- Pelican Drop
- Prowlers
- Trek to the Landing Zone
- Landing Zone
- Tank Onslaught
- Rally Point Bravo
- Pelican Pickup
Alright, gentlemen. Now prepare to drop! ...er ...land!
Part-1
Congratulations. You've been dropped off on a giant starfish with an army of candy-colored Wookies standing between you and the floating chair-toting worm that seeks galactic annihilation. Never thought I'd see the day...
Your starting weapons this time around are very suitable for the road ahead. While the sniper may not be necessary, the BR is a definite must and will make your life much easier. Two major battle zones lie ahead. If you want to stay and fight, the 1.0 guide will show you how. Otherwise, have a gander at the method below which will show you how to rush both areas!
Before you dive straight into the action, trade off your Sniper Rifle for one of the Plasma Pistols grasped by the sleeping Grunts. Be careful not to wake them as that will heavily increase the difficulty of making it out of the area in one piece. Ready your BR, jump on top of the Forerunner wall, and quickly follow it to the right until it drops to the ground. Jump down and book it for the cave. Jumping while running will also decrease the likelihood of being nailed by one of the enemies that now acknowledge your presence.
What will you be avoiding here? A squad of Grunts, a few Shielded Jackals, and roughly half a dozen Brutes (including a Brute Shot Captain). As you're running, you'll want to headshot the two Jackal Marksmen that come trotting out from the other side of the tunnel. Once you're past them, you've safely cleared the first segment.
Now on to number two. Ready that BR and snipe the Marksman perched on the unfinished Anti-Air battery. Head right until the two Marksmen on the side of the AA Gun pop into view. Take them out. Now keep going. Once you're out from behind the wall, toss a grenade at the Jackal pair on the ground to throw off their aim and head up the ridge. Almost instantly, the Brutes will start following you. And if that isn't enough, a Phantom is about to drop off a battle-ready pair of Hunters that can be rather tricky to fight given your lack of heavy weaponry.
When you near the top, a Brute Captain alongside his trusty Grunt squad will charge out from the opening to greet you with a hearty barrage of plasma fire mixed in with a few speckles of Brute Shot grenade goodness. Pop a few Grunts in the head as you approach and either stick the Captain with a Plasma Grenade or tag him with an overcharged plasma shot. Either way, keeping that Brute Shot off your back will be the main key to survival. The key here is to do this quickly. If you take too long, the Brutes from below will make their way up to your location and eliminate your chances of survival.
Skip through the cave, enter the small, narrow Forerunner structure, and take a deep breath.
Part-2
Watching that flaming Longsword spiral down to its doom never gets old. Catching it in action will mark the second segment in your journey. This time you won't be able to skip it with ease and still come out ahead later, so we're going to fight this one out.
You'll have two Brutes (one wielding a Carbine and the other a Brute Shot) along with a squad of Grunty followers to contend with when you first enter. The Carbine Captain is standing proud in the dead center of the clearing with his arms proudly folded. Range shoot him. You'll alert the others, but taking out this guy first will force the rest of his team to close in fast if they want the kill. At least half of the survivors, including the remaining Brute, will scramble towards your location and start scaling the small wall just off to the left. Tag the Brute while he's climbing as he will be unable to retaliate. Then just pick off the remaining Grunts with your BR.
Grab one of the 100% Plasma Pistols near the door, hop down to ground level, pick up additional ammo from the Pelican, and make your way to the other side of the area. Pick off any remaining Grunts. The video below should paint you a fairly accurate picture.
Now you'll need to set up base camp behind the furthest boulder to contend with the next wave of enemies. It helps to have an extra Plasma Pistol ready given the number of Brutes you're about to face. Here's a quick tip to help better prepare you. The twin Prowlers you are about to face can be triggered by either of two events; the first is offing every enemy that's already there when you arrive (i.e. the two Brutes and Grunt squad), and the second is by jumping down off the entry ledge and into the Pelican's crash-land zone. In either case, you will only have a few seconds to scurry over to the camping boulder, so make haste and don't hesitate. Otherwise those peppering plasma cannons will shred you almost instantaneously.
When the Prowlers arrive (the new Covie-equivalent to the Warthog), each will be manned by four Brute Minors. None of them will be wielding any serious weapons. Your main concern will be the ones that remain on the Plasma Cannons. One driver and all side passengers will rush your location. Use the boulder for cover and combo-kill them as they try to rush your position one at a time. Normally they will come from the left, but occasionally the surviving Marines will coerce one or two to attack from the opposite side. Just keep your eyes and ears open, and you should be fine.
The first plasma gunner should be relatively easy to kill. Since the driver abandoned the vehicle earlier and is now laying dead in the sand, the comrade he left behind will be a sitting duck. A clean combo kill should do the trick.
Note, if any of these guys drop a Bubble Shield, snatch it up and save it for later. You'll need it.
The last one won't be quite so simple. The driver should still be in the Prowler hauling his buddy around in circles near the Pelican. In this case, move forward to the next boulder (smaller than the last). Use the rock for cover, and when the Prowler makes its rounds close to you, EMP the vehicle with your Plasma Pistol and kill the gunner first. This will allow you to hijack the driver at your own leisure for fast and easy shield regeneration. Sometimes, though, the Prowler will flip and dump both passengers out on to the sand. Take the opportunity to combo them both before they bring their vehicle back online. The following video shows how this is done.
Part-3
Things are about to heat up, so now it's time to kick that ammo-conservation awareness into high gear. Down by the Pelican you'll find a Rocket Launcher with two spare shells sitting next to it in addition to the one pre-loaded. This will bring your grand total to three rockets. For now, drop your BR for the Rocket Launcher, and trade out your near-depleted Plasma Pistol for one of the 100% charged ones near the entrance. Now approach the cliff side where the Prowlers emerged and zero in on the three parked vehicles located at the far end of the canyon (two Choppers and a Ghost). Well what do you know? You just so happen to have three rockets that will allow you to quickly bring them to justice. Do so, but when you're finished, DO NOT drop the Rocket Launcher for another weapon. Because it's empty, dropping it at this point will hinder you from picking it back up later. Instead, jump down straight into the canyon and use the Plasma Pistol to disable and hijack the remaining Brute Chopper which should just be aimlessly driving around nearby.
Immediately rush past the enemies and around the crashed Longsword. An enemy Ghost will immediately assault your position. Use the Choppers boost ability plus front wheel to smash the Ghost to pieces. You'll want to be quick about it. Otherwise, the Ghost will enter the scene prematurely and make matters just that much more difficult for you. Keep in mind that Ghosts on this mission SUCK, and it won't take much for one to push you all the way back to the beginning of the level. Check out the next video to get a visual on how to dish out this vehicular carnage.
Return to the Longsword and trade your Plasma Pistol for the Battle Rifle. Pick up the four extra rounds of rocket ammo while you're at it. Then use the Chopper to backtrack to the Prowler area to pick up your original BR ammo. The backtracking may be frustrating, but having that rare, extra BR ammo on this mission will make things a LOT simpler for you down the road.
Again, use the Chopper to traverse back past the Longsword (passing whatever enemies necessary), and meander on over to the flipped Warthog. Temporarily grab the Sniper Rifle and use it to execute the three Grunts hanging around the crashed Phantom. Sure, you could use the Chopper for this bit, but it seems like an awful shame to let a perfectly good Sniper Rifle go to waste. Now swap the Sniper for whichever weapon you dropped, jump back on the Chopper, and head down the next drop. Turn right, park the Chopper near the last column holding up the platform above you, and ready that Rocket Launcher.
Realize this. There are now four Ghosts standing between you and the landing zone. There are an assortment of other enemies as well, but these four Ghosts are by far the most dangerous adversaries you will face.
As soon as those two ghosts round the corner, jump up over the rocks and use your Rocket Launcher to dispatch them. If one just happens to race around the rock to get to you, remember the Bubble Shield you picked up earlier? Use it. The following will give you a visual demonstration, and remember, it's imperative to make every shot count!
Backtrack to the downed Phantom for a Regenerator if necessary. Then move further up the canyon to deal with the remaining Ghosts and other enemies. Again, use the rocks on the side for cover to jump up and blast them with rockets. The enemies you'll have left will be a few Grunts, a small group of Jackals, and a menacing Brute Captain wielding a Fuel Rod Gun. Because of this, make sure you destroy the Ghosts rather than just flip them over and kill the driver. That way you won't have to worry about the Captain commandeering one of them and making your life more complicated. You can use the Chopper to hose down the remaining Covenant. Just remember to trade out your empty Rocket Launcher for one of the dropped Plasma Pistols held by the Jackals when you're done. Have a look on how to see it all works in action.
Part-4
The landing zone should be rather easy for you at this point. The key is to simply hang back under the cave and use the auto-cannons to burn down everything ahead of you. Hopefully you don't need a video detailing how to use the Chopper's infinite guns, so I'm just going to give you a few pointers here.
First off, there are three Wraiths in the LZ. The two AA Wraiths on the far side of the canyon are your final objective. The Mortar Wraith facing your direction is currently your biggest threat. On the left side of the canyon is a sniper tower with Plasma Cannons manned by Grunts. Under it is a pack of Brutes that won't even bother you at the moment. Another sniper tower is stationed with the AA Wraiths on the far end of the canyon along with two Ghosts. Closer to you, there's a stationary Plasma Cannon accompanied by a Shade Turret. And lastly, under the arch of rock that separates you from your final objective, a few Grunts patrol the area. Among them is one manning yet another Plasma Cannon, and another one will be toting a Fuel Rod Gun.
The odds here may seem against you, but rest assured that given your current position, this battle is extremely manageable. Let's start with the most threatening enemies and work our way down the ladder.
Destroy the purple Wraith first to eliminate the only current offensive measure being used against you. This will trigger two things to occur. Firstly, the Brutes near the sniper tower will retreat to the rock arch. Second, the two Ghosts that were located on the far end will now be heading straight over to you. Guess that makes them next on our hit list. Both will attack at the same time. Fortunately, the Chopper's projectiles have a defined "push" property that will keep them at bay as they continue to take damage. They shouldn't give you much trouble if any, though the circumstances can certainly make your heart race.
Go ahead and mow down the Shade, Plasma Cannon, left-side sniper tower, and the far sniper tower as well if you can reach it. This should leave you with the AA Wraiths and the nearby infantry.
There are two ways to deal with the infantry. If you have time to burn and want to save more of your BR ammo (recommended), you can use the Chopper to ground up any enemies that poke their head out from behind the rocks and crates. The second you spot the Grunt with the Fuel Rod Cannon, make him top priority. The order doesn't really matter all that much with the rest since it's easy to stay out of their shooting range.
Alternatively, you could use the Chopper or a dropped Plasma Pistol to destroy the Brutes' power armor and finish them off with the BR in addition to the Grunts. Using trick shots against the Brutes here is okay, but personally I'd rather save the Plasma Pistol until there's only one or two left.
Assault the AA Wraiths only after the infantry has been cleared. Board them on the backside to avoid the secondary gunner and bash them to pieces for easy shield regeneration. Thanks to you, the Forward Unto Dawn can now land safely and deliver one of the most epic moments in campaign.
Part-5
I never really understood why the Dawn couldn't just land and squash the Wraiths in the process. I mean really, everything we just went through was done to clear a landing zone for a monster-sized frigate. It's strategies like this that keep me wondering how the UNSC has been able to survive this long against the Covenant...
Moving on, you've been granted three wishes and they've all been answered...
Tank.
Tank.
Tank.
And it beats everything! Again, there isn't much too this segment, so use the Ark 2.0 file in my file share if you really need instructions on how to cover the canyon with cannon fodder. And remember to frequently hop in and out of the tank between skirmishes to check the status of your shield.
Here's the synopsis. You have three tanks at your disposal with an objective of using them to carve your way through the canyon to reach the Cartographer.
A few Ghosts accompanied by a Prowler will be the first to fall to your might. Don't disappoint them. Though I will leave the priority up to you, I'd recommend just going for the closest enemy first and keep it that way until you've vanquished them all in order to reduce the amount of plasma damage your tank receives.
Move forward and greet the two Hunters that emerge from the entrance cave with a salvo of thundering death. Maneuver through the cave and smash the Grunts and Brutes that meet you on the other side. Blast the Phantom for some additional points. There will be a newly stationed Shade turret off to the left nestled up close to a boulder. Knock him into next week.
At this point, I'd recommend letting one of the other tanks go first. Below the platform ahead will be a small group of Ghosts being backed by a hulking Wraith. Sending a dummy (literally!) in first will help keep the attention focused away from you while you continue to dish out the lead shells of death. Give the Ghosts priority since the Wraith mortars can easily be blocked via your current surroundings. They will come in pairs, so be ready.
Beyond the vehicular carnage is a sniper tower surrounded by a mass of Fuel Rod Grunts. A few tank shells will send them all flying like popcorn. The next section isn't so bad either. You'll start off with two Wraiths on the far end lobbing mortars your way. Maneuver the tank back and forth as you shell them to death. Hopefully your buddies can deal with the Choppers circling around the base of the canyon. Otherwise, feel free to pick up the slack.
Move around the left edge slowly. When you cross an invisible threshold, you'll trigger two Ghosts to spawn near the wreckage of the closest Wraith. Down them quickly, because as you do, a Phantom will be dropping off a third Wraith near the door on the giant platform. When this happens, retreat back to your squad and take it out via the same swivel methods you used against the first two. Then take out every Shade you can see from your current location. There will be a few on the platform, including one near the door. There's also one in the far back corner where the furthest Wraith was located.
Make your way along the edge around the area until you reach the platform. Push your way to the door as a horde of Grunts and Brutes try to stand in your way. Watch out for stray Grunts, particularly around that last corner. They tend to get a little grenade-happy here.
Spark will unlock the door for you. Hop out of the tank and follow him into the building. There you will activate the light bridge allowing your allies to cross the chasm. Meet them on the other side just in time to see a...
SCARAB! Be careful not to let it trounce you as it lumbers across the battlefield. The movie Cloverfield comes to mind every time I reach this part.
You'll have three waves of baddies ahead plus the Scarab. The tanks will be emerging from the level below you. My advice would be to let them clear out most of the first "shelf" before jumping into one. You can hurry them along by jumping down to their level like so...
Just remember to keep one eye on the skies as well since it will quite literally be raining Wraith mortar.
Once you commandeer a Scorpion, help your buddies clear the area. The Wraiths should be top priority, but if you notice a Ghost or Chopper heading your way, deal with them first. The first and second lines should be a cakewalk for you. The third will be a tad trickier since the Scarab will dramatically reenter the scene, guns a-blazin'. His support will mainly be Choppers and Brutes packing Fuel Rod Cannons. You'll want to do something about them as well. Ironically, these tanks seemingly take quite a bit of punishment from the Scarab, but a few salvos of Fuel Rod fire will light them up in no time.
When assaulting the Scarab, use the closest rock ledge to grab its attention and go for the legs. When it's facing you, disable it by shattering its thighs with the tank. Then jump onboard to destroy the core as shown in the following footage...
Alternatively, if it even lets you do it, you might be able to shoot off the back and land a few shells right in the center of the core itself. Either way, be sure to head for the hills once it's about to pop. Remember that explosion will be seen from space!
There are a few ways to tackle the tower. You can either burn down each level via the Scorpion or Chopper, or you could attempt to race up the sides with a Chopper and pray that you don't get pegged by the lone Jackal Sniper on your way up. The former will cost you a bit more time but is ultimately less risky. The first and second levels both have a single group of Brutes guarding the way. Further up will be a few Marksmen and a Sniper. And finally, your first glimpse at a Brute Stalker shall be had just below the entrance itself. Watch out! He's packin' firebombs that will drop you in a heartbeat.
Note, if he drops a camo, don't bother picking it up. Bungie will steal it right out from under you upon entering the facility. Thanks a lot!
You should be entering the facility with at least a Battle Rifle at this point. Don't worry about a secondary weapon since you're just going to pick up one of the Plasma Piatols just inside the door anyway.
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