Gameplay

H4:Dawn

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Dawn
Dawn loading screen from MCC

Game:

Halo 4

File name (?):

m10_crash[1]

Player:

Master Chief

Date:

July 21, 2557

Location:

Onboard UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, orbiting Requiem

Objective(s):

Find and eliminate boarders.

Par Time:

00:15:00 (Master Chief Collection-only)

Par Score:

25,000 (Master Chief Collection-only)

Main-Legendary.png

Halopedia has a walkthrough guide for this level; see H4:Dawn/Walkthrough.

 
“ After four years adrift in space, Cortana awakens the Master Chief to investigate a disturbance on the Forward Unto Dawn. ”

Dawn is the second campaign level of Halo 4, and the first one with actual gameplay. After years of cryo-sleep, John-117 awakens to fight the resurgent Covenant in the wreckage of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn.[2]

Completing the level on any difficulty unlocks the "Dawn" achievement, worth 10 Gamerscore points, while accessing John's service record during the level grants the player "Digging up the Past", worth 20 Gamerscore points.

In Halo: The Master Chief Collection, "Dawn" and "Digging up the Past" , unlockable with the same criteria, are each now worth 10 Gamerscore points. "Piece of Cake" and "Gunslinger", each worth 10 Gamerscore points, require beating the level's 15 minute par time and 25,000 point par score, respectively.

Transcript[edit]

{Cutscene}

Halo 4 press kit image featuring the campaign level Dawn.
The Forward Unto Dawn's remains.

A field of debris surrounds the rear half of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn.

2557 - FOUR YEARS AFTER HALO EVENT

The frigate comes into closer view, revealing the ship's nameplate. A giant shadow slowly looms over the ship. Inside the Dawn, mechanical parts drift aimlessly in zero gravity. An automated message loops through the speakers.

  • Cortana (PA): (looping) "Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is UNSC FFG-201 Forward Unto Dawn, requesting immediate evac. Survivors aboard. Prioritization code: Victor Zero Five dash Three dash Sierra Zero One One Seven."

The scene shifts through abandoned sections of the ship. Suddenly, an orange energy pulse moves through the ship, scrambling some of the still-active viewscreens. Inside the cryo chamber, a sphere of blue light hovers above a holographic projector. The sphere disappears in a flash of blue as the ship shakes again, replaced by the figure of Cortana.

Cortana gasps and looks around the room, then proceeds to stand up. She activates a holographic terminal, quickly browsing through a status report.

SHIP STATUS:

CATASTROPHIC LOSS, ALL DECKS

SYSTEM STATUS:

6% SHIP SYSTEMS ONLINE

LAST CONTACT WITH UNSC:

4 YEARS, 7 MONTHS, 10 DAYS

LOCATION

UNKNOWN

CREW CAPACITY

John-117, moments before his revival.

782

CREW SURVIVING

1

Cortana switches to a diagram of the ship. Several red rings circle the schematic, designating hull breaches.

INTEGRITY FAILED SUBDECK: 32

INTEGRITY FAILED SUBDECK: 57

INTEGRITY FAILED SUBDECK: 102

Muffled explosions can be heard, signaling multiple decompression events - the ship is being boarded. Increasingly agitated, Cortana brings up the cryo chamber's control interface. A schematic of a modified Mark VI MJOLNIR armor is displayed, alongside life signs and cryo-tube diagrams. A single prompt appears on-screen.

REACTIVATE

Cortana hesitates, but proceeds to access the prompt.

FOD=9939 DECK 4 / CRYO SUBDECK. ARRAY=93

CRYOGENIC SYSTEM SHUTDOWN...

Cortana awakening the Master Chief.

STASIS CONVERSION IN PROCESS...

>>ACTIVE

Cortana sighs, then turns to observe cryo-tube 16.

  • Cortana: "Wake up, Chief."

Air is pumped into the tube's interior as part of the thawing process.

  • Cortana: "I need you."

The frost covering the tube's glass surface melts away, revealing John-117 underneath. Cut to black.

{Gameplay}

The Chief slowly awakens inside the cryo-tube, groaning. He slams his gauntlets into the glass surface in confusion.

  • Cortana: "Chief! Easy. You've been out for a while."
  • John-117: "Where are we?"
  • Cortana: "We're still adrift on the Dawn."
  • John-117: "Why did you wake me?"
  • Cortana: "Hang on. Bringing your systems online now."

John's HUD appears on his visor.

  • Cortana: "I rewrote your suit's firmware while you were out."
  • John-117: "You've been busy."
  • Cortana: "Activating the ship's gravity generators."

The gravity system comes online. The drifting crates and debris in the room drop onto the floor.

  • System (PA): Partial system restoration. Initializing system diagnostics...
  • Cortana: "Chief, look up. You need to pull the manual release."

John looks up and pulls the cryo-tube's manual release lever. John quickly steps out as the tube opens, walking over to the holotank that Cortana is occupying.

  • John-117: "Ready to get back to work?"

Cortana crosses her arms.

  • Cortana: "I thought you'd never ask."
John-117 in Halo 4. Master Chief and Cortana.
John-117 and Cortana prepare to leave the cryo bay.

John pulls Cortana out of the holo-tank and inserts her into his neural interface. John raises his MA5D assault rifle, readying for combat.

  • Cortana: "We've got intrusion alerts lighting up on multiple decks. Our best bet to figure out who's boarding us is the observation deck - four floors up."
  • John-117: "Could it be a rescue team?"

The ship shakes violently.

  • Cortana: "I wouldn't bet on it!"

Below the walkway leading out of the cryo chamber, a single computer terminal containing John-117's service record can be found. The terminal displays a picture of technicians assembling the Chief's MJOLNIR Mark V armor.

  • System: This is the service record for SPARTAN John-117. Would you like to continue?

Proceeding will prompt the terminal to narrate a concise summary of the Chief's involvement in the Human-Covenant War, starting from the Battle of Installation 04.

  • System: Frigate