Sacred Icon (Level)

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Summary
A Halo 2 campaign level. As the Arbiter, you make your way through a wall filled with Sentinels and Flood, ending in an open-air Elite encampment, which you must defend successfully from Flood onslaught before the next level, Quarantine Zone, starts.

Weapons

 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Needler
 * Carbine
 * Energy Sword
 * Sentinel Beam
 * Magnum
 * SMG
 * Battle Rifle
 * Shotgun
 * Rocket Launcher
 * Shielded Plasma Cannon

"Uncomfortable Silence"
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{fade in on Covenant-looking structure}

{text: Sanctum of the Hierarchs, Covenant Holy City, High Charity} {camera pans down, we see a large hallway with rows of Honor Guards, the Arbiter walks through, close up of Arbiter}

{Arbiter watches as Brutes take Honor Guard equipment from the Elites, Brutes fight each other for choice parts, Arbiter walks through a large doorway, past Honor Guard Brutes to where Prophets Truth and Mercy speak with Elites}

Rtas 'Vadumee: "This is unprecedented... Unacceptable."

Prophet of Truth: "A Hierarch is dead, Commander."

Rtas 'Vadumee: "His murderer was within our grasp. If you had not withdrawn our Phantoms..."

Prophet of Truth: "Are you questioning my decision?"

Rtas 'Vadumee: "No, Holy One! I only wish to express my concern that the Brutes..."

{Truth hold up a hand for silence}

Prophet of Truth: "Recommissioning the guard was a radical step, but recent events have made it abundantly clear that the Elites can no longer guarantee our safety."

Rtas 'Vadumee: "I shall relay... your decision... to the Council."

''{Rtas 'Vadumee and his Elites leave. Rtas 'Vadumee nods to Arbiter, Arbiter returns the nod. Truth speaks to the Arbiter}

Prophet of Truth: "Politics... How tiresome. Do you know, Arbiter, the Elites have threatened to resign, quit the High Council, because of this exchange of hats?"

Arbiter: "We have always been your protectors."

Prophet of Truth: "These are trying times... for all of us."

Prophet of Mercy: "Even as the humans’ annihilation fills us with satisfaction, the loss of one of the Sacred Rings wracked our hearts with grief."

Prophet of Truth: "Putting aside our sorrow, we renewed our faith in the prophecy that other rings would be found. And see how our faith has been rewarded."

{they turn to a large viewscreen of Halo} Prophet of Mercy: "Halo! Its divine wind will rush through the stars, propelling all who are worthy along the Path to salvation."

Prophet of Truth: "How to start this process? For ages, we searched for one who might unlock the secrets of the ring. An Oracle. And with your help, we found it."

{they turn toward 343 Guilty Spark, who seems to have been suspended in a gravity beam}

Prophet of Mercy: "With appropriate humility, we played the Oracle with questions. And it, with clarity and grace, had shown us the key."

{triggers a hologram of the Index}

Prophet of Truth: "You will journey to the surface of the ring, and retrieve this Sacred Icon. With it, we shall fulfill our promise."

Prophet of Mercy: "Salvation for all!"

Prophet of Truth: "And begin the Great Journey." ''{Fade to black, fade in on Delta Halo. A Phantom flies toward the surface. Cut to Phantom interior.}''

Tartarus: "Once the shield is down, we'll head straight to the Library. I do not wish to keep the Hierarchs waiting."

{Focus on the Arbiter, zoom in as he speaks.}

Arbiter: "The human who killed the Prophet of Regret... Who was it?"

Tartarus: "Who do you think?"

Arbiter: "The Demon is here?"

{Focus on Tartarus}

Tartarus: {Snort} "Why?" {Re-focus on Arbiter} "Looking for a little payback?"

{The Arbiter draws a Carbine and holds it}

Arbiter: "Retrieving the Icon is my only concern."

Tartarus: {Laughter} "Of course." ''{Cut to exterior panoramic view of Delta Halo's Library, with the Sentinel Wall in the foreground. The Phantom flies towards the Sentinel Wall and stops over a landing. The Arbiter drops from the Phantom, which then flies off. Behind the Arbiter, an Enforcer rises up and slowly advances. He whirls around and fires three shots from his Carbine, to little effect. Suddenly, the Enforcer is hit by a sustained burst of plasma fire and loses its right-back leg. The Phantom flies by and away, and the Enforcer chases after it}''

Tartarus: "Lower the shield, Arbiter!" {Cut to mugshot of Arbiter} "I'll pick you up when you're finished." {Fade to white, gameplay starts}

''(After you jump into the passageways moving downward, and the first room, you meet a Grunt, who greets you)

(After you enter the next room, you find a group of Grunts and Jackals fighting Sentinels. After you defeat the Sentinels and cut off any more from entering, a Grunt might speak to you)''

Grunt: "Arbiter... our savior!" (Pause) "Stupid Jackal, say thank you!"

(When you move into the next room) Tartarus: (Through your COM link) "You're getting close to one of the shield generators. Many of my Brutes have fallen attempting to take it down. Let's see if you fair better."

(When you stand near the Grunt running toward you)

Grunt: "Big scary thing! Run away! Please! Don't make me go back!"

(When you reach the Shield Generator)

Tartarus: "You've reached the power source, Arbiter."

(An Enforcer descends from above)

Tartarus: "It is useless to attack the Enforcer at the front, especially when it's shields are up. Stay in the shadows, wait until it loses interest, then strike the beast when it's back is turned."

(After you destroy the Enforcer)

Tartarus: "You've reached the power source. Overload the locks holding it in place."

(After you overload (or push them as normal to save ammo) the first three locks)

Tartarus: "One more, Arbiter."

(After you overload the last one)

Tartarus: "Release the power source. Now, find a way to remove it from it's cradle."

(Of course, it's just a simple, push-a-button task. So push the button, the platform will then start moving and the door in front of you will open)

Chapter 2: Buyer's Remorse
(If you look up, you will see the bright-green shield surrounding the Library disappear, followed by Tartarus's Phantom flying lower towards the other side of the wall)

Tartarus: "Hold on until the Library's clear. I'll pick you up on the ledge ahead."

(The door of the approaching wall opens to another Enforcer firing on the Phantom)

Tartarus: (Growls) "Blasted machines! Find a way through the wall, Arbiter!"

(The Phantom leaves, followed by an attack by Sentinels, Sentinel Majors and a break-out of Flood-Infected Humans)

(Once you get through the wide-opened door in the wall, you will reach a piston at the other end.)

(As you proceed through one of the hallways below, your COM link will pick up a Marine's transmission) Marine: (Over COM link) Proceed to the objective! We'll hold out as long as we can! (Screams painfully) Get it off me!

Other Marine: Suppressive fire! Suppressive fire!

(After you reach the next bottom floor)

Marine: (Over COM link) Negative ma'am! They are NOT Covenant... Other Marine: Cover that doorway!

(Once you reach the bottom of the wall)

Chapter 3: 100,000 Years War
(As soon as the doorway opens, a ship can be seen in the distance as it is shot down by Wraith Mortars and crashes farther into the Quarantine Zone)

(When you walk on the snow, pods will land in the canyon)

Elite: "Forerunners be praised! The Arbiter!"

(When you defeat the wave of Flood)

Elite: "This Quarantine Zone has been compromised. We must do what we can against the flood. Our commander has landed further in. Let us join him."

(Once you cross the bridge and through a tunnel, you will meet the SpecOps Commander, Rtas 'Vadumee)

Rtas 'Vadumee: "Arbiter! What are you doing here?"

(Rtas 'Vadumee is interrupted by screeches of the Flood)

Elite: "The Flood is upon us!"

Rtas 'Vadumee: "We must hold this campus until reinforcements arrive."

(When you keep fighting the flood, a Phantom will descend from above, firing on any remaining Flood in the zone)

(Level Ends)

Overview
After the deliberate pace of the previous level, this one might seem like a blur. With no Covenant foes to be found at all here, your enemies are limited to sentinels (including the new enforcer, whose bark is far worse than its bite) and the detestable flood. The interior portion of the level is divided into two parts broken up by a short gondola ride, with the flood showing up only in the second part. In both sections, the opposition is relatively thin, save for a couple of tricky spots, and you can simply dash right through while your enemies are busy fighting among themselves. At the end of the level, as you finally emerge outside, you find yourself screeching to a halt in order to defend a position against waves of attacking flood, with the aid of your fellow elites.

Part 1: Uncomfortable Silence
Wait a minute...navigating through a forerunner facility filled with sentinels and the flood in order to retrieve the index? This is beginning to bring back painful memories that I've tried hard to repress.

As you can see, the Arbiter is back, which means your chances of sneaking past your enemies just increased dramatically. Take a few moments to admire the magnificent view, savoring the peace and tranquility, because soon enough sentinels will begin appearing and you'll be running for your life.

Turn around, and you'll notice a crate conveniently holding a couple of plasma rifles, which, for a change, we're actually going to use. This area (and the next, as well) consists of a series of rooms interconnected by piston-like seals that can be opened by shooting (or bashing) one of the glowing panels; and the easiest way to open them, in my opinion, is by hosing them down with dual plasma rifles.

Wow...not only are we finally dusting off the plasma rifle, but we're actually dual-wielding for the first time since way back on Cairo Station. Next thing you know, we'll be picking up the SMG.

Were we actually intending to fight the sentinels, the plasma pistol might be a better choice because the overcharge kills them in one shot (even the shielded ones); but since we'll be following the path of least resistance, we'll equip ourselves more for the environmental obstacles than for the enemies themselves. Note that the sentinels emerge from the glowing white portals on the wall, and will continue to do so until you destroy the portals. In my opinion it's fairly tedious and not really worth the time, considering how easily they can be bypassed.

So, without further introduction, we commence Operation: Run Like a Mofo.

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I think the route is fairly self-explanatory, so there's not really much else to say about it. Using your cloak in a timely manner helps to smooth over a few spots, but even that isn't particularly critical. As you can see, you don't actually have to fight the enforcer at the end. Activating the platform will destroy all of the sentinels in the room, the enforcer included; so, just focus on the panels, which are very quickly activated with your dual plasma rifles. When the platform starts moving, I temporarily drop one of the plasma rifles and switch to the carbine in anticipation of the next fight.

Other than that, just sit back and enjoy the spectacular view.

Part 2: Buyer's Remorse
As you approach the wall on the opposite side, you'll encounter another enforcer; this time, the most expedient path is to fight it. Your goal in this first battle is to open the large door on the front-left side of the upcoming room, which only happens after you either destroy the enforcer or wait several minutes. In my opinion, moving in quickly to shoot down the enforcer is considerably safer than trying to survive for several minutes in the chaotic melee of sentinels and combat flood.

Although the enforcers put on an impressive fireworks display, they're really not too severe of a threat as long as you keep moving. Despite their menacing appearance, they actually fall rather quickly once you know where to target them. In this case, you can give yourself a head start by beginning to blast it apart with the carbine before you even join the main battle. Pick off the two arms first, and finish it off by aiming for the front section, just behind the two shields. A few moments after the enforcer is toast, the door opens and, with the aid of your cloak, you can slip out quietly while the sentinels fly in and continue onward, as shown in the next video.

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This section can be more difficult than the last, as the flood can overwhelm you much more easily than the sentinels if you're not careful. However, while there are a few trouble spots (for example, right after you get the shotgun, and the room with the final piston) and the timing of your cloak becomes a bit more important, you can still cruise through this area in much the same manner as the last. Note the sword near the end that you should consider obtaining in anticipation of the upcoming battle. I generally like to head outside equipped with the energy sword and carbine, which gives you the option to sword fly across the chasm. Anyway, once you have the sword the shotgun is more or less redundant.

As you step outside into the cold, prepare yourself for a fight at last.

Part 3: 100,000 Year's War
You may or may not encounter a few random combat flood in the area immediately outside the door. After a little while, several elites will drop from the sky (just like in the E3 trailer) to back you up, so it's up to you if you want to wait around for them. You'll face a couple of attacks from a combination of combat, carrier, and infection flood once you cross the chasm, so your safest bet is probably to wait for your team to arrive, proceed across the bridge, and secure the area before moving on to the next (and final) battle. Like the first couple of flood battles back on Oracle, there's really not much you can do here if you decide to stay and fight other than simply waiting for each wave and then hacking away with your sword.

Of course, if you're in a hurry there's no need to hang around or even to use the bridge, for that matter, as the next video shows.

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The position of the flood on the far side of the chasm can vary, so there's an element of luck involved in when you'll be able to fly across, if you choose to go that route. Alternatively, you could just run across the bridge and head right for the tunnel. In either case, the tricky part is making it past the narrow tunnel and the flood on the far side, since your cloak will run out long before you reach a safe position. While it does not completely eliminate the risk, I've found that running around the left side when you exit the tunnel helps to increase your chances of survival.

After surviving the initial dash (or taking conventional route), you'll find yourself in another situation where you'll have to hold a position against waves of attacking flood. Once again, the chaotic nature of these sorts of flood battles pretty much negates any instructive value that a video might have, as it can play out totally differently every time. As in the past, though, I can provide some general observations that should help see you through the worst of it.

If you ran right for the tunnel, you may have to approach it again after you kill the initial group of flood to trigger the arrival of some elite reinforcements and the eventual scene with the spec-ops commander (when he says "Arbiter! ..." you'll know you're on the right track). Thereafter, the flood will attempt to strike fear into your heart by announcing their next assault with a bloodcurdling shriek, like something out of Silent Hill (seriously, that is one creepy sound). You'll once again face a mixture of combat, carrier, and infection forms, with each subsequent wave beginning shortly after the death of the last member of the preceding wave.

The first thing to note is that the gray spec-ops commander is the Covenant version of Sarge: he can't be killed by conventional weapons, so you don't have to worry about protecting him. Thus, you'll always have at least one ally around to utilize. Despite the fact that he's equipped with a sword, he is not always smart enough to realize that he should be running around and using it rather than sitting in a turret. I suppose it's reassuring to see that humans aren't the only ones who make dumb tactical decisions. In that case, it falls to you, the chosen of the Prophets, to kick him out any time you find him in a turret in order to exploit his strengths to the fullest.

I've found that a good way to take advantage of the commander's invincibility, as well as the general toughness of the rest of your elites, is to position yourself before each wave so that they intercept the brunt of the initial attack. So, each time you hear the shriek, check your motion tracker to determine from which direction the bulk of the flood are approaching, and then just run the opposite way so that your elites are between you and the flood. Once they're engaged in combat, you can then move back in and hack away at the flood while their attention is diverted elsewhere. Pay particular attention to any flood armed with rocket launchers or swords, and try to exchange your carbine for a rocket launcher if possible, even though, regrettably, you can't bring it with you to the next level.

There are a couple of decent hiding spots that you can use if you're having trouble remaining out in the open. One possibility is to use the floating platform in the middle of the area (just jump into the column of blue light, and you'll levitate up there); usually, the flood won't notice you up there as long as you crouch and don't fire at them. If you want to play it really safe, you could wait around until the commander—and he's all that will be left before too long, if you take this approach—kills off as many of the flood as he can find before you jump down and finish off the rest. If you really want to keep him out of the turrets, you could try destroying them yourself. Another useful spot is the short, somewhat curved tunnel passing through the rock not too far away from the central platform. You should receive a couple of erratically-triggered checkpoints throughout the course of the battle, which makes things a bit more manageable.

After several such waves, a phantom will show up and begin firing on the flood, which is your signal that the level is about to end.

Well, there you have it: a short walkthrough for a short level.

Normal Walkthrough
You start out with a Carbine and a plasma Pistol. If you turn to your left you'll see a pair of needlers, I always grab them because they're good against Sentinels. Head towards the lighted section of this room and on the left will be a piston (get used to them). Go up to it and press "X" then jump down. When you land there will be another piston, do the same thing and jump down again. Continue down the hallway, killing the sentinels and destroying the things they come out of (just shoot at them). At the end of the hall will be another piston, so repeat the process and jump down. In the next room you'll get a grunt and 2 jackals to fight beside. Destroy all the sentinels and the things they come out of. At the far end of the room will be a walkway that has triangle supports. Go down that hallway and you'll come to a room identical to the one you just came from. Once you've killed all the sentinels, there will be a piston at the far end of the room on the right side. Drop down there and continue down the hallway, destroying stuff. At the end of the hallway will be yet another piston, so jump down. You'll drop down into the shield door that's guarded by an Enforcer Sentinel. Once you kill him go up to anyone of the large pillars and press "X", and then do the same with the other 3. Once you do that a holographic panel will come up at the center of the thing you’re standing on. Go up to it and press "X." Take a breather and enjoy the music as the gondola takes you to a room identical to the one you just came from. The phantom will only stay for a little while, so you need to act quickly. Kill as many Flood and Sentinels as you can. After a while, a large door will open and two sentinels will come out. Go through the door and follow the hallway until the end where there will be a piston. Jump down. Continue down the hallway and turn right. Activate the piston and jump down. Right near the dead Human bodies there will be a Shotgun and SMG's. I usually take the shotty. Continue down the Flood-infested hallway and at the end will be another piston, so press "X" and jump down. In this massive room there will be plenty of ammo spread around, you just have to look a little. I don't even bother fighting, but you can do whatever. Turn left from the room that you dropped down from the piston and you'll find a near-identical room with some flood in it. At the end of the smaller room will be an opening into an identical, massive room. Again, there will be some ammo strewn about, so if you’re running low, quick grab some. Otherwise, jump down into the massive room and head left. You'll see a piston, so press "X" when your near to it and jump down. The next area is very dark, and perfect for the Arbiter's cammo. Go straight until you reach the stack of boxes, and then turn right. Keep going until you reach the end and walk on the lowered platform in the middle of the room. It's an identical hallway that you've been down before-the one with the triangle supports. It doesn't matter which way you take, but head to the end of the room like before, and go down the identical walkway. Once you're in the next room, head left and at the end of the room you'll see a piston in an alcove to the left. Press "X" and jump down, and do the same with the next piston. You'll drop down into a room like the one you were in when you started the level, except there's a piston in the middle of it. Go up to the piston and press "X" and drop down. You'll drop down into an identical room, except this one has a battle raging on. I always pick up the sword near the piston in the middle of the room before I activate the piston and drop down, but you don't have to. You'll keep falling for what seems like forever. When you stop though, there's a large door a few meters away. Walk through the door, and past the bridge. Keep going until you reach a covenant sniper tower. Fight the waves of Flood with the other Elites until you've killed them all. Behind the plasma turret is a small tunnel, head through that tunnel. A battle will already be going on, so help them. Keep fighting until the cutscene starts. Congratulations you've completed Sacred Icon!

Glitches

 * In the part where you fall down one of the tubes to see the Phantom for the first time, and you land on the beam in the middle of the hole at the end. You are actually... Invincible, at will not take damage from any enemy regardless of their weapon or what difficulty the game is on. It is only when you jump down off your perch that you become weak again. Also, though your shields won't go down, you will take "damage" from foes until blood starts to splatter the ground, but you can't die.
 * When you hear the Marines scream on the radio do a grenade jump(you must have the sputnik skull) to the other side and kill the Flood they will be enemies. It is not recommended on higher difficulties because the Marines will die as soon as you arrive.