Halo 3 Mythic (SLASO) Walkthrough

Halo 3 Mythic Walkthrough by Daniel Morris

Crow's Nest

Full run, Bungie.net Fileshare
Brute Motor Pool, 'Kamikaze' method, Bungie.net Fileshare

While serving as practically the polar opposite of the previous mission with its lush green jungles and spectacular mountain ranges, Crow's Nest takes deep down into the aging tunnels of an underground bunker-base. You'll be backtracking, backtracking again, and just when you think you're done, you'll be backtracking some more!
Don't let it fool you. While this may only be the second mission, it's deemed to be one of the most difficult. Two of the game's most complicated battles can be found in this level. The Brutes will be throwing everything they've got at you, including the new Jump-Jet Brutes and three Chieftains. You heard me. Three. But by the time you've completed this level, you should be nothing short of an expert of going toe to toe with Brutes. So saddle up, because you're in for the long haul!

Know Your Role...

    You have your orders. Time to head off to the hangar while Johnson and his platoon cowardly stay behind to help the wounded. Head down the steps and through the door on your right. Be sure to pick up a battle rifle and any secondary weapon (they're all useless) on your way out. If you aren't sure where to go (and if you have all the skulls you should be), the Marines will guide you to the first battle scene.
    When the door opens, laugh as a Warthog gets triple-stuck and blasted across the tunnel. Your first instinct may be to run out and start hammering away with your battle rifle. Take my advice, though, and hang back a few minutes. One or two Grunts will poke their heads through the doorway and open you up to easy headshots. Soon after, two Marines will recklessly charge through the doorway to engage the rest. Unless they get stuck, they usually do a pretty bang up job themselves by 'nading the tar out of everything in front of them.
    Eventually they'll start moving up. When you notice a break in plasma fire, run out and head towards the back for safety. Then turn and BR any remaining Grunts followed by the Jackals. I'd highly recommend letting the Marines do their thing first as it will definitely save you some ammunition.
    If the tunnel seems empty, carefully start making your way towards the other end. Keep an eye out for any hiding Grunts that may stick you at the last second. There's a ton of loose debris in this room that'll no doubt get tossed around in the chaos, so just be aware of any hiding aliens. Moving up far enough will trigger a Brute Captain and his Grunt cronies to barge into the tunnel. Backpedal and take out the Grunts first. The Brute should now be the last one standing. Swap out the useless assault rifle for a plasma pistol and combo the remaining Brute.
    The surviving Marines will charge directly into corridor where the last Covies just came from. Just wait a moment and you'll here a series of booming explosions. Those poor bastards never even had a chance. Nevertheless, carry on and poke your head through the tunnel. Four Grunts spawned in there originally, so be prepared to kill four. Killing the first will almost always result in the other three coming after you, so remain in the tunnel to avoid plasma stickies and pick them off as they come out.
    Towards the end of the Grunt hall await four Carbine Jackals. Take them one at time by peeking around the door and headshotting with the BR. Sometimes when their numbers are down to a pair, they'll start to advance, but they still won't be any more of a challenge.
    Go ahead and dual wield two fresh plasma pistols and proceed through the hall you just cleared. Take a sharp right at the end, go through the doors, and you'll be presented with a choice... left door or right door. Take the right, make haste, and watch the following video.

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    As you can see, speed is essential. The Jackals will jump back, and the Grunts on the stairs will have their backs to you, though the second one may turn around. You can go back for your second plasma pistol later. For now, turn around and headshot the other Grunt after you reach the top of the steps. Next do a 180 and head to the other end of the hall where two more Grunts will be heading up the steps. Kill them and take a minute or two to store their plasma pistols in a memorable location. In the middle of this hall you'll notice two short catwalks that will take you to a small air-traffic-control room with racks filled with BR ammo. So, stock up and starting mopping up the hangar.
    This is my favorite battle in the mission. You'll essentially be facing four waves of Covenant with the first already well in place upon your arrival. And while you're bunkered up in the upper stairwell, you'll have easy access to tons of ammunition as you look down on the enemy. Good times!
    You won't want to hang out in the air-traffic room too long as it seems sometimes the Covenant can shoot right through the floor (I blame Stosh!). The upper hallway should do just fine. Strafe back and forth from one end of the hall to the other. Make sure nothing tries to sneak up there with you. Pick off the Grunts first with each wave while avoiding the heavy plasma cannons mounted on the Phantoms.
    After you've killed a certain number of enemies from each wave, the next one will trigger. Each will drop off mainly Grunts with a couple of Jackals and Brutes. It's best to deal with the Brutes as they're either climbing ledges to get to you or while they prime their spike grenades. Again, use a charged plasma shot to blow off their armor, then follow up with a BR headshot.
    Waves two and three will be nearly identical. Both will try to assault your position, so it's your job to prioritize your enemies and take them out before they can get there. Your surviving Marines down below will lend a helping hand by frag spamming the Covenant landing zones.
    You'll know when the fourth wave is coming when the survivors from wave three begin to retreat back down to the open area. Wave four, learning from the mistakes of their fallen comrades, will remain at the landing zone. Again take out the Grunts first. When you move onto the Jackals, leave one remaining. You'll see why in a minute. Now concentrate on the remaining Brutes. They'll usually try to hide behind something, but enough of them will stick out for you to range-shoot them with your plasma pistol. The area beneath you should also be relatively safe now, so if you run out of plasma ammo, feel free to run down, grab the one you dropped earlier, then head back up.
    At last, with the Brutes out of the way there should be a single Jackal remaining. Head down to his level and arm yourself with a plasma pistol. Charge it and blast the Jackal's shield. He'll turn and run in utter terror of his impending punishment. Take this opportunity to charge your shields via an effortless assassination.
    As the Marines board the Pelican (and I begged to go with them), rummage around for a Brute Shot and some additional ammo. Take it in place of the plasma pistol. With your Brute Shot in hand, head back the way you came in towards the Ops Center. There should still be some extra Brute Shot ammo in that first tunnel (where the warthog got plasma-nuked). Take all you can get.

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    When you get to the caverns, a friendly Marine will wave you on through. Don't listen! It's a trap! An angry swarm of Drones will explode into the room and start pouring on the plasma. One will pick up the poor Marine facing you. End his misery by firing a single Brute Shot round into his abdomen, killing his captor and a few of his surrounding budding. The Marines can actually hold their own surprisingly well in this area, but I enjoy going for the bonus points with Drone multi-kills. Shooting one round at a time into clusters of Drones can usually take out two or three at a time, making the work far quicker for the Marines.
    The intense buzzing will die down after awhile and it will finally be safe to move forward. Keep an eye out by the door. Sometimes a few wingless stragglers will be left dancing around trying to make the most of things.
    Wow. Look at all those plasma pistols! We'll need them in preparation for the next battle...

Gift with Purchase

The Motor Pool battle is considered by many to be the hardest in the game. There are a number of methods used to conquer it, but two stand out more than any other in the LASO community. Don't worry. I'll walk you through both and let you choose which one you think will suit your style. Your choice will also greatly impact your methods of preparation.
Allow me to give you a taste of the bitter punishment you're about to receive. Upon entering the Motor Pool, you'll be facing about half a dozen Brutes plus their Brute Chieftain leader. Their arsenal will include Spikers and Brute Shots. And these guys just love to use equipment. Almost instantaneously, you'll see two or three bubble shields pop up and maybe even a regenerator. Then, just as you think you've assumed victory, the back door will burst open and a second wave will invade the Motor Pool. To make matters even more complicated, they'll be using carbines and plasma rifles. Finally, when there are either two or fewer Brutes left, the Chieftain will go haywire and start charging you with his godly hammer. Be afraid...

Method #1: "Slow & Steady"

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    I won't lie. This is the method I prefer by far. Yes, it does take significantly longer, but you'll be playing it safer. For preparation, retrieve roughly 12-14 plasma pistols from the Drone battle and bring them up the Ops center stairs. Leave them just outside the exit where you'll be heading towards the Motor Pool. Next, backtrack down the stairs and stock up on BR ammo.
    Here's the trick. As long as you don't go beyond the second door leading to the Motor Pool, the Ops Center door won't close. Meaning you have free access to as much ammo as you need. On your way down, stop at the door, make sure you're dual wielding two plasma pistols, charge them both, and try to peg two of the Brutes with their backs to you. I'd recommend targeting at least one of the Brutes wearing a Brute Shot on his back.
    From here on out, you'll want to pick them off from the doorway. The best time to range-shoot a Brute in this area is when he's hiding behind a crate. He'll usually leave a piece of his armor or weapon sticking out just enough for you to get a hit. At the same time, because he isn't looking at you, he won't try to dodge. If at any point in the battle you think you might be running low on shields, lure a berserking Brute into your hallway and into the Ops Center. The Marines won't attack (lazy bastards), but you'll have plenty of space to land that assassination.
    When just two Brutes plus the Chieftain are left, the back door will swing open, and enemy reinforcements will join the party. They'll carry an assortment of weapons made up of carbines and plasma rifles. Yes, with Carbine Brutes in the picture, things just got a little trickier. Without a doubt, you'll suffer more damage in round two, but remember to take cover quickly when being fired upon, and use the assassination technique if you think your shields are critical. Just like with round one, wait 'til they try to hide behind crates, then range shoot them with plasma charges. Particularly with the Carbine Brutes, though, you may be able to range-shoot them while they're trying to shoot you. Remember to shoot then dodge back into cover quickly. Often times they'll completely ignore the shot and just keep pegging the doorway.

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The Chieftain will charge once only two Brutes (sometimes just one) remain. When he gets close, back into the doorway and nail him with a charged plasma shot. Usually he'll hesitate in the hall for a few seconds before following you. Take this opportunity to switch to the battle rifle and headshot until that helmet flies off. Then put the monkey down for good.
If there are no Brutes left at this point, excellent. Grab the battle rifle, trade out your plasma pistol for the Chieftain's gravity hammer, then move into the next area. Otherwise, keep fighting just like you did before until all Brutes are down.

Method #2: "Kamikaze"

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    If this is really only your second Mythic level, I'd highly suggest practicing this method several times without the Iron Skull on before doing the real deal. Preparation is the easy part. Simply grab two plasma pistols, charge them, and try to peg two Brutes as you rush into the Motor Pool.
    See that truck over on the left? That's where we'll be taking shelter. There's also a full 100 percent charged plasma pistol over by the dead Grunt near the truck. Grab a gravity lift on your way to the truck, and headshot the berserking Brutes that come charging your way. Then poke your head out and try to pick off the Brutes one by one. The advantage of being so close is that your charged plasma bolts will home in on their intended targets, so it will ultimately take far fewer guns to bring them down.
    After you've killed all but two, the second wave will show up with carbines and plasma rifles. Using this method, the Carbine Brutes are far less of a nuisance. Rinse and repeat by poking your head out, smashing their armor with plasma, and finishing them off with a quick headshot. When you hear the Chieftain lose his temper, run forward, deploy the gravity lift, and boost up to the second floor. Then plasma charge his shields and keep shooting his head until he eventually drops. If there are still two Brutes left (usually captains), just take your time in dealing with them. The worst is over.
    So you've heard the pros. Now let me address the cons. First off, stepping into the Motor Pool eliminates your access to the Ops Center, so there's no easy route for going back for more ammo if you happen to need it. Yes, there is some extra ammo located in the side rooms of the upper floor, but getting there while several Brutes have their eyes on you will be nearly impossible.
    This next one is obvious. Being so close to the Brutes means your chances of being overwhelmed just increased dramatically. Quick reaction time and split-second decision-making are essential traits for these predicaments. The debris getting tossed around will also complicate things by making it difficult to follow up your plasma charges with headshots.
    There will also be very little opportunity to recharge your shields unless a Brute just happens to drop a regenerator at your feet. You may get a lucky assassination, but you really don't have the time or the room to pull it off regularly or safely.
    The Chieftain is still another issue. You may not always hear him berserk, and he doesn't always berserk at the same point in battle. Being in close-quarters with a hammer-wielding Chieftain is not the best of combinations.
    Lastly, you need to worry about grenades. Each time you kill a Brute, he'll drop two, so if another Brute tosses a grenade your way, they'll all detonate. The Cowbell Skull is notorious for being the Motor Pool's number one killer.

Whichever path you took, nice work on getting one of the toughest battles behind you. To celebrate, we're going to have a little batting practice. If the Chieftain dropped an Invincibility, juggle that and one of the deployable covers you'll find towards the back on the left. You're going to take them through the back door where the second wave of Brutes came from and down the pipe at the end of the hall. As you approach the pipe, a single Drone may or may not fly up. If he does, score that easy melee with whichever weapon you're holding. Now go ahead and drop down the pipe.

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Ready your gravity hammer. Those are words you'll rarely hear me say. Up ahead you'll notice three sets of pipes where Drones are casually flying back and forth without even giving you a second thought. On solo, you'll only need to worry about the Drones in the last two sets. As you approach the first, they'll stop flying there. When you approach the second set, keep your eyes peeled. Sooner or later, one Drone will fly out to confront you. The second he does, give him a cold dose of hammer. As soon as he's dead, two of his buddies will fly out to avenge his murder. One smack with the hammer should kill them both simultaneously. Consider this your Halo whack-a-mole moment! Move to the last set of pipes and repeat the process. An extra bonus of this area is the set of six plasma pistols those Drones leave behind. Juggle them all to the hole at the end of the hall and drop them down along with any extra equipment.
At this point lose the hammer. You won't be needing it from here on out. Make sure you've brought as many plasma pistols with you as possible and leave them just outside the door the Arbiter seems to be guarding. Note there may be a few extra plasma pistols laying around from the Drones the Arbiter killed. Next open the door and move on through with your plasma pistol charged.

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Target the Brute strangling the Marine. Try to nail the other just to the left as well, if you can. Headshot them both. Arbiter and the Marines will start moving forward. While they push back the ground forces, climb the ladder over on the right and keep your eyes on the right side catwalk in the next hall. You'll spot two Jackals. Kill them and consider it free plasma pistol ammo. Jump back to the ground and start covering the Arbiter. Once the Brutes reach the shower area on the opposite side, you can hang back and range-shoot them. Arbiter can usually finish them off, but feel free to rack up the points and headshot them if you prefer. After the area is clear, move up. The Brutes in Corridor Two will usually retreat back to the third with the safety of a War Chieftain protecting them. There is a regenerator in this area, but unless your shields are critical, you'd be better off saving it for later.
Continue to move up, but stay away from the shower area. You don't want to trigger the Marines quite yet. There's a door over on the right you can use to surprise the Brutes in the other hall to get a few plasma charges in there too. What you really want to do is take out all the Brutes except for the Chieftain, who's wielding a powerful plasma cannon. Destroy the Carbine Brutes first if you can, then just go for anything you can get. The best way to do this is to take shelter behind one of the crates and peek out until a Brute enters your site. If that Brute is wearing blue armor, blow it off with a plasma charge. If it happens to be the Chieftain, take cover. It doesn't take much for that plasma cannon to bring your shields down to critical status. You may want to occasionally use that side door to take any of the closer Brutes off guard. Particularly if the Arbiter is assaulting them from the front, their attention won't be on you at all. When there's only one or two left, go ahead and trigger the Marines by jumping into the showers. They'll join the fight and grenade spam the crap out of that hallway. If the Jackals on the upper walkway are still living, take them out. Their focus should be on the Marines, so you shouldn't have any trouble.

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    From here, you can do one of two things. If you brought your Invincibility with you, use it to run over and assassinate the War Chieftain. Otherwise, take out his shields with a plasma pistol, and let the Marines and Arbiter finish him off. Even a powerful plasma cannon can't stand up to the might of Arbiter's energy blade.
    Time to stock up again. Gather all the plasma pistols and plasma rifles you can find. Juggle them out the back door and down to the freight elevator (but don't activate it yet!). Plasma Rifles seem to actually be more effective in the next area since you'll mainly be holing up in the elevator and you won't have much to shoot through. Bringing a battle rifle should be a given at this point, and you'll also want to make sure you still have that deployable cover handy. If there are any regenerators laying around, juggle them to the elevator too.
    Next, you'll want to "properly" arm the Arbiter as shown below...

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From the video, you can see that bashing the Arbiter five times will bring down his shields. Then, a simple headshot will bring him down. Drop the Chieftain's plasma cannon down on his body and quickly juggle away the weapons he dropped. When he revives (and you won't have long to pull this off), he'll be wielding the plasma cannon.
Access the elevator controls and load it up with supplies. Plasma rifles? Check. Plasma pistols? Check. Battle rifle? Check. Equipment? Check. Suped-up Arbiter with badass plasma cannon? Double-check! Assuming you're ready, go ahead and press the elevator switch and prepare for ascension.

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    This next battle is also considered to be one of the most challenging. Fortunately, we came prepared. You'll be facing not one, not two, but three waves of Jump-Jet Brutes. They'll be wielding spikers, brute shots, plasma rifles, and carbines. If you still have a few Marines with you, they usually won't make it through round two. You also won't have a chance to recharge your shields until after the fight unless you brought a regenerator with you.
    While you're ascending, equip yourself with a battle rifle and plasma rifle. You'll notice the wall between the two doors faces the above platform. Go ahead and drop the deployable cover into the far right corner. This will help to shield you from Carbine fire later in the fight.
    The door will open, and the Marines won't hesitate to frag 'nade the platform with everything they've got. To save yourself the trouble of becoming a victim of friendly fire, hang back and let them have at it. On the wall in front of you, you'll notice there's a small hole about waist-high. Feel free to participate by shooting short controlled bursts through that little opening. Arbiter will be providing support from the back of the area. Allowing him to wield the plasma cannon will help to ensure that the Brutes' armor drops quickly.
    The exact number of Brutes here tends to vary since it isn't unusual for a couple to commit suicide right off the bat by jumping right off the platform. Apparently they aren't willing to accept their obvious huskiness. Because of this and your enthusiastic support group, the first wave will fall relatively quickly. Wave two will show up almost immediately. Your Marines may still be alive, but they won't stay that way for long. This set of Brutes brings stronger firepower to the scene with brute shots and carbines.
    If one happens to launch to a location near the elevator (particularly the opening) swap out your plasma rifle for a plasma pistol and make him wish he'd stayed back with the pack. Otherwise, continue to pepper Brute armor with your plasma rifles via the small opening. This method will suffice for both the second and third wave as long as the Arbiter is backing you up with his purple cannon of plasma goodness (yeah stop chuckling!).
    When the coast is clear, the Pelican will return. Ignore the Drones that attack below and head across the platform to the door on the opposite side. Follow the stairs to the top and you'll find the holy grail of equipment, a regenerator and two cloaking devices. If you're wise, you'll take the time to juggle all three down from the tower, across the platform, and down into the tunnels below. Watch how I do it in this next video.

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Last One Out, Get the Lights

    The next area is pretty straightforward. You'll see a Grunt manning a plasma cannon. Headshot him, then juggle your equipment into the tunnel. Just beyond the turret is a crate full of ammo including two battle rifles. I'd still recommend you conserve, because this is all you'll get for a while. Ahead will be a pair of Jackals. They won't hesitate to bring your shields to critical with a charged plasma bolt, so take cover and take them out quickly. Aim for the little indention on their shields, and when they stumble, go for the head. Further beyond will be another plasma cannon controlled by a Grunt. Eliminate this threat and continue to advance.
    To the left will be another group of enemies made up of Grunts and Shielded Jackals. Make the Grunts your priority, especially the two in back which are each mounted on a plasma cannon on either side of the tunnel. The Jackals should be a breeze as long as you stay behind the crates for cover and retreat whenever they start charging their weapons.
    Beyond the barrier in the next room there will be a plasma cannon established on each side. Above on the walkway will be two of the dreaded Jackal Snipers. Taking out the plasma cannon Grunts will be easy from a distance. To assault the snipers, on the other hand, I highly recommend you equip a cloaking device, sneak up the stairs on the right of their perch, and assassinate them both.

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One last major battle remaining! At this point you should at least have one cloaking device remaining. If you haven't already used the regenerator, you'll have that too. It's time to pay the Ops Center one last visit. Of course the Chief is the only guy around here that can get things done right.

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    Your enemies will consist of three Brute Captains (one will be arming the plasma cannon on the second floor at the back of the room), four Grunts, and another War Chieftain. This one decided the fuel rod cannon is the better way to go.
    When you enter, you'll notice a small cluster of deployable covers just to the left of the door. Since you still haven't been noticed yet, take a moment to place them between you and the stairs. Barricade yourself as much as possible! Now prime a plasma grenade and chuck it straight at the Brute on the left. You may even luck out and kill off a few Grunts in the process! Whip out your battle rifle and headshot the Grunts that are in view. If they start chucking plasmas your way, backtrack accordingly. The Chieftain may also try to get off a few rounds. Just keep as many objects as possible between you and the Chieftain for now. The remaining Grunts will eventually take to the stairs. Thanks to the deployable covers, they won't be able to plasma-spam you right away, so take them out one by one.
    The next Brute Captain should be on the right. Stick him if you can. Otherwise, just use a charged plasma shot plus BR headshot as usual. One last Captain left. The one on the back turret will be easy to range shoot. Once he's down, retreat back into the hall for a few seconds to allow the Chieftain to calm his nerves. Then slowly make your way back into the Ops Center. The Chieftain likes to hide in the middle between the two stair cases. Creep forward and make sure he's there. Then activate your cloaking device, jump over the side, and assassinate him.
    The next step is a given. Disarm the bomb, fool!

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    Wonderful. The facility is already exploding and the bomb hasn't even gone off yet! Head down the stairs and load up on battle rifle ammo. When the door on the right opens, three Grunts will be ready to ruin your day. Ruin theirs first by putting a three shot burst into each of their skulls. Don't charge out into the caverns quite yet. Just to the right is a pair of Carbine Jackals. We'll leave them for now. Concentrate on the Grunts instead. Yes, they're waving their arms around frantically while running in circles. In theory, you could just race up the stairs and make a mad dash to the other side, but in my opinion, you've made it too far just to have a Grunt suddenly take notice and land that long awaited stick.
    Each time you peg one of the Grunts, it will snap out of its frantic state and face your direction. Headshot them immediately to avoid being stickied. Do this with all of them. Once you feel it's safe, peek your head out to the right and pick off the Carbine Jackals. They do have a tendency to run up the stairs, but they'll still be in a relatively simple position to kill as they attempt to hide behind the railing. On a separate note, I'd recommend waiting in between those annoying tremors before taking your shots.
    Proceed through the caverns and essentially follow the same path you took to get to the first tunnel. When you approach the door, don't dash out too quickly. A swarm of Drones will fly by along with a group of petrified Grunts. While the Drones just seem to keep going and pay you no mind, the Grunts will stop about midway down the tunnel just like they did before. Wait a few seconds before heading out. Then run to the right and head towards the back of the tunnel. Turn around and take out the Grunts from a distance. Again, this far into it there's no sense in taking any chances. Check behind the crates too, just to ensure there are absolutely no stragglers.
    Keep pushing towards the hangar. When you get to the hangar itself, ignore the frantic Grunts for now as they will return the favor, head up the stairs, and start picking off all the Grunts and Jackals in the room. A phantom will arrive to drop off a few more, but from where you are they should present little to no challenge. Eventually, they'll retreat into a little area just off to the right. Head down, make sure you have plenty of cover, and target the Grunts in that room first. Then focus on the Jackals. Make sure you've cleared the area before moving in. You'd be surprised just how quickly one Grunt can blow the whole mission. Finally, head left into the elevator and push the button. You've made it through the Crow's Nest in one piece.