HALO 2 LEGENDARY TACTICS & WALKTHROUGH Version 1.2 NOTICE: This guide is for personal use only and may not be reproduced, re- posted or republished without the express consent of the author. Copyright 2004, Thomas J. Race *************************************** Version 1.2 Changes: 1. Added SKULLS, Section IV. 2. Added change to Cooperative play in "Program Changes" section. 3. Added "IMPORTANT" comments in "Use Cover" section. 4. Added sword fighting tip for killing Brutes in "Specific Enemy Threat Elimination" section. 5. Added tips to Cairo Walkthrough, "Hangar A-02." 6. Added "IMPORTANT" tips in "Cairo Station" walkthrough, "Return to Sender." 7. Corrected Metropolis Walkthrough, Jackal Snipers do not respawn indefinitely in, "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us." 8. Added new attack method at beginning of "Delta Halo" 9. Corrected beginning of Regret walkthrough – can't stock weapons 10. Added "Banshee in the Control Room" to walkthrough for "The Great Journey" Version 1.1 Changes: 1. Added comments to "Congratulations" section. 2. Added "Program Changes" (Section II) 3. Expanded the Arbiter's Optical Camouflage benefits in "Using Cover" 4. Added the "Brute Shot" in "Significant New Weapons" section. 5. Described "Hover" capability for Banshee in "Vehicles" section. 6. Added "Uprising," "High Charity" and "The Great Journey" to walkthrough. 7. Added "Halo 1 Secret Shortcuts" (Section VI) *************************************** IMPORTANT NOTES: 1. Thanks to all the feedback from Legendary players around the world! This FAQ will be updated once more to include all the tips and tactics that have been submitted. 2. Of special interest is the new section on hidden SKULLS that dramatically alter game play, and allow you to customize Halo 2 to your liking! CONTENTS: I. Congratulations II. Program Changes 1. Save the Game! 2. Profile Management 3. Legendary Cooperative Respawn Change III. Legendary Overview IV. Skulls V. Tactics 1. Use Cover 2. Weapon Recommendations 3. Specific Enemy Threat Elimination 4. Miscellaneous tips VI. Walkthrough 1. Cairo Station 2. Outskirts 3. Metropolis 4. The Arbiter 5. Oracle 6. Delta Halo 7. Regret 8. Sacred Icon 9. Quarantine Zone 10. Gravemind 11. Uprising 12. High Charity 13. The Great Journey VII. Halo 1 Secret Shortcuts 1. The Silent Cartographer – Overshield Jump 2. Assault on the Control Room – Banshee Flip! ************************************************ I. CONGRATULATIONS First, congratulations to Bungie (again) for the best computer game ever written! They have far surpassed even my overly optimistic expectations. Additional Amazing Achievements: - Bungie has once again delivered a bug-free program. Considering the hundreds of thousands of lines of code required, I bow my head with my hands to the floor, in the direction of the programmers and quality control team for delivering a perfect product. Major credit is also due to the Bungie Management Team, who made the right call to delay the delivery schedule to insure this important outcome. - Somehow, Bungie has figured out how to load ten times the information from the Halo CD in one-tenth of the time, compared to other X-Box games. This makes game play continuous without lengthy "Loading" messages. There's some real software magic going on at Bungie headquarters! - The personalities of the characters in this game are simply a riot! The number of "great lines," is countless. It's amazing how funny they can be, as you slay aliens and decapitate Flood! I tip my hat to the developers who came up with these personal profiles, and to the voice talent that delivered them so professionally – it's real theatre! "SCARED, DEMON???" ******************************************************* II. PROGRAM CHANGES: 1. SAVE THE GAME!!! Unlike the original Halo, you must "Save and Quit" during the Campaign if you want to keep your progress to the latest checkpoint. Do NOT simply turn off your X-Box when you're done playing. If you do, you'll "Resume" at the last place where you did "Save and Quit" when you restart the game. This can be quite frustrating. This is not a bug; it's a feature. You can now "Save and Quit" in a spot where you're not sure what to do, e.g., which weapons to carry into the next area. Then select Campaign and Resume and try out your selection. If it doesn't turn out the way you want it to, you can turn off your X-Box (without Save & Quit), restart, and you'll be right back where you made the bad decision, even though you ran through a few more checkpoints. 2. Profile Management: a lot of people are probably turning their X-Box off and on to change profiles. I did this until my 11-year old son straightened me out. Simply press "B" at the main menu (Campaign, etc.) to "sign out" and you'll be asked to hit the Start Button to pick your new profile. 3. Respawn in Legendary: If one of your team dies playing Cooperative in Legendary mode, that player will not respawn. You are both booted back to the last checkpoint. ********************************************** III. LEGENDARY OVERVIEW The FAQ is written primarily for people who have tried Legendary and decided they needed help. However, it will help ALL players at ALL difficulty levels improve their game. Legendary difficulty level in Halo 2 is much more challenging than the original Halo for several reasons, including: - Your shield disintegrates more easily - You are more likely to be surrounded/overwhelmed - Jackal Beam Snipers kill you with one shot If you started a Legendary game and decided it was "suicide," that's understandable. The first Legendary missions at Cairo Station are among the most difficult in the entire game. The sheer volume of fire in the first "Repel Boarders" mission makes death a certainty if you make the slightest mistake. This can be very frustrating. You can win these scenarios when you know what to do. This FAQ will help. Simply put, you must use cover and choose your weapons well. The flow of the game is then restored, and victory quite satisfying. ********************** SEVERE SPOILER ALERT!!! WARNING: the following sections provide tips that some players would rather discover on their own. Read at your own risk! ********************** IV. SKULLS On each level, the folks at Bungie have hidden a Skull that will alter game play. Some Skulls will improve your abilities; many make the game tougher. There are at least 14 Skulls available. Below is a list of five that you should seriously consider obtaining. These five Skulls must be found while playing in Legendary difficulty level. There are more Skulls out there but most provide game play changes that are of questionable value. It is rumored that a Skull at the Gravemind level will "lower gravity." I assume this allows you to jump higher, so it might eliminate grenade-jumps. I recommend that you get the Skulls that help you ("Grunt Birthday Party" and "Envy") before getting the Skulls that make the game more difficult. Using Skulls: You pick up a Skull by holding "X." Your screen will flash white and a message will usually appear in the upper left hand corner (below the grenade status display). The message corresponds to the name of the Skull listed below, e.g., "Mythic", Grunt Birthday Party", "Envy", "Catch." The Skull after the Armory does not provide a message, and is referred to here as "Unnamed." - The effect of the Skull is immediate, so you can drop the Skull as soon as you pick it up by hitting X again. Continue with your mission. - The Skull will affect all Player Profiles and (I think) all Difficulty Levels. It can only be removed by turning off your X-Box. Turning Skulls On and Off If you turn off your X-Box all Skull effects will disappear. If you want to re-acquire the Skulls, I recommend the following method to facilitate that process: - The basic idea is to start a new Player Profile and save the game right after you find the Skull you want to use. This will allow you to reload the game at that point, and re-energize the Skull quickly when you want to. - Create a Player Profile for each Skull you want to use. Give the Player Profile a name that corresponds to the Skull you intend to find, e.g., "Mythic" - Since it is a new Player Profile, you'll be starting the game from scratch. You'll have to fight from the beginning of the game to the level that contains the Skull. For example, the "Mythic" Skull is in "Sacred Icon," so you'll have to fight from Cairo to Sacred Icon. - Use a lower difficulty level, e.g., "Easy" to fight your way quickly to the necessary level and complete it. Then save the game and restart the Campaign. Choose "Select a Level" and pick the level the Skull is on, e.g., 'Sacred Icon." Set the difficulty level to Legendary. Fight your way to the Skull, pick it up, drop it, then save the game again. - Your new Player Profile has now done his job. Whenever you reload his campaign, he'll be right at the Skull location. Just pick it up again, drop it again, and save the game. (Don't turn off your X-Box) - Be careful not to play that Player Profile again and accidentally save it in another location. Recommended Skulls: 1. Mythic Skull Effect: Difficulty level is increased beyond Legendary. The Mythic Skull is found on the Sacred Icon level after you lower the containment shield and take the transport ship to the Flood Infested Wall. The mission name "Buyer's Remorse" appears on the screen as you take the ride. At the transport's destination a door will open when the big Shielded Flying Thingy is destroyed. Go through the door and make your way past the Flood, energizing the Block Thingy's to get to the next areas. Eventually, you'll reach a gloomy brown area with 5 boxes stacked up like this in the middle of the room: X X X X X Climb up on the boxes and jump up to the platform above you. You'll now be facing several concrete compartments. Move to your left, killing Flood with the Shotgun that you (hopefully) procured. The Mythic Skull is in the last compartment. Congratulations, you're now in a mode beyond Legendary! Mythic Skull Difficulty Effect: - The Mythic skull does NOT create a new Difficulty Level that you can select. It simply makes the enemy tougher after you get it. - It now takes four Sniper Rifle headshots to drop a Red Elite. - Ultras cannot be killed with a Human Sniper Rifle because you can only take four shots - the Ultra's shield recharges while you're reloading. To kill an Ultra with a sniper rifle, you must use the Beam Sniper Rifle and fire at a pace that will not overheat the weapon. Killing an Ultra with a Beam Sniper Rifle requires 70 energy ammo. - Another big difference is Grunts in white uniforms. I've actually seen one survive 4 shots from a Battle Rifle and 2 shots from a Human Sniper (all body shots). The seventh shot ended his grunting forever. (Headshots would be much more effective.) - Jackals are now very tough. They must not have any brains in their head because if takes three or more headshots with a BR to give them a lobotomy. - I haven't fought the Brutes in Mythic yet. (I'll update this FAQ when I do.) - The Prophet of Regret is extremely hard to kill. In fact, I'm working on that right now! I have melee attacked him 13 times and he still lives! The good news is: - The Plasma Pistol/Battle Rifle one-two punch still works like a charm! However, Ultras now require two charged-up plasma shots to completely remove their shields. - Your own shield/health seems unaffected. You can overcome some of the Mythic disadvantages by incorporating the "Grunt Birthday Party" and "Envy" Skulls, described below... 2. Unnamed Skull Effect: Enemies are more alert and aware This Skull is found after you visit the Armory in the beginning of the game. You must wait in the Armory after the Shield Recharge Test (the "Zapper"). Sgt. Johnson will arrive. Do NOT leave the Armory (to get on the elevator with Sgt. Johnson) until you hear Sgt. Johnson complain several times about being late for the Medal Ceremony. When he finally says, "Would it help if I say, please?" you can walk into the elevator with him and then hop on the shuttle. The Skull is found on a crate when you ride the shuttle with Sgt. Johnson. If you look in the direction the shuttle is going, it will be on your right, about 10-15 seconds after the shuttle takes off. Hold "X" as it passes your window. Unnamed Skull Difficulty Effect: This is a great Skull for making the game more realistic. The enemy is now on "full alert" and very angry. - The enemy guards doors and sees you arrive on building elevators and submerged elevators. You are greeted by gunfire! - When you use Optical Camouflage, they hear you walking around and turn to face you (but they won't shoot). This makes it very difficult to sneak up from behind and melee them in the back. It also makes it difficult to get a back shot on a Hunter. When combined with Mythic, this Skull presents a truly formidable and realistic AI opponent – the best ever created for a computer game. So how are you going to deal with these bad guys that just got a whole lot tougher? Read on... 3. "Grunt Birthday Party" Skull Effect: Face Shots to Unshielded Targets Explode Like Plasma Grenades This Skull is found on the Arbiter mission after you get the first Banshee. The mission name "To the Hunt" appears on your screen. When you get to the Banshee, you'll see a very long connecting structure from the building you're in to another building in front of you. Fly to the bottom of this structure. In the middle at the bottom you'll find a small room with several grunts surrounding the Skull. Kill them with your Banshee, land, and get the Skull. Note: the room is hard to find unless you're at the right altitude. Stay close to the bottom, in the middle of the structure, and move up and down. Grunt Birthday Party Enhancement: The Grunt Birthday Party Skull is the great equalizer: - One shot in the face with a Battle Rifle, Carbine, or Sniper kills Flood, Jackals (and I hope, Brutes). - Grunts appear to explode no matter how they die – so keep your distance or you'll be caught in the explosion! - Shielded targets can be killed in the same way when their shield drops. - Drones (Bugs) and Hunters are immune. (The Bugs should have been on the hit list!) So where is the Flood's beautiful face? If a head is not visible, fire about a foot down from the top. Remember - some Flood are shielded. If you were frustrated with Legendary Flood (as I was), now you can smile! 4. Envy Skull Effect: Optical Camouflage for the Master Chief The Envy Skull is located on Delta Halo during the Tank mission. After extending the bridge, you drive along the path, fighting your way past about 15 ghosts and four turrets. You then come to a large structure with a courtyard in front of it defended by a few more turrets and about eight more Ghosts. The mission name will appear, "If You Break it You Buy It" After killing everything in sight, go into the large structure and fight your way through it. When you emerge from this structure, you face a building in front of you with columns, and a big wall to your left with more turrets. Between the building and the wall, the road splits – one road is next to the wall and goes up. The other road goes down past an opening where four Shield Jackals attack you. After you clear out these areas, you're ready to get the Skull. Get out of the tank and jump up on the wall to your left, where the turrets were located. Move to the far end and you'll find a big cubical rock in the corner. Jump on the rock, then to the ledge behind you; and then up to another higher level. You now have the lake to your left and a tall wall in front of you with a tree sticking out of it. You must ascend this wall to get the Skull. Unfortunately, you can't jump up on the tree to get there (you fall right through it). You'll have to perform a "grenade-jump." But first, jump to see what's up there. You'll notice that two invisible Elites defend the Skull. Jump straight up, firing your weapon at them when you peak. Do this jump-shoot several times. I recommend a Plasma Pistol charge up followed by Battle Rifle kill shots for each one. The Elites probably will not move as you jump-shoot, making it easy. Alternately, you can stick them with Plasma Grenades and throw frags while jumping up/falling down. With the invisible Elites destroyed, you're ready for the grenade-jump. Grenade Jump: Stand back from the wall about 5-7 feet (one body length). Throw the frag low where the wall meets the floor. After throwing it, immediately run forward and jump. This should get you to the top. Grab the Skull and then drop it, as usual. (It might be a good idea to save the game before doing this, especially if you're low on frags. But I'm not sure where you'll start when you reload). Envy Skull Enhancement Effect: The Optical Camouflage will last for 5 seconds when you hit the White Button. (You no longer have a flashlight.) This is shorter OC time than the Arbiter's, which lasts for 10 seconds. The recharge time is 12 seconds (Arbiter's OC recharged in 10 seconds). Though short, the OC for Master Chief is priceless: - You can now get the first shot at Jackal Snipers. Simply OC before you stick your head out. The advantage is now clearly yours! - You can escape from trouble when your shields are down. This is especially useful after melee attacking the Prophet of Regret. - You can run through areas much more effectively. 5. Catch Skull Effect: Your allies and enemy grunts throw many grenades The Catch Skull is located on Metropolis after the tank mission and the battle in the highway tunnel. You then go through a large sewer tunnel that brings you to the surface facing a large open "park" area with a large concrete platform and a friendly Warthog circling it. The mission name, "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us" appears on your screen. You must kill everything in this area, including the 10-12 Jackal Snipers that keep arriving in the area. Then you have to destroy the two Ghosts, which by now have destroyed the Warthog. (It's a good idea to bring the Warthog from the highway tunnel battle to this location so you can drive through the next area.) From the sewer tunnel, you will see a large concrete arc going up from the platform to a building. You must climb this arc to reach the skull. Unfortunately, you can't jump high enough to run up it. There are two methods of solving this problem: - Grenade-Jump: you do try the grenade-jump, but I'm not sure where you'll end up if you kill yourself. You might have to fight the whole park mission over again, which can take a lot of time. - Crate/Warthog Stack Method: you can drive the Warthog up the steps onto the platform and push a crate over to the base of the arc. It's not easy, and if you push the crate off the platform, you may not be able to get up this way. If you successfully get the crate over to the arc and it's still upright, you'll be able to jump from the crate to the arc and run up it. If it falls down, drive the Warthog up and over the crate so it's stacked on top of the crate next to the arc. This will provide sufficient height to jump and run up the arc. When you reach the top of the arc, make a left turn and you'll face a big wall with a path that leads to your left. Take the path around to the end, and you'll find the Catch Skull. Catch Skull Effect: This Skull allows your allies and enemy grunts to throw grenades much more frequently. When you encounter enemy forces, everyone that can throw a grenade will do so, and then follow up that attack with more grenades. The Arbiter's friendly Elites are the world champs in these grenade battles. They just keep lighting them up and sticking people. I've seen Heretic Elites with three plasma grenades stuck to their chest. The bad news is that you have to be very cautious when you encounter an enemy at short range. The grenades will keep coming until you're able to start shooting them. Then they will typically stop throwing grenades and start using their weapons. The Catch Skull doesn't really give you an advantage or disadvantage since it affects both sides in the battle. It does give the battles a completely different flavor and is a fun change to make. Tips: - Be careful when zooming your weapon. You may not see grenades coming your way. - Be aware of white light passing through at the edge of your field of vision. It's probably a plasma grenade just outside your field of vision. - Beware of that "sizzling" sound of a plasma grenade about to explode! V. TACTICS 1. USE COVER Using cover is an absolute must. Your health/shield bar is so weak that a single Bug can kill you in seconds. What you lack in shields must be replaced by concrete and steel. Warning: when under fire, do not hide behind vehicles and obstacles that can explode. - IMPORTANT: Use more than one covered position when in a fixed firefight. Fire from one location to get their attention, then make a stealthy move to another position to catch them looking the wrong way. This is essential against Hunters (more on Hunters, below). The program makes this tactic possible because the enemy will "focus" on the last position they saw you with a relatively narrow "cone of vision." They do not "scan" the area. Use this to your advantage! Again, draw their attention to one location, and then move to another for a kill shot. - IMPORTANT: Use your RADAR constantly. It will show only the enemies that are moving, but it will complete the mental picture of where they are. When being "flushed" from cover by enemies at close range, use the radar to adjust your position behind your cover and keep from being seen. This can give you the vital seconds necessary to recharge your shield. - You must be stealthy in your approach. Move from cover to cover. Take a quick look around each corner, and from behind cover to see what's out there. Use the "crouch" key (press left thumbwheel) to sneak up and melee attack from behind. - Have a "fall back" covered position in mind. This can be a lifesaver if your initial attack fails, or more enemy respond than you expect. - Run, jump and hide when being fired at! You MUST learn to make "legendary escapes" if you want to finish each mission without reloading it fifty times. - Remember that enemy fire targets the center of your body. If you position yourself behind horizontal cover that blocks their low shot, you can peek over the top and shoot them in the head. - Shoot through "peep holes" between rocks and trees when available. The aliens will probably not see you through thin cracks. - The Arbiter's optical camouflage (OC) is a wonderful survival/attack tool (White Button). You can earn many easy kills by energizing OC and then melee your opponent, or stick a plasma grenade to his face. Though OC will de- energize if you fire a weapon, OC will stay energized if you melee! OC allows you to take "advance from cover-to-cover" to the next level! OC is most commonly used when you discover new enemies. Energize when the enemy is in sight - it allows you to attack first, or reach a covered position before the first shot is fired. (There's a little clock next to the grenade status display that tells you how long OC will last and how soon it will re- energize. Also, a "chime" plays when it disappears and when it recharges.) OC is also quite useful for sneaking behind enemies and launch a melee/energy sword attack. 2. WEAPON RECOMMENDATIONS Two new weapons in Halo 2 are actually the same as the original Halo: - "Human Pistol" became the "Battle Rifle" (twelve shots with zoom) - "Assault Rifle" became the improved "Submachine Gun" SIGNIFICANT NEW PERSONAL WEAPONS (RECOMMENDED): - Covenant Carbine - the best all-around weapon in the game. Though it's not good against shields by itself, it's devastating against unshielded targets. In capable, patient hands, the Carbine's large ammo capacity can eliminate more enemy targets than any other weapon in the game. - Beam Sniper Rifle - very similar to the human sniper rifle with regard to damage and ammo supply. Can be shot two or three times quickly, but will overheat - causing a delay. It can be shot continuously at a slower rate of fire. - Brute Shot: Easy to underestimate, this is a great weapon for the Arbiter to use against Brutes. Like other weapons in the game, this one was designed to kill their own species. The best attribute is the huge blade that will kill a Brute with one melee hit from behind (2-3 hits from the front). So, you can energize optical camouflage, sneak up and whack – problem solved. It's also very useful against their companion Jackals. Though tempting to use against the Flood, it won't work nearly as well as the Energy Sword. Also a frag grenade launcher, it is a little tricky to learn how to use. The frags will bounce once off the floor or wall and explode on the second impact. So, most of the time you should aim at the floor in front of the target. - Energy Sword: This weapon is both useful and fun to use. It can be your "Flood Insurance" if used with discretion. The best move is the "lunge attack" that can be launched from 10 feet away. Just hit the right trigger when your cursor turns red. If can also be used in combination with jumping up, or falling down. Do not attack Honor Guard Elites or Hunters with the Energy Sword - you will be "rubberized." Do NOT lunge attack into a pack of Flood - you'll be drowned instantly. But for one Flood at a time, it delivers a constant stream of one-hit kills. Combine this with the Shotgun and you'll stay high and dry. Another dimension is added by combining this weapon with the Arbiter's optical camouflage (OC), which can be used either before or right after a lunge attack. RECOMMENDED WEAPONS & COMBINATIONS FOR LEGENDARY (in order of appearance): Note: Many weapon combinations work extremely well at lower difficulty levels, but are suicide in Legendary. At the top of this list is Plasma Rifle/Plasma Rifle dual wield, which will simply get you killed when the enemy returns your fire. (Darn! They were so much fun in Heroic.) - Plasma Pistol + Submachine Gun (Dual Wield): These two seemingly worthless weapons are YOUR TICKET TO VICTORY at Cairo Station, and are extremely useful in other battles. Think of the Plasma Pistol as your "shield remover tool." Fire one charged up shot at an Elite to transform him into a Grunt. Then mow him down with the SMG at close and medium range to register extremely satisfying kills! The dual wield allows you to do this without changing weapons. Just hold and release the right trigger to fire charged up plasma, then hold or burst fire the left trigger to decimate the unarmored target. What could be easier? - Plasma Pistol + Battle Rifle or Covenant Carbine: While dual wielding the Plasma Pistol & SMG, have the Battle Rifle or Covenant Carbine as your secondary weapon for long range kills. Peek from cover to aim your charged up Plasma Pistol shot on shielded targets; duck behind cover to switch weapons; then re-emerge from cover with rifle zoomed and ready for a two-shot kill aimed at the torso. No headshots required! You'll feel, and be, invincible. (Don't forget to pick up your SMG before you move on!) - Needler/Needler (Dual Wield): The improved Needler is the most potent weapon in the game at short and medium range. The needles paralyze the target preventing them from returning fire. This is a great feature considering your limited health. The needles do instant damage, and explode if more than eight (8) needles hit. It's almost unfair. This weapon works on just about every target, including Grunts, all flavors of Elites, Brutes and even Sentinels. Note: The Needler does NOT work on Jackals or vehicles. - Human and Beam Sniper Rifles: Fighting from long range is the best way to limit damage to your own shield/health. The sniper rifles are essential outdoors, and are also useful in many fights in large buildings. In pure sniper battles, you can arm one of each (Human Sniper/Beam Sniper)! Shoot at long range with cover available. Aim for the head. Be ready to shoot Blue Elites twice, Red Elites two or three times, White/Tan Elites (Ultras) 6-8 times. Sniper rifles are indispensable against the infamous Jackal Beam Snipers. Engage them at the LONGEST range possible from cover. Poke your head out a few times between their shots to locate them and "pre-zoom" your weapon. Then pop them twice, anywhere you can hit them. (Return behind cover ASAP, there may be more out there!) - Shotgun: Though weakened in Halo 2 at medium range, this powerful weapon is still great at short range against Flood, Jackals and Elites. For one shot kills, remember to place the muzzle of the shotgun firmly against their chest before pulling the trigger (just kidding; but get close!). - Grenades: While severely weakened in Halo 2, grenades are still very useful. Specifically, the explosion radius is not as large, which limits fragmentation grenades the most. Plasma grenades, on the other hand, still stick, and will kill most targets when they do (Exceptions: Honor Guard Elites, Ultra Elites, and of course, Hunters.) With regard to Hunters, Plasma grenades take on a whole new importance. If you stick one to their front, the Hunter will turn their back to you after it explodes. You can then shoot them in the orange target area twice with a sniper rifle to kill them. Dual wielding limits the use of grenades. It's hard to throw a grenade on the run and pick up the weapon you dropped. It's important to be a good "plasma sniper," sticking targets from short and medium range by hiding behind cover. This is essential in the Cairo Station Hangar missions. - Rocket Launcher: Improved with "homing capability" against vehicles, this is still a great weapon. "Splash" radius has been degraded, like every other explosive device, so it's best used against individual targets. VEHICLES: - All Vehicles: Damage can now be done to vehicles and will degrade their performance somewhat. However, the vehicle will stay alive as long as your shield/health bar keeps you alive. In other words, the fate of your vehicle is determined by your fate. Stay alive, and your vehicle will stay with you, no matter how much it smokes, disintegrates and flames. So, feel free to drive your burning hulk with pride and confidence! - Warthog: "Old Reliable" has a new, powerful gauss cannon, and is still very fast. Generally, you want to drive this vehicle rather than riding as passenger. Marines drive ok at lower difficulty levels, but they'll get you killed quickly in Legendary combat. Drive in big circles and ovals at medium range to kill Wraiths - they'll always shoot behind you. Keep your windshield pointed at Ghosts; it will deflect most plasma damage. Stay clear of swarming Elites and Flood - they'll board your vehicle. You can still run over Grunts and Jackals for fun. - Ghost: It seems slower, because it is. Hold the left trigger to fly in "burst mode." But you can't shoot when using the "afterburner." So, burst mode is useful for getting from place to place, and more importantly, for escaping combat to recharge your personal shield. These "legendary escapes" will keep you, and your vehicle, alive. Keep in mind that enemy Ghost drivers will try to ram you. They want to flip your Ghost and leave you on the ground, defenseless. Don't let them do it, strafe, strafe, strafe! - Banshee: The Fuel Rod gun is now the "B" key. It is not available in multiplayer. The hover function is still available, though NOT by pulling back on the left thumbwheel. Instead, you leave the left thumbwheel in the center position, and use the right thumbwheel to look horizontal. You can also strafe back and forth to maintain altitude pretty well. If you hit the "A" key while strafing, you'll perform a "barrel roll" in that direction - useful for evading enemy fire for a few seconds. As with the Ghost, use burst mode to evade and restore your health/shield. If you're dog fighting, you'll turn faster without Burst mode on. - Spectre: Think of this great vehicle as an advanced Warthog. Drive it yourself and keep the front of the vehicle pointed at the enemy to minimize your damage. The turret is super powerful. You can park it briefly to fire the turret at distant targets, But don't let a friendly Elite jump into the driver's seat and get you killed. 3. SPECIFIC ENEMY THREAT ELIMINATION - Hunters: The big guys are back and they're harder to kill. No more side step maneuver and pistol shot in the back. Now it takes a two shots with a sniper rifle "in the orange" to lay them down for the "big sleep." Instead of the suicidal side step, try jumping over them (it's easy). This doesn't give much time for a shot though. More effective is decorating their face with a plasma grenade (anywhere in the front will do). After it explodes, they'll lose their sense of direction and walk away from you, showing that orange target on their back. Since they roam around in pairs, direct confrontation is not desirable. If cover is available, try firing from one direction to attract attention, and then stealthily move to another location to shoot their side/back. - Brutes: These new guys are tough, but they have no shields. They are dangerous at close range; especially if they go into "Berserk" mode, so don't try to melee them or whack them with your Energy Sword when they are aware of your presence. However, if you find yourself up close and personal, jumping and hitting with your sword can be a fatal blow. Standard practice is to kill them at a distance. Every weapon works, but the best are the sniper/battle rifles, and the Covenant Carbine. Shoot for the head and upper torso. Plan on taking 5 shots with the Battle Rifle and Carbine. If they get in close, the Needler/Needler is your preferred solution. Stay away from plasma rifles; they are not nearly as effective as needles. In a pinch, you can use dual plasma rifles. Fire and overload one, then fire and overload the other. Repeat this process as often as necessary - but they will be shooting back. The easiest way to dispose of these beasts is to sneak up and melee them in the back. Very satisfying! - Ultra Elites: These off-white/gray Elites have great shields. Gather your arsenal if you intend to take them out on the first try, and use everything you've got. Don't let their shields recharge, or you'll have to start the process all over again. The most common method is 6-8 sniper shots, but this is difficult to finish when they take cover. Be ready to use plasma grenades or rockets if they hide. Even a single plasma shot or bullet can keep the shields from recharging, so keep after them if you can do so without getting yourself killed. Also, save them for last in a group of enemies - it makes your pursuit a lot safer. The Ultra can also be melee hit in the back for a quick kill. - Drones (Bugs): More than a pesky nuisance, Bugs are lethal threats in Legendary. You MUST take cover or you will be swarmed and killed in seconds. Find a place to hide - behind a door (Cairo), in a tunnel or cave (Delta Halo), or kiss your bucket goodbye. The rifles, SMG and grenades are your best defense. - Flood: The Shotgun and Energy Sword work best. Even Plasma Grenades are effective since their reduced blast radius is unlikely to affect you. All the rifles are ineffective; they use a lot of ammo; and draw a lot of attention. 4. MISCELLANEOUS TIPS - Marines: The good ol' wisecracking Marines are now very useful, even in Legendary. You can now arm them by facing their front and exchanging weapons with them by hitting "X." Arm them with Sniper Rifles if possible. They are great shots (even at close range against bugs) and never run out of ammo. (You can even rely on them holding these important weapons for you while you carry the Battle Rifle or Carbine!) They cannot dual wield. If you can't find a sniper rifle, give them a Needler or a Brute Shot. If you can't give them any of these, they'll be useless except as a distraction. They can take much more damage than you can, so fight from behind them or on their flanks. Try to get them to fight from a distance by running backwards from enemies you spot. You can prevent the Marine from making a suicide charge by standing in front of them for a second when you see them run forward. - Vehicle Boarding: If you don't have the vehicle you need, just wait a minute, the enemy will bring one to you. Ghosts are very useful and easily captured. Just stand in front of a wall/obstacle and side step/jump when the enemy tries to ram you. Then jump on board, hold "X" and it's yours. It's just as easy for the bad guys to take your vehicle. When you see them on your hood, hit "X" quickly to escape the vehicle or you'll be killed. Then you can run away, hit OC, or recapture it by jumping back on board and hitting "X." Remember that boarding is only possible at non-lethal vehicle speeds. - Gather Weapons & Ammo: after you successfully clear an area, be sure to take time to get new weapons appropriate for the next mission. After arming yourself, be sure to max your ammo allowance. It's also possible (and sometimes necessary) to "secure" additional weapons that you won't use immediately, but might come back for. To make sure the "house cleaning" program does not remove the weapons when you're in the next area, simply pick them up and drop them again in the same spot. If the program is going to seal the door to an area with weapons that you need, move the extra weapons to the next area, beyond the door that will be sealed. Dual wield weapons are easy to move, simply pick them up, move them to the next area, and hit "Y" to drop one. If you need to move rifles, you can run over them with the "X" key held down, and you will "throw" the weapon you have in your hands forward when you pick up the weapon on the ground. Keep running forward, hold the "X" key down again, and the new weapon in your hands will be thrown forward when it's exchanged with the weapon on the ground. Repeat this process until you've thrown the "extra" rifle on the ground into the new area. ******************************************************* VI. WALKTHROUGH Note: This is a partial walkthrough to get you through the "tough spots." The intent is to keep you from reloading the game fifty times in areas where Bungie was less than merciful in their presentation of enemy resistance. 1. CAIRO STATION Fighting on this level begins with "Home Field Advantage" where you and several allies mow down Covenant that blast through a door. Stay behind everyone else - they are artificially effective at killing all of these guys, and will do so quickly. If you try to be a hero by standing closer, you'll be shot like a pig and die in 3 seconds. (Welcome to Legenary!) With this "fake" fight complete, pick up a Plasma Pistol (right hand), dual wield it with an SMG. Your secondary weapon should be the Battle Rifle. SECURITY A-01: The first test occurs when you enter a room with a turret overlooking the courtyard. Your fun on the turret will be interrupted by Covenant that barge into the room and try to shoot you in the back. You will die quickly if this happens. Take a few shots with the turret; then prepare to defend yourself. This is where you apply the Plasma Pistol/SMG dual wielding capability. - Right trigger charges and fires the Plasma Pistol to remove shields - Left trigger shreds the unprotected target at close/medium range. You'll be amazed at how well this works once you get the hang of it. HANGAR BAY A-01: The first "tough spot" occurs when the Master Chief is ordered to repel boarders. You find a hangar full of elites and grunts. Their number eventually grows to become a small army. There are two spots to shoot from: - the doorway through which you enter the hangar - a few boxes on the bulletproof platform in the center of the room The doorway is very long range and draws a lot of concentrated fire. So, run for the boxes and stay behind them. You can move to the right or left of the boxes to get good firing angles. Whatever you do, don't drop a grenade near the boxes, or your cover will be blown! (Literally) The Grunts in the first Hangar present little threat since they left their grenades at home. Take them out with the Battle Rifle and fragmentation grenades (frags). You can kill the Elites in two ways: - Stick them with plasma grenades - Use the charged up Plasma Pistol to remove their shields and the Battle Rifle to kill them once unprotected. Both methods will be necessary to win the mission with the ammo available. You can improve your chances by insuring you have enough Plasma Pistols and Battle Rifle ammo in the area before it is sealed (see "Gather Weapons & Ammo" in "Miscellaneous Tips," above). When you first enter the hangar pick up the Plasma Grenades closest to the center of the room first (avoid the others). You'll draw enemy fire doing this, but it will be less now since other targets are distracting the Covenant. When your allies are dead, getting these grenades is impossible. If you're not very good at sticking Elites with Plasma Grenades, now is the time to learn. If you're a veteran grenadier you'll have to adjust to the weak "pitching arm" the Master Chief has developed - aim higher than usual. If you're unfamiliar with shooting charged plasma shots, keep this in mind that it has decent "homing capability" when pointed at a target. Don't expect it to hit anything if you point it at a wall or a box. It will be necessary to poke your head from behind the boxes to shoot people and throw grenades, and you will die a few times in the process. Dieing and reloading is the price you pay for fighting 50 guys with "one-tick" health. Be patient when you successfully remove an Elite's shields, but he runs and hides before you can kill him with the Battle Rifle. Just get back behind cover before your head gets blown off. You'll get him next time. HANGAR A-02: The second Hangar is also tough (Hangar A-02), but with 50 enemy dead notched in your gun, you should be able to clear out the second hangar with improved efficiency. IMPORTANT NOTE: Key to success on this mission is moving weapons and ammo from Hangar A-01 to this new area before the "housecleaning" program sweeps them away. Of particular importance are additional Plasma Pistols. Two Ultra Elites can give you a lot of trouble at the end of this mission. Fortunately, they are vulnerable to the Plasma Pistol/Battle Rifle attack. If you do not use this method, you might get frustrated trying to kill them by other methods, e.g., they will survive plasma grenades you stick to them. FIND THE BOMB: The next test occurs as you travel through the station fighting Elites that are not "leashed," as in the hangars. You will have to kill them at close range, including two invisible Elites that can leave your hands shaking. You'll also have to kill some flying Elites to get outside the station to the area of the MAC Gun. FIGHT THE DRONES: When you get outside and past the flying Elites, you enter an area with numerous Drones (Bugs). You may encounter quite a surprise. If you stand in the open, the Bugs line up like a firing squad and execute you in one volley. To avoid this embarrassment, you must take cover at the door through which you entered the area and shoot your Battle Rifle and SMG to exterminate them. SHIPPING AREA: When you reach the MAC gun, you will have your second encounter with flying Elites. Use your Plasma Pistol and Battle Rifle to kill them at long range from the doorway. The Elite at the turret is too far away for the Plasma Pistol to "home," so aim with your zoomed Battle Rifle to line up the target, then switch to your Pistol without moving the right thumbwheel. Charge up the shot and let it fly straight and true. While it's on its way, duck back under cover and switch back to the rifle. Re-emerge from cover with your Battle Rifle zoomed to observe the plasma hit, then fire two or three shots to finish him off. Take your time getting to the next exit doorway. Two more flying elites are going to meet you there, but if you're too fast, they'll find you out in the open and kill you easily. Sneak up on the door and you'll find them with their backs turned toward you. RETURN TO SENDER "JUST SO YOU KNOW, THERE ARE QUITE A FEW ELITES GUARDING THE BOMB" You've got to love this Cortana line, especially for your first attempt in Legendary. The total count is approximately seven Elites, including an Ultra. The key to this confined battle is patience. The Elites are "sort of leashed" and will probably not charge you if you move between the box cover near the entry door, and the boxes to the left of the center structure. IMPORTANT: Beware the Elites on the left flank; they will press their attacks. Be prepared to use dual wield mode with PP/SMG. SMG/SMG will also serve you well in a pinch. Again, Plasma Pistol shield removal followed by Battle Rifle and SMG kill shots should win the day. Fire from locations the Elites aren't watching. When they return fire, keep your head down, and on your shoulders. The Ultra will probably survive to the last. If you are patient and cunning, you can sneak up behind him and complete the mission with a melee hit. 2. OUTSKIRTS HOLD YOUR POSITION After the Master Chief gives the Covenant their bomb back, he survives another crash landing of a Pelican in the Outskirts of the Metropolis. Shortly thereafter, his squad battles a variety of Covenant, most notably Jackal Beam Snipers. The snipers in the first battle for the building and courtyard are dangerous, but easily dispatched by the indestructible Sgt. Johnson. The second encounter you must take care of yourself... SNIPER ALLEY This battle is a wake up call that Halo 2 just got a whole lot more like Ghost Recon than we dared imagine. You can die 25 times on this mission without breaking a sweat. Here are some vital tips: - Don't peek around the corner of the first building - you'll be sliced and diced. - Hide behind the box cover at the end of the alley where you begin. By moving to one side and then the other, you can get the "peek time" required to identify your targets' locations and eliminate them. - Get the closest targets first. - You start with three enemy snipers. Two more appear after the Drone (Bug) attack. (You'll have to retreat behind the building during the Bug attack.) IMPORTANT: When you've killed all five snipers and are able to walk a few steps without being turned into Swiss cheese, you'll be attacked by two invisible, energy sword Elites half way down the alley. If you die, you will have to start the whole Sniper Alley fight over again, which is VERY frustrating. How can you kill the Elites? You will be low on Sniper Rifle ammo, so be prepared with Plasma Pistol/SMG dual wield or Needler/Needler (if you could find a pair from the first battle with Sgt. Johnson.) After surviving the invisible Elite ambush, you get a checkpoint, and you're ready to make a left turn down the second alley. This new alley is only slightly defended at lower difficulty levels, but that is dramatically changed for Legendary. You will now encounter approximately 35 troops, which arrive in 6-7 waves, and about 5 more Jackal Beam Snipers. The good news for this second phase of the battle is that there are plenty of checkpoints (one after each wave). So, if you die, your suffering will be slight. Here are some tips for the second alley: - You can find all the sniper rifles you'll need by searching the bodies of the Jackals you've already killed. In addition, there is a Human Sniper Rifle with extra ammo at the end of the first alley (on the right side). - Only two of the new Jackal Snipers are hard to find. The rest will be directly in front of you (at the end of the second alley). A DAY AT THE BEACH: From the alleyways, your adventure continues with vehicular homicide as you pilot and battle enemy Ghosts by the seashore. The key to success is to avoid their ramming attempts at "burst speed." Strafe and burn them into the ground. - There are two Ultra Elites driving Ghosts in the last battle by the seashore. Remember to deliver your deathblow to these guys at the highest firing rate possible. This can become difficult when they're driving Ghosts, so conserve your Rocket Launcher and Sniper ammo and use it quickly to facilitate their demise. - IMPORTANT: Remember to pick off the Jackal Beam Sniper ASAP. He's standing in the roost over the last Covenant base camp. HIGHWAY TUNNEL After the seashore, you hit the road in an extensive tunnel that leads to the Metropolis. - Don't be a "lead foot" on the Burst Speed trigger - you'll fly right into enemy defensive positions and get yourself killed. - Fly up on the "shelf" next to the roadway to get a good firing angle. - Fire at the Shadows (Ghost Transports) from a distance and strafe them to minimize your own damage. 3. METROPOLIS "LADIES LIKE SUPERIOR FIREPOWER" The tank ride over the bridge is tough. One key to success is keeping your Marines alive. They fire homing rockets at the Ghosts. Take out the Wraith guarding the bridge from long distance if you can. One hit from that will kill you. If you can capture a Ghost, you can fly through the entire mission at high speed. The exit from this mission is another tunnel. TUNNEL BATTLE At the end of the exit tunnel, you encounter your next "tough spot." It's a very difficult battle for which you're offered a Shotgun by a Marine. Don't use it. You need to fight from long range or you'll be "rubber man" flopping all over the ground. There is only one checkpoint during this battle, so pay careful attention to the following: - Stay behind the Marines and rely on them to "carry the fight" early on. - Use a Sniper Rifle to support the Marines from a distance, but look out for enemy Jackal Snipers when you start firing. Shift your focus to the Snipers and eliminate them before they decimate your force. - There are two invisible Elites hiding (not veru well) behind a big box on the raised area to the right. Be sure to grenade/rocket these two guys before the mission is nearly over - that's when they come out to spoil your fun. - There is a Jackal Beam Sniper on the opposite side of steel highway barrier at the end of the combat zone. He'll shoot you in the back of the head as you turn to the exit tunnel, thinking the battle is over. How rude! "THIS TOWN AIN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US" When you arrive in the Metropolis, you're greeted by a park-like landscape where Jackal Beam Snipers just keep coming. In my last version of the FAQ, I thought the Jackals spawned indefinitely, but you can kill them all when you stack the bodies about 12 deep. Method 1 – Drive Through: Melee the first Jackal and retreat back into the tunnel you came from. Then shoot the Grunt on the Turret facing you. Then shoot the other three Jackal snipers as quickly as you can. Jump down to the Warthog that's driving around the park. VERY IMPORTANT: meet the Warthog under the structure! If you meet it anywhere else, the respawn Jackals will kill you while you're getting into the vehicle. Boot the Marine out of the driver seat, and take control yourself. Honk the horn (right trigger) to tell the Marine to climb on board - he'll take over the turret. Head for the two open areas in the wall opposite the sewer tunnel where you entered the area. Method 2 – Kill Them All: - Kill the first Jackals with a melee - Use your sniper rifle to kill the Grunt on the turret facing you. - Retreat back up the sewer tunnel to avoid getting sniped by the remaining jackals. - Quickly snipe the three Sniper Jackals on the platform from left to right. Position yourself up the sewer tunnel so that only one can see you at a given moment. If you can't do this quickly, more Jackals will arrive on your left and snipe you. - Move to a new position behind the big Boulder to your right as you leave the sewer tunnel. There's a Human Sniper Rifle there. - Wait for the new Jackals to arrive as reinforcements. You've got the edge because you're expecting them to appear at the steps leading up to the concrete platform. Kill them one at a time as they arrive. While your waiting for the next Jackal, kill the Elites and other targets. - You'll run out of sniper ammo and need to move back up the sewer tunnel to the area where you battled in the highway tunnel. There are two more Beam Sniper Rifles in the Covenant weapons dispenser right by the door that connects the two areas. - By now, the Warthog in the park is long gone. Two Ghosts have arrived that killed it, and now you must eliminate the Ghosts. Saving a rocket launcher from the Tank Mission is a big benefit it you can pull it off. - With all enemies eliminated, go back through the sewer tunnel and retrive the Warthog in the highway tunnel. Use if to drive to the next area. - When you return to the park area, head for the two open areas in the wall opposite the sewer tunnel. Driving Past the Wraiths: Wraiths and Jackal Snipers protect the next area. It's easy to die 10 times here, so be patient. - Snipe the Jackals first from the two archways. The wall will protect you from Wraith fire, and the Ghosts that come after you. - Drive past the Ghosts and then the Wraiths to the exit door behind them. The Wraiths that will try to ram you. Fake one way to get them to turn, then "power slide" back the other way to speed past them. (Imagine you're a running back in the NFL). You emerge from the door into the heart of the city. IN THE CITY CENTER This is the area portrayed in the Halo 2 demo movie. Keep your Warthog with the Gauss Cannon if it survived the last mission - you'll have to fight your way through the Wraiths. NOTE: After killing the first Wraith and all the Ghosts, this mission will eventually "time-out." A Pelican arrives and destroys everything in the area. After ravaging the enemy Ghosts, drive to the end of the street and exit the vehicle, with your Sniper Rifle in hand. Kill the two Jackal Beam Snipers protecting the Wraiths first. Get back into the Warthog and make sure you have a Marine on the turret. Attack the first Wraith by driving in a large circle/oval pattern at medium range. Your Marine gunner will kill the Wraith in less than a minute. You will take no damage if you keep your distance (medium range), the Wraiths will always shoot behind you. Now attack the two Wraiths guarding the door in the same way. Just keep driving in big circles, keeping your distance. When you exit the area, your next mission is to destroy the Scarab. Wait till it reaches the dead end. Then kill the Elites and Grunts on top with a rocket launcher. Save a few rockets, plasma grenades and Sniper rounds for boarding the craft and take out the crew. IMPORTANT: Be careful at the bottom of the steps that lead to the control room. You can be melee attacked from behind if you don't watch your radar. ************************************ NOTE: If you've made it this far, you're going to survive Legendary. Congratulations! ************************************ 4. THE ARBITER It was surprising and shocking to learn that we would be an Elite in half of these missions. My son was absolutely thrilled! This first Arbiter mission is a masterpiece. There's lots of cover for the pitched battles and Optical Camouflage (OC) when you need it. Be careful not to shoot the good guys! No real "tough spots" till the end of this level. You will probably die a few times by being impatient. Take this opportunity to improve your stealth skills. You're going to need them! Tips: - Emerge from cover with OC energized - slaughter your target - retreat to cover. Repeat as often as necessary. - When you have allies, let them carry the fight. They won't survive for long, but they'll help you at critical times. Take advantage of their skills! - Look for opportunities to OC and melee. If you play it right, e.g., attack in a place where you have new cover, the enemy won't even be aware that it happened. Let your OC recharge, then look for another sneaky kill. - Needler/Needler & Carbine is a marriage made in Heaven. Add a few sticky plasma grenades and you may quit your day job. "TO THE HUNT" At the end of this level is a "tough spot." You must fly a Banshee to another area and make your way inside the building. Follow the escort Phantom at a distance. The Phantom is indestructible and will scorch the enemy Banshees. You can slow down and maintain altitude by strafing back and forth. You can help if you get bored but avoid dog fighting. Make high speed "passes" then fly away. If you lose some health, kick in the afterburners (burst mode - left trigger) and let it restore. IMPORTANT: When the Phantom engages and wipes out troops with fuel rod guns, land in that area, grab one and load it up. This will help tremendously in the next area. Eventually, you'll find your destination - a heavily guarded hangar. Fly in at high speed and land on the tall pillar above the enemy troops. Get out of your Banshee and kill them with rifle fire and plasma grenades. When you've cleared the area sufficiently, get back in your Banshee, land on the bottom level and go through the door. Problem solved. 5. ORACLE You enter a creepy laboratory for a major battle with the Flood. Destroy any bodies on the floor with an Energy Sword to insure they are not brought back to life. This will expedite your entry and limit damage to your Elite allies. TAKE ME DOWN TO HELL The first "tough spot" is a huge elevator. Fortunately, you have allies to carry the fight early on, then the Flood fight Sentinels after that. If you have the fuel rod gun, acquired during your Banshee flight (described above) you will be much more effective in combat. Without the fuel rod gun, your objective is to crawl into a hole. The best places to hide are: - Under the ramps to avoid Sentinel fire - On a high circular platform around the center column to avoid the Flood (great place to fire the fuel rod gun) The problem is getting from one place to the other - solved by Optical Camouflage. Use a Sentinel Beam on the Sentinels when necessary. Use the Energy Sword on the Flood when they find you in the "crows nest." The rest of the time let them fight each other. Eventually the exit door opens and you can escape with OC energized. LAB 2 You now find yourself in the middle of another fight between Flood and Heretics. It's a big battlefield and easy to hide, so sit it out. The Heretics will probably win with the help of a turret at one end of the lab. After the battle, take out the remaining Heretics with the help of OC. SHOWDOWN You must kill the Heretic leader - a real "tough spot." All you have to do (irony) is battle three flying elites with dual plasma rifles - ouch! Now you know how the Covenant felt when you were playing Heroic. There's no cut and dried solution to this battle, but here are some tips: - At the beginning of the battle, energize OC and find a hiding spot around the perimeter. Try to keep track of the real Heretic Leader vs. the holograms, but it's nearly impossible. - Wait in the shadows with Energy Sword in hand, and your finger on the OC button. Hope for something to fly by with its back turned. When a target presents itself, energize OC and perform a lunge attack with your sword. Then run and hide again. Even if you hit the real Heretic, it will take more than one successful attack to finish him. - A great place to find the enemy is on the top level. OC and move up there as often as you dare. From that vantage point, you can see the targets more often, and may be able to sneak up on them if they stop or land. - Only a back slash will damage the real Heretic. Don't bother hitting him in a frontal attack; it will just reveal your position. I hit him seven times in the front and he just grunted a lot. Then his buddies killed me. Fortunately, you'll get a lot of checkpoints by hiding and waiting so much. The program doesn't display messages for these saves; they're the "secret" saves you're so grateful for. Just be sure to run and hide after you whack the real Heretic, or his holograms, so you can earn these saves. 6. DELTA HALO This is a great mission reminiscent of the original "Halo" mission. HELL JUMPERS Your first "tough spot" begins about 2 seconds after you step out of your Hell Jumper pod. You're under fire from turrets and about to be assaulted by grenade-throwing Grunts. IMPORTANT: Exchange your SMG with one of the Hell Jumpers for their Battle Rifle. This weapon will help you eliminate most of the resistance on this mission. Use your rocket launcher to take out the turrets pinning you to the landing zone. Use the SMG on attacking Grunts before they plasma grenade everything in sight. Then make your way around the right flank - a frontal assault is suicide. Method 1 – Sniper Overlook Proceed to your right to the overpass. When you reach it, look to your right, you'll see a ramp that ascends to the location of the turret that pinned you down in the landing zone. From this position, you can launch rockets at the remaining turrets. When you destroy the turret on the building, it should kill the Jackal Sniper that guards that side of the building. Use your Battle Rifle to kill everyone except the Elites. If the Elites move toward you, use PP/BR to take them out. With convenient targets removed, jump down and hunt the remaining enemy. Then take out the reinforcements from a position to the right of the building (as you face it). Eliminating the reinforcements is easier if you use a sniper rifle and more rockets. IMPORTANT: Be sure to save one round in your rocket launcher so you can give it to your marine passenger in the Warthog, later. Method 2 – Right Flank Attack You can find some breathing space by taking the trail the attacking Grunts used to attack your landing zone. Wait behind the boulders under the overpass for the Covenant to move to their front line positions. When the movement is in progress, move quickly forward and to the right toward a stairway that leads to the main structure. You'll find a Jackal Sniper on the stairway; take him out quickly with your Battle Rifle. Grab his Beam Sniper Rifle and move up the stairway, changing weapons to the Rocket Launcher. Destroy the turret at the top of the stairs with a rocket. Now, for the Big Tip... Do NOT go into the structure. Not even John Wayne could defend himself in there. Come back down the stairway and move up the road toward the next objective. As if by magic, the Covenant front line is overrun by Hell Jumper allies. One Hell Jumper should join you at your position to the right of the structure. Methods 1 & 2: Next, Phantoms will drop off Covenant reinforcements that head for the structure. Take the Elites out with the Beam Sniper Rifle. Save sniper ammo by taking headshots and by using other weapons to kill Jackals and Grunts. IMPORTANT: Picking up a Battle Rifle will greatly facilitate this process. The last reinforcements include invisible Elites. Unfortunately for them, they are clearly visible in the broad daylight. If you saved any rockets, they come in handy at this point. (Remember to save one rocket in your launcher so you can give it to your Marine passenger in the Warthog). With the last Covenant reinforcements eliminated, a Pelican brings reinforcements and a Warthog. Arm your Marine passenger with your rocket launcher. Mission accomplished! THE BRIDGE Your next "tough spot" is to toast about 10 Ghosts with your Warthog as you approach the next structure. Legendary vehicular homicide at its best! Be sure to drive the Warthog yourself and stay on the entry road away from enemy turrets. Keep your windshield pointed at the biggest threat. Don't let the enemy Ghosts ram and tip you over. When the last smoking Ghost lies by the side of the road, drive in a circle formed by the entry road; the road that leads to the structure; and the road from the structure past the turret at the end of the entry road. After two or three laps, your gunner should have terminated the turrets. You can now enter the structure and extend the bridge. Next "tough spot": Another Pelican arrives with a tank. You're supposed to get in it and destroy everything in sight - fat chance of that. You can probably take out the Wraiths on the other side of the bridge, but you probably won't survive the Banshee attack that occurs when you're finishing off the Wraiths. Instead, here's another Big Tip... When the Pelican arrives with the tank, don't wait for it to unload. You should be able to find two healthy Ghosts near the structure. Let's screw up the program a little bit to our advantage. Fly a Ghost over the bridge at burst speed past the Wraiths until you reach the next structure and checkpoint. Avoid the enemy Ghosts. Now, turn around and fly back to your tank. The Banshees should attack about a minute later, and you'll be waiting for them. They still might kill you but eventually you'll survive with some battle wounds. Looking back at the bridge, magically, the Wraiths and enemy Ghosts have disappeared! Proceed with the tank mission, which is great fun. It's tougher than Heroic but you should survive if you are patient (there's that word again). Here are some tips: - Don't rush, move forward cautiously and fire at long range. - Your priority targets are turrets, ghosts and Elites, in that order. - Grunts can be threatening with grenades. - Don't get stuck on "up" ramps with your turret pointing at the sky. You'll become a "rubber man" if you get fired at in that position. When you arrive at the end of the road, there's a Covenant defensive position set up with ground shields. Take out any pent up frustration at this point by blowing them away with your tank gun. Very satisfying! The next area is the center of the structure. Enjoy it; it's the last "fun" area for a while. After this clearing operation is complete, gather weapons and ammo and move into the swamp. "OFF THE ROCK, THROUGH THE BUSH, NOTHING BUT JACKALS" Major Tough Spot: You leave the ruins to enter a swamp saturated with sniper fire and Bugs. If you have beer in the fridge, now is the time to drink a couple. If you're not old enough to drink, try massive doses of chocolate. IMPORTANT: You'll need a sniper rifle, dual SMG's, and Fragmentation Grenades for the swamp. A sniper rifle is available from a Jackal with his back turned toward you as you enter the area. There are three levels in the swamp. You begin by sniping targets from the top level. When this job is finished, you make a jump down to the middle level, leaving your arsenal of weapons behind in the ruins. Don't forget your SMG's!!! When you jump down, you will soon hear the annoying buzz of enemy Drones. There are only four of them, but you're caught in the open. You need to find cover immediately. There is cover at the middle level toward the waterfall. Unfortunately, this area is swept by sniper fire from new Jackals that just entered the area. So, it's not a good place to fight the bugs. There is a better place on the bottom level - the floor of the swamp. Here's how you can find it... On the middle level, where you jumped down, there is a slab of vertical rock. Directly below and to the left of that rock (with your back to the wall), there's a short tunnel with a stream running though it. Look down; find it; jump down; and get inside. You'll have to "duck" (press & hold left thumbwheel) then jump, to get through the nearest entrance. Searching for the tunnel, jumping down, ducking and jumping into the tunnel is VERY hard to do when Bugs are shooting you in the back! Fortunately, if/when you die, you'll respawn on the second level, probably near the slab of rock, with that annoying buzz in your ears. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Once inside the tunnel, you'll notice that there are two entrances you must defend. Watch your radar to determine which direction the attacks are coming from. Throw a frag if they're closing in - you might get a couple freebees this way (but don't lose your dual SMG in the dark tunnel). When they poke their ugly little faces in one of the tunnel entrances, blast them to kingdom come with your SMG's. Then hold your aim in that position in case another one shows up. They'll occupy the same spot of land. After doing your duty as an exterminator, leave the tunnel with caution. There are two new Jackal Snipers in the area and they are alerted to your presence. Stay at the bottom level to hunt them. Be very stealthy and cautious - you have not earned your "checkpoint" yet. You really don't want to go through the Bug Tunnel routine again! (But of course, you will.) When you've paid your dues (30 minutes? 2 hours? 4 hours?), and killed the bugs, the new Jackals, and an Elite or two, you're ready to climb back up to the middle level and move toward the next objective. You should have earned your checkpoint by now, though you may have to move around a bit. What is the next "tough spot?" You guessed it, more bugs. When you hear the buzz, you have two cover options. The same watery tunnel (NO!!!!!!!!!); or preferably; a mid-level cave in the wall (actually in the corner) toward the next objective. The cave is better because it only has one entrance, and turns just enough for cover as you go deeper into it. But it all depends on where you are when you hear the buzz. Either way, you should be protected by the last checkpoint. NOTE: I was so shell-shocked by the swamp that I can't remember whether there were two or three bug attacks. You may have to use the tunnel again for the second attack. The last bug attack is definitely near the cave in the corner at mid-level. With the second "tough spot" completed, you can fight normal enemies to escape the swamp. The next mission is not exactly "fun," but it's a welcome relief from the swamp. "HONOR GUARDS" You now go through an alley in the cliff walls to an open area dominated by three structures. Delicious! You also have access to new weapon canisters, so load up. Be sure to pick a Sniper Rifle along with a Battle Rifle or dual SMG's - you're going to be attacked by more bugs. Snipe everything you can see. Two Jackal Snipers are easy targets up high. Be prepared to fire two shots at each Elite, and at a shield Jackal with his back turned. There are also two sleeping Grunts on the ground level. When you're done sniping, head for the bridge in front of you. When you can see over the crest of the bridge, more bugs attack. Retreat quickly to the alley in the cliff wall (you'll have to duck jump up) and take them out. You're now ready to enter the first building. NOTE: I previously suggested you stockpile weapons in the lobby, but that's not possible. The program cleans them out since it's a new level (Regret). Poke your head into the main room and you'll get a quick response. The Honor Guards, who are similar to "Gold Elites" in the original Halo, will chase after you. Leave the building as they chase after you and fight them from the bridge at long distance. The guards armed with swords won't have a chance against your sniper rifle or plasma pistol/battle rifle. The guards armed with single plasma weapons are a serious threat - be quick and deadly. When you re-enter the building, the level is complete, the door will seal and a new "tough spot" must be overcome. Be sure to have dual plasma pistols and a Battle Rifle or you won't have enough ammo to finish the first battle. 7. REGRET The level begins with a huge battle in the Honor Guard room. You should fight from the lobby, where only the bugs will chase you. You also get two Marines to help, but they'll go down quickly. You can try standing in front of them to prevent a suicide charge. Even then, they'll be killed, but they'll exact a higher price from the enemy. You have to kill about 15 Covenant, but they're not too tough. It just requires a lot of ammo, so fire your weapons accurately. After clearing this room, you must work your way through the complex. The fighting outside is the most dangerous due to sniper fire. But you've been though worse, and should find it somewhat relaxing compared to earlier challenges. Make sure you conserve your sniper ammo and search all the rooms for hidden weapons. THE FELLOWS IN THE RING When you've cleared the complex, you'll find yourself at the dock awaiting the gondola. Two Hunters will then be dropped by a Phantom - stay clear of its guns. Run the Hunters around the circular dock area. It has high walls that provide good cover. The Hunters have a severe case of tunnel vision, so they'll probably lose sight of you quickly. Maneuver to a position that shows some "orange" and pop each of them twice with a sniper rifle. If they split up, you may be treated to a direct confrontation. You can jump over their charge if you get trapped. The best method for dealing with Hunters "head-on" is to stick a plasma grenade to their front - they'll turn around and walk away after the explosion, giving you a clear shot. After you've successfully hunted the Hunters, two Marines will arrive to sacrifice their bodies and die horribly. Quickly, (very quickly) arm them with sniper rifles if you have enough for everyone. Definitely, keep one sniper rifle for yourself. A Carbine or Battle Rifle is the best second choice for your Marines. Then run away with your troops to the far end of the dock, as far away from the gondola landing area as possible. In less than a minute after the Marines arrive, 8 Covenant will unload from the gondola. Take down the Grunts and Jackals quickly to save your allies, and then all of you can focus on the Elites, one of which is an Ultra. Be prepared to shoot the Ultra 6-8 times, throwing plasma grenades to keep his shields down if he hides. Gather weapons and ammo - load a few extra weapons on the Gondola before taking off. ONE-WAY TICKET Half way across the lake, a gondola full of Covenant will pull up and stop next to you. Fire from cover and take the little guys down first to help your allies. THE TWO TOWERS When you reach the Gondola's destination, there will be turrets and snipers outside the structure. Kill them from long range with a Sniper Rifle. When you enter the structure, you'll have to fight bugs again. If your Marines survived, they'll be a big help. You should fight from the doorway. When this battle is complete, an elevator full of Shield Jackals will show up. Throw a plasma grenade through the elevator door when it opens. Problem solved. Climb up the ramps to the top of the structure, you'll find a fuel rod gun. This will come in handy in the next structure where you have to fight Hunters. Take a ride on the elevator. THE SUBMERGED STRUCTURES The next destination is the largest structure in the game. It's crawling with Jackal Snipers, Shield Jackals, Honor Guards, Bugs and two Hunters. Once again, Marine support can make all the difference. It's so important here that you might reload the game to keep them alive. The middle of the structure is open. The two multilevel wings have a lot of walls that make recon difficult. It's also very dark, which compounds the problem of spotting anyone before they spot you. You start at the top level. You need to work your way to the opposite side of the building. Here are some tips: - Scan for snipers continuously. Run short distances from cover to cover to minimize their chance of picking you off. If they take a shot, locate them and return fire, but don't assume there is only one sniper. The surviving snipers will now know where you are, so move quickly and stealthily to another location that doesn't get you killed in the process. It's sometimes useful to retrace your steps back to your starting point, and exploring the opposite wing. - Use your binoculars (zoom key) to get a wide view of the opposite wing. The binoculars are only available when you don't have a weapon that zooms, so this may be a problem. - When approached by Honor Guards, Shield Jackals and Bugs, retreat to safe ground. This will draw them into the open and help keep your Marines alive. - When you're in a short-range firefight, use grenades. This will stall their attack and give your team a chance to shoot when the enemy is diving out of the way. - Keep working your way down one or both wings while scanning ahead, down ramps and across the open space to the other wing. This is your best chance of finding the Snipers. - Your radar will tell you what's near you on your wing, but not the opposite wing. Any cover that protects you from fire from the opposite wing should be used for scanning. Toward the end of the mission, two Hunters show up in the middle open area. If you have the fuel rod gun, you should be able to make short work of them. When you reach the far end of the building, fight through to the next elevator. ATTACK OF THE DRONES The elevator will take you to a small structure. Opposition is light if you sneak up and melee the Honor Guards. If you kill one Honor Guard and the other finds the body, he'll be alerted to your presence. When you leave this structure, you're greeted by about 15 Covenant blocking the exit, including some bugs and an Ultra Elite. Fire from the doorway to clear the area. Retreat around the corner if needles start bouncing off the walls around you. When you leave the building, a Pelican will arrive and murder the remaining Covenant near the exit, including the Ultra if he's still alive. Then it will drop two Marines and a bunch of weapons. Restock on sniper weapons and ammo to clear the ruins in the next area. Do NOT take the broad paved roadway into the ruins. Stay to the right and locate a small ridge. From the ridge you can fire with impunity. Unfortunately, your two Marines will make a suicide charge into the open and die senselessly. Covenant reinforcements, including a Jackal Sniper will then be dropped near the next objective, the dock. Cautiously circle the ruins to the right to fire into that area. Beware the Jackal! With the ruins and dock cleared, you can gather weapons and ammo for your next gondola ride. Take a rocket launcher and a sniper rifle, for sure. As on your last gondola trip, you will have a close encounter half way across the lake. This time Banshees will try to strafe your ship to distract you from the gondola attack. Scan the skies and spot the Banshees as soon as possible. Take each of them out quickly with two homing rockets (there is another rocket launcher on the gondola in a canister if you need it). Time is short because of the gondola attack, soon to come. This time the enemy gondola will launch two flying Elites to make your life miserable, but don't be distracted - you have bigger problems. Two Grunts are armed with Fuel Rod guns, which will rubberize your body if launched. Position yourself on the bottom deck, far forward, against the wall farthest away from the enemy gondola. Zoom once (5X) with your sniper rifle and aim at the upper rail of the enemy gondola as it pulls up next to you. When you see a red Grunt, shoot the moving target, preferably in the head. Then do it again when the next red uniform appears. If you miss either of these targets, you'll be treated to an extraordinary explosion scene, as their Fuel Rod shots explode. Now, what about those flying Elites? In your position on the bottom deck, they may not be able to find you. If that happens, you're in luck. Just sit there for a minute and the gondola will start up again. The Elites will fly away, showing up later at the destination side-by-side with their backs turned. Shoot one in the back with a rocket to kill them both. If they do find you, don't bother trying to shoot them - it's suicide. Just keep trying to hide until the gondola starts up. PROPHET OF REGRET When you reach the temple of the Prophet of Regret, you get a warm welcome. Resistance outside is light, but inside it's a different story. Honor Guards and Grunts will respawn like a baby factory. Fight your way into the structure with rockets and grenades. Once inside, use Needler/Needler on everything that moves. After dispatching the Honor Guards at the front door, I like to make a dramatic entrance by jumping over the center rail and heading directly for the Prophet, who will soon regret my arrival. This tactic delivers immediate damage, which you'll have to repeat 3-4 more times. Like the Heretic Showdown, there is no clear-cut way to assassinate this jerk. But here are a few tips to help the process along: - Only attack the Prophet if there are no other Covenant troops around him. Your melee attack requires a lot of time, and you'll be killed instantly by anyone standing nearby when your attack is over, even a Grunt. - Always exit an attack on the Prophet by running the guards around the perimeter of the building. Take the "up" ramps to facilitate this process. There are two at the front and two at the back. - With the guards in hot pursuit, turn around and throw a plasma grenade at the nearest guard to slow him down, then pick up your dual Needler and fire them mercilessly. You'll kill entire groups in seconds. - With the enemy cleared, for the moment, jump over the rail to the center aisle and hunt down the Prophet again, zigzagging to avoid his flame thrower. This process only works if all the guards are chasing you from one direction. If they're closing on you from two directions, jump over the rail, get to another "up" ramp and gather them for a "group picture." Running around the perimeter and killing entire groups has the additional benefit of earning you "secret saves" from which you'll be reloaded if/when you die. 8. SACRED ICON You have to laugh at the Covenant for worshiping an "Index" (The Sacred Icon). An index is simply a computer file that organizes data for a program. The cut scene of the chief mucky muck prophet holding it up on TV is hilarious. This is a "run-through" mission. Fighting is suicide. UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCE This mission is relatively easy. OC your way to the big block portals and shoot to energize them. Drop into the hole and make your way through the complex. When you get to the Shield Containment room, ignore the advice that urges you to destroy the big flying thingy. Simply shoot the four blocks from the lower level and complete the mission. BUYER'S REMORSE If you don't understand this title, you've never bought a house. It's what you feel immediately after signing the sales contract, and spending thousands of dollars you don't have. In this case, the Shield Containment room that you worked so hard to capture, is now a trap, infested with Flood and Sentinels. As in the Flood infested elevator on the previous Arbiter mission, hide with OC and let the Flood fight the Sentinels. The lower level is ideal to pull this off. Have an Energy Sword ready to eliminate any Flood that stumble onto your position. After a few minutes, watch the two big doors at the front of the room, and jump through them when they open. BIOHAZARD You must run through this area with Flood all around you. Fighting is suicide. It's a great time to improve your ability to run "from cover to cover" with OC. You'll die a few times, but checkpoints are frequent. ON THE EDGE You emerge at the edge of space where three areas connect. One of these areas (far left?) has a big block portal you shoot to energize and drop through. DOWN TO EARTH You emerge in a big room with a block portal and no resistance. This leads you to another similar room with many, many Flood. OC and move fast to energize the block portal. You have escaped! 100,000 YEARS WAR You have to battle Flood at a couple of Covenant bases. Run around the perimeter of the bases to keep from being whacked in the back. When sighted by Flood, energize OC and use your sword or shotgun if no other Flood are around. Guard the Elites on turret guns to help eliminate resistance. Eventually a Phantom shows up to start the vehicle missions. 9. QUARANTINE ZONE This is another great mission with vehicles galore. Unfortunately, in Legendary, you can only fight in one area. The rest of the time you'll be running for your life, taking the "drive-through" approach. OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE LARGER THAN THEY APPEAR You must fight your way through this first area. Warthog rules apply for the Spectre: - Drive the vehicle yourself - Point the front of the vehicle at threats to minimize damage. - Concentrate on one target until you kill it Half way through there's an unmanned tank. If you can kill the driver standing nearby, you can use it instead of the Spectre to dramatically improve your survival chances. The exit to the area is heavily guarded. If you fail to capture the tank without a fight, try boarding it instead. It's your best chance of getting to the exit. HEALTHY COMPETITION When you arrive in this second area, turn around, go back to the first area, and find a Ghost. You can fly through the next areas (some quite easily) that are impossible to fight through. When you've secured a Ghost, re-enter the new area and fly right through it. Problem solved. SENTINEL CONSTRUCTOR FACTORY This area is confusing and easy to get lost in. Try not to retrace your steps. The exit for the first two areas is diagonally across from where you enter them. You must run "from cover to cover" with OC to avoid destruction. Everything in here will kill you in seconds. The Flood travel in "gangs." Eventually you enter the last area through an opening in the middle of the far wall. There are some boxes to mark the spot. Be sure to OC before you go in - it's a long alley guarded by Sentinels and Flood. When you get through the alley, turn left and capture a Ghost - there are plenty flying around mindlessly. Then, put the pedal to the metal and head for the exit diagonally from the entrance. INTO THE LIBRARY This is another "drive through" area filled with danger. Most of the vehicles can kill you with one hit, so use "burst" as much as you can. Floodlights mark the exit door. When you get there, turrets and small vehicles guard the door. IMPORTANT: Make a beeline to the door, exit the Ghost and hit OC. Do NOT try to drive the Ghost through the door, Flood are on the other side in a narrow passage, waiting to make you life rubbery. SHOOTING GALERY This is another great fight that you'll have to sit out. The Flood will board your transport on one side, you need to hide on the other side and stay out of sight. A few Flood stragglers will find you. Watch your radar to see them coming, then energize OC and lunge attack them with your sword. When the transport gets to the library and stops, hit OC and run by the small army of Flood guarding the exit. THAT OLD FAMILIAR FEELING The only mistake you can make in the library is to lose your way and stumble back onto the transport. Watch your step! 10. GRAVEMIND This is arguably the best mission in the game, reminiscent of "Truth and Reconciliation" in the original Halo. The fighting in narrow hallways is intense; the diversity of enemies, immense. The Master Chief will have to be at his best to fight his way through a million Covenant with virtually no shields. Think of original Halo with "one tick" of health left. It begins in a very "tough spot," the Council Chamber. This is Halo 2's version of, "The Belly of the Beast." INSIDE JOB Directly behind you is a second Needler. Turn, look down, and pick it up in dual wield mode. Then run to the opposite end of the chamber. You'll find good cover back there. (This is easier said than done!) The rear of the council chamber is like the bottom of an old bulb thermometer. You can get a great field of fire by positioning yourself where the rounded part of the bulb connects to the straight wall. Set up a "line of death" across the top of the bulb and shoot everything that passes in front of your Needlers. - At first, it seems impossible to kill 5 waves of attackers. The biggest problem is ammo. When you kill a wave, be sure to run from one side of the chamber "bulb" to the other, searching the bodies for more needles, grenades and a Carbine. - Take each shot like it could be your last. Count the needles for each target. A Grunt needs only 8 to die horribly; a Brute needs approximately 16 to send him on the "Great Journey." - When you get the Carbine, use it only on the Grunts and zoom to get headshots. Save the needles for the Brutes. - If you run low on needles, drop one of the Needlers to get enough needles in the one you keep. Then pick up a Brute Plasma Rifle as a lousy alternative - it's better than nothing. - Beware of plasma grenades and Brute Shot. If you are forced to move from your prime location at the top of the bulb, avoid hugging the back wall of the bulb. Stand close to the back of the pillars instead. - In each wave, try to kill the Brutes before all the Grunts are gone. That will help keep the Brutes from going into "berserk" mode and charging your position. (Berserk mode is typically used when a Brute is the last survivor, or heavily damaged.) - Your grenade attacks will be frustrated by constantly being pinned down. They'll avoid most of them since they're looking in your direction. Grenades are useful for groups of enemy that cross your "line of death." - When you get to the last waves, Brutes will fire Carbines from the balcony. You should have enough Carbine ammo at this point to make them wish they had cover. Murder 'em by shooting rapidly at the head and upper torso. You'll probably be rubberized a few times but each wave earns a checkpoint. Stick with it! (If you get frustrated and leave, SAVE THE GAME first.) ET TU BRUTE'! The next area is a giant space that stretches out in front of you - a perfect setup for the Carbine. Kill the Honor Guards at the entrance with needles, then zoom, kill and enjoy! IMPORTANT: Do not exit this room (through the elevator) until you have some plasma grenades and a Brute Shot. For your second weapon, I recommend you retain the Carbine. (There is Carbine ammo in this room). MARINES, WE ARE LEAVING! As you descend on the elevator, two Shield Jackals will be walking toward you. Throw a plasma grenade as you drop to make them scurry for cover. Then run for cover yourself and kill them. Fight your way through the corridors to reach the next elevator. IMPORTANT: Be sure to have 4 Plasma grenades, and as much Brute Shot and Carbine ammo as possible. DETENTION BLOCK You will descend on another elevator to reach the top level of the Detention area. There are three levels all together. This is a very "tough spot." From the elevator, you will fall undetected behind two Brutes. Though they are tempting targets to melee and kill with one hit, don't do it! You have no cover and there are plenty of Jackals and Grunts nearby to slaughter you in seconds. Instead, turn left and run past a weapon dispenser with Brute Shot. That will increase your ammo for this important weapon. Then, without breaking stride, run diagonally off the back end of the platform. (Don't jump; just run off the edge.) You should land completely undetected on the lowest level at the end of the walkway. A single Shield Jackal is patrolling this lowest level. Hide behind a crate and watch your radar. After 30-40 seconds you'll see his red dot approach, stop, then turn around. Move from behind the crate and melee him in the back. You are still undetected. Your goal is to kill everything on these three levels. You just cleared the bottom level. Everyone else will have to come down the elevators, which are in front of you and to the left. All you have to do now is send an engraved invitation via Covenant Carbine. Search for targets on the top two levels as far away from your position as possible. You might be able to zoom and kill a couple before the alarm sounds. Then move back toward the spot you jumped down to and find cover behind a crate with a good view of the elevators. The first Covenant to arrive are Shield Jackals and Grunts. Throw a plasma grenade in their direction to make them scurry, then use your Brute Shot to kill them as they approach your position. Aim for those big bright shields. Remember to fire it at the floor in front of them. You are, "Bowling for Jackals!" The Grunts will naturally take damage as well, but the Jackals are your primary targets for the Brute Shot. After firing about 6 shots with the Brute, switch weapons to the Carbine and rapidly fire into the survivors (aren't you glad the Carbine has a 20-shot clip?). Charging Grunts are now the primary targets - we don't want to dodge their grenades. Eliminate them with extreme prejudice; your life depends on it. Eliminate the remaining Jackals with Carbine shots. Save the rest of your grenades and Brute Shots for the next waves. The next waves will include Brutes. That's why we saved three plasma grenades. Stick each Brute as they approach, one to a customer. The grenade explosions should break up their attack. Then get out the Brute shot and Carbine as before. With a little luck you'll kill them all in short order. You're now ready to free the first Marines. Take the elevator to the middle level, it should be clear. Find the detention block and reload you Brute shot from the weapons dispenser. Arm one Marine with a Needler and the other with the remaining Brute Shot from the dispenser. As you leave the detention block, run away from the elevators. Covenant reinforcements will arrive there shortly. Find a crate to use as cover. Repeat the defensive strategy with the help of the Marines. It will be easier this time. If the Marine with the Brute Shot dies, reload your own with its remaining ammo. Take the Elevator to the top floor, find the second detention block, and repeat the process again. IMPORTANT: Make every effort to preserve at least two Marines. There's a very difficult battle following your escape from the detention block, and you're going to need help. It is advisable to revert to the last checkpoint if you lose them all in the last prison break. At this point, the Brutes and Jackals will be fighting the Elites and Grunts in a Covenant "civil war." Take advantage of this by letting them fight each other to a conclusion before you get involved After you take the elevator to escape the detention block, the next "tough spot" begins with an attack by Drones. Stand in front of your Marines for a second to keep them from charging into the room from which the Bugs attack, this will allow them to survive longer and keep the Bugs from attacking you. After you work your way through many rooms, the last room will have two Hunters in it. You can try to take them out if you feel heroic, but it's a difficult room in which to fight them. Crates and other "furniture" make it hard to get the "back shots" you need to kill them. If you have a sniper rifle, however, the "plasma grenade in the face trick" should allow you to be victorious. The alternative is to run through this room into the next area Regardless of what you do with the Hunters, be sure you're armed with Needler/Needler when you leave the room. VALLEY OF TEARS After leaving the Hunter room, you walk into a large valley you must cross with everyone shooting at you. This is a real "tough spot." Make a left out the door to reach the floor of the valley, then turn right to find a way up to the cliff tops. You'll need to locate a boulder next to a low ledge to get up. When you jump up, three elites will want to send you on "the great journey." Needle and strafe like crazy. Jump out of the way when they throw grenades. With the elites screaming and exploding, you'll finally have a breathing space. Find a way to the very top of the cliff wall and make your way to the door on the opposite end of the valley from which you started. As you travel, be on the lookout for some heavy weapons, e.g., a Fuel Rod Gun. That will facilitate your safe passage. When you get near the door, you'll notice that you can't get up to it unless you cut across the valley to the left of the door. That's when you'll encounter invisible Elites with Grunt support. If you found the Fuel Rod Gun, now is the time to use it. If not, grenades and needles will have to suffice. THE GARDENS The next areas all contain battles of the civil war. Let them fight as much as you can, but eventually you'll have to take on survivors, including flying Elites (think of them as gigantic bugs!) You'll need cover to kill them, so move cautiously and don't get caught in the open. A sniper rifle will greatly facilitate your passage through these areas. Also, be on the lookout for a Fuel Rod Gun and ammo for it. 15 shots will greatly facilitate your passage through the next two areas. THE LAST BATTLE After the gardens, you reach a long bridge that is heavily defended by two waves of Elites, Grunts and Hunters. This is easy to win if you have a sniper rifle and a fuel rod gun. If you don't have both of these, "You might have to get creative," as Cortana said back at Cairo Station. The optimal solution: - Shoot the first defenders (Elites and Grunts) with your sniper rifle. - Move close to the door at the far end of the bridge. - Use the Fuel Rod Gun to wipe out the reinforcements as they come through the door (including the Hunters). MAUSOLEUM The next room is huge, and engulfed in civil war. Let them kill each other, though you might help the Brutes a bit to even it out. When you've killed the battle survivors, get out your handy Fuel Rod Gun and head for the next door. The reinforcements that are about to enter are five Ultra Elites, two of them invisible. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Stand to the right of the door and prepare to give them a full clip of Green Death at "point blank" range. If 5 shots from the Fuel Rod Gun don't kill them, you won't have time to reload, so aim carefully. If you can't get them all, try sticking the survivors with Plasma Grenades. If you fail on both accounts, which is likely, you'll be rubberized. There is no good alternative to this suicide attack. If 5 Ultras get loose in the big room, there's not enough ammo in the whole world to kill them. Plus, the invisible Elites will hound you to death, literally. 11. UPRISING This is the best Arbiter mission. You must sneak out the front door when the level starts, but after that, you must fight your way through. Everything you've learned about the game will be needed for successful completion. OH, SO THAT'S HOW IT IS You begin the level with a single Plasma Rifle and no grenades. You might as well have a stick in your hands. Three Brutes are hunting you in the narrow passage ahead. It's a "tough spot." You must work your way along the cliff top to the left until you see a place to jump across the narrow passage. With Brutes below, thirsting for you blood, jump across, keep your stride, then jump again to the next ledge. There's a big fall to your right, but there's a safe place on the ground in front of you where some Elite bodies lie – jump down. No one should be able to see you. Work your way to the end of the right wall (about 15 feet) and energize OC. Run out from cover and pass/jump over three new Brutes to your right. After passing the Brute, bend to your left toward the entry door and pause behind a large boulder where no one can see you. Wait for OC to recharge. Now re- energize OC and run past two Brutes guarding the door and go into the building. ELITE FIGHTING FORCE You will then meet some allies – Elites and a Grunt. They're pretty well armed, but you might consider handing out a Brute Shot when you find one. They like those a lot! This is a tough, uphill battle; but it's a lot of fun. Your Elites tend to die quickly if you don't support them with all of your capabilities. If they start dieing like flies, reload to checkpoint – you won't make it without them. Try to lead their charge, OC, and melee Brutes in the back while the Elites have their attention focused forward. At the end of the cave, you emerge into a structure. STEP BY STEP The structure is a downhill battle, with your troops on the level above the Brutes. Even with this advantage, you're in a tough spot. Use grenades and Needlers in a direct assault, then be aware than you can take ramps down to OC and flank the positions in two of these areas. Your allies will eventually be wiped out, so you'll be on your own by the time you get to the exit door. On your way, be sure to pick up a Fuel Rod Gun and ammo. STEP ASSIDE, LET A MAN GO THROUGH This is another very tough spot. Arm yourself with a Carbine and go to the exit door. On the other side are two Brutes and a few Jackals. OC, stick a plasma grenade to one of the Brutes, and then retreat into the building. Use your Carbine to eliminate the Jackals from the doorway. When you re-emerge, the remaining Brute will be in Berserk mode. Use your Carbine to eliminate him. You can now progress down the path to the first big boulders. Several Brute reinforcements along with a Jackal Sniper arrive. Retreat the building entrance, and wait for them to take position by the boulders. OC and snipe the Jackal with your Carbine. Then, pick off the Brutes one by one but beware the Brute Shots. If you die, you'll have to start over with your breakout from this second structure. CAUTION, GHOST DRIVE! Head on down the path, keeping you eye out for Brute stragglers by the Ghosts. Pick up the sniper rifle from the dead Jackal. Then, jump into a ghost and head down the trail. You will then encounter several defensive areas with Brutes and Jackals. You also encounter a Spectre. When you see these defensive areas, exit your Ghost from long range and pick off snipers and the Spectre passengers with your sniper rifle. FIGHT CLUB Eventually, you reach a heavily defended complex of structures at a waterfall – another "tough spot." First, you encounter Jackal Snipers and Brutes. Snipe the Jackals with OC energized; shoot all the Brutes with your Ghost from long range. When you approach the waterfall, the first of four Wraiths appears in the lake below the waterfall – ignore it. To the left of the waterfall are two Brutes waiting to shoot you in the back. OC, jump down into the lake, and make your way quickly across the lake to the other side. The Wraith and Brutes will be shooting at you, so quickly climb the path on the far side up to the structure and gain cover. From the cover of the structure, the Wraith has a hard time seeing you, but be aware of its presence. If you get too close to the edge of the structure by the lake, it will start shooting, and you will probably be rubberized. Pick off the Brutes with you sniper rifle, then wait for reinforcements to arrive from the door that is your next objective. Snipe the Jackal Snipers and eliminate the Brutes. You should now be able to make it to the door, but be aware that three more Wraiths are in the lake to your right a you run toward the door. Inside the next structure is an arsenal of weapons. You might be tempted to start killing Wraiths with the rocket launcher and fuel rod gun you find there, but it's a "mission impossible." So, continue to ignore them. Two Jackal Snipers, a Ghost and a Brute guard the next structure. Snipe the Jackals from the doorway, then OC and run to the left to the first room you come to. Wait for the Ghost to fly by. OC and capture the Ghost at the point where it turns around on its patrol. Kill the Brute pilot, and the other Brute if he intervenes. If the second Brute doesn't notice what's going on, sneak up with OC and Brute Shot in hand. Use your Brute Shot to melee the Brute in the back. When the second Brute dies, reinforcements may swarm from the cave entrance near his location. Be prepared to retreat back to the arsenal structure. If they don't come out, you'll need to trigger them by walking a few feet into the cave entrance. Then you'll need to retreat, or you'll be overwhelmed. When you are safely back at the arsenal, wait for the reinforcements to take position. Two of the Brutes will jump down into the lake and remove themselves from the battle. Kill the remaining reinforcements and move into the cave. This ends the mission. 12. HIGH CHARITY This is a Flood mission, with Brutes sprinkled in for flavor. CROSS PURPOSES You land in an open area with several wrecked aircraft. Pelicans fly in to drop Flood, some of them equipped with shields. You're about to find out how weak you are against them. You'll have to improvise with weapons until you kill some of the new arrivals. You can only survive the initial attack by strafing, jumping a shooting on the run. It's rough and you may turn into rubber several times until you defeat the initial waves. A plasma pistol "shield remover" can be useful against the second wave until you find some real weapons. When you get to the exit door, fire a couple shots at the Brutes you find there, and then retreat through the door you came in from. This should trigger the Flood, who will dutifully wipe out the Brutes. Wipe out the remaining Flood or run past them to the elevator. THE GREAT HALL The elevator takes you to a small control room facing a huge open area. Grab a sniper rifle from the dispenser and start shooting bugs at long range – they're fighting Flood, so this part is easy. Then eliminate the flood with your sniper at long range. This will expend most of your sniper ammo. Energize the first bridge; everyone should be dead in the area. Then energize the second bridge, but before heading for the next control room door, notice that there are some Bugs far behind you, where you came into the area. If you have sufficient sniper ammo, you can take them out at long range. If not, you'll be killed in the open when you get close to the door. The door does not allow you to escape. Instead, a few Flood come out with weapons blazing, and you have very little cover. You have two options: - If you were able to snipe the bugs, crouch behind cover and throw grenades at the Flood as they come through the door. - If the Bugs are still a threat, move to a location that's a few feet in front of the control room, and wait a few seconds for the Bugs to notice you and head your way. IMPORTANT: Just before the bugs get into firing range, move to the right of the door to trigger the Flood and crouch. With a little luck, the Flood will focus on the Bugs and you can run in behind them. PLEASE MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME You must now fight your way though Flood-infested corridors. Keep your flashlight on – they don't seem to notice it like they did in Halo 1. Most of the time, you should be armed with a Shotgun and a Sword. There will be occasional battles where the Flood is killing someone besides you, be sure to sit these out. Eventually, you reach a large area with Invisible Flood guarding the direct path to the next door. Either work you way high along the rocks to your right to bypass some of them, or battle them along the path with your shotgun (your Sword cursor will not turn red, allowing lunge attacks). When you leave the big room you take a lift to the Inner Sanctum. SANCTIFIED This is another "tough spot" where beer and chocolate help a lot. You're going to turn rubbery a few times before you survive it. Everything in the room must die for the exit door to open. Fortunately, the Flood are battling Covenant to facilitate this process. Stay at the end of the room where you got off the lift, which is always active if you need to get more weapons and ammo. Hide while the battle rages until the Covenant are down to their last few troops. Now comes the tough part. There are still about 10 Flood in the middle of the room who will try to swarm you. This is shotgun combat at its best. You must constantly stay moving and jumping, using obstacles briefly to recharge your shields when necessary. Strafe, shoot and grenade the onrushing Flood until you wipe them out. It's quite a feat; you can put it on your Master Chief resume for a future job search! When you've completed "mission impossible," the exit door will open leading to a vacant area with weapons and ammo. ONCE MORE WITH FEELING There is one more big room, which is relatively easy. Run and fight your way around the left flank to reach Cortana and a transport that ends the mission. 13. THE GREAT JOURNEY YOUR ASS, MY SIZE-24 HOOF You start this mission in a Spectre, which you should drive yourself. Follow and support your Wraith ally to keep him alive as long as possible. Focus on Ghosts at first, which will be shooting at the Wraith and not you. Then help with the enemy Wraiths. Your ally will eventually blow up and you've got to kill the remaining wraths yourself. Just stay on the move, like you're in a Warthog, and eventually they'll be vaporized. The exit from the area is a door that leads into a structure. Be sure to pick up a Brute Shot and ammo before you enter. BASTION OF THE BRUTES You will find a friendly Elite and two Hunters to help you. Lead the charge into the next area, and OC before going through the door that leads to the first battle. You'll find that many Brutes are positioned above you on a platform. All of them will start shooting through the doorway when the Hunters show up. So move up close to their position while camouflaged, and plasma grenade the turret and as many Brutes as possible. This will minimize damage to the Hunters, which the Brutes will focus their fire upon. Then, move to your right to the foot of the "up" ramp, and recharge your shields and OC. With shields recharged and OC energized, ove up the ramp and melee the Brute guarding it at the top. Then retreat to the ramp to find cover and re- energize. By now, a Hunter will probably join you on the ramp, and help you flank the position. Follow his lead and get as many "free shots" as you can while the Brutes focus on the Hunter. When you win and exit this area, you come to a bridge guarded by Shield Jackals and Jackal Snipers. Pick off the snipers with OC energized. The Shield Jackals will wait peacefully. Throw two or three plasma grenades into the group of Jackals to thing their ranks, the kill the survivors with Brute Shot. A Phantom closes on the bridge at this point, if you can hit OC and run across, do it. Otherwise, retreat to the entry to recharge. After a minute, the Phantom will move to a low non-threatening position. Run across the bridge until your see enemy reinforcements appearing at the far end. OC and run past them. BULWARK OF THE BRUTES The next area is a jail that imprisons two Silver Elites. First, OC and melee the three Jackals patrolling the upper level. You'll see them on your radar when you reach the wall with the weapon canisters. Next, figure out which cells contain your allies. When you've located them all, rapidly shoot the devices on the floor in front of each cell to free the Elites. They'll cut through the Brutes like a knife through butter. BACKSEAT DRIVER As you leave the building, you'll meet the indestructible Sgt. Johnson in the Scarab. Make sure you have a Sniper Rifle (from the weapons dispenser outside) and a Carbine for the next area. Then grab a Banshee and go hunting for opposition that's a threat to you (Banshees and turrets). Don't worry about Ghosts attacking the Scarab - Sgt. Johnson can't die. Take it slow and easy, especially on the turrets mounted on the cliffs. When your shields get low, hit the afterburner (burst mode) and put some distance between you and the enemy. If your banshee gets ugly, you can pick up a new one at the structure from which you took off a new. Eventually you'll reach the big Control Room building, and Sgt. Johnson will use the Scarab to blow open the door. A bunch of Wraiths show up, but you can ignore them. Fly through the door and park inside the building. (The Wraiths will magically disappear.) You'll need the Banshee to fly back for ammo; so don't let it be destroyed. DELUSIONS AND GRANDEUR The next area is a big room filled with Brutes that get reinforcements. Snipe with OC energized until you run low on ammo, and then take the Banshee back to the first structure to replenish as often as necessary. This is tough battle, so BE PATIENT. The long-range threats are plasma grenades and Brute Shot. Stay close to the inner wall (by the door) to limit damage from Brute Shot. Keep you eyes open to avoid plasma grenades. It helps to let only one enemy see you when you look through the door. If more than one sees you, and you're zoomed in on one target, the other may throw a plasma grenade that you don't see. The biggest threats are Brutes that go into Berserk mode and charge though the doorway. Carbine the charging Brutes as they approach. In a pinch, stick a plasma grenade to their thick hide and jump out of the way. It can get exciting in that dark tunnel when they're right on top of you! When you shoot the Honor Guards your sniper rifle will have trouble penetrating their armor. So use your Carbine on them. It'll will require 8- 10 shots to send the on the great journey. Pick off the Honor guards first. If you leave them for last, they might berserk. Then you've got a real problem on your hands. Again, be patient. This battle will take about 20 minutes, including flying time for more ammo. Do it right the first time and avoid a lengthy restart. When all the Brutes are dead, find a full Sniper Rifle and Carbine. IMPORTANT: Banshee in the Control Room! At this point, you can return to your Banshee and fly it to the control room. This will greatly facilitate your battle with Tartarus. In order to get the Banshee though the tight passageways, you'll have to "trim the wings." Do this by firing a Carbine or Plasma Pistol at the pods on the end of each wing. It only takes a few shots, so be careful or you'll destroy the Banshee. With your aircraft smoking like a hot burrito, you need to get through two narrow passageways to reach the door where you fought the Brutes. It's dark and the program will screw up the graphics so be patient. - You can squeeze the Banshee through the first narrow passageway by pointing it down and wiggling left and right. - The second passageway is hopelessly narrow, but you can get through by pointing the Banshee up and flying over the obstruction. Once you're clear of both passageways, fly through the big door to the area you fought the Brutes and then through the door to the Control Room. A movie ends your flight, for now. Look out Tartarus... here I come! TARTARUS, CHIEFTAIN OF THE BRUTES The final mission – congratulations! Method 1: Banshee in the Control Room! Throw a grenade at the feet of the welcoming committee of Brutes. It will send every Brute except Tartarus over the edge. Now, go back and retrieve your Banshee. (See previous mission, "Honor Guards" to see how to get the Banshee to the Control Room.) When you enter the Control Room, you'll find that you have ample room to fly around, but it's hard to maneuver for a shot. Here is how you solve that problem: - Reach an altitude slightly above the rotating platforms that move clockwise and counter-clockwise around the ring. - Stay outside the sweep of the rotating platforms or you might collide with them and destroy your Banshee. - Strafe, strafe, strafe the Banshee in one direction, keeping your guns pointed at the center of the ring. You should be able to stay at the proper altitude and distance quite easily. - Wait for Sgt. Johnson to lower Tartarus' shield, and fire your Fuel Rod Gun ("B" key). - Beware of Brute reinforcements, which arrive early, and will shoot at you from a different entryway to the Control Room than the one you used. Eliminate them quickly from a safe distance. The Fuel Rod Gun takes down Tartarus very quickly, as long as his shield is down when you hit him. Your only threats are "pilot error" and Brute reinforcements. Another problem could develop if Tartarus stays in one spot and Sgt. Johnson can't hit him. You might have to land on the ring for a moment to get him moving again. Method 2: Conventional fire This battle takes place on a 3-level ring. You will spend nearly all your time on the top level, shooting through the center hole in the floor. You will frequently have to jump down to the mid-level to escape Tartarus. When he drops down to mid level, take the beam elevator back to the top level. There are weapons dispensers on the top level for Carbine ammo and for Brute Plasma Rifles. You'll need these later. There is no reason to go to the lower level As you probably know, Tartarus has shields that Sgt. Johnson must take down with his (infinite ammo) sniper rifle for you to hurt him. It doesn't do any good to stay on the stationary platform you start on, or the moving platforms that circle the ring. If you do either of these, Tartarus will find a spot where Sgt. Johnson can't shoot him. At the beginning, throw a plasma grenade on the floor in the center of the Brute formation around Tartarus. Miraculously, it sends all the Brutes over the edge, except Tartarus. After Tartarus jumps onto the ring, jump onto a low moving platform that passes by, and then jump down to the ring away from Tartarus. Then head for the center elevator beam and drop onto the top level of the ring. Move to the hole in the middle, and wait for Sgt. Johnson to start shooting. When you see Tartarus' shield go down, fire your Carbine until his shield is re-energized. Soon enough, he'll claim you got a "lucky shot." This will get the "damage cycle" triggered. For some reason, your sniper rifle can't trigger this event; so hold it in reserve until you hear him say those words. Start with your sniper rifle. Accurate fire is more important than a high firing rate. Aim for his mouth as he gazes up at you. He'll frequently ride the beam elevator up to your level, but will always be dropped on the opposite side from you. Just keep your distance. If he gets close, jump down to mid level and return to the top level when he comes down. IMPORTANT: When avoiding Tartarus on the top level, don't accidentally run into the beam elevator. If will drop you randomly on the top platform, possibly right next to Tartarus. You'll be hammered big time if this happens. At the midpoint of this assassination process, Brute reinforcements will arrive to help Tartarus. Eliminate them quickly with plasma grenades and your carbine. You don't want Tartarus to "flush" you off the top level, into the loving arms of his Brutes on the mid level. When the sniper ammo is gone, work him over with your Carbine. When your Carbine runs out of ammo, replenish it from the weapons dispenser on the top level. When you run out of Carbine ammo, switch to dual Brute Plasmas (from another weapons canister on the top level). The Brute Plasma Rifles will finally kill him. Well, you have accomplished the impossible. I recommend you now play a game at Normal difficulty level to relax a bit. See how far you can get without dieing! VII. HALO 1 SECRET SHORTCUTS We're not likely to be playing Halo 1 for a while, but there will come a day when it might feel refreshing. After all, you could party all weekend by playing the two back-to-back! Here are a couple big tips to increase your game playing experience when you crank Halo 1 up again. 1. THE SILENT CARTOGRAPHER - OVERSHIELD JUMP When you enter the Silent Cartographer building, there's a cut scene you can't skip. It shows the Master Chief walking to the edge of a platform that extends over a great chasm. He kicks a rock into the chasm. Have you ever wondered why Bungie shows such a strange movie? If you look behind the Master Chief during this movie, you'll notice 3 platforms he could jump down to, if he could only survive the fall. The solution? Use an over shield! You actually don't "jump." You just run off the platform diagonally toward the platforms, and you land three levels down. IMPORTANT: Don't forget to bend your knees (crouch – hold left thumbwheel)! Your over shield is removed, of course, but you walk away from it with your health unscathed. This mission just got a lot easier! There is still one more level below this one to get to the Map Room. You can move to your left and jump down one level onto an over shield, but this is risky. If you miss the over shield you die. The recommended route is simply to move left and then right to find the nearby door that leads to a "down" ramp and the Map Room. 2. ASSAULT ON THE CONTROL ROOM – BANSHEE FLIP! This one will blow your mind. Not even Bungie saw this one coming! When you complete the Tank mission, you park your vehicle outside an area with several large pillars. You enter a cave tunnel and fight a bunch of Covenant there, and at the ridge with the "up" ramp next to it. When you've cleared out the enemy on the other side of the ridge, you have a golden opportunity! Grab a Sniper Rifle and a fully loaded Rocket Launcher. Go to the top of the ramp next to the ridge. Turn left and stay as close to the ledge as possible until to you get to a tree in the corner (stay close to the edge or you'll trigger the Ghost and Banshee attack). Position yourself under the tree, and on the side of the tree closest to the wall. Make sure that tree branches will not interfere with your line of fire. Zoom your sniper rifle to view the opposite end of the battlefield. Far in the distance, at maximum zoom, you'll find a Banshee sitting on the ground with nobody in it. (The same Banshee attacks you if you trigger the next attack.) Aim your sniper rifle at the center of the Banshee. Now, switch to the rocket launcher without moving your right thumbwheel – it will be aimed at that precise spot. Fire a rocket, and switch back to the Sniper rifle while the rocket is in flight. Observe the hit and see if you successfully flip the Banshee on its back. If you fail the first time, aim with the Sniper Rifle again and fire another rocket. Eventually, you'll turn it upside down. ("Sort of" tipped doesn't work – you need those Banshee feet in the air!) Now, go back through the cave entrance and walk over the Invisibility thingy that's on the ground. Reenter the area and run like crazy to the Banshee. Stay to the left of the open structure in the middle of the battlefield or you might get run over by Ghosts. When you get on the other side of the structure, find the Banshee pilot (Elite) and kill him with your sniper rifle. The Banshee is yours!!! You can have fun killing everything with the Banshee, saving the Marines if you want to. But when you're ready to leave, fly the Banshee directly up to the twin bridges above you. There are four doors, two at each end of each bridge. Go to the bridge nearest to where you picked up the Banshee, and go to the door that's above the lower door through which you would normally exit the area. When you enter the structure, you'll find absolutely nothing! The place is undefended. There's some blood on the floor, but that's all you'll find. (If you reach a door that won't open, you've gone the wrong way. Go back to the bridge and try another door.) Make your way, jumping with glee, to the area of the Control Room. There you will find the two Banshees on the snowy bridge. Grab one and fly to the Control Room. You'll find it vacant as well. Mission complete! Feeling guilty? Don't. Remember that Captain Keyes ordered us to beat the Covenant to the Control Room. That's exactly what we did! If you want to continue your campaign, be sure to start the next mission (343 Guilty Spark) and get to your first checkpoint before you exit the game. Bungie didn't expect you to steal the Banshee, and will not give you credit in the Campaign for finishing the Control Room mission, if you don't get that first checkpoint in 343 Guilty Spark. END Copyright 2004, Thomas J. Race