Crow's Nest

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Crow's Nest is the second playable campaign mission of Halo 3.

Plot
The level begins with the Chief, the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, and Sergeant Johnson landing in an underground UNSC base. As they disembark, several Marines are amazed to see a Spartan. Lieutenant Commander Keyes then informs the Chief and Johnson of the current situation that Truth has almost destroyed the UNSC Home Fleet, and only a few ships are left, all the while walking through hallways littered with wounded UNSC soldiers. They soon reach the command center and speak with Lord Hood, discussing a plan for an all out attack on Truth's army. However, the Covenant then jams the Human communications network along with the rest of the base, shutting off the power. Truth then appears on the main view screen, threatening the Humans and telling them their world will burn. The Covenant then attack and the base comes under heavy fire from the Covenant Loyalists. The Master Chief helps several Marines evacuate the base, fight off a swarm of Drones, and rescue Marines from the barracks. Unable to sufficiently fight off the invaders, Keyes orders a bomb placed in the operations center. Covenant troops however overran the operations center and manage to defuse the bomb. The Master Chief retakes the op's center by force and rearmed the main charge. All remaining troops, including the Master Chief, escape into the base's underground garage where they survive the explosion.

UNSC

 * Assault Rifle
 * Battle Rifle
 * SMG
 * Pistol
 * Shotgun
 * Fragmentation Grenade
 * AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun

Covenant

 * Plasma Rifle
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Needler
 * Type-51 Carbine
 * Beam Rifle (Heroic or Legendary only)
 * Brute Spiker
 * Brute Shot
 * Fuel Rod Gun
 * Plasma Grenade
 * Spike Grenade
 * Plasma Cannon
 * Gravity Hammer

Transcript
{Cutscene}


 * Crow's Nest Flight Controller: "Sorry for the tight squeeze. (To the other Flight Controller) Tell the Commander her ace is in the hole."

''Kilo 023 touches down. Medics load an injured marine on a stretcher and move. The Master Chief, Thel 'Vadam and Johnson get off. Marines sitting by the landing pad see the Chief get out of the Pelican.''


 * Landing Pad Marine: "Hey, check it out.


 * Landing Pad Marine: "No way! A Spartan!"


 * Blind-by-injury Landing Pad Marine: "For real? You better not be....


 * Landing Pad Marine: "No man. He's here! We're gonna be alright!"

Lieutenant Commander Miranda Keyes comes out onto the Landing Pad to meet Johnson, 'Vadam and the Master Chief.


 * Commander Keyes: "Where'd you find him?"


 * Sergeant Johnson: "Napping. Out back."


 * Commander Keyes: "Hmm. I'll bet. It's good to see you Chief."

Keyes shakes the Chief's hand.


 * Master Chief: "Likewise, ma'am."


 * Commander Keyes: "Let's get you up to speed."

''Down the hallways of the base, wounded Marines lay against the walls. Two Marines chatting to each other notice Commander Keyes and the Master Chief. They make way and salute.'''


 * Commander Keyes: "The Prophet of Truth's ships breached the Lunar Perimeter. Smashed what was left of the Home Fleet."

As 'Vadam walks by, the Marines lower their hands and stare in astonishment.


 * Commander Keyes: "Terrestrial casualties from the subsequent bombardment were..."

Medics race pass by with an injured Marine on a stretcher.


 * Commander Keyes: "...extreme. Truth could've landed anywhere, but he committed all his forces here. East Africa, The ruins of New Mombasa. Then, they started digging."


 * Master Chief: "What about Halo?"


 * Commander Keyes: "We stopped it, but only temporarily. Now, the Prophet of Truth is looking for something called 'The Ark', where he'll be able to fire all the Halo Rings. If he succeeds, Humanity, The Covenant, every sentient being in the Galaxy..."


 * Master Chief: "The Rings will kill us all."


 * Technician: "Ma'am, I have Lord Hood."


 * Commander Keyes: "Patch him through."


 * Lord Hood (Main View Screen): "Good news, Commander Keyes?"


 * Commander Keyes: "As good as it gets, sir."


 * Lord Hood (Main View Screen): "So I see. What's your status, son?"


 * Master Chief: "Green. Sir."


 * Lord Hood (Main View Screen): "Glad to hear it. The Commander's come up with a good plan. But without you, I wasn't sure we could pull it off."


 * Commander Keyes: "Truth's ships are clustered above the excavation site. And his infantry has deployed Anti-Aircraft Batteries around the perimeter. But, if we neutralize one of the batteries, punch a hole in Truth's defenses..."


 * Lord Hood (Main View Screen): "I'll initiate a low-level strike. Hit 'em right where it hurts. I only have a handful of ships, Master Chief. It's a big risk. But I'm confident—"

The power cuts completely.


 * Technician: "Hell! Not again!"


 * Commander Keyes: "Emergency generators! Now!"


 * Marine Technician: "Shielding failed. They're down and charging."


 * Commander Keyes: "As soon as they're up, reestablish contact with Lord Hood. Let him know that-"


 * Prophet of Truth (All screens): "You are, all of you, vermin. Cowering in the dirt, thinking what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No. Your world will burn until its surface is but glass! Not even your Demon will live to creep...blackened...from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage; the culmination of our Journey. For your destruction is the will of the gods! And I...I am their instrument!"

The power returns.


 * Sergeant Johnson: "Cocky bastard just loves to run his mouth!"


 * Master Chief: "Does he usually mention me?"

Commander Keyes thinks, and realizes Truth's meaning.


 * Commander Keyes: "Give the order. We're closing shop."


 * Marine Technician: "Ma'am?"


 * Commander Keyes: "We're about to get hit."


 * Marine Technician: (O.S.) "All personnel. Defense code Alpha."


 * Commander Keyes: "The wounded. We're getting them all out."


 * Marine Technician: "Prepare for immediate evacuation."


 * Sergeant Johnson: "If I have to carry 'em myself."


 * Marine Technician: "Ma'am, squad leaders are requesting a rally point. Where should they go?"

''Miranda walks up the stairs and draws a Pistol. She pulls the slide back.''


 * Commander Keyes: "To war."

She lets go and moves on.

Know Your Role...
Perimeter breach.

{Gameplay}


 * Marine Technician: "We just lost the Perimeter Cameras."


 * Commander Keyes: "Motion Trackers?"


 * Marine Technician: "They're down or we're not receiving. Can't tell."


 * Commander Keyes: "Any of our birds squawking?"


 * Technician: "No ma'am. Wait, Overwatch has contacts. Phantoms! Closing in on our position."


 * Commander Keyes: "Any birds less than 5 minutes out, bring them in. Tell everything else to scatter."


 * Technician: "Aye Aye."


 * Technician : "Who would've thought we'd have this many wounded?"


 * Technician: "Pelicans are gonna take extra time to load."


 * Commander Keyes: "We knew they'd find us eventually. But we have a plan, let's make it happen."


 * All personnel: "Yes Ma'am!"


 * Sergeant Johnson: "Arbiter and I will guard the Ops Center. Don't worry about the Commander, Chief. I got her. But the Marines downstairs could use your help."

— (Co-op variation) Johnson: "Chief, move out. You too, Arbiter. The Commander will brief you as you go."

The Master Chief meets with two Marines from downstairs.


 * Marine: "Follow me sir."


 * Marine: "Perimeter's this way."
 * (IWHBYD) add-onMarine''': This base was built for some 20th century war, and it's pretty damn cool!

The Chief follows the Marines downstairs.


 * Marine: "Come on sir. I'll show you the way."

The Chief finds many weapons to stock up on.


 * Marine: "This base was built for some 20th Century war. It's full of old tech, like these door controls."

''The Marine opens the door. The Chief walks on through to find Marines in a large cave setting up defenses for the Ops Center.''

or
 * Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds: "Get those turrets up. You watch your fields of fire."
 * Gunnery Sergeant Stacker: "Get those turrets up! Watch your fields of fire!"




 * Marine: "How'd they find us?"


 * Marine: "Probably just smelled you, man."


 * Marine: "Hey, bite me. I'm sick of hiding anyways."


 * Gunnery Sergeant (Reynolds or Stacker): "Quiet. Cut the chatter."
 * Marine: "What is it, Sergeant?"


 * Gunnery Sergeant (Reynolds or Stacker): "Calm before the storm, Marines. Enjoy it."

The cave shakes.


 * Gunnery Sergeant (Reynolds or Stacker): "Point of entry, best assessment?"


 * Marine: "The Hangar, Sergeant."


 * Gunnery Sergeant (Reynolds or Stacker): "Agreed. Master Chief, get there."

- (Co-op variation) Gunnery Sergeant (Reynolds or Stacker): "Agreed. Chief, Arbiter. Get there."

The Master Chief proceeds on, meeting up with two Marines.


 * PFC Chips Dubbo: "We're with you, Chief."


 * Marine: "Yeah, get some."

The Chief grabs some Fragmentation Grenades from a weapons case near the door, then opens it, and lets the Marines lead the way.


 * Commander Keyes (COM): "Chief? Good, this channel is secure. My fire-teams are spread thin. We can't hold out forever. I need that hangar cleared for evac, ASAP."


 * Marine: "Those Brutes secure the hangar; we won't be able to get our birds out."

''The Marines find the vehicle access. A Warthog is in battle with many Covenant soldiers. Grunts lob Plasma Grenades and destroy it. The Chief and accompanying Marines engage and win, pushing onward. They reach an open door heavily guarded and defeat the resistance, continuing through into the narrows corridors.''

''If the Master Chief continues to the end of the vehicle access, there is a Marine knocking on the door asking for the doorman to let him in. This is a Red vs Blue easter egg, the voices and the lines depend on the difficulty level. (See the Password-Lacking Marine)''

Soon the Chief and Marines reach the hangar.


 * Marine: "Wipe those bastards off the deck!!"


 * Marine: "Pelicans can't launch until the hangar's clear!"

''The Chief and Marines on the offense secure the deck. Multiple Phantoms drop troops into the hangar, attempting to defend it. From a distance, Hornets and Banshees are seen to be engaged in an aerial fight near a Cruiser who keeps supplying Covenant reinforcements to the base. The Chief and Marines take turrets and defend the hangar. The UNSC forces prevail. The Phantoms retreat and the troops fall.''

''The Pelican hanging on a crane in one of the docks slides out and is released. The Dropship lands to evac the Marines in the hangar, while the Master Chief restocks on weapons and ammo.''


 * Pelican pilot (If the Chief is in the way where it lands): "Need you to step aside sir; can't land till you do."


 * Sergeant Johnson (COM): "Chief, Ops Center. Double time! The Brutes are pressing hard."

If you linger


 * Sergeant Johnson (COM):"Come on Chief, hustle on back"

''The Chief heads back to the Ops Center. Marines pass by for Evac. Back in the vehicle access, two Marines staying behind until the next Evac hear sounds of Drones' wings beating and metal banging in the ventilation pipes.''


 * Marine: "Hey. You hear that?"


 * Marine: "Yeah. And I don't like it."


 * Commander Keyes (Speaker): "Attention! Hostiles reported outside the barracks."

The Chief heads back into the corridors, with the two Marines following.


 * Commander Keyes (Speaker): "Barracks are under attack! All available combat teams, respond!"

''The COM systems remain silent. The banging and fluttering noises continue on.''


 * Commander Keyes (Speaker): "Anyone in the barracks, I need a Sit-rep. Now!"

The Master Chief meets with the Marines in the cave, defending the Ops Center.


 * Marine: "Sir, this way."

''A Drone suddenly appears above him. {It can be killed before it picks up the Marine. If it does, he can still be saved if chosen too}.''


 * Female Marine #1: "Look! Coming outta the vents!"

A whole swarm of Drones starts pouring out the ventilation shafts, and engulfs the room.


 * Marine: "Line 'em up! Line 'em up!!"


 * Female Marine: "What the hell are these things, Sergeant?!"


 * Gunnery Sergeant (Reynolds or Stacker): "Drones! A whole swarm! Take 'em down!! Short, controlled bursts!!

''The Marines open fire on the swarm. The Chief finds a turret and unloads on them. The mighty swarm eventually falls. Marine in the Ops Center open the doors, letting the Chief in.''

Gift With Purchase
Butchers in the barracks.

''The Master Chief meets with Johnson smoking a cigar and other defending Marines setting up an explosive device, but Thel 'Vadam isn't with them. (Single Player Only)''


 * Gunnery Sergeant (Stacker or Reynolds): "If I try to hook up a timer, it might just go off by itself."


 * Commander Keyes (Main View Screen): "Johnson."


 * Sergeant Johnson: "Mm-hmm?"


 * Commander Keyes (Main View Screen): "You might wanna put that out."

Johnson drops his cigar and stamps on it.


 * Commander Keyes (Main View Screen): "Chief, have a look. A little going away gift for the Covenant. We've linked it to smaller charges throughout the base. Johnson, soon as the evacuation is complete, start the timer."


 * Sergeant Johnson: "Understood."


 * Commander Keyes (Main View Screen): "Good luck everyone. See you on the last Pelican out."

The Main View Screen switches off.


 * Johnson: "Follow me, Chief."

- (Co-op variation) Johnson: "Chief, Arbiter. Follow me."

Johnson leads the Chief to the back of the room, guarded by four Marines, and a Weapons Locker sits by it.


 * Sergeant Johnson: "Brutes have taken the barracks. Marines are trapped inside. Those apes ain't much for mercy, Chief. We both know what they do to prisoners."

The Master Chief takes weapons and ammo from the locker.


 * Sergeant Johnson: "Get to the barracks, save those men. Then escort them to the Landing Pad for evac."

If you stay near the bomb


 * Sergeant Johnson: "I'll guard the bomb Chief, get yourself to the Barracks."

''The Chief heads through the corridor to the Motor Pool. While down there, he spots a Brute Pack, lead by a Brute Chieftain with a Gravity Hammer.''


 * Brute Chieftain: "A fresh scent! Must be close. Spread out! Track it down!"

The Brutes disperse; the Chief takes the pack and Chieftain head-on alone.

''After wiping the Brute Pack out, the Master Chief continues on through a corridor, but it's caved in. Finding a hole in the floor, he jumps down into a shaft, and at the bottom, are several pipe entrances, where Drones fly in and out of. ''
 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "You have been called upon to serve."

Master Chief jumps down through the shafts into a canal, where he finds Thel 'Vadam below, fighting off another swarm of Drones.


 * Thel 'Vadam: "Half-wit insects! The Prophets use you like they used me! Reject their lies! Rebel, or all your hives will perish!" (Single Player Only)

After 'Vadam takes care of the Drones, he and the Chief regroup.


 * Thel 'Vadam: "Spartan, the Brutes have taken your soldiers, as prisoners or meat for their bellies, I do not know. In case some yet live, let us be careful when we shoot." (Single Player Only)

''The Master Chief and 'Vadam head through the door, seeing a Prisoner Marine thrown hard into a pillar, where multiple Marine corpses lie. The Marine dies and falls limply to the ground, and the Chief and 'Vadam rush in. One Marine being held by a Brute begs for mercy as it decides to kill him too.''




 * Marine Prisoner: "No! Please!"

(if you save him just before he dies)
 * Brute: "Look, it has soiled itself! These are whelps, not warriors!"


 * Marine Prisoner:"That was close, too close."

or

"Close, too damn close."

''The Chief and 'Vadam kill the Brutes and release the prisoner {optional}. While the Marine rushes for a weapon, the Chief and 'Vadam save every prisoner they can.''


 * Gunnery Sergeant (Reynolds or Stacker): "Everyone on your feet! Grab a weapon!"

''Taking out the Brutes, the surviving Marines grab weapons from more piles of corpses, taking a second to grieve for their comrades while the Chief and 'Vadam too resupply and reload. They continue their rescue throughout the barracks, defeating the Brutes and rescuing (a maximum of) seven Marines, including a Sergeant.''




 * Thel 'Vadam: "We did all we could. Let us move the survivors to the landing pad. There is a lift outside."

- (Co-op change) Gunnery Sergeant (Reynolds or Stacker): "You did the best you could, sir. Let's get the survivors up to the hangar. There's an elevator just outside the barracks."

''The Chief leads the survivors outside to the lift. He activates it and they wait for it to come down. While they wait, matters get worse.''


 * Sergeant Johnson (COM): "Commander, we lost the Ops Center. Brutes attacked in force. Couldn't hold them off. We're falling back to the hangar. But don't wait for us."


 * Hocus (COM): "What should I do, ma'am?"


 * Commander Keyes (COM): "Hold position! I'm not leaving without him."


 * 'The Chief, 'Vadam and the Marines board the elevator back up to the flight deck. While heading up, Kilo 23 gets into trouble.


 * Hocus: "Ma'am, I've got movement. Above and below. Brutes. They got jump-packs."


 * Commander Keyes (COM): "They're going after the thrusters. Shake them off, Lieutenant!"

''Kilo 23 takes off, getting out of the Brutes' reach. Noticing the Chief and 'Vadam, they attack them. After successfully retaking the flight deck, a door at the road below opens, and Johnson approaches them, holding an SMG. Seeing Johnson and his surviving squad at the doorway under attack from Drones, the Chief and 'Vadam assist.''


 * Johnson: "Drones! Go! I'll cover you!"

''The few drones are quickly eliminated. Kilo 23 returns for final evac. The barracks survivors and Johnson's squad board the Pelican dropship.''


 * Johnson: "Brutes. In the Ops Center. They disarmed the bomb. Sorry Commander, there were too many. Even for me."


 * Commander Keyes (COM): "Chief, get back to the Ops Center. Kill those Brutes. Rearm the bomb. I've gotta get these men outta here. But I'll radio with another exit. Good luck."

''Johnson and the 'Vadam board the Pelican. The Master Chief goes along the road Johnson previously came from, passing by destroyed Warthogs and dead Marines. (In Co-op, 'Vadam will accompany the Chief)''

Last One Out, Get the Lights
'Bomb armed. Time to go.'

The Chief reaches a door at the end of the road.


 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "You will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies."

''The Chief walks on through to another roadway, with Covenant Plasma Cannons set up. Using the Plasma Cannons and/or using all available cover, he gets back to the Motor Pool next door to the Ops Center.''

If the Chief is taking a while.

Johnson (COM): "Chief, follow the service tunnel to the Motor Pool."

Johnson (COM): "Head through the Motor Pool to get to the Ops Center."

The Chief heads back up the corridor behind the Ops Center, and sneaks in and witnesses a Chieftain communicating with the Prophet of Truth using the Ops Center communications.


 * Brute Chieftain: "Success, Holy One. We have taken their Command Center!"


 * Truth (Main View Screen): "Have you discovered how they plan to stop me?"


 * Brute Chieftain: (Nervously) "Not just yet, Noble Prophet."


 * Truth (Main View Screen): "Find out what I need to know, or your place on the path is forfeit. Tell me you understand!"


 * Brute Chieftain: "Yes, Holy One. It shall be done."

Truth disconnects from the screen.


 * Brute Chieftain: "Have the Drones scour these machines!! Find out what these heathens know about the Ark!!"

As the two Grunts and Brute Captains get busy, the Chief takes them by surprise and takes them down, taking back the Ops Center and the bomb.

If the Chief waits around a bit.


 * Sergeant Johnson (COM): "Hit the switch, Chief. Arm that bomb!"

The Master Chief reactivates the bomb and the alarm sounds.


 * Commander Keyes (COM): "That did it, Chief! Bomb's armed."


 * Sergeant Johnson (COM): "We got your exit. A service elevator in the hangar. Head downstairs, cut through the caves!"

The Chief heads back into the cave, where grunts run wildly, then through the corridors.


 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead."

He continues back out to the vehicle access, where Drones, some Jackals and Grunts flee, and back down the corridors to the hangar.


 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "You will become the best we can make you."

The Chief gets to the hangar, where Phantoms flee, and Grunts run around in panic and some trying to catch the fleeing Phantom, holds up and looks miserable.


 * Sergeant Johnson (COM): "There isn't much time, Chief. Find that elevator."

''The Master Chief makes it to the service elevator, and activates it. The door doesn't fully shut. Something explodes and flames flicker through the gap.''


 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "This place will become your home."

''The elevator descends. The Master Chief hears a massive boom. He looks up and sees the flames roar through the open door. The violent shaking disconnects the elevator and sends it plummeting down. It crashes below and the Chief starts to black out.''


 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "This place will become your tomb."

Everything goes black.

Walkthrough
The recommended skulls for this mission are Tough Luck, Fog, Famine and Thunderstorm. Tough Luck is not much of a nuisance, especially with the 1.5 multiplier, the only consequence is maybe the absence of easy grenade sticks. As with Fog, crowded battles like the one in the motor pool and Barracks could be a little fraught, but in this mission, being ruthlessly attacked from behind without beforehand notice is quite rare. Famine is a curse for all EMP/Headshot bonus lovers, with Plasma Pistols never at full charge, conversing the plasma weaponry is a great and desperate benefit. Although since the Barracks are littered with Marine weapon dispensers, using human firearms are not affected that much by this skull. And finally, onto Thunderstorm. There are many Brutes in this level, each dominant with their new promotions, beating them might be a challenge, but there's not too much Thunderstorm changes in this level. Beware of Brute Captains though.

Ops Center and South Hangar
Exit the Operations Center, collecting a Battle Rifle and Magnum on your way out. Your rifle is very effective against Grunts; a single, precise headshot could immediately topple any type of them. The Magnum is for duel-wielding with either a Plasma Pistol or a Plasma Rifle. Leveling an opponent's shield before making a one last headshot is a recommended way to eliminate Brutes. The Blackeye somewhere in the Ops Center, visit Halo 3 Skulls for details.

Once you reach the road tunnel, an initial group of Grunts and Jackals will attack, keep your distance and pick them off with your Battle Rifle, any Fragmentation Grenades picked up is also a good choice against this type of enemy. If you're feeling like ammunition is necessary to preserve (like when activating Famine), you can wait for the enemies to near the Fusion Coils, and then force them to explode with gunfire. Take care of the Brute hanging behind the first squad, and cautiously move towards the South Hanger. Grunts, backed up by Jackals with Covenant Carbines, will charge around the corner at the end of the corridor. If you're feeling confident, spring into their line of sight, and nail then in turn with headshots. Yet again, if ammo is only to be spent when necessary, duck behind cover and use Frag Grenades to disable incoming forces. You can also pick up an SMG in the water to the right-hand side, but swap it back for your previous weapon when you proceed from this battle.

Battling Covenant forces in the South Hangar takes a considerable amount of consideration to a good systematic approach. Use your Battle Rifle to take out the Grunts and Jackals that ascend the stairs. Be quick, or else they may be able to eliminate some of your Marines, and make the following battle much more difficult. Ensure that you have a full supply of grenades before dashing over to the room upstairs before the Phantoms arrive. Collect more ammunition here, and, if possible, a Plasma Pistol. Break the window with melee attacks, and then leap through to rapidly return. You can carry the Machine Gun Turret on the second level down, but this is risky, with hordes of Covenant forces pressing down onto you, mobility may be more important than raw firepower.

The first two Phantoms will drop off a number of Grunts, Brutes and Jackals. Take cover behind the closed weapons cabinet, this provides safety against both Brute Shots and probably grenades, not to mention giving you a clear view of incoming enemies. Drop your Plasma Pistol in a memorable spot, and then start neutralizing the Grunts and Jackals. The attack force won’t have much cover on the landing pad, not that they actually plan to use it, but this gives you an advantage over almost all enemies you are pitted against. The Brutes generally stand out in the center of the pad, exposed to all gunfire, and just left of your position at the weapons cabinet. Attempt to clear out the Grunts on both the left and right-hand sides of your position, or you will be surrounded.

Despite their valiant lack of cover, dealing with the Brutes is a somewhat challenging task. Pick up that dropped Plasma Pistol and start executing the EMP/Headshot technique against all the Brutes. The Magnum pistol is a weak weapon unless you’re accurate, though, so choose your shots carefully, this is not the time you’d want any berserk Brutes. If your Marine allies are still alive and ready, they’d be able to contribute vital kills, consider this a reward for conserving your teammates. Enemy fire will also most likely be directed to them, whilst this decreases their chances of survival, it gives you the opportunity to pick off enemy units while they’re distracted.

Before the final wave of adversaries arrive, make your way up and pick up supplies (ammunition, grenades etc.). Stay near the Machine Gun Turret as the Phantom arrives, but cling onto your Battle Rifle for the time being. Then the Grunts drop in, take them out in turn with your weapon, and then, one they’ve been neutralized, hop onto the turret and sweep up any remaining troops.

Pick up that Machine Gun Turret and make your way back to the Ops Center, the journey back is faster if you drop the turret, but don’t, it’ll be useful for later.

The small cave that you must pass through before reaching the Operations Center is an ambush point for an entire swarm of Drones. Position yourself beside the small corner wall to the right as quick as you can, the Covenant will arrive very soon. As they flood out of the ceiling, stay behind the fence wall and keep your turret at the ready. Keep firing and avoid incoming fire from the insectoid beings. Your first targets should be the small force of Drones that attack from the right, but if you move further along, you could also be able to wipe out a great amount of the enemies at the center of the cave. Keep ducking in and out of cover to unleash bursts of Machine Gun fire as you eliminate the Drone force. Use common sense to only stroll out when it’s safe, and this frenzy may not be as hard as expected.

When the battle finishes, you turret should be nearly out of ammo, so go to the left-hand side of the cave, climb the big rock, and detach another one there.

Sewers and Motor Pool
The room beyond the Ops Center is a death trap for those who are not careful and preservative. It’s a showdown against a Chieftain, accompanied by approximately a dozen Brutes, and no checkpoints. But, fortunately enough, this battle might not be as fraught and difficult as fear might suggest. The correct technique is sort of a cat-and-mouse chase with your opponents, hiding from the enemy until they draw near to investigate, and then striking when the time comes.

Enter the room, look to your left-hand side; you should see a parking bay, and a trailer in that bay. The trailer has a set of back wheels that you should take cover behind, do that and hold your position. Operate from here for the majority of the battle; it’s a suitable, almost impenetrable piece of cover and provides some escape routes if necessary. Although there are still things to be aware of, first of all, the Brutes use Spike Grenades, you should retreat to the slope behind you to avoid these. But this position gives Brutes the choice to shoot through the gap beneath the trailer. The second danger is, due to the large number of Brute Shots, any explosions can dislodge the containers on top, exposing more of you. Stand closer to the wheels if this happens to avoid any incoming projectiles, another option is to take point on the wall further along and abandon the trailer. Lastly, Brute Shot blasts might come pummeling at you, even if they miss their target, the blast damage may lower your shielding, leaving you even more vulnerable.

The alternate idea is to enter with a Bubble Shield (optional but helpful).When you run in make sure you have a Shotgun and an SMG with full magazines each. SMGs can be found in the weapons area at the beginning of the level. The Shotguns are next to the door to the barracks. In the motor pool, close to the door you came in are some Gravity Lifts. Deploy a Bubble Shield if possible and grab one. Activate it so you can get to the second level. Then, go to the room on the right with a dead marine with some Assault Rifles, a Shotgun, and some Frag grenades. Now get to the wall against the way that the brutes are coming. Watch your radar and use your Shotgun to neutralize them. Even if on Legendary, a Shotgun burst THEN a melee will be enough to execute one of the brutes. When there are only a few of them left, get out your SMG and take out the Brute Chieftain. Then, go back to the Ops Center and get full ammunition for each weapon. Continue on with the level.

The Brutes here would run down the slope ahead in teams of either two or three, but not always, the opposing team will suggest retreat once you start opening fire. Not unlike many other experiences in the rest of your campaign, patience is the key to success. Wait until the Brutes dare to move forward, then inch out and take them out in turn with your dislodged Machine Gun Turret, ducking back into cover when required. This method should stick with you throughout the first part of the battle, hide in wait until the curiosity of the Brutes forces them to investigate your location, then strike swiftly in order to dispatch as many adversaries as possible, before retreating back into the shadows for the next attack.

Keep an eye on your turret’s ammo count, when it drops to 50 bullets, rest it somewhere safe and pick up a Plasma Pistol to dual wield with your Magnum, you can find one right behind your position by the trailer. Concentrate on both taking down incoming Brutes, and killing any that wield Brute Shots, even at range, they are a threat to consider about during this part of the battle. After the end of the battle draws closer, your targets would attack in smaller groups, like pairs or even solo sometimes. When this happens, your ammunition and plasma energy could run low, so use grenade sticks to take care of the remaining Brutes, but beware of potential chain reactions, the lower garage area would’ve been littered with dropped Spike Grenades by now.

If you are completely out of ammo, grab a gravity lift and levitate to the top level. BE CAREFUL! The enemy bombard you with grenades and the Chieftain is hard to avoid from up here. BR ammo is on the left, so go there.

It is by their nature that Chieftains generally charge when most of his allies have been taken out already, this one is no exception. When the number decrease below three or four, the Chieftain will attack and come straight at you. Consider this the most dangerous part of the confrontation, as there is little room the maneuver and dodge hammer strikes. Collect the turret you dropped earlier, and open fire as the Chieftain just about lumbers into range. You should have enough ammunition to at least blow his helmet off. If not, use Frag Grenades and headshots to wear him down before his deadly Gravity Hammer is close enough to knock you out of commission. If things don’t go as planned and the need of an escape route seems inevitable, go to the small pile of Gravity Lifts in the center of room, use one to boost yourself up to the higher level. This is sometimes your only option when the Chieftain activates his invincibility unit, which he’ll be driven to do when attacked.

Overconfidence kills when facing the last few Brutes, they can still be a threat, and some could be waiting behind Deployable Cover shields. The tactic is the original, wait somewhere safe, and then lure the opposition to you. Once you’re absolutely positive that the area is clear of Brutes, stock up on Battle Rifle and Magnum ammo, plus picking up a few Spike Grenades, they would be useful later. Leave this place, and continue on.

Another tactic is to not enter the motor pool at all and stay in the hallway, so that the door behind leading to the ops centre does not close. From this, one can go back for ammo, have more cover, and more importantly, lure the chieftain, should he charge, into the ops centre, then run back into the motor pool, so the door behind will close on the chieftain.

The next very short battle is with a couple of Drones flying through the sewers, it is quite minor, but drains your ammunition supply unless a tactic like the given one is used. Approach slowly, turn to the first pipe, the first Drone will appear, then fire at it and make sure it’s dead before it flies away. Another two will emerge from either side, deal with them, then repeat the process for the next two pipes, then pick up a Plasma Pistol to duel wield with your Magnum. If you want the Grunt Birthday Party Skull, it is somewhere in, or near, the sewage area that you just visited, go to the Halo 3 Skulls page for details. If you already have gotten the skull, drop down and meet Thel 'Vadam below.

You can avoid the drone battle by simply killing the first one and dropping off the edge. They will not follow.

Barracks and Landing Pad Bravo
You have the right to be a little afraid when you know that this upcoming fight can be slightly tricky, with almost no checkpoints and a large number of Brutes. Plus the fact that there are no Needlers here and very short supply of Plasma Pistols, except the one that you picked up during the previous Covenant encounter. But what really can make this battle very fraught is the absurd presence of Jackals and Brutes on the upper walkways.

A suitable rule about fighting here is to always stick to the ground floor; a surprise attack from an unseen Brute is imminent unless you do so. The Arbiter and any surviving Marines would help by drawing the opposition’s attention whilst you strike stealthily, the Arbiter’s dual Plasma Rifles are also excel at lowering the Brutes’ shields, leaving them vulnerable to headshots. Your grenades are equally as useful; lob them into the midst of the enemy to disable each of their shields by a considerable amount. The Spike Grenades you collected after killing the Chieftain would prove deadly against the Brutes when used properly, the slain victims also drop a number of them to constantly replenish your supply.

First of all, target the Brutes nearest to you, employ charged Plasma Pistol blasts followed up by well-aimed headshots to finish them off. Then switch to your Battle Rifle and kill the two Jackals on the upper walkway, this gives you two additional Plasma Pistols to use. But use your original one for now, you can either open fire with the Battle Rifle as you near the corner rooms, or fight at close range, using you EMP/Headshot combo against the Brutes. Move cautiously to the corner, there still might be Brute(s) hiding in the showers, check to your right before heading up the stairs to investigate.

The second long corridor is home to not as many opposing troops as the first, and fortunately there are no Jackals here to worry about. Although this place is an arguably riskier battlefield than the previous one. You had the luxury of a checkpoint before, but now you don’t, until you’ve cleared this corridor. The most deadly obstacle here is the Brute wielding a Brute Shot, who positions himself outside the second shower area. Use a charged Plasma Pistol blast to disable his power armor as fast as possible then finish him off with a properly aimed Magnum shot.

There is a way to take the enemy by surprise and remain in good cover, especially from grenades. From the shower block, jump across to the upper walkway in the second corridor. There is a ladder to your right that will let you into the vents above, with several holes to shoot through. Spike grenades will not make it up into the vent with you, but the shrapnel still hurts so when one is thrown back away. You can follow this for a fair while, strategically picking off brutes.

Turn around the final corner you’ll encounter a group of Brutes, accompanied by yet another Chieftain, this time, he’s wielding a powerful Plasma Turret, with, as always, an infinite supply of plasma battery. Make sure you dive back into cover once a single plasma blast hits you, the rapid fire rate of the turret means about a dozen following shots that could easily end your life on harder difficulties. The door on the right just before the corner is vital to winning this fight; you can use the short corridor behind it to ambush the Brute force whilst your allies draw their fire away from you. Plasma Pistols and Spike Grenades can deliver destructive force when used properly against these enemies. A number of charged EMP shots could vastly lower his power armor, when the helmet is off, a headshot from your Battle Rifle should do the trick.

Grab more Battle Rifle ammunition and swap your Magnum for a Carbine once the fight is over, then collect the dropped Plasma Turret prior to departing.

Descend the elevator, and enter Landing Pad Bravo, a place where Pelicans used to land to deploy troops, but is now the place where Jump Pack Brutes land to make another feeble attempt to kill the Master Chief. Everyone should know that, unless you’re on Easy or Normal difficulty and you’re a skilled player, a heroic march straight onto the landing pad could be problematic. In other words, the safest technique is to plan this operation carefully. There’s very little here and the Jump Pack Brutes could be a massive problem. They are mobile and can hover in the air, but with a price, when you melee a Brute when he is landing, the results are deadly, when you melee a Brute’s Jet Pack when he’s landing, the results are both explosive and deadly. The second reason to not be in a frenzy with a group of Jump Pack Brutes is their unpredictability and habit of using equipment, such as Radar Jammers and Trip Mines.

Once you have engaged the first group of Brutes, reinforcement will drop down from the control room and land on the pad. Later in the battle, about half a dozen more will join the fray and make things even more difficult. If the amount of grenades is still in your favor, you can position some at the middle of the pad as a little welcoming gift for the new arrivals. Be patient throughout this fight, not another checkpoint will present itself until every last Brute has been struck down.

It is an encouragement to try making your stand anywhere in the lower level beneath the landing pad, although the safest spot is by the large metal crate directly outside the elevator door. This is exactly why it was useful to bring along the turret with you, just take point in a safe place until the Brutes near you, and then fire controlled plasma bursts at them until their power armor fails, and then either switch to the Battle Rifle for an instant headshot, or simply continue shooting it with the turret. If you did not bring it along, the battle is much more difficult, but there is a free supply of Battle Rifles on the wall dispensers to the right of the elevator.

The metal crate isn’t perfectly safe, despite being the best cover there is in the area. Although it’s a flank-less spot where Brutes located to the left and right can’t hit you. Some Brutes also try to jump onto a position at the bottom of the nearby steps, where they’d be a sitting duck against your high-powered Plasma Turret. Though, through an unlucky and unfortunate turn of events, a Brute might, just might, lad directly on top of the crate, and/or just beside you. Although this happens less frequently as you might expect.

When you finally reach the checkpoint, stock up on Battle Rifle and Carbine ammunition before you move on.

Ops Center and South Hangar II
The two indoor roads that lead to the motor pool are now crawling with dozens of Grunts backed up by shielded Jackals. There are also a several planted Plasma Turrets manned by Grunts, though they are less dangerous as one might presume, you can usually kill the operator with a couple of shots. Just simply use all cover you can, only exposing yourself to wipe out all visible enemies as you proceed.

Although, once you turn the corner and battle your way to the motor pool entrance, become more aware of the potentially annoying Jackals with Beam Rifles. There are two of them, and even one is bad enough. Their elevated position allows them to spot you a few seconds before your gaze of disgust even falls upon them. In other words, you must be extremely cautious to not be unexpectedly sniped. The recommended technique is to simply take care of all the Grunts and turret operators before attempt to kill the marksmen.

Collect all the grenades you can, and stock up on Battle Rifle ammunition, there’s plenty in the upper level of the Motor Pool. Swap your Carbine for a Beam Rifle and grab a Plasma Turret prior to entering the Ops Center.

Inside the Operations Center, all the Covenant forces, including the Chieftain, are faced towards the hologram of the Prophet of Truth; apparently, he threatens to forfeit the Chieftain’s place in the Great Journey if success is not committed. But you’re here to kill them, not to gain information on the High Prophet. Put down your turret in a safe spot and be ready for combat. Now, it’s time for an ambush, it may be tempting to start whacking Grunts in the head, but you should focus on sticking one of the two Brutes directly in front of you, if you’re lucky, them might both end up stuck and deceased before the first shot is taken. Use your Battle Rifle to take out the Grunts as the third Chieftain in the mission, carrying the third Chieftain weapon, starts firing at you. These are Fuel Rod Gun missiles, perfectly able of wiping you out without even a direct hit. If luck is in your favor, the Chieftain might even commit friendly fire with misguided missiles.

Dealing with this kind of Chieftain in confined spaces is difficult and risky, not to mention mostly depending on his behavior. Whilst the tactic of hitting a Chieftain to death is fine with most Close-quarters Chieftain encounters, it is quite unsuitable when he is holding a Fuel Rod Gun and is pointing it right at your position. If he’s still at range, use Beam Rifle shots to wear him down and blow his helmet off before the finishing shot. If he’s close, rush to your Plasma Turret and pummel him with volleys of shots.

Kill the Brute manning the planted Plasma Turret and re-arm the bomb in the middle of the Ops Center and proceed to the cave for the third time en route to the South Hangar. You’ll find that it is more wrecked than before. A panicked group of Grunts populates this area and also two Jackals with Carbines on the slope to your right. This fight tends to be simple, but the rumbling and occasional blackouts caused by numerous explosions throughout the base of Crow’s Nest make aiming pretty hard. Activating your flashlight may make the loss of lights less disorienting.

In the road tunnels, a large group of fleeing Grunts will be encountered, kill these quickly, for they might retaliate and fight when you least expect it. The small swarm of overhead Drones might cause some alarm, but they actually do not stop to fire their weapons.

You return trip to the South Hangar is actually not as dangerous as your first. The remaining Covenant are a scurrying bunch of Grunts and Jackals, easy prey for the Battle Rifle. There is additional ammunition in the upper level room, but you can just simply fight your way to the elevator and escape the ensuing chaos.

Debriefing
New Enemies: Jump Pack Brute, Drone

New Vehicles: --

New Items: Radar Jammer, Grav Lift, Deployable Cover, Regenerator, Power Drain, Cloaking

New Weapons: Plasma Turret, Machine Gun Turret, SMG, Plasma Rifle, Spike Grenade,

This level promotes a lot more weapons and, most notably, more items, than the first. You should learn to get used to them and maybe start taking advantage over the different weapons, possessing knowledge of their weaknesses and strengths; you might want to warm up with them if you’re already a veteran of the Covenant war and completed at least one of the previous Halo games.

Demon Achievement Milestone: 15,000 points

Recommended Multiplier: 4+ ( Fog(1.5) + Famine(2) +Thunderstorm(1.5) + Tough Luck(1.5) )

TIME BONUS

0-20 min – 3x

20-25 min – 2.5x

25-30 min – 2x

30-40 min – 1.5x

Achievements

 * Holdout - "Holdout" is an achievement earned by completing the level on the Normal, Heroic, or Legendary difficulty. It is worth 20 Gamerpoints.
 * Black Eye - "Black Eye" is an achievement earned for finding and claiming the Black Eye Skull. It is worth 10 Gamerpoints.
 * Demon - "Demon" is an achievement earned by accumulating 15,000 points in free-for-all meta-game scoring on this level. It is worth 10 Gamerpoints.

Glitches

 * During the Drone fight before the barracks, if you throw the Deployable Cover in front of the machine gun, you will be able to shoot the machine gun right through it, while the enemy fire won't pass through the Shield, and they won't be able to see you.
 * In the beginning of this level on single player, a glitch occurs where you can see through the Arbiter's eyes.
 * Occasionally, you will see rats scurrying across the floor in some parts of the level. They appear on your motion tracker as small yellow dots. You can kill them and melee their dead bodies around. If you betray the Marines, your motion sensor will show the rats as enemies.
 * If you go to theater mode and play a film on this level, view a part that takes place in the hangar. Take the camera out to the hangar door, and down the left side of the cliff, this will take you outside the barrier. When you reach the bottom there will be a Pelican hovering just above the ground. Unlike the others in this level, you can't see inside its cockpit and the door in the back is closed. It's also possible to guide the camera into the fight between the pilotless Hornets and Banshees and to the Covenant cruiser. The Master Chief may need to be at the hangar door in order for this to work. If you get close enough to the cruiser and if seen in a right angle, you will see it is only the starboard half.
 * If you open the door to the Motor Pool and don't go through, the door to Ops Center will remain open. If you hold position and snipe Brutes with a Battle Rifle, you can eventually lure the Chieftain up the ramp and into the Ops Center. However, he will not attack the Marines, and vice-versa. You can even lure him downstairs, however, he will not chase you into the large cave area.
 * There is a glitch that allows you to get infinite weapons for the Motor Pool battle.
 * By dropping a Deployable Cover in the small stairway that Johnson and his Marines use to get to the landing pad, it will completely blocked off the stairway and Johnson and his Marines will cease to move, and therefore, Miranda Keyes's Pelican, along with the Arbiter will cease to takeoff.
 * At the beginning of the level, you can get the skull and melee Johnson into battle with you. He will not die unless stuck with plasma or spike grenades and only punch the Covenant forces. If Johnson is killed by being stuck, he will either respawn at the next checkpoint, mount the nearest turret, get up and pick-up the nearest weapon, or he will get up and bring out a Battle Rifle. Johnson cannot move by himself unless dodging grenades and must be meleed to different areas. If you take Johnson to the second checkpoint in the Ops center, a second Johnson will be there. You can do the same thing with this Johnson as the first, but he must be meleed through the door he opens and sent to the next area or he will go through the first door and it will close.
 * After the battle with the Jump pack Brutes, run up the stairs near the crates and there will be the Brutes' second wave, if you go in there before the Brutes come out, waiting by the door, they will just be standing around. They won't attack, even if you attack them, but will fire at you once they leave the corridor.
 * On this level, it is possible to find Gunnery Sergeant Stacker or Reynolds in three different places in a short amount of time, although they did not accompany you throughout the base. They can be found holding position after killing the swarm of drones outside the ops centre, then operating the bomb, then being held prisoner in the barracks.

Mistakes

 * If you are playing co-op on this level, the Arbiter has a meleeing animation even if he has no weapon. If you press the melee button, (Default: B), he will melee like an Elite. The melee attack cannot hurt anyone though.
 * When playing as the Arbiter or as the other two co-op characters, if you press the "Y" button if the beginning when you're unarmed, your player model will shuffle its feet. This can be seen only by the person playing as the character. However, this hidden action does not apply with John-117.
 * Many of the Marines are the same models with different voices in the opening cutscene, such as one of the injured men and a technician that speaks with the Commander.

Easter Eggs

 * It is possible to find two pieces of Cloaking equipment after rescuing Marines from the barracks, get in the service elevator, fight off all jump pack Brutes, then, as Sergeant Johnson is fighting off the Drones, run up the staircase to the right of the Pelican where the next wave of Brutes emerge from this door at the top of the stairs. Follow the path and you'll reach a control room overlooking the landing pad. Go inside and on the floor there are the two pieces of cloaking equipment. These are extremely useful when you return to the Ops Center, if you want to make an unnoticed entrance. In the same room there are two battle rifles, a regenerator, two frag grenades and a gravity lift.
 * The Black Eye and Grunt B-Day skulls can be found on this level.
 * In Theater mode, once you leave the room at the beginning of the level, Miranda Keyes will walk away, if she goes behind the Big screen, after a while she will say something like 'I've got something for you chief'.
 * If at the beginning of the level you get the Black Eye Skull and keep hitting Miranda Keyes with it she will say something like 'Keep your eye on the ball' as a reference to the Slayer Variant Oddball.
 * In Theater mode, when Miranda Keyes tells Master Chief about their farewell party to the Brutes. Go upstairs next to the computer. It will say MAC and WAC and start playing the halo theme song with beep sounds.

Miscellaneous

 * The Banshees and Hornets are active backgrounds items - they're not real. They lack a physical presence, you can move through them in theater mode, they have scripted deaths and the Banshees and Hornets have very low resolution textures applied to them (the front has no green shine for instance, and the Hornet's Glass is opaque). Also, a player can't destroy them due to them being background images.
 * If you take the camera in Theater mode outside the hanger you can see the storm above the portal excavation site forming.
 * This is the only level that features dead female Marines by default; all other levels need them to die first, such as Cairo Station.
 * The Barracks have the greatest amount of pre-spawned Marine corpses in the game.
 * The multiplayer level, Rat's Nest, draw many visual inspirations from the design of Crow's Nest.