Gravemind (Level)

Looking for Gravemind the character? Gravemind is a Halo 2 campaign level. The Gravemind teleports the Master Chief to High Charity. The Prophet of Truth has the Index, and you must get to him before he leaves. As you you travel through High Charity, the Covenant begin their civil war. You will move through battles between the Elites, Grunts, and Hunters versus the Brutes, Jackals and Drones.

Strangely enough, apart from the opening cut scene, there is no contact with the titular character or his Flood minions. Also of note, is that the word "Gravemind" is not mentioned until two levels later in High Charity. This is also the level where the Energy Sword appears very often.

In this level you will not be able to use any human weapons.

Summary
Council Chamber -> Holding Chambers -> Valley of Tears A -> Hanging Gardens A -> Mid Tower ->Hanging Gardens B -> Valley of Tears B -> Mausoleum of the Arbiter

Usable Weapons

 * Brute Plasma Rifle
 * Brute Shot
 * Carbine
 * Energy Sword
 * Fuel Rod Cannon
 * Needler
 * Plasma Cannon
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Shielded Plasma Cannon

Chapter 1: Inside Job


''{Master Chief begins to wake up, we see a red circle of lights on the ceiling of some underground area. We see that he's being held by a tentacle and brought towards a massive creature (Gravemind).}''

Cortana: "What... is that?"

''{The Chief is held in front of Gravemind's head. The head being one giant mouth made from separate parts, similar to an Elite's}''

Gravemind: "I? I am a monument to all your sins."

''{As Gravemind talks, he breathes out vapors found in Flood infestations. Two tentacles bring a struggling Arbiter.}''

Master Chief: "Relax. I'd rather not piss this thing off."

Arbiter: "Demon!"

{the Gravemind makes loud huffing sounds, indicates the Chief}

Gravemind: "This one is machine and nerve, and has its mind concluded." {a tentacle wraps around Master Chief's head, then indicates the Arbiter} "This one is but flesh and faith, and is the more deluded."{turns the Arbiter upside down}

Arbiter: "Kill me or release me, parasite. But do not waste my time with talk!"

Gravemind: "There is much talk. And I have listened. Through rock, and metal, and time. Now I shall talk, and you shall listen."

{he raises two tentacles, one wrapped around a red Monitor, the other merged with a half-Flood Prophet of Regret}

Monitor: "Greetings. I am 2401 Penitent Tangent. I am the Monitor of Installation 05."

Prophet of Regret: "And I am the Prophet of Regret, Councilor most high, Hierarchy of the Covenant!"

2401 Penitent Tangent: "A Reclaimer? Here? At last. We have much to do. This facility must be activated if we are to control this outbreak."

Prophet of Regret: "Stay where you are! Nothing can be done until my sermon is complete!"

2401 Penitent Tangent: "Not true. This installation has a successful utilization record of 1.2 trillion simulated and one actual. It is ready to fire on demand."

Prophet of Regret: "Of all the objects our Lords left behind, there are none so worthless as these Oracles! They know nothing of the Great Journey!"

2401 Penitent Tangent: "And you know nothing about containment! You have demonstrated a complete disregard to even the most basic protocols!"

Gravemind: "This one's containment..." {gives a disgusted huff} "And this one's 'Great Journey' are the same." {he lowers the tentacles, Regret shrieks in fear} "Your Prophets have promised you freedom from a doomed existence, but you will find no salvation on this ring. Those who built this place knew what they wrought. Do not mistake their intent, or all will perish as they did before..."

Master Chief: "This thing is right. Halo is a weapon. Your Prophets are making a big mistake."

Arbiter: "Your ignorance already destroyed one of the sacred rings, demon. It shall not harm another."

Gravemind: "If you will not hear the truth, then I will show it to you. There is still time to stop the key from turning, but first it must be found." {indicates each in turn} "You will search one likely spot, and you will search another. Fate had us meet as foes, but this ring will make us brothers!"

''{MC and the Arbiter disappear in teleportation rings. Fade to black, fade in on High Charity.}''

''{A swarm of Covenant ships attack each other. Fade in on the walkway outside the Council Chamber, Honor Guard Brutes guard the gates from rioters.}''

Prophet of Truth (voice over): "We are all of us, gravely concerned."

''{Cut to Council Chamber. A line of Honor Guard Brutes stand at attention. A cameraman Grunt focuses a holographic camera on Truth as he delivers his propaganda, while the Prophet of Mercy watches from aside.}''

Prophet of Truth: "The release of the parasite was unexpected, unfortunate. But, there is no need to panic. In truth, this is a time to rejoice. A moment that all the Covenant should savor." {raises the Index} "For the Sacred Icon has been found. With it, our path is clear, our entry into the Divine Beyond guaranteed! The Great Journey is nigh..." {the Grunt notices the Chief teleporting in behind him} "...and nothing, not even the Flood, can stop it."

Master Chief: "Boo."

''{the Grunt yelps, throws up his needler and runs, the Chief catches the needler, aims it at the Prophets. Two Brute Honor Guards shield Truth with their Honor Pikes.}''

Prophet of Truth: "Kill the demon!"

{the Prophets and some Brutes escape through a gravlift, leaving two Brutes}

Gameplay
Cortana: "Brutes! The faster you can kill these Brutes, the better." {MC kills one Brute} "They don't have shield generators, but take them out before... it's berserking!"

{MC kills all Covenant in the room}

Tartarus (loudspeaker): "The demon has entered the Council chamber?! Protect the Hierarchs! Seal the exits."

Cortana: "Oh, I don't think so."

{After the Chief fends off the attackers}

Cortana: "Put me down on one of the pedestals near the door."

{MC does so, Cortana's hologram appears}

Cortana: "That Prophet... Truth, he has the Index. You've got to take it from him. Let me get these doors. Go! It will be easier to track Truth if I stay in the network. Don't worry. You can pick me up later."

{MC fights his way to the ledge where the Arbiter was tortured}

Cortana (Radio): "Watch out for the Captain, it's got a Brute Shot!"

Cortana: "Truth is moving through the lower levels of the tower. I'll reverse this gravlift. Drop down, try to cut him off." {if MC pauses} "It's safe, really. Just step in."

{If you continue to stall}

Cortana: "After that stunt on the Cairo, I know you're not afraid of heights."

Cortana: "Fine, I won't watch. Meet you at the bottom, okay?"

{later}

Tartarus (loudspeaker): "Reinforce all approaches to the holding pens. Slay the demon on sight!"

Cortana: "They're beefing up their patrols. Stay sharp."

{later}

Cortana (Radio): "Wait a minute! I'm reading marine IFF transponders. The signals are originating somewhere below your position."

Cortana: "There's another lift in the next room."

{When the Chief reaches the lift}

Cortana: "Here Chief. Jump in"

{MC takes a gravlift down}

Cortana (Radio): "There are two groups of marines in this detention block. I'll zero their locations. You neutralize the guards. ...Quietly."

{MC frees the marines}

Cortana: "Listen up, marines! The Chief's hunting a Prophet, and you're gonna help him kill it."

Marine: "Affirmative!"

or

Marine: No sense sticking around here!

Cortana: "That's all the marines, Chief. Good work."

Cortana (Radio): "We'll get out of here the same way we came in--the central gravlift. ...Hostile reinforcements coming down the lift!"

{MC kills the reinforcements}

Cortana: "The lift is clear. Step on in."

{later}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "Fear not, my brothers! The Sacred Icon is secure. It was Tartarus and his Brutes who took the Icon from the Flood, and for that they have our thanks."

Cortana (Radio): "Excellent! Truth is broadcasting on the move. It'll make him much easier to track."

{later}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "The Elites have failed to protect the Prophets, and in doing so, have put all our lives at risk. Let no warrior forget his oath, 'Thou, in faith, shall keep us safe, whilst we find the Path.'"

Cortana (Radio): "I've got a fix on Truth, just outside this tower, Chief. There's an exit nearby. Hurry."

{later}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "With my blessing, the Brutes now lead our fleets! They ask for your allegiance, and you shall give it."

Cortana (Radio): "You wouldn't believe the number of kill-systems the Covenant are throwing down around me. Not to worry, it's pretty sloppy stuff. I guess they never expected a hostile intelligence to penetrate their networks from the inside."

{later}

Cortana (Radio): "The Covenant just destroyed two of their own ships. And I'm hearing reports of small arms fire throughout their fleet."

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "Creatures of the Covenant! The path is broad, and we shall walk it side by side."

{later}

Cortana: "Slipspace rupture. It's In Amber Clad!" {In Amber Clad flies by overhead}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "Be Glad! A reward for all your toil and all your sacrifices in the year at hand."

Cortana: "Hailing... No response. She's crashed into another tower ahead of our position. I'll keep trying to make contact, but I'm not registering any human vital signs."

{later}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "At this moment, the Council is gathered on Halo, to see the Icon safely placed."

Tartarus (loudspeaker): "Rise, my brothers! Cast down the Elites!"

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "There are those who said this day would never come. What have they to say now?"

Tartarus (loudspeaker): "Once the towers are clear, we'll drive them from the lower district."

{later}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "I have listened to the Oracle, and confirmed our deepest hope. The Great Journey begins with Halo."

Tartarus (loudspeaker): "The Elites are falling back to the Mausoleum. Fools! Their Arbiter can do nothing for them now."

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "Who would doubt the Prophets? What have they foretold that has not come to pass?"

{later}

Cortana (Radio): "If we're going to catch Truth, we'll need to take a shortcut, straight through the Mausoleum. Look on the bright side, for now, they seem much more interested in killing each other."

{MC approaches the large fight in the Mausoleum}

Cortana: "You might consider sitting this one out."

{Once the battle begins, where you watch Brute Captains and Ultra Elites duke it out, you'll hear the instrumental version of Breaking Benjamin's "Blow Me Away"}

{after the room is cleared}

Cortana: "Hang on! I'm picking up two more transponders. It's the Commander and Johnson! They're closing on Truth's position, Chief. They'll need your help. This way, Chief."

Cortana (Radio): "...This isn't good. I’m getting confirmed reports of Flood leaving In Amber Clad's wreckage. Let's get the Index and find a way out of here. Before things get really ugly."

Second Cinematic
{Tartartus and his Brutes take Keyes, Johnson and 343GS toward a platform where the Prophets of Truth and Mercy wait with three Phantoms}

Tartarus: "Split them up. One in each Phantom."

''{Three Brutes do so, two Phantoms take off. Tartarus kneels before the Prophets.}''

Prophet of Truth: "The hopes of all the Covenant rest on your shoulders, Chieftain."

{Truth hands Tartarus the Index}

Tartarus: "My faith is strong. I will not fail."

''{Infection Forms spring up and rush them. The Brutes get ready. They manage to crush most of them, but one gets through and knocks Mercy off his throne}''

Prophet of Mercy: "Ahhh! Ahhh!"

{Tartarus moves to kill the Flood}

Prophet of Truth: "Let him be. The Great Journey waits for no one, brother. Not even you."

''{Truth boards the Phantom, the Honor Guard Brutes follow immediately, but Tartarus pauses at dying Mercy. He looks at the Index and turns away from Mercy.}''

01: Inside Job
Well, this is about as bad a situation as you could possibly be in. You have two Brutes to kill, and a Needler to do it with. The one and only good thing is the needler; with it those Brutes are gonna bite the dust reasonably quickly. But still, no cover, no allies, no nades, no nothing but a dinky Needler.

...

The phrase, "Oh crap," comes to mind.

Well, I guess we have to make the best of a bad deal. Don't unload the needler into the Brutes. The new needler fires so quickly that you only need to hold down the triggers for about a second and a half before you've got seven needles in the air. And seven needles are all it takes to kill something. In this case, a Brute. There is also a second needler a few steps behind your starting position. Don't fire unless you're running forward, and certainly don't fire when the Brutes are near cover—it is a waste of ammo, as they will dodge. And ammo is pretty scarce here. Still, these Brutes shouldn't take too long—they're in an even worse position than you.

Once you kill one, the other turns into an Insane Space Gorhino and starts a quest to bludgeon you to death. Yeah, thanks for warning us, Cortana. However, in my opinion, berserkers are easier to kill than normal Brutes. They aren't shooting you, they have no concept of cover or even dodging, and they don't seem to realize that they can't reach you when you are standing on a pillar five feet tall. This is, in fact, a pretty good strategy. Jump up on the pillar, let him get close, then kill him. If you are particularly leet, you will use the needler blast to jump up into the Council Chamber's seats. The seats make a very good platform for this fight, incidentally. So you're going to jump up there anyway, but not quite yet.

The seats are a good place to shoot from—high ground, as it were. They even have little alcoves in which you can take cover. Your main problem will be conserving ammo, as all the guns are on the floor, and the floor is not where you want to be. However, there is a simple way to get ammo without being harassed by the Brutes. A new wave of enemies does not spawn until every member of the previous wave is killed. Just leave one Grunt alive, and you can gather whatever supplies you need before killing him and scampering back to cover.

After you've killed the Brutes, the four Grunts show back up. Grab the one of the Brute Plasma Rifle: one of them will have a full charge. This is your first BPR, and its going to save you a lot of Needles in this first part. Kill three, stock up on needles, kill the fourth, drop a rifle, switch to the needler, grab the other needler, and get up into the seating by jumping from one of the pillars. Yay, checkpoint. You'll need it. The doors will open up. As soon as one does, pour some needles in there. There are four Grunts and two Brutes in this wave. With luck, one (or even two) of these have Carbines. Kill the Brutes, leave one Grunt alive, stock up on ammo, grab a Carbine, reload, ditch your BPR, and dual-wield needlers again. Trigger the next wave.

The next wave is kind of tricky. Two Minor Brutes armed with BPRs are coming out of the hole the Prophets went down. However, just jump to the ground floor, and use the same strategy you used on the first two Brutes. Since you have the carbine, however, whip it out and get a headshot on him and it's sayonara to them. The four Grunts won't be much trouble; again, however, hold off triggering the next wave until you're full up on ammo. Hopefully, by now, you'll be full on plasma grenades, too. This time, unfortunately, the next wave spawns when only two enemies are left, and it's two carbine Brutes, coming from the seats. If you are lucky, they will both be on the other side; if not, they will both be on your side. Usually, though, there's one on each side. Kill the nearest first; use the carbine. This is the most dangerous part of the fight, partly because the Grunts sometimes lob grenades to distract you.

Once you're done, head for the doors, filling up on ammo as you go.

Six Grunts and two Brutes await you in the next room. Four of the Grunts are near you; a lot of meleeing will settle their hash. Two of the Grunts are further up, manning turrets, and you'll have to Carbine them from your current position. The Brutes here can be tricky; it's hard to head-shot a berserk Brute on this uneven surface, and there are too many walls for needles to hit. I suggest applying a plasma grenade.

Once they're all dead, open the door. Two Honor Guard Brutes are waiting for you. With luck, you can dual-needler both of them to death before they hurt you too much. Two more Brutes and two Jackals are about halfway down this area; you can carbine-snipe them for best results. However, when only two enemies are left, another wave comes up from the grav-lift: two turret-Grunts, two normal Grunts and three Brutes, one of which has a Brute Shot. It's best to target the turret-Grunts before they can set up their turrets. Then let the Brutes come up and fill them full of needles. It should be noted that, unlike those before them, these Brutes will lob grenades practically non-stop. Still, you have a lot of distance to work over, so these guys shouldn't be too difficult.

When they're all dead, draw your carbine and walk backwards into the grav-lift. Why backwards? Because two Jackals (one a sniper) and two Grunts will come to greet you. With the carbine, you can kill them all before you hit the ground. Finish them and open the door. If you wait a second, a Jackals will head by at top speed. Slow it down a little with your carbine. It's wonderfully amusing to watch it do a face-plant as it dies. Then, head left, and a minor Jackal and a minor Brute will show up from the end of the hall. A couple of head-shots will end their miserable lives for them. A major Jackal will follow them, but he should die just as quickly. Jump onto the raised path to the left and grab another needler from the crate. You still have two Brutes, a Jackal and three Grunts to deal with, but dual needlers should make them much less dangerous and much less alive. Beware of the berserking Brute: it's hard to dodge backwards in this type of hall, and there isn't much space that it can't follow you to. Just stick to your needlers, and you should be okay.

In the next room, two Jackals will show up on the right, but they should be easy to carbine. The next room is pretty hard. You have six Grunts to deal with—not to mention four Brutes. Your objective should be to move through this room as fast as possible. If you are too slow, a fifth Brute may come through the door at the end of the hall.

The big area with the grav-lift. Ah, how I hate this part. When you enter, there will be a Jackal on either side of you and three Brutes on the lower level. Quickly carbine the two Jackals, then move forward and wait for two of the Brutes to come up via the grav-lift. As they do, they'll face away from you for some odd reason. Perfect opportunity to stick them with grenades. If you're stealthy enough, you could even assassinate them, although getting that close is not recommended.

Move quickly around the perimeter of the room. As you approach, each of the three doors will open, revealing a Brute with a Grunt behind it. Kill them all, one at a time. The one Brute remaining, on the bottom level, will go berserk, but since he doesn't know where you are, he should be easy bait for a plasma nade. Then again, he sometimes runs into the gravlift and sees you, which can make your task a bit tricky. To escape him, jump on top of a weapons crate and hop up to one of the little ledges. From there, you can target him unpestered.

Once all eleven enemies are dead, crouch-walk into the gravity lift. Stay crouched all the way down, and you are more likely to survive the detention block.

I have had mixed results with the detention block. Sometimes, the enemies seem to know that you're coming; they'll shoot at you from the second you're visible. This usually results in being dead before you hit the ground. However, sometimes they don't have the slightest idea you're there, and you can kill them all without firing a shot. Go figure. Assuming they don't see you, here's what to do:

Melee the two Brutes in the back. One will berserk, but since they can't see you, you should be able to assassinate it easily. Drop your needler in exchange for a Brute Shot. You won't be firing it much, but its swift and deadly melee is invaluable here.

The Covenant appear to be pretty lax about their security forces. All the Grunts are asleep. However, there is a patrolling Jackal, who will be glad to wake them all up. Wait until its back is to you before whacking it in two from behind with the Shot's bayonet. There are five Grunts asleep here; kill them all, then head over to the lifts. Wait, and watch your motion tracker; a Jackal major will start patrolling on the lower level. Wait until he's headed away from you, then drop down the lift, run up, and break his spine. There is also a sleeping Grunt here; take it out now so you don't have to worry about it later. Head back over to the lifts. Again, watch your motion tracker; there's another Jackal. Give him the same treatment as his pal upstairs.

If you're spotted on the way down, I can't help you much; you're in for a tense, paranoid and hard journey down. I'd suggest just reloading to checkpoint and hoping you have better luck this time.

Having cleared out the levels, you will get a message from Cortana, saying that she's located Marines on either the middle or lower level. Two Brutes and three Jackals will appear on the level she specifies, and this time they'll know where you are. I suggest heading a level above them and sniping them with the Carbine from afar. Once they're all dead, head into the cells. On the middle level, the cell is to the left of the lifts; inside are two Jackals with their backs to you and a Brute facing you. On the lower level, the door is right of the lifts; inside there are four sleeping Grunts and a Brute with its back to you. Neither one should pose a challenge to you, with your Brute Shot and Carbine.

Yay. Marines rescued. Too bad they usually are all dead by three areas later. Oh well.

Once these Marines are saved, head outside. Enemies will spawn on various levels, consisting of about three Brutes and a group of Jackals and Grunts, apparently random in size. They will either stay on higher levels and chuck grenades at you or come up the lifts behind you and make life hell. I'd suggest giving your Marines plasma rifles. They are better with carbines, you need the ammo more than they do. Once all these enemies are dead, head over to the other cells and free the remaining Marines.

On your way out, a group of enemies consisting of two Jackals, four Grunts and two Brutes, in that order, will come down the central gravlift. If you were on the middle level last, it's possible to get the drop on them. If you do, you can kill all six of the weaker enemies with the Brute Shot melee before they hit the ground. The Brutes, though, often see you, and I suggest sticking them instead.

Make sure all your Marines get into the lift before you go anywhere; sometimes they will just wait down there forever if you leave them. Well, they're smarter than their comrades, at any rate. The rest of those Marines are about to find out what "out of the frying pan" means.

At the top of the lift is a dead Honor Guard Ultra with a few grenades and an energy sword. Grab the sword instead of your carbine; it'll be quite a lot of help here. The door will open to reveal a Drone swarm attacking three Minor Elites! Whoa! Civil war time! Stick the first two Elites with a grenade. Then, stand to the side of the door and fire Brute Shot grenades inside to thin out the Drones. Your Marines can take on the Drones from here; move into the hall to find two Elite Honor Guards, one of whom has a sword, fighting another Drone swarm. Geez, have all the Drones gone kooky today or something? Stick the sword Elite; hopefully, the other one's shields will be low enough that the blast will kill him too. Eventually, a Brute will show up from the end of the hall; use a grenade on him. Yet another Drone swarm will follow him. They're quite close as they come through the door; use the Brute Shot to weaken them for your Marines.

Step into the next hall and wait a moment; two Jackals will jump down from the left. Melee them with the Brute Shot and keep going. Jump onto the path where they stood and head down the hall. Two Elite Honor Guards are under attack from two Jackals and a pair of Brutes. Kill them all, then exchange your Brute Shot for dual-wielded Brute Plasma Rifles. In the stepped room ahead are a Hunter pair. On the left, close to you, is one with his back turned. Pummel him with plasma until he goes down. The other guy can be a bit tough. Get him to charge you laterally across the middle 'step' of the room. When he swings, jump straight over his head, spin, and plasma rifle him. Repeat until he goes down. When he's done, grab a Carbine from the crate behind you.

This next area, the First Valley of Tears, could be a pretty tricky fight. However, we'll just leave our Marines to die and take the easy way out. Stick the sword-Elite directly in front of you, then take the path to the right and use the sword against the two Elites there. Up in the sniper loft a Jackal sniper is waiting to end your life, so get the drop on him and head-shot him with your carbine before he sees you. Turn right around and head the other direction, to the left of the door. At the end of that path is another Jackal sniper. Give him the same fate as his compatriot and swap out your carbine for a beam rifle from the crate next to him. Now, face back the way you came. You should see another crate with a rise in the ground behind it. Snipe the Ranger Elite that shows up to harass you. Jump from there onto the big arch of rock that goes across the area. From there, turn to the left and jump on to a higher arch of the same kind. From there, you can jump onto a rock ledge which leads over to the edge of the area. Jump up onto the ledge, turn right, and follow the ledge until you come to a long area which slopes steeply downward. Jump down there.

Walk into the lightbridge and ride it across to the other side. Beware; a Jackal sniper is stealthily hiding among the crates here. Still, he'll rarely notice you if you move through quickly enough. Quickly move to the right-hand path and follow it until a Brute pops up in front of you. Sword him to death and head into the First Hanging Gardens. Step up on the edge of the path and jump across to one of the side areas with rocks and sand. Keep to the right, following the path. Move slowly forward along the path until a sword Elite comes into view. Quickly back off; within seconds, a group of Brutes and Jackals will arrive and give them something besides you to worry about. Two Ranger Elites will try to kill the Brutes as they cross; take advantage of their hovering to snipe at least one of them from the sky. Unfortunately, this will often attract the sword Elite, but he too is easily sniped. Wait for the shooting to die down a little, then step into the lightbridge and continue.

A few Drones will fly through the next hallway as you open it; let them ignore you. Head into the large circular room here. This room is pretty hard, and the best way to go through it, in my opinion, is to fight right through it rather than let the Covenant wear each other down first. When you enter, there are two Rangers and one regular Elite taking fire from a Drone Swarm; once only one Elite remains, another 2-ranger, 1-regular Elite team shows up from the far side of the area. This team often has an Honor Guard, but you shouldn't have much trouble from him. Your problem will be sniping the Rangers before they can do you any harm.

Since you're probably low on or out of beam rifle ammo, run forward and grab a Carbine from the crate in the central platform. As you do, two Jackals will enter from the far side. Head-shot them with the carbine and move on forward, carefully. Two Brutes will follow them in, but they are easy targets for bombing in the narrow passage. Once they're dead, continue down the hallway they came by.

Of course, it's also possible to snipe the Rangers, then run straight through. The second Elite squad will not spawn if you do, nor will the Jackals. You will still have to deal with the Brutes, not to mention some heavy fire from the Drones, but you can survive with a little luck. That way, you'll even have some beam rifle ammo left.

Anyway, outside here is another lightbridge. Cross it, and take the left path to head around to the Second Hanging Gardens, where a bunch of Grunts are getting their butts kicked by a group of berserk Brutes. Keep going, staying to the left. Grab a beam rifle from the crate at the end of the path, and then continue on across the second lightbridge.

On the other side of the bridge is a large, steeply sloped room. As you move forward, a trio of Brutes will show up from the top. Snipe them all. It shouldn't be too difficult; they're bad shots at this kind of range, and they don't seem to use the miles of available cover that you're probably using.

On to the Second Valley of Tears. Head left, cut around the back of the sniper Jackal, assassinate him, stick the Brute fighting the Elite further on, grab the Jackal's rifle, then jump up on the weapons crate behind the Jackal. From there, crouch-jump up onto the rock and follow the ledge around the side of the battle. Follow it along the wall until it drops off completely. If you head through the door quickly enough, no enemies will spawn there. However, if you wait a little while, a SpecOps team will arrive, consisting of a sword Elite and three Grunts. One of these Grunts carries a half-full Fuel Rod Gun, but I wouldn't pick it up yet.

The next hall features a Stealth Elite with his back to you. Beat him down. Kill the four panicking Grunts as they run in, one by one. Then, grab a sword from the crate and drop it somewhere; when you move on into the upcoming circular room, the sword-crate will often disappear. However, a dropped sword will not, and a full sword is what you'll be wanting soon enough.

The next hall has however many Grunts you didn't kill before and an invisible Elite. Kill them all, and pick up the Fuel Rod Cannon on the floor. Counting the five rounds in its clip, it has twenty shots! It's tempting to try and waste everything in the next room with it, but conserving ammo for later is a wise plan, as you'll soon see.

The next room has a group of four SpecOps Elites and six Grunts. Stick the Elite on the upper right and scatter the Grunts with your energy sword. Move a little bit past the grav-lift, and a rival team of a Brute and two Jackals will enter from the far door. Kill everything with the sword and grenades. When you're done, head back to claim your full sword. Note that things are not always fixed in this room; depending on how quickly you moved through the previous room, there may be no Grunts, only two or three Elites, an extra Grunt, or even an extra Brute! Still, regardless of numbers, they'll all be to fixated on killing one another to care much about you.

Move on to the bridge. Guess the Brutes and Elites just can't get along here. Luckily, the Brutes have their backs to you, giving you a nice opportunity to massacre them all. You'll probably want to drop the fuel rod cannon temporarily and exchange it for the sniper Jackal's beam rifle. However, once all the Brutes are dead, a Drone swarm will arrive from above the door and start killing everything in sight. This includes you, so it's best to hide and let them fight the Elites. Usually, the Elites die first, leaving you to pick off the remaining few Drones. Move along the bridge; as soon as you get halfway, hide, and stay hidden. Another group of Drones, although a smaller one, will arrive from behind, and they'll head all the way across the bridge. With luck, they'll trigger the second wave of Elites & Co., and get themselves killed. If not, just snipe them too.

Eventually, whether by the Drones or not, a wave of Elites, etc. will be triggered. It will contain five Grunts (including one with a fuel rod gun) and two or three Elites, as well as a Hunter pair. Just back up and pick them off from a distance with your beam rifle. You may have to bring up the Fuel Rod Cannon to finish the Hunters, though.

Alternatively, you could just skip most of the fight by sword-flying, assuming you don't have the version 1.1 of the game (i.e. do not have XBox Live or a 360). Zoom in with the fuel rod gun on the Elite in the turret about halfway down the bridge, then sword-fly across. If all goes as planned, you will land about three-quarters of the way across the bridge, and only an Elite and two Hunters will appear at the far door, easy marks for your Fuel Rods. However, this move is quite risky, and I have had the sniper Jackal shoot me clean out of the air as I flew. All in all, though, this battle is so painful that I felt justified in skipping it by cheating.

Well, here we are. The Mausoleum of the Arbiter. Square One, as it were. Cortana's advice always irritates me here. You can't sit this out; the Brutes or Elites will attack you eventually. Head around the right side, the Elite side. Kill all the Elites you meet with the sword; most will be so focused on the Brutes that they won't attack until it's too late. Keep an eye out for Brutes flanking/Elites drawing swords/Hunter fire. Now is when that Fuel Rod Cannon pays off. Spam it on the Hunters until they stop twitching.

You're not quite out of the woods yet, though. When the door at the far end of the room opens, an Ultra, two Stealth Elites and a Zealot (disguised as the Honor Guard Councilor glitch) show up. Use all your remaining gun-chock on them. With luck, they'll all die quickly. All too often, however, you'll wind up needing to use that checkpoint—Stealth Elites are really hard too see in that level of light—and engage in a paranoiac, neurotic sword battle with ol' HGC.

Wow. Give yourself a hand. You've just beaten the most brutal (no pun intended) level in the game.

Sadly, this is where things go downhill...

Overview
This level can be a demoralizing experience if you're not prepared, particularly after the relative simplicity of the last two. The combat is relentless and unforgiving, with numerous ambushes and situations where you'll face seemingly overwhelming odds. Right from the start you'll find yourself thrown headfirst into the fire as you finally encounter brutes, who turn out to be quite formidable opponents. The needler finally comes into its own as you grind through a series of battles with brutes, jackals and grunts, taking a detour to spring your marines from jail. As you resume your pursuit of the Prophet of Truth with the aid of your rescued marines (for as long as they last, at any rate) you'll fight (and sometimes run) through battles both indoors and out while the Covenant civil war rages around you. You'll find the full spectrum of Covenant opposition arrayed against you here, though you can often turn their infighting to your own advantage.

Part 1 (and only): Inside Job
If you feel that you may have accumulated any negative karma by running through Sacred Icon and Quarantine Zone, I guess you could consider this level to be payback time.

You may have been wondering when you were ever actually going to encounter any brutes in the game. Well, Bungie wastes no time on introductions and throws you right into battle with them literally from the very start of the level. Brutes basically play the same role in battle as elites, in the sense that they tend to show up about 1-3 at a time accompanied by a supporting group of grunts or jackals, and use similar weaponry, with the exception of their eponymous grenade launcher. The biggest distinction, which helps to make them at least somewhat more difficult than elites, is that the plasma pistol overcharge is useless against them, as they have no shields and are immune to the stun effect. Thus, our standard fallback combo of plasma pistol/battle rifle (or plasma pistol/carbine, in this case) is no longer an option where brutes are concerned. They also have the unique ability to go berserk and charge you, which usually happens to the last brute left standing in a given battle; on the positive side, that means they're no longer shooting at you, though you're still left with the problem of stopping a crazed gorilla from pummeling you to death. To make matters worse, they can also throw grenades with devastating distance and accuracy. In my experience, brutes are generally more formidable than elites when it comes to melee combat in that they have quicker attacks and are not so easy to dodge and strike from the back.

In the absence of the PP/carbine combo, I usually find myself relying on a variety of methods for dealing with brutes, depending on the circumstances. One option is to stick them with plasma grenades, which are almost always a guaranteed kill. Their size even makes them a bit easier to stick, compared to elites.

Despite their lack of shields, brutes have a tremendous damage-absorbing capacity, which makes aiming for anything but the head pretty much a waste of time. However, they are highly vulnerable to head-shots from the beam rifle and carbine. One head-shot on an un-helmeted brute with either of these weapons will do the job, though it may take additional shots—one in the case of the beam rifle, a couple in the case of the carbine—to knock off their helmets. So, in practice, plan on taking two shots with the beam rifle and several with the carbine.

Turning their own weapon, the brute shot, against them is yet another possibility; three direct hits will usually take down a brute. The advantages of this tactic are that little subtlety is required—just point and blast away, though the trajectory of the grenades means that you may have to adjust your aim a bit higher—and the splash damage can often clear out nearby grunts and jackals as well. The powerful melee attack of the brute shot is also a nice bonus. The downside is that you have only four shots at a time and a slow reload, so you better make them count.

As you might expect, the sword is pretty effective, too, but you won't have that option for much of this level.

There's also the needler, which has actually carved out a bit of a role for itself this time around as a fairly effective counter to brutes, especially when dual-wielded. The advantages of the needler are that little aiming is required and it's fire and forget; so, you can just pop out from cover, fire off a burst, duck back under cover and listen for the explosion (it takes at least 7 needles). On the downside, the brutes dodge the needles fairly easily, lending a significant element of luck to the process, and they can keep firing at you right up until the explosion occurs, which is more than enough time to kill you in return if you're out in the open.

At the present you find yourself armed with but a single needler and dumped unceremoniously right into a group of two brutes and four grunts, who wisely run off in terror of the carnage that we're about to unleash.

For what it's worth, this room gave me more trouble than any other encounter in the game the first time I played it. At first it seemed like a more sadistic version of the "Belly of the Beast" room, only with no marines, active camo, or opportunity to prepare before hand. You'll have to face six waves of enemies here, including the group that's present when you arrive. Each wave aside from the first consists of two groups of one brute and two grunts that emerge from two separate doors, which means that there's no bunching them all up as they arrive and you'll always be attacked from at least two directions. To make matters worse, two additional groups of brutes show up and break the pattern at key moments during the fight.

Nevertheless, there are a few aspects to this battle that actually make it quite a bit more controllable than "Belly of the Beast," if not necessarily any easier. First and foremost, you should be aware that the next wave of enemies will never appear until you have killed every single member of the current wave. The first time I played this battle, my biggest problem was maintaining enough ammo to keep up with the brutes. However, once you realize that you can simply leave one grunt alive (preferably one with a plasma pistol, and most preferably a yellow one), go around and collect ammo and grenades at your leisure, and then return to cover and kill the last grunt when you're prepared, it becomes a lot more manageable.

Another important observation is that you don't need to remain at ground level. Using the little pillars along both sides of the room, you can jump up into the seats. From this position you have ideal cover from the enemies (with one crucial exception) and a much better field of fire on the entire room. Furthermore, you don't have to worry about being charged by brutes or surrounded, and you can even take the time to stockpile weapons up there if you feel the need. The next video shows the initial stages of the battle, taking into account these two observations.

QuickTime (7 mb) | WMP9 (7.1 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

As you can see, your first priority is obviously to eliminate the two brutes with your needler, using the small pillar for cover. Shortly thereafter, the four grunts will return from the doors along the side of the room. Note that these doors will be locked if you head straight at them, but you can still trigger them to open at any time by moving next to them along either side until you're about even with the plane of the door. In any case, to be on the safe side you can kill off three of the grunts, retrieve the second needler and any other weapons you want, and then head up into the seats before killing the fourth and triggering the next wave.

Having fended off the immediate threat and reached a position of relative safety, your next priority is to acquire a carbine. With luck, at least one of the two brutes in the second wave will carry one. Use your dual needlers to take out the brutes (I never thought I'd see the day where I'd recommend the needler as the best option), and deal with the grunts however you like, making sure that you leave one alive to give yourself time to retrieve any weapons that you want. Trigger the third wave and repeat the same process, making sure to retrieve any carbine and needler ammo you can find.

Once you kill off the last enemy in the third wave, things start to get a little trickier. As the fourth wave appears (only grunts appear from the doors, this time), three brutes will arrive on the lift, one of which—the one with the red flag—wields a brute shot. I'd suggest using your needlers to eliminate the captain as soon as possible, as he can hit you up in your hiding spot even without a direct line of fire. When he's dead, begin picking off the rest of the brutes and grunts. However, keep track of how many enemies are left, because when you're down to two, an additional two carbine brutes will emerge from the doors on the upper level where you're currently hiding.

This can be the most dangerous point in the fight, as you never know exactly where they're going to appear. If you're really lucky they'll both appear on the other side of the room; if you're really unlucky they'll both appear on your side. Usually, it will be one on each side. Thus, as soon as you kill the third-to-last enemy, switch to dual needlers and be ready to take out any brutes that may appear nearby. I'd suggest picking one end as your hiding spot, and then watching your motion tracker. If you see movement nearby, you'll know it's coming from the door right next to you; otherwise, check for enemies either on the other end of your side, or on the opposite of the room. Afterward, you'll face two more waves similar to the second and third, without any further complications. By now, you should have plenty of carbine and needler ammo, so just be careful and take your time.

When the battle is over, fill up on grenades and carbine ammo and arm yourself with dual needlers. In the next room you'll face two carbine brutes at the far end as well as several grunts, some near the door as you enter, some up by the brutes. Note that one of the grunts on the far end carries a turret. The next video shows how I usually approach this battle.

QuickTime (3 mb) | WMP9 (3 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

The trickiest part is sticking enough needles into one of the brutes, as they often dodge behind the wall; the second brute will usually go berserk once the first one is dead, making himself an easy target. Try to stay away from the door leading to the next area until you've cleared out the room and received a checkpoint, if possible, so as not to alert the next group of enemies to your presence.

In the next area you'll face another multi-wave battle. The door opens to reveal two honor guard brutes directly on the other side, while two more brutes and two jackals wait about midway between you and the lift. When only two enemies remain, another wave of enemies will emerge from the lift: 4 grunts (including two with turrets) followed by three brutes, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (5.6 mb) | WMP9 (5.9 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

Note that you can actually shoot down the large pillars in this area, which could help provide a bit of additional cover for yourself; of course, it can work both ways.

As usual, recover as much carbine ammo as possible after the battle; you might as well stick with the needler as your second weapon, as it will still be useful for a little while longer. When you're ready, you can either take the lift down or jump down to the beams below in order to reach the lower level. You'll encounter two jackals (one of which is a sniper) at the bottom, as well as a couple of grunts that come through the door, so have the carbine equipped. You may want to jump down, as you can better control when you come into view of the sniper; but it's not a big deal either way.

Proceed through the empty room until you reach the door at the far end. I'd suggest moving close enough to open the door without crossing the threshold, as three jackals will come running into the small hallway from the left. Pick off as many as you can; If any make it past, they'll soon run back in the opposite direction if you wait a bit longer.

The door on the left leads to the first of two oppositely-curved passageways. In the first section you'll initially find one brute and another two jackals. When you kill all but one of the enemies, a second wave of two brutes and three jackals will enter from far door. Fortunately, there's plenty of cover and the needler should make short work of the brutes, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (3.7 mb) | WMP9 (3.8 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

When the battle is over, approach the door on the far end of the room. This time, I'd suggest moving forward until you hear Cortana speak and then backing up, as two jackals will soon run in from the right and you don't want to get surrounded. Take out the jackals and then engage the enemies ahead of you, which include two brutes and several grunts, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (2.3 mb) | WMP9 (2.4 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

Fortunately, this time you don't have to worry about any additional waves of enemies. When you receive a checkpoint, I'd highly recommend that you save and quit, for reasons that I'll explain later. When you're ready, equip your carbine and head into the next room prepared to take out the jackals on either side of the door. You'll face a total of five brutes in this area, including one that arrives from the entrance along with a couple of grunts, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (3.8 mb) | WMP9 (3.8 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

Note that the behavior of the brutes is not always the same, and sometimes the group will not even appear from the opposite door. After the battle, you can find plenty of grenades, as well as carbine and needler ammo scattered around this area and the last couple of rooms.

As Cortana has informed you, your next task is to orchestrate a jailbreak for your captured marines. Much like the initial battle, the prison area can seem overwhelming at first with the large number of enemies, but it becomes much more manageable when you understand the sequence of events and how the enemies will react in each situation. Part of the difficulty here is due to your inability to control your entrance into the area; you're dropped out of the lift right into the midst of the enemy, with no choice but to hope for the best. Most of the time, your luck will hold and you'll land without being detected; in that case, your first task is obviously to assassinate the two brutes from behind. From there, you have a couple of options. If you can manage to remain unseen, you can stealthily kill the first group of enemies before they even know you're there, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (5.9 mb) | WMP9 (6.1 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

Use your motion tracker to keep an eye on any jackals walking around below you and descend only when their backs are turned. Note that you can also drop down without using the lift, if you prefer.

Sometimes, however, your luck will run out and the enemies will see you coming down the main lift even before you touch the ground. Unfortunately, as you receive a checkpoint on the way down shortly before you land, once you encounter this scenario you'll be stuck with it. In that case, you pretty much have two choices. If you decide to fight it out regardless, you'll have to start firing before you even hit the ground in order to kill the brutes as quickly as possible, preferably with dual needlers. At that point, the best place to make your stand, in my experience, is right next to the curved section of wall a few steps in front of you. If you crouch down you'll be covered from the vast majority of enemy fire by a combination of the wall and the glass barriers out on the semi-circular walkways, leaving you with the task of picking off the enemies with your carbine. You may actually want to target the grunts first, as they'll throw grenades which can force you to move from cover. Other than that, though, there's not much you can do but keep clearing them out as they arrive from the lower levels. I'd also suggest exchanging your needler for a brute shot in the crate behind you if you get the chance. The next video shows an example of how such a battle usually plays out.

QuickTime (6.5 mb) | WMP9 (6.4 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

Your other option, of course, is to turn off your Xbox and restart as the last point you saved, which should be right before the circular room, and hope for better luck next time. Alternatively, you could suicide 5 times quickly to revert to your second-to-last checkpoint. You'll have to fight the brutes at the top of the lift once again, but if you just can't survive when you reach the bottom for whatever reason, it may be the easier course of action.

Most of the time, you'll end up somewhere in between these two extremes, meleeing both of the brutes from behind while somehow managing to alert the rest of the enemies to your presence. In that case, I'd still recommend taking cover by the wall, though you won't be in nearly as much peril at the beginning. Realistically, taking cover in this spot probably wouldn't be a good idea given the two bridges that could be used to surround you. Fortunately, your enemies are not that smart, and for some reason they never seem to circle around and rush you. Actually, this approach may even be the safest of the three, as you can completely clear out the first stage of the battle from a defensible position, in contrast to the stealthy approach where you may be left more vulnerable when the next phase of the battle begins. Thus, you may even want to provoke the battle deliberately after the brutes are dead even if you're not seen.

Regardless of how the first section plays out, the next phase of the battle begins when Cortana informs you that she has located marines on either the middle or lower level (the order seems to be random). At this point, another wave of Covenant troops, consisting of two brutes and several jackals, will appear on the level that she indicates. The safest way to deal with these enemies is probably to pick them off with the carbine from the upper level. If one of the brutes goes berserk, you may want to descend and take him out with grenades or the brute shot rather than waste ammo trying to make headshots from long range while he's charging around.

When they're dead it's safe to approach the prison door, where you should receive a checkpoint. If you're on the middle level, the door is to the left of the lifts. Inside, you'll find two jackals and a brute wielding a brute shot (man, that's awkward to write); between plasma grenades, your brute shot, and the carbine, they should present little trouble. You can refill your brute shot at the back of the room, if necessary, and you should receive another checkpoint on the way out as two marines join up with you.

If you're on the lower level, the door is to the right. This time, you'll find one brute just begging to be stuck with a plasma grenade, as well as several grunts. Three marines will join you after the battle, and you'll receive a checkpoint on the way out.

Either way, after freeing the first group of captives you'll be attacked yet again as groups of enemies emerge from several different doors, some of which may be on the same level as you. You'll face about three brutes, as well as several grunts and jackals. In my experience, there's no set pattern, so you'll just have to look around and use your motion tracker to locate them. Any enemies not on your floor will use the lifts to converge on you, making the middle area a good place for an ambush, with the assistance of your marines. After you repel this latest attack, head to the other prison block and free the remaining marines, as described above. Of course, if at any point you're not happy with your marines' weapon selections, you can take the time to change them to your liking. In my opinion, plasma rifles tend to work best.

Although it's not strictly necessary, the series of battles after you exit the prison will be much easier if you have marines to back you up. Thus, if you haven't already, I'd suggest taking care that at least a couple of your marines survive the prison break.

It will likely come as no surprise that you'll have another battle ahead of you on the way out. Once again you'll face a wave consisting of a few brutes, as well as several jackals and grunts. Ambushing them at the lift remains an effective tactic, though you'll have to give priority to any enemies already on your level, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (4.4 mb) | WMP9 (4.5 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

Note that, as Cortana warns you, one last wave of two jackals, four grunts, and two brutes (in that order) will descend from the main lift back up on the top level. As you could see in the last video, they are easily ambushed if you can make it up to the lift in time. However, I've noticed some odd behavior with this battle that may even make this last step unnecessary. Several times I've returned to the top level only to see the whole group of enemies lying dead at the bottom of the lift; other times, I've watched the jackals and grunts crash to the ground. I'm not sure exactly what causes this behavior, though it seems to occur if I'm on one of the lower levels and don't return to the top immediately after Cortana issues her warning. So, you may want to give it a try yourself, if you feel like circumventing the last battle.

In any case, fill up on grenades and brute shot ammo, and step into the lift when you're ready, hopefully along with some marines.

At the top of the lift, you'll find yourself in another circular room (actually, you're one level below the room where you first entered the lift). I usually exchange the carbine for the conveniently-placed energy sword. From this point on, elites will be joining the fray, squaring off alongside the grunts against the brutes, jackals, and drones. As in the previous two levels, you can turn the infighting among your enemies to your own advantage, either by letting them weaken each other before you attack or by exploiting the distraction to escape.

As you approach the door it will open to admit three elites followed by a swarm of drones. You'll have time to stick two plasma grenades on the elites and position yourself to take out the drones with the brute shot while they're bunched up in the doorway. Like before, you'll have to traverse two curved passageways where you'll face several more waves of enemies, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (5.5 mb) | WMP9 (5.5 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

As you can see, this is where the effort to keep your marines alive in the prison really pays off, as they do an admirable job of clearing out the drones while you focus on the elites and brutes. Be careful approaching the door at the end of the first passageway, as the swarm of drones that follows the two brutes can be quite lethal if you don't seek cover immediately.

When it's all over, I'd suggest exchanging your brute shot for dual brute plasma rifles in anticipation of the next battle. In the next room you'll find two hunters, and this time there's no cheesing your way through them with a turret or sniping them from afar; you probably don't want to run past them, either, as you'll want a checkpoint before tackling the next area. So, the most reliable way that I've found to deal with them is probably with dual plasma rifles, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (2 mb) | WMP9 (1.9 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

As you can see, it helps to manipulate the second one into charging you across a level surface. When you're done, I'd suggest switching your plasma rifles for a carbine from the nearby crate; you should get another checkpoint near the door after Cortana finishes admiring her own cleverness.

The door will finally lead you outside into a valley filled with enemies, including brutes, elites, several snipers, hunters, and two flying elites. What a mess, though at least this unrelentingly grim level is finally opening up a bit. Well, after all of the fighting we've been doing lately, I think we deserve a little break, especially now that the worst of the combat is behind us. As it happens, there's a nice shortcut that we can exploit to avoid some of the headaches in this area, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (12.3 mb) | WMP9 (11.9 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

The biggest problem with this approach is that you may not receive a checkpoint for a while, though personally I think the tradeoff is worth it. A few other comments about various parts of this section:

You don't actually have to fight any of the enemies in the first group except for the sniper by the crate. However, the position of the behavior of the enemies can vary. Sometimes, for example, the hunters and brutes will run up near where you make the jump to the top of the area. So you'll have use your own judgment to gauge the extent to which you'll need to clear the path. Also, beware of the sniper on the opposite side of the valley near the door; if he's still alive by the time you make the jump, you may want to take him out, as well. Likewise, the two flying elites.

You'll also need to watch out for a sniper after you cross the first light bridge; although he doesn't make an appearance in the previous video, he's lurking somewhere around the crates. Note that a group of elites and grunts will arrive from the left path, so it helps to escape up the right as quickly as possible.

Your biggest threat in the area of the next light bridge is the two flying elites who enter from the door at the far end. If possible, you'll want to snipe them before you cross the bridge, although sometimes they'll just refuse to appear until you approach the door. In that case, you'll just have to do your best to take them out at close range (the sword is probably your best bet).

As you approach the door after the second light bridge, you should receive a checkpoint, and you'll see a couple of drones fly by, ignoring you completely on their way to the next battle. Usually, I ignore them right back and follow them through the hall to the left, where you should receive yet another checkpoint as you discover the fight already in progress.

This battle is sort of interesting, as you have the ability to steer the outcome in two different directions. When you arrive, you'll find two flying elites, one carbine elite, and several drones fighting it out. A second wave of enemies will appear later to join up with the winner of the first round. Basically, if the battle swings in favor of the elites, the second group will be two flying elites and one carbine honor guard who enter from the opposite door. If the drones come out on top, then several more drones will appear from above. To be specific, if all of the elites are killed off quickly enough (usually with your aid) while there are still at least 2-3 drones around, then you'll get the drone result. If the elites kill off the drones, you'll get the elite result. You can decide for yourself which outcome you prefer, but personally I always opt for the elites. In that case, ideally you'll want to thin out the elites as much as possible while still letting them do the work of taking down the drones for you.

In either case, you'll face a third wave consisting of two brutes and two jackals shortly after the second. In my opinion, this is another good reason to go the elite route, as they can eventually end up fighting one another. The next video shows one approach to this battle, assuming you want to kill everything.

QuickTime (3.1 mb) | WMP9 (3.2 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

As the next video shows, you also have the option of running right through this battle, although it can be fairly risky and may require several attempts in order to adjust your path and timing. If you're quick enough, you can prevent the appearance of the second wave as well as the two jackals in the third wave, leaving only the two brutes to fight past the door in the narrow hallway. QuickTime (1.7 mb) | WMP9 (1.7 mb)

Right-click (option-click on a Mac) and "Save As" to save to disk.

As you continue onward, you'll cross another light bridge, as well as another rock garden area where some brutes are beating the hell out of a poor group of grunts. If you're the compassionate sort, you could stick around and try to save the grunts, though you can just as easily run right through. I'd suggest taking the left path out of here, as you'll avoid having to deal with a charging brute. Make sure that you pick up a beam rifle from the crate before crossing the second light bridge, if you haven't already.

Through the door you'll find a long, sloped room, but don't go too far as three brutes wielding brute shots will emerge from the door at the far end. Snipe them and move on the next area.

Like the last valley, you'll have another opportunity here to circumvent most of the trouble by running around the left side of the area, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (6 mb) | WMP9 (5.8 mb)

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In this case, I'd definitely suggest taking out the sniper at the beginning before you make the jump. Note that several elites and a fuel rod grunt will arrive from the door at the far end, but this path lets you reliably avoid them. Make sure that you don't stop until you go through the door on the other side of the valley and melee the elite from behind. After that, the grunts will just run around in panic, presenting no threat to you, and you can take out the invisible elite in the next hallway at your leisure. Be sure to exchange your sword for a fresh one from the crate when you're done.

You'll find another one of those circular rooms through the next door, in which, for a change, you'll primarily be fighting elites. There are a number of effective weapon choices that you could use here. If you want to be on the safe side, you could go plasma pistol/carbine. Otherwise, plasma pistol/energy sword can be fun, as the elites are a one-hit kill with the sword when their shields are down. Whatever you choose, make sure that you at least pick up the fuel rod gun, even if just to drop it temporarily in favor of another weapon. I wouldn't recommend wasting it here, as it will be much more useful in the future; however, many of the weapons in this area will disappear for some reason by the time you finish the circular room battle unless they're dropped by you. Thus, make absolutely sure to preserve the fuel rod gun, as you'll definitely want to bring it along after the next battle. In any case, the next video shows one approach to the circular room.

QuickTime (5.5 mb) | WMP9 (5.3 mb)

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The first elite is always in more or less the same spot, but the behavior of the others can vary. The grunts, for example, may not even appear at all. As you can see, one way to take some of the heat off yourself is by deliberately triggering the brute and jackals in order to distract the elites (just approach the opposite door, using the crate to cover your escape). It is possible to run right through to the door on the other side using the fuel rod gun to clear a path, but I wouldn't really recommend it. For one, the elites will follow you, and you'll be stuck between them and the brutes on the other side of the next door without the benefit of a checkpoint. You'll also just end up needlessly wasting fuel rod ammo. So, I'd advise doing this one the old-fashioned way.

After the battle, you can go back and pick up the fuel rod gun, as well as your old sword, if necessary (unfortunately, the sword crate will be gone). When you're ready, continue through the doors past the circular room, where you'll find a bridge.

It would seem that the brutes and elites are once again having a disagreement. As you might be expecting by this point, you'll have to deal with several waves of enemies if you stick around to fight. I'd start by ambushing the sniper and brutes while their attention is diverted elsewhere. You may want to swap the fuel rod gun temporarily for a more suitable weapon at some point. After you kill off the initial group of brutes, a swarm of drones will appear from behind you, at which point you'll probably want to run back to the doorway and take cover while they fight it out with whatever elites are still alive. The drones usually win, which means that you'll have to finish off the survivors. As you proceed along the bridge, you may be attacked from behind once again by a second, smaller group of drones. When you draw close enough, the door at the far end of the bridge will open to release the first of two additional waves of enemies, which together contain several grunts (including one with a fuel rod gun) and elites, as well as two hunters. Your safest bet is probably to back up and pick them off from a distance. Fortunately, you'll have a sniper rifle at your disposal, courtesy of the sniper jackal in the first wave. You may want to expend a few fuel rod rounds to take down the hunters and spare yourself some trouble.

If you're feeling more adventurous and you're comfortable with sword flying, though, there's also a nice shortcut you can take, as shown in the next video.

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While it's fairly risky and may require multiple attempts, this approach has the advantage of not only bypassing the initial groups of enemies as well as the drones, but also significantly reducing the number of enemies that appear from the door at the far end. In fact, if you get there quickly enough it's possible that none of the additional enemies will spawn at all and you'll have free passage to the final room. You'll have to move ahead quickly to engage whatever opposition is present, or else the drones will catch up with you out in the open and death will follow swiftly. You should receive a checkpoint after a little while once you're safely through the door.

Well, here we are: The Mausoleum of the Arbiters, which you may remember from the cutscene back at the beginning of The Arbiter. Cortana advises us to sit on the sidelines, but what fun would that be? So, we're just going to ignore her and wade right into the battle. This is another of those three-way battles where we'll want to take advantage of the distraction to ambush the enemies without letting one side totally overwhelm the other. Fortunately, the presence of the hunters simplifies this task. Thus, as shown in the next video, I'd suggest making your way around the elite side, killing off the gray elites while leaving the hunters to finish off the brutes.

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Note that a second wave of brutes will appear, at which point I'd advise staying out of the way and letting the hunters do your work for you. When they're done you can simply finish them off in turn with the fuel rod gun. I almost feel guilty about that. Note that one of the elites drops a fuel rod gun, which can help replenish your ammo.

Hang in there... only one battle left, though it can be a difficult one.

As you approach the door across from where you entered, it should open up to admit a fairly imposing group: two gray spec-ops elites with plasma rifles, two cloaked elites with carbines, and a gray high council elite with an energy sword. Considering that you're armed with an energy sword and fuel rod gun yourself, I think that a head-on assault is a perfectly reasonable option, as shown in the next video.

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Note that the elites actually have to pass through two doors to reach you, and it really helps to exploit both of them as opposed to waiting until they enter the Mausoleum itself. By hitting them as soon as the first door opens, you can break up their attack, kill or wound several of them, and then fall back to give yourself time to reload and potentially even recharge your shield before they reach the second door.

If you don't like this method, your other option is to surrender the doorway, back up, and try to pick off the elites one at a time. If you don't have enough sniper ammo, though, it can get pretty tricky once the elites spread out around the room, as it becomes difficult to move around and aim with all of the firepower directed against you. In that case, I'd prioritize the cloaked elites and do your best to kill the others either with the PP/carbine, sword, or fuel rod gun.

...and just for fun:

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Actually, closing immediately with the enemies does give you one advantage in that the gray elites all switch to energy swords, significantly reducing the incoming fire.

However you approach this last encounter, the level ends once Cortana finishes talking.

Congratulations.

It's all downhill from here...