Halo 3 Mythic (SLASO) Walkthrough

Halo 3 Mythic Walkthrough by Daniel Morris

The Covenant

Full run, Bungie.net Fileshare
Journey's End, 'Kamikaze' method, Bungie.net Fileshare

    Still on the Ark, you're about to engage yourself on the second longest level in the campaign. Unlike The Ark, though, the level may appear vast, but it's actually divided into small segments that simply add up to something bigger.
    This dazzling mission contains all walks of AI. The Covenant will be throwing everything they've got at you in order to buy Truth enough time to send them on the Great Journey. Then roughly midway through, the Flood will crash the party and join your efforts (when they aren't trying to eat your brains), and you'll even get to see a few friendly Sentinels buzzing around as they try to eradicate the infestation.
    In terms of vehicles, you'll have your pick of the litter. You'll mainly be using the Warthog in the beginning. Shortly after you'll take to he skies, finally able to pilot one of the Hornets we've seen dog-fighting throughout the game. Then you'll wind things down with a slow and steady tank run while your loyal (and rarely seen) Gauss Warthog backs you up. All in all, this mission offers the most variety of combat available in the campaign.

Trident

Unbelievable how an Anti-Air Wraith actually managed to shoot down a UNSC Pelican. The action begins right from the start when the surviving Pelican drops you and your crew off right smack in the middle of battle. The game suggests that you push forward. While this is an extremely entertaining fight, we'll need the battle rifle ammo and the full laser.
Speaking of which, this is the first of only two levels in the game where you will be able to use Halo's strongest handheld killing machine - the Spartan Laser. A laser holding a 100 percent charge can fire five shots before it runs out of juice. Since it can only shoot five times, we'll need to make every shot count, so switch to your battle rifle for now.

Download: QuickTime (13 mb) | WMP9 (12 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

As soon as you have control over the Chief, do a 180 and hightail it away from the battle. Your locale is about to be grenade spammed from three directions. Start heading out to sea. It's a tedious walk, but you'll eventually hit an invisible barrier. Now turn right and wade through the sparkling green waves. From out here, the Covenant land forces won't even attempt to engage you. Keep your eyes on the skies though, because a Hornet is scripted to get pulverized by the Anti-Air Wraith's cannons and will drop to the ocean unexpectedly. Race on back to land once you've made it around the Covenant troops and start heading up the canyon as if you were going towards the first tower. You'll notice the Shade turret normally stationed on the ledge just before the upward path is also missing.

Download: QuickTime (21.8 mb) | WMP9 (23.3 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

    Eventually a Marine will cut in and tell you the beachhead is secure. That means the game has killed them all for you. Wow, if only the rest of the mission were that easy! That's your cue to turn around and head back.
    The Shade turret will now be in its usual place along with four Grunts and a pair of Shielded Jackals. Gun them down, retrieve a few plasma grenades for the road, and head back down to where the AA Wraith was originally. In its place will be a Pelican, Mongoose, and a much needed Warthog.
    A pair of daredevil banshees will immediately start dive-bombing the support. Don't turn to face them, or they'll switch to you as their primary target. Hop in the hog and drive back behind the AA Wraith hill for safety.
    Things get slightly complicated here. To conserve your laser while still making use of it, it's obviously best to hand it off to your passenger Marine. Typically when you take it back you'll still have a full charge, however there is a known glitch where sometime's you'll be left with less than 40% remaining. This occurrence would certainly complicate things down the road. Fortunately there seems to be a remedy. As soon as you swap it out for the passenger Marine's AR, swap it again before he has the chance to use it (preferably right away). You should still have a 100% charge. Now hand it off again. It should now stay that way as long as that Marine possesses the laser.
    Moving on, make sure your passenger is in possession of the laser, then engage the two Banshees one at a time. It may take several shots to down each with the laser, so be sure to drive close enough to have the gunner backing him up. It's best to do so when both Banshees are focused on the fleeing Mongoose. If one starts heading your way, jump out of the vehicle to avoid receiving damage. Your hog may take a beating but can hold its own.
    Following the Banshees your next target will be the two Ghosts in the canyon. They'll both zip down your way with startling speed, and the second they do, take cover behind the Warthog. The Shade turret is already down for good, so once the Ghosts have met a similar end, speed off to the first tower.
    When you reach the top, a Grunt will scurry over to his Ghost. If you need shields, this is a great opportunity. Melee him as he runs. Your Marines will provide you with plenty of cover fire, so there's pretty much no chance of him sticking you. Return to your Hog quickly and hug the far left wall. The Ghosts typically hang back, but if one happens to meander over your way, hop out of the vehicle and let the Marines do their job... for a change...
    Concentrate on the Wraith. Yes, it can obliterate you from where it is, but only if you fight sitting still. Ride back and forth up and down the hill allowing the passenger to laser it continuously. As soon as the Wraith shoots, drive backwards to avoid the mortar. The video below gives a more visual aspect on how to handle this.

Download: QuickTime (42.5 mb) | WMP9 (45.2 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

    Destroying the Wraith will cause all nearby Ghosts to retreat back to ground level. You will be using a similar technique to destroy them as well, only you really don't need to worry about moving nearly as much. And don't worry. You receive all the credit for every kill made by the passenger. Good thing he doesn't know that. After the three Ghosts are down, turn your attention to the Shades. One will be perched on a ledge located on the far left. A few Grunts and a Carbine Jackal will be supporting it. The other will be on the far right near the base of the slope you're currently occupying.
    You have a couple of choices here. You can use the same technique you've been using to kill everything in sight, or you can just use it against the Shades and pop the rest in the face using a beam rifle. You'll find two fully charged ones in the crate on top of your slope. Even though there is another crate loaded with fuel rod guns, we'll need them later, so leave them for now. Again, concentrate on conserving BR ammo.
    Now to tease the Prowlers into coming out to play. It's a bit risky, but if they haven't already emerged from the tower, you'll need to drive down into the lake, around the first large boulder, and back up the slope from which you came to safety. This should prompt two Brute Prowlers to surface from the tower's depths. Nothing new here. Simply have your commuter Marine do all the work.
    One final push to get inside the tower. A Shade, Brutes, Grunts, and a couple of Shielded Jackals will be grouped together just outside the entrance where the Prowlers came from. Position the hog far enough out to allow the Marine to laser the Shade without putting you and the Hog at risk. Then use the beam rifle(s) to do the rest. Of course you could just have the Marine do all the work.
    All this was the easy part. Here's where things start getting interesting. First take the laser from the Marine. Then load up on additional BR ammo from the drop pods just out front. Ready? Okay time to go reconnaissance. Grab the cloaking equipment by the crate to the left of the door leading inside. Ready? We're just going to skip right over these guys for now and have a little one on one time with the Brute Chieftain awaiting our arrival up top. Here's how to do it.

Download: QuickTime (4.1 mb) | WMP9 (4 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Wail 'til the last second to activate the cloaking simply to add on a bit of extra time in case you miss the first jump. All you'll be doing is dashing into the structure, heading left, and making a jump from the floor, to the top of the Covenant crates, and to the above level. Easy. Now jump on the cool-looking Forerunner elevator thingy and activate it. Ready your plasmas too. You may need them.

Download: QuickTime (17.9 mb) | WMP9 (17.7 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

    At the top, four Brutes and a Hammer Chieftain eagerly await the challenge. Two will charge almost the second you reach the top, so quickly rush over to the crate on the right and swap your laser for a plasma pistol (yeah sounds crazy I know). Combo attack the charging Brutes with the plasma pistol and battle rifle. If they're too close, don't hesitate to stick them with either plasma or spike grenades. Plasmas are an instant kill, so go with those.
    The other two Brutes will hang back with the Chieftain. I find it easier to take out the Big Cheese first. Trade out your BR for the laser, switch to your plasma pistol, and decimate his shields. Now backtrack to the back wall, putting you out of firing range of the other Brutes, and laser the Chieftain. At this point he'll activate his Invincibility. Unfortunately, this just happens to be one of the Chieftains in the game that falls victim to the famous "Invincible Chieftain" glitch where even after the power up wears off, he's completely invulnerable to everything except for heavy weapons and an assassination. I strongly recommend that you avoid attempting the latter. To make matters even more complicated, you have to kill this one in order to deactivate the tower. So there won't be any sneaking around to the objective this time.
    Let the Invincibility fade (just hang back), then hit him again with another charged plasma pistol bolt. Follow up with another beastly laser blast. Usually one will do the trick, but it may take two.
    Two Brutes remaining. Nothing special here. Be wary of their Brute Shots and dispose of them just as you would any other. Deactivating the tower is all that remains. Make your way to the panel over on the far wall and flip the switch.
    My advice for the descent is to stockpile the plasma pistols onto the lift while holding on to the BR and laser. These are certainly two weapons you don't want to risk falling through the level's geometry (trust me it happens). When you reach the ground floor, you'll notice all the enemies previously scattered around the room are now all bundled together in the last place you want them to be. Well, at least in a way. Even though they're all standing guard at the exit, you have a healthy advantage in that they can only attack you from one side and normally won't venture too far out from their present location. You have the entire bottom floor to yourself... almost...
    There's still one thing that needs your attention. Three Grunts will spawn in on the room to the left (with the terminal), and they can easily stick you if you're not careful. So it's best to slay them first before the rest. When the lift reaches the floor, head to that room, down the ramps, and through the door into the main room. The Grunts will spawn behind you. If you wait long enough, they'll try and sneak through the door and come after you one at a time. Headshot them. The video below delivers a better illustration of this little segment.

Download: QuickTime (4.4 mb) | WMP9 (4.6 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Things that magically spawn near me annoy the hell out of me, but at least it wasn't something like Hunters. With the Grunts cleared, head back up to the lift and start clearing out the opposition near the door. You will be dealing with mostly Grunts, a few Shielded Jackals, two Carbine Jackals, and a couple of Brutes. Tossing plasmas their way is always a blast (no pun intended). They're so close together that direct sticks will usually result in a multikill. Here's how I tend to sort things.

Download: QuickTime (34.4 mb) | WMP9 (34.2 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

    This is what we've been saving all the BR ammo for. Obviously you have a lot of aliens here just begging to be put out of their misery, so don't keep them waiting.
    Zip on back outside once you've finished them off, and take the Mongoose. Start heading back towards the beach. On the way, you'll pass by that fuel rod gun crate we avoided earlier. Pry your fingers from the battle rifle and exchange it for a fuel rod cannon. Now head back down to the beach. A pleasant surprise awaits.
    After seven levels of waiting to get our feet off the ground, meet the UNSC answer to the Covenant Banshee - the Hornet. Serving as a worthy counter, it may not be quite as agile and maneuverable, but it packs a pair of powerful wing-mounted machine guns and twin missile launchers with unlimited ammo. Funny how it took them this long to figure out that it takes one flying machine to beat another. Sadly, this is the only level where we'll be able to use it. Oh well. That's what Forge is for.
    Pass off the laser to one of the Marines and hop in a Hornet for a test drive. It's a bit difficult without a reticule, but as long as you keep firing your machine gun, you'll have a pretty good idea on where your missiles will travel. Your laser Marine will pitch in too. In fact, he'll likely be doing most of the grunt work.

If You Want It Done Right...

    A video for this long and rather simple segment would be rather ridiculous, but if you need to take a peek anyway, check out the link at the top of this page which will direct you to the entire run posted on my file share. In fact, this is the safest part of the mission. You'll be dog-fighting three separate waves of Banshees, a Phantom, and a few scattered ground forces in a full assault on the third tower.
    Keep your distance and prioritize your targets. Make the closest ones top priority. If you aren't certain which target is best, let the laser Marine choose for you. Follow up whatever he starts striking with a salvo of missiles and armor-piercing bullets. You'll have two additional Hornets and a Pelican that doesn't do squat drawing most of the attention. If one starts heading your way, strafe and shoot. The troops on the ground (on the tiny island below) will usually join the first wave of Banshees. Blast the AA Wraith from a distance and only worry about the remaining Brutes if your Marine refuses to make the Banshees priority instead.
    Use the same technique for the second wave. Just stay back and deal with them from a distance. Don't even worry about the Phantom yet.
    When you get to the final stretch, you'll be dealing with 4-6 Banshees, two Anti-Air Wraiths parked on either side of the tower's entrance, a mortar Wraith, two trigger-happy Shade Turrets, and a power-hungry War Chieftain just itching to use his fuel rod cannon.
    Prioritize! Everything in the air comes down first. The Banshees are your biggest threat. Then deal with the Phantom. It's best to aim for the two lighted engines mounted on the sides. Once it blows up in a blinding ball of light, concentrate on the two AA Wraiths. Take them out from a distance. Your missile have the advantage of range over their AA fire. Next focus on the mortar Wraith. As it lobs its destructive, arcing balls of energy your way, strafe left and right. You should have plenty of time, and they have zero homing capability.
    Since the Shade turrets surround the Wraith, go for them next. They can't move so blowing them to smithereens should be a breeze. The War Chieftain is your last threat. He's guarding the elevated balcony just above the mortar Wraith's previous location. Missile him to death, but keep an eye on his fuel rod cannon. We'll need it later.
    Now clear the landing area. The two green ally Phantoms will drop off an Elite strike team to help wipe out the Brutes. Try not to get them confused as the 2-person betrayal rule will come back to bite you in the -blam!-. You can even shoot missiles into the tunnel to kill the Brutes who think they're being clever by hiding.
    Things will quiet down soon enough and allow you to land the Hornet in peace. Swap the fuel rod cannon for one of the Spikers laying on the ground. Find the Chieftain's fuel rod cannon and find the Arbiter. Whip out the Magnum you should still have from the pilot and bash the Arbiter until his shields are down. Shoot him once in the head and swap the weapon he drops with the fuel rod cannon. When he back-flips to life, he should be quite heavily armed.
    It may get a little confusing here, but bear with me. You'll want to retrieve your laser from the pilot and stash it in a safe place. Remember where you place it. You'll be needing it later. Retrieve your old fuel rod cannon (we didn't give Arbiter this one since it's fully loaded), and grab a Carbine if you can find one. There may even be a crate of brand new beam rifles up where the Chieftain was if it wasn't blasted off into the ocean by his fuel rod cannon. Either way, stock up and head towards the entrance.
    A small group of Brutes will barge through the door. Let your Elites handle this one, and follow up with carbine headshots to help remove the competition more easily. When all is quiet, move into the tower.

Download: QuickTime (26.5 mb) | WMP9 (28.7 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

A swarm of Drones will be greeting you from the lift. Below them a pair of war-torn Hunters will provide plenty of support. If the Arbiter hasn't at least caused a distraction for the Drones, follow up with your Carbine. At some point, they'll retreat back behind the rafters. Take this opportunity to whip out your fuel rod cannon and proceed with pounding round after round into the Hunters one at a time. I usually wait until they're standing perfectly still and charging their assault cannons. Then I shoot off two rounds and duck back into cover. Do this until both Hunters fall. If you need additional ammo, head back outside and approach the cliff wall in the far back corner of the area. There will be an additional crate packing fuel rod ammo. This should be more than enough to allow you to tear straight through the Hunters.
Allow the Arbiter and his mighty fuel rod cannon to mop up the remaining Drones, then head through the back door. A hungry Brute Pack will storm the small room from the opposite end. Their choice of weapons will be limited to maulers and spikers. There's a large number of them here, so I usually take care of them in the following manner.

Download: QuickTime (28.3 mb) | WMP9 (27.5 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Let the Arbiter get off the first few shots. He may even end up killing all of them. But just in case his aim is a little off, I like to switch out the FRC for a pair of plasma pistols and lend him a helping hand. As long as you don't get too close to the mauler Brutes, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. They may retreat back to the raised level from which they came. Again just peek out carefully and take them on one at a time. When all are dead, don't rush up to the lift too quickly. The remaining Drones from before are sneakily waiting up the lift for you to get close. Walk out onto the platform near the lift until you hear the buzzing. Then jump back down and let Arbiter open fire. If he leaves one or two left spinning in circles within the rafters, Feel free to jump up and recharge your shields.
Now pile a few plasma pistols onto the lift for good measure in addition to the fuel rod cannon. When you're done stockpiling, make sure you have a weak plasma pistol and the carbine in hand, and retrieve your laser from outside. Swap out your plasma pistol for the upgrade, then head back inside and up the lift. The Arbiter, apparently having bad flashbacks of the last Chieftain he faced, will conveniently stay behind.

Download: QuickTime (27.1 mb) | WMP9 (26.4 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Jump to Page 2