in. This Elite is named "The Arbiter". He is informed of a rebel group that claims the Prophets are false, and are using Brutes, Elites, and lesser races for their own purposes. The Arbiters mission is to land with a team of Special Operative Grunts and Elites at the Rebel hideout, fight through the Elites and Grunts, and take out the Rebel leader. However, there is another surprise in store. The hideout is none other, than part of the wreckage of Installation 04, AKA… Halo. Aboard one of the Phantoms, the Arbiter, and his Spec Op 2nd in command, prep the large team of Elites and Grunts. They have an argument over the importance of each other and their lessers. Upon landing, the Arbiter draws his Energy Sword. The Spec Op gives you a little info over the radio: "We are the arm of the Prophets, Arbiter. And you are the blade. Be silent and swift, and we shall quell this heresy without incident." In the middle of a huge storm, which Halo is rapidly being sucked into, the Raid party charges for the Forerunner structure. The Phantoms move away, and a sense of isolation takes their place. "The storm has masked our approach, and it should have their local battle net in disarray. We have the element of surprise... for now" Once in the entrance, a Minor Elite fellow orders everyone to turn the Active Camouflage module on (White button). "Engage Active Camouflage. Reveal yourselves only after the Arbiter has joined battle with the enemy." The strike team then melts into the background. "You may wish to do the same, Arbiter, but take heed: your armor system is not as... new as ours. Your camouflage will not last forever." Your active camo is limited. It lasts for about 20 seconds, but it recharges. However, it also deactivates if you attempt to do anything threatening… melee attack, fire a single shot, whatever. Now, instead of activating it immediately, wait until the lead Grunt opens the door. Exactly as the doors part, race for that button, and charge the first Elite you see. Swirl round to his rear and melee him. Now hide under the ramp for a few seconds while your camo recharges. Take out the sleeping Grunts below. Now, move up the ramp on the right side of the room. Once you're near the top, hit your camo and run up, and to the right. An Elite will be sitting by the door. Melee his back. Remember that your team will not start fighting until the enemies are aware of your presence. Jump over the edge and onto the energy conveyor belt. Activate your camo again once it's available. Take out the Elites and Grunts. Most likely you're going to have to engage in active combat for this area. Now, follow the belt down to the edge, and then go along the walkway to the lower floor. Wait until your camo is ready again, hit it, and then run round to the front of the elevator and wait for it to come up. Immediately plasma the Elite and take out the Grunts as soon as possible. Once you've cleared the area, wait a minute or two for your team to get on the elevator. If you've managed to do it stealthily so far: "A job well done, Arbiter." Push the button to start the thing. "Sentinels, The holy warriors of the Sacred Ring, but... why have they sided with these Heretics?" As soon as the glass window ends, hit your camo and jump off the elevator. Kill the nearest Elite and run for cover. I personally always end up fighting my way to the door. A Phantom pilot tells you to open the hangar door so that he can bring reinforcements. The switch is to the left of the huge glass door. Hit it, and then keep the Heretics at bay. If everything has went smoothly so far, you should have four Elites and... four Grunts? A couple of my Grunts usually die, so I never get a good count. A couple of Heretic Grunts armed with Plasma turrets will run out of the door opposite the hangar door. Take them out before they set them up, as they'll mop up your team in seconds. Clear the area of any remaining Heretics and Sentinels. Run through the door the Turret Grunts came through, take a left, and hit your camo. Have a quick glance for the Elite, then jump over him and hit his back. Quickly wheel round and finish the Grunts. Two or three more Elites will run round the Corner. Finish them and move on. Hide next to the door, and allow your team to move through with camo on. Once they are five seconds clear of the door, hit your camo and run straight up the ramp, and round to the right side. Hide next to the stray Plasma Rifle. Once your camo is up again, run over to the end of the ledge and leap off behind the unsuspecting Heretic Elite. Finish him. Immediately backpedal to your teammates and help them out in the firefight, which will have inevitably broken out. Clear the Heretics out from your side, and then join the fight in the center of the room. The opposing forces will be divided by a couple of energy belts. Clear out the Heretics and move on up to the door. A few more will come out. Pick them off, one by one, as they come out. Run through the door and next to the pillar. Hit your camo, run round the pillar, behind the Elite, and whack him in the back. Let your camo recharge, but don't use it. Move along the corridor, and whack the two sleeping Grunts. Move around the next corner. Now, hit your camo and run down the slope. Take the corner to the left and hit the Elite who should have his back to you already. Run along the corridor and camo at the next corner, before turning and taking the Grunt. Be aware though, a Heretic Elite will come from your rear. Kill him, and then take the previously sleeping Grunts. Another couple of Heretics should come from ahead to take you on. Finish them. Move to the end of the corridor and checkpoint in front of the door. Immediately through the door will be two sleeping Grunts. Eliminate them. However, stealth isn't going to be an option in here. You'll have to take on Heretics on two floors: your floor and the upper floor, and then Sentinels in the air. Basically, circle the room around from right to left. Through the door at the end there will be a few Elites and Grunts. There are plenty of pillars in the middle. Clear the area, and then move on through the next door. Walk up to the window straight ahead. You'll see a few Banshees. "Deal with him, my brothers. I will defend the Oracle." The Heretic Leader jumps into a Banshee and flies off. Many Heretic Elites and Grunts jump into the room from both sides. Go to the top floor and pick them off as they come out, then concentrate on anyone left on the bottom. Sentinels will come in from vents after the ground forces are down. Destroy them before moving out. "The Heretics are mobilizing their air forces, Arbiter. Get back with their leader, but watch your back! I'm sending one of our Phantoms to support you." Jump in one of the Banshees and follow the Phantom. Heretic Banshees will come in pairs to attack you and the Phantom. The Phantom will remain virtually unhurt, but you will take a lot of pain. However, you will have to do most of the work, as the Phantom is rubbish at Air-to-Air combat. It's hard to provide a step-by-step guide for this part, so I'll just give a couple of pointers. First off, watch for the Phantoms red plasma. Most likely, you'll see a Banshee on the other end of it. Secondly, Watch for Plasma turrets on the ledges of the structure. One Banshee Bomb will finish them easily. At the halfway point of the flight, there are a couple of fresh Banshees. Be sure to pick one up. Also, watch for those Fuel Rod Cannon toting Grunts. Eventually you'll come to a platform with an unlocked door on it. Land here and clear the area of Heretics. The Phantom will then drop Elites and Grunts. Walk up to the door to complete the mission. ========================================================= ====== Oracle ====== A door opens to a couple of Spec Op Elites. They aim around the room with their weapons raised. Then, two Spec Op Grunts trot into the room ahead of them. The Elites move cautiously behind them. The Spec Op Commander moves in after them, followed by the Arbiter. "What is it?" - Arbiter "That Stench. I've smelled it before..." - Spec Op Commander ********** Juggernaut ********** Move up to your strike team. If you're a Halo veteran, your heart will race at the site of... blood? Ah, but not just blood - the sickly green kind. Move on over to the other side of the room. Your team will follow. Go through the door. You'll immediately hear gunfire... Covenant Carbines. Yet again... Halo veterans are going to recognize the all too familiar sounds... the "squidgy" sounds. You'll notice red blobs on your motion tracker... but the room is empty. Move in, and then look around. There isn't anything there... until you look down. You can faintly see through the dark glass... shadowed figures fighting each other. Melee combat being the favourite. Move on to the next room. Jump down off the ledge. There are bodies... rotten bodies... Flood bodies! It seems the Heretics have released the Flood. "What happened here!?" - Spec Op Commander "Me have bad feeling about this!" - Grunt A "You always have bad feeling. You had bad feeling about morning Food Nipple." - Grunt B A strange buzzing sound grows louder and louder. A ball can be seen floating down to the center of the room. Suddenly, the Heretic leader appears. "See! Heretic!" yells one of the Grunts as he fires at the Heretic. "Hold your fire. Hold your fire!" - Spec Op Commander "I wandered who the Prophets would send to silence me... an Arbiter - I'm flattered." - Heretic "He's using a hologram. He must be close. Come out so we may kill you." - Spec Op Commander "Ha ha ha... get in line." And with that, he flashes into nothingness and the ball drops to the ground. "Leader, stand firm. The Flood is approaching." Quickly run around with your Energy Sword and destroy all the Flood bodies. The infections can reanimate the dead. You only lose three charges per Flood, as opposed to the regular ten charges. When the infections reach the floor, switch to your Plasma Rifle and fire away. Keep your attention focused on the Grunts, as a single infection is enough to kill a Grunt. "Go Arbiter. I'll follow when our reinforcements arrive." Follow your orders and leave the Spec Op Commander to hold the Flood at bay. The others will follow you. Move on through the next corridor, and into the large elevator at the other side. Sentinels will be trying to control the Flood in here. Leave them to it for now. Once it seems clear enough, move in and take out anything that's lurking around. Once you're on the elevator, it will start moving, and you'll be trapped in the middle of a fight between the Sentinels and the Flood. Remember, Energy Sword for the Flood, Plasma Rifle for the Sentinels. Be sure to care for your teammates, because they can be a great help in Legendary. The ride is quite long, and can be a real test of endurance at times. Once you make it to the end, watch the door for more of the Flood and move cautiously through. "We should have brought weapons to bury these bodies. Every one is a vessel to the Flood." Move along the corridor, replacing your Plasma Rifle on the way, for a fully charged one. Move through the door and you'll find yourself faced with a long row of windows. Watch as the Heretics attempt to fend off the Flood. Once they're dead, smash a window and kill off all the Carriers. Focus on the Infections next. As long as there are Infections and Carriers, the Combats can come back to life. Drop down once the area seems clear. "Heretics! Above!" Quickly kill them off, then watch as the Flood swarm in from above and kill off any remaining Heretics. Quickly run to the far end of the room and hop on a Plasma Turret. The Flood will come racing in. Kill them off. A lot of carriers and such will drop in, so make sure you destroy the Combat bodies before they are reanimated. Once clear, have a last look at your paint job, then move on. Once you're in the next room, wait until the door opens and move on through. A Phantom pilot breaks the silence with a warning: "Leader, the storm is about to hit! We cannot maintain our position!" "Bring the Phantoms close to the mine. We are not leaving until the leader of these Heretics is dead." - Spec Op Leader. You'll see some Flood chasing Heretic Grunts ahead of you. The Grunts cannot match the speed of the Flood, and meet their maker. The Phantoms will move in and kill off the Majority of the Flood. Help them out. "Arbiter, the Flood have spread throughout the station. We don't have enough troops to manage such a large infestation. Find the leader of these Heretics! Kill him now!" Follow the ledge anti-clockwise, and clear out the Heretics as you go. Head up the slope, and around the corner. A couple of Heretics will be hiding out here, so be careful. Sentinels will rise up and attack. Blow 'em up then continue on. More Heretics will come out of the door into the installation. Finish them with a Plasma grenade or two, then move on in. "Heretic boss! You see? You see!?" - Grunt The Heretic charges across the room, and away from you. Kill off the Sentinels in the room. Move over to the door he went through. The Heretic leader is behind an impenetrable Energy barrier. "This will save me from the storm, but you will be consumed." The Spec Op Commander catches up with you at this point. "Arbiter, where is he?" - Spec Op Commander "..." "Stinking flood-bait boxed himself in tight." - Spec Op Commander "We shall force him out." - Arbiter "How?" - Spec Op Commander "The cable, I'm going to cut it." - Arbiter Run up the ramp, to the top floor. I personally like to jump past the Flood here, as there are too many swarming in too quickly. Once at the top, hit the elevator switch. He elevator heads up a long, dark shaft. **************** Hey, Watch This! **************** Once it hits the top, allow the Flood and the Sentinels to take each other on. Run up to the large support pillars. "All my Phantoms are in the air Arbiter. Go ahead, cut the cable." Choose one, and beat it with your Plasma Sword. Watch for incoming Flood. Once the first one is down, the whole facility will tilt to one side. "That's one. By the Prophets! Look at the station lift!" The second can make things a little tricky. Avoid jumping, or (whether by glitch or on purpose on Bungie's part) you could find yourself falling unexpectedly. "One final cable, Arbiter!" Hit the last one, and then make a dash for the central elevator. Hit the switch, and wait. Once you hit the bottom, drop off the top floor all the way to the bottom. Move on through the door the Heretic went through. "The Heretic leader is on the move! Do not let him escape! We'll stay with you as long as we can!" There are some Heretics here. Kill them off. Call the elevator, then move on and hit the switch for descent. "Are you still alive Arbiter? We're keeping pace as fast as we can!" Move through the door, and choose a side to go down this room. Watch for Sentinels, Flood, and Heretics on the way. Move through the door. The Heretic jumps into a Banshee, then backs around and fires in at the Arbiter. The Arbiter rushes for a Banshee and follows after him. "What lunacy! He'll never escape this maelstrom in a Banshee. Wait! The hangar! There was a seraph fighter inside. Arbiter, you know what to do!" Kill off the pursuing Banshees and then move into the structure he went into. The Banshee will smash into the ledge, and the Arbiter, will grab onto the ledge, then hop up. ************************************ Dead or Alive... Actually, Just Dead ************************************ Head up the exploding structure, and move on through the door. There are Flood in here, along with Sentinels. Ignore them and move on through. You should recognize the area. You are heading backwards through one of the parts of the last level. Move through the corridors, fighting as you go. Head all the way back to the Hangar, where you had to open the door for the Phantom. None of the rooms on the way are especially difficult. The Arbiter confronts the Heretic. They talk for a while "Turn, Heretic!" The Heretic turns slowly, dual Plasma Rifles aimed directly at the Arbiter. "Arbiter... I would rather die by your hand than let the Prophets lead me to slaughter!" - The Heretic Leader "Who has taught you these lies?" Then, "the Oracle" descends. "The Oracle?" "Hello. I am 3-4-3 Guilty Spark. I am the Monitor of Installation 04." "Ask the Oracle about Halo, how they would sacrifice us all for nothing." - The Heretic Leader "More questions? Splendid. I would be happy to assist you." The Heretic fires a burst of Plasma at the Arbiter, forcing him to back off for cover. The Heretic then jumps on top of the Seraph fighter, and throws two Hologram balls out. They form to replica Heretics. "The Elites are blind, Arbiter! But I will make them see." - The Heretic Leader You must eliminate him. However, there is a minor complication: The holograms. "This minor facility predates Installation Alpha by several hundred years." - 343 Guilty Spark "It was retrofitted to research the possible offensive and defensive measures against the Flood." - 343 Guilty Spark "Indeed, I designed and oversaw the construction of this facility's various outbreak management systems." - 343 Guilty Spark Simply kill any Heretic leader you see. Two of them, being holograms, will simply flash into nothingness. This isn't really anything especially difficult. If you can do it right as the battle starts, it'll be easier. Simply jump up past the holograms and go for the out of the way leader. He will be the real one. End it there and it's easy. Best thing to do is just go all out on the real one with the Plasma Sword. The Arbiter drags the Heretics body out of the Hangar door. "Unfortunate, his edification was most enjoyable." - 343 Guilty Spark "I had no choice Holy Oracle. This Heretic imperiled the Great Journey." - The Arbiter "Oracle? Great Journey? Why do u meddlers insist on using such inaccurate verbiage?" - 343 Guilty Spark Suddenly, the Oracle gets pulled out of the hangar, by a Brute... Tartarus. "Oh my-y!" "That... is the Oracle!" "So it is." "Come, we are leaving this system." ========================================================= ========== Delta Halo ========== The In Amber Clad exits Slipstream Space, along with stray buildings and rubble from Earth. Miranda is flung forward due to the force of the jump. "Ugh! Report!" - Miranda "Both Engine Cores have spun to zero. We're drifting." - "Archer pods are cold. I'll need to re-key the system." - "Do it - and find out where we are." - Miranda Back in the Orbital Drop station, Sarge gets out a cigar and starts smoking. "Sorry for the quick jump, Sergeant. You in one piece?" - Miranda "I'm good... ergh... Chief?" - Sarge "We're fine." - Cortana "Ma'am, there's an object - coming into view now." - "Cortana, what exactly am I looking at." - Miranda "That - is another Halo." - Cortana Sarge chokes on his cigar due to the surprise. "Say what!?" - Sarge "So this is what my father found... I though Halo was some sort of super- weapon?" - Miranda "It is. If activated, this ring will cause destruction on a Galactic scale." - Cortana "I want all the information you've got on the first Halo. Schematics, topography, whatever... I don't care if I have the clearance or not." - Miranda "Yes ma'am!" - Cortana "Where's our target?" - Miranda "The enemy ship has stopped above the ring ma'am, we're going to pass right over it." "Perfect. Given what we know about this ring, its even more important we capture the Prophet of Regret. Find out why he came to Earth, why he came here." - Miranda "Chief, take first platoon - hard drop. Secure a landing zone." - Miranda "Sergeant, load up two flights of Pelicans and follow them in." - Miranda "Aye aye, ma'am." - Sarge "Until I can move and fight, I'm going to make a low profile. Once you leave the ship, you're on your own." - Miranda Sarge knocks the Chiefs pod, indicating launch time. "Understood." - The Chief "Hang onto your helmet!" - Cortana And with that, and an accompanying jolt, the pods fire off into space. The pods shoot away, into the atmosphere of Halo. Through the clouds, ten to fifteen pods fly at bone-crushing speeds. A small cross fires out of the pod, attached by a rope. It forces the pod to slow down. "Mind the bump." - Cortana The cross releases, and the pod sways slightly. Down on Halo, a Grunt and a Jackal are sitting, talking, and just generally fooling about. The Jackal, with his sharper sight, catches the pods in the distance. He screeches, and hits his shield button, quickly grabbing his Plasma Pistol in the process. The grunt stumbles towards the nearby Plasma Turret and fires into the sky. The rest of the area is warned by this, and moves into defensive position. Suddenly, the sky is alight with red plasma balls. With Grunts racing around the camp, Jackals darting from tree to tree, and Elites trying to control the mass confusion, it's looking good for the Humans. The pods continue the decent, and pull their chutes in order to slow down. With pods being hit all around him, a tough landing is in store for the Chief. The pods slam into the ground, making craters in the process. The Chief kicks the door down and runs out, pulling his SMG out, and scanning for targets. "Could we possibly make any more noise?" questions Cortana. The Chief whips a rocket launcher round his left shoulder. "I guess so…" *********** Helljumpers *********** "Sir! We gotta neutralize those turrets!" - ODST Right from the start, find the ODST with the Battle Rifle. Give him your rocket launcher and allow him to take the Plasma Turrets. Run around the cliff- side, rallying the Helljumpers. You must clear a path up to the ridge in front of the ruins. If you can do that, your Jumpers will have sufficient cover. You'll encounter about four Grunts and two Jackals on the way. "Clear this LZ! The Pelicans are right behind us!" - ODST Once you're up there, run around the ruins to the left and melee Elites one by one. Hit one, retreat, repeat. Once it gets too tricky, or there is no more left to kill, run in and gun the rest down. "Artillery disabled, Sergeant! Landing zone secure... for the moment" - Cortana "I hear ya. Starting our approach! Hang tight." - Sarge "Easier said than done. Inbound Phantoms, Chief." - Cortana If you still have that rocket 'Jumper, he'll take the guns out. Watch for the new foot soldiers though. There will be a Spec Op included in the three Grunts, two Jackals, and two Elites that are dropped. "Another Phantom - on approach!" - Cortana This one drops two Veteran Jackals, two Veteran Elites, one with needler, one with an Energy Sword, and a few Grunts. Draw the Sword Elite out and Plasma his ass. Now, pick off the minor guys, then sneak up to the Veteran Elite and stick your newly gained Energy Sword up where the sun don't shine. Now, yet another Phantom approaches. I'm always on my own by this point. It drops three Black Ops. As you know, any Elite using Active Camo has a weakened shield. These ones aren't particularly tough. The only problem is spotting them. If you go all out right as they drop out the Phantom, you could very well kill them before they touch the ground. One of them has an Energy Sword, so while it is easier to spot, you better watch out. "Hold here until the Pelican arrives, Chief." - Cortana And with that, you have the right to rest. Two Pelicans approach from the distance. "I got a good view coming in. There's a big building in the middle of this islands lake." - Sarge "I saw it too, it looked like a temple. If I were a megalomaniac, as I'm not, that's where I'd be." - Cortana One Pelican drops a Warthog with a Chaingun mounted on the back, and two Marines. The first Marine has an SMG, the second, a Sniper Rifle. The Pelicans then fly off. Jump in the driver seat, if you know what's good for you. If the Sniper doesn't get into the side seat, fiddle around until she does. Once in, drive on. "Wow... it's like a postcard... Dear Sarge: Kicking ass in outer space. Wish you were here!" - Marine/ODST "I heard that - Jackass!" - Sarge Drive over the hill, past the Jackals, down past the building, and start circling it. Let your gunner take out all the Turrets and Elites. "Watch out, Chief! Wraiths on the far side!" - ODST/Marine Once you feel you've done as much as you can, go round the back and jump out of the 'Hog. This is effectively killing the 'Hog, so be warned (you can kill off all the outsiders and park the hog in a safe place if you want to keep it, but I usually don't last that long). Anyway, up the ramp and inside, you'll find a bunch of Grunts and an Elite. Finish them then hit the switch. The bridge will start to drop. "Good, the bridge is down. Now, about those Wraiths." - Cortana "Roger that, Armor on the way." - Pelican Pilot Once the Pelican drops the Scorpion, get in. Fire across the bridge at the Wraiths. Once they're dead, be sure to watch for the four incoming Banshees. Two shots per Banshee should do. Get out of the Scorpion and take the Ghost sitting near the cliff edge. Move across the bridge and kill off the Ghosts. "You don't want the tank? Ok... I guess we'll just leave it for the others." - Cortana Move on through the ruins, up the slope and down the other side. There is a small hole in the wall with Grunts standing around to your left. Kill them, then back off, watching for the incoming and pursuing Ghosts. Kill off any Ghosts that confront you, and then proceed out of the ruins and around the corner. Be aware, There is a Spec Op riding one of the Ghosts, making it an extremely tough one to take out. There are two Support Grunts with Plasma Turrets ahead. Kill them off then boost up to them. ************************ You Break It, You Buy It ************************ Move through the tunnel, and out the other side. You'll find yourself in a large, circular area. There are several Plasma Turrets and Ghosts sitting around. Immediately destroy any vehicles coming towards you. There are four or so active Ghosts. Once the area is clear, move down into the center and open up on those inside the ruins. Another two Ghosts will come out of the ruins, one of which is driven by a Spec Op. Spec Op driven Ghosts are best isolated, and the jacked. Basically, take his own Ghost and kill him with it. Continue on through the ruins, and down the slope. The next room appears to be empty, but when heading through, a team of Grunts will jump you. Now, most people will consider this a stupid move on their part, nut considering the fact that they set up their Plasma Cannons within seconds of jumping you, it's a pretty tough trap. However, since you now know what's going to happen, you should easily overwhelm them. Back out, ASAP. Now, peek round the corner and destroy the turret. Once down, you can move in and slaughter the rest. However, that only gets you further into their trap, as four Ghosts jump up the next slope and attack you. They'll surround you quickly. Two of them have more Spec Ops on board. It'll be pretty challenging, but try'n lure them out one by one, then slaughter them. Move on down to two slopes and out of the ruins, watching for the oncoming Ghosts as you go (more Spec Ops, of course). "There are Covenant holed up in the middle of this structure. We need to clear them out." Go round the right side of the ruins, destroying the Ghosts you encounter on the way. Go up the slope, and kill off the Elites. There is a long wall of shields here, move through them and kill off the Elites. "They're all pouring out of the middle - let's get in there." Waves of Covenant will come out of the small opening ahead, into the ruins. They'll walk straight into your sights, so don't worry too much. By now, reinforcements will appear from behind you. They were dropped a little back by a Pelican, along with some ammo crates. You might want to get off your Ghost and go get some new weapons and ammo. Once you're ready, move into the ruins. There is a ton of Elites in here. You're going to have to rely on Plasmas. Headshot any Grunts and Jackals. Once the ground floor is clear, move up and kill off the Elites... they are armed with Carbines. Move on through to the cliffs. You'll find four or so Grunts, and three Jackals here. Kill 'em off quickly and move through the small cave. ************************************************** Off the Rock, Through the Bush, Nothing But Jackal ************************************************** [NOTE: This area is hard to explain, so I'm going to be a bit brief, and avoid going into detail. Sorry about this, but there isn't much more I can do, except give bad descriptions and confuse you] You'll find yourself in a small stream. Follow it along and melee the Sniper Jackal walking around ahead. This place is a sniper haven; so get ready for total PWNAGE. "You always bring me to such nice places." - Cortana Snipe any Jackals you see, then take on the Minor Elite. Once dead, move down to the bottom of the river, killing as you go. Work your way across the river, watching for the swarm of Drones. Find your way up the hill, and kill the Elites as you go. When you find some Covenant communication equipment, you know you're on the right track. Head into the cave behind the crate with the Beam Rifles. Follow the path out to the large clearing. "Good. Still no word about In Amber Clad on the Covenant battle net. It's odd, the Covenant know we made land falls, but they don't seem to consider us a very serious threat. Boy, are they in for a big surprise." - Cortana Head down into the large structure. Once you're in, you'll find yourself face to face with a Hologram of Regret, and two Honor Guards. Lure the Guards into the hall, and beat them to death. One of them is dual wielding Plasma Rifles, so be careful, the other has a Plasma Sword. Two more will come from the top floor. Once dead, you are face-to-face with a Hologram of Regret. ========================================================= ====== Regret ====== The Chief heads starts to move up the ramp. "Wait, go back... That's what I thought he said The Prophet of Regret is trying to activate halo" Are you sure? Cortana clicks, and the hologram comes to life. "I shall light this holy ring, release its cleansing flame, and burn a path into the divine beyond." - The Prophet of Regret Once again, she clicks, and it freezes on the spot. "Pretty much." - Cortana "Commander? We've got a problem." - The Chief Miranda, sitting in her chair, is looking through the information on Halo, and a hologram of the Index. "So I hear. But from what I understand, the Prophet will need an object - the Index - to activate the ring. I've located a Library similar to the one you found on the first Halo." - Miranda "If the rings work the same way, the index should be inside." - Miranda "I bet the Covenant are thinking the exact same thing." - Sarge "Then we better beat them to it sergeant. Extract your men and meet me at the library." "Yes ma'am." "I'll secure the Index, Chief. You take out the Prophet. He's given us all the Intel we need. ********* Testament ********* You'll start of facing Regret's Hologram. Two Marines will back you up for now. Get ready to fight, as a swarm of Drones charges in right away, followed by four Elites. Simply hide on the lower floor and take the Drones out with your SMG. Once they're down, Beam Rifle the Elites. The Marines usually kill a couple of Elites, but they usually die before the end of the fight. Head up the ramp and out the door to the right. Kill any Snipers you see, and watch for the oncoming Elite. There are lots of Veteran Elites here. Kick their ass, and move on. Watch for the Grunts, and always keep an eye on the other structures in case Snipers appear. Head over to the next structure along, and kill off the Minor Elite on the way. There is a Sniper there, simply beat him to death (If you're too close, he'll drop his Rifle and run, so you have no need to worry). Kill the oncoming Grunts, then the Veteran Elite ahead. Continue around the structure, and move inside. There's a lot of Grunts in here, and two Veteran Jackals. Kill them all and move on. As you head for the exit, another two Jackals attack. Two headshots should do. "I wish I had time to decipher these inscriptions... The Forerunners revered this place. That much is clear. But was it a temple? A university? I can't say." - Cortana Once you make it out, you'll see a tram... of sorts. It heads off just before you reach it. Beam any Snipers you see, and the Veteran Elite. Move over to where the tram was, and wait for it. As you wait, a Phantom approaches from the distance. Hide under the central structure. Once it makes it's drop and leaves, come out to find yourself faced with a Hunter Bond. With your Beam Rifle, unload into their flesh. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hits to finish it. "Cortana? The Covenants getting nervy. I don't want to give away my position, so I'm rerouting a few stragglers back to you. I apologise, these Pelicans are all the support you're gonna get." - Miranda "Understood ma'am." - Cortana Once they're down, wait a little longer, and a Pelican will arrive. It drops six weapon crates, and two Marines. "The gondolas launching from the far towers. Big surprise, it's full of Covenant reinforcements." Get a Beam rifle aimed at the gondola, in preparation for the Elite that shall emerge. Once the Elite(s) is down, clear out the Grunts and Jackals, then move in. Hit the switch to start the gondola. ************** One-Way Ticket ************** As soon as the gondola starts, watch your 6 for incoming Drones. A gondola approaches from the opposite side. Get ready for a swarm of Drones and accompanying Elites. Hide on the underside of the gondola and kill of the Drones, then kill off the Elites, either close and personal, or peak out, fire, and back under cover. The gondola continues on. As it approaches the next structure, watch for the four Snipers, and two Plasma turrets. Snipers first, Grunts second. Once it's clear, and the gondola reaches the end, kill the two Jackals and move in. There is a room full of jackals here. Dual Plasma Pistols are my personal favourite here. Move in and kill off the Jackals on this side of the room, then move round to the other side. Once they're dead, drones move in. PPs are still my weapons of choice. Kill them off. "Ah, now I see. There's a submerged section that connects these towers to the outlying structures. Looks like we're going down... unless you'd prefer to swim." - Cortana You need to wait for the elevator to rise up the hole in the center. Once it's up, kill the Jackals within. A Pelican while drop some Marines down outside. Wait for them to catch up with you. "Alright. Let's see where this elevator goes." - Cortana Move in and hit the switch, once the Marines are inside. The elevator moves down the shaft and suddenly comes to a halt. It then starts up again and plummets into the underlying pool of water. It turns out you're in the lake that was outside the structures. "I've intercepted a secure transmission from Regret's Carrier, something called... High Charity. It seems to be a formal apology to the Prophets of Truth and Mercy. Apparently, Regret jumped the gun when he attacked Earth. He's asking the other Prophets to 'forgive his premature arrival', arguing that 'no human presence was foretold.' That explains why there were so few ships in his fleet. But it's odd a Prophet would have such bad intel about his enemy's Home-World." - Cortana You'll find yourself coming under the next structure just as Cortana finishes. The Elevator stops for a moment, and then speeds upwards, out of the water and into the structure itself. The door opens and the Marines jump out. Follow them along and head up the ramp. You're going to want to stealth kill these Grunts. This is tricky as the pattern seems to change slightly every now and then, making it impossible at times. Just kill the patrolling Grunts, and once the Marines charge in they'll slaughter the rest. Move through to the next room. Head up the ramp and into the next large room. Kill off the Jackal Sniper wandering behind the Honor Guard, then back off to the ramp and kill the Drones that swarm you from in here. When the Honor Guard approaches kill him quick. He has an Energy Sword. Once they've all been taken care of, take out the remaining Jackals on the far side of the room. Move slowly through the room, clearing it out as you go. Watch for the next swarm of Drones. Also, at one point, three Honor Guards will come from one door, and a Hunter Bond from another. There's a lot of Beam Rifles sitting around the room. Lure the Hunter into swiping you, then stick a Beam Rifle in its back and fire twice. It dies. Head through the next room, and around the other side of the wall to the next room. There are three Black Op Elites here, and accompanying Grunts. Kill them off (they have weakened shields), and move through to the next room. A Sword Elite comes rushing down the ramp to attack. Finish him and move on. Go down the ramp and into the elevator. Hit the switch. This elevator heads into the water, just like the last one. "Regrets Carrier just received a response from High Charity. A very well encrypted message from the Prophet of Truth. Listen to this: 'Your haste has jeopardized the fulfillment of the Covenant, threatened our Grand Design. That you shall be spared a public display of our contempt is thanks only to Mercy and his wise council.' Truth, Mercy, Regret. Three Prophet Hierarchs. Killing Regret should shake up the Covenant leadership, but frankly, it sounds like you might be doing Truth a favor. " The elevator heads out of the water and into the next structure. When the 'vator hits top, move out and back smack the Honor Guard. Move along and beat the next Honor Guard to death. Kill off the Grunts and move on. "Every member of the Covenant shall walk the path. None will be left behind when our Great Journey begins. That is the Prophets age-old promise, and it shall be fulfilled!" - Regret "Great Journey! Doesn't he know what these rings do!?" - Cortana Continue out to the exit and kill off the Drones before leaving the building. Once dead, head up the hill, behind the Elites and smack them in the back. "This is my last run, Chief. I'm nearly out of fuel! We've secured the first tower cluster, so I'll set down there." - Pelican Pilot Kill the Jackals, and wait for the Pelican to land. The Pelican also drops ammo canisters. Head on through the rocks to the next area. Two Snipers, a Carbine Elite, and a Grunt are ahead. Kill off the Snipers quickly, then take the Grunts. The Marines will have eaten away at the Elite then, so you simply finish it off. Kill the next Elite to the left, then another Grunt hiding behind the ruins. Move quickly through the wreck now - a Phantom is in hot pursuit. A Jackal is sitting between you and your destination: A Sniper Jackal. Kill it. There are more canisters here. Choose your weapons and kill off the Covenant on the gondola. Let your Marines get on the gondola, and hit that switch. "How's it going, you two?" - Miranda "So far, so good. We're approaching the main temple now." - Cortana "Roger that. I'm as close to the Library as I can get. There's some sort of barrier... we're trying to find a way around it. I'll keep you posted." - Miranda As the gondola leaves, two Banshees pursue. In this condition, they'll be tough. Use the Rocket launcher which is sitting atop the gondola. It has four convenient rockets, enough to kick their asses. A second Gondola meets you half-way, and two Thruster Elites board your gondola. They'll be very tough. Not only that, but there are supporting Grunts, namely a Fuel Rod Grunt. Use the Sniper Rifle also conveniently nearby. Two shots from that, then a head burst with the Battle Rifle per Elite. Finish the Grunts, then move on... or let the gondola move on. Once you get near the main temple, Covenant will swarm out from within. Kill off the Grunts (on Plasma Turrets), then Jackals. A huge Covenant fleet appears overhead, just exiting Slipstream Space. "That's the largest Covenant fleet I've ever seen... the largest anyone's ever seen! Get inside the temple and kill Regret before it can stop us." - Cortana ******************************************* Sorry, Were You in the Middle of Something? ******************************************* Kill the two Grunts on the Plasma Cannons up ahead, then the Elites that come out of the main temple. Jackals will dart out in the rear. Headshots... Plasma Bolt the Elites shields then head burst them. Move in... "The Covenant fleet has launched multiple waves of Phantoms! Too many for me to track - We don't have much time!" As you enter, two Veteran Elites will come at you from one door. Bolt Burst them. Grab the Energy Sword from underneath the ramp. Move up the ramp, and look ahead to see... none other than the Prophet of Regret himself. "There are Honor Guards all over this place! Watch your back!" Two Honor Guards will make a charge for you. Dodge each of them and back-lunge them. Now charge for Regret! "There's the target! Take him out!" - Cortana "You dare to interrupt my sermon!? Warriors - Attack! The Demon must Die!" - The Prophet of Regret Move up to him as fast as you can, avoiding any Elites and such in the process. As soon as you are in range, hold "X" to board his Chair. Once aboard, hit B to beat the **** out of him. You can usually get about six hits in before he teleports. "Incompetence! I'll kill it myself!" - The Prophet of Regret As soon as you can, Lunge him with your Sword, followed by a boarded beating. After about 15-20 Lunges and punches, he'll release a piercing scream, and die. With no life left to control his chair, it plummets to the ground, the chair starts to vibrate violently, and then it explodes. "Bad news! The Phantoms are turning around, the fleets preparing to fire on our position!!" - Cortana The Chief walks outside and looks up to see a carrier preparing to glass the entire structure! The Chief looks to the left and sprints out, to the end of the structure. He reaches the wall, leaps over, and lands on the path below. He darts for the end of the structure, jumps as far as he can, spinning around in the process, and lands in the water as the structure collapses around him. He sinks into the lake... "This is not your grave... ughh... But you are welcome in it!" - Voice A vine floats around in the lake - apparently at random, until it suddenly straightens, then darts for the Chief and wraps around him, pulling him deeper into the lake. =========== Sacred Icon =========== COVENANT HOLY CITY, HIGH CHARITY SANCTUM OF THE HIERARCHS The Arbiter walks along a corridor, Elites and Brutes on either side. The Elite Honor Guards walk along, without their helmets. The Brutes are placing Honor Guard equipment on themselves. One Brute attempts to take an Elites staff from him. The Elite holds, but the Brute gives him a cold stare. The Elite submits. Two Brutes are fighting over a helmet. The Arbiter continues through a large door, and between two Brute Honor Guards. He comes across three Elites speaking with the High Prophets. "This is unprecedented. Unacceptable." - Spec Op Commander "A Hierarch is dead, Commander." - The High Prophet of Truth "His murderer was within our grasp. If you had not withdrawn our Phantoms-" - Spec Op Commander "Are you questioning my decision?" - The High Prophet of Truth "No, Holy One. I only wish to express my concern that the Brutes-" - Spec Op Commander "Recommissioning the Guard was a radical step, but recent events have made it abundantly clear that the Elites can no longer guarantee our safety." - The High Prophet of Truth "I shall relay your... decision... to the council." - Spec Op Commander The Commander passes the Arbiter. They exchange nods, then move on. "Politics, how tiresome." - The High Prophet of Truth "Do you know, Arbiter, the Elites have threatened to resign? To quit the High Council? Because of this... exchange of hats?" - The High Prophet of Truth "We have always been your protectors." - The Arbiter "These are trying times - for all of us." - The High Prophet of Truth "Even as the Humans' annihilation filled us all with satisfaction, the loss of one of the Sacred Rings wracked our hearts with grief!" "Putting aside our sorrow, we renewed our faith in the prophecy that other rings would be found. And see how our faith has been rewarded!" Truth moves to the left, and Mercy turns his back to the Arbiter, revealing another Halo on the view screen. "Halo... its Divine Wind will rush through the stars, propelling all who are worthy along the path to salvation!" "But how to start this process? For ages we searched for one who might unlock the secrets of the ring - An Oracle - and, with your help, we found it." The Prophets lead the Arbiter to the trapped Oracle. "With appropriate humility we plied the oracle with questions, and it, with clarity and grace, has shown us the key." They press a button, and up comes the Sacred Icon. "You will journey to the surface of the ring and retrieve this Sacred Icon. With it, we shall fulfill our promise." "Salvation for all!" "And begin the Great Journey!" --- A Phantom speeds along towards Halo. Aboard the Phantom, sits Tartarus, standing behind a Brute - piloting the ship. "Once the shield is down, we will head straight to the Library, I do not wish to keep the Hierarchs waiting." - Tartarus The Arbiter is standing next to two Brutes in the passenger section of the Phantom. "The Human that killed the Prophet of Regret... Who was it?" - The Arbiter "Who do you think?" - Tartarus "The Demon is here!?" - The Arbiter Tartarus growls in confirmation. "Why? Looking for a little payback?" - Tartarus "Retrieving the Icon is my only concern." - The Arbiter Tartarus laughs at the thought. "Of course!" - Tartarus The Phantom moves down to the large structure, and drops the Arbiter. The Arbiter looks around, hearing a sound. Suddenly, an Enforcer rises up behind him. He fires off a few shots, attempting to ground it, but it fails. The Phantom returns and blows one arm off it. It gives chase. "Lower the shield, Arbiter! I'll pick you up when you've finished!" - Tartarus ********************* Uncomfortable Silence ********************* Immediately turn round and head up to the Veteran Grunt. Shoot at the symbols on the structure. They'll glow dark blue. Keep firing until the pillar moves out of the ground, then drop down. After you come out of the drop, shoot the next pillar to lower it, then drop down. Once you reach the bottom, move along the corridor, killing the sentinels in the process. Be sure to destroy any panels on the wall (white ones with blue lights underneath). They release more Sentinels. Once you reach the end of the corridor, shoot the pillar and move down. You'll meet two Jackals and a Grunt attempting to hold off Sentinels. Help them out, and be sure to destroy the wall panels. Once its clear, move along the bridge and the end of the room. "You're getting close to one of the shield generators. Many of my Brutes have fallen, attempting to take it down. Let's see if you fair better." - Tartarus At the other side of the bridge, it's the same deal as the last side. Simply take the panels off the wall, and deal with any Sentinels that attack. Once you've done that, find the next pillar and shoot it. Move down, your Jackals and the Grunt should follow. Another Grunt will meet you down here, fleeing from Sentinels. Another corridor with Sentinels and Panels. Clear out, shoot the pillar, drop down. "You've reached the shields power source, Arbiter. Overload the locks holding it in place." You'll encounter an Enforcer along with many Sentinels in this large room. Drop down onto the platform below, and hide out on the underside. Shoot out all open wall panels, then eliminate the Sentinels. Once the Sentinels are out of the way, concentrate on the Enforcer. Take the arms out first, then concentrate on the main body. When all seems clear, activate the gondola by shooting at the panels at the corners of the platform. "You've released the power source. Now, find a way to remove it from its cradle." - Tartarus Hit the switch to power down the Containment-Shield. Suddenly - explosions. Not that you can see, but that you can hear. The huge doors in front of the gondola open, and it starts moving. *************** Buyer's Remorse *************** As the lift moves out into the snow, a Phantom passes by in front of you, then turns back to support. "I'll come after the Library is clear, I'll pick you up on the ledge ahead." The next door along slides out of the way, and an Enforcer bombards the Phantom. "Argh! Blasted machines!!" Once the gondola stops, you'll be surrounded by Sentinels and Flood... oh, and who can ignore the Enforcer. Watch for the Advanced Sentinels, they use more powerful blue Sentinel Beams. They also come with energy shields sometimes. Use Sentinel beams to kill the Flood, and a Carbine for the wall Panels and Sentinels. The Enforcer can be safely ignored as long as you're on the underside. When the battle dies down, eliminate the Enforcer with an Advanced Sentinel Beam. When the small door (in comparison to the previous two) opens, move on through and recover from the fight. Some minor Flood Combat Forms (Human) will charge you. Cut them down to size before moving on. Eventually, the corridor will start to flood with... Flood... erm... yes, and Sentinels. Try to make them fight each other, then move on whilst they are distracted. At the end of the corridor shoot the pillar, then drop down. Head along the corridor, jumping over the obstacles. When the Flood leap over on their way to you hit your camo and continue on. Take a right and shoot the next pillar. Drop down. Move on, stopping to take ammo from the dead Marines. "Proceed to the objective! We'll hold out as long as we can - Urgh - Argh - Get if off ME!!" - Marine [RADIO] "Suppressing fire! Suppressing fire!!" - Marine [RADIO] When you come across more Flood, hit your camo and leg it! Once your camo runs out, keep on going. Pass in between the two Carriers, and then the next two, and then shoot the pillar. Drop down. Down here there are Enforcers taking on hordes of Flood. This is the perfect situation... when Flood are involved, that is. Move out of the little cubby, and jump up, into the next. Go along, and out again, and into the next. Up into the last one, shoot the pillar, then drop down. This place is almost pitch-black. It is swamped by Flood gas (the kind released when Flood are injured). Follow the corridor out, past the crates and into the large open area like the one you met the Grunts and Jackals in. Leg it past/over all Flood down to the bridge, then along to the other side. At the other side, dart past the Flood, and over the next bridge. "Negative, Ma'am. They are NOT Covenant. Cover that doorway!" - Marine Head through this room, find the pillar, shoot it, and jump down. Shoot the next pillar in this extremely dark room, and drop down again. You'll be out in an area like the one you started in. Pick up any ammo you fancy (That Energy Sword is a particularly good Flood stopper), shoot the next pillar, and drop down. This drop is similar to your first one. You'll see a Phantom cutting down Flood contacts. While it keeps them busy, you have a small window to shoot the pillar, and drop down Flood free. Get on it. This is a long drop. Once you hit the flat ground, move out of the tunnel. ****************** 100,000 Year's War ****************** Run out and cut down the Flood nearby. Watch out for the Rocket Flood. Orbital Drop Pods will fall from the sky, and from within, emerge the Elites. Help them secure the area over the bridge. Beware, Some Flood carry Shotguns and Energy Swords. Work your way up to the Plasma Turret, and hop on when the Flood are held off at a good few meters. Mow them down with that. All the Elites will hold up behind you. You'll have to watch for Flood coming from directly behind the gun, mainly an annoying Shotgun Flood or two. "Forerunners be praised! The Arbiter! This Quarantine Zone has been compromised. We must do what we can against the Flood. Our Commander has landed further in. Let us join him." - Once you hear that, the area should be completely clear of Flood. Head through the small cave along the snow wall to the left of the bridge. As you approach, Flood contacts will leap from atop the wall. Quick reaction time is key here, or else they'll surround you and beat you to death. Once you eliminate them, move through the cave. Walk up to the back of the Flood Combat ahead, and eliminate it. Move up to the center of this area. You'll see three or four Elites, attempting to hold off hordes of Flood. One of these Elites is the Spec Op Commander. Circle around the area and eliminate all contacts. Watch for the Rocket Flood to the right of the Elite encampent. "Arbiter! What are you doing here?" - Spec Op Commander Flood growls suddenly erupt from all around the area. "We must hold this camp until reinforcements come." - Spec Op Commander Watch for the rushing hordes of Flood. Get out your trusty Energy Sword, if available, and finish them alongside the Commander, in true style. "They were fools to stand against us!" - Spec Op Commander More hordes attack. Keep them at bay until the Phantom arrives with reinforcements. =============== Quarantine Zone =============== A Phantom flies hovers overhead, dropping replacements for your dead Elites. "In the center of this zone is a Sacred Icon critical to the great journey. I must find it!" - The Arbiter "We shall cut into the heart of this infestation, retrieve the Icon, and burn any Flood that stand in our way." - Spec Op Commander A loud roar of approval comes from the reinforcing Elites. "The parasite is not to be trifled with, I hope you know what you're doing!" - Spec Op Commander The Commander walks away. ********************************************* Objects in Mirror are Larger Than They Appear ********************************************* "Forward Warriors! And fear not pain nor death! Go Arbiter, I'll follow when our reinforcements arrive." The Phantom dropped four Warrior Elites, two Ghosts, and a Spectre. I suggest taking the Spectre, and fitting on three of the four Elites... if they are willing to join you. Get ready ASAP, as an Enforcer and Sentinels are approaching. Clear 'em out, then move up the hill and through the tunnel. Wait for the Ghost, then move through the next door. "What! The Parasite controls our vehicles? No matter... it will die all the same." - Warrior Elite You'll find yourself in a large open room. Two Advanced Sentinels come straight at you, with an Enforcer not far behind. Dodge their attacks to the best of your ability, giving your Elites time to shoot them down. You'll notice random Ghosts lying around, unmanned yet damaged. Don't bother taking anything, keep your Elites as close as possible (AKA, most on Spectre, one on Ghost). After clearing out the first few Forerunners, move around the big dividing block, and be prepared for incoming Enforcers in the masses. "Commander, we've found a human vehicle!" - Warrior Elite "Keep moving, I'm on my way." - Spec Op Commander You'll notice an empty Warthog up against a pillar behind some boxes, with accompanying dead Marines. Hold back and strafe the Enforcers for your Elites. Move along the path slowly. Move down the slope, and take cover immediately. A Scorpion is just ahead. Your top priority - Jack the Scorpion. Get off your vehicle, get as close as you can, then cloak yourself. Jump on the back, hit it a few times, throw two Plasma Grenades in, then jump off. You should now have a damaged, yet empty and usable Scorpion. Get in, then wipe out the remaining Flood Ghosts. Move through the tunnel, and out the other side. ******************* Healthy Competition ******************* Move forward. Three Human Flood will drop down from above the tunnel. An Enforcer hovers over from the left, past your LoF, taking no notice of you. Move ahead and simply run over the Flood. A Human controlled Pelican flies overhead, firing the rear-mounted Chaingun down on Flood contacts, and carrying a Scorpion at the rear. Move around, down the slope, rolling over the Flood in the process, and in through the small door. "I'm sending you a squad of my most experienced Warriors, Arbiter. Do not squander their talents!" - Spec Op Commander Straight ahead, you'll find a Wraith firing Plasma Mortars at an Enforcer. Hit the Enforcer from the rear with your turret shells, then attempt to jack the Wraith. You'll need the speed boost. A Phantom will land in this area, so don't move too far. It drops three Veteran Elites, and two Ghosts. "An Arbiter! Just what are we going up against?" - Elite Once your team is ready, move along the tunnel, and over the makeshift bridge. Watch for the Rocket Flood atop the hill ahead of the bridge. Kill off the Flood Ghost, then move over the next bridge. There is another Rocket Flood straight ahead, under the rubble. Turn left and target the Wraiths. Follow the path along, over the natural bridge. Watch for the Flood Wraith in front of the cave. A large group of advanced Sentinels and an Enforcer or two suddenly ambush your team. At these numbers, Sentinels can be devastating. I suggest going straight into the tunnel. Watch for the incoming Ghosts. After you've cleared this area, move through the cave, and leave your Wraith. A Flood-controlled Scorpion and Wraith lie straight ahead, in battle with Enforcers and Sentinels. Move up to the Scorpion and board it. Beat it then grenade it. If you're lucky, an Elite may have taken your Wraith. With your supporting team (assuming you managed to keep them alive), you'll be all set for the battle. Most of the time there are just too many Sentinels and Enforcers though, so you will very probably be forced to flee through the rubble. Once you're through, move along the cave. You'll come to some windows, through which Sentinels are cutting down the Flood. Drop down into the room below, and fight your way through to the other side. Carefully move past the Flood, avoiding contact when the contacts are fighting each other. Move through the exit cave. As you go out into the open, an Enforcer wreck lands inches from your face. Move quietly around the side of the hills, and through the cave at the other side of the pit. As you enter the cave, hordes of Flood rush straight at you. Immediately cloak and leap over them, and they should head straight under you and into the pit battle. Follow the tunnel along, into a room similar to the one you were in just before. Move to the other side, up the ramp and out into the open again (past some Flood on the way). You know you're going the right way when you pass dead Marines. Head down the left, and grab the empty Ghost. Move past the enemy Ghosts and Wraiths, across the bridge, and hold position. Watch it, there is a Flood controlled Gauss 'Hog. There is also a Chaingun 'Hog, and many a Ghost, with a Wraith or two. Whatever you do, don't stray too far. A Phantom is on the way. When it arrives, it drops a Spectre, the Spec Op Commander, and a Warrior Elite. Get on the Spectre and move up the hill. As you move along, watch for the Enforcers, which most likely dominated the ongoing battle. Don't draw too much attention to your team, as a couple of Wraiths usually sit far to the left, far enough to last the battle. Once you have cleared the entire area out, move along over the hill, drop off to the ground below, through the mini-cave, and into battle with Enforcers, Ghosts, a Wraith and a Scorpion. "A Human Heavy-assault vehicle!" - Elite Leave the Flood and the Forerunners to battle it out, and move on to the right of the clearing, under the huge structure overlooking the Quarantine Zone. In here, there are hordes of Flood all gathered up, with a couple of Flood manning Human Turrets. I suggest getting off the Spectre, making sure your teammates get off too, and moving in on foot. Grenades are your best friend here. Toss them in, fire off at the turrets, and clear out any remaining Flood. The Commander will do most of the tougher groups for you, as long as you support. Once all is clear, move through the door at the center of the structure wall. Head along one of the corridors, "Warriors... well done!" - Spec Op Commander The Arbiter and the Commander head up a ramp and towards a computer. The Arbiter activates the Gondola, calling it to him. Just then, the next gondola along starts moving to the next structure. "More Humans? They must be after the icon!" - Spec Op Commander Growls and screeches come from back down the ramp. The Commander turns and draws his Sword. "On your way, Arbiter. I'll deal with these creatures!" - Spec Op Commander As the Commander leaves the gondola, it starts moving along. A Phantom flies down next to the gondola. "I see that coward didn't join you. I'll do what I can to keep the Flood off your back." - Tartarus **************** Shooting Gallery **************** "We cannot let the Humans capture the Icon! The Hierarchs will not suffice to your failure." - Tartarus You'll find yourself surrounded by teammates. They are all Minor Elites. "Look! Up ahead - the parasite gathers for an attack." - Minor Elite The Elites will gather at the front of the gondola and exchange fire with the Flood. They are position on a small platform to the left of the gondola's path. Take out as many as you can. If any are left when the gondola passes, they'll jump on. Chances are most jumpers will miss. Kill them all off. As soon as you've cleared that, watch the bottom floor, but stay on the top side. When the Flood come through gaps near the bottom of the gondola, rush down with and keep them as low as possible. As soon as they start to rise, you start to lose. Once that set has been cleared, more Flood jump on above from another platform, and these ones rarely miss. More come out the bottom after that. Now you have to worry about one or two at a time, which can be worse, because they have a tendency to keep quiet when you don't know they're there. After a couple of singles, a huge horde enters from the bottom. Watch for those with shotguns. Grenades, and shotguns I might add, are your friends. "The Humans are already inside, Arbiter! After them! I'll watch the perimeter!" - Tartarus Eventually, a large circular door will open, and the gondola stops next to a small ramp. ************************** That Old, Familiar Feeling ************************** "Go Arbiter! Get the icon!" - Tartarus. Run down the walkway, and across the familiar layout of the Library. Some Combat forms run after something, taking no notice of you at all. When you get to where they were, a couple of infections leap out of the ducts, but still taking no notice. They follow after the Combats, ignoring the dead Flood bodies, which they could have revived. Dotted around among the Flood bodies, are the bodies of a few Marines. Follow them along the path. Head through the little passage-way on the left. The wreck of an Enforcer lies straight ahead. Miranda - searching for the index - comes across it floating over a large drop. She can't reach it as it floats over a large drop. She grabs a nearby vine, then leans out, and grabs the index. "Gotcha!" - Miranda Just then, the vine slips, and Miranda begins to slide over the edge. Suddenly, the vine stops, holding Miranda in place. "You know, your father never asked me for help either." - Sarge Sarge pulls Miranda up. "The index is secure." - Miranda "McKenzie, Perez! How's our exit? You hear me Marines!? We got trouble!" Sarge scans the area with his Battle Rifle. Sarge notices a distortion in the air. Knowing this is a sign of active camouflage, he opens fire on it, yet missing. The distortion leaps over the wrecked Enforcer. "Damn!" - Sarge Sarge tries to hit it with his rifle... twice, but both times the distortion counters. It grabs Sarge. The camouflage wears off, and the Arbiter appears underneath. "How ya doin'?" - Sarge The Arbiter head-butts Sarge, knocking him on the floor. "Sergeant, stay down!" - Miranda Miranda raises here dual-wielded SMGs and fires at the Arbiter, knocking his shielding offline. The Arbiter leaps back behind the Enforcer, and rushes round the right of the room to cover. Miranda turns to the Sergeant. "Johnson, you all right? Johnson!?" - Miranda The Arbiter takes his chance, and leaps out to Miranda. Miranda looks back slowly, understanding her mistake. The Arbiter knocks her guns away, then she is pulled by Tartarus' Hammer. "Excellent work, Arbiter. The Hierarchs will be pleased." - Tartarus Tartarus has Miranda in his right arm, with the index on her waist. "The Icon... is my responsibility." - Arbiter "Was your responsibility, now it is mine." - Tartarus The Brutes surround the Arbiter. One of the Brute takes Sarge, another takes Miranda from Tartarus. "A bloody fate awaits you and the rest of your incompetent race, and I, Tartarus - Chieftain of the Brutes, will send it to you." - Tartarus Tartarus raises his hammer, and aims at the Arbiter, ready to fire his energy sphere. "When the Prophets learn of this, they will take your head." - Arbiter "When they learn? Ha ha. Fool. They ordered me to do it." - Tartarus Tartarus fires, pushing the Arbiter over the edge, and down a huge drop. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ========= Gravemind ========= >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Intro: Scene One >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Intro: Scene Two >>>> The Brutes, with Keyes and Sarge, are pushing them along the walkway to a few Phantoms. "Split them up, one in each Phantom." Tartarus kneels before Truth. "The hopes of all Covenant rest on your shoulders, Chieftain." - The Prophet of Truth "My faith is strong. I will not fail you." - Tartarus Just then, a horde of Infections spring up from the side of the Platform. Two Honor Guards toss their staffs aside and stand in front of the Prophets, with Tartarus in front. The Infections leap for their hosts, but the Brutes land every punch, the sheer force shattering their weak build. But suddenly, a single Infection makes it past the Brute onslaught. It lands on Mercy's neck. Tartarus kneels down by his side, moving his hand slowly towards the Infection. "Let him be. The Great Journey waits for no one... not even you, Brother." - The Prophet of Truth. They walk away, and Mercy is left struggling on the platform. ======== Uprising ======== To be completed... ============ High Charity ============ To be completed... ================= The Great Journey ================= >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Intro: Scene 1 >>>>>>> Cutscene >> End >>>>>>> Cutscene >>>>>>>>>>> End Cutscene >>>> Tartarus may be dead, but with Halo activated, it's all in vein... A huge ball of blinding plasma glows white-hot in the center of Halo. The space around it starts to ripple, like the light is bending. Shockwaves home in on the central orb, shrinking as they go. Miranda makes a charge onto the swirling platform, ducks under another platform that almost knocks her off, and leaps onto the central pillar. She makes a mad dash for the center, and grabs the index. Back at the center, the orb grows bigger, and more threatening… A large beam is fired from the control room, and it makes contact with the central orb. The orb blows up to huge proportions, and almost consumes the entire ring, but suddenly, it implodes into a tiny little ball, and a small shockwave bursts out form the center of the ring. It just collapses like a puff of smoke… All is quiet, and Halo seems to be over, once more. The Arbiter discusses the situation with Sarge, Miranda, and Guilty Spark. Worried about the massive amount of other Halos that must be dotted around the galaxy, Sarge questions the Monitor on the function of Halo. They learn that all Halo's can be activated from the one location, and that if a single Halo can't be activated, the Ark can… "Chief, What the hell are you doing on that ship?" - Lord Hood "Finishing this fight." - Master Chief Credits roll. After the credits, Cortana can be seen sitting atop a console in High Charity. The tentacles of the Gravemind approach slowly from through the door, edging towards her. It asks her to answer its questions. "Alright, Shoot." Halo 3… +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------ 6. Theories: ------------ If you have any theories you wish to show everyone, send them to me. Write it as best as you can, because your theories WILL BE EDITED until Word detects no grammar errors. See email information at the top of the guide for full description of how the email should be sent. NOTE: GAMEPLAY THEORIES ONLY. Theories on things like Microsoft forcing Bungie to redesign the game for Halo 3, which BTW I disagree with, will not be accepted. ************************** The Other Gravemind Theory ************************** This theory is a bit... m3h. I don't half-believe it myself to be honest, not so much a theory as it is evidence of too much free time on my part. Really it's nothing more than a placeholder until I find other theories to put here. Short Summary: The Halo 1 Keyes blob is Gravemind's neglected little brother. Main Body: Anyone who read the Flood will know of the mental battle thought between Keyes and The Other. Jenkins felt too that there was an "Other" present. This Other seemed to rake through the lost thoughts of Keyes... digging deeper and deeper, and stealing his memories (not sharing, but stealing, like cut + paste instead of copy + paste). I think it was searching for the information on how to pilot the Truth and Reconciliation. The Flood were also in the process of repairing the Truth and Reconciliation when the Chief arrived at the ship. Chances are, IMO, that an Elite or some other host experienced the Other too, and repairing information was gathered from host to host. Maybe The Other was... not necessarily a younger Gravemind, but a malnourished one. I think the Gravemind seems much more complex than The Other because he has gathered many more hosts. I personally think that the Gravemind has simply gathered much more intelligence from his hosts, or possibly assembled that intelligence in a better manner, and managed it properly. For example, Gravemind immediately speaks to the Chief and the Arbiter. We don't know which language he is speaking, because the Chief is equipped with a translator which converts Elite speech to English. He may very well be speaking 1337 (hee hee... oh... I'll shut it then >_>), and it only sounds like English to the Chief due to his translator. Whatever it is, it's beside my point. I think that he managed to gather enough information from a vast range of Elite/Human hosts and understand the language properly. I don't really have a way to conclude this theory, as I plan to expand on it, and hope others will too. So I'll leave it that, a nice block of text to think about. Author: Cool Z **************************** Is History repeating itself? **************************** This is a theory I came across on the GameFAQs.com Halo 2 General Board. This is the work of Vegechan, a veteran user of the board. Short Summary: Many people think the Covenant is humanity's main threat, but it seems like Bungie is setting up the Flood with the sweeter deal. Will we have to be faced with a similar situation the Forerunner once were placed with? Main Body: So far everyone assumes Halo 3 will be able propelling Truth and the rest of the Covenant from Earth. I think this is far from the truth, and let's recap the ending shall we? The Covenant have fallen. Two of the three Hierarches are dead. The Covenant made between the Elites and Prophets has been broken. What's left of the Covenant Armada is currently blowing the crap of it's self around High Charity. The holy city and main base of operations is now under Gravemind's and the flood's control. So, yeah. Covenant are in a bad spot, and a whole game can't be made out of stopping Truth from activating the Ark. But look at how the Flood are set up. The flood for the first time in eons, are off of a Halo. The currently have High Charity, and when powered can bring the Flood anywhere they deserve. I'm sure there are phantoms aboard High Charity, and using the cause of the civil war, Gravemind can easily take control of a couple Covenant ships. He can either use these to make a power supply for High Charity, or create a small fleet. Gravemind also has two of the three hierarchs and 2401 Penitent Tangent, and assumably, Cortana. Or all these he can easily know of the location of the Ark, and Earth. The ark can assumed to be on Earth due to Truth heading there, unaccompanied with only one Forerunner ship, but it's still unknown. Now, the Flood need to destroy, defend, or deactivate the Ark due to it's purpose, so Gravemind wants to be at Earth. That being said, due to the small war Earth just went under, it's defenses are in shambles* and the Flood just showing up in a giant hive will cause massive problems and Earth, our last planet left thanks to the Covenant, might just fall under Flood jurisdiction. So yeah, the Flood are set up to be a very key element in 3, more so than 1 or 2. Will history repeat itself and after all possible solutions become exhausted will we be forced to activate the ark? 3 will be very interesting indeed... *This needs to be said. Earth got f*'d up. Those 15 Covenant ships tore a new one. Hear me out. These 15 ships aren't your normal Covenant ships. They where traveling with the Prophet of Regret's ship. These things had to be special. That being said, within the first moments of battle 2 of the 3 geo sync platforms were destroyed. And if you pay close attention to the scene where Master chief returns the bomb, you see the Human fleet. You see almost 20 ships all firing, however in mere seconds they are ripped through and only 3 or 4 remained. Mere seconds. When you leave the battle is still raging, and when you return it's still going on. When the admiral asks why you are on that ship, just look at his surroundings and how beat up that place is. Earth is weakened. And if the Flood attack, there will be little resistance. If you have any comments to make on this theory, send them to [email protected]. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -------- 7. FAQs: -------- Any question that I'm frequently asked by email or that I see a lot on the boards will be posted here if I know the answer. 1.I'm playing Cooperative mode, but for some reason the screen is vertically split, rather than horizontally. Please help. This is the most common problem that people seem to encounter. It's pretty easy to fix. Vertical split is designed for wide screen TVs. Go into the Xbox main menu (by turning it on without a disk in the drive), then choose settings. Look for the widescreen option, and turn it off. That should solve the problem. 2. Bungie stated that peeking and sprinting would be an in-game feature, yet I don't seem to be able to use it no matter what I try. Bungie also stated a couple of months before the release of the game that these features would have to be removed. 3. When playing Cooperative mode on Legendary difficulty, it doesn't seem to work properly. I play a little into the level, and then someone will usually die. However, instead of that person respawning, the game reverts. What's going on? This is a new feature to make Coop much more difficult. There is nothing wrong with your game. You must avoid dieing if you want to make it through the game now. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ----------- 8. CREDITS: ----------- GameFAQs, IGN, Cheat Planet, and Cheat CC for agreeing to/requesting to host my FAQ/Walkthrough. Bungie for making such great games. GameFAQs Halo 2 board users, for the extensive info, which I have not yet received from them, but hope to when updating this guide. >_> And everyone who sent in small pieces of info to help me out. There are way too many too mention, but you know who you are. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ t3h l3g4ls!!! Blah blah, plagiarism is naughty, blah blah, copyrights, blah blah. If you see this FAQ/Walkthrough at any site not listed in my allowed section at the top then please alert me so that they can be possessed and forced to run naked along the street with a chicken's head up their ass.
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