Gameplay

Sierra 117/Walkthrough

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Halo 3

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Crow's Nest

Sierra 117
Promotional image for Halo 3 featuring John-117 with an MA5C assault rifle and Thel 'Vadam with a Vostu-pattern carbine on the campaign level Sierra 117.
Level overview

Player(s):

John-117

Objective(s):

  • Move to the river for evacuation
  • Find and rescue Johnson

Location(s):

Near Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa

Gameplay overview

Default weapons:

MA5C assault rifle
Magnum

Available weapons:

Enemies:

Skulls:

 

Sierra 117 is the first level in Halo 3, and as such serves as an introduction to the game's weapons and enemies. Overall, the level is fairly basic.

Overview[edit]

The vast majority of enemies in the level are Grunts. Each group of hostiles is led by at least one Brute. Jackals appear infrequently, with Carbine-wielding Jackals being quite rare. Weak weapons, such as the Plasma Pistol and Paegaas Workshop Spiker, are very common. Power weapons are nearly non-existent, and scoped weapons are rare until late in the level. Vehicles, with the exception of non-drivable ones like Phantoms and Pelicans, do not appear.

Statistics[edit]

New in Sierra 117[edit]

Introduced in this level...
New Enemies: Brute Captain, Brute Chieftain, Grunt, Jackal, Sniper Jackal
New Vehicles:
New Items: Bubble Shield
New Weapons: Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, Type-50 particle beam rifle, Brute Shot, Carbine, Frag Grenade, gravity hammer, Machine Gun Turret, Magnum, Needler, Pek-pattern plasma cannon, Anskum-pattern plasma grenade, Plasma Pistol, Sniper Rifle, Paegaas Workshop Spiker

Campaign Scoring[edit]

Points information
Guerrilla Achievement Milestone: 15,000 points
Recommended Multiplier: 6× (Tough Luck (1.5) + Fog (1.5) + Thunderstorm (3))
Time Bonus
0-15 min
15-20 min 2.5×
20-25 min
25-30 min 1.5×

Starting Weapons[edit]

Player V
Starting Point >
Mission Start Rally Point Alpha Rally Point Bravo Mission Start
Respawn
Rally Point Alpha
Respawn
Rally Point Bravo
Respawn
Master Chief Primary Weapon
Solo
MA5C Assault Rifle MA5C Assault Rifle MA5C Assault Rifle N/A N/A N/A
Master Chief Secondary Weapon
Solo
Magnum M6G Magnum M6G Magnum N/A N/A N/A
Master Chief Grenades
Solo
None None 2 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade N/A N/A N/A
Master Chief Primary Weapon
Co-op
MA5C Assault Rifle MA5C Assault Rifle MA5C Assault Rifle MA5C Assault Rifle MA5C Assault Rifle MA5C Assault Rifle
Master Chief Secondary Weapon
Co-op
BR55HB SR Battle Rifle BR55HB SR Battle Rifle BR55HB SR Battle Rifle BR55HB SR Battle Rifle BR55HB SR Battle Rifle BR55HB SR Battle Rifle
Master Chief Grenades
Co-op
2 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade 2 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade 2 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade N/A N/A N/A
Thel 'Vadam Primary Weapon
N'tho 'Sraom Primary Weapon
Usze 'Taham Primary Weapon
Type-51 Carbine Type-51 Carbine Type-51 Carbine Type-51 Carbine Type-51 Carbine Type-51 Carbine
Thel 'Vadam Secondary Weapon
N'tho 'Sraom Secondary Weapon
Usze 'Taham Secondary Weapon
Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle
Thel 'Vadam Grenades
N'tho 'Sraom Grenades
Usze 'Taham Grenades
2 Anskum-pattern plasma grenade 2 Anskum-pattern plasma grenade 2 Anskum-pattern plasma grenade N/A N/A N/A

Walkthrough[edit]

Walk It Off (Mission Start)[edit]

The start of the level is very linear; you should have no difficulty following the trail. When the Phantom flies overhead, you should see a high rock on the right, just the right height to be jumped onto. Go there; it will be an excellent perch in the battle that is about to ensue. Unfortunately, on Legendary, you have a pretty useless weapon set, so just use your pistol to fire upon the gold-armored Brute. As soon as the magazine is empty, get in motion. About five or six Grunts will show up from the left end of the log in pretty rapid succession. Headshot them—it should be easy, as they walk in a straight line—and finish off the Brute, assuming that the Marines haven't already taken care of him.

When that group is down, find a Plasma Pistol to dual-wield with your Magnum, and move forward until you hear the sound of another inbound Phantom. Back up and take cover behind the log, and be quick about it, or the Phantom's cannons will mow you down. As soon as the Phantom departs, move forward and take out the pack—the group of four or five Grunts led by a Brute. Take out the Brute first—it should be easy to Noob Combo him, as he is likely unaware of your presence. The Grunts will probably panic, but some may remain calm, so drop the Plasma Pistol and keep the Magnum ready. When the hostiles are all down, swap the pistol for a Brute Shot.

Alternatively, you can try to stick the Phantom's door gunner as it drops off reinforcements. If you succeed, you will easily kill three or four Grunts and secure yourself a Plasma Cannon for later use.

If you head right, near the cliffs, you will find the Blind skull. If you prefer close-range combat, you may find its massive melee damage useful.

There are two packs farther up the trail. Both are led by Brutes with a Brute Shot; the skull's melee and the Noob Combo are both excellent ways to dispatch the first. The second likes to hide behind trees, so watch your back and check your corners. When these two packs are down, drop the skull, restock on Brute Shot shells, and keep moving.

The next encounter is not very far ahead. It takes the form of a large, non-linear basin. Inside are about fifteen Grunts (half of which are asleep), five Jackals with shields, three Carbine-wielding Sniper Jackals, and five or six Brutes. This isn't an easy battle, but it is manageable. Before heading in, swap out your Assault Rifle for a Carbine. Then, quickly move downhill from tree to tree, assassinating sleeping Grunts. Once you have finished that, wait for a small group of enemies to approach the group of Plasma Batteries on the far left side of the area. Carbine the batteries for a multi-kill.

The three Snipers, being the longest-range foes, are your priority. One is quite close, on a rock one level down from the place where you entered the area—right below the Arbiter. In fact, the Arbiter may already have killed him. The two others are harder to find; they're hidden in the foliage on the ridge up at the top right side of the area. Pinpoint them by their shots, and then zoom in and Carbine-spam—there is plenty of Carbine ammo in the area, so you need not worry about wasting it.

Once all three are dead, it's time to head down onto the valley floor. Fight your way across the river, taking care to look both ways for enemies as you cross. If you have picked up a Bubble Shield by now, deploy it on one of the raised areas just across the river to establish a beachhead. Target the Brutes first, then the Needler-wielding Grunts, then the Jackals, and then the regular Grunts. With the Brutes, you may want to use the Brute Shot's melee to knock off their armor before you go for the head shot. By the time you've cleared the far bank of the river, you should have reduced the enemy forces to a single pack. Swap out the Brute Shot for a Needler and use it to kill the last Brute. Mop up the stragglers with Carbine fire. Restock on ammo again, and move on down the path.

Up on the log above, Sergeant Reynolds is being interrogated by a Brute. Needle the Brute, and then move forward under and past the log to get up the slope. There's a Carbine Jackal and a Grunt or two here, so be sure to kill them before moving on. Past this area is a section off to the left, where a few Grunts wait for you to approach. Kill them, and move into the place they came from. Here, you can pick up the new, slightly better Battle Rifle, or keep your Carbine. At the far end of this area is a pair of Jackals (without Carbines, thankfully) and a pack. Again, use the Needler on the Brute and the Carbine on the Grunts. Follow the tunnel past the Cortana Moment and you've completed this section.

Charlie Foxtrot (Rally Point Alpha)[edit]

Immediately after you exit the tunnel, there is a small area off to the left, where a dead Marine lies with a Battle Rifle and some grenades. Take them as needed, and then follow the path until you find yourself overlooking a large area by the river. To your right is a corpse with a large amount of frag grenades; lob them all into the Covenant forces below. When you've used them all up, jump down the ledge, and move to the left; you'll find another frag cache here.

There are two packs in the valley when you arrive, but it's hard to say how many will retreat to the dam when the Phantom arrives. Usually, the Brutes fall back, but they are not your main concern. On Heroic and Legendary, two Sniper Jackals will be positioned across the outpost, who will severely damage or outright kill the player respectively. These should be taken out immediately with the battle rifle, as you are unlikely to hit them with anything else.

This part can be obscenely difficult on Legendary, not simply because of numbers (though you will be vastly outnumbered) nor because of firepower (although you will be vastly outgunned) but because you tend to get nasty checkpoints. There are two ways to get up onto the dam: just jumping straight up from below (nearly suicidal but not impossible) or walking up the left path (slower but safer). If you want to jump right up, then go ahead and do it. You should move a lot, throw grenades, drop Bubble Shields, and watch your back obsessively. If you instead choose the left path, then beware of the four Jackals (two normal and two wielding Carbines) on the path itself, as well as the lurking Carbine Jackal up on a ledge to the left.

After the engagement at the dam, you will have to walk through the infamous "sniper alley", which contains numerous Jackal marksman. On Heroic and Legendary, a few snipers are also added into the mix, so it is imperative to advance slowly or risk a quick death from both carbine and beam rifles. Once the alley is cleared, move forward to find Sergeant Johnson retreating with several marines. A large Covenant force awaits here, and as with the alley, it is imperative to advance slowly on higher difficulties, as snipers will supplement the marksmen lurking on trees and cliff faces.

Before leaving this area, make sure to grab the sniper rifle from the crashed Pelican.

Quid Pro Quo (Rally Point Bravo)[edit]

This next part happens fast, so be ready as soon as the cutscene ends.

Safe Method[edit]

After the cutscene ends, use your Sniper Rifle to scout the area. While the chieftain looks like an incentive target, he is not the largest threat at the dam on Heroic and Legendary; this is instead taken by two snipers, one on the ledge and the other above the prison Johnson is being held in. Eliminate these two snipers first before handling the rest of the enemies. The chieftain will be alerted once combat initiates and will relocate himself to the dam wall.

The remaining enemies in the first half of the dam are not particularly dangerous though some care should be taken to avoid getting killed by marksmen. The chieftain will be awaiting on the other side with his two bodyguards. Try to take the chieftain's helmet off before eliminating his bodyguards; if a bodyguard is killed, he and the remaining bodyguard will charge to the opposite side. The remaining enemies should not pose much threat once he is down.

If all the Marines accompanying you were killed prior to the dam battle, a few of them will be alive with Johnson when you rescue him. They will automatically equip themselves with weapons from the nearby lockers. If the player still has marines with them, the ones inside will be dead instead.

Once Johnson is freed, two Phantoms will arrive dropping a number of Brutes and Grunts. Engage them on the bridge and kill all of them. Alternatively, you can stay behind the prison, using a nearby box as cover and scoring headshots on the first wave of Grunts. Pelican Kilo 023 will then fire upon the Phantoms, destroying them easily. Hop aboard the Pelican to complete the level and begin the cinematic.

The Iron skull can be obtained in this area with minimal work.

Preceded by
none
Halo 3 Campaign Walkthrough for:
Sierra 117
Succeeded by
Crow's Nest

Video Walkthrough[edit]