Halo (Halo: Combat Evolved level)

For other uses of the word Halo, see here.

Halo is the second campaign level in Halo: Combat Evolved and it begins on the morning of September 19, 2552. It is the first "on the ground" view of Installation 04. The Master Chief is the only survivor from the Bumblebee crash and fight against the Covenant forces while searching and rescuing surviving UNSC forces. This is the first level in the game where Jackals will be introduced as well as the first on Halo's surface.

Part 01: Flawless Cowboy
{Cutscene}

Cortana: "We're coming in too fast!"

Bumblebee Pilot: "Damn! Airbrake failure! They blew too early! I'm losin' her. Brace for impact!"

{White out}

{Gameplay}

Cortana: "Chief? Chief! Can you hear me? At last! Are you alright? Can you move?"

As you exit the lifepod:

Cortana: "The others...the impact...there's nothing we can do."

{As you exit the area}

Cortana: "Warning! I've detected multiple Covenant Dropships on approach. I recommend moving into those hills. If we're lucky, the Covenant will believe that everyone aboard this lifeboat died in the crash."

{If you explore a little bit}

Cortana: "I'm reading thousands of types of flora. The ring's ecosystem is incredibly sophisticated."

{As a Spirit dropship approaches}

Cortana: "Alert! Covenant dropship inbound! They must be looking for survivors. I recommend immediate evasion!"



{As you wait a bit}

Cortana: "Warning! Covenant Dropship has detected us, here they come."

{Combat noises}

Cortana: "I'm reading a lifeboat beacon over the next hill. We should check to see if there are any survivors."

{As you come up to the surviving Marines}

Private Bisenti: "Good to see you, sir! Welcome to the party!"

{or}

Private Bisenti: "I thought we were the only ones to make it off of the Pillar of Autumn!"

Staff Sergeant Johnson: (sighs) "It's a mess, sir. We're scattered all over this valley. We called for evac, but until you showed up, I thought we were cooked."

Cortana: "Don't worry, Sergeant. We'll stay here until evac arrives."

Private Mendoza (O.S.): "Heads up! I got a Covenant dropship headin' in, over here!"

{Next wave of Covenant troops}

Private Mendoza (O.S.): "Look sharp! Covenant dropship on approach! I could use some help over here!"

{Next wave}

Private Mendoza (O.S.): "Uh-oh, another bandit droppin' in behind us! They're tryin' to flank us!"

If all of the Marines are dead:

Cortana: "I recommend to stay here and wait for extraction..."

{If you're leaving the area}

Cortana: "Where are you going? The lifeboat beacon is our only chance to getting reunited with the rest of the crew, we need to stay with it."

{After the final wave of Covenant dropships}

Foehammer: (COM) "This is Pelican Echo 419. Anybody read me? Repeat: any UNSC personnel, respond."

Marine, SSGT Johnson or Cortana: (COM) "Roger, Echo 419. This is Fire Team Charlie. We read you. Is that you, Foehammer?"

Foehammer: "Roger, Fire Team Charlie. Good to hear from ya!"

Marine, SSGT Johnson or Cortana: (COM) "If you're not too busy, Foehammer, we could use a lift. We have survivors to transport to the Command Shuttle."

Foehammer: "I'm on my way."



Cortana: "Look, more lifeboats! They're coming in fast. If those lifeboats make it down, the Covenant are going to be right on top of them. (COM) Foehammer, we need you to disengage your Warthog. The Master Chief and I are going to see if we can save some soldiers."

Foehammer: (COM) "Roger, Cortana. Okay, Charlie Team, Warthog deployed. Saddle up and give 'em hell!"

Cortana: (COM) "Roger, Foehammer. Stand by to evac survivors and transport them to safety."

Foehammer: (COM) "That's affirmative, Echo 419 staying on station. Foehammer out."

Cortana: "The Master Chief and I need some backup, can you spare a few men?"

SSGT Johnson (If you kept him alive) or PFC Fitzgerald: "Sure, Cortana. All right ladies, volunteers step up on the double! The rest of you, get to the Dropship."

{If you walk away from the dropped Warthog towards the distant cave}

Cortana: "We'll need that Warthog if we want to get to the other lifeboats in time."

{If you explore the area on foot or delay for more than five minutes}

Cortana: "Survivors would probably stick close to their emergency beacons. (drops a NAV point on the distant cave) We need to find where each lifeboat has landed."

{As you drive through the cave structure}

Cortana: "This cave is not a natural formation. Someone built it, so it must lead somewhere. (Pause) I've hacked into the Covenant battlenet, they're actually broadcasting tactical data on unencrypted channels! We should show them who they're dealing with. Master Chief, I'm going to use your suit's transponder system to monitor their chatter."

{After Master Chief kills all of the Covenant in the structure}

Cortana: "There must be some mechanism to cross this cavern, look for a control panel or switch."

{Cutscene}

{Cinematic: When the Chief finds the panel and engages it, four giant silver beam-generating structures extending across the chasm, and an energy bridge slowly fading into coherence}

(NOTE: The cutscene mentioned will not occur unless you kill all the enemies in the area. However, the energy bridge will still activate in gameplay.)

{Gameplay}

{As the Chief drives out the other end of the cave}

Cortana: "New traffic on the Covenant Battlenet...a lot more crew made it off the Autumn than I had predicted - the Captain really gave them hell! If we can find Captain Keyes and other survivors, we have a chance to coordinate an effective resistance."

Part 02: Reunion Tour
This varies depending on the order the Chief visits the crash sites

{As the Chief approaches the rock-slide crash site}

Cortana: "Survivors detected. The Marines are concealed in those rocks."

Marine Sharpshooter: "Contact! Covenant Dropship, down there!"

{If the Covenant charges into the rocks}

Marine: "Fall back! Fall back!"

{Marines will all get on top of the highest rock, where the sniper is}

{If the Chief leaves the area before the area is secured}

Cortana: "Where are you going? We need to stay with the Marines."

{After the Chief fends off Covenant forces}

Foehammer: (COM) "Echo 419 to Cortana, come in."

Cortana: (COM) "We read you, Echo 419. We have survivors and need immediate dust-off."

Foehammer: (COM) "Roger, Cortana. On my way. I've spotted additional lifeboats in your area. One near the cliff edge. And another near the head of the river. Hard to see from my altitude, but it looks like there are more survivors."

Cortana: (COM) "Acknowledged. We're on our way."

{If all Marines are killed}

Cortana: (slowly) "No survivors..."

{If the Chief dawdles}

Cortana: "We need to find the other two lifeboats."

{As the Master Chief approaches the river head crash site}

Cortana: "There are some Marines hiding in the hills above the structure."

Marine: "You're a sight for sore eyes Chief. We're in a bad way. We've got wounded here."

Cortana: "I'll call in a dropship to pick them up."

{When the Chief kills all the Covenant forces in the vicinity}

Foehammer: (COM) "Echo 419 to Cortana, Foehammer's on station and ready for another pickup."

Cortana: (COM) "Affirmative, Foehammer. We're ready for dustoff, approach when ready. We're going to look for the last lifeboat, Echo 419, good luck."

{If all Marines are killed}

Cortana: (bitterly) "They're all dead."

{As the Chief approaches the river}

Cortana: "Warning! I've picked up reports that the Covenant have located and secured the Pillar of Autumns crash site. The good news is the Captain's still alive. The bad news is that the Covenant has captured the entire surviving command crew. Let's hurry and find the final lifeboat, so we can link up with the rest of the survivors."

{As the Chief approaches the fourth lifeboat}

Cortana: "Lifeboat detected. No sign of survivors..."

PFC Fitzgerald: "This lifeboat is trashed, Chief. There are weapons and supplies but...no bodies."

{or}

PFC Fitzgerald: "The lifeboat's totaled sir. There are weapons and supplies everywhere, but I can't find any bodies. Maybe somebody made it out of here alive..."

{or}

PFC Fitzgerald: "The life boat's trashed, Chief. There are weapons and supplies all over the place. Where's the bodies though?"

{As the Chief moves around the Final structure by the cliff edge}

Cortana: "Maybe they took cover in that structure. Let's check it out."

{If the Chief leaves the aread}

Cortana: "We should search the interior of those structures before we leave."



{As the Chief arrives at the bottom of the cavern, where the Marines and the naval crewmen are hiding.}

Cortana: "I've called for evac."

Marine: "Roger that. Marines! Assemble for evac, pronto!"

{If all of the Marines and techs are killed}

Cortana (sadly) "We weren't able to save any of the Marines. A hundred percent casualty rate."

{or}

Cortana "Dead. They're all dead. Get to the dropship and let's get back to base."

{If you dawdle without clearing the area}

Cortana: "We should make sure the area is clear of Covenant forces before the dropship arrives."

{When the Chief kills all the Covenant in the area}

Cortana: (COM) "That's the last of them."

Foehammer: (COM) "Roger that. I'm on my way."

Cortana: "New traffic on the Covenant battlenet! I've found Captain Keyes! He's being held on a Covenant cruiser, the Truth and Reconciliation, a ship I disabled before we abandoned the Autumn. The Truth and Reconciliation touched down on a desert plateau roughly three hundred kilometres upspin."


 * {Cutscene: Cliffside}
 * {Cutscene: Rockside}
 * {Cutscene: Head of the River}

{As Foehammer flies in}

Cortana: "There's our ride. Get aboard, and let's get out of here."

Foehammer: "Welcome aboard, Master Chief. Ready for dust-off."

{As the Master Chief climbs onboard into the Pelican}

Cortana: "We should move out, Lieutenant. And then we'll need your help on our rescue mission."

Glitches

 * If you stand under Echo 419 when it lands near the cliff edge, you will come up through the floor inside the Pelican. When this happens, jump up through the floor and you can walk inside the dropship. However, when it starts to fly away, you'll fall through the floor, and to your death.
 * Any Marine or Navy tech sitting in the innermost seats of the Pelican, they will hold out their hands as if clutching an Assault Rifle (even the techs armed with Pistols) but will actually hold nothing.
 * Any Marines who ride in your Warthog will not get into the Pelican at the end of the level, even if you force them out of the Warthog. You can often see them in the last cutscene being left behind as Echo 419 takes off.

Mistakes

 * If you enter the structure where the Marines don't encounter any Covenant dropships and jump off the shaft that shoots blue energy straight up, you will see a blue ball hovering in thin air when you reach the bottom (dead). This blue ball is actually the device Bungie uses to create the laser. Another way to see this is with a flycam.
 * Cortana mentioned a Command Shuttle to Foehammer, when the actual meeting point for the UNSC forces is Alpha Base.

Miscellaneous

 * It is possible to get a Banshee to crash and the pilot die at the beginning of the level but you will not be able to fly it.
 * At the first structure where the first lifepod crashes, a Spirit can be seen crashing into a cliff as it exits the area.
 * If you make any Marines on board Echo 419 turn on you at the end, you will not be able to board the Pelican until you kill them all or until they trust you.
 * If you go on a joyride after saving the last group of Marines instead of boarding Echo 419, after a minute the cut scene will play regardless of where you are.
 * This level is the first level where Sergeant Johnson is officially met in terms of the Halo storyline.
 * Although the three main areas where you encounter Marines have predictable numbers and types of Covenant, the areas in between are far more sporadic. Covenant vary greatly in numbers, types and often do not spawn at all. They are most likely to be encountered when back-tracking to areas you have already been.
 * Each area presents a different strategy: ground combat for the rock slide, long-range combat for the cliff wall, and vehicular combat on the cliff edge (on the outside).