H3:The Ark/Walkthrough

Halo 3
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The Ark
Level overview
Player(s):	John-117
Objective(s):	Find and clear a landing zone for Forward Unto Dawn Find the Cartographer
Location(s):	Installation 00
Gameplay overview
Default weapons:	SRS99D-S2 AM sniper rifle BR55HB battle rifle
Available weapons:	Human MA5C assault rifle M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher M9 fragmentation grenade Covenant Plasma Pistol Spiker Needler Brute Shot Fuel Rod Gun Gravity Hammer Plasma Cannon Plasma Grenade Spike Grenade
Enemies:	Covenant Jiralhanae Brute Captain Major Brute Captain Ultra Chieftain Kig-Yar Unggoy Mgalekgolo Scarab Wraith Anti-Aircraft Wraith Chopper Ghost Phantom Banshee
Skulls:	Famine

The Ark is a large level composed primarily of large, open outdoor sections and the narrow hallways of Forerunner structures. The level is very vehicle-heavy; in particular, it may contain more Covenant Zurdo-pattern Wraiths than any other level in the game.

Overview

The Ark begins with a sniping engagement. Players, backed up by ODSTs, should take out the enemies at the first camp as fast as possible. In particular, the Jiralhanae tend to be quite dangerous on higher difficulties if not quickly dispatched, due to their tendency to go beserk and use melee attacks when their armor is destroyed.

After the initial sniping battle, however, the level's gameplay briefly returns to normal—combat conducted on foot, from cover, and with average weapons. Shortly after that, however, the level's large quantities of vehicles come into play. The vehicles on the map are primarily Covenant, with Karo'etba-pattern Ghosts and Barukaza Workshop Choppers being quite common, and the relative lack of cover heavily favors vehicular combat. The assortment of vehicles quickly shifts to favor the heavy vehicles, with Wraiths in particular appearing frequently.

The last stages of the level are conducted inside of Forerunner structures. Individual engagements take place inside of moderately-sized rooms, with long, narrow hallways separating battles. The very last portion of the level involves a small amount of backtracking.

Statistics

New in The Ark

Introduced in this level...

New Enemies:	Brute Stalker
New Vehicles:	Prowler, Scorpion
New Items:	Automated Turret, Cloaking
New Weapons:	Orgudam Workshop firebomb, Mauler, Sentinel Beam

Campaign Scoring

Points information

Ranger Achievement Milestone:	50,000 points
Recommended Multiplier:	9.5× (Tough Luck (1.5) + Catch (1.5) + Fog (1.5) + Famine (2) + Thunderstorm (3))
Time Bonus
0-15 min	3×
15-20 min	2.5×
20-25 min	2×
25-30 min	1.5×

Starting Weapons

This section is incomplete.

Player V Starting Point >	Mission Start	Rally Point Alpha	Mission Start Respawn	Rally Point Alpha Respawn
Master Chief Primary Weapon Solo	Sniper Rifle	Sniper Rifle	N/A	N/A
Master Chief Secondary Weapon Solo	BR55HB SR Battle Rifle	BR55HB SR Battle Rifle	N/A	N/A
Master Chief Grenades Solo	2 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenades	2 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenades	N/A	N/A
Master Chief Primary Weapon Co-op	To be added	To be added	To be added	To be added
Master Chief Secondary Weapon Co-op	To be added	To be added	To be added	To be added
Master Chief Grenades Co-op	2 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenades	2 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenades	2 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenades	2 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenades
Thel 'Vadam Primary Weapon N'tho 'Sraom Primary Weapon Usze 'Taham Primary Weapon	To be added	To be added	To be added	To be added
Thel 'Vadam Secondary Weapon N'tho 'Sraom Secondary Weapon Usze 'Taham Secondary Weapon	To be added	To be added	To be added	To be added
Thel 'Vadam Grenades N'tho 'Sraom Grenades Usze 'Taham Grenades	2 Anskum-pattern plasma grenades	2 Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenades	2 Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenades	2 Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenades

Walkthrough (Basic)

Installation 00 (Mission Start)

When you exit the Pelican at the beginning of the level, follow the ODSTs to the first Covenant encampment. Hold your fire until you are in position, then snipe out Brute Captain (the one with the Brute Shot). Usually two headshots can kill him, but if you are not sure, hit him in the chest for three times. There's plenty of ammo. Do the same for the others. Continue to snipe Brutes while your allies take out Grunts and Jackals. There are two drop pods in the area with Sniper Rifles: one by your sniping spot, and another by the Deployable Lookout Tower. ODSTs have much longer range than standard Marines, so giving them sniper rifles, Battle Rifles, and Carbines is an excellent tactic. However, do keep at least one long range weapon with standard ammo capacity.

As you move up, a second group of Brutes and Grunts will enter. Some of the Brutes carry additional Brute Shots; these and the possibility of flanking are the only things that threaten your ODSTs. Once the Brutes are out of the way, hopefully with all your ODSTs intact, you can mop up the remaining hostiles easily. Restock on weapons and especially grenades, detach a Pek-pattern plasma cannon from the tower, and move on through the tunnel.

When you reach the Skar'wa-pattern Mantis, use a Battle Rifle (if you still have one) to headshot the Carbine Jackals standing on the Anti-Aircraft Battery. Often, the Brutes won't even notice their deaths. Move to the ledge and drop the Plasma Cannon so that it falls on the ground. Switch to your sniper rifle and engage the Brutes. If your ODSTs are along, they should be a big help, though they may have trouble with any Brutes that climb the barricade. Mop up the stragglers with your Battle Rifle.

A Phantom will drop off pair of Hunters (and maybe some Carbine Jackals, who should be priority one). The Plasma Cannon is extremely useful in dispatching the Hunters, though there are plenty of alternative strategies to use against them. Don't be afraid to use close-range attacks—they're slow, and there are plenty of rocks to dodge around. If you're feeling shy, you can either hurl grenades at them from your position above, or you can run around the barricade and try to flank them while the ODSTs distract them. Sometimes they'll come around to try to flank you (though they're easily distracted from this idea), which also presents a moment when their back is exposed. This is one of the few Hunter battles where you don't have any big guns available, so savor it!

Up the pathway is a Brute with a Brute Shot, and a group of Grunts. They are easily dispatched; you need not waste Plasma Cannon rounds on them, and since they drop plenty of plasma grenades, you can lob your own to your heart's content. Meet up with the Marines past the Forerunner door, and ambush the Covenant around the Pelican. The