The Oracle (Level)

Were you looking for the Battle of the Gas Mine, 343 Guilty Spark or a Monitor in general?

The Oracle is a Halo 2 campaign level, where the player plays as Thel 'Vadamee. Starting directly after you land the Banshee you were flying in the previous level, the opening cutscene has Rtas 'Vadumee comment on smelling a familiar stench. You will again have Specops Elites and Grunts as allies and possibly an Ultra Grunt.

This is the first level in Halo 2 where you face encounters, the Flood and some of their new abilities, most notably the ability of Infection Forms to revive fallen Combat Forms.

The player goes down an elevator and up to the top of the Gas Mine to cut three cables. He or she then must backtrack to the hangar of the previous structure, complete with another Banshee-flying section, where he engages in combat with the Heretic Leader to prevent him escaping Threshold in a Seraph. In the cutscene directly before the fight, it is shown that 343 Guilty Spark had survived the destruction of Installation 04 and was responsible for the "heresy" through his teachings.

Usable Weapons

 * Carbine
 * Energy Sword
 * Fuel Rod Gun(if carried through from previous level)
 * Needler
 * Plasma Cannon
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Sentinel Beam
 * Plasma Grenade
 * Particle Beam Rifle(if carried through from previous level)
 * Famine Skull (Legendary Only)

Vehicles

 * Heretic Banshee
 * Phantom (non-drivable)

Mission Objectives

 * Escape the infested labs
 * Find the Heretic Leader
 * Cut the three cables holding up the station
 * Pursue the Heretic Leader back to the hangar

Cutscenes

 * 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeFjmXeunVg (Juggernaut)
 * 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP2Ge70TLko (Hey, Watch This!)
 * 3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Zp5PSoh7w (Hot Pursuit)
 * 4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRIvqJYtjrU (Dead or Alive - Actually, Just Dead)
 * 5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXQBhjxob1I (The Oracle)
 * 6) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfC51bhh7Mw (Edification)

Part 01: Oracle
''(A door slides open. Two Special Ops Elites cover the entrance with Plasma Rifles while Special Ops Grunts file in. The Elites cautiously advance, followed by Rtas 'Vadumee and Thel 'Vadamee. Rtas 'Vadumee pauses and sniffs the air.

Thel 'Vadamee: What is it?

Rtas 'Vadumee: That stench...I've smelled it before.

Part 02: Juggernaut
(The assault team proceeds through a small room, where a large tank containing some small,floating, fleshy lifeforms can be seen. The team approaches a doorway, and through the transparent floor of the next room, they can see the shadows of Heretics and strange creatures battling. Eventually, all of the Heretics are killed. The victorious creatures have familiar screams...)

SpecOps Elite 1: By the Rings. What is that?

SpecOps Grunt 1 or 2: (whimpers)

SpecOps Elite 1: Quiet...

(The creatures all leave through another doorway.)

SpecOps Elite 1: It's moved on. Quickly, before it returns, let's find the Heretic Leader and finish him off.

(The team moves into a laboratory, strewn with deformed corpses.)

SpecOps Elite 2: What happened here?

SpecOps Grunt 1: Me have bad feeling about this.

SpecOps Grunt 2: You always have bad feelings! You've had bad feelings about this morning's food nipple!*


 * Note: This is a reference to Halo: Combat Evolved, when the Marines encounter the Flood for the first time in the level 343 Guilty Spark. They say the same thing, only with better grammar and no mention of the "food nipple".

SpecOps Elite 2: Close your jaws, or I shall bind them shut!

(A floating orb enters the room, and the image of the Heretic Leader appears in the air.)

SpecOps Grunt 1: See! Heretic!

(The team fires on the image, which quickly becomes apparent as a hologram and nothing more.)

Rtas 'Vadumee: Hold your fire. Hold your fire!

Sesa 'Refumee: I wondered who the Prophets would send to silence me. An Arbiter... I'm flattered.

Rtas 'Vadumee: He's using a holodrone. He must be close. Come out, so we may kill you.

Sesa 'Refumee: (laughs) Get in line.

(The Heretic Leader vanishes, and moments later, familiar tiny bulbous creatures start to appear.)

SpecOps Elite 1: Leader!

Rtas 'Vadumee: Stand firm! The Flood is upon us!

(The team battles the oncoming Flood Infection Forms. Unless the corpses are destroyed, the Flood begin reanimating them)

SpecOps Elite 2: Heretic fools! What have they done!

(The Flood assault subsides, and a doorway opens out of the labs.)

Rtas 'Vadumee: Go, Arbiter! I'll follow when our reinforcements arrive.

(When you first enter the elevator one of the Spec Ops Elites whispers words that are hard to hear due to the fighting and the loud rumble of the the elevator, something about "this place is crawling with the parasite")

SpecOps Elite 1 or 2:(whispers) This place is filled with the parasite, not even Heretics deserve this!

('Vadamee and the survivors ride an elevator down to the lower levels of the labs, fighting the Flood and Sentinels. They enter a hallway strewn with corpses.)

SpecOps Elite 1 or 2: We should have brought weapons to burn these bodies. Every one is a potential vessel for the Flood.

(The team advances into a lab filled with battling Heretics and Flood.)

SpecOps Elite 1: Heretics! Above!

('Vadamee manages to press outside to the exterior of the station. He sees Flood battling more Heretics, and a Phantom swoops in to provide reinforcements and covering fire.)

Phantom Pilot (O.S.): Leader, the storm is about to hit! We cannot maintain our position!

Rtas 'Vadumee (O.S.): Bring the Phantoms closer to the mine. We're not leaving until the leader of these Heretics is dead. Arbiter, the Flood have spread throughout the station! We don't have enough troops to manage such a large infestation. Find the leader of these Heretics, kill him now!

('Vadamee and his troops advance into the heart of the installation. They encounter the Heretic Leader fleeing.)

SpecOps Grunt 1: Heretic boss! You see, you see!

(Sesa 'Refumee takes cover behind a shielded door before 'Vadamee can catch him.)

Sesa 'Refumee: This will save me from the storm, but you will be consumed.

('Vadamee pounds angrily on the portal, but cannot break through as the doors seal. The SpecOps Commander and his troops arrive.)

Rtas 'Vadumee: Arbiter, where is he? Stinking Floodbait boxed himself in tight. We'll never break through this.

('Vadamee notices a hologram of the station, and watches it thoughtfully.)

Thel 'Vadamee:Then we shall force him out.

Rtas 'Vadumee: How?

Thel 'Vadamee: The cable. I'm going to cut it. Get everyone back to the ships!

Gameplay

Rtas 'Vadumee: Warriors, return to the landing zone! The Arbiter is going to continue upward, cut this station loose, and scare the Heretic from his hole!

SpecOps Elite 1: May our Lords guide you.

SpecOps Elite 2: We shall not forget your sacrifice.

(if you have an Energy Sword)

Rtas 'Vadumee: Keep your blade handy. I doubt the cable can withstand its bite.

(if you do not have an Energy sword)

Rtas 'Vadumee: Take my blade. I doubt the cable can withstand its bite.

Part 03: Hey, Watch This!
('Vadamee rides the elevator to the upper level where the cable is located.)

Rtas 'Vadumee (O.S.): Phantoms are in the air, Arbiter. Go ahead, cut that cable!

(after cutting the first cable)

Rtas 'Vadumee (O.S.): That's one! By the Prophets, look at the station list!

(after cutting the second cable)

Rtas 'Vadumee (O.S.): One final cable, Arbiter!

('Vadamee cuts the final cable, and the entire station groans with the stress. All the Flood and Sentinels present stop their fighting and look upward towards the cable. The top of the station tears away, and it plummets into the atmosphere.)

Rtas 'Vadumee (O.S.): That did it! The station is in free fall! The Heretic Leader is on the move, do not let him escape! We'll stay with you as long as we can!

(Thel 'Vadamee drops back down into the station and advances past Heretics protecting the Heretic Leader's rear.)

Heretic Elite: Our lives for the truth, the truth and the Covenant!

('Vadamee enters what looks like the main power generator for the station.)

Rtas 'Vadumee (O.S.) Are you still alive, Arbiter? We're keeping pace as best we can.

(The Heretic Leader escapes via a Banshee and cuts across the station. Thel 'Vadamee pursues in one of his own.)

Rtas 'Vadumee (O.S.):What lunacy! He'll never escape this maelstrom in a Banshee! Wait! The hangar, there was a Seraph fighter inside! Arbiter, you know what to do!

p_Zp5PSoh7w ZRIvqJYtjrU

Part 04: Dead Or Alive . . . Actually, Just Dead
('Vadamee fights through the first portion of the station back toward the hangar. There, he confronts the Heretic Leader as he is boarding the Seraph.)

Thel 'Vadamee: Turn, heretic.

Sesa 'Refumee: Arbiter. I would rather die by your hands than let the Prophets lead me to slaughter.

Thel 'Vadamee: Who has taught you these lies?

(At this, 343 Guilty Spark descends, humming to itself.)

Thel 'Vadamee:(Shocked) The Oracle!

343 Guilty Spark: Hello! I am 343 Guilty Spark. I am the Monitor of Installation 04.

Sesa 'Refumee: Ask the Oracle about Halo. How they would sacrifice us all for nothing!

343 Guilty Spark: More questions? Splendid! I would be happy to assist you.

(Any questions are cut off as the Heretic opens fire on 'Vadamee with twin plasma rifles. 'Vadamee falls back, taking cover while his shield generator recharges. As he does so, the Heretic Leader floats back toward the Seraph and pulls out two holodrones.)

Sesa 'Refumee: The Elites are blind, Arbiter ... but I (holds up two Holodrones) ... will make them see.

(The Heretic Leader releases the drones, which become copies of him. 'Vadamee battles the Heretic Leader. During the battle, he will continue to taunt Thel 'Vadamee.)

Sesa 'Refumee: How did the Prophets buy your loyalty Arbiter? With a new command, a new fleet,...or was it the promise ... their "Great Journey"?

Sesa 'Refumee: Look around you, Arbiter. This facility and dozens like it resulted in the study of the parasite, but where are the weapons, Arbiter?!! What was the result?!! All that time and effort and the best the Forerunners could do was put these foul creatures on ice.

Sesa 'Refumee: And now where are these "Gods" the Prophets would have us worship! Transended? (laughs)! ... Hardly. (intending on killing the Arbiter) Come, Arbiter, let me show you where they went.

(343 Guilty Spark will also talk to Thel 'Vadamee throughout the battle.)

343 Guilty Spark: This mining facility predates Installation Alpha by several hundred years. It was retrofitted to research possible offensive and defensive measures against the Flood. Indeed, I designed and oversaw the construction of this facility's various outbreak management systems.

(If you continue the fight long enough)

'343 Guilty Spark: The cable on top of this mine was designed as a fail safe in case an outbreak took place. I am glad someone had the foresight to cut it!

343 Guilty Spark: Fortunately, all the Flood on this installation will perish once this facility enters the planet's nitrogen core.

(If you miss Sesa 'Refumee with your shots)

Sesa 'Refumee: I see the Prophets have chosen poorly, Arbiter!

(If Sesa 'Refumee kills you)

Sesa 'Refumee: Come, Oracle, we have much work to do.

('Vadamee kills the Heretic Leader, and begins to drag his corpse to the hangar door.)

343 Guilty Spark: Unfortunate. His edification was most enjoyable.

Thel 'Vadamee: I had no choice, Holy Oracle. This Heretic imperiled the Great Journey.

343 Guilty Spark: Oracle? Great Journey? Why do you meddlers insist on using such inaccurate verbia-ohhhhh myyyyy!!!!!

(343 Guilty Spark is snatched by an unseen force and pulled away. He is dragged through the air, directly to the top of the Fist of Rukt: the gravity hammer of Tartarus. Tartarus, standing beneath a Phantom, pulls 343 Guilty Spark off the end of his hammer.)

Thel 'Vadamee: (disbelievingly) That... is the Oracle!

(Tartarus tosses 343 Guilty Spark into the Gravity Lift casually.)

Tartarus: (indifferently) So it is. Come, we are leaving this system.

UXQBhjxob1I kfC51bhh7Mw

Legendary Walkthrough
In this level, you will be reintroduced to the Flood who have managed to infest parts of the station. Save for a brief banshee excursion, you'll be doing this one entirely on foot. The level begins with a series of three unskippable battles, where you are beset on all sides by infection, combat, and carrier forms. Thereafter, you'll encounter a number of heretics fighting a rear guard action in hopes that their leader will escape. In contrast to the first part of the level, your progress from this point onward is relatively fast-paced, and includes some battles that can be outright avoided with proper use of active camouflage. Finally, it all culminates with Halo's very first boss battle.

Part 1: Juggernaut
Its time for you to be reintroduced to the flood who have somehow been released on this station. They generally behave pretty much the same as in Halo 1, though their arsenal has been expanded accordingly and their melee attack is now often a one-hit kill. The exploding carrier forms seem to do less damage than in halo 1, while the infection forms seem to do considerably more. The combat forms have acquired a few more tricks, like driving vehicles and using shields, but that's a problem for a later day. Although it won't affect you on this level, eventually you'll find that the shotgun does not seem quite as effective as it used to be; in its place, though, the energy sword has stepped up as the ultimate flood-killing device.

If you have followed the guide from the previous level, you will have discovered the Infinite Energy Sword glitch. Although the indicator reads 0 and the blade is invisible, it will otherwise sound, act, and wreak devastating carnage just like it did when fully charged. Note, however, that if you drop the sword you won't be able to pick it up again.

Important Note: save and quit.

If you restart the level, you should keep the fuel rod gun, but lose the unlimited energy sword. Therefore, be especially careful with your checkpoints throughout this level and make sure to save and quit only when you are satisfied that you are in a good spot, unless it doesn't matter to you.

Now, head through the doors, ignoring the battle raging beneath you, until you drop down into a room with green stained walls with a number of dead Combat Forms on the floor. The Heretic Leader will soon pay you a visit in the form of a hologram. Once the message cuts off, a number of infection forms will enter the room. A new twist to battling the flood is introduced here: infection forms can now reanimate dead combat forms, as long as the bodies remain intact. Fortunately, you can preempt this little surprise by destroying all five of the dead combat forms with the sword before the infection forms start appearing. Having eliminated the threat of the combat forms, there's really nothing to this first battle, just a few infection forms which your team will mop up easily, but it's best that you don't try to save the Grunts, as they are so vulnerable to the flood. They die after one infection form attaches to them and plus even if you do manage to save them the next battle will most likely kill them. After a few waves, the door will open and you can proceed onward until you reach a round platform, where you'll find the flood and some sentinels already engaged in battle.

This next battle is fairly long. There is, however, a way around the battle on the elevator. as mentioned above, you are able to jump on the sides of the elevator shaft that are jutting out on the sides. when you do this, which takes a little of luck and skill, you can jump down the elevator shaft and circle your way down to the platform below. the reason you must circle is there are no ledges or outcroppings to jump on immediately below your current position so you must circle the shaft just like a giant circular staircase.

For those who can't do the shortcut mentioned above, here is the rundown of your battle.

(From Col. Knadan, if you ended the Arbiter with a Fuel Rod Cannon you should still have it, you can do one of two things with it at the elevator. A. give it to one of your allies at the beginning of this part, or B. swap it for a weapon on the ground and save it for giving to your allies or keeping it after the elavator.  That's it.)

Once you kill off the first group, the platform will begin its ponderous, twisting descent, stopping periodically to allow waves of about 2-4 flood (and, less frequently, a few sentinels) to attack you. The encounters are fairly chaotic, and essentially amount to waiting around for the flood to appear and then hacking them to bits with your sword. However, there are a few observations that might make your life a bit easier. In general, your job will be to kill off the flood combat forms as quickly as possible while you let your elites deal with the sentinels and infection forms. Ideally, you want to kill the combat flood as soon as they land, before they have a chance to close with your elites and beat them up with melee attacks.

Your main priority is to keep your two elites alive at all costs, as they provide a huge amount of assistance to you in this battle, and in the next one as well. Not only do they draw fire away from you (and with their recharging shields, they survive much better than your marines), but they will also tear apart quite easily any sentinels that show up, which is fortunate, as you are not really equipped to counter sentinels at this point.

Your cloak can often help you out as a defensive measure, giving you a few valuable seconds of breathing room when your shields are down to disengage and head for cover to recharge. This tactic is always useful, but perhaps more so here because, trapped as you are in a relatively small, confined space, you don't have very good avenues of retreat. Likewise, moving beneath the elevated ramp and staying near the spindle in the center can at least help to shield you from the sentinels while your elites blast them apart. Note that the steel canisters around the edge of the platform will release a few infection flood if broken, so be careful if your shields are low. It may occur to you to try switching your fuel rod gun temporarily for a carbine or plasma rifle so you can join in the fight against the sentinels. It's certainly a reasonable option, as long as you keep track of it and don't let it get knocked over the edge, though. Note that if you do hand it off to one of your minions and he dies, it then becomes an enemy-dropped weapon, which will soon disappear unless you pick it up again. Grab a Plasma Pistol or Sentinel Beam, it will be useful against both the Flood and Sentinels.

Other than that watch your motion tracker, keep an eye on where your elites are firing, and try to position yourself to intercept each wave. Make sure to destroy any intact combat form corpses after each battle to prevent their resurrection. Remember that all it takes to kill a combat flood is one sword slash. The lunge, while often useful for its mobility, is overkill, and actually can be a disadvantage when used in the wrong situation (e.g., when you're faced with two or more enemies) due to its slower rate of attack. It can also cause you to lunge off of the platform resulting in you falling to your death.

Eventually, you'll wind your way down to an open door near the bottom. It's actually possible to drop down to this platform without dying near the very end of the battle, allowing you to skip the last few waves of flood. You're better off just sticking it out a little while longer and going into the next battle with your two elites to support you.

When the platform stops at the bottom, continue onward through the doorway and down the hall. Eventually, you'll find yourself on the second floor of an open, two-level room lined with breakable windows. Below you, a battle between the heretics and the flood already rages; the flood will always be victorious, and it's up to you to choose at what point you want to join in. In generally, it's probably safer to wait until the battle is over before you move in (even through a few combat flood will drop in to pester you). Unfortunately, though, you have no control over your elites, and they may or may not jump down into the fray at their own whim. If they do this, its a good idea to follow their lead, and then try to keep them alive as long as possible.

Again, this is a fairly chaotic battle. There are some helpful observations to consider for it though. Clearly, the safest approach is to stay out of the open, along the edge of the room where you can use the columns for cover as necessary. After the first wave of flood is eliminated, another group of heretics will appear from the same entrance that you did, so you may want to remain underneath that side to avoid fire from above. Shortly thereafter, more waves of flood will show up to harass you and the heretics alike. If the infection forms really begin to annoy you, you might consider temporarily switching your fuel rod gun for a sentinel beam; just make sure you don't lose track of it, or forget to pick it up when the battle is over.

Shortly after you destroy the last of the combat forms, the airlock door at the end of the room will open and a group of heretics (2 elites & 3 grunts) will show up. Staying in the vicinity of the door so you can attack while they're still bunched up in the entrance can make them a bit easier to handle, as the next video shows.

QuickTime (586 kb) | WMP9 (610 kb)

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

If you dropped your fuel rod gun at some point during the previous battle, don't forget to retrieve it before moving too far into the airlock, or else the doors will lock behind you and you'll be out of luck.

Once you're outside, a phantom will drop off reinforcements and blast the Flood gathered on the bridge. The next area presents you with a choice of two symmetric routes where you'll encounter a few scattered elites and grunts, as well as larger group of 2 elites & (sometimes) 3 grunts that appear from the door at the top. As the next video shows, split up as they are, your enemies shouldn't provide much of a hindrance. The limited line of sight on the winding pathway and the abundance of cover (not to mention your cloaking device) should help you get close enough to make short work of them with the sword.

QuickTime (3.4 mb) | WMP9 (3.5 mb)

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

Inside, you'll find a vast room dominated by the presence of a central ramp winding upward to an elevator platform. The heretic leader flees to safety behind an impenetrable energy barrier, any efforts to kill him before he reaches safety will be unsuccessful. Fortunately, during the cutscene the Arbiter comes up with a plan to flush him out.

Part 2: Hey, Watch This!
After the cutscene, head upward to sever the three cables, as shown in the next video.

QuickTime (7.9 mb) | WMP9 (8.1 mb)

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

You may wish to try to avoid the first group of flood on the ramp because they can often serve as an effective distraction for the sentinels. In a similar manner, your safest bet in the area with the cables is to remain as unobtrusive as possible, avoiding combat with the flood or sentinels unless absolutely necessary while you make your way quickly and quietly around the outside.

NOTE:When you're waiting for it to say 'Loading....Done',then you're able to use the elevator,right? Spartan 148 Sera's advice is,when it says 'Loading....Done',do not,I repeat DO NOT press the 'A' button.Because then you'll start to fly up! And what'll happen? You'll die!!

By the time you head back down in the elevator the heretic leader, and the energy barrier have disappeared. Take the express route back to the ground (I.E. jump down instead of using the ramp) and follow him through the now-unsealed doorway, where you'll have to deal with two elites and two grunts, as the next video shows.

QuickTime (1.6 mb) | WMP9 (1.7 mb)

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

Keep an eye out for the combat flood that runs into the room a few moments after you take out the covenant. When you're ready, hit the button on the side of the elevator to raise it, and then the central button to send it back down again.

Or, alternatively, you could cloak just outside of the doorway and run through the room, ignoring the Heretic forces before dropping down the elevator shaft to the next level.

For all its size, the next area is rather sparsely populated, with only a couple of sentinels and grunts followed by two sword-wielding elites to oppose you. As the next video shows, you may want to drop your fuel rod gun temporarily to pick off the grunts with one of the carbines provided along the way.

QuickTime (2 mb) | WMP9 (2.1 mb)

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

There's no practical difference between the left and right paths, so pick whichever makes you happiest.

When you head through the door at the bottom, a small cutscene will play, and afterward you'll find yourself in a banshee.

Part 3: Dead or Alive...Actually, Just Dead
Ok, time for one last, mad dash to catch up with the cowardly heretic leader once and for all:

QuickTime (6.9 mb) | WMP9 (7 mb)

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

Well, that looked strangely familiar. Indeed, you're simply retracing the same path that you walked in the previous level back to the hangar with the docked heretic ship. Opposition here is pretty thin, and you can cruise right through the majority of the route with little trouble. The only seriously tricky spot is in the final room before you reach the heretic leader, as you have quite a bit of open ground to cover and several enemies in your way. Depending upon their initial position, it's not always easy to make it through the door before your cloak runs out. You should receive a checkpoint close by, though, so just reload and try again if you run into serious trouble. It may be tempting to expend a few fuel rod rounds here to clear the path, but its best to save them all for the finale, just in case. However, you may want to be careful of where your shots go, because if they hit the gas canister, the canister(s) will explode.

As the cutscene with the heretic leader ends, you'll receive a checkpoint, its very strongly recommend that you save and quit here. As with some of the earlier battles, you'll receive additional checkpoints throughout the upcoming fight, and some of them may turn out to be inconvenient (though, with the fuel rod gun, this is less of a problem than it normally might be). After all the work it took to get to this point, you don't want to wind up stuck at the end.

Apparently, Bungie has heard the ceaseless cries from the legions of fans pleading for boss fights in Halo 2. I know that nary a day went by when I didn't think, "Well, Halo is good and all, but what it really needs are some good old-fashioned video game bosses that behave in a contrived and illogical manner and distort the rules of the game beyond all recognition."

Well, our prayers have been answered; indeed, this battle treats us to many of the traditionally lazy boss fight conventions that we've all come to know and tolerate. Let's see:

-Regenerating supply of disposable henchmen. Still largely unwilling to fight his own battles, the heretic leader will surround himself with holographic duplicates in an admittedly effective attempt to confuse us. Curiously, these holograms seem to do just as much damage as the real thing, which leads one to wonder why the Covenant don't just employ legions of holographic shock troops as a standard tactic.

-Arbitrary invincibility. You're only allowed to kill him when Bungie wants you to kill him. Forget about taking him out back in the elevator room after sticking him with a plasma grenade and blasting him with an entire magazine of fuel rods; you can't even kill him in this battle until the end, no matter what you do. I've watched him get stuck in a corner in the first round of this battle and proceeded to pound him with 30 fuel rods and the energy sword, to no effect.

-Improbable avenues of movement. To add to the confusion, he can use the vents along the ceiling to move conveniently from side to side in a random fashion between each round of the battle.

I'm surprised he doesn't magically change into a more powerful form after we kill him the first time, or at least kidnap our girlfriend or something.

In any case, let's just get this over with, since we've finally managed to corner the little weasel.

The battle is divided into four rounds, the first of which begins as soon as the cutscene ends. During the first three rounds, the heretic leader shows up with two holographic duplicates. Your mission is to blast him with one fuel rod in each round, which is all it takes to send him running for cover. The holograms are indistinguishable from the real thing until after you've hit them. At that point, you'll either hear your target vanish in a poof (if it was a hologram) or yell in pain (if it was the leader). The final round can be a bit tricker, as he can potentially deploy more than two holograms, and you'll have to hit him twice in succession to finish him off. Other than that, though, it's the same story as before. Note that his holograms will vanish as soon as he runs off.

Now this battle could actually be quite tricky if we hadn't come loaded for bear, as the heretic leader and his holograms are somewhat difficult to target and can do a tremendous amount of damage. Fortunately, the patience you showed in carrying that damn fuel rod gun around for the last 1.5 levels is about to pay off in a big way. The heretic leader begins each round (after the first) by appearing randomly from one of the four vents near the ceiling. Unwisely, he stands there in plain view taunting the Arbiter before flying out to attack. Although he's invulnerable between rounds while he is talking, he is fair game when he stops talking.

So, as the next video shows, your job in the time allotted to you between each round is simply to locate the correct vent, aim in, and then spam the hell out of it with the fuel rod gun as soon as his little speech is over. Given the travel time of your shots, you'll want to begin firing a bit early so the rounds start to impact just as he finishes talking.

QuickTime (6.1 mb) | WMP9 (6 mb)

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

And that's the end of HALO's first Boss Fight.

The purists can now rejoice, as the next level will find us back in the familiar armor of the Chief.

There is an alternate way, and this one saves you lugging the fuel rod cannon around for the whole level. When the cutscene finishes and the battle begins, stick one of the holograms with a plasma grenade. Run to the alcove on your left, and pick up the plasma rifle (you don't have to, but it's what i did). When the boss and the remaining drone start firing at you, cloak and run around to your left. The two bosses will (hopefully) still be firing into your previous hiding place. Stick them both with plasma grenades. End of fight, Arbiter lives to fight another day.

If you still can't do THAT, then here's what you do: (note that this only works about 50% of the time) Dual-wield needlers. After the cutscene, run/jump/cloak past the first two ones. Then unload all the ammo you can into him. It usually kills him in less than a minute.

The easiest way to kill the heretic leader (in lower levels) is to just run past the first two holograms and use your energy sword to kill him. You can also turn on your camo and backstab him.

(From Col. Knadan) Another way is to just use the Energy Sword on all of them or a mixture of needles and the Sword.

Glitches

 * When the Phantom drops off surplus reinforcements, you move inside the structure and see the Heretic Leader starting to run away. If you stick him with a grenade, he will drop the Plasma Rifle in his right hand, allowing you to pick it up. A handy tip for the chase.
 * If you melee the Heretic leader in a certain position with a Carbine or a sword you can pass through the holo-door but you will die as soon you go through.
 * If you attack the hologram of the Heretic Leader, it will make sounds as if it has been hurt.
 * If you follow the Spec-Ops Commander and the remaining Elites and Grunts after the Arbiter announces his plan to cut the station's cable you can see them get back on their Phantom. If the two Grunts are still alive they will try to board the Phantom at the same time usually. One of them will enter the ship but the other will get stuck and the Phantom will stay there but if you kill the Grunt or stop them from going in at the same time it will fly away.
 * It is possible (with some practice) to reach the very bottom of the level by hopping on a Sentinel and slowly glide down while staying on it. Before you go inside the building where the Heretic leader runs and hides in the energy shield protected room, there will be some Sentinels off the edge of the building make sure you kill all enemies and allies around so they don't screw anything up. Now use your camo and jump on one of the Sentinels, and keep your eyes on your feet and stay on top of it. Once you hit the bottom of the level you will slip off but you will still be alive walking on the air with the facility high above you.
 * When Sesa 'Refumee runs for the shield door, get an Energy Sword and keep lunge attacking him. You can get into the shielded room this way but as soon as the room seals, you will die.
 * If you try to push ’Vadumee when the elevator is down so you can take him in other places it won't work, If you push him down to the elevator, he will automatically disappear and reappear to the room he stayed at.
 * If the weapon the player uses to shoot at the Heretic Leader's Banshee has no rounds or charge, the Arbiter will only shoot once in the cut-scene.
 * In co-op, play until the Arbiter says he's going to cut the cable. Move up to the elevator and have one person go up it. Right before the loading scene have the other player push the button to bring it back down. If done correctly, you will be standing on the elevator platform and you'll be outside. NOTE: there is no way to escape so you must restart from checkpoint if you wish to continue

Mistakes

 * In the cutscene at the beginning of the boss fight the Seraph faces the other way then during gameplay.
 * During the opening cutscene, it will show two Grunts with no guns enter the doors.

Easter Eggs

 * The Famine | Skull is found on this level.

Miscellaneous

 * When you fight the Heretic Leader at the end of the level, there are various weapons hidden around the second floor of the hanger, including a sword behind the elevator.
 * When you cut all 3 cables, run straight to the elevator shaft and start jumping, when the station falls and everyone floats for a few seconds you suddenly fly out of the station. You will die, but it is amusing to watch on camera.
 * Also, when you cut the cables, the Flood will stop what they're doing and look up, as if they are wondering what just happened. The Sentinels will do the same.
 * Also when you cut the cables, when you jump to float in the air you will see broken parts of the facility in the sky floating and getting blown away.
 * If you have some trouble finding the real Heretic Leader in the fight, he'll fly a little bit higher then the holograms (when you are on the bottom level of the hangar). If you have a sword, use the lunge technique. If you hear him moan on the first hit, keep your eyes on that one, and hit him again. Hit him twice like that, and its over.
 * If you kill all of the enemies then ride the elevator up to the cable, cut it. Then in the room where Sesa 'Refumee was hiding you can find a Heretic Elite with a Needler fighting the Flood.
 * In the room with the Heretic hologram, you can jump back on to the second level (out of the way of the Flood). To do this you need to jump onto a little ledge on the side of the pillars near the corners of the elevated walkways. From there, crouch-jump onto the walkways. Be careful not to fall through the glass when you jump up. Just stay up there and let ‘Vadumee fight the flood and take out the stragglers.
 * This is the first level where Rtas' Vadumee appears during gameplay.
 * This is the first level in Halo 2 that you encounter the Flood.
 * This is the first level where Infection Forms can revive dead Combat Forms.
 * This is the last Arbiter level where you are not on Delta Halo.