Outskirts (Level)

Outskirts is a Halo 2 campaign level. As the Master Chief, you must battle your way through the streets of Old Mombasa (Earth) with Marines to reach the beach. From there you head to a Highway tunnel, which leads to the next level, Metropolis. This is also the first level in which you will encounter Jackals, Jackal Snipers, Hunters, and Phantom Dropships, as well as the first Halo 2 level in which you can drive vehicles, as well as the first mission to take place on the Earth. Outskirts is also the level in Halo 2 with the most Sniper Jackals; a total of 22 in all, most of which are located in the infamous "Sniper Alley".

Outskirts
{Cutscene}

Three Pelicans rocket away from In Amber Clad'', jet engines thundering, and spear out towards New Mombasa. The Assault Carrier hovers high over the city, Gravity Lift engaged.)''

Cortana (O.S.): "The message just repeats. 'Regret, Regret, Regret.'"

The Master Chief watches from the stern of a Pelican as the clouds roll by below.

Commander Keyes (O.S.): "Catchy. Any idea what it means?"

A convoy of Warthogs are seen as the Pelicans pass over them.

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): "Dear Humanity ... we regret being alien bastards. We regret coming to Earth."

Inside the cockpit of the Pelican, Johnson leans against the bulkhead behind the two pilots.

Sergeant Johnson: "And we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!"

Pilots (In Unison): "Ooo-rah!"

Cortana (O.S.): "Regret is a name, Sergeant. The name of one of the Covenant's religious leaders. A Prophet. He's on that carrier, and he's calling for help."

A Marine Sniper scout team lies prone on a rooftop, and the Pelicans fly over their position.

Marine (O.S.): "Immediate; Grid kilo two-three is hot. Recommend mission abort."

Pilot (O.S.): "Roger, recon. (To Johnson) It's your call, Sarge."

Sergeant Johnson: "We're going in. Get tactical, Marines!"

'' Cut to inside the Pelican. A Marine loads rounds into his Battle Rifle and cocks the gun, and a sharpshooter examines a magazine before slotting it into his Sniper Rifle. A third Marine puts on a helmet,tapping it to make sure it's tight. Master Chief stands silently, gazing at the streets below.

Lord Hood (O.S.): "Master Chief, get aboard that carrier, and secure the Prophet of Regret. This is the only place on Earth the Covenant decided to land. That Prophet is going to tell us why."

Pilot: "Thirty seconds out... stand by to... whoa...'

''The pilot goes silent as a huge Scarab comes into view. Its leg spears a truck which explodes, then its main gun focuses and fires, destroying the lead Pelican. The two other Pelicans veer off, as Plasma Turrets on the Scarab's back turrets track them. The leftward dropship, with Johnson and the Chief on board, catches a burst of plasma on its right flank, flips inverted, hits a building, and slides through a low brick wall, before blacking out the frame...''

{Gameplay}

The Master Chief becomes conscious again.

Cortana:
 * (Easy) "You all right Chief?'
 * (Normal)(*Fakes tapping helmet*) "Hey, wake up."
 * (Heroic) "Talk to me, should I start CPR? What's going on?"
 * (Legendary) "Blink if you can hear me."

Sergeant Johnson: "Shake it off, Marines. Clear the crash site, go, go, go!"

They'll Regret That Too
As the Chief and the rest of the team arrive at a bombed-out building and a firefight breaks out.

(If you switch weapons with Johnson)

Sergeant Johnson: "I thought we were friends!/What the-/That hurts, Chief,that hurts real bad!!/Why, I oughta.../You do know I was kicking ass with that/If you were anybody else..."

Marine : "Secure this area!/Dig in fella's!/For now, this is home." (varies)

Marine: "Hoo-rah!'

Covenant Elites and Grunts appear in the area, and upon sighting the team they open fire.

Sergeant Johnson: "If they didn't know we're here before, they do now."

A few Covenant troops including Jackal Snipers appear on the rooftops.

Sergeant Johnson: "Yep. Here they come! Up high!"

Sergeant Johnson: 'I don't wanna kill ya, you're just too ugly to let live!'

After the first wave of Covenant forces are killed

Sergeant Johnson: "More on the street! Left side!"

After the second wave of Covenant are killed

Jackals and a Minor Elite appear through the path you came in.

Sergeant Johnson: "We got Jackals in the courtyard!"

Later, a group of Drones flies into the courtyard.

Sergeant Johnson: "Buggers, headin' over the rooftops!"

Another wave of Covenant attacks again.

Sergeant Johnson: "Across the street! Down low!"

Later, the sound of a Phantom dropship engines drifts over the rooftop.

Sergeant Johnson: (O.S.) "Eyes up! Phantom's back!"

Once the Phantom drops off the another wave of Covenant and they are killed, another Pelican arrives, hovering over the courtyard.

Pilot (O.S.): "My girl's a little big for that courtyard, Sergeant. I see a good LZ on the other side of these buildings. Meet you there, over."

Sergeant Johnson: "Copy that. Someone get a satchel on the gate!"

(Before anyone gets a chance to reach for a satchel, the gates begin to shake, raising dust. A few seconds later, it breaks, and a pair of Hunters arrive)

Cortana: "Hunters."

Sergeant Johnson: (O.S.) "Stand back, Marines. Let the Chief show you how it's done!"

(Once the Hunters are down)

Cortana (O.S.): "Second squad, this is Cortana. What's your status, over?"

Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker (O.S.): "We're operational ma'am...barely. Our pilots didn't make it."

Cortana (O.S.): "Find a hole, stay put. We'll come to you."

When the team reaches the second courtyard and they encounter another Jackal sniper with other Jackal ranks supporting it.

Marine: "The only thing worse than Jackals ... Jackals with sniper rifles!"(meaning 'Beam Rifles' as that's what Jackals carry)

When the team reaches the far courtyard, the Pelican drops off Marines.

Commander Keyes (O.S.): "Sergeant, I need you on that bird."

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): "Ma'am?"

Commander Keyes (O.S.): "My Pelicans are going to start airlifting armor and reinforcements into the city. They'll need an escort that isn't afraid of a little hostile ground fire."

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): "Understood. I'll keep an eye on 'em. Chief ... good luck.'

Sergeant Johnson climbs aboard the Pelican and dusts off.

Once the Chief and the marines reach the Second squad's position.

GSGT Stacker : "Chief! Glad you could make it. Crash site's on the other side of this hotel, Chief. Covenant are crawling all over it. Follow me."

As the Sergeant and the Chief moves into the darkened hotel...

Sergeant Stacker : "Stay outta sight."

''Grunts and Elites come through the dark corridors. Stacker and some Marines fire on them. Emerging from the Hotel, they spot a Phantom dropping off several Grunts.''

Sergeant Stacker : "You make my mother-in-law look pretty!"

A couple of marines pull up in a Warthog, honking the horn for the Chief.

Marine: "Special Delivery from Commander Keyes, Chief."

Cortana (O.S.): "The highest concentration of Covenant ground troops is directly below the carrier. I don't think they want you to get on board."

Cortana (O.S.): "That bridge is the most direct route to the city center.'

A Day at the Beach
Marine: "Oh no, I hate the beach..."

Marine: "I hope you packed a suit, mate!"

Cortana (O.S.): "Cut the chatter... we got trouble."

As the Chief navigates the beaches.

Commander Keyes (O.S.): "Chief ... the carrier just launched a wave of pods. They're inbound on your position!"

Covenant Orbital Insertion Pods slam down on the beach all around you, and armed Elites spring from them.

Cortana: "This tunnel leads up to the bridge. It's full of rats, if you know what I mean, but it beats swimming."

As the Chief moves into the highway tunnel

Speed Zone Ahead
Cortana: "I've been analyzing the Covenant tactical chatter. They're surprised, confused... I don't think they expected us to be here. Not... you and me...all of us... humanity, on Earth. Odd, I know, but it does help explain why they came here with such a small fleet."

Throughout the tunnel the team of Warthog(s) encounter many Covenant positions consisting of Ghosts, Plasma Turrets and a few Battlefield Methane Tanks.

When the Chief comes across a group of Shadows in the inner tunnels.

Cortana: "The Covenant must be trying to regroup. Don't let them."

The Chief stops the Shadows, passes through another Covenant defensive position and approaches the exit of the tunnel.

Weapons Caches

 * The first one is on the second story of the main structure in the first plaza. Get on the second story and check under the stairs. It contains a BR and Sniper ammo, a Magnum, and (interestingly) two SMGs that have a total of 430 rounds (70 rounds more than usual).
 * Another one can be found after you encounter the Hunters. Go through the doors and you'll reach two crates stacked on top of each other. Jump on top and turn right. You should see some bodies. Go towards them and you should see the ammo. There will be two dead Grunts, a Jackal and two dead Marines. There will be three Frag grenades, two fully loaded Plasma Pistols, a Sniper Rifle and two clips plus one Magnum.
 * Another is very close to the above cache. When up by the bodies you should see a broken street light. Jump between it and the wall to get the ammo.
 * If you go to the building with the two Jackals, on the bottom floor there are several Sniper Rifle clips as well as a sniper rifle.
 * A sniper rifle cache can be found in a balcony. It contains four or five boxes of ammo and a Sniper Rifle. This balcony also has the IWHBYD Skull when you trigger the events on Legendary.
 * Another is on the rooftops, if you go along the rooftops next to the sniper alley, you should find a house with a corner blown off. There is an Energy Sword inside.
 * The last one is in the third beach area, in the open area building. If you park on the right side there is a ramp that leads up to the top floor. Here is the only Rocket Launcher in this level, plus a Sniper Rifle, Battle Rifle ammo, and Sniper ammo. On the bottom floor is two Rocket ammo boxes. This area is useful for both sniping the Elites that come out of the drop-pods and destroying the many Ghosts that come at you.
 * In part 1, "They'll Regret That Too," right after you kill the Grunt that walks by, make your way to the machinegun turret and next to it is a Battle Rifle with a 114 ammo. This Battle Rifle has six more rounds than a regular one.

Base Defense
In the first part of the level, when you must defend the Marines until help arrives, try to defend your base a bit properly. In this case, your "Base" will be the large building in the center of this courtyard. This building was probably a small open area park of some sort. There are three levels and an atrium, with a tree taking up most of the space in the atrium.

A flight of stairs leads up to the second level, which is basically a large balcony (very vulnerable to Snipers) that has an MG turret in the center, with a separate stairwell leading up to the third level. Sgt. Johnson will take up position here, sniping any enemies he notices. The Marines will usually stay with you on the second level, but one might stray down to the courtyard and side street.

For your convenience, there are three ammo caches for you to feast upon. The first one is on the ground level, right in that little room in the doorway. There will be SMG and BR ammo. The 2nd and 3rd cache are on the 2nd level, one under the stairwell leading to the 3rd floor. This cache contains BR, SMG, and Sniper Rifle ammo, plus a Magnum. The third is situated in the center of the balcony, surrounding the Machine Gun turret. There are also some Frag Grenades in the courtyard.

The MG turret will be very useful in upcoming fights, but its firing path is only centered on the main courtyard. Keep that in mind. Bear also that in the more difficult levels, using a turret will be largely ineffective, since it leaves you completely exposed.

On the right side of the balcony (facing outwards) there is a large hole you can drop through.

The 3rd level consists mostly of a glass sunroof that will break if you try and walk across it.

The ground floor's main entrance has no door to close, making it vulnerable to infiltration. Keep your enemies at bay with the MG to solve this problem.

There are many ways to get on and off and into your little fort. Two effective ways are the white and brown trucks that are around the side streets. Jump onto these trucks, and from there you can get to the balcony.

There are many crates in the courtyard for your enemies to hide behind. Try to take out them out before they can find cover.

Base defense tends to be a more effective tactic on Heroic and Legendary difficulty levels as it gives you a good fall back position and hiding spot to regenerate your shields. When playing on Normal or Easy you will probably find yourself on the street more often than not, retreating to the base occasionally to use the turret.

In co-op it might be better if one of you has the sniper and Battle Rifle, and the other should keep the SMG and Battle Rifle. The person with the sniper rifle should sit on top and snipe the Elites or Jackals while the other person cleans up the rest or washes out enemies from cover. The person without the sniper should also use the turret. The sniper can actually cover the entrance from the roof without giving away their cover.

One possibly strategy one can employ in the later levels is the exploitation of Johnson's innate invulnerability. Simply let him kill everyone with his Sniper rifle, while you wait inside the base.

Glitches

 * Because Outskirts is the first part of a two-part level, your weapons will carry over to Metropolis, unless one of your weapons is a Rocket Launcher. If you finish Outskirts with a Rocket Launcher you will start Metropolis with a Battle Rifle and an SMG.
 * There is a glitch where a Jackal Sniper kills himself.
 * In the tunnel, when the Scarab shoots through a hole in the roof and burns a Warthog, it is possible to jump through the hole and follow it, if you follow it for enough time it'll disappear.
 * There is a way to get over the gate from were the Drones come in. First you go were the first Grunt is, jump on one of the lights on top, then jump on the roof, after that you go to the building behind were the Pelican crashed, then look to your left where there is an alley behind the gate.
 * There is also a way to get on the other gate at the end of the alley on the other side. First, you jump on the light and then the roof but this time you have to go to the building in front were the phantom comes, grenade jump and then just head straight, you should see some other buildings with those bridge-like things. Then you get on top of the building with bridge and just go more straight until you see the inside part, head down and down to the ally and on this place you could see the gate that you went over.
 * If you are on the broken bridge when the Pelican takes Johnson, you can jump on the Pelican and go with it but the Pelican will disappear.
 * A Trigate can be found on this level, though it may be a graphical error.
 * You can get Sergeant Johnson to the end of the level by meleeing him away from the Pelican where he is picked up. At the chapter "A Day at the Beach" if you ram Johnson with a Ghost with boost he will scream and yell something about him not making a will and in denial of dying even though he is invincible. This trick is also handy for hard levels on Outskirts because when you push the sergeant out into the enemy's fire, all enemies fire at Johnson, leaving you free to attack them without fear of retaliation.
 * It is possible to "kill" Sergeant Johnson by boosting into him and pushing him into a wall. He will disappear into the wall.
 * If you go out of the map into the water at the end of the level and continue back you pass several structures going into the water, one of these has a black rectangle that produces water effects when shot.
 * It is possible to get an Energy Sword on Easy. (not REX) by boarding an Ultra driving a Ghost and then get out of the Ghost and attack it until it takes out the sword.
 * There is a glitch in this level where you can kill both the Hunters with one shot of a Battle Rifle. When they break through the gates, stand on top of the building across from it, on the glass roof. When they come through the gate, aim for the Fuel Rod Gun on the second Hunter's arm. When it goes to shoot, hit it once, and if your in the right position, the explosion will kill them both.
 * You can board a Pelican in this level.
 * There is a glitch that makes Hotel Zanzibar different. You need Sputnik and an Energy Sword. Grenade jump up to the complete top of the building where the ground is invisible and you can see the invisible roof. Walk all over it and start sword charging and you'll eventually go through the roof and land inside Hotel Zanzibar. The difference is that when you do the glitch, the Hotel is empty, the lights are on, no allies or enemies and the Hotel is completely deserted. If you go to the start of the level or just before the end and go back to the Hotel it will not be empty, it will have the lights flashing and possibly the allies and enemies.
 * At the first part of the level (just before the Hunters come) try and keep as many Marines alive as you can. When the Hunters arrive, kill at least one using the turret then jump past the other one, then run straight to where the Pelican arrives and you will receive an additional three Marines, making it possible to have six Marines for the second part, but you must not kill both Hunters before attempting or the Marines will follow and this will not work.
 * When you encounter the convoy of Shadows, if you drive through the gap in the Shadow it will not affect the Ghost and you will go straight through it.
 * Before entering the first part of the tunnel, it is possible to blow the top part of the hover tower off its place and will just stay on the ground. After doing this, you can get Marines out of the warthog into the grav-lift and they will continuously go up and down in it.


 * If you get the "REX" sword on this level, it is possible to have it on unlimited for the next level. First, completely deplete the battery, then keep it for the next level. On the level, it will look like and say it is depleted, but when you take it out, it will appear like a sword then disappear, and when you attack an enemy it does the same damage a normal sword would. Note: do not pick up another weapon or it will disappear.
 * It is possible to give a Marine no weapon. First, give any Marine a SMG (preferably a regular Marine, it tends not to work with Sergeants), then you must have two Magnums (have at least over 60 spare rounds, 96 would be good). Note that this only works at certain parts of the level, and that the Marines must first be in combat for it to work, the best time and best possible chance of this working is either just after the Pelican leaves with Johnson, after the fight with the sniper Jackals around the corner, or just as you pass that. Then run up to him and while moving take his weapon, and if done well enough, the pistol you give him will go right through him and onto the ground. When he walks, he will look kind of strange, but the funniest bit is when you get him in the side of the warthog he will stand up in the side with his arms spread apart in a "T" shape, and when he walks, he will look as if he is aiming a pistol in sometimes will move as if being fired.

Easter Eggs

 * The Blind and I Would Have Been Your Daddy Skulls are found on this level.
 * On the roof, there is a small room with an Energy Sword also known as the "REX" sword because of the rocks next to it. It is also called "Excalibur" because it is sticking out of a rock.
 * The building with the Blind Skull has four grenades that are stacked by the skull and a spotter’s scope.
 * If you listen closely you can hear a man talking through a megaphone, and if you are wondering where the his voice is projecting from you can find some megaphones on the walls of buildings and on the highway tunnel.
 * There is an Invincible Warthog on this level.
 * You can get a Scarab gun on this level.

Mistakes



 * The exhaust effects on the Pelican dropships are different, as well as the ones in Another Day at the Beach.
 * The Warthogs in the first cutscene have no drivers.
 * In the beginning of the level you can get an SMG with more ammo than usual, 240 to be exact.
 * It's possible, on your way to the IWHBYD skull, to see the edge of the world.

Miscellaneous

 * This level was originally going to be entirely in New Mombasa, and there were not going to be any Scarabs. A gameplay video of the old version can be found on the bonus DVD to the Halo: Original Soundtrack.
 * This is one of only two maps in the Halo 2 Campaign that features ladders.
 * At the start of the level if you get the Sniper Rifle from Johnson and jump up to the building you would normally ride the Phantom you will have a great sniping position.
 * On all but three of the glass panels (at the start of the level on building in the courtyard) you will fall through unless you are running.
 * It is possible to complete this level on all difficulties without having to shoot your hand held weapon once. Immediately, go out into the courtyard, go to the left down the street, into an alley, and hop on the roofs. Jump from roof to roof until you reach the Zanzibar hotel. Then, go in and let your marines take out the Grunts and Elites. Whoever they don't kill you can beat down. Then, get in a Ghost or Warthog and drive through the rest of the level without getting out.
 * All the fires on this level won't harm you even if you are unshielded.
 * A good way to finish the first part on harder difficulties is to give Johnson a strong weapon and let him do all the fighting. It may take some time but you'll last a lot longer.
 * This is the only level in all three games where there are Shadows.
 * Before meeting the Shadows, you can hear the same ringing bell which is at the beginning of Blow Me Away.
 * There is a hidden Sniper Rifle on the building where two Jackals appear after Johnson leaves.
 * It is possible to save up to six Warthogs on this level if they come out.
 * If you get lost outside the map or just fall down, Bungie put a lot of crates for you to get back on track.
 * The bridge in Metropolis is visible when on the beachhead.
 * Also the bridge where the Scarab Gun is located can be seen from the beach on this level.
 * You can get on top of most buildings with the Sputnik Skull turned on.
 * You can get on top of the second Phantom with a grenade jump with the Sputnik Skull turned on.
 * If you have the Sputnik skull on and you get to the part where you go into the tunnel if you do a frag grenade jump on top of the tunnel now go explore!
 * There are hidden Sniper Rifles and ammo in the building where the IWHBYD Skull is found.
 * The pictures where they show Master Chief in turret killing Grunts and the picture of a jester-like-person are found in human-like maps for multiplayer.
 * If you get on top of the tunnel there is a wall with flames painted on it.
 * This level shows the first appearance of the Scarab.
 * In the beginning of the level, you can trap the Hunters that break through the gate. To do this, you must completely block the gate off with the white overturned truck and every other container you find. If the Sputnik Skull is turned on, it will make the process a lot easier and faster. Also, it is a good idea to have the Thunderstorm Skull on as well. It makes every Elite an Ultra so you can have swords to beat the truck around with.
 * The Warthog that drops down from the hole the Scarab shoots through is a Gauss Warthog.
 * In the same area as stated above, there is a squad of Marines with a turret.
 * This is the first level in Halo 2 that has Hunters.
 * The crashed Pelican first seen when arriving at the beach is the same one that crashed in, Another Day at the Beach.
 * The very first Grunt you encounter in this level, will always turn his back to you if you advance towards him, giving you a free assassination.

Gallery
 Image:Mombasa.jpg|Pelican Dropships flying to New Mombasa. Regret's Ship is in the background with its Gravity Lift activated. Image:Unsc convoy.jpg|A UNSC convoy. 

Internal Links

 * Suicide Jackal
 * Invincible Warthog