Editing Crow's Nest

{{Status|Gameplay}}

{{Cleanup}}

{{disambig header|the campaign level|the military base on Earth|Crow's Nest (location)}}

|next=''[[Tsavo Highway]]''

|image= [[File:H3 CrowsNest Loadscreen.png|300px]]

|date= [[2552#November|November 17, 2552]]<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=16989 '''Bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update: 01/23/09 - Timeline'']</ref>

|place= [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[Crow's Nest (location)|Underground Facility "Crow's Nest"]]

{{Article quote|Clear the base, whatever it takes.}}

'''Crow's Nest''' is the third [[Campaign]] level of ''[[Halo 3]]''.<ref>Bungie Podcast, 8-10-2007</ref>

Upon completing the level on the [[Normal]], [[Heroic]], or [[Legendary]] difficulties, the player will earn the "[[Holdout (Achievement)|Holdout]]" [[achievement]] and 20 [[Gamerscore]]. Upon earning 15,000 points in [[Campaign Scoring]], the player will be awarded with the [[Demon]] achievement and 10 Gamerscore.

The level begins with the [[John-117|Master Chief]], the [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]], and [[Sergeant Major|Sergeant]] [[Avery Junior Johnson|Johnson]] landing in an underground UNSC base. When they disembark, several Marines are amazed to see a [[SPARTAN-II Program|Spartan II]]. As they walk through hallways littered with wounded [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] soldiers, [[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes|Keyes]] informs the Chief and Johnson that [[Prophet of Truth|Truth]] has almost destroyed the [[UNSC Home Fleet]], and only a few ships are left. They soon reach the command center and speak with [[Terrence Hood|Lord Hood]], discussing a plan for an all out attack on Truth's army.

Unfortunately, the Covenant then jam the [[Human]] communications network along with the rest of the base, shutting off the power. Truth appears on the main view screen, telling the Humans that their world will [[Glassing|burn]]. The base is then attacked by a large contingent of [[Covenant Empire|Covenant troops]]. The Master Chief first clears the south hangar, allowing the UNSC personnel to evacuate.  Unable to fight off the invaders, Keyes orders a [[Improvised UNSC bomb|bomb]] placed in the operations center. Meanwhile, Jiralhanae capture the barracks and take many Marines prisoner. The Chief and the Arbiter retake the barracks and rescue as many Marines as they can.  They then bring the survivors up to the landing pad where Keyes is waiting with a Pelican.  After fighting off another group of Jiralhanae, they meet up with Johnson who informs them that Jiralhanae have seized the Ops Center and disarmed the bomb. Keyes orders the Chief to retake the Ops Centers while the others evacuate.  The Chief clears out the Covenant inside the Ops Center and rearms the bomb.  He then makes his way back to the south hangar, where he finds a service elevator. Moments later, the bomb detonates, sending the elevator into free fall and causing the Chief to black out.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPEYImyvKBY '''{''Cutscene''}''']

*'''Crow's Nest Flight Controller''': "Sorry for the tight squeeze. ''(to the other Flight Controller)'' Tell the [[Miranda Keyes|Commander]] her ace is in the hole."

*'''Commander Keyes''': "We stopped it, but only temporarily. Now, the Prophet of Truth is looking for something called '[[Installation 00|The Ark]]', where he'll be able to fire all the [[Halo Array|Halo Rings]]. If he succeeds, [[Human]]ity, the Covenant, every sentient being in the Galaxy..."

*'''Commander Keyes''': "Truth's ships are clustered above the excavation site. And his infantry has deployed [[Skar'wa-pattern Mantis|Anti-Aircraft Batteries]] around the perimeter. But, if we neutralize one of the batteries, punch a hole in Truth's defenses..."

''Miranda walks up the stairs and draws her [[M6G magnum|pistol]]. She pulls the slide back.''

*'''Technician''': "No, ma'am. Wait, Overwatch has contacts. [[Kez'katu-pattern Phantom|Phantoms]], closing in on our position."

*'''[[Gunnery Sergeant]] [[Reynolds]]''': "Get those [[AIE-486H machine gun|turret]]s up. You watch your fields of fire!"

[[File:Marinescrowsnest.jpg|thumb|300px|The Master Chief meets with some Marines on his way to the facility's hangar.]]

''The Chief grabs some [[M9 fragmentation grenade|Fragmentation Grenades]] from a weapons case near the door, then opens it, and lets the Marines lead the way.''

''The Marines find the vehicle access. A [[M12 Warthog|Warthog]] is in battle with many Covenant soldiers. [[Unggoy]] lob [[Anskum-pattern plasma grenade|plasma grenades]] and destroy it. The Chief and accompanying Marines engage and defeat the Covenant. A Jiralhanae wielding a [[Type-25 Brute Shot|brute shot]] enters the vehicle access with a group of Unggoy. The team eliminate the Covenant troops and push onward. They go through the open door and defeat the Covenant there, which consists of many Unggoy and [[Kig-Yar Sniper]]s. Proceeding, the Chief and Marines reach the hangar.''

''The Chief and Marines go on the offense and secure the deck. Multiple Phantom dropships enter the hangar, delivering groups of infantry in an effort to retake the stategically important room. From a distance, [[AV-14 Hornet|Hornets]] and [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshees]] are seen engaged in an aerial fight near a {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} which keeps sending Covenant reinforcements to the base. The Chief and Marines make use of several turrets and defend the hangar. The [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] forces eventually prevail and the Phantoms retreat.''

''The Pelican hanging on a crane in one of the docks slides out and is released. The dropship lands to evac the Marines in the hangar, while the Master Chief restocks on weapons and ammo.''

*'''Marine #13''': "Yeah. And I ''don't'' like it."

''A single Yanme'e suddenly bursts out of the vent and picks him up. (The Yanme'e can be killed before it picks up the Marine. If it does, he can still be saved by simply shooting the Yanme'e, which will drop the Marine).''

*'''Female Marine''': "Look! Coming out of the vents!"

*'''Female Marine''': "What the hell ''are'' those things, Sergeant?!"

*'''Gunnery Sergeant (Reynolds or Stacker)''': "Drones! A whole swarm! Take 'em down, short controlled bursts!"

''The Marines open fire on the swarm. The Chief finds a turret and unloads on them. The swarm eventually falls. Several stragglers scurry about on the ground. The Chief easily dispatches them.''

*'''Commander Keyes (Video COM)''': "Chief, have a look. [[Improvised UNSC bomb|A little going-away gift]] for the Covenant. We've linked it to smaller charges throughout the base. Johnson, soon as the evacuation is complete, start the timer."

''The Chief heads through the corridor to the Motor Pool. While down there, he spots a large [[pack]] of Jiralhanae, led by a [[Jiralhanae Chieftain]] with a [[Gravity hammer (fiction)|gravity hammer]].''

*'''[[Cortana]] ([[Character interludes|Cortana Moment]])''': "You have been called upon to serve."

''The Master Chief and 'Vadam enter the barracks. They see a captive Marine thrown hard into a pillar, where multiple Marine corpses lie. The Marine dies and falls limply to the ground, and the Chief and 'Vadam rush in. One Marine being held by a Jiralhanae begs for mercy as it decides to kill him too.''

[[File:Saved.jpg|thumb|300px|The Master Chief about to save the Marine prisoner.]]

''After taking out the Brutes, the surviving Marines grab weapons from more piles of corpses, taking a second to grieve for their comrades while the Chief and 'Vadam resupply and reload. They continue their rescue throughout the barracks, defeating the remaining Jiralhanae, including a [[Jiralhanae War Chieftain]] with a detached [[Pek-pattern plasma cannon|plasma turret]], and rescuing (a maximum of) seven Marines.''

[[File:Marineprisoners.jpg|thumb|300px|Marines being held prisoner by [[Jiralhanae]].]]

''Kilo 23 takes off, getting out of the Jiralhanae's reach. Noticing the Chief and 'Vadam, the [[Jiralhanae Jumper]]s attack them. Reinforcements enter from above the observation room as well as from another door. The Chief, along with his allies ultimately defeat the Jiralhanae and secure the flight deck, a door at the road below opens. Johnson arrives, holding an [[M7 SMG|SMG]] and leading a group of surviving Marines. The squad is under fire from a group of Yanme'e.''

''Johnson and Thel 'Vadam board the Pelican, and it takes off. The Master Chief goes along the road Johnson previously came from, passing by destroyed Warthogs and dead Marines. (In Co-op, 'Vadam will accompany the Chief.)''

''The Chief walks on through to another roadway, with Covenant [[Pek-pattern plasma cannon|plasma cannons]] set up. Using the Plasma Cannons and/or using all available cover, he clears out a large contingent of Unggoy and Kig-Yar along with a pair of [[Kig-Yar Sniper]]s. The Chief soon gets back to the Motor Pool next door to the Ops Center.''  

*'''Jiralhanae War Chieftain''': "Yes, Holy One! It shall be done."

*'''Jiralhanae War Chieftain''': ''(to his subordinates)'' "Have the [[Yanme'e|Drones]] ''scour'' these machines! Find out what these ''heathens'' know about the [[Installation 00|Ark]]!"

''As the Unggoy and Jiralhanae Captains get busy, the Chief takes them by surprise and defeats them. The War Chieftain opens fire on the Spartan with a [[Pez'tk-pattern fuel rod gun|fuel rod gun]] but the Chief manages to overcome him, taking back the Ops Center and the bomb.''

''The Chief gets to the hangar, where [[Kez'katu-pattern Phantom|Phantoms]] flee, abandoning many Unggoy and Kig-Yar to their fates. The doomed Covenant run around in panic, some trying to catch the fleeing Phantoms.''

*If one opens the door to the Motor Pool and doesn't go through, the door to Ops Center will remain open. The player can then lure the [[Jiralhanae|Brutes]], and eventually the [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]], into the Ops Center by attacking them from afar using the [[BR55HB SR Battle Rifle|Battle Rifle]]. However, the Chieftain will not attack the Marines, and vice-versa. The player can even lure the Chieftain downstairs, though he will not chase the player into the large cave area.

*There is a [[Infinite weapons on Crow's Nest|glitch]] that allows the player to get infinite weapons for the battle inside the Motor Pool.

*There is a female Marine in the barracks that has white sleeves under her armor and a backpack, if ones shoots or melees her helmet, it will fly off, but she will still have it on and cannot be taken off.

*If you are playing Co-op on this level, the Arbiter has a melee animation even when he is unarmed. He will melee like a normal [[Sangheili|Elite]]. The melee attack does no damage. It is possible to disarm the AI Arbiter in single player by giving him a support weapon and getting him to ride in a vehicle or killing him and taking his weapon for an empty weapon. However, the AI controlled Arbiter's melee does damage. The same glitch can be performed if you use a glitch to allow an Elite character model to be unarmed in [[forge]]. Also, the Arbiter has a special grenade throw animation similar to the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' Elites and ''Halo 3'' level ''[[Floodgate]]'' Elites when he is unarmed. The grenade throw can be performed in multiplayer and Co-op if you are playing as an Elite character model. You don't necessarily have to be unarmed. You will need two weapons and grenades. Press the Y button to switch to your secondary weapon and quickly press the LT. If you did it correctly, you should have thrown a grenade like ''Floodgate'' Elites.

===Easter eggs===

{{Main|Easter eggs}}

*The [[Halo 3 skulls#Black Eye|Black Eye Skull]] can be found in the beginning of the level. Claiming it would reward the player the "[[Black Eye (achievement)|Black Eye]]" [[achievement]] and 10 [[Gamerscore]].  

*There is an argument between two Marines voiced by various [[Red vs Blue]] voice actors, which changes depending on difficulty level. See [[Password-lacking Marine]].  

*The ''Halo 3'' silver skull [[Halo 3 skulls#Grunt Birthday Party|Grunt Birthday Party Skull]] can be found on this level.

[[File:Dead Rat.jpg|A dead rat, an example of many more that have bred within the base.|thumb|200px]]

*The Prophet of Truth's line, ''"...your destruction is the will of the gods. And I... I am their instrument!"'' is a rephrasing of the message sent to [[Battle Group 4]] during the [[First Battle of Harvest]]. Likewise, the line, ''"Your world will burn until its surface is but glass"'' is a restatement of a message sent to the surface of [[Biko]] in [[2526]].<ref>[[Data pads|Data pad 10]]</ref>

*The men manning the computers at the beginning of the level are Naval personnel, which (aside from Crow's Nest) are only seen in-game in the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' [[campaign]] levels ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]'' and ''[[Halo (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|Halo]]''.

[[File:Screens crowsnest schematic.jpg|thumb|250px|The "Seventh Column" icons that appear on the computer readout.]]

*The [[Character interludes|Cortana Moments]] in this level are direct quotes from ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''. All of them are from [[Catherine Halsey|Doctor Halsey]] as she speaks with the [[SPARTAN-II Program|Spartan-IIs]] about the project they are taking part in.

*At the end of the level, a large explosion manages to shoot out of the opening in the elevator's blast doors before it completely closes. This could be a reference to near the ending of ''[[The Maw]]'' from ''Combat Evolved'' in which a near identical occurrence takes place when John enters the service elevator in order to flee from the destruction of the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}.

*The Banshees and Hornets outside the hangar aren't real, but part of the backdrop. They lack a physical presence, as one can move through them in Theater mode, they have scripted deaths, and they use very low-resolution textures applied to them. They are unaffected by the player's actions.

*In the [[ViDoc]] "[[Halo 3 ViDoc: Et Tu, Brute?|Et Tu, Brute?]]", instead of fighting the [[Gravity hammer (fiction)|Gravity Hammer]]-wielding Chieftain in the Motor Pool, the [[Pek-pattern plasma cannon|Plasma Cannon]]-wielding [[Jiralhanae War Chieftain|War Chieftain]] can be seen in combat in the Motor Pool and vice versa

*After facing the Jump-pack Brutes, if one follows the hallway up to where they break out of, equipment and ammo can be found. One of them is Cloaking, which will be effective during the fight with War Chieftain on higher difficulties.

*The [[multiplayer]] level ''[[Rat's Nest]]'' draws many visual inspirations from the design of ''Crow's Nest''.

*This is the only ''Halo 3'' level where the player doesn't have a starting loadout weapon. Once gameplay begins, the player must pick their own loadout on a weapons rack, allowing for a Magnum Pistol, Assault Rifle, SMG or Battle Rifle.

*In spite of what Johnson says, it is possible to just use the active camouflage to sneak in the area and arm the bomb without having to kill the surrounding Covenant.

File:H3 Menu 03 Crow's Nest.png|Preview of the level in ''Halo 3'' menu.

File:H3 Crows Nest Pelican hanger.jpg|A Pelican begins to evacuate Marines from the hangar bay of Crow's Nest.

{{Ref/Sources}}

{{succession box | before = ''[[Sierra 117]]'' <br />| title = ''Halo 3'' Campaign Missions | years = '''''Crow's Nest''''' |after = ''[[Tsavo Highway]]''}}

{{Levels|H3}}

[[Category:Halo 3 campaign]]