Editing Data Hive/Walkthrough

{{Status|Gameplay}}

{{Walkthrough infobox

||era=[[File:Era-H3R.png]]

|skulls=[[Halo 3 skulls#Catch]]

This is your first mission as the Rookie that isn't part of Mombasa Streets. If you've made it this far hopefully you've still got your [[M7S Caseless Submachine Gun|SMG]] and [[M6C/SOCOM|Pistol]] (they're also your defaults if you're playing out of the Menu) as they're going to be the most helpful in this level. Good [[Halo 3 skulls|Skulls]] for this level are Catch, Cowbell and Grunt Birthday Party.

You start this level in a room that has [[M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade|grenades]] and two [[M90 Close Assault Weapon System|Shotguns]]. If you're comfortable with the Shotgun you can swap it out for your SMG but keep your Pistol for its headshot capability. Proceed through the doors and follow the winding path down, you'll run into [[Unggoy|Grunts]] and [[Kig-yar|Jackals]], but they're easily handled with the pistol and a few melees. Once you've passed the long hall you enter the first set of rooms, they all look the same and there are some twists so use your [[Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance|VISR]] map to get a good look of what's ahead of you. Proceed cautiously through the rooms, killing the Jackals and Grunts with your pistol, while luring the [[Jiralhanae|Brutes]] into the confining hallways and sticking them with Grenades. If you aren't judicious with your Magnum ammo, pick up one of the many [[Type-51 Carbine|Carbines]] as there's lots of ammo for them and with a steady hand it's just as accurate as a pistol (and it comes in handy killing Brutes). When you get to the end and meet the NMPD officer, drop the Carbine and run back to find a [[Paegaas Workshop Spiker|Spiker]] or [[Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher|Needler]] before you raise the Data Stack. When you do open it, take cover and let the drones fly up, the NMPD officer will help, but you're better off using him as a distraction and killing the drones with the Spiker.

Before you drop down, pick up your carbine again. Once you've dropped, creep through the doors and kill the two Drones quickly. The [[Unidentified NMPD officer|NMPD officer]] goes straight for the tunnel on the right, and you can follow him, but you're better off picking off the two Grunts at the other end. The Brute down there will point and growl but won't move up. Once you've gotten rid of the Grunts, follow the NMPD officer through the side tunnel. When you come out the other end, stick the Brute with a [[Anskum-pattern plasma grenade|plasma]] or [[Type-2 Antipersonnel Fragmentation Grenade|spike grenade]]. Continue forward slowly, letting the NMPD officer distract the throngs of Brutes, letting you pick them off with assassinations and grenades. Occasionally you will have to stand up and fight the Brutes. If you run out of Carbine ammo, pick up something else, Spikers and Needlers and Maulers are around as well as Shotguns, so use them instead. Kill them quickly and move on to the second set of rooms. In here is more of the same, take out the Jackals and Grunts and lure the Brutes and grenade them to death. It's made easier (or annoying) by your NMPD friend who distracts them, although he can't seem to kill anything. Once you reach the second drop, take a minute, run back, pick up any grenades you can from the rooms if you're short and make sure you have your main weapon (preferably the Carbine, as there's ammo around) loaded up with as much ammo as you can find. If you don't have all 30 [[Audio log (Halo 3: ODST)|Audio Logs]] then the officer will follow you, if not, bid farewell as he will be killed by Drones.

Once you're done with the cutscene, use your flamethrower in the next section to quickly clear out the enemies. Make sure you heal up as you move along. The drop and occasional spatter of flamethrower will drain you quick and you need to be at full health for your run through the hive. There's only a few enemies along the way, but they can drain ammo dodging in the large room, so use the rest of your flamethrower and drop it. After you come out into the first hive section, before the elevator, look to the right and drop whatever you're carrying for the [[Type-50 particle beam rifle|Beam Rifle]], your other weapon should be a Carbine, and here's where it comes in handy. Follow Dare over to the elevator and bring up your Carbine. Follow Dare around the hive. The pesky Drones are everywhere, '''''keep moving!''''' Short bursts from the Carbine will drop Drones quickly and accurately. There's a lot of them, but a combination of running and shooting keeps you alive. You can also drop down the middle of one of the center rings to give you some cover to recover your Stamina. If you get to the end of the hive and see the door, just go through. Dare will magically appear. She will have gone to the left of the tunnel. You should go right. Drop down, and bring up the beam rifle. Zoom in and you should get a good look at the Chieftain and one of the minor Brutes. Don't go down yet. Use two shots on the Chieftain and get him to bring up his invincibility. While he's untouchable, Snipe out the other Brute you can see, if you can get both, so much the better. When the Chieftain's invincibility drops, Snipe him to death. Drop in and swap out both your weapons for a full [[Type-25 Grenade Launcher|Brute shot]] and the [[Gravity hammer (fiction)|Gravity Hammer]]. If you want a silent option, jump down and run to the Chieftain and his buddies and hide behind a stack of boxes so the Chieftain won't see you. When he isn't looking, run behind him and quickly assassinate him. It may take a couple of tries, but in the end you'll get him. For some strange reason, the two other Brutes won't notice this and will keep attacking the door, so simply assassinate them as well. If you still have your Flamethrower then it will really come in handy once you come out of the Superintendent's Data Center.