Halo: Reach Mythic Guide - Pillar of Autumn

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

Pillar of Autumn, Page 2

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    The room should be silent at this point. Go ahead and max out both your DMR and needle rifle, grab one of the two health packs from below if necessary, and proceed through the exit door on the top level. On a side note, you might want to make sure there's a plasma pistol on the corridor-side of the door (the door locks behind you as you progress). You'll see why in a second.
    The last encounter you'll face this chapter awaits you at the top of the stairs—merely two Grunts and the only Jackal in the game with a plasma rifle. Picking them off with your DMR should be child's play, particularly since your Marines normally have them too distracted to care about you peeking out from behind the corner. Though usually at least one of the Grunts will be using a plasma pistol that you'll be able to bring with you into the next area, on occasion they'll both have needlers. In this instance, you'll want to juggle the spare plasma pistol from downstairs up to your current location for future use. Again, this is a rare occurrence, but it's always better to be prepared!
    After you're done, juggle one plasma pistol out the door and to the landing pad to commence the final chapter...

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Keyes

You've reached the final stretch. In terms of challenge, this is truly the final testament the game has to deliver (we'll go over the Zealot atrocity soon enough...) and will put all your combat skills to the ultimate test. You need to be briefed before proceeding, so I'll give you the rundown on what you should expect.
Three large waves of enemies are about to assault your location. Each wave will consist of an absurd number of Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts. This is what we've been saving that needle rifle for. Since your main foes in this scenario are space monkeys, the needle rifle will make short work of their ranks. The secondary reason, however, for you toting this little gem with you throughout the mission is because of the lack of ammo provided for you. Yes, you can knock the special hidden DMR crate from the wall inside the structure as shown here...

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    ... but if you're not conservative and pace your shots, you'll still run dry faster than you would expect. It also becomes an issue of sprinting down from your "safe spot" to retrieve additional ammo and scurrying back up again. Each time you do this, you place yourself at risk for any close-range enemies that might be lurking nearby. Not to mention that the heavy drop in frame rates here (see below for an explanation) on top of the Emile's annoying FLASH-BANG tactics with the epic Mass Driver, don't be surprised if your aim is a bit off during this battle. In short... Conserve! Conserve! Conserve!
    Three Brute Chieftains (one of each type) will also show up throughout the course of the skirmish to ruin your fun. For this reason alone, you need a plasma pistol. Alas, this is the one place in the entire campaign where I wish I could carry three guns at a time. This brings me to my next point...
    Weapon despawns.
    Every Mythic Conqueror has been plagued by this little game mechanic at one time or another. The concept is simple. When a weapon is dropped and is no longer "in play" it stands a chance to despawn. Though we've experienced these issues for the past few Halo games, Reach uses a slightly different formula to determine its outcome. In the past, it used to be that if you picked up a weapon and dropped it, the weapon would stay there indefinitely. In Reach, it only decreases the odds of a despawn meaning that it can still happen. Though the specific parameters that cause this phenomenon remain unknown to the majority of the community, the items that influence its occurrence seem to be:

Wandering too far away from the dropped weapon
"High stress" in the area containing the weapon
Amount of time that has passed since the weapon was last operated

    In short, don't meander too far away from your safety spot, don't stockpile weapons on top of each other, and be sure to pick it up and drop it from time to time. Yes, I know it sucks, but beating the Chieftains without one is nearly impossible on Mythic, at least during this particular scenario. Because of the number of enemies in addition to the fleets of Phantoms and Banshees being blasted out of the sky by the Mass Driver, a ton of stress is placed on this particular battle which heavily increases the likelihood of fast despawns.
    Bungie, my Xbox called and wants its frame rates back...
    The catwalk is going to be your primary base of operations. More specifically, you'll be chilling by the "elbow" the most due to the amount of space and cover it provides. It's also a handy place to drop off your plasma pistol without worrying so much about it being launched by stray grenades. The only time you should ever leave the area is to pick up more DMR ammo and a second plasma pistol. That's it. In terms of wave patterns, each group will start off by invading the central section of the landing pad. When you've killed enough enemies, they'll begin retreating to one of the two side areas. This is generally the safest point in the battle to retrieve ammo. Heighten your sense here, because once you've picked off enough of the hiders, the next wave will show up with reinforcements.

Wave One...

Assuming that you've already popped the hidden DMR crate—and have your plasma pistol close by—start picking off enemies. By the time you're ready to head back up the stairs from your DMR exploit, a few Special Ops Grunts and Jackals will be on the move making their way up to you. Be quick about getting back to the catwalk. Right behind them will be several Brute Minors led by a couple of Captains. For this first wave, we're going to use the needle rifle against the Brutes and the DMR for everything else. Three needles in a row is enough to blow up a space monkey, since their moves can vary, only fire off one round first to see if they either dodge or go into Armor Lock (despite their lack of actual armor). If they dodge, wait until they're on the ground. Then quickly follow up with the last two shots. If they dodge behind a solid object, simply wait until they're in view again and repeat the process. If they Armor Lock, wait until the effect wears off, then quickly pump them with three rounds. In other cases, the Brute will witness the death of a comrade and with "berserk". In this case, you won't have to worry about him dodging or Armor Locking. Just remember to put the raging ape to sleep before he becomes a major threat.
As they start retreating, you'll want to take the opportunity to juggle a second plasma pistol to the catwalk, but remember to keep it away from the first. This insures that you have enough plasma to deal with all three Chieftains without having to make any more special trips.

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Wave Two...

    Emile will shout you an FYI before the next round of enemies arrive. This is where things get incredibly tense. Not only will this wave drop off additional Captains, but they'll be accompanied by two Brute Chieftains as well—one with a hammer and the other with a fuel rod cannon.
    Temporarily drop your DMR for one of your plasma pistols (preferably the one you brought with you at the start), and hang out around the elbow. The Hammer Chieftain will usually charge up the stairs while Mr. Fuel Rod will head up to the top floor of the crow's nest to engage your new squad of Marines.
    Focus on the hammer dude first since he has a tendency to close the gap rather quickly. You can use the cover to the left of you in the event that the Fuel Rod Chieftain takes an early notice in your antics. When the Hammer gets close enough, he'll start getting grenade-happy. Be prepared to dodge at any point! While doing so, start peppering his shields with the plasma pistol until they pop. Then quickly follow up with two super combines—six shots—with the needle rifle. If you're lucky and you downed the Hammer fast enough, the other Chieftain will still be focused on the Marines. Take the opportunity to start pouring on the plasma hurt from the catwalk. If he happens to turn your way, simply strafe back and forth from one side of the cover to the other until his shields are down. Stay away from the back wall to avoid splash damage from the fuel rod cannon. Again, use two super combines to bring him down once his shields have been obliterated. This is by far the tensest portion of the battle. Once you've managed to put it behind you, it's all downhill from there.
    Turn your focus to the Captains and Jackals. They'll be hanging back in both side areas, but they tend to favor the one on the right a bit more. Personally, I prefer the DMR over the needle rifle here. Just pace your shots and take your time while keeping a close watch on your plasma pistols' status simultaneously.

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Wave Three...

    Once again, Emile will give you the heads up that it's time to dodge for cover as the final Phantom drops off its troops—Grunts, Jackals, a very annoying fuel rod Specialist Grunt, Brute Captains (and Minors), and the final Chieftain, this one wielding a deadly plasma launcher.
    Use the elbow for cover again. The Chieftain will scale the crow's nest along with a few of his Minor buddies. How you deal with him is up to you. The launcher shots can get a bit tricky here, so I tend to off two of his friends with the needle rifle first, which will force him to retreat downstairs. From here, it's safe to pick off the rest of your foes one at time. I recommend making the fuel rod Grunt a top priority. It should also be noted that if you need to grab some ammo from the DMR crate at any point during the course of this third wave, do it quickly. Your enemies tend to get a bit antsy and like to charge up the stairs if you meander away from the catwalk. Then you'll be forced to cope with a whole new set of issues. On the upside, however, the building does have three health packs in addition to a crate with grenade launchers and magnums. You shouldn't need any of them (aside from the health packs of course), but it's always good to pack a little extra firepower close by should the need arise.
    The catwalk, however, is always your top choice in location here. Stick to it. Pick off your enemies until it's just you and the Chieftain. Then move in close, remove his shields with the plasma pistol, and DMR the helmet to death until you can land that final kill shot. The next video shows me doing this from the building even though I battle out the rest of the encounter on the catwalk.

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    Just when you thought it was over (how nice of Keyes to take the package and leave you stranded), a Phantom full of Zealots bring a swift demise to Emile's Mass-Driving pwnage, forcing you to man the big gun. Sounds easy enough. Getting to it, however, will prove to be a tricky endeavor. Standing between you and the gunner seat of that sweet machine will be a squad of Specialist Grunts, an Engineer, three Zealots, and the big daddy Field Marshall who's been dogging you since Mission One. Hot damn.
    The objective begins with three of the four Elites standing in wait inside the structure with the remaining one patrolling the outdoors with his Grunts. Grab a health pack and start picking off the Grunts from afar. After you've slaughtered enough of them, they'll finally get a clue and retreat to the garage. Now you'll need to move in. Using the doorway for cover, try to pick off the Engineer first. He'll be hovering high above the floor in the center of the room. You should be able to see him from the doorway. Headshot the remaining Grunts following the dissipation of their overshields.
    This next part is a bit tricky. The current location of the first Zealot is nothing short of terrible, but you can easily force him to move up the stairs by jumping on top of the nearby robot arm, then to the banister, and following it all the way to the second floor. This will force all Elites to retreat to the second floor, giving you almost complete free-roam of the ground level. This includes access to the crate of DMRs in the right back corner. Jump back down out of sight. If you took any plasma hits, slip back outside and grab another health pack and a newer plasma pistol.

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Here's where things get a little divided. The Mythic community as a whole seems to have two completely different schools of thought when it comes to how to finish the mission from here on out. Really you have two options on the table, and which one you choose is strictly up to you and your own personal tastes. You can either engage all four elites, OR you can opt to kill only the Field Marshall and skip the other three. The latter is the method that I came up with and personally found to be significantly easier and less time consuming. Others, however, would rather have peace of mind when approaching the Mass Driver and kill everything that moves. Here's the basic rundown of both methods...
If you choose to engage the Elites, you'll be using the eastern staircase as cover while you pepper them with shots from your plasma pistol. Yes, these guys are extremely dodgy and have a tendency to duck back into cover just before their shields are about to pop. Yes, you also run the risk of running out of plasma ammo in the process. This will only work for the three lesser Zealots since the Field Marshall tends to hang back closer to the cannon with his fuel rod gun. For dealing with him, you'll need to use a different tactic...

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    As shown in the video, you'll want to scale the eastern stairs, hop up on the railing, jump to the robot arm in the back, then to the light fixture, and lastly to the banister that circles the room. Doing this allows you to place yourself behind a fence very close to the Field Marshall. You now have easy close range access to de-shield this Covenant terror with little fear of retaliation! Be aware of the fact that grenades can pass through the fence (which is a rare occurrence), but the Field Marshall's fuel rod cannon will not. Your plasma bolts and DMR bullets on the other hand? They'll act like the barrier is nonexistent. It takes a fair bit of plasma ammo to pop his unusually strong energy shielding, but once it's done, he'll pull out his sword (stop giggling) and grant you the opportunity to finish him off with the DMR. Do it quick or else the shields will recharge and you'll have to repeat the process.
    Whichever route you decide to take, this is the recommended method for dealing with the Field Marshall.
    Now, onto the shorter method. In case you didn't notice in the Field Marshall video, the same banister you used to reach the "safe area" to take out the Field Marshall can also be used to access the Mass Driver. This basically means that you can skip the three lesser Zealots entirely, only kill the Field Marshall, and jump inside the Mass Driver to finish the mission. The final video posted at the end of this guide demonstrates the method I personally use.
    The drop shield is necessary for this method so you can use it at key points to shield you from the surviving Elites. The barrier won't last long against their hailstorm of burning plasma, but it'll suffice long enough for you to get to where you need to be. Deploy the first one at the top of the stairs so you can get to the railing. If you need to, you can also deploy one on the railing itself to grant you safety as you jump on top of the robot arm, but if you're quick enough—as shown in the video—that particular maneuver isn't necessary. The final drop shield is used when jumping from the banister to the Mass Driver platform. This insures that you'll have full shields when jumping in the big gun.
    Skipping the first three Elites is fine. It will barely have an impact (if any at all) on how you finish the mission, but taking out the Field Marshall is paramount to your success. If he's still alive when you jump inside the cannon, he'll melt your face with the fuel rod gun in roughly a second, guaranteed.
    So you've made it to the Mass Driver. Hooray! But where are all the Phantoms? You've probably noticed the Cruiser in the distance isn't moving either. Wtf? You'll need to trigger the final sequence by running down the stairs and back up again. The objective will pop up on your screen and you should start hearing Phantoms on the approach. This is your signal to rush back down to the bottom of the stairs and hide...

The Mass Driver

    Yes, this doozy of a segment deserves its own section and commentary. I've never been a huge fan of coin-toss scenarios, but this one takes the cake. If you were planning on going about this sequence the intended way—which includes blasting each and every Phantom and Banshee out of the sky while you await the Cruiser to get close enough to nuke the center—I'm here to tell you on Mythic this feat is literally impossible. We've tested this several times, and with not being able to either regenerate your shields OR monitor their status, you'll be dead long before that opportunity to "take the shot" arrives. Your only option is to hide behind the stairs beneath the Mass Driver and wait for Keyes to scream "FIRE NOW, SPARTAN!"
    As you can imagine, when you make the mad dash up the stairs and jump inside the most rewarding and overpowered weapon the franchise (but let's be honest, being able to one-shot Phantoms is every Halo player's dream come true!), you'll completely surrounded by several hovering Phantoms and Banshees just waiting to transform both you and the Driver into a mountain of molten slag.
    It gets better. Normally you'd fire a single MAC round into the belly of the beast to bring the mission to a close, but... you guessed it... the Cruiser has been granted a "Mythic boost", and now it takes a whopping TWO direct hits to destroy the monster ship. What this basically means is that for a solid few seconds, you're going to be a taking a serious, unavoidable beating that can only end in one of two ways. Either you successfully manage to take down a giant alien ship with a forty-foot mini-MAC gun (which still baffles me), or you will have come all that way just to be teleported back to the beginning of the mission after all of your hard work in one of the most brutal missions in the game.
    I should take a second to state that I have successfully been able to land both shots without shields in the past. However, by the same token, I've also entered the machine with full shields only to have one Banshee bomb bring my progress to a grinding halt. When I said this was a coin toss, I wasn't kidding. You are completely at the mercy of the game and the Halo gods here. If this is indeed your final Mythic mission, this will be the most intense few seconds of your life.
    Now that you're drenched in fear, it's time to go over the tactics to help get you to that final cutscene.
    The one true advantage to having taken out all four Zealots as opposed to just the Field Marshall is that now you have the ability to backtrack to the landing pad, grab a Hologram from inside the building, and use it to temporarily divert the Phantom fire while you man the gun. However, the effect it will ultimately have is minimal. At best, it will only redirect a few out of the many, many concussion bolts that will soar your way. The difference it makes is fractional at best, but admittedly any increase in odds you can get is certainly better than nothing. Keep in mind though that it only takes one Banshee bomb to destroy you too. Again, whether or not that fractional advantage is worth the tedious Zealot encounters are entirely up to you.
    If you reached the Mass Driver using my preferred method, then you'll be hiding around the stairs to avoid being seen by the surviving Zealots. The sequence above will last roughly 30 seconds before Keyes commands you to do the deed, and NO you cannot shoot the Cruiser early.
    Yes, you can use one of the Spartan lasers near the gun to wipe out a couple of Phantom turrets, but for every gun you destroy, another Phantom will show up to take its place. Not worth the risk!
    So now here comes the fun part! When it's time to use the Mass Driver, rush up the stairs as fast as you can and enter the gun. It'll take an agonizing amount of time to mount the machine, but while you're doing it, you can hold down the trigger and get an early charge sooner than you normally would. Keep in mind that the reticule is in the dead center of the screen and you need to aim for the glowing mass in the dead center of the approaching Cruiser. As soon as you're in, every Phantom and Banshee in the immediate vicinity will start pounding the hell out of the Mass Driver. The number of actual attacking aircraft seems to vary from run to run. Sometimes you'll be swarmed in overwhelming numbers while other times they'll be fairly spread out.
    The first shot is easy to get off. The second is far more time consuming. The instant the first round is discharged, squeeze the trigger again (remember to hold it down!) so the Mass Driver can charge it's second round. While this is happening, the surrounding ships will continue to blast away at your location, and you'll be left wondering in absolute terror whether or not you can follow through with the second round and survive long enough for the cut scene to kick in. Even if you do land the second shot, it's entirely possible to die before the screen completely fades to black. But do NOT let this deter you. If you manage to land the second shot successfully, you'll be rewarded by the daring escape of the dreadnaught housing the future hero of the franchise! Below is your video demonstration of this heart-pounding finale.

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If you've made it this far, you'll be rewarded by a brief look at a little Combat Evolved nostalgia and a special message from Bungie (that you receive on any difficulty might I add). But as the last Spartan on Reach, your story isn't quite over just yet...

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