Valhalla

Valhalla is a multiplayer map in Halo 3. A from-the-ground-up level, it is said to be 'the new Blood Gulch'. It is a sparsely forested valley with mountains in the distance, featuring a river, rocky outcroppings, and hills. Bungie added these new land features to help balance the action between snipers and on-foot travelers, whereas in Blood Gulch and Coagulation, those players were easy prey. Another fact is that the map does not contain a Halo rising into the distance. Valhalla could be located on a planet instead. In a recent FAQ, Bungie has replied to this question, "Who said [Valhalla] is anywhere near a Halo? The Galaxy is a big place, and there are only six Halos left." The FAQ can be seen here. In the final version of the game, if you go out into the water as far as possible and look to the horizon, you can see one "spoke" of the Ark. You can't see more than one because of mountains and clouds, but Valhalla is most likely located on the Ark.

The map is very large. It has a canyon with hills, lots of trees, cliffs, a very large Forerunner wall on one side, and a river running through.

Layout
The map is similar in shape to Blood Gulch but has unique elements of its own. It also has features from the Halo: Combat Evolved level; Halo. The most obvious feature is both the river and the bases themselves. The river starts in the mountains behind blue base, and comes out at a waterfall. The river then flows in front of the base, into a cave, then down between the two prominent hills on which players find the Spartan Laser, and the AIE-486H Heavy Machinegun. Finally it bends around the base, and empties into a large lake. There is also another cave in the map, which goes through the hill between the crashed pelican and blue base. The distinguished beam emitter bases are Forerunner technology. They are similar to the structures seen in the Halo PC multiplayer map Infinity and Halo, while the lower portion is reminiscent of the bases in Blood Gulch. There are three entrances to the inside of the base; two on the sides as seen in many screenshots, and another located behind. Replacing the teleporters are the Man Cannons. The largest one, on the front of the base, will send you out into the main battle, while the smaller ones on the side of each base send you a short distance to the nearby cliff for a quick getaway. Also stated about the bases is that they feature a shiny glass floor, most likely on the interior. As previously stated, there are two similar hills on either side of the river. On one spawns the Spartan Laser, while the other holds a AIE-486H Heavy Machinegun. Each base holds a Sniper Rifle inside the rear entrance, a pair of Fragmentation Grenades and Plasma Grenades. The third grenade type, the Spike Grenade, is not present on this map. Numerous Battle Rifles spawn around the map: two on top of the base next to the smaller Man Cannons, two underneath the base alongside each entrance along with two Plasma Pistols, and two that spawn in each cave. One M90 Assault Shotguns spawn inside each of the caves as well, and Spikers spawn all around the map. The Missile Pod spawns inside each base in the Halo 3 Beta but was moved to the top in the full game. The current vehicle set per base is a Banshee, Warthog, Wraith, and two Mongooses. However, in the Matchmaking playlists the vehicles are limited to a Warthog, a pair of Mongooses, and a banshee per base. The Power Drainer spawns on top of each base next to the Missle Pod, while the Bubble Shield spawns at the neutral Mongoose near the Forerunner wall.

Areas

 * 1) Lake Base
 * 2) Waterfall Base
 * 3) Waterfall
 * 4) Canyon Bend
 * 5) Ravine
 * 6) Turret
 * 7) Turret Side
 * 8) Pelican
 * 9) Pelican Rear Cave
 * 10) Pelican Nose Cave
 * 11) Center Ridge
 * 12) River

Trivia

 * On 31st October (Halloween), a Tombstone with the letters "RIP" appear on the Forerunner wall near where the Neutral Mongoose spawns and on a rock close to Red base.
 * Valhalla (Old Norse Valhall, "Hall of the slain") is Odin's hall in Norse mythology, for those slain gloriously in battle.
 * This map's name has nothing to do with blood, unlike its two predecessors. But, it is related to MJOLNIR, as they are both of the same mythological origin.
 * The D-77 TC Pelican Dropship Victor 398 mentioned in the map description can be seen to have crashed along the shadowed cliff between the bases. Weapons canisters from the dropship appear to be scattered across the battlefield.
 * The maps general layout and design bears a startling resemblance to the level Halo, and may have been inspired by it, incorporating elements from Blood Gulch/Coagulation and Containment as well.
 * This map was named "Riverworld" and then "Curious Gorge" before Bungie finally settled on Valhalla.
 * This map was used as PSAs for Rooster Teeth's widely known machinima series, Red vs. Blue.
 * In the halo 3 beta you could fly in to outer space by a glitch in a banshee.
 * For some reason unknown Bungie decided to remove the trip mine that was on top of the base in the beta from the map in the full game.

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