Halo 3 Mythic (SLASO) Walkthrough

Halo 3 Mythic Walkthrough by Daniel Morris

The Ark

Full run, Bungie.net Fileshare
Opening, 'Kamikaze' method, Bungie.net Fileshare
Map Room, normal method, Bungie.net Fileshare
Map Room, 'Kamikaze' method, Bungie.net Fileshare

Jump to Page 2

    I'll come right out and say it. This is my favorite campaign level. Its vastness, epic battles, and awe-inspiring scenery continue to amaze me time and time again. This is what the Xbox 360 is all about. In terms of gameplay, it brings back fond memories of the "Assault on the Control Room" mission from the first game even though its objectives were clearly copied from "The Silent Cartographer".
    The mission itself is evenly split between both vehicular and on-foot combat, and you'll even get to drive the Brute's answer to the Warthog... the mighty Prowler! You'll also have an army of Marines backing you up for a good 3rd of the mission, and you'll get to bring on all sorts of UNSC pain with a much faster and stunningly good looking Scorpion tank. And you'll finally get a chance to go head to head with the new camouflaged Brute Stalkers.
    That aside, this level is also by far the most difficult Mythic mission you will face. In terms of difficulty, it can be compared to the "Truth & Reconciliation" of Halo Combat Evolved and the "Gravemind" mission in Halo 2. Also being the longest mission in the game, you are far more prone to making mistakes in the oddest places. Just the first few minutes alone can be a demoralizing experience for the novice Mythic player. I highly recommend practicing this stage several times without Iron just to get an overall feel of the punishment you are about to endure.
    The key here is to take your time, plan ahead, and know how to approach each area. You will be putting all of your anti-Covenant skills to the test here, so "Saddle up, and give 'em hell!"

Installation 00

    Straight from the ODST's mouth, that really is some view. Take a moment to gaze in amazement at the glorious alien mountain ranges reaching for the sky in the distance. Speaking of the sky, is that...? Hey! Focus! We have a job to do!
    Right away you'll find yourself with a battle rifle, sniper rifle, and a team of highly trained ODST soldiers to back you up. Things couldn't be better right? Eh...
    When you make your approach to the first arena (which looks suspiciously like the Ark's portal machine), you'll find several sleeping Grunts. On the other side of the wall will be an additional Grunt squad backed up by half a dozen Brutes and a few shielded Jackals to add to the mix. Wonderful. At least you have plenty of cover and a bunch of reckless Marines to serve as a quite useful deterrent.
    Your first instinct might be to bash the sleeping Grunts, but I can tell you that usually at least one will awaken prematurely to spoil the surprise. My advice? Switch to your BR, wish them a Merry Christmas too, and pop them all in the melon. You'll have a few seconds to spare before the Brutes begin scaling the wall, so rush over to the Grunt bodies, swap out your sniper rifle for a pair of plasma pistols, and head back into cover. There should still be one plasma pistol left in case you need it later.

Download: QuickTime (27.2 mb) | WMP9 (26.8 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

    The Brutes will start popping up 1-2 at a time. Plasma charge them as they're getting to their feet so they won't have a chance to dodge. Otherwise wait until they prime a spike grenade, then destroy their armor while jumping to the side. If you haven't already, I highly recommend switching to the Bumper-Jumper control scheme for this battle as it will allow you to jump and shoot with ease. If you run out of plasma pistol ammo, or need to attack an assaulting Brute on the fly, use one of the plasma grenades you collected from the dead Grunts. There should be plenty.
    After 3-4 Brutes are dead, there will usually be a short intermission in the conflict. Take this time to find a better plasma pistol in the area and get ready for round two. Use the same tactics as before and you shouldn't need to worry about the Brutes no matter what weapon they're packing. Usually a captain will hang back until you've killed all the Grunts, but with no backup, he shouldn't be a problem for you.
    When the Brutes are no longer charging, back up onto a rock just outside the cave and headshot the two Carbine Jackals hidden on the other side of the wall near the opposite cave. I recommend using the sniper rifle against them. As you can see from the first video, they won't retaliate from that range.
    Now move up to the ODSTs' location and start picking off the Grunts further back with the battle rifle. I recommend conserving the sniper for the second major area. A Brute Captain will usually emerge upon the deaths of his Grunt squad. Allow him to charge and climb the wall like those who have fallen before him, and deal with him in the same manner. The Marines will move up at this point and 'nade the surviving Jackals, so if you were thinking about using them to recharge any lost shields, think again.
    After the area is clear, move up. In the drop pods ahead you'll find additional ammunition for both the BR and the sniper rifle. Collect as necessary, grab a fresh plasma pistol, ready the battle rifle, and move forward.

Download: QuickTime (9.7 mb) | WMP9 (9.1 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

    Ruh-roh. Looks like the Covenant is attempting to establish another heavy anti-air defense. Let's ruin their day. Start out by taking out that first Carbine Jackal foolishly looking the other way. As soon as he's out of commission, waste no time in bolting from the cave and turning right. You may see one or two Grunts hobbling towards you on the wall. Take them out before they have a chance to use their grenades and continue to head down while keeping the Forerunner wall between you and the Covenant.
    On your way, go ahead and kill the last two Carbine Jackals standing on the half-finished anti-air gun. Killing the little carbine runts will make your life much easier in the coming confrontation. Keep moving! The Marines should be arriving at this point to draw the attention away from you. Take this opportunity to dash out from behind the wall, around the AA Gun, and up the slope towards the exit. More than likely the Covenant will realize the cruel trick you've played and start hammering your locale with everything they've got. Again, keep moving! Just when you see the group of Grunts pop out from the cave up ahead, jump down off the side, over the Forerunner wall, and back the way from which you came.
    What did you just do? Trigger the Hunters. Why is that a good thing? Because the remaining Covenant troops will retreat to the slope, allowing you to roam most of the area without fear of retaliation.
    Return to the previous area to trade out your battle rifle for your sniper and a Brute Shot (there should be three of them). Don't forget to stock up on grenades if you need them. Also switch to frags as they tend to work a little better for this next area then plasmas or spike grenades. With your Brute Shot in hand, you're ready to deal with the Hunters.
    This is the only encounter you'll have with the Hunters where you really won't have any sufficient weapons to use against them unless you're really just that daring, so we're going to do the next best thing... make them kill themselves!

Download: QuickTime (16 mb) | WMP9 (15.7 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

    Enter the second area like you did before and start heading down the path to the right of the wall. Once you reach the wall's end, tease the Hunters into charging your locale. It may take a minute or two, but eventually they'll give in to temptation. Once they've reached your side of the wall, start backing up. They'll continue to charge. When they've reached the point on the video, toss a grenade just to the left of them, and they'll not-so-cunningly leap to the right to avoid the explosion. Watch as they comically fall to their deaths. Keep in mind that this only works if they're far enough away from the ledge to begin with, so if they jump near but not off the side, throwing a second grenade will cause them to jump back up to where you are. That's why we brought the Brute Shot. If they just miss the ledge, you can use the Brute Shot to finish them off. Sneaky!
    The area should now be clear of all opposition. There will usually be two shielded Jackals remaining, but curiously their plasma pistols seem to be drained of energy most of the time. This translates to free shield regeneration for you whenever you need it.
    Head back to the first area again to trade out the Brute Shot for a healthy pair of plasma pistols. Bring them into the second area and starting picking off the remaining Covies one at a time. They should pretty much all be stationed at the top of the slope, so you really don't need to worry about them fighting back as long as you keep a fair distance. The video below displays the technique I tend to use.

Download: QuickTime (8.9 mb) | WMP9 (8.4 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

As you can see, positioning yourself behind the rock near the Forerunner wall allows you to range-shoot the Brutes. Since you have your sniper rifle as well, the follow-up headshot will also be a breeze. Using this method you should be able to annihilate most, if not all, Covenant troops. For the stragglers, retrieve your battle rifle, sneak up the side of the slope, and pop them from a safe distance. With heavily reduced numbers, they won't stand a prayer of a chance.
Believe it or not, there is a faster way to simply blow straight through everything up until the next battle with the new Covie vehicles. Below is a demonstration.

Download: QuickTime (13.3 mb) | WMP9 (12.5 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Yes, it is entirely possible, though extremely risky, to simply rush through both the first and second areas in roughly two minutes. However, it's probably a no-brainer for you to realize that the success rate is far lower. At the same time, though, it's still the beginning of the mission. Even as much as I love the Ark's opening cut scene, I can only watch it so many times in a row, so ultimately it's up to you. Odds are you'll be heading through the Forerunner structure and into the Prowler area with no shields.

Download: QuickTime (15.4 mb) | WMP9 (15.8 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

    In either case, you should be entering the next area with both a battle rifle and sniper rifle. For now, swap out your sniper for one of the fresh 100 percent charged plasma pistols laying on the ground next to the slaughtered Grunts and proceed with the killing. Sometimes you can even range-shoot the Brute Captain (with a carbine) in the distant center with his back towards you. Whether you hit or miss, immediately turn your attention to the Grunts. There will be two groups. One will be scaling the sandy ledge a little further down while the others make their approach from the far end.
    I'll tell you right off the bat you need to keep as many Marines alive as possible. Killing the Grunts first keeps them from falling victim to deadly plasma grenades. Also, stay on the ledge as long as you can. Venturing too far out will trigger something far worse than a carbine-wielding Brute.
    Executing the last Brute will buy you a few seconds to gather grenades and such. Now hide behind something. Seriously. Go hide! Two Brute Prowlers will coming tearing over the hill on the far right hosing the area with their infinite plasma cannons. If you happen to be in their path, your shields will drop almost instantly followed by a hasty respawn back to the beginning.
    Allow me to introduce you to yet another fine piece of machinery in the Brute arsenal. The Prowler, an obvious knock-off of the Elites' nimble Spectre, is the Covenant answer to the Warthog. Capable of holding four passengers, it's an Overkill waiting to happen. On the other hand, it glides seamlessly across solid surfaces and is able to balance far better than the UNSC counterpart. Also noted is its jagged front which can be used to shred enemy vehicles to ribbons with enough momentum behind it.
    Turning our attention back to the present challenge before us, hang back near the entrance and range shoot the Brutes that jump off the Prowlers. If a number of your Marines are still alive, they may be able to knock off the Brute armor with their grenade spam. Switch to your sniper for headshots and pluck them from the battlefield one at a time. Save the Prowlers for last. As long as you stay back far enough, they can't hurt you.
    Turn your attention to the first Prowler once all Brute infantry is down and out. Killing the gunner will render the vehicle harmless for the most part, so wait until it's still momentarily, then range-shoot the gunner. Do this with both Prowlers. I recommend you combo the first driver, then hijack the second to regain your shields.
    Whew! Take a breath. At least now we have access to vehicles. Hopefully your Marines won't drive off without you. In terms of allies, this part of the mission can get rather frustrating when it comes to getting them to do what you want.
    First grab the rocket launcher near the crashed Pelican. You should have a total of three rounds. Ultimately it doesn't really matter which weapon you swap it out with, because you'll be back for it later. Now slowly head towards the ledge from which the Prowlers came and you should see a vast canyon ahead. Parked unattended at the other end will be two Brute Choppers and a Ghost. All will explode from a single rocket hit, so use one rocket on the Ghost and another one on a Chopper. Save at least ONE rocket!
    Hand off the rocket launcher to a Marine, make sure you have one of the leftover 100 percent charged plasma pistols, and load up one of the Prowlers. If you've been following the guide so far, you should have at least two Marines left alive; one for the gunner, and one with a rocket launcher. This is the easiest and safest way.

Download: QuickTime (9.8 mb) | WMP9 (9.8 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

    Drive off the ledge with your support and park inside the little gap between the ledge and the rock-ramp leading to it. You still have one Chopper and a Ghost to contend with, so lure them on over by discharging a few plasma bolts in their direction. As soon as they speed over, jump behind the Prowler and let your Marines do the rest. The key here is to always keep the Prowler between you and the opposition. Remember not to actually hop inside the Prowler.
    You can take your time with the remaining Covenant troops once the vehicles have been nuked. There will be a Brute Captain and a squad of Grunts on the rock-hill in the center of the area, and an additional squad near the crashed Longsword fighter. The steps to taking them out should be all too familiar to you at this point, or you could just have your Marine send a few rockets their way, courtesy of the UNSC.
    If it suits your fancy, there's extra BR and rocket ammo near the Longsword as well, but at this point you shouldn't be toting either one of those weapons, so carry on.
    Further up will be a brand new Warthog and some additional sniper ammo. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to toss our half-destroyed Prowler for something with a little more lead in it. Use your new artillery to crush the three Grunts and plasma cannon guarding the downed Phantom and feel free to pick up the idle regenerator laying nearby while you're at it.
    Contrary to popular belief, you can actually skip the next area. Rather than entering the monster-size canyon you'll eventually return to anyway with the tanks, just make a quick right at the fork and head down the slope. Twin Ghosts will be ready to greet you at the other end. To counter them, simply hug the back wall, hop out of the hog, and wait for them to come to you. The Marines will handle it from there. Easy enough, right?
    The next little segment may be a bit tricky. You'll be facing two Ghosts, a Brute Captain using a fuel rod cannon, a squad of shielded Jackals, and a group of Grunts to top things off. The Ghosts are actually your biggest threat here due to the slopes and lack of cover. This is how I usually manage them.

Download: QuickTime (28.8 mb) | WMP9 (27.6 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

    Grab their attention by driving up the slope and allowing your gunner to fire off a few bursts. Then swerve back over to the rock pile and jump out. Let the Marines handle it from there. Like in the video, if you find yourself in a position where you're scrambling for cover while a Ghost is behind you, continuously jump up and down and face away from the Ghost.
    Between your gunner and rocket-wielder, the two Ghosts should fall relatively quickly. If for any reason your Hog gets destroyed and/or your Marines are killed, backtrack to the area where you met the previous Ghost pair and use the rock ledges on the side to gain access to the Forerunner platform higher up. Assuming you still have your sniper rifle with you, you can use it to kill the drivers. Four shots per driver should do the trick.
    With the remaining enemies, you can either take care of them in the traditional ranged fashion or let the Marines have at it. I prefer the latter option since we're about to abandon them anyway.
    Notice that parked chopper nearby? Take it once the area is clear. The Marines will carelessly drive off, but it's their own loss. You won't benefit from the rocket launcher at this point anyway. Now drive into the cave but not through it. The next area is littered with Ghosts, fuel rod Grunts, plasma cannons, and both Wraith variants. Your goal here is to kill them all so the Commander can land her frigate.
    The easiest way to do it is to hang back in the cave and use the chopper to kill all the vehicles from a distance. Here's a little tip. Pulsing the trigger will allow you to fire the auto-cannons twice as fast. Focus on the mortar Wraith first. Destroying it will trigger the Brutes on the far left to advance beyond the stone arch off in the distance. Next nuke the Shade turret and the plasma cannon stationed beside it.
    Two Ghosts should be taking notice of your presence at this point; one is in the crater in the center, and the other will approach from the back near the Anti-Air Wraiths. Fortunately, the chopper's auto-cannons have the ability to flip the Ghosts in midair and slow them down. Of course, if you still find that two risky, you can always hop out, use the chopper for cover, and use the sniper rifle against the drivers.
    Next we'll need to destroy the two sniper towers. Each has a Grunt-powered stationary plasma cannon attached. The first is over to the left where the Brute pack was originally. Poor little guy was left to fend for himself. Show no mercy and shatter his foundation. The other is located in the far back right-hand corner. Just for laughs, I love using the auto-cannons to roll it off the cliff. Doing this will leave two groups of enemies remaining; the AA Wraiths, and the infantry clustered under the rock formations in the center.
    Top priority is the fuel rod Grunt. There's only one, and you shouldn't have any trouble bringing him to justice with your sniper rifle. Now you can freely use the chopper to take out the Brutes from a distance. They may dart back and forth between the rocks and crates, but will always eventually show themselves. If the rest wind up taking shelter from your rampage on the other side, steer the chopper around and make your next priority the AA Wraiths. Using the chopper to take them out from a distance should be no challenge for you at this point. Once destroyed, you need only worry about the remaining infantry. Keep your distance as two of the Brutes will be harnessing Power Drains, and there are still plasma cannons stationed but facing away from you. Here the choice is yours. You can either take a little extra time to deal with them from a distance, or if you have enough sniper rounds left, you can range-shoot them all.
    Clearing the area will signal the Commander the okay to land the Dawn. Watch as the impressive, gargantuan ship blows all the debris clear off the landing zone and sends it hurling to the other side of the canyon. Witnessing this event begs the question why in hell did we just go through all that trouble when simply landing the ship would've wiped everything out anyway? Well, seeing as how we didn't have much choice in the matter, might as well roll with the punches.

Forward Unto Dawn

    The frigate unloads three Scorpions and a fresh Warthog. You have your choice of vehicles, but if you take the hog, you should throw in the towel right now. The tank is obviously your safest bet, but before you hop in, find a Marine with a battle rifle and swap out your sniper for it.
    Now, you really shouldn't need an exact walkthrough on how to annihilate all your foes with a tank containing unlimited tungsten rounds, but I will give you a few pointers you may want to heed. First off, try not to betray your Marines yet. Guilt Spark has no trouble unleashing his fiery red beam of pure wrath and blasting your tank in one hit. Funny how he never uses it against the enemy forces actually trying to prevent us from reaching the Cartographer... Though per area (checkpoint) you'll want to execute one BR Marine to obtain ammo. We'll need it badly later, and there's no other way to get it. To keep it safe, just take out one per major area.
    Only destroy the first Phantom you encounter. The rest just create trash where Covenant stragglers like to hide. There's nothing more tragic then a Scorpion being destroyed by an overlooked Grunt.
    Keep a steady buffer. I prefer to have the Warthog and at least one Scorpion tank ahead of me to grab the opposition's attention and take the brunt of the damage.
    Aside from that, you should be set. You'll be dealing with mainly Ghosts and Wraiths with a few fuel-rod Grunts and Shade turrets thrown in for flavor. The first wave of enemies will contain a few Ghosts and a Prowler. Destroy them. When you approach the cave, a pair of Hunters will try to stand in your way. Destroy them. A small Covenant task force awaits just on the other side along with a Phantom and a Shade turret to the left. Destroy them. Yes, true to what the Marine says, with its increased speed and firing rate, "tank beats everything!"
    Moving forward to the left and towards the bottom of the hill under the Forerunner structure, there will be a squad of Ghosts and a Wraith awaiting your arrival. Beyond them will be a small group of fuel rod Grunts. Really, do I have to repeat myself? DESTROY THEM!
    The final area (the one we skipped before) has two Wraiths, a pair of choppers at the far end, and Shades lined up along the Forerunner platform. Take them all out. Moving up the left hand side far enough will spawn two enemy Ghosts. Blow them back to Hell. A Phantom will promptly show up to drop off a Wraith, so watch out. Destroy the Wraith but leave the Phantom alone. Now head up to the platform and blow up everything that moves. Lastly approach the door at the end of the platform and let Spark take it from there. Hopefully you've been collecting BR ammo in small increments to help you from this point on.
    Follow the Monitor inside the structure and activate the light bridge. Don't worry if any of your three tanks were glassed in the previous battle. You're about to get three brand-spanking new ones.
    Head outside and watch yourself. All that thumping is coming from the towering Scarab that's about to invade the battlefield. With the gigantic monster and all the suppression fire coming from your Marines in all directions, this reminds me of the Cloverfield monster trashing Manhattan.
    You may be tempted to jump right into battle, but hold back that urge. You'll have tons of backup here, so for the time being let your allies handle it. There are a number of Ghosts, Wraiths, and choppers in this area and they'll be coming from all directions. You've made it this far, so you might as well tread carefully. This is where I typically like to position the Chief.

Download: QuickTime (10.9 mb) | WMP9 (10.5 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Watch out for the random Wraith mortars. It's best to hug the back wall. You'll also gain a spectacular view of the battle without putting yourself directly in harm's way. Let the armor handle at least wave one. All three tanks should be able to survive through wave two as well. Wait until at least one of the tanks isn't in any immediate danger, then hop on in and join the fun. Try parking on the rock ledge shown here as soon as the Scarab descends the tower.

Download: QuickTime (23.2 mb) | WMP9 (21.7 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Jump to Page 2