Halo: Reach Mythic Guide - New Alexandria

Halo 3: ODST Mythic (SLASO) Walkthrough by Daniel Morris

New Alexandria

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The Tru7h about New Mythixandria

   As the city burns, lives are lost and hearts are broken. When Exodus came to a close, the sense of victory rushed through my veins, but the portrait painted by the overture of New Alexandria displays the grim defeat of humanity's strongest world. This is a war we cannot win.
   Though you're back in the same city, you'll be experiencing it in a whole new light and altitude through the window of a lightly armed Falcon with a series of objectives for you to conquer. This is one of the easier missions in the game even with the Blind skull making it a bit of a nightmare to find your way around the city. Don't worry, though. While I'll be serving as your personal Covenant killing guide, RC Master will be acting as your human GPS while you pilot the Falcon through the burning ruins of New Alexandria.
   Personally, I consider this to be one of the easier missions in the game. While dodging the constant streams of plasma pouring from Banshees and Shades can prove to be a bold challenge, you'll only really need to worry about one major conflict on the ground. The relatively short sections are:

Sinoviet Center
Vyrant Telecom Tower
New Alexandria Hospital
Fly By Night

It's time to slip on your wings, Lieutenant!

Sinoviet Center

   One of the interesting aspects of this mission is the "random factor", something completely new to the Halo franchise that makes this mission a blast to play over and over again. While you're zipping through the burning buildings, the nagging voice of Kat will be tossing various mission objectives your way—most of them centered around nuking Covenant jammers placed throughout the city. What makes this so unique, though, is that they can be given to you in any order which can completely change the dynamics of the mission and how you approach each section.
   This can be both a good and bad thing. On one hand, it gives New Alexandria a heavy replay factor. You can play this mission a dozen times and never have it turn out the same way twice, but on the flip side, it can cause problems when formulating strategies on how to deal with each individual section.
   The only real nightmarish portion of the mission is the New Alexandria Hospital. We'll dive into details about its terrors further down the road, but you can make the challenges it presents much easier by ensuring that you get Sinoviet Center first. While you can't control which objective you get served on your plate first, I highly recommend restarting the mission until it pops up as numero uno on your list of objectives. You'll thank me later. This guide has been written assuming you've done just that.
   When Sinoviet pops up on your list, you'll hear a frantic Marines yelling "Mayday! Mayday!" into the com channel. From your starting location, head straight. Sinoviet Center is the tall building with the bright green insignia dead ahead.
   The intended route of travel here is obviously the landing pad on the west side of the building, but using the following route will allow you to actually bring the Falcon inside of the courtyard so you can rain death from above!

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   The courtyard is primarily occupied by Brutes and Jackals (both shielded and Snipers). Your two biggest threats are the concussion wielders and focus snipers. To help point you in the right direction, as you slip inside the structure, the Brutes will almost immediately charge your location, so the concussion Brute will linger directly below you most of the time while the two Jackal Snipers hang back a bit further down towards the middle. Be sure to eliminate these threats first since they can easily cause the most damage to your Falcon.
   Bear in mind that although you can't exactly see it even without Blind on, the Falcon has a type of health bar too. The more damage it takes, the more vulnerable it becomes, and like you on Mythic, it doesn't fix itself. The easiest way to tell whether or not it's approaching a break point is by observing how much fire and smoke it's giving off. If you have billowing clouds trailing behind you, the Falcon is no longer a safe means of transport. Fortunately, the mission's talented designer has your back. Whenever you feel like you need a new Falcon, simply land the current one on top of one of the many buildings in the city, jump out, and press DOWN on the D-pad to be magically teleported to MISSION START to receive a brand new one fully equipped with Marines. Note that this will NOT restart your mission progress. Whichever objectives you've already accomplished will remain as such.
   Now that we've got that covered, if your Falcon took any significant damage during the courtyard skirmish, you can easily obtain a new one after you leave.
   The jammer is your current objective, so duck into the elevator and ride to the top while jamming to some catchy elevator tunes along the way. When you reach the top, you'll find yourself in a polished wooden area identical to the multiplayer map Reflection. An assortment of weapons and Armor abilities will be lying around and mysteriously NO enemies! Hmmm... sounds too good to be true.
   Down and to the right, you'll stumble across an Active Camouflage AA. Juggle it to the elevators while also making note of the health pack stuck on the wall between the two doors. You'll likely need it later.
   Since the jammer is in the back, you may also want to place a second Sprint halfway along your root between the jammer and the door for a quicker way to get from point A to point B. Be sure to plant another AA beside it so you'll have something to switch between. It isn't necessary, but it does serve as a nice Plan B just in case things start getting a little crazy. If there's anything else you want from this tower, now is the time to get it. You'll find additional DMR ammo towards the center to add to your current count as well as a rocket launcher. Personally, I don't use the latter, but if you want it, it's certainly yours for the taking. I suppose anything is better than your assault rifle secondary weapon. Finally, head back to the room and deactivate the jammer, making sure you have Sprint equipped before mashing the nuke button.
   The second it explodes make a mad dash for the exit. Drones are about to pour out from every crevice in the building! I knew it was too good to be true... Assuming you skipped the Drones in the second Tyrant gun in Tip of the Spear, this will be your first true Drone encounter in the game. Fortunately, they aren't nearly as formidable as they have been in the past. Their armor seems to have received some major downgrades in addition to zero shielding.
   Another fun fact. If you manage to land a headshot, they asplode into bits of kibble. Good times!
   This time however, you shouldn't need to fight them at all! Simply sprint towards the exit. If the going gets tough, grab the second Sprint from your homemade AA hub in the center. This will give you another instant Sprint rather than forcing you to wait until your current AA recharges.
   At the elevator, snag the health pack on the wall if you're critical, but most importantly do NOT forget the Active Camo on the way out. It'll serve as your saving grace for a future objective. This is how the entire scenario should play out.

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   Back in the courtyard, if your shields need a desperate recharge along with your health, there's yet another health pack on the wall between the two elevator doors. Since you're about to take to the skies again, it's imperative that your health and shields are at one hundred percent. You'd be amazed at just how easy it is to be taken off guard by a group of angry Banshees or Shades and be torn to shreds in mere seconds.
   Here's where things get a bit complicated. There are several "side missions" that can be thrown your way by the developer. There are many of them, and you'll get ONE between each of the main objectives. Which one you'll receive is completely random, but odds are you'll be given at least one escort mission starring our favorite ODST fail-hard, Gunnery Sergeant Buck (though after the atrocities of Coastal Highway, I tend to use a different name starting with the letter "F"). Personally, I haven't dealt with every single one of these side missions on Mythic, so it would be useless for me to try and guide you from place to place. Fortunately, Mythic community member RC Master has cooked up a rather tasty guide to help you navigate around the city.
   In truth, most of the side missions are actually quite simple and require little to no effort from you aside from simply avoiding the aerial danger surrounding you at all times. The tough part is really just trying to find your way around without any sort of navigation leading you in the right direction. Fortunately, RC Master's Guide to the Skies comes complete with screenshots, objectives, and mission order quotes to help you pinpoint exactly where you need to go.
   A few general tips from the Tyrant, though:

First, elevation is key. The higher up you are, the less likely you'll be hit by Banshees and/or shades.
For Buck missions, Buck's heavily armed Falcon can hold its own. There's no need for you to swoop in to save the day. However, he won't reach his destination entirely on his own. He'll make a few pit stops along the way which will require you to get close to his Falcon in order to force him to proceed. In short, don't meander too far away.
If at any point your Falcon takes too much damage, don't hesitate to land on top of one of the taller towers and call for evac. This WILL NOT reset any objectives.
Don't make it a priority to try and down every single Banshee you see. They have an infinite respawn, so as long as you keep killing them, they'll keep attacking.
When returning fire, don't be a sitting duck. Always be sure to strafe to make you a more difficult target to hit.
If a Shade turret blindsides you, a sudden drop in elevation will get it off your back. If you duck down far enough below the Shade's height, you'll be out of harm's way.
If your Marines start shooting, you can guarantee that there's a foe within striking distance. Go the extra mile to determine where it is and whether or not you should retaliate or run.

Follow these simple rules along with RC Master's guide, and the side missions should be a breeze!

Vyrant Telecom Tower

   Heh. Vyrant rhymes with Tyrant...
   Club Errera (named for the legend behind the happenings at HBO) has been invaded by Hunters, the walking tanks of the Covenant military. Or has it? Ordinarily, you'd be forced to go toe to toe with four of the ruthless worm monsters, but thanks to developer Dan Miller, a few simple switch flips will transform them into twirling Grunts and bartending Brutes! No I'm not lying!
   You'll need to activate two switches in order for this to work properly. If you only flip one, the transformation will occur, but the second you discharge your weapon inside the club (or kill a Covie), every dancing enemy will stop dead in its tracks and it'll become a free for all fuel rod fest. Trust me. Go the extra mile and flip both switches. The first one is near the hospital and the second is located on the roof of Vyrant Tower. Activate them in that order.
   The club is extremely easy to spot. It's the towering structure with the large, reddish rectangle plastered near the top.

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Upon approaching the landing pad to the club, you'll notice the only two foes outside will be the twin Fuel Rod Shades. All of the other usual patrols have despawned! Nuke the Shades while avoiding plasma fire from the long-ranged Shade located on the roof of the left-most building and land the Falcon. You'll be able to enter without any issues at all!
Once inside, you'll be treated to a catchy classic tune along with a DJ Brute, his buddy bartenders, and Grunts who know how to get down with the beat! It's important, however, to know that the second you either activate the jammer OR attack one of the NPCs, you'll trigger three of the Brutes to drop what they're doing and assault your location. Two of them (including the DJ) will be carrying concussion rifles while the remaining ape wields a spiker. I advise assassinating the DJ, quickly turning to your right and headshotting the first bartender (with the concussion rifle), then whipping around and treating the one on the left to the same courtesy. Doing this right away allows you easy access to the jammer with exit issues. On the way up to the jammer, be sure to swap out whichever secondary weapon you have for the needle rifle located on the stairs to the left of the jammer (if you're facing the jammer from the front of the club). This will make dealing with the upcoming encounter much easier.

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As an alternative secondary weapon, you could always steal a fuel rod gun from one of the many prancing ninny Grunts on the dance floor, then max out your ammo by killing the rest, though personally, I'd just stick with the DMR and needle rifle.
Kiss the club goodbye as you head back outside into the aerial nightmare and jump back into your Falcon for yet another side mission (which once again you can find in RC Master's guide).

New Alexandria Hospital

   Your last stop in New Alexandria is by far the most brutal. The hospital (located to the far right of your starting zone) is the large cluster of buildings with the medical insignia glowing at the top. It's occupied by tons of enemies, and guess what? None of them brought an insurance card. This means you'll have to deliver the news the hard way that this isn't a free clinic. Here, you'll be forced to battle several waves of Grunts, shielded Jackals, Skirmishers, Brutes, and an aggressive team of Elites. Lucky for you, if you've been dealt the missions in the above order, then you should be well prepared for all walks of danger.
   Landing the Falcon may sound easy, but doing it quietly is an entirely different matter. Just inside the entrance you'll find four sleeping Grunts, and if too much noise is made outside, they'll pop up from their slumber and start letting those plasma grenades fly. It doesn't have to be you giving the wake-up call either. Quite often, I've attempted to stealth my way indoors just as a Banshee whizzed by overhead, sending the Grunts into a sudden frenzy so that they start pelting me with pulsing plasmas. Not a fun way to begin the most tedious portion of the mission.
   If you can manage to slip inside and give all four of them a neck adjustment, great. If not, hang around outside and pick them off one at a time. Just be aware that the Engineer floating in the center of the room can provide them with a temporary overshield. Of the four, at least one of them should have a plasma pistol. Pick it up in place of your needle rifle (which we'll be returning for later). This will be your main weapon to use against the Grunts and Jackals in the room. Yes I know it's a bit tedious, but at the very least it helps you conserve ammo for your two much more important weapons.
   After you've dealt with the Grunts on the top level, focus on the Engineer. Oftentimes, once you've killed the Grunts, he'll float down to a lower level, but since the top floor should be clear at this point, you can move into any position you need to take him out.
   The next step is obvious. You need to make your way down to the ground floor so you can ultimately get to the jammer.
   Understanding the structure of the atrium lobby and the way your enemies use it is critical to success. The room itself is made up of a ground floor and three elevated ring levels with portions of each shielded by unbreakable glass. Ammo here isn't necessarily scarce, but at the same time you can't really afford to spam shots, because of what you'll be dealing with in the next area. So for reference, there are a total of four extra DMRs lying around; one on the next ring down near the ramp, two on the ring below that on either side, and one on the ground floor to the right of the ramp (as you're going down). There's also a crate holding a Drop Shield on the level below you which you can freely use to recharge your health at any given point. Just remember not to misplace your Active Camo in the process.
   In terms of baddies, the floor below you currently houses a small group of Grunts and a couple of measly Jackals. Nothing to worry about if you take your time. The next level down is where a number of other shielded Jackals are waiting to bait you and lure you in. Watch out as these guys tend to advance without warning. Lastly, the ground level is occupied by a large force of Grunts backed by a Brute Captain Marksman.
   Essentially you'll be using the plasma pistol to deal with the cannon fodder. The Grunts are rather self explanatory as long as you don't get caught in the middle of grenade spam. For the Jackals, I tend to wait for them to come up the ramp, then weaken them with the plasma pistol, and lastly engage them in melee combat for full shields. Winning against them in melee is simple as long as you're only dealing with one at a time, as shown here.

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Simply rinse and repeat until you've cleared out the upper levels completely. Once it's down to just you and the bottom floor, again use the plasma pistol to melt the Grunts down one by one, and then concentrate on the Captain. You have two options on how to deal with him. Either use the DMR to headshot his helmet and finish him with a dome-shot, or use the needle rifle. Two super-combines anywhere should do the trick. The only catch with the latter is it forces the Captain to dodge every shot, so don't be surprised if it takes more than six rounds to kill him. Just remember not to overuse the needle rifle here as it tends to give you a major advantage in the next area.
This is how I tend to handle things...

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   Before moving on, max out your DMR supply, and if you haven't already, retrieve your needle rifle from the top level, and collect the ammo from the dead Captain. If you need health, you can either use the Drop Shield or one of the many health packs mounted against the wall. Lastly, I highly recommend juggling a plasma pistol out into the next area just to keep your reserve count high.
   I have yet to figure out the practical purpose of this next area, but it appears to be a spacious corridor that curves to the left with several walkways that travel along both sides and even bridge across the middle. It dead-ends on the other side. Ha. No wonder the Covenant were able to take it so easily.
   Considering what you just went through with Exodus, your encounter here should be a breeze. Brutes, Brutes, and more Brutes are what await your arrival. Use the DMR to headshot the Minors closest to you. Killing one or two will usually send at least one of the survivors into a rage. When they get close, switch to your needle rifle for an easy kill. Next, target the Captains on the upper level. If you have sufficient needle rifle ammo, don't be afraid to use it here since Captains tend to take considerably more DMR bullets to loosen the headgear. Killing one will often send the survivors retreating to the back where they'll rendezvous with another pair of Minors and a second Engineer. The Marines you've been hearing over the comm channel throughout your hospital endeavor will be here, fighting for their lives. Saving them can prove a minor benefit, but it's far from paramount. The Engineer is top priority. Use the needle rifle for two super-combines. Wait for the overshields on the Brutes to fade. Then let loose. If you need additional DMR ammo, you'll find some on the elevated walkway on the right. There's another one near the deployable covers on the ground floor, but obviously wait until you've cleared the area before you attempt to retrieve it. Remember, distance is your friend.

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Take the time to stock up on ammo before deactivating the jammer. Juggle the plasma pistol over to the jammer. There are also two 100% plasma rifles in the room. One will already be near you, by the leftward incline. The other is on the other side of the room where you first came in. Bring it over. The more plasma you have here, the better. Running out is NOT an option. Fill up on DMR ammo, and once you're comfortable with your private cache, deactivate the jammer.
Immediately rush the leftward incline. On the opposite side of the room, a team of Elite Rangers will be bunny-hopping toward you. Given the number you'll be facing and your limited ammo capacity, the road ahead may indeed seem ominous, but I've cooked up a small strategy for you that will help ease the pain.

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   Take position on the left side of the elevated walkway and wait for the Rangers to hop on top of the large potted tree. Once they're on top, they won't try to move making it easy for you to pepper their weak shields with your plasma weapon and finish them off with the DMR. You can repeat this with all of them as they will all eventually try to strike you from there.
   The good thing about this battle is Bungie chose the weakest tier of Elites to place you up against, so the ammo you've gathered for this battle should be more than enough, but it's always better to have too much than too little. You don't need a guide to tell you that.
   Sneak back towards the lobby once you've killed the Rangers. It's official. The Elites have resumed command after a humiliating failure demonstrated by the Brutes. An Ultra now occupies the heart of the lobby, and behind him will be four marksman Skirmishers.
   Peek around the corner and try to pick off as many Skirmishers as you can. They'll usually retreat to the upper levels after the first of their comrades goes down, but you can sometimes manage to nail at least two before they book it. This, of course, will make the Ultra aware of your presence. Careful. That concussion rifle he wields can be very deadly. And don't forget they tend to have deadly accuracy when it comes to plasma grenades... but this is why we brought the camo.
   Cloak yourself and make your way around the Ultra for an easy assassination. Remember to crouch and also use cover. Since you have Blind activated, it won't be so easy knowing how much camo you have left once it's been activated, and once you're caught, you're dead. I find the following approach to work best.

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As a bonus for landing the assassination, you'll be granted full shields! Now make your way back to the top, but be mindful of the remaining Skirmishers. They tend to hang out on the level right below the exit. If you're aren't confident in terms of their whereabouts, use the camo until you spot them. Take your time. There's no rush here.
When you finally exit, you'll be ready to embark on the final chapter of this city-side expedition.

Fly By Night

   One objective remaining! And best of all, no more pesky side missions! On the flip side, you'll be forced to deal with infinitely respawning Banshees. Keeping that in mind, if your current Falcon took any substantial amount of damage throughout the course of the mission, now would be a good time to call for evac and get a new one. You'll need a healthy Falcon for what you're about to endure.
   On a side note, there's also a kickass easter egg here that ultimately lets you drive either a Pelican or Phantom! While I won't go into details on how to do it in the guide itself (particularly since it actually makes the last section more difficult to handle), you can check out the details in THIS thread on Bungie.net. A special shout-out goes to Dan Miller for including this tasty treat along with the other fun and interesting easter eggs throughout the mission.
   Your final objective involves the towering structure in the dead center of the city. It'll be surrounded by several other structures, many of which are occupied by Shade turrets. Your mission is to destroy all six Shades and survive long enough to dock with your Spartan allies who are trapped inside. Easier said than done.
   As mentioned earlier, while you're attempting to destroy the Shades, pairs of Banshees will be assaulting you from all sides, doing everything in their power to divert your attention away from the objective. Don't worry too much about blasting every single one that comes your way. Believe it or not, your passengers will do a fair job of that on their own while also giving you a general idea of where they are. The only time you should ever really stop focusing on the Shades is when you start taking heavy fire from another source. As a tip, when dealing with Banshees here, I tend to raise my elevation and strafe in circles. So far, this seems to be the most effective way of avoiding enemy fire. But no matter what, even when you're focusing on the Shades, you should always be moving to keep yourself from becoming a sitting duck.
   Slowly and carefully make your way around the center structure and deal with the Shades one at a time as shown here.

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After the last Shade is dust, Kat will extend a warm welcome (literally!) and allow you to dock safely with the tower, ending your time in Alexandria.
One last thing. If Kat's been bugging the hell out of you up until this point, be sure to stick around and watch the cut scene for satisfaction guaranteed.