343 Guilty Spark (level)

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343 Guilty Spark is the sixth campaign level in Halo: Combat Evolved. It takes place at the Alpha Halo Flood Containment Facility. This is the first level you ever encounter the Flood in the Halo trilogy. It is also the first level where you will use the Shotgun, the last level where you will be aided by Marines which are at the end of the level, the only level where you fight Covenant enemies without fighting the Elites, and the first time in the Trilogy where Sentinels appear. The first chapter of the level is set in a rain forest and the second chapter, "The Flood" is set in the Alpha Halo Containment Facility and the third chapter is outside the Containment Facility.

Allies

 * UNSC
 * Marines
 * Captain Keyes
 * Sergeant Johnson
 * Corporal Lovik
 * Private Mendoza
 * Private Kappus
 * Private Wallace A. Jenkins
 * Private Bisenti
 * Private Riley
 * Forerunner
 * 343 Guilty Spark
 * Sentinels

Usable Weapons

 * Assault Rifle
 * Fragmentation Grenade
 * Needler
 * Pistol
 * Plasma Grenade
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Shade
 * Shotgun

Vehicles Encountered

 * Pelican
 * Spirit

Equipment

 * Active Camouflage

Cutscenes

 * 343 Guilty Spark: Opening - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLRoDjCxe4I
 * 343 Guilty Spark: Jenkins' Helmet Cam - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Z3U5UKzbo
 * 343 Guilty Spark: Cloing - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ9mCj1ZR2E

Part 01: Well Enough Alone
(Opening cinematic-Camera flies over a group of Jackals and Grunts running through a swamp, panicky and obviously in retreat. As it pans over them, you see through the fog and rain the outline of a dropship, which further materializes as the camera draws closer).

Foehammer (O.S.): "The last transmission from the Captain's dropship was from this area. That was over twelve hours ago. When you locate Captain Keyes, radio in, and I'll come pick you up."

(In certain parts of the level, you can hear a radio transmission coming from a crashed human dropship and a Covenant communications terminal. As it repeats, it seems that this is some sort of distress beacon. Static pervades the transmission, and the signal fades in and out of clarity).

Unknown Pelican Dropship PILOT: "Dropship Victor 933-(static)-Pillar of Autumn-(static)-need assistance. We are under att-(static)-attack by some new kind of hostile-(static)-isn't Covenant. (Static) Captain Keyes has been captured by hostiles. (static) -dug in at a large structure in a swamp-(static)-We need to pull out. Please-(static)-I will set this message to repeat at-(static)-regular intervals. Dropship Victor 933, clear."

(An explosion is heard, and Grunt and Jackal bodies fall out of the air, followed by empty Covenant weapons)

(The Master Chief crosses a log bridge, and sees multiple shadowy forms running around on the top of the cliff to the right.)

(As he reaches the other side, the things are gone. Assault Rifle fire is heard and it's coming from the entrance to an A-shaped structure. Grunts and Jackals are running away. A frag grenade explosion throws a Shade turret around.)

(The Chief, thinking Marines are attacking them, hurry to the entrance, but then they once again vanish. A lift arrives for him.)

(The Chief passes through several large rooms and many smaller ones inside the structure, filled with Grunts, Jackals, empty Shade turrets, and dead bodies, both Marine and Covenant)

(As you come into an area blasted with gunfire and scorch marks, there is the sound of shattering glass. A lone Marine sits leaning against a wall, Pistol pointed at you. He shoots at you if you come too close, while screaming at the top of his lungs the following phrases. He also fiddles around with his pistol a lot, checking to see if the magazine is full).

Marine:
 * "Stay back! Stay back, you're not turning me into one of those things!"
 * "I'll blow your brains out! Get away from me!"
 * "Gaaaaahh! Aaaaaahh! Don't touch me, you freaks, I won't be like you, I'll die first!"
 * "Find your own hiding place, the monsters are everywhere!"
 * "Play dead! That's what I did... played dead. They took the live ones... oh, God, I can still hear them!"
 *  "Monsters..."
 * "Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhaaahhh
 * "Just leave me alone!"
 * Sarge? Mendoza? Bisenti? "Oh, God... the things took them, oh God, I can still hear them... They're gone! Get it? Gone!"
 * "They won't get me! Oh God... oh God I don't want to be like them, please, please no, nooo..."

(The Chief leaves him, and finds a way to the second floor. An Assault Rifle lies on the ground, pointing towards a door like an arrow. The Chief goes in, passes a dead Marine, and walks down a ramp.)

(As you come down one of two ramps on either side of a door which has been recently opened by a UNSC spoofer).

(cinematic)

''The Master Chief approaches the door cautiously. There is a noise behind him; he turns around, gun ready to shoot anything. After a moment, he turns back to the door, listens for any movement inside, then making sure it was clear, he places his gun on his shoulder, and opens the door. When it opens, a dead Marine falls into his arms. The Chief advances a few paces, places the body on the floor gently, and sweeps his Assault Rifle about the room. He notices a helmet lying on the floor, and, crouching, moves swiftly towards it. Once he's there, he surveys the room one more time, places his rifle on the floor, and picks up the helmet. The name JENKINS is stamped across it. There is a large, jagged hole punched through the top of it. The Master Chief shakes his head, and removes a Recorder Chip from inside the Helmet Recorder, near the HUD, and inserts the chip into a socket in his helmet''.

Open Record View (2552.5.27.5:52:56 L).

Pvt. Jenkins, Wallace A.

>Play>

(Helmet cam view (night vision enabled). A Marine (Jenkins) looks around the inside of the dropship Victor 933. There are several other Marines seated in the dropship with him. Johnson's Favorite music flip music blares over the cabin speakers).

Private Mendoza: "Why do we always have to listen to this old stuff, Sarge?"

Sergeant Johnson: "Watch your mouth, son. This "stuff" is your history. It should remind you grunts what we're fightin' to protect."

Private Mendoza: "Hey... if the Covenant wanna wipe out this particular part of my history, that's fine by me."

Private Bisenti: "Yeah... better it than us."

Sergeant Johnson: "You ask 'em real nice next time you see 'em, Bisenti. I'm sure they'll be happy to oblige."

Pelican Dropship Pilot (O.S.): "LZ looks clear! I'm bringing us down!"

Sergeant Johnson: "GO GO GO!"

>FFW>>

>PLAY>

The Squad advances through the swamp towards the same structure you are in now

Sergeant Johnson: "Stay close Jenkins!"

They reach the entrance and sweep their weapons across it, wary.

Sergeant Johnson: "Mendoza! Move it up!"

Mendoza advances in a crouch, gun at the ready.

Sergeant Johnson: (To Jenkins) "Wait here for the Captain and his squad, then get your ass inside."

Private Jenkins: "Sir!"

Sergeant Johnson: "Okay, let's move!"

>FFW>>

>PLAY>

(The squad stands around an Elite carcass. Its chest is torn wide open. Private Mendoza is examining another similar carcass on the left hand side of the screen).

Private Kappus: "-which is weird, right? I mean... look at it (Prods the Elite with his foot). Something... scrambled the insides."

Sergeant Johnson: "What's that? Plasma scoring?"

Private Kappus: "Yea...I dunno. Maybe there was an accident. You know, friendly fire or something?"

(Captain Keyes approaches the squad).

Captain Keyes: "Well what do we have here, Sergeant?"

Sergeant Johnson: "Looks like a Covenant patrol. Badass Elite units, all KIA."

Captain Keyes: "Real pretty. Friend of yours? (Meaning 'did you kill it?')"

Private Kappus: (sounds slightly apprehensive) "Naw, we just met (meaning 'no, I just saw it lying around)."

>FFW>>

>Play>

(The squad, along with Captain Keyes and his own squad, stand around a locked door-the one you have just come through).

Captain Keyes: "Right. Let's get this door open."

Private Kappus: "I'll try, sir. But it looks like these Covenant worked pretty hard to lock it down."

Captain Keyes: "Just do it, son."

Private Kappus: "Yes, sir."

(Kappus removes a Spoofer from his pocket and sticks it to the door. He punches a few keys, and the door opens. He waves the squad through. Bisenti takes point through the door, Jenkins close behind him, and the rest of the squad fans out around him).

Private Mendoza: "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

Sergeant Johnson: "Boy, you always got a bad feelin' about something-"

Corporal Lovik] (O.S.): -Captain, Sarge... can you hear me?!

Captain Keyes: "What's going on, soldier?"

Corporal Lovik: "We've got contacts...lots of them...but they're not Covenant...they're just tearing through us...what the!...ooooohhh...nooooo!! (flood noises can be heard in background)"

Sergeant Johnson: "Corporal? Do you copy, over?"

(No response)

Sergeant Johnson: "Mendoza, get your ass back up to Second Squad's position, and find out what the hell is goin' on."

Private Mendoza: "But, si-"

Sergeant Johnson: "I don't have time for your lip, soldier! I gave you an order."

Private Kappus: "Sarge! Listen!"

(An odd hissing noise grows louder and louder).

Private Bisenti: "What is that?"

Sergeant Johnson: "Where's that coming from, Mendoza?"

Private Mendoza: "Everywhere... I don't-there! Mira!"

(Mendoza points to a nearby door, which has just exploded outwards. Small squid-like creatures (Flood Infection Forms) swarm from it).

Private Riley: "Ahh... augh! Get it off! Get it off- augh!"

''Riley lies on the ground, one of the Infection Forms attached to his face. Kappus tries to pull it off him.''.

Private Kappus: "Hold still, hold still!"

(Kappus pulls the creature off of Riley, who goes limp. Kappus tries to hold the creature which is now trying to infect him.).

Sergeant Johnson: "Let 'em have it!"

(The Marines and Captain Keyes open fire, to little effect. Infection Forms are now all around them.).

Captain Keyes: "Sergeant, we're surrounded!"

Sergeant Johnson: "Goddammit, Jenkins, fire your weapon!"

Private Jenkins: "There are too many, Sarge!"

Sergeant Johnson: "Don't even think about it, Marine!"

Private Mendoza: (staggers for the door, several infection forms on his back) "Yo, this is loco!"

Captain Keyes: "Get back here, Marine! That's an order! (Growls with pain)"

(The Marine squad is overtaken. Keyes and Johnson remain on the feet, still firing. Their blood sprays as infection forms continue to crawl onto them.)

Sergeant Johnson: "Jenkins!"

(Several Infection Forms attack Jenkins and block his helmet cam. After a moment he falls over and the screen blacks out. After another moment, words flash in red).

>Unexpected Halt X (WND/INCAP/KIA? Ref.a4 3d.3) (KIA stands for Killed In Action, the question mark following it indicates that the memory of death is not confirmed, only speculated.)

>End Record View (2552.5.27.6:39:23 L)

(The Chief removes the chip from his helmet, shakes his head, and tosses it to the ground. He stands quickly, gun ready).


 * NOTE: Even though Sergeant Johnson is attacked by Infection Forms, he survives because the Flood cannot infect him due to his Boren's Syndrome. How he manages to escape to the surface is explained in the Halo Graphic Novel story: "Breaking Quarantine", and how he escapes Halo in "Halo: First Strike".

Part 02: The Flood
(The door the Chief came through is now locked. Five doors holding dozens of infection forms break open, their inhabitants attacking him)

(The entrance breaks open. Massive amounts of Infection forms skitter inside, followed by unarmed Combat Elite Forms)

(Master Chief escapes the facility, encountering Flood forms and some Covenant infantry struggling to survive.)

(The Master Chief arrives at an elevator, but it goes deeper underground, he is forced to fight his way back up)

(The Chief eventually sees three Marines armed with Shotguns fighting the Flood.)

(Although their weapons give them a distinct advantage, a single infection form or a single combat form attack can kill them)

(If they survive, they hold their position inside the room)

(As the Chief reaches the final elevator and rises to an exit from the structure)

Foe Hammer (radio): This is Echo 419. Chief, is that you? I lost your signal when you disappeared inside the structure. What's going on down there? I'm tracking movement all over the place!

(The Chief reaches the top. There is a group of Marines helplessly cornered by the Flood, who are waiting for them outside the structure)

(It is obvious they used a lot of ammo to escape, and it is all stacked in a pile. Most Marines hold Shotguns and Assault Rifles, one or two have Plasma Rifles)

Corporal Lovik: We could use your help, sir.

Private Dubbo: (Desperate and afraid) Sir! Thank God you're here! We've been lost out here for hours. After we lost contact with the rest of the mission, we headed for the RV point, and then these....these, things...they ambushed us. We've gotta get out of here!

Foehammer (radio): There's a large tower a few hundred meters from your current position. Find a way above the fog and foliage canopy and I can move in and pick you up.

(The Marine squad eagerly follows the Chief outside, where the Flood close in from all sides.)

(As the Chief comes near the tower Foe Hammer was speaking of, an odd blue object and a flotilla of Floating Robots descends from the mist. The robots begin to slice away at any nearby Flood, avoiding your Marines. After a few minutes of fighting around the base of the tower, the screen fades to white)

(Cinematic) The Master Chief suddenly finds himself enveloped in a bright gold light, and then appears on top of one of the legs of the tower. The blue object hovers in front of you)''

(Gunfire is still heard below, and bright beams slice through the dark swamp. The Chief and the object ignore the commotion)

343 Guilty Spark: Greetings. I am the Monitor of Installation 04. I am 343 Guilty Spark. Someone has released the Flood. My function is to prevent it from leaving this installation. But I require your assistance. Come. This way.

(The Chief vanishes in another series of amber flashes)

Foe Hammer (radio): Chief, I've lost your signal! Where'd you go? Chief? Chief!

Well Enough Alone
This is a lot vaguer place than any level in all the rest of the Halo series, keep your calm, nothing will attack you, just keep track on your motion tracker, use your flashlight sparingly.

Walk over to the downed Pelican. Fill up with the ammo, on Easy you will always acquire a Shotgun, but in Normal and higher playthroughs, Bungie has removed it so just fill up the ammo and continue. In addition, if you are not on Easy the time when you will actually get the shotgun is much later in the level.

Move down the path through the big puddle. A little up ahead, you will find a couple of dead Covenant with two Plasma Pistols and one Needler. Ignore it; it's dead empty. On the other hand, those Plasma Pistols are fully charged. Ditch your Assault Rifle for one of them.

There is a path leading up towards the ramp right up the Pelican Hill, there you would get an Active Camo, but it's practically useless unless you like to ambush some Grunts.

Ah, the fresh scent of a fully charged directed energy weapon. Move ahead and you should see another downed covenant dropship, the Brilliant Gift. There is a small group of Grunts and Jackals (about six total). The Grunts are dumb enough to charge straight at you, so switch to your Human Pistol and pump each one a headshot or smack them in the face. The Jackals tend to stay back, so time to get that Plasma Pistol ready. Feed each one an Overcharge, and melee them dead (to save Pistol ammo). Once they're gone, keep moving until you reach this sort of ramp made of a large tree root. There is a Jackal nestled in a crook on the other side, so feel free to feed him an Overcharge and a melee. Now go back for your other Plasma Pistol.

Go across the tree bridge, and you should see a Shade on the other side.(When you are on the centre of the tree bridge, look to your right. You should see a large metal pipe. Jump toward it and hike up along its left side. Here, you will find one unit of Active Camo.) Keep moving, and you should see an explosion, and another group of Grunts/Jackals getting their alien asses kicked by (what I hope to be) Marines. Feel free to start unloading Overcharges on anything that moves. Once the main faction has been fried, go in and melee anything that remains. Now go back for your Assault Rifle (chill, you critics, I know what I'm doing!)

Well, if there were any Marines in the first place, they sure bugged out really quickly. Well, you need to get used to being alone. That's how it’s going to be from now on. Get on that lift and get down into this creepy structure.

When you stop, switch to your Assault Rifle and get ready to have some fun. In the little antechamber, there is another squad of Grunts/Jackals (where are the Elites?). Newbies prefer to toss a frag grenade among them, but I like to blow away the nearest Grunt to get their attention, then move through the other end of the antechamber and melee the first enemy in front of you, and repeat/rinse until their all dead. Serious fun. Or if you want to hear them scream toss a frag grenade in there.

In the next room, grab a Plasma Pistol and send some Overcharges over to the Covenant on the floor. Once most of them are RIPing, grab your Assault Rifle and get on the floor and beat the rest to death. Moving on to the next room, you'll see three Jackals; proceed to beat their brains out. In the next hallway, you should see a dead Jackal, a lot of Covie blood, and a small room full of mangled Covenant corpses. Obviously, this place has something that's lurking in its dark corners. Let's hope we don't run into it on a bad day. The next couple of rooms are just as creepy.

Eventually, you'll come to a room that has seen some serious combat. Bullet holes, plasma scoring, blood, mangled bodies, flaming wreckage, complete with one scared-out-of-his-mind Marine. That poor guy obviously saw some bad things going down, and he gives me the creeps even today. I sure hate to say it, but put him out of his misery. Just go in and melee him. After that grim job, go to the other side. You should probably find a fully charged Plasma Rifle (cooler than fully charged Plasma Pistol). Ditch your Pistol for it (yes, the Pistol!). Afterward, get onto the second level, into the next room, and activate the light bridge and down the ramp.

An interesting thing to note is that when you return to the room the scared marine was in, in the next chapter, he will be oddly missing, with no blood and no signs of conflict with the Flood. Strange.

The Flood
After are you're ready? Load your game and take a good look around the room. There are six doors on the ground level: one behind you, one in front of you, and two on either side of you. To your left, there is a supply of Pistol and Assault Rifle ammo (guess who it's from?) Fill up on Assault Rifle ammo, and then go to the door in front of you.

Right about now, that door will bust open and a wave of those little squid things you saw in the cinematic (Flood Infection Forms) will come for you. A word to the wise: if one catches you with your shields down, you're in trouble. But just slowly unload a few dozen Assault Rifle rounds into the main faction and melee the survivors (No need to waste ammo). As you finish off the main portion, the door on your right is going to bust open too. Feel free to unload the rest of your Assault Rifle magazine into that swarm. The door on your left is going bust open now, and this wave is pretty big, so I prefer to toss a Frag Grenade to clear out the first couple dozen, and unload on the rest with your automatic weapon.

Now, the door you came through is going to bust open, revealing a bunch of Infection Forms and a couple of infected Elites. Tip for Pros: Pause the game if you are hyperventilating, scared, or freaked out. Once you're back to normal, unleash the pistol on them. The Flood don't have shields, but they pack one hell of a punch, and you want to stay pretty far away from them. Use the pistol on the general area of their chest, as they don't really have a head to aim at. The tentacles make a good target.

After a few seconds, that entire group of nasty Flood should be dead. Head up the ramp you came in by, but watch out for more Combat Forms just waiting to ambush you. If you see them, you could always neatly blast them in the chest with your M6D Pistol, but it's more satisfying, in my opinion, to unload the MA5B on full auto. Ah, the joy of 7.62 mm rounds.

In the next room, a pack of Flood are taking on the Covenant. Stay on the upper level and exit through the door to the right. Head through the hallway to find yourself in another roomful of Flood, and this time there is no Covenant to distract them from you. Oh no! Well, actually, this isn't as dire a situation as it looks like. Stay on the upper level and back into a corner. Fire a few shots to get the attention of the Flood. They'll all gather into your corner, but not one of them will have the brains to try and jump up onto your upper level. Now, between the wall and the upper level, there is a tiny crack. Just big enough for a frag grenade! Well, well! I don't think I have to tell you what to do here. Exit Flood. Drop down; clear out any survivors, and head through the door below the one you entered by. Follow the hall back to the previous room.

The Flood should be done with the Covenant here by now. Peek out of the hall, gun down anything close by with the M6D, and then retreat into the doorway. When the Flood come for you, unleash the Assault Rifle on them, and rinse and repeat as necessary. Yes, you fools! Chew full metal jacket death! Ahem. Head back through the disgustingly blood-spattered hall to the door on the right. This next room has Covenant and Flood again. Wait a while for the entire Covenant to die, and then use the same strategy as before on the remaining Flood. Once everything is dead, jump up the stack of Covenant crates to get to the upper level. There might be a few Jackals or Grunts that hid from the Flood up here. Get them with the MA5B.

There are two doors up here. One is near where the Covenant were. We'll go through there eventually, but right now, we want to power up the Energy bridge and head directly across. Hey, the elevator you got down here on! Fancy that! Well, the Flood fancies it, anyway. They come at you in droves, but you can use the same strategy you've been using. Hold the doorway with the Assault Rifle and grenades, and then finish things up with a pistol. This is one of the reasons I dislike the Flood: they make most strategies ineffective; so that there's only one or two ways you can play each fight. Now, get on the elevator and press go! Shoot! I guess the Flood broke it.

Now, go back through the door the Covenant were at. Here we have no enemies (for once), a load of ammo and health (for once) and the M90 Shotgun. The M90 is your prize; for the rest of the game, it'll be your go-to gun, as the pistol becomes gradually less effective. So, time to make use of the 8-gauge. This reduces the Flood from evil alien space zombies to playthings before your awesome might.

After the next hall, we come to another elevator room. This time, though, you don't need to camp in the doorway! Turn that shotgun on and blaze a path through the Flood. Once you're done, hop on the elevator and—well, sometimes you have to sink before you rise. Right? Well, you're going down. In more ways than one.

The elevator shaft's bottom can be a bit tricky. The Flood has really got you surrounded here. Luckily, a bit of jumping around and M90-ing will see you through the danger. Head to the right side of the door climb up on the crates, and grab the Overshield as soon as those Flood are all dead. Amazingly, in the next room, there's a couple of Marines left. If you are able, you can save them, but mostly, you should just worry about yourself and let them eat the path. By "worry about yourself" I mean, "be a cowardly fool". Grab one of the camouflages and start firing some shotgun rounds into the Flood down below, coupled with grenades whenever you feel one is needed. The shotgun, despite its reputation as a close-range nightmare, is actually pretty decent at long ranges too; you just need to aim carefully. After about a magazine from it, those Flood should be dead. Once they're all cold, grab the other Active Camo and head down onto the lower level. Exit through the blown-out door. The next split-path hallway has Flood hiding on either side, so be careful. If you get surrounded, you're pretty much hosed.

The next room is pretty normal. Flood are on the lower and upper levels, but there aren't too many of them. Jump up on the flaming pile of rubble. Grab the ammo and health, and then jump up onto the upper floor. Leave through the only open door. Keep going straight across the next room. Enter the next room. You're on top with Flood below. Luckily, you can use the "grenade through the wall gap" trick again, killing most of the Flood here. Drop down and blow away the survivors, then leave through the broken door. The next room is more or less the same as the last one, only now you're on the bottom. A shotgun shell for each Flood form, and you're on your way again. Directly across the room from the door you came in by is an exit. You'll run into a load of Flood in this hall, so open up with the shotgun. You're about to get a chance to refill on ammo, so don't worry about conservation. In the next room is a fallen pillar with health and a lot of needles and shells on top. Stock up, then jump from there to the upper level. The next hall is clear of Flood.

There is a Energy bridge switch in this next area, as well as a bunch of Flood on the ground floor. You could try and clean them out, but I wouldn't recommend it. Extend the Energy bridge and go across to the door. A LOT of Flood will come out—there are at least ten of them in the doorway, they're so bunched up that a couple of grenades can kill them all. Mop up the stragglers with the shotgun. Head on through once you're sure everything is dead. Finally, another elevator. The first time I played this, I decided that if this elevator went down too, I would kill myself.

Luckily for you (and me) it goes up. There is a LOT of Marines up here—I count thirteen—and about half of them have shotguns. The rest have assault rifles. One or two may have plasma rifles. For a real challenge, try to kill them all. You might as well kill them. They'll just die anyway once you exit the building, and it's good practice for multiplayer.

Anyway, if you aren't a treacherous swine who kills his soldiers, stock up on ammo and health one more time and move out of the base. The Marines know where to go, but they won't last very long. Rule of thumb: stick to the left. When you see a structure with big blinking lights, get close to it and stay close. The Marines, if they aren't already dead, will be soon. Then a flying blue ball, actually 343 Guilty Spark will show up. He will then teleport you to the next level.

Interesting to note, by the way: It is possible for two 343 Guilty Sparks to appear in the cut scene— the one who's talking to the Chief and one floating aimlessly in the background. Probably just a glitch.

Another "glitch" is the event is when one of the Marines aiding you is Sgt. Johnson, despite the fact that he is canonically believed dead for some time after. This has happened on a couple of occasions and is probably because his character model is counted as a normal Marine in Halo: CE. Privates Bisenti, Jenkins and Mendoza can also appear, despite having been taken over by the Flood.

Glitches
If you save the Grunts and Jackals in the part after you encounter the Flood, then you hide, they will start running around in fear.
 * If you play in co-op and use the stay on Pelican glitch, then leave one player in the upper swamp and the other player walks along the tree trunk, then the player that is above can see the Flood up close and kill them easier. Note that these Flood do not attack the player.
 * At the start of the level, the Flood that run into the mist at the big tree and the hill will appear as yellow blips, indicating that they are allies. This may be an error by the motion sensor, as later on in the game, they become enemies. Another possible explanation is that the Friend-Or-Foe tags that are still embedded inside the Flood forms, which could possibly be mutated Marines, however on closer inspection, all of the Flood forms encountered are Elite combat forms. They are not invincible; if you hit them with enough pistol shots, they go down. This adds to the mystery and tension of the setting, creating an atmosphere of fear in the player.
 * When the Covenant run away from the structure early in the level, there are Assault Rifle shots coming from the structure. To see this fully, use the "Stay in Pelican Trick" to get to the higher level of the swamp. Walk towards the entrance and slide down. You will see three MA5Bs pointing at different angles firing wildly for 5 seconds. In HMT (Halo Mod Tools) and HHT (Halo Hacker Tools) they appear under the scenery tag.
 * During the Private Jenkins' helmet cam cutscene, when the Pelican dropship lands, you will see a crashed Pelican in the background. It's is also odd that the Marines do not infiltrate the downed Pelican.
 * When you use the Pelican glitch, the trees in the area are not solid and you can walk through them.
 * If you shoot the Energy Bridges with your Assault Rifle, they will reflect off of it.

Mistakes

 * On the cut scene of the Private Jenkins helmet cam, you can see that the Infection Forms have holes in them.
 * If you make your Marines turn on you at the tower, the Sentinels will attack them, though they mainly focus on the Flood.
 * The date on the timestamp of Private Jenkins' footage is May 27, 2552; months before the game actually takes place. This may be caused by a malfunction with the Marine's armor, or a simple mistake by Bungie.
 * If you look closely at the dead Marine before Master Chief lays him on the floor in the cutscene, you can see that the Marine will blink about 2 to 4 times despite the fact that he's dead.
 * As you go through the level, you will come to a bit where there are three Jackals staring at a door. Kill them and walk through the door they were staring at and turn right. There is a gored Jackal with blue blood. However, Jackals have purple blood. The blue blood is the same blood that Grunts have.
 * Behind one of the locked doors in a square-shaped hallway, there is a combat form trying to move through it. Its tentacles can be seen protruding through the door, and if you try to shoot it, it will attack you.

Easter Eggs

 * If you at any point of the first chapter reach the upper level of the swamp, you will find Private Mendoza comfortably standing at attention in the middle of nowhere. This is known as the Unarmed Marine Easter Egg.
 * During the first chapter of the level, dead corpses will spawn in the swamp when you are at some point of the inside of the installation. Walk back outside before the Private Jenkins helmet cam cutscene and bodies of Marines will be scattered through the lower level of the swamp. If you can make it to the upper level of the swamp (around Mendoza and such), you will find corpses of Covenant and Human Flood forms.
 * If you don't kill any of the Grunts or Jackals outside in the swamp, when you meet up with your Marine allies, one of them will have a fully charged Plasma Pistol.
 * There is a third elevator shaft that requires a mod to reach. There is no lift in it, just a fire where the panel to activate the lift would be.
 * There is a hidden Active Camouflage in this level. After you kill the Jackals on the tree trunk that goes to the next part of the level, get onto the tree trunk. Once in the middle, you must stop. Turn right. Jump down. There is a pipe leading up to a small ledge that is too high to jump to. There is a ramp. Go up it. Go as far back as you can on the ledge, and inside a bush there is an Active Camouflage power-up.

Miscellaneous

 * Originally, there was going to be a licensed song that was played in-cutscene during the Pelican ride with Sergeant Johnson and the Marines, but it was replaced with the flip music. The licensed song was going to be "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones. Marty O'Donnell stated this on the Halo 3 Legendary Edition bonus disk.
 * The actual song in-cutscene is called Shreddin'. This song is from the game Marathon: Durandal, another Bungie creation.
 * The elevator you use to get inside the structure explodes if you try to use it to escape later on.
 * It is possible to scale the Forerunner structure where you meet 343 Guilty Spark.
 * This is the last level that Marines make their appearance to assist you in both cinematic and gameplay, although there are still some surviving ones on the installation.
 * At some point in the Level, after the 'The Helmet Cam' cutscene, in an open area (like the ones with Energy Bridges) ,you will find a few Marines, who can be saved. There are also Flood combat forms and Infection Forms in this room; if any attack the Marines, they will die.
 * If you skip the Private Jenkins helmet cam cut-scene, the door the Infection Forms break out of in the cut scene is closed and fixed, not broken.
 * This is one of two levels in the entire Halo trilogy where you can see and use Needler ammo magazines, the other being the Halo 2 multiplayer map Uplift.
 * The room where you first fight the Flood can be visible before entering if you stay on the upper level.
 * Sometimes, in the last cutscene, there will be another 343 Guilty Spark floating around while the real one is talking to you.
 * The M90 Shotgun is first introduced in this level.
 * This is the one of the two levels that you don't fight Elites. The other level is "The Library"
 * The area in the end of the level was later re-used for the map Backwash in Halo 2.