The Pit

The Pit is a Halo 3 multiplayer map.

Discovery
It was revealed in a Bungie Humpday Challenge, and footage of it was confirmed to have been shown in one of the Halo 3 video documentaries. It was internally known as 'Cyberdyne' before the change to 'The Pit'.

Layout
Set in a large hangar, The Pit, otherwise known as UNSC Training Facility B, is a small training grounds for UNSC forces, located somewhere in Africa on Earth. A tarmac area, containing seven Pelicans and several Warthogs that can be seen though the fence outside, but is not accessible to the player unless playing in Forge mode. Even though a symmetrical map, The Pit is multi-leveled, giving players many avenues and routes via ramps and walkways in which to hide and/or engage the enemy. While each side of the map is identical in geometry and weapon placement, several power weapons and power ups exist, in the central area. A SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle, sits on the bottom level of each base.



The Bases
On either side of the map exists an identical base with identical weapon and spawn points. Each base consists of an upper and lower area, which mainly designates where the Sniper Rifle and Shotgun are located. The Upper and Lower bases are connected by walkways and ramps, and offer plenty of cover from enemy fire, as well as an assortment of weapons and equipment. The bases have very long sight lines and if a sniper were on top he would have clear view of the other base.

Upper Base
Also known to players as "Sniper Tower," this area of the base covers the three-leveled structure where the Sniper Rifle, Brute Shot and a Regenerator spawn. From the top of the tower, players can see directly into the other team's tower. Snipers often use this perch, as they have a field of view over their side of the map. This area of the base is located closer to the Sword Room and Overshield Alley, giving players quicker access to those power ups. An AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun Turret is also located at the top of the tower, but players often become easy prey to snipers when mounting this weapon(the turrets are also in clear view of each other).

Lower Base
The area of Lower Base is adjacent or similar to the Upper Base, but is considered much larger. In this area, players spawn in either a rectangular room with ramps leading to the shotgun or Upper Base. The Shotgun spawns in the farthest corner in a small hallway curving around the edge of the map. This open area features much of the combat, as it is multi-leveled with ramps that access the Rocket or Camouflage Hall, as well as the High Bridge and Sword Room. Players can pick from a selection of a Battle Rifle, Mauler, or two Brute spikers. Above the lower base is a room which is only accessible by re-spawning or by butterfly jumping in it. This room is an excellent sniper perch. It is also a very effective hiding place in game types such as team doubles.

Rocket Hall
This area of the map is aptly named for the M41 Rocket Launcher that can be found here. It is often the area of heavy fire in the start of a round or game, with players rushing to secure the power weapon. Players spawning can also pick up a BR55HB SR Battle Rifle or Needler on their way to the hall to assist in killing the enemy. This hallway essentially serves as a connection point between the Lower Base on each side of the map. The Needler run is usually an effective but suicidal attempt, so simply lob in grenades, keep your cool, and take out any eager chargers with the Battle Rifle. Do not go in for the weapon until all is clear.

Camo Hall
Also referred to as the "Green Home" or "Green Box", players rushing the Rocket Launcher often deviate from that path, and go the route of the Active Camouflage power-up. This hallway is parallel to the Rocket Hall, and allows players to flank up behind the opposing team in hopes of killing them and allowing your team-mate to secure the Rocket Launcher. This is the central-most location of the map, and players have access to any area from here. Walkways or ramps can lead players to Upper or Lower Base, Rocket Hall, or even Sword Room.

Sword Room
Often called "Blue Room", "Control Room", or the "Sword Spawn" by players, this area houses the Energy Sword. Although the Sword is located here, this area sometimes goes uncontested due to the claustrophobic nature of the curved hallway and limited cover; however, skilled teams will often entrench themselves in this room after securing the close range power weapons, such as the shotguns and sword, with the regenerators also being valued as it makes grenade kills virtually impossible. It is very difficult to flush players out, with grenades due to the curvature of the walls, which also make for devastating ambushes against a reckless player charging into the base unprepared.

It is possible to throw grenades, through a gap in the top of wall parallel to the entrances. It's also possible, to get a power drainer or some other round equipment through the gap with a little luck and a good jump. A ramp on each side of the Sword Room gives players an entry an exit way to either Upper Base or Overshield Alley. Players may also take the high route, and travel across the "High Bridge" granting them access to the centre area of the map. Maulers spawn on both ends of the tunnel closest to the "High Bridge", and a Power Drain is in the centre of the bridge with Plasma Rifles to the sides, near the ramps leading to the Power Drain.

This area was originally supposed to feature real-time monitors of certain points on the map. Each screen originally displays what a certain camera placed on the map sees. This feature was removed during the development of this map due to network lag.

Overshield Alley
Located directly under the Sword room, this Overshield alley has only three ways in and out. The alley runs parallel to the Camouflage and Rocket Launcher halls, essentially connecting both Upper Bases. In the centre of the alleyway, adjacent the Overshield, players can escape enemy fire by running underneath an opening in the wall, under the "High Bridge". Players can also find a Battle Rifle at either end of the alleyway, granting them some long-range support. The overshield is one of the key items before you go up to the sword room. So if it is possible, try to get the overshield before you charge in or be the target of the enemy sword.

Public Address System
Throughout the level, it is possible to hear messages on the public-address system. Some known messages:

Strategies

 * Securing the Rockets is very risky at the start of the game, so the best alternative is to hold off the enemy and get someone to flank through the Active Camouflage corridor.
 * Holding a Sniper Rifle and an Energy Sword on one of the Sniper Towers is one of the strongest positions; there are only a few things to be afraid of:
 * When on the Sniper Tower, remember your weak points: the vent and the ramp. If you have either a Shotgun or an Energy Sword, you can protect or take one of these fortified positions with immense effortlessness.
 * People tend to throw a lot of grenades up, creating a cluster bomb effect, but knowing to stand where the grenades won't land is an easy way to survive. Take into account where the walls are behind your position, as the grenades can and will come back.
 * A Sniper on the other side, but if he is taken out, there is very little ranged opposition.
 * There are often Snipers who shoot through the gaps of the panels on the Sniper Tower. The only solution is to flank them, or get into a position where they will have to come out of hiding.
 * A good weapon layout for this map is as follows: A Battle Rifle, an Energy Sword, a Regenerator, and some good cover.
 * Holding the Sniper Rifle and the Sword means it is best to stay between the Sniper Towers and the Sword Spawn, constantly moving between these areas makes it hard for enemies close in on you, often giving a chance to snipe them from a different area while they check where you were.
 * Yet another popular tactic concerns the fabled "sword room". By securing the sword room, one team has total control over the sword, and any future swords that may spawn there. At some point, all of the securing team's members may have a sword of their own! In the cramped hallways surrounding the sword room, this is a daunting perspective. This tactic is flawed because both the shotgun and rocket launcher are outside of your "base". However, team members can secure enough heavy weapons and camp inside the base. This is often viewed as "noobish" or "unfair".
 * Holding the building where the sword spawns can be effective. Although there are multiple entrances and exits, shotgun wielders can be exceptionally dangerous here.
 * Some of the most important weapons are the sword, shotguns, sniper rifles, and rocket launcher.
 * Have one team member go for the rocket launcher while you go for the sword and another goes for the sniper rifle.
 * Camping in the sword room with the sword and cutting people down as they enter is great for multiple kills. The shotgun, mauler(s), and rocket launcher are also effective in this strategy.
 * Remember that you can kill people when their head is showing through the cracks of the metal plates on the sniper tower.
 * They can also see you so do not take cover there.
 * Another strategy, although rare but effective, is to wield a Magnum. Use it with a Plasma Rifle for quicker kills but just alone it can be deadly. Usually in the hands of a skilled player, whom is very familiar with the Magnum, can totally control the centre of the map. Controlling the centre can be a great strategy as than you and your team has complete control of the Active Camouflage. Your main weakness would be to get either caught off guard, double-teamed, or a very stealthy and lucky player sneaks up on you. Also Shotguns and Assault Rifles are a real threat in the narrow hallway.
 * Another strategy, is to grab a Sniper Rifle or a Battle Rifle and either grenade jump, or get help from a friend to get up in the room over the flag-spawn. It is a very effective sniping point because it is extremely difficult for an enemy to reach you. Be aware, if they spot you, watch out for grenades.
 * If at the start of a match you go straight to the Sword Room, grab a Mauler and leave the sword. Enter the inside room and wait around the corner and when someone enters, they will see the sword and run towards it not paying any attention to you, giving you an easy assassination or Mauler kill. Note: If you see someone on your radar before you are in position, deal with him or her before continuing.
 * If a team is camping in the Sword Room, lob grenades through the gaps on the upper part of the walls surrounding the Sword Room.
 * When playing games like "shotty snipers" a good plan is to take your sniper and head for rocket hall. When there wait for the enemy. Then start going from side to side shooting off your sniper to hold them back(works best on the upper base side, but keep moving!).
 * If you are about to walk past the sword room and want to make sure nobody is in there, get on the side of the room where there is a wall. You can jump up. There is a hole between the wall and the ceiling. You can see anybody in there. If you're skilled, you can aim and throw grenades or shoot in there at campers.
 * If your teammates don't care about your hogging the weapons, standing on the sniper tower with the sniper and the sword is a good tactic because if someone happens to rush you, bring out your energy sword and kill them.
 * When you or a teammate has the sword, a good strategy is to both stand in the sword room, either side of the doorway and not move because you aren't shown on the radar. Then an unsuspecting enemy will come looking for the sword and you can pop out of nowhere and kill them.(Though it is considered to be noobish)
 * If someone steals the sword, exiting the room and turning a corner; shot the diagonal corner. It may hit them.
 * Shooting a fusion coil that is by an enemy may give you a kill.

Forge

 * You can put a receiver node outside the chain link fence, and you have to stay in your ball or you will die in a few seconds. If you destroy the Troop Transport Warthog you can drive it, but you will still die after a few seconds.
 * You can get out of the map by forging a Machine Gun Turret as well. Forge the turret facing inwards to the map, so that you can mount out of the map.
 * It is possible to create a near-impenetrable fortress using the entire "building" that houses the "Sword Room," which is great for Infection and One Bomb games.
 * It is possible to go up some of the roof tops in this map. You do have to use a gravity lift or using teleporters, but you will die a few seconds later.

Trivia

 * This map is very useful for sniper or CQB practice.
 * The Warthog next to the Troop Transport is either a Flatbed Warthog or simply a Warthog with no turret.
 * Inside the room containing the Energy Sword, there is a phone that you can melee and will fall on the floor. Then you melee it until it is upside down. If you zoom in on it, you can see a Windows Logo.
 * The map has four holopanel Brute targets with fake energy shields that pop up when someone approaches. There are also two similar Jackal targets in the highest areas of the map.
 * In Forge, it is possible to place a respawn point outside the boundary by forcing it through the fence. However, when beyond the boundary, the player will mysteriously die after walking anywhere within a few seconds.
 * Outside of the map's boundaries on the tarmac, a player can see 7 Pelicans, another reference to the number.
 * The Warthogs outside the map can be flipped, blown up and driven (only after it re-spawns again). The player will still be killed by the guardians (while in the Warthogs) if outside the map. It is possible to bring the Warthogs into the game play area within Forge.
 * There are swallows flying around in the rafters of the map, using weapons with scopes it is possible to shoot and kill them.
 * There is a way to get into the top level of the building with a Brute Shot. Stand below of the doorways, look down, shoot and jump at the same time, and shoot again, and you are able to get inside. This is great for Sniping and hiding.
 * It is rumoured to have been codenamed Warthog, Inc. before release.
 * Many players claim to hear unexplained maniacal laughter on this level.
 * Along with the laughter, players can hear a woman over the intercom saying "The White Zone is for loading and unloading of passengers only.", a possible joke reference to the movie "Airplane".
 * In the Ops Center, look at the main screen. On one of the slides, you can see several Seventh Column emblems and a very small 7.
 * The Ops Center is used in the popular machinima Red vs Blue: Reconstruction, when Private Walter Henderson was interrogated in Chapter One. However, the screen images are edited to show other information.
 * This is the map where a player got killed by a traffic cone in Matchmaking and was rewarded the Recon armour permutation.
 * Once you're outside The Pit in Forge, you can survive for as long as you want in editor mode, or by just staying off the ground altogether.
 * A new version of the Pit named Pit Stop has been released to play online from September 23rd plays alongside the default version.
 * In the October Playlist updates, Pit Stop replaced The Pit in Team Doubles.
 * The Pit is the only Halo 3 map to date that does not have a Bubble Shield equipment by default, except one mysteriously placed outside of the map boundaries.
 * There are six security cameras around the map; they do nothing but stare at you. They can’t be destroyed.
 * In the machinima Marlin the Elite, The Pit is where Marlin lives after he is evicted from Headlong and fined 600 McBillion dollars.
 * The codename that was given to The Pit, "Cyberdyne", is the name of the company in the Terminator movie that helps recreate artificial intelligence.
 * The Halo 3 symbol can be seen in the security cameras in the pit.
 * It is possible, albeit difficult, to destroy the warthog outside of the map, just keep throwing grenades over the fence until one hits or by putting a teleporter outside the map.
 * There are two Roadblocks, two Barrels, three Barriers, one Floodlight, one Crate, and three Warthogs placed out side of the map that cannot be deleted.
 * The items outside the fence can be deleted, however, it does not give you any money and sometimes the number of that item on your list wont go up.
 * This place is used as the E.R.E.C.T. Headquaters in DigitalPh33r's machinima Hard Justice.