H H AAA L OOOOO
H H A A L O O
HHHHHHH AAAAAAA L O O
H H A A L O O
H H A A LLLLLLL OOOOO
--- Legendary Guide ---
By the one and only Dragon of the File.
Note: Please don't bag me. I know I suck at ASCII. Have mercy...
- My Lawyers made me put this in:
As of the current edition of this guide, it can be found at www.gamefaqs.com,
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If you downloaded this guide from another website then please do something for
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Or at the very least ask them to ask me if they can host it?
If, however, you are a ruthless content-stealing marauder intent on pilfering
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- The Return of the Lawyers:
Disclaimer: Certain gamers may disagree with the ideas presented herein.
Should you disagree, don't flame me. It achieves nothing but minor annoyance
and lack of e-mail space- the delete button is getting ever so effective.
However, you are welcome to send me e-mail to disagree- so long as the e-mail
contains intelligent criticism. I don't mind that, but e-mails saying "U SUX
AND WEE HATES U AND UR GUIDE" are, in a word, pathetic. At least TELL me
what's wrong so I can fix it- the example e-mail above just isn't really
specific enough.
Oh, and BTW, if you want to drop me a line saying how good this guide is, feel
welcome to do that too.
*Expectantly looks around for about five minutes. Sound of wind whooshing by
and crickets chirping...but no E-mails.*
*Gives up foolish hope. Well, you can't fault me for _trying_...*
For my E-mail address, go to the Contact Info section. Which I mainly put in
to make it look like I have a bigger FAQ then I do.
- Just so there is no confusion...:
This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal
and private use. It may not be placed on any website or otherwise distributed
or shown publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any
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All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective...well, owners, really.
- Introduction
Welcome to the Halo Legendary Guide. Although the guide itself is not
legendary, that which the guide assists one with IS. Namely: Halo. Legendary
difficulty Halo.
This guide is not a walkthrough. I will not be giving you any sort of
step-by-step analysis of any level. You'll be lucky if I even mention any
levels. Instead, this guide is just a collection of little tidbits, weapon
analyses, item uses, enemy weaknesses and other paraphernalia that should help
you through the toughest difficulty present in Halo.
Well, it helped me at least...
A note: I'm assuming you already know the basic movements, controls and so
forth. If you don't, then you'll need a more beginner-oriented guide. I'm
afraid this is for people who are up to Legendary difficulty but are not yet up
to passing it.
- Version History
Version 1.0, 14/09/2003: AHAHAHAHAA! IT'S ALIVE! ALIIIVE! That is to say,
I've finished the basic flesh of the guide and am ready to post...we'll soon
see...
Version 1.05, 15/09/2003: And just ONE DAY after the thing gets posted here
comes the latest edition. Why? Because of spelling mistakes. And a couple of
other things.
Version 1.1, 21/09/2003: Well...slightly more then one day here. In response
to one particular E-mail, I've created the section "Reader-Requested Guides",
and have modified my philosophy on "I will not mention specific levels" to "I
will not mention specific levels- unless someone asks for it."
Version 1.2, 22/09/2003: Noticed that I didn't have anything on the Sentinels,
so I remedied that. Also made some spelling corrections and clarified some
information.
Version 1.21, 24/09/2003: Oh god what have I done? Mispelled an important
name, that's what. Therefore, let it be fixed!
Version 1.22, 5/10/2003: Alrighty. Another user-requested guide cometh forth.
This one also on Truth and Reconciliation...but a different part... Go check.
Version 1.23, 3/11/2003: It's been almost a month since my last update. A
helpful reader has submitted some very helpful tips for dealing with enemies,
along with a couple of things I forgot to clarify. Thanks go to Strategy Fan
of GameFAQs.com. Also did some minor revisions so's it all sounded better.
Version 1.24, 7/11/2003: It doesn't really seem right to go up a point because
of a small correction, however it is significant and I wouldn't want to
instigate any mistakes. A site host has e-mailed me and asked to host this
guide: and this new version is the one with the upgraded Lawyer section
indicating that the person in question may indeed host my guide at the
following address: www.fpsheaven.com
Version 1.25, 9/11/2003: Another Reader-Requested Guide cometh forth...this
being the third one. It's on the start of The Maw, if you wish to know.
Version 1.26, 11/11/2003: Another site is now authorized to host this guide:
Neoseeker.com. Just to make sure there are no errors.
Version 1.27, 11/12/2003: Yay, Merry Christmas. Almost. It's so bloody hot
down here already, though. But anyway, I've been a bit neglectful in updating
this monster, so here ve go again. Several very helpful readers have submitted
several very helpful tips to help you deal with Wraiths and Jackals, plus a
nice little tip on the Plasma Rifle, and another on the Rocket Launcher.
Thanks go to jedi078, Scott McKenna, Curry, and Justin Drawbert for all their
help.
Version 1.30, 18/02/2004: Welcome to the New Year. I haven't updated this in
sooooo long...lazy, I know. Just haven't had the time, what with year 12
looming on the horizon like a dark cloud of locusts. A really, really big
sorry goes out to everyone who E-mailed me with tips (and a really, really big
thankyou too), and thanks for your patience. We now have: a couple of Ghost
tips from Willy Fimy, an Exploding flood tip from Haydn Menere, a Wraith tip
from Xavori, an Exploding Flood clarification by Kirin, yet another Ghost tip
by Scott Cancelliere, an Exploding Flood tip from Auron and a Plasma Pistol tip
from Joe R. This has caused an increase by a FULL 0.03 POINTS! ...okay, fine,
don't be excited. Just because I have no concept of version numbers...
Version 1.31, 19/04/2004: And two months later, the next edition. I'm updating
now because I've had a (-- Big Change of Heart Episode --): see the Plasma
Pistol section for details. And not just me: Dale Moffat has sent in an
anti-Jackal tactic, Darksilver 7 has sent in a funny way to take on the Flood
(Converted Flood section), Liquid Snake sent in a tactic for the Needler
(Needler section), and a Ghost tip from MooglexKnight (Ghost section). There's
also a couple of new Basic Tips.
Version 1.40, 17/05/2005: Why did I bother, you ask? I mean, I am a lazy
person. Seriously lazy. I deeply apologise to all the people who sent in
their best efforts over the past year, but the recent move up in the scholarly
world (University) combined with the idea of actually having to work for a
living seems to have taken me out of the Internet in general for a long while.
Don't worry, this thing's still live, like a particularly resilient old car
battery, but again like most car batteries the amount of time I'll spend
working is rather variable. Anyway. We've got some shiny updates here from a
lot of people (thankyou all): William F Stanger sendeth in tips about the Flugs
and the Plasma Pistol, tinyturtle has one about Wraith mortars, Suicide-King
brings a tip about the Sniper Rifle, Adam Harvey gives up a basic tip and a tip
about pistol shooting, ~chokki extols the virtues of the Exploding flood in the
relevant section, Jarrad gives a further tip on Wraiths, Floodkiller hauls over
a Banshee tip, Cuirass proves to be a fountain of information about Hunters,
the Sniper Rifle, and the Wraith tank, Craig Novak comes to us with a tip for
Invisible Elites, Faiyn with a tip for Gold Elites, Matt Emery with a tip for
Elites, Michael Huff speaks out about the Sniper Rifle, David Vestal breaks the
anti-Banshee lock on the Wraith (Wraith section, for those who don't speak my
language), Lewis reveals a secret about the Plasma Rifle, and Aegwyn sends in a
tip about Grunt cruelty. And, finally, we have a new host slash player on
board- check out the legal listings for details.
Version 1.42, 06/12/2005: Hey, six months! Wasn't as bad as the full year
between the last updates, so there you go. Anyway, there really isn't a lot to
say at this point, business has been slow and all that. Maybe I should write a
Halo 2 guide...anyway. This update is brought to you by Malyss99, who
sumbitteth (...yeah, that's not a real word, ah well) a bit of an expansion of
an already present tactic for Elites (Elites section), and corrected me a bit
on the Assault Rifle vs the Flood (Flood section), and also asked for a reader
requested guide (and I'm thinking about a less unwieldy name for that section,
if the mood takes me) on the level Halo, first lifeboat beacon. So...thankyou
for keeping me sorta in business. I'd also like to take this update to say
thankyou, once again, to all the people who have E-mailed me with advice and
well-wishes, and in a couple of cases, amusing critiques, as well as everybody
who has read all or part of this guide.
Version 1.43, 30/10/2007: Welcome back. Betcha never thought to see me again.
Well, it's quite simple- another person has asked to host my guide, and being
concerned with fame and fortune as I am, I have updated my lawyer section with
the relevant information!
- Contents
Section 1: Basic Tips
Section 2: Weapons
Section 3: Items
Section 4: Grenades
Section 5: The Covenant
Section 6: The Flood
Section 7: The Sentinels
Section 8: The Vehicles
Section 9: Reader-Requested Guides
Section 10: Contact Info
Section 11: Credits
- Section 1: Basic tips
Well, they're not exactly basic, but you should know these if you are to
survive. If you're confident in your skills, however, then by all means go to
Section 2.
0 Picking up Guns
Just in case you didn't get this one the first time, to pick up guns you hold
X. To save time, however, hold X as you're running. Learn to spot the guns
lying on the floor and know what they are before having to see the graphic.
Trust me, it saves a load of time. (-- Thanks to Adam Harvey for pointing this
out. --)
0 Take Cover!
I forgot to add this for a while, actually, as it's so simple to me.
Automatic. The lesson is this: never, never, NEVER stand in the middle of a
giant green field shooting at your opponents, Rambo style. In this game there
is no such thing as dramatic effect, so you won't 'ward off the bullets' just
by standing firm like a bad action movie star might. In Legendary mode,
specifically, you will die very, very easily. So find some cover to block some
shots. Even a knee high rock is something- crouch down and it obscures a
portion of your body that would otherwise receive enemy fire. The
one-out-of-twenty shots that a small rock actually absorbs might not seem like
much, but it could save your life- and a big rock could keep you completely out
of harm's way.
0 Guerrilla tactics, not Gorilla tactics
Another thing I forgot for a while. Guerrilla tactics are basically 'hit and
run' tactics- pop out from cover, decimate some Elite as best you can, and get
back when they start shooting. Always attack from different angles- first go
for a group from one doorway, then take another route down a hall and hit them
from another doorway. Or go around the other side of your rock, even.
Anything to stop them from knowing where you are- if the Covenant ever pin you
down they'll nail you into a corner and you're stuffed. This is why you should
avoid what I call 'Gorilla tactics'- basically, these are just running in, full
speed, muscles bulging, no subtlety whatsoever. This is actually a rather
effective tactic- against a lone Elite. Singular Elites probably won't even
know what hit them if you rush them as fast and hard as possible. Try to rush
them from a different angle, though, so they don't see you coming until you're
RIGHT THERE. That works well on a loner. But against a group...well, then
you'll be seen regardless, 'locked on' to (for lack of a better phrase), and
torn to little glowing plasma-fried bits before you even get near your enemy.
0 Use Grenades
Believe it or not, the "secondary grenades" system of Halo provides one with a
really good way to kick ass. Simply put, grenades are so useful. You can use
Human grenades to take out a bunch of Grunts as they jump off their dropship.
Or you can use one on a pesky Jackal. Plasma grenades, however, are better
used against Elites in (shock, horror) close range combat. If you hit the
Elite the grenade will stick, and it's a lot easier to hit when you're up
close. The Elite will get fairly cheesed off by his impending demise, which is
your cue to scarper, because around about when he stops roaring and starts
charging you again is when the grenade will go off, thus ending his life and
yours too if you're too close.
0 Use melee attack
This, also, is a new innovation by Halo. A melee attack that doesn't require a
weapon select. This means that you can belt anything at any time. Fun for one
and all. Against Grunts and Jackals you can just run up and pulverise them:
Grunts aren't worth the ammo and the Jackals shields do bugger-all against your
gun's butt. Melee fighting with an Elite on Legendary is not recommended
unless you have no ammo, however if you must do so I recommend the "guerrilla
approach"- basically, run up and belt them once, then dart back a bit and dodge
their hit, then hit them again, and so on until you wear them down. Stay close
though, or they'll pull out their Plasma Rifle and you'll be toast.
Also, if you're daring (or insane) enough, you may actually kill Hunters with
Melee. It's fairly easy once you get the hang of it- simply get in close, wait
till they go to hit you and then dodge around them. You'll have a wide open
shot at slugging them in the back, but if your aim is good enough you should go
for the orange band on their back (kills much faster and makes a nice
satisfyingly fleshy thump instead of an armour clink). Rinse, and repeat until
dead.
0 Don't stop
A simple one, this. Never stop moving. A moving target is hardest to hit, and
in your case it's a good idea to be hard to hit. Learn to be accurate whilst
on the move, and learn how to dodge effectively, and you can make it through
any mission you choose.
0 Don't pick fights
Sun Tzu: "...in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the
victory has been won..." And it's so true. If you think you can avoid battle
then by all means do so. You can't be killed if nobody is fighting you.
0 Learn to drive
In vehicles you are stronger. No matter which vehicle it is. Being in a
Warthog by yourself seems foolish, for instance. Nobody fires at your enemies?
Bah. Some others may disagree, but I say that being in a Warthog by yourself
still makes you twice as effective, for the simple reason that you can butcher
anything and everything (yes, even Hunters) by running them over, and you'll go
really fast. It's the same with the tank, although with a dirty great big gun
on top of an armoured monstrosity like that you really don't need speed, just a
quick trigger finger and a bad attitude. Banshees are more vulnerable, but
also more manoeuvrable: nothing else can get up to your height, so nothing can
touch you. Unfortunately, I don't find Ghosts to be very good: too slow, and
it won't run people over very well. However, you do have very nice twin plasma
cannons...
0 Always have an escape plan
In easy mode it was possible to camp in a hole, firing rounds into your stupid
enemies. Not so in Legendary mode. Try that and I guarantee you'll find
yourself sucking white-hot plasma from a grenade. Or staring at your teeth
hanging off that Elite's gun butt. So always, always leave yourself a way out,
and the faster you can go the better.
0 The hidden are mighty
Whatever else you choose to do, whatever other tips you choose to follow,
remember this: If they can't see you, they can't kill you. With this in mind,
you should be able to figure out the next step: attack from behind. They don't
have eyes in the back of their head, nor can they shoot backwards. This gives
you a couple of seconds free time while they're turning towards you, and for a
truly good Halo player, a couple of seconds head start should be almost too
much.
0 Watch yourself
Watch your shields, health and ammo. Notice how you tend to die a lot quicker
with red health and no shields? Hmmm...funny that. The lesson is, of course:
"He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day." Meaning: "If you
don't have enough supplies to stick it out, run away to find some more." Don't
worry; they won't follow you too far.
0 Loyalty is for the honest
This is a game where you are the Master Chief. This means that you are several
cuts above the average Marine trooper, so it's generally a good idea to
cultivate a careless manner where these AI-controlled troopers are concerned.
What I mean is that on Legendary difficulty the Marines will get killed a lot.
On Legendary they just do not match up to the Covenant or the Flood. From
painful experience I have found it to be worse then useless trying to save
them. They WILL get themselves killed, they will NOT run for cover when hurt,
and they will probably shoot you "by accident" if you get between them and
their antagonists. All you will accomplish is your own demise. Therefore, if
you REALLY want some company for a mission, don't try to save them. Instead,
use the Marines as a distraction whilst YOU sneak up to the side of their foes
and butcher them good. Believe it or not, this kind of surprise attack (using
Marines as bait) generally saves more Marines then actually trying to save them
will. Plus you survive, and your foes die miserably.
0 Learn the Levels
You have no idea how important this is. I could map out each level on paper-
and I can barely draw stick figures. You need to know where each enemy group
is, how many there will be, where they will come from, whether there are
vehicles involved, etc... You need to know where you are going at all times.
If you get lost in a Covenant-filled area, you're stuffed. I would point out
an exception though: the Flood. Since there are only three types of Flood and
only two that matter, all you really need to know is whether they're wielding
shotguns or whether they're Exploders- and you'll find both of those out easily
enough... Oh, and by the way, you'll also want to know exactly where all
equipment drops are: ammo and health are really good.
0 Hate the Marines
I touched on this a couple of points ago, but let me reiterate: Marines are not
helpful. At first, in easy mode, I found them adequate help against a squad of
grunts, but on Legendary they are just cannon fodder. Thus, I have only two
main ways of thinking of Marines. What I think of them at any one time depends
on two factors: their current health and my current mood, and I only think of
them in two ways:
The first thing they are good for is as a distraction. Let's face it, a Marine
on Legendary would have trouble handling a Yellow Grunt. They can, however,
take several shots that would otherwise have found their way into YOU, thus
making a group of them into an excellent distraction. Lead them into battle,
let them occupy the enemy's attention, and then you can either run away or
stage a surprise attack as you see fit, secure in the knowledge that the
Marines will fight and die for your cause.
The other thing they are good for is ammo. Not the morbid kind of foraging
around the dead Marines after a battle: there may not be any dead Marines.
So...create some. Marines, no matter the difficulty, are sooo easy to
kill...and it's so much fun. A couple of average Marines and you have full
Assault Rifle ammo again.
I would encourage you only to think of Marines in terms of either of the above
scenarios. If you find yourself thinking for even a second that they are a
viable fighting force, LOSE THAT THOUGHT. The only times they are good is in
the back of a Warthog, or in the side seat of a Warthog with a Sniper Rifle
(they are damn good snipers if they have a Sniper Rifle, but still get picked
off too easily.) In fact, the only time I can remember thinking a Marine to be
"useful" is when one took a Fuel Rod blast that was intended for me. However,
it was only his utter stupidity that led him into the shot, which is why I
dislike Marines.
0 Conserve supplies
Basically, you cannot pick up ammo or health unless you have less then full of
either item. There is a problem, however: if you pick up health, all your
health regenerates, BUT you could pick up health when you're only down one bar
and still feeling fine. So...avoid this like the plague. I would leave health
if you are still alright, and come back if you really need it. Here's a better
one: you NEED health if you're on three bars or less of health meter. If your
health is above that but still yellow, you don't need health, however if you're
about to leave an area you should grab it anyway, to stop it going to waste.
If you're still in the blue then you're riding the gravy train. Only grab it
if you're absolutely sure you are not ever coming back.
- Section 2: Weapons
Since the first thing you'll need (and get) in Halo is a gun, it makes sense to
cover these first. But first, a bit about the rating system.
Each listing will show the clip size, max ammo, accuracy rating, ROF (Rate of
Fire) rating, Damage rating, Overall rating and comments section. Each rating
will be out of ten. Simple, eh? Well, okay, it sounds about as complex as you
can get, but trust me it looks a whole lot better just down below...
Oh, and please note one thing: the values for maximum ammo are based upon what
you see up the top of the screen at full ammo. And before you say it: yes, I
am aware that the clip currently loaded into the weapon does not count towards
that total ammo, so you DO get an extra clip of ammo on top of what I put down.
But, just to be pedantic, I've put your REAL maximum ammo in brackets beside
the Max ammo value- this includes the one extra clip that is loaded into the
weapon on top of your ammo.
- Human weapons
[Pistol]
Clip size: 12 shots
Max ammo: 120 shots (132 shots)
Accuracy: 8.5 / 10
Rate of Fire: 7 / 10
Damage: 7 / 10
Overall: 8 / 10
As you can see, the humble Pistol is considerably better then it first appears.
E.g. when I first got the Pistol I changed it for something else as fast as I
could. Basically, the Plasma Rifle, which is just great for anything up to
Heroic difficulty. However, this is not a Heroic guide, this is a Legendary
guide. And in Legendary mode, the Pistol really shines.
The Pistol is basically the poor man's sniper rifle. It has a 2x scope that
allows for even more accuracy. It has enough damage to kill a Jackal with a
single shot to the head. It fires reasonably fast and it has a pretty good
clip size.
I find that the best use for the Pistol is against Elites or Jackals in the
earlier levels. A full clip is required to take care of an Elite, but with
practise and good use of the zoom function you'll easily take one down. Do it
from far away and they won't even be able to fire back. Satisfying. Against
Jackals, go for the notches on the shield or the head and gun 'em down.
The Pistol is effective against the Covenant (especially Hunters) and the Flood
alike (they die quite easily)
The Pistol is a tad more effective when you don't hold down the button. Go
semi-auto fire- keep pulling the trigger individually per shot. It increases
accuracy and gives roughly the same fire rate. (-- Thanks to Adam Harvey for
pointing this out. --)
[Assault Rifle]
Clip size: 60 shots
Max ammo: 600 shots (660 shots)
Accuracy: 4 / 10
Rate of Fire: 9 / 10
Damage: 6 / 10
Overall: 7 / 10
The Assault Rifle is, quite simply, a mainstay weapon. I use this weapon
unless I can wrap my hands around a shotgun. Although its accuracy isn't good,
and it doesn't deal as much damage as the Pistol, it is still the best close-up
weapon I know of bar the shotgun (a.k.a. the Holy Grail). The reason for this
is simple: Rate of Fire.
The Assault Rifle's charm to me is that it holds the prize for being the gun
that throws the most lead in the shortest amount of time. There's no need to
be accurate: with the Assault Rifle the strategy is just to run up to your
target and dance around them whilst emptying a clip full of lead into their
stomach. It works a charm on Blue Elites, who just don't have the endurance to
match the Rifle's hailstorm of bullets.
The unfortunate downside to the rifle is, of course, it's lack of accuracy. If
you really want to use this for distance shots you need to think of it like the
Pulse Rifle from Aliens: short, controlled bursts, preferably only three or
four shots each. Of course, with the Rifle bullet's low damage four shots will
only really hurt Grunts or Jackals, however this can be a good tactic for
medium distance.
Despite it's shortcomings, however, I love this little beauty. There is no
better gun for cleaning up Grunts at close range. The question is just whether
you prefer this or the Plasma Rifle. But more on that later.
The Assault Rifle is effective against all parties to a minor degree. However,
this is a staple weapon- no specialties, just all-round goodness. One minor
problem that this weapon has is against the Flood: lots of bullets are good but
the Flood require LOTS of bullets from this gun to die. Better off with
another weapon in Flood situations.
[Shotgun]
Clip size: 12 shots
Max ammo: 60 shots (72 shots)
Accuracy: 5 / 10
Rate of Fire: 6.5 / 10
Damage: 9 / 10
Overall: 9 / 10
Notice the strangely large overall score? Wondering why? It's because this is
one of the best weapons you can get.
This little beauty has it all: good fire rate, pretty good accuracy (for a
shotgun), and a hell of a lot of damage. The melee animation is a bit
pathetic, and it has no range, but you can't have everything. The damage
overshadows all the shortcomings, and here's why:
At point blank range it takes two hits to do away with most any Legendary
ELITE. No Flood will need more then one shot. Hunters will need more, but you
really shouldn't waste this on them. All up, I'd say that each shotgun shell
actually sprays out about a clip full of pistol bullets in a spread- deadly up
close.
If you're crazy, stupid, macho or any combination of the above, you can even
use the shotgun's incredible damage against enemy vehicles. Banshees take a
lot of shots, since they generally fly far away from you. However, if you lure
one in close you can pump it full of lead quick smart. Ghosts are harder to
kill because they move faster and are deadlier by far. Buuut...the craziest,
stupidest and macho-est of you all might want to try this: soften up a Wraith
mortar tank with a couple of plasma grenades, then move in for the kill at
medium range with the shotgun. And pray that a hill or tree or something is
there to cover you from the mortars.
The shotgun is effective against Covenant and Flood. Unfortunately, on these
high difficulties Sentinels develop too much resistance to them.
[Rocket Launcher]
Clip Size: 2 rockets
Max ammo: 8 rockets (10 rockets)
Accuracy: 5 / 10
Rate of Fire: 4 / 10
Damage: 10 / 10
Overall: 6.5 / 10
Ah, the rocket launcher. Where to start?
Perhaps I should elaborate a bit on the above scores. The accuracy on this
weapon is actually like to that of the Sniper Rifle- i.e. abnormally good.
Unfortunately, that is hampered by the rocket's slow travelling speed,
resulting in a problem- at long range, even a Scorpion Tank can dodge a rocket,
given some warning. This makes the effective accuracy drop.
But anyway. This is what I like to call a "special weapon"; effectively, a
weapon that has only a couple of well-defined uses. In this case, the Rocket
Launcher is only really useful against enemy vehicles and Covenant Elites.
Forget what Cortana said about using them against Hunters: that is a waste of
ammo, since you should know the tactics for killing Hunters easily by now.
Against vehicles, the main things you have to remember are to lead your
opponent and to get in close. Don't get too close, as that will end your life
quick smart. But on the other hand, don't get too far as you won't be able to
hit a blind Hunter at long distances. This distance problem is the biggest
obstacle to overcome when using the launcher.
Against an Elite, simply aim for the chest at medium-close range and pull the
trigger. Some may say to aim for the feet so that if it dodges it will still
take splash damage, but in my opinion the splash damage at the average Elite's
dodging distance is too low to warrant such an action. At long range, however,
definitely aim for the feet as you'll have more chance of getting in some
damage as opposed to no damage. After one shot, switch to another weapon and
unload on the poor Elite- no use wasting another Rocket unless you're dealing
with a Gold Elite.
A special note is using these against Ghosts. If you decide to show a Ghost
your rocket (and it's a good idea), then watch for their movement. A Ghost
moves fast enough to dodge your shot, true, but they also close distance with
you so fast you'll hardly believe it. Just watch that it doesn't trick you
into eating your own rocket.
As for their effectiveness, well if you can get a rocket into most any target
it'll crumple. Don't waste them against Grunts or Jackals unless you really
have to- they're too good for that. Use them against single, highly powerful
enemies like Gold Elites or unreachable Shade stationary cannons. Sentinels
will dodge these things rather well, but can't stand up to them. And don't
bother wasting them on the Flood: the splash damage isn't high enough to kill
many of them, and it's dangerous to kill Explosive Flood with explosives...
One final tip to make it easier: the rocket launcher has a hidden feature: a 2x
scope. It's not mentioned in the manual but believe me, it's there. Just go
and see.
Also, there is a way to increase the Rocket Launcher's accuracy, as given by a
reader. If you have both the RL and a sniper rifle, the try this: zoom the
sniper rifle in until you can clearly see your target (say, a Shade stationary
gun). Put the crosshair over where you want the rocket to hit. Then, switch
to the RL without moving anything else, and fire. Since the Rockets always go
exactly straight, even though they have a huge crosshair, it will hit exactly
where you aimed. (-- Thanks to Scott McKenna for pointing this out. --)
[Sniper Rifle]
Clip Size: 4 shots
Max ammo: 24 shots (except for Truth and Reconciliation) (28 shots)
Accuracy: 10 / 10
Rate of Fire: 7 / 10
Damage: 8 / 10
Overall: 9 / 10
I love this gun. It rocks. There's nothing quite like the feeling of
carefully pinning your aim on the head of some unsuspecting Jackal and then
felling it with a single, powerful shot. Drool. The gun even has 2x and 10x
zoom features, AND night vision while in zoom mode. This means that you can be
the ultimate sniper. You zoom while in complete darkness, activate night
vision and your enemies don't even see you coming. Mwahahahahaa.
Unfortunately, this beast has three minor setbacks. The first is clip size: 4
shots aren’t enough, particularly with this thing's rate of fire (as fast as
the Pistol). You can empty them quick. Which brings us to the second setback:
ammo for this gun (and the gun itself) is quite hard to come by, wherever you
go.
The final setback has to do with the Flood. Against these bums the Rifle's 8 /
10 damage means nothing. The fact that a headshot will kill a Legendary mode
Blue Elite means nothing. Read this carefully: the Flood are immune to the
Sniper Rifle. Totally.
I've not tried to use this against the Sentinels, and I'm not likely to. There
are better ways of skinning a feline.
Note that this is one of the two weapons that can "quick-kill" a Hunter,
although with this gun's beauty and scarce ammo it's easier just to belt
Hunters to death anyway.
This is an excellent gun against infantry, just as the Rocket Launcher is an
excellent gun against vehicles. You can even use this gun to take out the
occupants of Ghosts and Shade's.
Fun. Good. Lethal. Buy me.
When you're hunting Elites, you should aim for the top of their heads- the tips
even, if you must. This can get one-hit kills one most Elites (not Goldies,
though.) (-- Thanks to Suicide-King for pointing this out. --)
Alternatively, aim for the back of their neck. See the fleshy looking bit?
Hit that, and the Elite should be down and out in one hit. If not, just pump
another into the alien scum as it turns around. (-- Thanks to Cuirass for
pointing this out. --)
If you're in a pickle or just can't be bothered using the zoom, don't be afraid
to shoot unzoomed. Get the hang of it and you'll rule over the petty Elites at
medium range. (-- Thanks to Michael Huff for pointing this out. --)
- Covenant Weapons
[Plasma Pistol]
Max Ammo: 100 percent charge
Ammo used per shot: 0.3% single shot, 11% overcharge.
Accuracy: 7 / 10
Rate of Fire: 6.5 / 10
Damage: 6 / 10
Overall: 6.5 / 10
The Plasma pistol is cool at first. It fires semiautomatically, at a rate
comparable to the human pistol, but with NO RELOADING. All you have to watch
is the heat. It also has an overcharge capacity that will destroy ANY energy
shields. Yes, this includes those pesky Jackal's shields as well as the
Elite's body shield. Not to mention your own shield if you cop an overcharge
bolt.
(-- Big Change of Heart Episode Here --)
All right. I admit it, I was unfair to the Plasma Pistol. SO many people
E-mailed me about this thing's usefulness...well, you can all rest easy now
because I agree.
After forcing myself to use this gun, I find it most useful against Elites up
close (usually in enclosed spaces such as you'd find in Truth and
Reconciliation or such). Simply overcharge and unload into an Elite's chest
(especially a pesky Red Elite)- instant loss of shield. What's better, it
stuns the opponent but good and gives you time to switch to another weapon- I
find the Assault Rifle to be very, very effective. That and the Shotgun.
Still and all, though, I feel that the overcharge capacity of the Plasma Pistol
is best against Sentinels. One overcharge bolt will destroy any sentinel, plus
the Overcharge bolts home in good against airborne targets. Clean kills every
time.
Use the plasma pistol against the sentinels at the start of Two Betrayals and I
guarantee instant death for them.
(-- End of Big Change of Heart Episode: we now return to the writer's normal
level of cynicism and fear of the unknown. --)
(-- Thanks to all those who E-mailed me, telling me how good the Plasma Pistol
is. You know who you are...but, as I unfortunately cleared my mail Inbox, I'm
afraid I'm not so sure. Still, those of you who did E-mail me with stuff about
the Plasma Pistol, give yourself a pat on the back. --)
THE ORIGINAL, AND STILL THE BEST, PLASMA PISTOL TACTIC: Go up against an Elite
(say, a pesky Sword-endowed Gold Elite) with a Plasma Pistol and an Assault
Rifle or like weapon. Charge the PP, and give the Elite a blast. Then, switch
guns, and when it reels back in pain and shock...FILL IT FULL OF LEAD! Or
plasma, or purple needles, or just belt it to death to save ammo. Exquisite...
(-- Thanks to Joe R for pointing this out. --)
Alternatively, you could channel all that inhuman dexterity and energy that
comes from hardcore gaming into something useful. Learn to pull the trigger
repeatedly, real fast. Sadly, this is not something I personally can do
without my entire hand shaking with extra seizure force, but I have it on good
authority that if you get fast enough you can burn down someone's shields
faster then the autofire of the Plasma Rifle- plus, it uses only about 1/5th
the energy of a charged PP shot to get roughly the same effect, assuming you're
good with the aiming. (-- Thanks to William F. Stanger for pointing this out.
--)
[Plasma Rifle]
Max Ammo: 100 percent charge
Ammo per shot: 0.3% single shot
Accuracy: 7 / 10
Rate of Fire: 7.5 / 10
Damage: 7 / 10
Overall: 7.5 / 10
This weapon is the Assault Rifle's evil brother. It fires at a slower rate,
its projectiles are slower then bullets, but it makes up for that with more
damage per shot and better accuracy, not to mention increased effectiveness
against enemy shields.
This weapon and the Assault Rifle are both the same thing: staple guns.
Primary guns. These are both average weapons with broad strengths. They are
both widely available. The question is, of course, which one you want to use.
It's a toss-up between higher damage and accuracy versus higher rate of fire.
And in my opinion, the assault rifle's higher rate of fire wins. But you make
your own judgement.
The plasma rifle offers you a much better chance of killing Elites, and the
capability to do so from a significant distance. The plasma rifle is also a
fairly good Flood killer in a pinch, as its higher damage pulses are more
effective then vast seas of super fast lead.
Unfortunately, you lose one major advantage that the Assault Rifle has:
suppression.
Suppressing fire means basically shooting at an enemy hiding spot to discourage
their escape. It works on the premise that nothing is stupid enough to rush
out into a massive hail of fire, though anyone who's seen Grunts or Marines in
action would (as I do) disagree with that premise. Grunts are just too stupid
to know what's good for them.
But anyway, the plasma rifle does have more ammo capacity, but it does not fire
nearly as fast as the assault rifle. This makes it more useful for accurate
players (like myself) who can hit what they need to without resorting to oodles
of fire.
Unfortunately, without oodles of fire suppression doesn't work so well. Plus
it's just too easy to dodge the Plasma shots. But finally, the Plasma rifle
cannot go full-out auto for very long or it will overheat, and in the middle of
a firefight the last thing you want is to suddenly be unable to fire while your
gun cools off.
The plasma gun works well against all enemies, subject to the drawbacks above.
Note: A fairly infuential tip, this- a helpful reader has shown me that the
Plasma Rifle will cause Elites, Jackals and Grunts (not to mention the
Converted Flood) to flinch (as in, jerk and be momentarily stunned) with pain.
On the unshielded Jackals, Grunts and Flood it works a charm, but on Elites it
is a little hazy- the Elites will still flinch while shielded, but not if
they're running (or crouched?). (-- Thanks to Curry for pointing this out. --)
Also, due to that same reader, I have now slightly re-evaluated my opinion of
the Plasma Rifle.
The Plasma Rifle is much better for the accurate wielder, and is better at
midrange. However, against Elites it is still a good idea to get in close:
Elites in general are more accurate and quicker to dodge then the Master Chief,
and at midrange they tend to land more hits. I've found the Plasma Rifle best
up close and personal against Elites, where the enemy can't track well enough.
It is also much more efficient then the Assault Rifle at downing an Elite's
shields and, thus, terminating said elite. (-- Thanks to Curry for helping me
realise the benefits of the Plasma Rifle. --)
Apparently, the Plasma Gun works as a slow-down device on pretty much every
Covenant troop out there. I'm told it works on vehicles too but I won't
believe until I see. Either way, just keep pounding. (-- Thanks to Lewis for
pointing this out. --)
[Needler]
Clip size: 20 shots
Max ammo: 80 shots (100 shots)
Accuracy: 7 / 10
Rate of fire: 9 / 10
Damage: 8 / 10
Overall: 8 / 10
This is cool. The Needler fires little purple spikes of death which home in on
unwary opponents and stick in. When enough are in the opponent, they explode.
If more then six needles are in the opponent the explosion will look something
like a purple rocket blast, with medium splash damage. Twelve plus needles
equals two explosions, one after the other. And finally, putting the full
twenty needles into a single target results in no less then three sequential
purple blasts that will undoubtedly kill anything bar a Hunter.
It's fun to use this gun against hunters anyway, and watch the orange goo fly
everywhere.
This gun is good against anything: flood, covenant, sentinels, humans and even
vehicles if you're so inclined.
It's not as good against vehicles as it is against infantry, though. I've
never had the guts or stupidity to try this gun against a Wraith mortar tank,
but I suspect that my demise would be the eventual result. Against ghosts is
another thing I dislike- they move too fast. But it is amusing to use them
against oncoming Banshee's- watching the Banshee fly away only to explode in a
purple blaze a few seconds later is quite amusing.
Bear in mind that the needles will ricochet off vehicular armour if it isn't
pretty much a 90 degree angle of impact.
Also bear in mind the two chief flaws of the needler: speed of projectiles and
low ammo capacity.
The needles are cool, but slow. They fly about as fast as you run, and their
homing system isn't foolproof. This means that they are so easy to dodge
around, or even through- just run straight through a spread-out swarm of them
before the swarm gets a chance to close up into a line. Or wait, and then run
just past the line.
The ammo capacity might seem pretty good (100 shots total) at first glance, but
20 shots goes away in about two seconds with the rate of fire of this baby.
This is a good thing against Gold Elites, but not against most else.
Another bad feature I'd have to mention is that any target requires about six
shots in them to actually take real damage. The damage from five shots is
pretty pathetic, but six will ignite the purple blast of death and kill the
target pretty well. This is wasteful against grunts and jackals.
On the subject of jackals, don't bother with this gun. The needles fly right
off the Jackal's energy shield regardless of angle.
A tip: You may, of course, take on an Elite with this gun. Lean out from a
wall a bit (try to be in cover) and just empty your Needler in the general
direction of the Elite- if you're enough out of cover the Elite will start
shooting at you and be too occupied to notice the purple death spearing into
its side. Once 12 shots are in it, it's pretty much a goner, but just for
kicks unload the full 20 and watch it die in a repetitive tower of purple
flame. (-- Thanks to Liquid Snake for pointing this out. --)
[Fuel-Rod Cannon]
Make no mistake, you actually can't use this. These stats are what have been
observed. Note that the fuel rod cannon is the gun that Hunters and some Black
Grunts wield- it's big with glowing green inlays and shoots green rods of death.
Actually, I lied. You can use this, if you're in a Banshee. Use the Grenades
button/trigger.
Accuracy: 5 / 10 (Black Grunts), 7 / 10 (Hunters)
Rate of Fire: 2 / 10
Damage: 8 / 10
This gun is dangerous. I've never seen a black grunt actually hit anything bar
a Banshee with one of these, but still. Hunters seem to be more dangerous with
them- if I'm not mistaken, Hunters can double-fire.
The rate of fire is absolutely abysmal, although sometimes two shots will fire
in a row. Other then that, you have at least three or four seconds till the
next shot comes, so use them.
The damage from this gun will kill you on a direct hit, and injure you severely
if not. It's basically the Covenant rocket launcher. Since it has quite a
distinctive sound when fired, remember to run to cover whenever you hear that
sound.
When you use it, aim at anything and shoot. It is very amusing.
This gun is effective against all known enemies, bar Hunters. Hunters will
take many fuel-rod shots with a grin and a shrug, so don't waste your time.
[Plasma sword]
You can't use this weapon at all, but if I could I'd kill everything.
Accuracy: N/A
Rate of Fire: N/A
Damage: Lethal
This is a weapon that may only be found in the hands of a few invisible or Gold
elites. When you see one, run away. It is imperative that you not get hit.
You see, this sword is lethal. Completely and utterly lethal. You cannot
survive it, no matter what you've got. The only real protection is range or a
Scorpion tank.
So far as I know, this weapon is effective against anything. I've never seen
it take Covenant lives, but it's my greatest ambition to witness a Gold Elite
swing and take out a pesky Jackal. Or anything. I'd love to see it in action
against a Hunter.
Drool. Please give us this weapon for Halo 2. PLEASE!
(NOTE: They have. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!)
- Section 3: Items
This is simply a very, very short look at the items of Halo. It's short
because there are indeed very few items in Halo, what with the primary focus of
this game being the wholesale slaughter of your foes. However, ignoring that...
[Medpack]
Or medikit, whatever, it doesn't matter. I'll call them medpacks. Anyway.
This simply restores all of your health, regardless of your current health
value. This means, of course, that you should save these until you really need
them.
Bear in mind that this is picked up automatically if you run over it and have
less then full health. Even if you're just one bar short you will still waste
the medpack. So...
Avoid picking these up unless you are almost out of health. As a general rule,
three bars or below of health probably means that it's time to find health. If
you're above three bars but still in the yellow colour, you don't really need
the medpack but if you sense trouble ahead (i.e. if you hear loud noises,
gunfire and screams and see bodies flying about) then it's probably best to
grab it.
If your health is still coloured blue then you don't need the health. Leave it
alone unless you're leaving the area for good and won't ever be back. No sense
in wasting these things.
Also, learn to watch for medpacks so's you don't stumble into them. On high
difficulty levels (like this one) medpacks are your lifeline, and they're also
pretty bloody rare, so don't waste one by blundering into it with only one bar
of health missing. You never know, that medpack might save your life.
[Ammo]
Well, let's see. How about...PICK IT UP. Duh.
The only thing you really need to watch is that you don't pick up rare
ammunition like shotgun or rifle clips when you're only missing a couple of
shots. In case you didn't know, when you take ammo from a gun but can't take
it all the gun remains, but take just one bullet from a clip and it all
disappears. Watch out for that.
[Grenades]
Just pick them up and hurl away. More details in the grenades section.
[Active Camouflage]
Now this is more tactical.
When you see an active camouflage, just pick it up and find some enemies.
When you do, DO NOT fire at them. You'll alert them. Instead, sneak behind
them (not difficult when you're invisible) and melee them in the back for an
instant kill. Against Flood just run past them.
When sneaking around with Active Camouflage, avoid touching enemies at all
costs. They can feel it if you bump into them, and will react with a spray of
gunfire in your general direction.
If you get hit while using this, you'll decloak very slightly. Successive hits
will decloak you fully for a short time. But even if you aren't hit, you are
still slightly visible as a Predator-like blur in the air. When you alert your
enemies, they'll start looking for a blur in the air, and unfortunately for you
they're pretty good at it. So be stealthy.
Note that unlike Silver Elites, your shields will NOT drop when using Active
Camouflage. But it won't last forever on you either.
[Overshield]
These things are beautiful for tight spots. They simply triple your normal
shield strength for one charge cycle, which is underhandedly lethal against
your foes.
Note that you will not regenerate your shields again until you go below your
normal 100% shields. This will not harm you, but it does mean that any hits
you take to your overshield will not regenerate back. One overshield is all
you get.
Silent Cartographer has an awesomely huge amount of these babies, something
like 7 of them in co-op mode. Drool...
To use these effectively, simply pick one up, go to the nearest group of tough
enemies and attack with your favourite weapon of choice. Do bear in mind
however that you are NOT invincible, and against Elites you will still die
fairly quick. Use judgement.
These things last forever if they're not damaged.
- Section 4: Grenades
This section merely exists to teach you how to properly use grenades. Or, at
least, give you some idea of the possibilities.
[Human Grenades]
Technically, they're fragmentation grenades, but who cares. If I say "frag
grenades", "human grenades" or "La Fragola" I mean these wondrous appliances.
These grenades are the bread and butter of dealing with grunts, jackals and the
Flood. They bounce somewhat, and they detonate quicker then Plasma Grenades.
They're also nearly invisible to the naked eye, so whenever you hear a Marine
spout one of their "grenade quotes" (and you'll learn soon enough) you do one
thing: duck.
Marines on Legendary mode are a little...over-zealous...with their use of
grenades. They'll often kill their target, no problem...but they'll likely
kill anything near it too. See, Marine AI operates individually, and whenever
a good situation for a frag grenade pops up every marine within throwing
distance will usually bung one out on the premise that they're the only one.
Whenever I think of this I think of the start of Silent Cartographer with the
two Elites and two Jackals: that almost always provoked multi-grenade madness
(a.k.a. Demolition Dementia) in my Marines, with the end result being my
untimely demise. They seem to like using grenades whenever I decide to stage
my assault.
But as for you, using grenades is much more advantageous.
Frag Grenades should be used against Grunts and Jackals, or rather against
packs of the above. Don't use a grenade against a single Yellow Grunt, but a
squad of them with Blue Jackal backup is, on the other hand, a much better
target.
Using frags against a Blue Jackal is probably a waste of grenade, but a single
Yellow at long range deserves it with their firing rate. And should promptly
get said comeuppance. Still, if you see the opportunity to get a group with a
single hit, then by all means...
Frag Grenades should not be used against Elites unless you have no other
option. They won't stick, and Elites have the shield power to just take it and
keep on coming, so don't bother. Although, pouring all four of your stock of
Human Grenades out like rapid-fire mortars will take down even the toughest
Elite group in a matter of seconds. Especially in enclosed areas.
Frag grenades have a multitude of uses, the most obvious one being to blow
stuff up. But they also have more subtle uses. Either type of Grenades can be
used to keep enemy heads down, to flush them out of hiding, or even force them
to dive away so as to get a few extra seconds of free firing time.
One thing that you should always remember is to lead grenades. Basically, if
you've got a group of enemies heading straight for you, don't chuck it at the
middle of the group. Instead, chuck the frag grenade at the front most rank of
the group- by the time the grenade explodes, the group will be all over it.
Boom...
And a last note: do not use any type of grenades against Exploding Flood. It
will bounce the Flood around the room, and they'll blow up wherever they land.
Which is generally too close to you. Especially do NOT grenade a group of
Exploding Flood unless you really, really want to die a spectacular but
horrible death.
Fragmentation grenades do not begin counting their detonate timer when you
throw them. You have two or three seconds from the first impact of the grenade
to the ground, so throwing long distances still works.
[Plasma Grenades]
These are the Covenant beauties. These grenades are more useful against Elites
and Covenant Vehicles, due to their sticking ability and increased damage to
shields.
Do not use these grenades against the Flood, especially the Flugs. Their
kamikaze attacks will get you killed quickly, as they never stop going for
you...a bad thing when they've got a high-explosive device strapped to them.
Don't try this.
Other then that, Plasma Grenades are just like a much more visible Human
Grenade- mainly due to the fact that they seem to burn with a plasma fire. How
one can hold one of these things is beyond me...
One special note is that enemy Grunts tend to use these things regularly, with
about the same level of Demolition Dementia as the average Marine. The only
problem is their grenades stick to you, so do not get hit and always run away
from any blue flares. You'll be able to tell when a Grunt is about to throw a
grenade: he'll say "Heads Up!". Train yourself to listen specifically for that
phrase in that Grunty voice. It'll save your life.
When you hear that voice, don't duck. Look for the grenade. When you see it,
run away from it.
Plasma grenades seem to detonate after a longer period of time, so factor that
into your equations.
My theory is that Human grenades begin counting their three second timer the
first time they hit the ground, while Plasmas begin counting their three second
timer once they come to a complete stop...or stick to something.
Either way, like frag grenades, Plasma's only start counting when they impact
dirt or enemy.
Plasma grenades are a great weapon against clusters of Sentinels- the explosion
will kill Sentinels within its range.
- Section 5: The Covenant
The Covenant is a collection of races hell-bent on one thing: your destruction.
However, since I'm fairly sure you don't want to die, there may be a
disagreement here. Your job is to make sure you win that disagreement.
These guys are always your worst enemy. Always. Whenever they fight the Flood
or the Sentinels, do NOT assist the Covenant. They won't thank you for it.
Instead, use the distraction to covertly take down a few Covenant nasties and /
or escape the scene before things get too ugly.
Anyway...here they are.
[Grunts]
These little dudes are so stupid. Amusing, doglike and probably loyal as hell,
but stupider by far. These are the fools who (I've seen this) will charge
right into heavy Shade Cannon fire. And die. Quickly.
They are weak and stupid and not very good aimers. In short, these guys have
only one redeeming feature: numbers.
They come in three varieties: your garden-variety Yellow Grunt, the weakest.
The Lieutenant-type Red Grunt, being a tad stronger and more accurate. And the
supercool Black Grunt. I'm not sure how the Black Grunt measures up to the
other two: by that time I have the Shotgun and not even God can stand up to
that b***h for very long. Black Grunts do, however, sometimes carry the
Covenant equivalent of the Rocket Launcher, the Fuel-Rod Cannon. Drool. And
pain for you, but luckily they're still not strong enough to aim it accurately.
Thank God.
Other note: in Two Betrayals, it looks as if Red Grunts can also carry the
Fuel-Rod Cannon. Although they might be Black Grunts; it's hard to tell in the
dimness.
Grunts run funnily. Did I mention that?
The strategy for taking care of these guys is simply to massacre them good. If
they're in the company of Elites or Jackals (like they always are) take care of
those higher units and the Grunts will run in fear, giving you a perfect shot
at their backsides.
If you want some amusement, pin a Plasma Grenade on a Yellow Grunt in a group.
With a cry of fear the poor fool will run around in its stupid fashion, scaring
the hell out of its compadres who will likewise run around in circles, perhaps
foolishly hoping that circles make everything better. Then the grenade goes
off...
"Pin the Grenade on Grunty." Fun party game. Sure to amuse the kids. Anyway.
A sidenote: if you're talking a Grunt in a large group of enemies, chuck a
Plasma on him for a few cheap laughs. First, the poor fool will, as described
above, run around in stupid circles, which is hilarious. Secondly, sometimes
the Grunt won't meander around so much as run directly for his allies,
screaming "Get it off!". That's your cue to fall off your chair laughing,
because the Grunt has a tendency to seek out their commanding Elite with their
little "issue"- and, since that little issue is slated to become a big, fiery
issue in a few seconds time, the Elite does not want the Grunt anywhere near
them. It's about the only time you'll ever see an Elite commando-diving in
fear from a maniac, screaming Grunt. (-- Thanks to Aegwyn for pointing this
out. --)
If their group is alone (hah, as if) then chuck a Frag Grenade into their
midst, enjoy the ensuing carnage and mop up the survivors.
The best weapon for these fools is the Assault Rifle. Lots of lead, plus
little health, equals mucho death. But be careful. Black Grunts actually seem
able to aim, and can occasionally catch you off guard.
Grunts can be found using the Fuel-rod cannon, the Plasma pistol and the
needler.
[Jackals]
Damn their hides to Hades. These could possibly be the most insidious,
annoying SOB's I've ever seen in a game. The problem is their shields, which
have the annoying habit of blocking all enemy fire. The trick is to get close
up, where they have no defence.
The best weakness a Jackal has is the Melee Attack. The shield does nothing
against the almighty power of your fist, and Jackals can only take a coupla
hits before they go off to meet their Maker. Make them pay.
However, if you can't reach the Jackal, a frag grenade will do the trick.
Don't use plasma’s; they will bounce off the shield 9 times out of 10. This
won't send them too far away, but often they fly far enough to prevent a lethal
hit. Which is annoying, as you wasted a grenade for nothing.
Now, there are two classes of Jackals: Blue and Yellow, as indicated by their
shields. Blue Jackals are notably easier to deal with, as they fire slower and
less accurately, and have much reduced endurance to pain.
Yellow Jackals are, however, a pain unlike anything else. They block
everything and spout out monstrous amounts of green plasma death at long range,
plus a charged Plasma Pistol shot when you're not looking. Bastards. Belt
them if you can, but otherwise just grenade them good, since you'll all too
likely get blown to shrapnel if you try closing in on them. If you must close
in, try to get cover.
No matter the type, Jackals only take one fairly well-aimed grenade or a few
good shots to kick the bucket.
Note that a Jackal can also be taken at range by a Human Pistol. First, zoom
in to the Jackal. See the notches in it's shield? Well, fire a bullet through
one and the Jackal will twist, allowing you to fire at another part of its
body. Shoot that, and it should twist the other way, leaving its shield wide
open. From there, proceed to fill its unprotected body with lead. (-- Thanks
to Strategy Fan for pointing this out. --)
Also note that you can take a Jackal down with a Sniper Rifle in much the same
manner (go for the notches in the shield) except that, as the Rifle does more
damage, you may not need to fire a second time. (-- Thanks to Dale Moffat for
pointing this out --)
..and those tips have given me an idea. ANOTHER good Jackal Sniper moment is
when they see you- to me at least, Yellow Jackals will take a couple of
seconds, hold their shields out and wave at you in an extremely
attention-getting manner. Whilst this does lead other enemies to you, it also
leads you to them- they're very, very visible when they do this. What their
move also does is give you a prime headshot for the sniping weapon of your
choice...
As a grace from God, Jackals can only use the Plasma Pistol. Imagine their
power with the Plasma Rifle...or a Plasma Sword, making them some kind of
high-tech Knight. "I challenge thee, knave!"
Also also note that you can use the Jackal's weapon against them- in a manner
of speaking. Grab a Plasma Pistol, and send a full charge shot at a Jackal's
shield (not the body). Then, immediately switch to another weapon, and proceed
to unload on the Jackal as, once the plasma bolt hits the Jackal's shield, it
will lose said shield and be completely defenceless. (-- Thanks to jedi078 for
pointing this out. --)
[Elites]
At first it may seem that Hunters are the most dastardly Covenant forces, but
that's before you saw a Legendary difficulty Gold Elite with a Plasma Rifle.
THAT is pain. These guys are the King Kongs of the Halo world.
Forget whatever you thought you knew from Heroic mode about taking down Elites.
This is a whole new ball game.
In Legendary mode you are roughly a physical match of a Red Elite. Blue Elites
are easy, so long as you get the first hit in. Red ones are so much harder.
Elites come in a whopping five types, and in order of difficulty they are:
Blue, Red, Black, Silver, Gold.
Blue Elites are, like I said, easy if you get them by surprise and up close.
Never engage an Elite at range: they're so much better then you at shooting.
Red Elites are your equals, and believe it or not they deserve your respect.
Do NOT engage a Red Elite unless you can do it at close range and very quickly.
Black Elites are even more dangerous, but by then you have the Shotgun and all
you need to do is close in...
Silver Elites are special ones: they're permanently invisible. As a result,
they have no shields, but you will unfortunately have to wait for them to start
shooting you before you know where they are. Against these the Assault Rifle
rules: when a Silver Elite is hit by even one bullet it becomes semivisible, so
the more bullets in the air the better.
Gold Elites, however, are Gods. If one is entrenched in cover with a Plasma
Rifle you're stuffed. Three or four close-range shotgun shells MIGHT take care
of it, but Gold Elites pour out plasma fire like there's no tomorrow so you'll
likely never get that close. They are huge and deadly, and you should NEVER
EVER EVER take one on without multiple Rockets to soften it up at long range.
Do not underestimate their lethality. They can also hold the feared Plasma
Sword- but on these high difficulties, that makes it a tad easier as long as
you stay the hell away from it.
Note that Invisibles (Silver Elites) can also hold the plasma sword, but since
said sword is highly visible this kind of defeats the purpose of being
invisible. Still, it is amusing for you to see a sword hanging in midair as if
it's just levitating.
Also note that the Invisible Elites aren't ENTIRELY invisible: they are instead
a Predator-like outline. This outline is pretty much invisible from long range
or in dark places, but when you're up close and battling you can use this
outline to guide your fire. However, it doesn't help too much if you don't
know they're there, so always remember the Invisible Motto: When it's quiet,
it's usually too quiet. (-- Thanks to Strategy Fan for pointing this out. --)
Invisible Elites can be rendered easier to see by shining your flashlight on
them. It kinda makes them glimmer a bit, although that might just be my
imagination. It definitely shows them up against the light background. (--
Thanks to Craig Novak for pointing this out. --)
To combat an Elite, get up close (melee range), pull your favourite rapid fire
weapon (plasma rifle or Assault Rifle) and give it a bellyfull. When its
shields go down, shoot it a few more times and then break out the melee to save
ammo. Dance and dodge around at all times, varying randomly. And, to get up
close, you should jump. Sounds stupid but it's actually a really good idea.
Time your jump so that you come down right next to the Elite and shoot all the
way down- this means headshots, ladies and gentlemen. Then proceed as above.
If you've got a shotgun, however, pull that out and ram some shells into it's
armour, and it should die fairly quick. Also, rockets help to soften one up,
and long-range sniping with a sniper rifle or pistol will kill an Elite in time.
Another cool tactic is to catch an Elite unawares with a Plasma Grenade. Once
it's hit by a Plasma Grenade, no matter what Elite it is, it'll stop for a
second and roar with the rage of its imminent demise, which is your signal to
vamoose 'cause once its finished airing its woes it'll come after you...and
that's about when the grenade goes off. Which is, of course, not somewhere you
want to be.
Do bear in mind that a sticky Plasma Grenade will kill any Elite in one hit,
it's getting it on them that's the trick.
A note: if there is more then one Elite in one spot then consider yourself out
of your depth. Even if you have a Shotgun and an overshield and they're just
Blue Elites, they still have all of your abilities. Fear them and beware.
Up against a Gold Elite and don't know what to do? Left your tank and
supporting army at home? Then this tip is for you! Grab a Plasma Pistol and
your other weapon of choice (I recommend Assault Rifle, Shotgun or Pistol),
charge a shot and ram it home. The Gold Elite's shields drop, leaving it to be
riddled with bullets at your leisure. Matter of fact, this works pretty well
for all types of Elite. (-- Thanks to Faiyn for pointing this out. --)
The Pistol, so I'm told, is one of the better ideas to use in tandem with a
Plasma Pistol. The basic idea goes like this: charge the shot, devastate the
shields, and then switch to the human Pistol and aim for the thick, stupid
skull. After all, a charged PP shot will stop the Elite in their tracks,
leaving you plenty of time to pierce their brain-space with hot lead. (--
Thanks to Malyss99 for pointing this out. --)
To the above, Matt Emery would like to add that one can simply charge the PP
shot into the Elite, then hurl a frag or plasma grenade to really work it over.
Quick, too. (-- Thanks to Matt Emery for pointing this out. --)
Elites can be found using Plasma swords, plasma rifles or Needlers.
[Hunters]
Oh boy I love these guys. ...what? No, seriously, I do. Stop looking at me
like that.
But anyway, folks, they are fun to fight. The tips, then...
Against Hunters, range is your worst enemy. Get up close and personal, and try
to make sure that you're only facing Hunters, and nothing else. If there are
other enemies around, then you dance and dodge the Hunters' Fuel-Rod Cannon
(a.k.a. the Big Green Gun) whilst simultaneously unloading on whatever other
poor SOB's are there. When they're all dead, or if they never existed in the
first place, go on to step 2.
Now, assuming there are no other living beings bar the Hunter or two you need
to kill, move in close. I mean Hunter melee range close. You'll know if
you're there because they'll start charging you. If there are two of them
you'll need to get close to one and keep it between you and the other one.
Some people may suggest that you hang around outside Hunter melee range but
inside their firing range and empty your guns at them, but I think it just
isn't stylish enough...
Now, when you're right in front of it it'll charge you. You want this, so
encourage shy ones with a few shots to the face. Also, stand still just long
enough. When you see it lower its shield and speed up, dodge to the side real
quick or get flattened. Then, if you managed to dodge, move around quickly to
its back.
You should get there, if all goes well, about when the Hunter has its shield
coming back down from the upswing. At that point you should see an orange band
running around the middle of its back. If you have a human pistol or a sniper
rifle, simply shoot that orange band once with either gun and the Hunter will
instantly kick the bucket. Otherwise, you have two options.
Either you can (1) pour a load of rounds into the orange band (plus maybe a
plasma grenade or two) or you can (2) run up real close and smack it in the
orange stripe with a melee attack. I don't know about you, but #2 is my
favourite.
Once you've made your hit, run away again. I've never really tried to kill a
Hunter with gunfire alone, but I do know that about three or four melee hits
DIRECTLY ON THE ORANGE BAND will kill a full health Hunter. If you hit it on
the armour it takes a lot longer. Don't say I didn't warn you.
If you're out of time and want to do something rather risky, grab a pistol and
wait for a Hunter to melee you proper. As it lifts its arm, you should see an
orange fleshy band under its neck. Hit that with a pistol round right and the
Hunter keels over, record time. Or, alternatively, for something even more
risky, get up real close and circle the Hunter like there's no tomorrow. If it
continually turns without trying to hit you, you've got it right. At that
point, just bash away for all you're worth. It won't be stylish but it will be
impressive, and it can keep the enemy fire away for a bit. (-- Thanks to
Cuirass for pointing this out. --)
- Section 6: The Flood
THESE overwhelmed a Covenant cruiser?? You've got to be kidding...
Considering that these guys are merely annoyances rather then full-time
baddies, whenever they are fighting the Covenant or the Sentinels you should
just stay away and let them distract the other, more powerful foes. The Flood
are weak against both of those species and will lose the battle, but they can
also unwillingly buy you some time to either escape or start your own fight.
Anyway, let's examine how to slay them good...
[Flugs]
This is an interesting and quite accurate name for these things. I picked it
up somewhere...not sure where. If you coined this name drop me a line and
either kill me on the Internet or ask me politely to Credit you. Either way,
I'm happy.
Anyway.
These little things are not so much dangerous as mildly irritating, kind of
like an itch on a hard-to-reach place. Fortunately though, the Master Chief
has easy possession of the greatest backscratcher in history...
The Assault Rifle.
Flugs only take one hit. It doesn't matter how you dice it, one hit is all
they take. So...a sweep of the Assault Rifle will kill an entire group. Also,
notice that when one kills a Flug it explodes. The explosion won't hurt
anything else in the slightest...except that it may kill other Flugs that are
touching it. So sometimes a single bullet in a close group of Flugs can create
a sort of popping frenzy that lasts until...well, some random factor reaches
zero, I suppose...
There is, however, one situation where Flugs become lethal.
While you have shields, Flugs will pop on contact, doing extremely little
damage. It's like being caught in a swarm of bees with blunted stings. If you
lose your shields, the Flugs will be more dangerous. They will latch on, and
drain one or two BARS of your health, before dropping off (still very much
alive) to go for Round Two. And three, and four, and so on until you drop like
the carcass you are.
The motto therefore is: NEVER lose your shields around Flugs.
Other then that, if you want another piece of advice it is this: Grenades will
work a charm against Flugs. HUMAN grenades. Plasma ones are not advisable.
By this time you should know that plasma grenades stick to their "host" until
explosion. By now you should also know that there are always a lot of Flugs in
a group. And finally, by now you should know that Flugs never, ever, stop
coming after you.
Bearing that in mind, let's imagine somewhat: if I throw a Plasma grenade into
a large group of Flugs it'll be almost impossible that the grenade will not
latch onto one. So it will. Now, since the Flugs are kamikaze's one and all,
the one with the grenade will follow all the other ones in to kill me. And
with a grenade clinging onto its back and counting down it will most assuredly
kill me good. At least, when the grenade goes off it will.
Here's a note: let these guys go up against a Hunter and see how it goes. It's
quite amusing.
And here's another. If a Flug is about to hit you in the face, melee it and
it'll explode good.
An expansion on that, sent in by a reader- instead of shooting at all, you
could try simply running around in circles (imitate the Grunts! Be all you can
Gruntily be!) dodging the buggers and beating them down with the butt of your
gun. Works wonders- IF there aren't any more bigger nasties in the area. If
they are, you'll find your life expectancy decreasing rapidly. Enemies shoot,
hit or explode, flugs latch onto the exposed armour, you die. (-- Thanks to
William F. Stanger for pointing this out. --)
[Converted Flood]
There appear to be two types of converted flood: one seems like a very
zombie-like human, and the other like a really beefy human with no head. I
would hazard a guess that the zombie-like human would be converted human
marines who've "turned" after being eaten by the Flugs (perhaps the giant gooey
Captain Keyes in the second last mission might give a clue), while the beefy
ones are turned Elites. Lucky that these Flood do not come in classes.
Either type they are, they do only one thing. They try to get as close as
possible, then shoot and hit you for as long as they can. Slay them.
The Flood may carry one of the following weapons: Assault Rifle, Plasma Pistol,
Plasma Rifle, Human Pistol, Shotgun, needler and the almighty Rocket Launcher
Ones with the plasma pistols or plasma rifles are the easiest. They fire
slowly, giving you plenty of time to end their lives (which is probably the
merciful thing to do anyway). Assault rifle and Human Pistol flood are harder,
as the rifle fires faster and the pistol hurts much more. Kill them quickly.
Shotgun flood are just plain mean. If they get close you'll be the one to die
quick, so kill them and steal their weaponry.
Rocket Launcher Flood are the worst. Too much power in front of way too little
brain matter. Admittedly, these guys can be of help to you too: they're so
stupid they don't care what else is in the way and will happily send their
chums to Zombie Hell just to get a clean shot. You can use this by dodging
behind their compadres before the rocket flood fire.
Many flood carry grenades, but thankfully none use them.
Against flood, the best weapon is the shotgun. One blast puts down a converted
flood for good. Assault rifle is pitiful, as are both the plasma weapons. The
human pistol is pretty good however, and should be used as a secondary weapon
in flood infested levels. The rocket launcher is worthless: because all flood
are kamikaze's you'll often find yourself firing a rocket at point blank range,
thus killing yourself too. The needler is a good weapon against them if you
can empty a decent amount of needles into your subject.
Don't use the Sniper Rifle. It just doesn't work- goes straight through them.
Also, Melee attack is useless. Even against the back these guys can stand up
to more melee's then a Hunter. Just don't bother. However, they have a fairly
mean melee themselves, so stay far out of range.
Here's a tip- pull out the Human Pistol (or Shotgun if you feel lucky) and
shoot the Flood...in the arms. A few shots later the Flood has one less arm.
A few more shots later the Flood has been, quite literally, disarmed. It's not
so useful (you can, after all, just shoot to kill) but it is bloody amusing to
watch this group of armless Flood follow you around. I'm curious to see if you
can use them as inhuman shields or something...they don't attack, they just
kind of wobble and deflect enemy fire. Hmmm... (-- Thanks to Darksilver7 for
pointing this out --)
If you simply must use the Assault Rifle- and at the start of the Library, you
simply must- try aiming for the arms, or alternatively swinging the rifle about
like a madman spraying lead at arm's height, if you're in a group of Flood.
Sure, you'll probably die regardless, but hopefully the flying bullets will
disarm enough of the enemies for you to make your escape, and if not you can at
least say you went down fighting. And if you can take off an enemy arm that
was holding a Shotgun, more power to you and more death to them. (-- Thanks to
Malyss99 for pointing this out --)
[Exploding Flood]
These guys look like walking fat blobs on legs. They have really little arms.
They could seriously use a makeup kit or forty.
Damn I hate them. They're like "Nature's worst mistake". All's they are is
walking grenades. They see you and then slowly waddle their way in until
they're right next to you. They then seem to trip over, whereby they puff
themselves up and explode in a cloud of off-green gas that looks like it would
smell horrible. Basically, they're mobile Stink Bombs.
If you shoot one (with a shotgun, anyway) it'll explode immediately. If it's
in a group it'll send all the others flying, and when they land they'll explode
too. Amusing and generally fatal for you and all nearby.
Whenever one of these explodes they'll let out three to five Flugs that will
proceed to go after you.
The best weapon against these is the shotgun. One shot and kablammo.
However, the Human Pistol also works (and at long range too). After two or
three rounds these little blobs will just explode, and the good thing is that
you can be far enough away to avoid the fallout without having to run your ass
off. (-- Thanks to Strategy Fan for pointing this out. --)
Do not melee them. I'm not stupid enough to even contemplate it. Just don't.
Against Exploding Flood, two or three Human Pistol shots will cause it to
explode. However...if you aim for the legs, a single shot will trip it up.
This saves both bullets and time- giving you precious seconds to concentrate on
other, more pressing tasks, like taking down the Elite sneaking up behind you.
(-- Thanks to Haydn Menere for pointing this out. --)
Just to clarify: these things WILL detonate nearby grenades (and send off
nearby Exploding Flood like fireworks) when they go. In case you weren't aware
of that. This means, careful about standing in a grenade pile when one of
these things pops...you probably won't live long enough to regret it. (--
Thanks to Kirin for pointing this out. --)
Yet another tip: if you're having trouble with the Flugs that pour out of these
buggers whenever you detonate them, try hitting them with a plasma grenade. If
you get it right, they fly away (like, really far away) and either the Flugs
explode in the blast (if they're in a corner or something) or the Flugs and
explosion are both too far away to do you any harm. (-- Thanks to Auron for
pointing this out. --)
Bear in mind that, though I didn't explicitly state it above, they will kill
their allies. And the Covenant. Exploding Flood, in fact, can be very very
useful for popping in the middle of a group of regular Flood. Dem nasties fly
like popcorn. Also, if you want to avoid wasting ammo on them, just run up and
touch them (not like that you sick puppy). And run away. (-- Thanks to
~chokki for pointing this out. --)
- Section 7: The Sentinels
Annoying and dangerous, there are only a couple of types.
[Sentinels]
These guys are annoying. They are basically large flying robots with some kind
of particle beam or something. Looks funky. They first appear in the level
Guilty Spark where they will help you terminate the Flood right at the end.
They'll also help out in the Library, unless you kill enough of them and then
they will turn on you. However, by Two Betrayals they are your deadset enemies
and want nothing more then your corpse. They will still take on the Flood,
though.
As far as I can tell, they SEEM to have two types: occasionally they seem not
to have shields, and sometimes they do. For example, at the start of Two
Betrayals I don't think they have shields as you can't see any shield flare
regardless of what weapon you hit them with. However, once you get to The Maw
you'll find that shooting Sentinels produces a blue shimmery oval shield around
them, and they are more resistant to damage. Shielded ones might or might not
have phasers that do more damage, but I think not. They seem to kill you at
about the same rate, just die harder.
The Sentinel particle beam is a continuous weapon, lasting for around two
seconds each shot. It can move while firing, so if you dodge it can still
follow you with its beam. Fortunately, though, Sentinels don't quite seem to
be able to keep the beam on you, and will only hit you reliably if you don't
move. If you strafe around them, they don't seem to be able to spin their beam
fast enough to keep up with you. Which is good.
The main method of killing Sentinels is undoubtedly the Plasma Pistol. The
Overcharge shot is basically a one-hit kills with any Sentinel, and it homes in
even better because the Sentinels are flying and it can manouver more
effectively. The Plasma Rifle also offers good Sentinel killage. And finally,
since the Sentinels go fairly slow you can run up to one and pin on a Plasma
Grenade, which will seal both its doom and that of the surrounding Sentinels.
Needlers also work okay in a pinch.
If you find yourself without any of those weapons, you can always try meleeing
the Sentinels as they close in. It's not very effective but it is amusingly
idiotic. The Flood melee these things far better.
Basically, the Sentinels are not nice. If at all possible, let them be
butchered by your enemies.
- Section 8: Vehicles
- Human Vehicles
[Warthog]
Oh, it rules. It rules so much I can hardly believe it. When you see one of
these, pick it up if at all feasible. Even if you have nobody around to go in
the back seat, still pick it up. These babies rock.
The main weapon you will use in a Warthog is speed. It's not the most
manoeuvrable craft but it sure goes fast, and once you learn to corner you'll
be on your way.
"But I keep getting killed" you say. Well, fear not. All you have to do is
master the Art of Throwing your Weight Around.
First, head towards a covenant- say, a Grunt. Head towards its right side.
Then, judging distance correctly (practise is needed), turn a tad left (hold
the control stick full left for about a second; again, practise needed) and
then pull the stick full right and hold it there. The end result should cause
your Warthog to slide towards the Grunt at high speed, presenting a large area
of crush power. Also, if you timed the first turn correctly, the Grunt will
panic and dive...to the right. And right into your conveniently placed slide.
An effectively controlled Warthog can rout entire armies. The gun on the back
is also good, but mainly against Banshee's and Ghosts. Against them you just
dodge around and let your gunners empty their barrels. An effective tactic
against Ghosts, whether or not you have a gunner, is simply to drive straight
towards them and ram them on one "wing" while they're being driven. If hit
correctly, the Ghost will flip over and disgorge its very angry former
occupant, at which time you should swing back around and introduce him to your
tyres.
A great bit is the end of the second canyon of Assault on the Control Room
(after the tunnel). There is a sniper Marine there- get him in your side seat
and a full health marine in the back. Drive through the pillars and up the
edge, and scream about flattening the Covenant forces, your sniper taking care
of whatever you miss, and your gunner taking out the enemy Ghosts and Banshee
that reside there. Fun.
Another immensely satisfying thing to do with this vehicle is to ram people in
crowded corridors. Again, a prime example is Assault on the Control Room. If
you get the Warthog through the tunnel just after the second Wraith tank, and
out the other end, don't stop. Instead, simply drive right up the mouth of the
tunnel, out into open snow, and very quickly across said snow to the centre
monolith. Drive up to the first door on the right, and keep going into it.
Don't worry, Covenant will spawn and open it, at which time you should be full
throttle into the corridor. They will all die. Then, swing through the middle
section and aim for the other corridor (but NOT the high ramp), go down and
more Covenant will materialise just waiting for a squashing. This will
invariably open the door and you will be free to continue your rampage.
This vehicle is great fun and should always be picked up unless you simply
can't take it.
[Scorpion Tank]
Oh baby. This thing is so cool. It doesn't have the speed of the Warthog, nor
the nimbleness of the Ghost, but it makes up for it with pure unadulterated
power.
With this thing you should never wade into battle, due to the slightly dodgy
system of damage inherent to human vehicles. However, this tank is excellently
used if you simply stay at a high place and use it kind of like a massive
sniper rifle. No need for a scope: just aim at movement and pull the trigger.
Wait for the dust to settle, and if you missed then try again. The explosion
is both awe-inspiring and incredibly effective: it's really frightening to be
on foot, see a white line followed by an explosion on a hill right in front of
you and know that if you'd been an inch closer you'd be mush.
The good thing about this tank is it's near-infinite range: nothing gets away.
Things may run, but they cannot hide from this cannon and will die quickly and
horribly. Use the cannon against Elites, Hunters or swarms of Grunts. Or
enemy vehicles. Or anything, really. It's there to kill.
It's amazing how effective this is against a Ghost: one direct hit will ruin it
and even a near miss will be almost fatal. Banshees are even easier. Dodge
their Fuel-Rod blast and wait till they're charging you with guns blazing.
Calmly centre your sights on its pilot and with a quick twitch of your trigger
finger the Banshee crashes down in flames. The thing is also good against
Wraiths: two or three good hits will put a Wraith out of the game.
Against Shade stationary cannons all you need to do is fire. Preferably at the
feet. And watch it become airborne.
The Scorpion's secondary weapon is a machine gun, but it's too inaccurate to
handle well. It's pretty useless for infantry swatting, due to inaccuracy, but
if you're facing a Wraith or Ghost at close range you may as well turn it on-
it doesn't hurt you any.
Another effective thing about this is its bulk: when you charge a group with
the Scorpion it becomes very hard for them to avoid crushification. So, in
tight situations, pull a kamikaze and you might just find more corpses on your
treads then you expected.
Again, a brilliant vehicle and one that really enhances your combat abilities.
If only it could pick up active camouflage.
- Covenant Vehicles
[Ghost]
My least favourite vehicle. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty darn
amazing, but I prefer my own human vehicles for the simple reason that, as a
patriotic Human, I always like running down mine enemies as opposed to shooting
them. And, unfortunately, in a Ghost you float just a tad too high to run
people over.
Other then that the Ghost is cool. Twin plasma cannons mounted on the front
provide for all your massacre needs. Pour out fire and mow down some Elites.
However, your best weapon in the Ghost is your manoeuvrability: it's the only
player-controllable vehicle that can circle-strafe. When fighting an enemy
Ghost use that: they won't even touch you if you do it right, while you blast
them into the next world with incredible ease.
This thing, like all Covenant vehicles, has a damage display. Make sure to
watch that as if it hits zero you're toast.
A fun use for these is as barricades: overturn one and hide behind it. Note
that while damage is preserved while you're not riding it, the Ghost cannot
take damage unless you're riding it. So, if you crouch behind a two-bar health
Ghost, you can be under massive fire and it will still have two bars left.
However, if you get in while guns are still shooting you...
Note that the vehicle damage is actually your best friend while you're riding
it. Yes, it does mean that you'll eventually have to find a new Ghost, but
there is an upside: unlike a human vehicle, a Ghost actually absorbs most
damage, meaning that YOU don't get hurt as much. Good, huh?
When against a Ghost on foot the best bet is to whip out a rocket launcher,
wait till it charges and serve. Failing that, you can try to get in close and
pin on a plasma grenade, but this can result in you dying a very squishy death
(you can get crushed). Failing that, I suggest you do the following: face the
Ghost directly, then turn a full 180 degrees around and run your ass off. And
pray.
One of my readers (YAY!) offers another piece of advice: if you're up against a
Ghost on foot, but don't have a rocket launcher, you might try the Plasma
Rifle. With its higher damage vs Covenant, you may be able to destroy the
Ghost or (with good aiming) blast the Elite right out of the vehicle. Assuming
you avoid being run over or vaporized by the cannons. (-- Thanks to Strategy
Fan for pointing this out. --)
Another way to take on the Ghost is, apparently, with a Needler. It needs to
be a bit fine-tuned and careful (because the Ghost tends to dodge around fast
enough to escape the needles) but with practise it is a workable goal- simply
unload a clip full of purple goodies into the Elite controlling the Ghost, and
after three explosions and one long scream the newly vacated Ghost is now
yours...assuming you got the Elite and not the Ghost it rode in on. Still,
even if you shot the Ghost...it's still good. Try jumping if the Elite is
proving hard to hit. (-- Thanks to Willy Fimy for pointing this out. --)
A tip for running over Elites while in a Ghost: try to hit with the wing. OR,
try and turn sharply just before impact. If your enemy doesn't flee in a
cowardly fashion, you'll likely nail 'em. However, this still won't work
against Jackals or Grunts. (-- Thanks to Willy Fimy for pointing this out. --)
A tip for avoidance: Try ducking under the Ghost. It doesn't always work- but,
if you can get it right it may just preserve you against a rather nasty end.
Also...you can throw a Plasma Grenade on the Elite's foot as it goes over the
top. VERY difficult to aim, but immensely satisfying. (-- Thanks to Scott
Cancelliere for pointing this out. --)
This tip is different! Now, you guys probably all knew this, the instant you
picked up the controller you knew it, and you'll laugh long and loud at my
naivety, but oh well. You can make the Ghost do a Wheelie! Simply hold A
whilst driving the Ghost and it'll pull its front end up way high. It's not
too helpful for running over people, as it makes the area you have to hit
enemies with a whole lot smaller, but it changes the way you move over things-
you tend to get a bit more height from jumps and can go over taller obstacles.
Plus it's funny. Don't you think it looks cool? (-- Thanks to MooglexKnight
for pointing this out. --)
[Banshee]
My most favourite overall, for one reason only: air power. The Third
Dimension. As the only vehicle that can reliably utilize the mysterious
direction called "up", the Banshee is one of the greatest Halo vehicles around.
Why, you ask? Well, simply because the Covenant are not capable of flying
themselves...but your Fuel-Rod bursts ARE. So, a good tactic is simply to
hover above a group of Covenant (backwards on movement control stick while
pointing down), aim and release fuel rod bursts. If you do it while well out
of range of plasma weapons, you'll be off scott free.
Unfortunately, this is about the best thing a Banshee can do, because for some
unhappy reason it is too slow. Why, oh why? As an aircraft, I did expect it
to have the armour of a small pineapple and put up about as much fight, but I
also expected a little more speed. This thing is a tad faster then a Warthog,
I'd say, but that's just not enough in my opinion. This restricts its role
somewhat, and it goes from a viable hit-and-run vehicle to a midrange airborne
sniper. It is, however, great in dogfights.
These things pack twin plasma cannons, plus a fuel-rod cannon on secondary.
Against the computer, your best bet is to just shoot at it with the pistol
until it bites the dust (1-2 clips worth of ammo, depending on accuracy). If
you have the privilege of manning a Scorpion battle tank, then it's even
easier: get a good solid fix and blow it to hell with the cannon. Rockets
aren't advised because the Banshee is fast enough to dodge them, however there
is one amusing thing: see if you can pin a plasma grenade on one. It'll be a
blast.
Thankfully, the Banshee won't use its Fuel-Rod cannon against you unless you're
in a vehicle, in which case it'll let fly with a shot that generally couldn't
hit a skyscraper at 10 paces. In other words, they have worthless aim.
A tactic it does use, and you might want to too, is when it is bearing down on
you in open space it'll simply scrape the dirt with its belly. This has the
advantage of running you over (yes, you can splatter people in a Banshee). And
this is another reason why I don't recommend the rocket launcher: one time
playing in co-op mode my buddy hit a Banshee with a rocket and knocked it right
out of the air. I, being me, had no idea whatsoever and was very surprised
when I suddenly got flattened under 2.25 tons of flaming Covenant goodness.
If you like this vehicle as much as I do you'll likely find out sooner or later
that it is almost worthless against Wraith tanks and Hunters. Against those,
blast them with the primary plasma guns and the Fuel-Rod combined, and make
sure to dodge the enemy's shots. One good solid hit from either foe will kill
you.
A risky method of Banshee killing (but useful, nonetheless) is to grab up a
Shotgun (or, suicidally, an Assault Rifle) and wait for the thing to swoop
right over you. This involves baiting it by staying in the open, be warned.
Anyway, if you survive, when it is right overhead start pounding at it with the
Shotgun. Aim for the pilot area. If you manage it, run, because the Banshee
will fall and you will be underneath it. (-- Thanks to Floodkiller for
pointing this out. --)
[Shade]
Though not strictly a vehicle, the Shade stationary gun is close enough.
Unlike the other Covenant vehicles, it cannot be destroyed. Which is
unfortunate, considering its firepower and the fact that any old Grunt can man
it. This gun does have one main weakness, however, which will be discussed
later.
This gun fires purple plasma blasts in groups of three. Not sure of the
damage, but it's fairly good because about six shots will put paid to an Elite.
Assuming all the pretty bolts hit. If it's being used against you then just
remember to stay at long range, where it is pathetically inaccurate. At long
range you can stand still and watch as the erratic purple shots fly all around
you. But, get in closer and feel agony...
This gun is best used against Elites, simply because it doesn't pour out enough
shots to be economical against Grunts and it doesn't do enough damage to stop a
Hunter before it opens up with a glowing rodlike reply.
Against this gun, throw any kind of explosive (plasma grenades work best) onto
one of the legs, or aim at them with a tank / rocket launcher. The resulting
blast will send it flying, and it is very likely to be upside down when it
lands.
If you want real fun, go into co-op, get a buddy and yourself sneaking behind a
Shade, and just let fly with plasma grenades all on the same leg. You should
get about two each on before it blows...
[Wraith]
Damn I hate it. Mainly because I can't pilot it.
This is a nasty tank. It is armoured in extremis, as per most Covenant stuff,
and sports a really nasty mortar gun (which, incidentally, resembles the shots
the Plasma Bugs from the Starship Troopers movie shoot). This mortar gun is
absolutely fatal if it hits you: I've not yet survived a direct impact on
Legendary. This gun is also its only weapon, and therefore it uses it
regardless of how far away you are.
The truly unfortunate thing about this mortar is that 90% of the time, if you
don't move it'll slay you. And, if you don't move fast enough the blast will
often still be equal to that task. However, there is hope in that the Wraith
isn't particular about what it shoots at: so let it have at some nearby
sacrifices (i.e. Marines) until you get into position to take it out. Also,
the Wraith tends to get confused at times and just shoot at an empty space- so
much the better.
To combat it, simply grab a rocket launcher and get as close as you safely can.
Then, launch, and try to anticipate it's dodging movements: it will dodge,
count on it. Keep repeating till it dies. If you don't have a rocket
launcher, you can try circle-strafing it with a Ghost. Failing that, you're
probably stuffed. I once took on a Wraith with nought but a shotgun, however
it was definitely not recommended and I barely made it out alive.
This thing is almost immune to Fuel-Rod blasts (say, from a Banshee) so don't
bother. It CAN die from them, but it takes about twenty.
Also, don't bother using a Shade against it- Shades are immobile, and that's
not good when your opponent has a highly accurate indirect fire explosive
weapon at their disposal. You WILL die.
Scorpion tanks are better. There is nothing more awe-inspiring, in my opinion,
then watching the tanks duelling from a co-op screen. The fact that I was
rather unfortunately in between the tanks in question also added to the
excitement. While in a Scorpion, simply dodge forward, fire off a shot, and
then dodge the Wraith's shots until you can fire again. Two or three hits puts
paid to Mrs Wraith.
A Warthog is also good, if you're good enough to have a gunner. Just dodge
around and let the tri-barrelled machinegun do its work. If not, then ram the
b***ard tank (which will disorient it) and drive away quick.
A nice strategy (reader-submitted) to take out a Wraith on foot with a rocket
launcher, is to get in close. The exact distance is sort of variable, but try
to find some cover, too. Then, select the Rocket launcher, and try to fire it
at the Wraith as it fires at you. With luck, you'll be close enough that the
rocket hits before the Wraith has stopped recoiling from its own shot- and,
thus, before it can try to dodge your rocket. The only problem is that you
really want some cover from its shots, because it may very well kill you. (--
Thanks to Justin Drawbert for pointing this out. --)
Another nice strategy is while in the Ghost- instead of circle-strafing, you
can just get in real close. Then, the AI will tell the Wraith not to fire-
suicide is not a mission objective. Ergo, if you just stay close to the
Wraith, you can take it apart with ease. This has the advantage that you will
not have to worry about accidentally failing to dodge that last mortar...but
the disadvantage is that other enemies can shoot at you: you have to be fairly
still or else you might get the Wraith angry. (-- Thanks to Xavori for
pointing this out. --)
Ever seen Starship Troopers? Know the giant flamethrower bug things? Know how
Johnny Rico jumps off a ledge and onto one? Well, for the truly mad among us,
this can now be you. Simply leap onto the tank (planning and concentration are
required) and start gunning down the enemies in the area from a vantage point.
Works pretty well if there are only a few left, assuming you survive the
Jean-Claude-Van-Damme style leap onto a moving vehicle. But, my own personal
addition to this advice: once the enemies around you have gone the way of the
gods, go truly Starship Troopers style, whip out your Assault Rifle and let the
tank have it until it starts smoking. Then throw a couple of plasma grenades
into the gun opening (for effect, they can actually go anywhere on the tank)
and leap the hell away. A few seconds later the tank becomes a fireball,
you'll probably lose your shields, and you can brag about it for the rest of
your Halo-playing life. (-- Thanks to tinyturtle for pointing this out. --)
A fairly simple rocket-toting strategy- use the trees. Hiding behind a tree,
if you get it right, the mortar should hit the tree, leaving you unscathed,
whilst you have a clear shot to the Wraith. Fire at will. (-- Thanks to
Jarrad for pointing this out. --)
To be really fun, if you're in a tight spot with a Wraith (Warthog V Wraith,
say, or there are a lot of enemies around your Scorpion), make like Worf and go
to ramming speed. It you can hit the Wraith right (under the wing is best),
you can stay with it and literally flip it over. The driver pops out, the
Wraith is unharmed, and if you flip it back over you can look at your sparkly
new Wraith (sadly, can't drive it.) (-- Thanks to Cuirass for pointing this
out. --)
To take on a Wraith with a Banshee, get above it. Hover with your back
trigger, and be high, at around a 60 or 70 degree angle. You'll know you're in
the right place because you're not dying. Now, just unleash your arsenal on
the sucker. If it moves, you move with it. If you get too high, let go of the
joystick until you're at the right height (not too low, now), and continue
firing. Beware of enemy Banshees and ground forces. (-- Thanks to David
Vestal for pointing this out. --)
Section 9: Reader-Requested Guides
This is where I will try to give you some help with any certain part of a given
level. Try, mind you. And basic tips only: this isn't a walkthrough yet.
[Guide 1]
Our first requested guide here today, and the one that started all of this, has
been requested by Tom Colohue and is on the level Truth and Reconciliation.
This guide is chiefly concerned with the point about midway through the level,
whereby the Master Chief and his faithful (albeit idiotic) Marine compadres
have been beamed up into the Covenant Cruiser.
You'll appear with what seems to be no Covenant surrounding you- but, as we all
know, this is a deadset lie. However, as for now, don't move. Keep looking
around and eventually one of the doors will open WITHOUT A CHANGE IN MUSIC.
This will disgorge an invisible Elite with a sword which you must IMMEDIATELY
riddle with bullets. Once that is done, all hell breaks loose.
In a corner near one of the doors is a health pack and an Active Camouflage.
If your wounds get too great, retreat there and pick up the health. Try to
avoid picking up the Active Camo just yet.
Now, every ten or so seconds a new door will open and out will pop a squad of
meanies. I don't think there are any non-Plasma sword Elites there, but it
doesn't matter: they're deadly enough all the same. These squads are usually
composed of Grunts and Jackals, therefore winging a Frag Grenade just a bit
into any opening doors is a good idea to stem the tide a bit. The Assault
Rifle is the sole best weapon, considering your foes.
There are a couple of catches: a quick-thinking Master Chief will notice that
you can indeed rush into one of the corridors that the Covenant come from and
hide there, however these corridors are all locked and useless to you. They do
provide some cover in a pinch, but it isn't really a good idea to hide in them
as you will eventually get boxed in and torn apart by the multitudes that will
spawn in your absence.
And then there is the second catch: the Gold Elites. As far as I can tell,
there can be between four and six Gold Elites with Plasma Swords that will
spawn in total. This is NOT what you want: you never want to have to deal with
more then one at one time. Two makes it much too hard to dodge their pounces,
and if you find yourself against three or more of the creeps only a Miracle
will save you.
That said, you have a couple of bonuses.
You have your Marines. These guys are useless and cannon fodder- don't bother
trying to save them. Let them eat the gunfire that you would otherwise take
while you are attempting to destroy the bloody Gold Elites. The only thing
you'll want to do is always try to distract a Gold Elite from a Marine: they
won't stand a chance, and I personally see it as a waste of a good Human
Shield. Dead Marines also provide a veritable feast of ammo and grenades with
which to pound your opposition into the ground. Use them.
Also, within this shuttle bay is a lot of boxes and a tank. The tank is
offline (thank god), and thus makes great cover. Here's a tip: go into the
wedge between the two side "wings" of a tank, crouch to get further in, and
just stay there. You'll easily recharge your shields that way. Likewise, use
the boxes as cover if you need to.
Now, the little dudes will pile up fast, so whenever you aren't immediately
threatened with Gold Elite doom you should go around and "thin out the ranks" a
tad. Whenever a new batch of troops comes in you should also be there to
"welcome them" with a hail of lead and grenades, thus removing a couple of
problems. You can even pin a Plasma Grenade on a Gold Elite if you're lucky.
You're simply aiming to outlast the enemy ranks, so use whatever Frag Grenades
you have on the enemy troops and try your darndest to Plasma grenade the Gold
Elites. It helps a lot, believe me. Other then that, simply find a good spot
for cover and shoot at whatever you can for about fifteen seconds, then move to
a new spot and go from there. Try to take on any Gold Elites while out in the
open, so that you can dodge their strikes.
Now, at some point or other in the fight all your Marines will die. Then, hide
for about ten seconds, and go forth to grab the Active Camouflage. Then you
should proceed to beat some heads in. Run around and hit any Gold Elites in
the back, and once your done with them beat up the Jackals and the Grunts as
fast as possible. When you fade back into view, try to do so behind the enemy,
and then butcher the remainder.
And finally, attempt to save the health until you're almost dead. You'll
definitely need it more that way.
[End of Guide 1]
[Guide 2]
The second reader-requested guide request (...if that made any sense to you...)
came from one Shravan Panyam. This guide is also on the level Truth and
Reconciliation. However, this guide deals with the part just before you get
beamed up into the ship. The part where you face untold nasties clustered
around a purple sparkly beam in a small area with a cliff on one side. Sounds
inviting, no?
You should try to save as much sniper ammo for this bit as you can. You do that
by not bothering to shoot Grunts with the sniper rifle unless they're really
bugging you. And while you're working your way to this bit you've got to make
every shot count.
Bear in mind that there is some sniper ammo earlier in the level- to find it,
get out of the dropship, go through that first canyon, up the cliff path and
the ammo is right in front of you. You'll only be able to get that ammo once
your sniper ammo is down below normal, so if you get to the beam-up bit without
ammo then just run back and grab some first. There's also some health there if
you need it.
There is another item drop point in the beam-up canyon with more ammo, but it's
on the opposite side of the canyon to where you enter, and there is no cover,
so be careful getting it.
Now, grab as much sniper ammo as you can and then you have two options.
1) There are several rocks that provide excellent cover in the little
passageway that leads to the beam-up canyon. In particular, there is a slanted
rock which, from the top of it, allows you to snipe enemies in the beam-up
canyon. If you hide behind that and pump sniper shots into any Elite that moves
you can hold out a while. Whenever you lose your shields duck back down and
regenerate them, and keep an eye out for Covenant that try to come round the
rock. Shoot them (with the Assault Rifle) if they try this.
If you're trying this way then don't bother with Shades unless they are hurting
you. Then, take them out however you see fit. Also know that your Marine
friends will be toasted without your help...but who cares? Should you run out
of sniper ammo try to work your way around the ridge to the ammo point (just
run your ass off and dodge all the way), grab some ammo and retreat back to
your nest.
However, if you're slightly more daring, you can always try method number two...
2) The instant you get there, shoot the Elite above you and run up the ridge.
Don't bother sniping the Grunt, just melee or rifle him as you pass. Get over
to where the Marines will appear, and grenade the two Shade cannons you will be
near. Shoot the Grunt out of the other one with your sniper rifle. Now, if
you're low on ammo, fall into the pit and search a bit to find the sniper ammo,
then get back up and ready for action.
The key for this bit is to stay in cover and snipe, however you only want to
snipe Elites. You want to hit them in the head the very instant they land on
the pad. Stay back from them and (whenever possible) stay behind your human
shields. When the Elite of the current "wave" is dead, switch to the Assault
Rifle and riddle the rest of the enemies with bullets. Then, once a new group
comes down from the ship, blast the Elite and repeat the process.
To take care of the enemy dropship that comes down, simply wing a couple of
frag grenades at the ground in front of the occupied port when it lands. The
Covenant should jump down the ramp and promptly explode in a pillar of dirt and
fire.
If you run out of sniper ammo again in this fight, then you're probably
stuffed. In that case, search the ammo dump again, and if that yields nothing
then grab a plasma pistol or rifle (needler if you can; they're great against
Elites) and pound on your opponents.
Eventually the waves will stop and two Hunters will come down. If you saved a
couple of sniper shots then the Hunters will be easily dispatched, but
otherwise just use your favourite method of Hunter extermination.
[End of Guide 2]
[Guide 3]
This guide was requested by one Rainy Diamond12, and is a guide to the very
first part of the final level, The Maw. The player starts on the edge of a
precipice...
Okay. First of all, don't step backwards. That would be bad. Now, go
forward, turn right, go down the halls and you should eventually come across a
hole in the floor with Flugs coming out. Shoot them.
Now, DO NOT go through the hole. Instead, look down, and you'll see Sentinel
phasers mixed with the odd exploding flood. Stay away until you've heard the
last of the explosions, BUT try to get down before all the beams have stopped,
as you'll want the Sentinels distracted.
Once you get down, hide behind the pillar and pull out a Plasma Grenade. Try
to pin it on one of the Sentinels- if you get one, most should be killed in the
ensuing explosion. Jump out and frag whatever's left.
Now, you'll want the plasma gun out, as you're facing Flood soon. So, go down
the hall and past the empty lifeboat ports. Here there will be a group of
Flood, one of which has a Shotgun, so grenade them. Get the shotgun if you can
(recommended), and go on to the locked doorway.
Hear the banging? Whip out a frag grenade, and AS SOON as the door cracks
open, wing it into the gap at such an angle that it lands just past the door.
Then run for cover.
As the door cracks open fully, the bomb should explode, sending your Flood
buddies flying everywhere. Now, if anything resembling a shotgun flies past
you, GRAB IT NOW. If you got it, or if you got the one from before, then
proceed to fill some Flood with lead. If not, then keep moving around whilst
shooting them with plasma (or the Assault Rifle, if you choose). The key is
not to get boxed in- even if you have to run all the way back to the start,
it's still better them being torn apart by brown mutant tentacles.
Eventually, they should all be dead. You want them all dead, as two or three
may have Shotguns. Search for those as hard as you can, as you'll need one.
Then, once you've gotten one (or not), head through the corridors and on to the
next bit.
[End of Guide 3]
[Guide 4]
This beauty is a guide to the first lifeboat beacon of the level Halo- and how
to get through it in less then three pieces. It was requested by Malyss99.
For those unsure of the exact location, this part of the level is basically
just after you start the game, and upon completion of this part you will get
the Warthog.
Alright. The basics first- there are five transports that will land in this
area, in roughly three zones. For the first three transports, you'll want to
memorise where they land and be waiting there with your weapon of choice and a
bad attitude. Then, after the third transport ("They're tryin' to flank us!"),
two will land and disgorge their small army of Covenant.
When these two land, you should be on top of the giant structure where the guns
and ammo are. It's a good idea to hold this place for as long as possible-
hey, health packs, man- but you will NOT be able to keep it forever.
Firstly- there are two ramps up the area on opposite sides. Here's what's
likely to happen:
a) The Covvies will be smart for a change and come up both ramps at once-
unless you're playing Co-op, you don't stand a chance.
b) The Covvies will just Zerg rush up one ramp until their numbers finally
overwhelm you.
c) The Covvies will *mostly* go up one ramp, and an Elite or two will take the
initiative, be a sneaky bastard, and wander on up the other side to beat you
down from behind.
Now, you really cannot win this. The giant building is a strategic nightmare
to hold. There's no damn cover up the top, either. Don't bother hiding in an
alcove, they'll spot you eventually and out will come the plasma grenades.
You have basically only one choice- flee. Run like a little child. If you
want to be stylish, try to hang on to the building as long as possible, but
essentially you're doomed if you stay. When an Elite comes up top and doesn't
immediately die due to a hail of gunfire, it's time to leave.
Should you choose to hang around up top for a bit, lean over the edge a bit to
watch for Elites coming up the ramp. When one does, pin a plasma grenade on
his head for an easy kill.
Note that you might still have Marines at this point- but you won't keep them,
they are worthless and will almost certainly die unless you have skills like a
ninja- and then why are you reading this guide? Put them out of mind.
You more or less have four choices when running away.
Choice 1: See the pointy bit of the top building, far away from where the ammo
and health is? Well, basically right below that is a bunch of corridors and so
forth which you can jump into if you're careful and lucky. I never tried that
one- if you miss the jump, or jump at the wrong time, well...it's right next to
a dropship landing point, so you will get slaughtered if you're caught out in
the open.
Choice 2: You can just jump down and run away from this entire part of the
level through the tunnel. This has its advantages- you are facing a motherlode
enemy force with no real support, heavy weapons, or tactical cover, so may as
well leave. The problem is you really can't do this and succeed, or survive-
you'll need a warthog for the enemies in the tunnels, and for careening about
outside, too. Oh, and if you think you can just get far away from these guys
and start sniping with the pistol- you can't, they will hunt you down and kill
you out in the open. If you really want, I suppose you could tear through the
tunnels, over the light bridge, run up the ramp and to the lifeless lifeboat
and grab the sniper rifle, then come back to get your Warthog- but why on Earth
would you bother?
Choice 3: If you're hella brave and/or stupid, you can try to take on one of
the two dropships when it lands. If you succeed, your job is basically done
for you. If you fail to kill the entire dropship and flee in about fifteen
seconds, you'll die a horrible death as the other party of Covenant will arrive
for your head.
Choice 4: Go to where the ammunition is up the top of the building, and look
down. You should see a smaller building with one ramp and a side-area. Jump
down to the building (you might want to run). This is what I do.
Before you go, try to make sure you're outfitted with a Plasma Pistol, and/or a
Needler, in addition to whatever other weapon you want. MAKE SURE you have as
much ammo as you can have- this WILL take a while, you are, after all, putting
yourself under siege. This Assault Rifle will not help you in this bit- the
fighting is too far away for you if all goes well- so drop it first.
Now. When you jump down to the mini-building, jump down from there and check
out the small bending corridor thing. There is a doorway here into the small
building where you can hide out from grenades, keep that in mind.
Most of the Covenant forces should come to assault your corridor from the
direction of the large building- if you spent some quality time luring them to
it. This is good- it bottlenecks the opposition, but watch for Jackals and
possibly an Elite coming from the other end of the corridor.
The Elites should, if you make your presence known, hang around just outside
the corridor entrance flinging fire and grenades at you. This is why you want
the Needler or Plasma Pistol- you will need to kill Elites one-by-one, very
fast, or else their buddies will catch you in their hail and it's all over.
Remember to stay healthy- granted, your health and ammo are just over there on
the building, but they might as well be on Mars for all the good that'll do
you, as if you leave before you've cleaned out the enemies you won't make it to
the ramp before you get shot down.
Expect to run out of ammo- there are a lot of them. Make a quick dash out to
collect a Plasma Rifle from a fallen Elite at some point and duck back in.
This will also tell you how many enemies are still left alive. When they stop
presenting themselves to your gun, you'll have to start making quick raids
outside the corridor to kill an enemy and then leave again. Try to save your
greandes for this bit, it's hard to hit the Elites with a grenade from within
the corridor.
In all likelihood, you'll die quite a few times during this strategy, but the
point is you'll eventually make it. Just keep swimming. Once there are only a
few enemies left, just go out and hunt them down- carefully. There's nothing
more infuriating them getting down to the last Elite in the area and being
taken down.
Oh, and good luck.
[End of Guide 4]
Section 10: Contact Info
If you wish to submit a correction or piece of information, or congratulate me
on the brilliance of this guide, or ask to host it, my E-mail address is:
[email protected]
If you want to flame me with hate mail or initiate a lawsuit, however, my
address for those is
[email protected]
For those who didn't guess, the second E-mail address is of dubious value to a
potential contactee. To wit, it is completely fake in all respects.
And something else: if you've seen something on here that you know you
originated, give me a yell and I'll bung your name into the Credits Section.
Or I'll take it off. Whichever way you want it, really.
Section 11: Credits
"I'd like to thank the Academy..."
..plus the following people:
Me (for doing all the work)
My computer (for storing all the work)
GameFAQs (if you're reading this then they must've posted it...)
My Parents (for raising such a brilliant person)
All the people who did NOT flame me with hate mail.
All the people who sent me E-mails of encouragement.
All the people who sent me good tips and tricks.
Well, that's the End of the Guide. Until the next edition!
Copyright 2003
