Not So Common Sense - A Halo 2 Strategy Guide

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Not So Common Sense - A Halo 2 Strategy Guide

by Overswarm

Matchmaking Gametypes - Ivory Tower

Team Slayer

Rockets on Ivory Tower

Rocket man

Everyone has rockets, so that means EVERYONE can do a lot of damage. That's different in the norm. In normal games, you can run in with guns blazing, over and over, and get two kills then die, and come out ahead.

In Rockets, you want to keep yourself alive. That is your goal. Find places to sit, and paths to take that are SAFE. If worse comes to worse, you want to be dead next to your enemy that you just blew to pieces.

You can do MORE damage if you are alive than if you are dead. Whenever you die, that respawn counter is just taking away. It's not helping you at all. Also, there's a much greater chance to die the moment you respawn. Try to stay alive.
Grenaught

No grenades! You don't need them! It's more profitable to reload and fire again 99% of the time.
Smackdown

You'd be surprised how many people still like to fire rockets in close quarters. Since that kills you both, it doesn't matter who shoots the rocket. Stay close, and just melee them to death. Takes two melees to kill them. One, if you jump at them.
Glass floor

There is a vent near the Overshield. If you go up that vent, land near the plasma pistol, and then turn around, you can see a corner in the ceiling. Throw a grenade in front of you, and grenade jump towards that corner (you'll be standing over the vent). The vent will keep you pushed up, and you will be stuck there. While the whole "being stuck there" sucks, it is an AWESOME spot to shoot from. Go up there with full rockets and nades, and most people won't see you, and you can take them out easy. This is normally where I put bad teammates :)

Grenade jumping is hard to do unless you are the host, but it this place is so effective I thought I'd add it anywhere.
Beasts of habit

Pick a place in the map, and keep it. Pick one place where your entire team can go, and easily get to from anywhere on the map. Then your team keeps going there.

This way, you won't be stuck by yourself.
Sardines suck

DO NOT CLUMP TOGETHER! If you can melee your teammate within 1-2 seconds of walking, you are TOO CLOSE. Stay far enough apart to where one rocket won't destroy you all.

Team Slayer

Ivory Tower

Ivory tower is probably the most strategic map in the game, in the fact that no one person can really go "gung-ho" and kill an entire team with the way the map is setup. Keep that in mind, and realize that whether you win or lose on this map is due to your TEAM, not necessarily individual performance, more so than in any other map. Pay attention to this map compared to others, and you will realize that against good teams, you will die more on Ivory Tower than on any other map. Unless, of course, your team does well.

You can't see the forest from the trees, but bystanders can see all clearly

In Ivory tower, one thing it has more than any other map is walls. Obstructions in your way. You might not always know what is going on everywhere, especially after you respawn. Always tell your teammates EVERY time you know the location of an enemy or key weapon. When your teammates tell you something of the sort, listen to them, and consider their words truth.

However, be wary. Just because they say "Guy coming up the overshield ramp!" doesn't mean by the time you get there he'll be there. Be smart about who you should go after.
Grab all, lose all

Don't be a power weapon hog. If you have the sword and the rocket, the sword and the shotty, the rocket and the sniper, or anything like that, you are a hindrance to your team. This is more important on this map than any other.

If your teammate has no power weapon, and you have two, hand one off.
Power Overwhelming

Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle, Sword, Shotgun, PP/BR, PP/Magnum

Well lookie there, plenty of power weapons for everyone. This map has a lot of power weapons, and they are very easy to get (and safe to get too!), so when you spawn, your first order of business is to get some weapons.

Your team should constantly announce the presence of these weapons so that all may know.
When there is no fish in the sea, the shrimps reign supreme.

When there are no big guns, when there is no real talent, when there is no "big fish in the sea", the little guy wins out. Know that after a large battle and many power weapons are dropped, your enemy does not have those power weapons. Do not be afraid to start combat with merely an SMG and grenades after a large battle, as long as you are a good distance from the previous battle site. There is no need for stealth when your enemy is holding only an SMG.
To cultivate trees, you need 10 years. To cultivate people, you need 100 years.

This is a difficult task, team slayer on Ivory tower. Practice maneuvering from one team zone to another (they are listed later in this article) before actually playing a slayer game. Know your roles, and the roles of your teammate, in each location. Know the roles associated with the weapons you receive, so that you will instantly know what to do in a fast paced game.

I do not believe it will take 100 years, but it takes longer to actually get a good team together and have them flow together than it does to have them read words on a page.
One step in the wrong direction will cause you a thousand years of regret.

I cannot stress this enough, so I'm going to stress it a lot. STAY TOGETHER, and stay in view of your teammates. There are a lot of walls in Ivory Tower, so be aware.

The loss of enemies does not compensate the loss of friends, keep that in mind.
If your body is not upright, your orders will not be followed

Your team will have a leader that will be trusted by all 3 of the other teammates, and one that is proficient at Halo 2 himself. That leader will tell the team when to move, when to stay, and what to do at all times. The leader will never switch leadership to another, nor will he say "I don't know". Any other orders given by another team member are merely suggestions. Don't listen to any orders except for your leaders. Just pick a good leader.

Leaders, if you find that you aren't a good leader, submit your role to another.
Confounded purple alien weaponry! I have been thwarted again!

Get the Carbine for this matchup, it is VERY helpful. It is in a corner by the boxes, near the lifts that bring you to the shotty.

Team Locations

I'm going to give you a few of the "better" team huddle points, where your entire team can comfortably sit and wait for the enemy to attack them. Some of them are better than others, but they all have their advantages. Just know what fits your teams playstyle.

Sniper spot

The sniper spot at the top of the level. This is the most common spot for people to go to.

A guy with a shotty/sword/good close range combo by each hallway (unseen, ready to kill anyone that walks in).

A guy with a sniper constantly looking around, and firing at people coming down the hallways, and chucking nades.

A guy with RL, PP/BR, or something else that is good medium-long range watches the lifts and the hallways.
Magnum corners

There are two little rooms with magnums near the lifts. Those corners are great places to hide (you can even move boxes to give you cover). A sniper, RL, and a few PP/BR combos work wonders in these places.

Guys with shotty or sword should wait in the magnum room and peg people through the slots in the wall.
The lift

If you go behind the lift (to where you are facing the waterfall with the sword), it's a great place to go. A guy with shotty and a guy with sword on either side, a guy with an RL and a guy with a sniper looking down the hall. You can rack up some good kills this way. Just watch out for dual wielders rushing you from the back!
The OS ramp

PP/BR combos and RL's kick butt here. Not only do you get constant overshield, but they have to trek up this long uphill slope to get to you, and that slope is prone to being infested with nades.

If they decide to go up the lift, someone will be waiting with an RL, shotty, sword, or duel wielding combo.

If they try to flank you by going through the yellow hallway, they'll have to get past your sniper. If they do, that means your sniper is dead. You can all easily retreat to another location.

This, I think, is the best spot for teams that have superior weaponry.
The Back End

When you have a sniper, this is a wonderful place to sit, as it is very frustrating for the enemy to assault. All you really need is rockets, a sniper, and dual wields for everyone else, and you are basically set. I normally have someone watching the OS ramp, and someone watching the stairway that leads to the sniper (who is looking at the shotgun door).

It works quite well.

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