The Great Journey (Level)

Looking for the Great Journey, the Covenant belief?

The Great Journey is the final level in Halo 2 campaign. Alongside other Elites, several Grunts and two Hunters, you must battle your way to Tartarus. As Thel 'Vadamee, work alongside a Scarab being controlled by Sergeant Major Johnson to get to the door of Delta Halo's Control Room. Then, you must bring down the Brute Chieftain, Tartarus. This level is a part of the Battle of Installation 05.

Allies

 * Elites
 * Rtas 'Vadumee
 * Councilors
 * Spec Ops
 * Majors
 * Minors
 * Ultras
 * Zealots
 * Humans
 * Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson
 * Commander Miranda Keyes
 * Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker
 * Staff Sergeant Marcus Banks
 * Hunters
 * 343 Guilty Spark

Usable Weapons

 * Particle Beam Rifle
 * Brute Shot
 * Brute Plasma Rifle
 * Covenant Carbine
 * Energy Sword
 * Fuel Rod Gun (if carried through from the level Uprising)
 * Needler
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Rocket Launcher (if carried through from the level Uprising)
 * Shielded Plasma Cannon
 * Shotgun

Vehicles

 * Banshee
 * Ghost
 * Heretic Banshee (Easter Egg)
 * Spectre
 * Wraith (on beginning. non-drivable on Legendary)
 * Phantom (non-drivable)
 * Scarab (non-drivable, ride-able)

First Cinematic: "Your ass, my size-24 hoof"
{Cutscene}

''{Scene fades in on Thel 'Vadamee and Rtas 'Vadumee, who is in a Wraith with its hatch open, conversing. The two are looking towards the Control Room of Delta Halo}''

Thel 'Vadamee: "What is that place?"

Rtas 'Vadumee: "Where the Councilors were meant to watch the consecration of the Icon." {Zooms in on Rtas 'Vadumee's face} "The start of the Great Journey."

{Focus on 'Vadamee}

Gravemind {in 'Vadamee's memory }: "There is still time to stop the key from turning."

{'Vadamee turns to face Rtas 'Vadumee}

Thel 'Vadamee: "I must get inside."

Rtas 'Vadumee: "Then mount up, Arbiter. I know a way to break those doors."

{'Vadamee turns to face the Control Room as Rtas 'Vadum enters his Wraith and closes the hatch behind him}

Gameplay
{they travel to where a Scarab is visible, docked up on a ledge}

Rtas 'Vadumee: "There, Arbiter. That Scarab's main gun will break the Control Room's door. At the far end of the beach there's a passage into the cliff. It'll take you up to the Scarab."

{after clearing the area}

Rtas 'Vadumee: "The Brutes control the cruiser, Arbiter. I'll remain here, make sure no reinforcements get in behind you. Then, I'm going to take the cruiser back!"

{'Vadamee walks into a room with Elites and Hunters}

Elite: "The Arbiter? I thought he was dead! Hold your fire. The Hunters have come to our aid, Arbiter. They will fight (sometimes fight will be substituted by stand) by our side.

{'Vadamee fights his way to a room where two Elite Councilors and two Hunters are being held prisoner behind force field doors}

(If the Spec Ops Elite lives at this point and follows you to the room)

Spec Ops Elite: Free our brothers! Death to the Brutes!

(Once you clear the room, free the Hunters and Councilors, then head to the top floor to the Scarab)

('Vadamee and his Elites arrive upon a group of Brutes preparing to execute the Marine prisoners.)

Tartarus (O.S.): "Mine will do, kill the others."

Brute 1: "Yes, Chieftain. (to other Brute) A day's ration says I can do this in one cut."

Brute 2: "Two cuts at least."

Brute 1: "Done. Wait, movement!"

Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson: "Go, go, go!"

''{Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker and Staff Sergeant Marcus Banks start fighting the Brutes, Johnson jumps into the Scarab and disappears. The Scarab starts moving}''

Second Cinematic: "Backseat Driver"
{Cutscene}



{'Vadamee turns around to see the Scarab's main cannon aimed at him}

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): "Listen, you don't like me and I sure as hell don't like you."

{cut to Scarab's helm, Johnson at the controls}

Sergeant Johnson: "But if we don't do something, Mr. Mohawk's gonna activate this ring. And we're all gonna die."

{cut to 'Vadamee}

Thel 'Vadamee: "Tartarus has locked himself inside the Control Room."

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): "Well, I just happen to have a key." {the Scarab's cannon opens} "Come on, Grab a Banshee and give me some cover. (focus on Johnson) They're gonna know we're comin'."

Gameplay
{Two Banshees arrive and the Elite pilots come out}

Elite: "Take my Banshee, Arbiter."''

{'Vadamee does so, Johnson fires on enemy Wraiths}

Sergeant Johnson (O.S): Ha! How do you like it?!

{they approach the Control Room}

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): "Stay clear of the doors. Hey, bastards, knock knock!"

(If you block the doors)

Johnson(O.S.): "Stay clear of the doors!"

Johnson(O.S.): "Are you trying to get killed? Gimme some room!"

(When you don't move)

Johnson(O.S.): "What, do I have to spell it out for you? MOVE!!!

Johnson(O.S.): "Hey, listen, I'm gonna count to three. One ... Two ... Three! Don't say I didn't warn ya!"

(If you move away while he's counting)

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): "Good! Now stay put!"

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): "Hey, bastards. Knock knock!"

(If you go back after he says to stay put)

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): (unamused) "Ha ha, that's real funny, I'm still shootin!"

{Scarab cannon fires, destroying Control Room's door, 'Vadamee enters the Control Room, runs into some Brutes}

Brute: "Do not let the Arbiter into the chamber! The Chieftain must complete his holy work!

{'Vadamee either kills the guards or sneaks past them, then heads into the main chamber of control room}

Third Cinematic: "Delusions and Grandeur"
{Cutscene}

{Tartarus and four Brute Captains stand in front of the control panel, holding Keyes and 343 Guilty Spark}

Tartarus: "Come, human, it's easy." {he tries to get Miranda to insert the Index} "Take the Icon in your hands. (growls impatiently) And do as you are told!"

{he slams the Index on the console, which flashes red lights}

343 Guilty Spark: "Please, use caution! This Reclaimer is delicate."

Tartarus: "One more word, Oracle, and I'll rip your eye from its socket!" {he turns to Keyes, pushes her forward}

Commander Keyes: (Exhales sharply)

Tartarus: (soft menacing growl) "Which is nothing compared to what I will do to you."

{Thel 'Vadamee walks in}

Thel 'Vadamee: "Tartarus, stop."

Tartarus: (Gasps, jerks his neck up in surprise) "Impossible!"

Thel 'Vadamee: "Put down the Icon."

(Tartarus turns to face 'Vadamee)

Tartarus: "Put it down, and disobey the Hierarchs?"

Thel 'Vadamee: "There are things about Halo even the Hierarchs do not understand."

{Brutes step forward menacingly, Tartarus waves them off}

Tartarus: "Take care, Arbiter, what you say is heresy!"

Thel 'Vadamee: "Is it? (gently) Oracle, what is Halo's purpose?"

343 Guilty Spark: "Collectively, the seven—"

{Tartarus grabs 343 Guilty Spark and jerks it around}

Tartarus: "Not another word!"

Sergeant Johnson (off screen): "Please ...

''{Tartarus lowers 343 Guilty Spark to see Johnson standing next to 'Vadamee. He holds a beam rifle and aims it directly at Tartarus}''

Sergeant Johnson: "Don't shake the light bulb!"

{Brutes growl and approach}

Sergeant Johnson (raises Beam Rifle to Tartarus' head): "If you wanna keep your brain inside your head, I'd tell those boys to chill."

{Tartarus barks as commanded, Brutes back off}

Sergeant Johnson: {to 'Vadamee} "Go ahead, do your thing."

Thel 'Vadamee: "The Sacred Rings, what are they?"

343 Guilty Spark: "Weapons of last resort. Built by the Forerunners to eliminate potential Flood hosts, thereby rendering the parasite harmless."

Thel 'Vadamee: "Those who made the rings? What happened to the Forerunners?"

343 Guilty Spark: "After exhausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the rings. They, and all additional sentient life within three radii of the galactic center, died, as planned."

(Close up on 'Vadamee; he lowers his head in sadness)

343 Guilty Spark: (Off screen) "(slightly awkwardly) Would you...like to see the relevant data?"

Thel 'Vadamee: {Turns his attention back to Tartarus} "Tartarus, the Prophets have betrayed us."

{Tartarus pauses, then throws 343 Guilty Spark at Johnson's head, knocking him down, then grabs Keyes' hand and forces the Index into the console}

Tartarus: "No, Arbiter! The Great Journey has begun and the Brutes, not the Elites, shall be the Prophets' escort!"

''{Tartarus grabs his hammer as his energy shield turns on. The main platform splits into three as Halo charges up}''

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Gameplay
''{Elite reinforcements show up and wipe out the Brute Captains. Tartarus jumps to the platforms. Johnson hangs back, firing on Tartarus with his Beam Rifle}''

343 Guilty Spark: "Charging sequence initiated. Primary generators coming online."

Commander Keyes: "Well, shut them down!"

343 Guilty Spark: "Apology. Protocol does not allow me to interfere with any aspect of this sequence."

Commander Keyes: "Then, how do I stop it?"

343 Guilty Spark: "Well, it will take some time to go over the proper procedures, I—"

Commander Keyes: "Quit stalling!"

343 Guilty Spark: "Under more controlled circumstances, I would suggest the Reclaimer simply remove the Index."

Commander Keyes: "That's it?! Johnson, I'm on it!"

Sergeant Johnson: "Hang tight, ma'am! Not until that Brute is dead!"

{After you attack Tartarus for the first time}

Tartarus (Slams his hammer on the ground): "A lucky hit. You shall not land another."

343 Guilty Spark: "Secondary generators charging. All systems are performing well within operational parameters."

Commander Keyes: "You're telling me that you cannot stop the sequence?

343 Guilty Spark: "Reclaimer, please understand that interfering with the wave generation process will severely damage this installation.

Commander Keyes: "Give me a direct answer!"

343 Guilty Spark: "I am but a Monitor. The Reclaimer can do as it likes."

343 Guilty Spark: "Power generation phase complete. The installation is ready to fire. Starting final countdown."

Sergeant Johnson: "Come on, Arbiter! Kick that guy's ass!"

343 Guilty Spark: "Firing sequence initiated. And may I say, Reclaimers, it has been a pleasure to serve you both. Goodbye."

{'Vadamee kills Tartarus}

Note that if you hit Johnson with your weapon, he will sometimes say "Easy, Chief!" or "Chief! What the hell are you doing!", "Watch it Marine", or "Get back into battle Marine", as if 'Vadamee was the Master Chief.

Fourth Cinematic
{Cutscene}



''{Keyes jumps onto a rotating platform, ducks to avoid one of the other platforms passing right above her, reaches a main platform, grabs the Index. The entire room shakes, making Miranda hold the Index up to her chest in fear.)''

{cut to exterior of Control Room, all the built up energy fires up into space}

''{cut to Halo exterior, a large pulsing ball of energy is in the center, the shot from the Control Room reaches it, the ball glows, explodes, then dissipates}

{cut to interior of Control Room, it seems to be running on emergency power, as many of the lights are dimmed or not functioning}, Keyes stands in front of a holographic depiction, Johnson rides 343 Guilty Spark to her}

Commander Keyes: "What's that?"

343 Guilty Spark: "A beacon."

Commander Keyes: "What's it doing?"

343 Guilty Spark: "Communicating. At super-luminal speeds with a frequency of—"

Commander Keyes: "Communicating with what?"

343 Guilty Spark: {a bit surprised} "The ... other installations."

Commander Keyes: "Show me."

'343 Guilty Spark interfaces with the hologram, it depicts the seven Halos, a red message points to one ring (most likely either Installation 05, where they are, or Installation 04, which has been destroyed)}

343 Guilty Spark: "Fail-safe protocol. In the event of unexpected shutdown, the entire system will move to standby status. All remaining platforms are now ready for remote activation."

Commander Keyes: "Remote activation? From here?" 343 Guilty Spark: {patronizing} "Don't be ridiculous."

Sergeant Johnson: "Listen, tinkerbell, don't make me ... "

{Keyes puts a hand on his shoulder}

Commander Keyes: "Then where? Where would someone go to activate the other rings?"

{343 Guilty Spark is truly baffled}

343 Guilty Spark: " ... Why, the Ark, ...of course."

{'Vadamee comes up behind Johnson and Miranda Keyes}

Thel 'Vadamee:(walks up to them) "And where, Oracle, is that?"

''{fade to black, fade in on a Slipspace rupture in space, the Forerunner Dreadnought flies out and heads to Earth. Covenant and UNSC ships still engage each other}''

Officer (O.S.): "We've got a new contact! Unknown classification!

{fade in on interior of Forerunner ship, Master Chief listens in}

Lord Hood (O.S.): "It isn't one of ours, take it out."

Master Chief: "This is SPARTAN-117, can anyone hear me? Over."

{cut to Cairo Station's bridge, everything looks damaged}

Lord Hood: "(to officer) Isolate that signal! Master Chief? You mind telling me what you're doing on that ship?"

{cut to Master Chief}

Master Chief: "Sir, finishing this fight."

{fade to black}

{credits play}

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Fifth Cinematic
{fades in on Flood-infested High Charity}

{a glowing ball (spore) floats through the air, the camera pans off to the walkway outside the Council Chamber}

{cut to a damaged door that keeps trying to close, Gravemind's tentacles creep through}

Gravemind: "Silence fills the empty grave, now that I am gone."

{cut to Council Chamber, Gravemind's tentacles reach across}

Gravemind: "But my mind is not at rest, for questions linger on. I will ask and you will answer."

{Cortana's hologram appears, she holds up her hand, the tentacles stop and move off}

Cortana: "All right, shoot."

{fade to black}

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Trivia

 * If you play through Uprising and High Charity, the weapons the player carried in Uprising will appear with the Arbiter in the Great Journey. In this way, you can get a Rocket Launcher, Frag Grenades, or a Fuel Rod Gun early on in the mission, although the Fuel Rod Gun may not appear sometimes.
 * It's possible to skip straight to the Control Room battle after the Scarab escort. Fly the Banshee around the large sphere and the cinematic will start. It may take some time to get the Banshee in the right position but it will happen. Note: You may also get to use the Banshee in the fight.
 * It is also possible to use a Spectre and a Ghost against Tartarus. See it here.
 * After the scene where Johnson steals the Scarab, if you fly down to the entrance, a random Elite will appear that has different armor. This may be Rtas 'Vadum's replacement. This Elite will not help you fight though unless you get a Spectre and drive up to him.
 * If you are able to drive a Ghost up to the Scarab you can get on it before Johnson. You will be able to follow him to the inside of the Scarab and see that the weapon he holds is actually a Plasma Pistol.
 * It is possible to fly the Banshee into the control room after Johnson blows the doors. If you fly it into the main chamber the cut scene will begin. However when the cut scene finishes, you must go back into the hallway where you can find the Banshee you flew. This Banshee can also be seen in the cut scene if it is landed in the right place.
 * It is possible to get a Banshee into the control room in perfect condition. Instead of going through the halls, once you enter there is a hole immediately above you which you can fly your Banshee through with no damage at all. This trick requires you to boost upwards and do barrel rolls in order to get past the wreckage. You should just skip the room filled with Brutes by boosting through them as they enter in order to receive no damage.
 * Occasionally Corporal Perez will appear instead of Marcus Banks.
 * It is possible to force Tartarus off the platform to fall to his death, but he will reappear and fall from the sky back onto the platform.
 * If you stick Miranda so she jumps on to the platform, (She is on second sky platform that comes around) Tartarus will usually focus his attacks on her, which will make fighting Tartarus A LOT easier.
 * When the Phantom with the seventh Wraith comes in for deploying, you could actually land on it and then have it drive beyond Delta Halo's Control Room and drive to a far canyon, if you stay on it later it will disappear and it takes a long time to head back.
 * When you get to the beach and go too far by the side of the mountains with a Banshees you get pulled back but when you are walking it will let you explore.
 * If you have the Sputnik skull on, you can get on top of the Scarab and look inside it when it is parked at the beginning.
 * If you are able to keep your Hunters alive after the fight with the Phantom on the bridge and take them to the next room with the cells holding the Councilors and the Hunters, the Hunters in the cells will not be there, however if you finish the battle in the prison then go back and get the hunters, you will still have 4 hunters, which is very helpful if the level is being done on legendary.
 * At the beginning of the Tartarus fight, it is possible that there are only 3 Brutes with Tartarus, even though another Brute will appear out of nowhere when the Arbiter arrives.
 * If you manage to get a Wraith or a Ghost to the Forerunner building underwater, you can explore the mountains with it.
 * When Johnson's Scarab arrives in front of the Control Room's door, you can see a Brute with no weapons standing on top of an overturned Wraith, he will not attack you when you get close to him and will only follow you around saying random Brute taunts. It will also appear if you hijack a Banshee close enough to the ground.
 * It is possible to get Rtas 'Vadumee and the other Elite to go with you into the building. Get Rtas 'Vadumee and the Elite into the Spectre and drive it into the building then get them out. They will usually follow you, though this could take a few tries.
 * After Johnson blows away the control room doors, Brute controlled Banshees will begin to appear, in pairs. If you hijack one pair, another will arrive. You can do this indefinitely to have an infinite amount of Banshees, and Brutes, if they are hijacked close enough to the ground.
 * If you have the Banshee inside the control room and fight Tartarus he will ignore you and this allows you to get an easy kill.
 * It is entirely possible to get 4 Johnson's in the fight with Tartarus. Just take the Spectre to the control room. After the cinematic is done, go back to the Spectre and kill the Elites that should already be sitting in the Spectre. (They shouldn't be able to move the Spectre) then go back to Johnson and he will get inside the Spectre. Then move the Spectre a bit towards the control center, and there will be a replacement Johnson waiting there. Move closer to him in the Spectre and he will get in. Repeat to get a maximum of 4 Johnsons. (3 in Spectre, One sniping on the "bridge".) This will make the battle a lot more easier having 3 Johnson's being able to snipe for you.
 * There is also a hidden assault cruiser in this level near the skull. Head to the mountain and keep going around till there is a drop. Look around and it is up in the sky. You can't see it any where else.
 * If you manage to get on the place where Miranda Keyes was standing, you might able to see her crouch and hold her hands up as if she was holding a weapon. Also, if you stare at her long enough, she might call you Chief.
 * The second easiest way to kill Tartarus would be to get two brute plasma rifles from the boxes near the central lift thing and fire both at his head as soon as his shields are down.
 * If you take a Ghost to the end of the level, drive it into the water so it's completely submerged, and shoot up, the water will splash upside-down. This may also work in Outskirts.
 * You can "kill" Johnson and Miranda Keyes with a Needler. When you fill them up with needles, they will run off the edge. However, they will re-spawn after a few seconds. If you want to do this to Johnson, you must wait until he is on the end of the platform.
 * If you use the above glitch to push Keyes off in the right way, she will land on the platform that the boss fight takes place on. She will just stand aimlessly, and will be immune to Tartarus' hammer.
 * It is possible to get Johnson in the final battle by taking a Spectre to the control room.
 * If you Stick Banks or Stacker while they are on their knees, when the grenade explodes their dead bodies will stay in the kneeling position until they hit the platform/ground.
 * When you get to the balcony of the structure where the scarab is parked (the part right after the jailed hunters and elites). If you rush in right after the door opens and the brutes see you while the chieftain is talking then the brutes will not finish what they're supposed to say and Sgt. Johnson will say his line,"Go go go!" and climb onto the scarab.
 * At the entrance of the building, where the 2 wraiths are, if you hijack and kill the drivers of both wraiths but not get off the 2nd wraith after killing the driver, there is a chance that the brutes around you might not attack you until you get off.
 * The phantom that appears on the bridge in the structure will stay there for the whole level if you rush the area when the phantom comes. When you get your banshee then fly all the way to the structure where Tartarus is then turn left and you will see the bridge along with the phantom. It will never fly away and you can destroy its guns and even the blue lights on the front but it will never get destroyed.
 * In the same area as above, if you kill the jackal sniper and it's body lands in the right place then the body will turn black.
 * In the holding cells, if you melee a brute's dead body with the sputnik skull activated, if you melee the body at a shield generator (the small objects in front of the cells emitting the force field) then if it hits it in the right place, then it will get destroyed.
 * It is possible to get killed by the banshees that come after the cut scene with the arbiter and Sgt. Johnson. Just make sure you follow the bottom of the banshee when the elite gets off and it will fall on you and you will die.
 * The elites that get off the banshees on the platform will keep looking at you wherever you go.

Mistakes

 * Brute-piloted Ghosts will have normal Plasma Rifles, not the Brute version.
 * If you land the Banshee in front of the door, Johnson will repeatedly tell the Banshee to move, as though you were in it.
 * In the ending cutscene, Miranda Keyes is shown holding a Plasma Pistol. Also, she can be seen using it during the fight, however, the weapon is not seen, and she does not fire it (the most she does is crouch and aim it).
 * Before the battle with Tartarus you can see an Elite skull on his shoulder during the cut scene but it disappears during battle against him.
 * Walking up to Banks and Stacker, Stacker will say something like, "Chief! Glad you could make it!" in the same way that Johnson does.

Easter Eggs

 * The Black Eye Skull can be found on this level.
 * There is an Elite Minor with black as a secondary color that lands on the ground under the Scarab, 2 minutes after it blows off the door. It will randomly say things like, "We should have had a run at the Demon, eh, Arbiter?" and some other tidbits about Installation 04.
 * There is a Heretic Banshee that is an Easter egg on this level, but no Heretics appear. Also, there are times where you will find the body of a dead Elite.
 * If you look at the Elites who give you the Banshees you will notice that when they walk into the structure, they walk backwards. (They seem to look like they're walking forward though)
 * Originally there was going to be an Easter Egg in which Johnson would ride 343 Guilty Spark in different ways on different difficulty levels.
 * If you stay in the battlefield after Johnson blows open the door with the Scarab, after a few minutes a Phantom will drop off a new Wraith for you to face.
 * When you get to the part when Johnson blows up the door, fly down to see a flipped wraith with a Brute on it. He does not have a weapon and he does not kill you. If you flip the Wraith over and get in, he will begin hijjacking your Wraith. If you get out he doesn't get in. He just stays. Sometimes he follows you, and sometimes he attacks you. (Doesn't matter what Difficulty.)
 * When the Banshees are circling Johnson's Scarab, hijack a Banshee and when the brute falls out don't kill him, you will notice that he has no weapon and cannot attack you, however when two weapon-less brutes are near each other, if you kill one the other will immitate dropping his weapon (despite the fact he does not have one) and will charge at you, this is the only time he should attack you.
 * In the control room when Johnson moves up to the ledge to shoot at tartarus, stick a plasma grenede to him and he sometimes runs off the edge, however after he does he appears back to his starting position.
 * When inside the control room, go to the bottom level of the 3 leveled section, once there crouch and you should die, occasionally it may not work for a few seconds, but the death is like when falling from a height and dying, but there is no particular cause!
 * Before going into the control room, bring a beam rifle, you can then take down tartarus' sheilds youself, making it easier to kill him rather then waiting for Johnson to take down his shields.

Miscellaneous

 * Johnson's Beam Rifle is the only weapon in Halo 2 you cannot trade with because this weapon can take out the shields that Tartarus uses.
 * When escorting the Scarab you can get your Banshee stuck in the Scarab, and since the Scarab is invincible, you don't actually have to defend it.
 * When fighting Tartarus if you stay on the platform where Johnson is, Tartarus will often taunt you for example he will say, "Just like the rest of your kind. You're cowardly and weak!" or, "Want revenge? Well here I am!"
 * This is the only level where Councilor Elites are your allies.
 * Originally, there was a cutscene at the part of the level where you are on the Scarab platform in which there was a gathering of Brutes decapitating Marines. Joseph Staten explained that this cinematic had to be cut because at that time "real world events" made this a little politically dangerous.
 * This is technically the first level in which the Elites and the UNSC fight alongside each other, and the only level in Halo 2 in which they do, though very briefly and it is just Sergeants Stacker and Banks armed with Plasma Pistols against Brutes, so their impact on the battle is minimal to none.
 * Sergeant Banks and Sergeant Stacker will disappear right after the cutscene. They probably entered to the Scarab with Johnson. However, if you kill any of them, their corpses will not disappear after the cutscene.
 * For the most part, the Elites are pretty much useless when you fight Tartarus.
 * This is the only level in Halo 2 where Johnson is the only human to call the Arbiter by his title name.
 * While playing the level and see on top of the mountains you could see the parts of the Uprising level when you go outside.
 * When you start the level, go to the door you came from, then go to the tree that’s the closest, on the mountain look to your right it looks like the upper face part with eyes.
 * There is a rooster head by the trees at the beginning where you appear by the Uprising door.
 * If you try to get in the Scarab to see Johnson drive it after he is inside, it is blocked by a visible Energy door.
 * At the end cutscene where 343 Guilty Spark is talking with Johnson and Keyes, you can see Elites you managed to save during the battle with Tartarus.
 * Bungie employees impart the title as the structure at the end of the level in which you fight Tartarus as the 'Birthday Cake of Doom'.
 * For the Tartarus battle, it is often a good idea to bring a Beam Rifle along with a weapon of your choice as you can take out Tartarus' shields rather than wait for Johnson to do it, though the time is significantly less.
 * This is the last level in the Halo trilogy where you get to use a Brute Plasma Rifle, Spectre, Heretic Banshee, duel wield Needlers, a Scarab that's on your team, and play as the Arbiter in a single player campaign mode.
 * After this level it is unknown what happens to the Fist of Rukt. It might have been destroyed by the Elites in disgust since it took the lives of many Elites.
 * Tartarus will not die if you melee his back after his shields are gone, however, he would take more damage if you shoot its back, as most of his armor are in front of him.
 * It seems that the Beam Rifle Johnson uses is stronger than most, even on Easy difficulty, if you are in his line of fire, it will take down your shields in a matter of seconds.
 * In the part where you rescue the 2 Councilors and Hunters, whenever they are hit a lot, the Councilors go berserk and pull out an Energy Sword and charge to the enemy. An Ultra Elite in the Scarab in the level Metropolis does the same thing when Chief fires at him.
 * Nobody technically knows what Gravemind's questions to Cortana were but they could be about the location of earth, UNSC secrets, etc.
 * If you fight Tartarus long enough, Brutes will jump down to the platform to aid him. Sometimes in the cutscene after, they will just be standing there watching the characters.
 * When you have a banshee, there is actually a grav-lift on top of the Scarab that if you land a banshee on, it will float in midair. No matter how you land it, it will always re-align itself to a certain position. The walkway that goes on top of the the scarab makes it look like that a banshee would be put there for an escape craft from a Scarab about to blow up.
 * With the invincible Rtas 'Vadumee, it is fun to melee him off of the cliff in the beginning of the level.
 * This level is ironic in that, being the last Arbiter level, the Arbiter is trying to tell Tartarus about Halo's true purpose, when the Arbiter had silenced the heretic leader for saying the same things in the first Arbiter level.
 * Just before the fight when the Arbiter tells Tartarus about the Halo rings and Tartarus pauses for a moment, he is possibly thinking about what he heard or in shock that the Prophets are lying to him ,or how the Arbiter can say such a thing.

Gallery
 Image:Control1.jpg|Halo prepares to fire. Image:Fired.jpg|Halo has fired. Image:Standby.jpg|Halo went into emergency standby ready to fire from the Ark. Image:Ship9.jpg|The Forerunner Ship Dreadnought heads for the Ark Portal. Image:Cortana9.jpg|Cortana talks to the Gravemind. 