The Storm

For the artificial weather phenomenon, see Portal Storm.

The Storm is the fifth campaign level of Halo 3.

Upon completing it on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary the player will unlock Assault achievement, worth 20 Gamerpoints. If a player gets more than 15,000 points in the meta-game he or she will unlock the Askar achievement, worth 10 Gamerpoints.

Background
It begins with a UNSC Warthog convoy moving to Voi, its objective to punch through the Covenant Anti-Aircraft defenses that surround the supposed Ark and allow Lord Hood's small fleet of ships passage to the Prophet of Truth's fleet in order to kill Truth and stop the firing of the Halo rings. UNSC Marine forces, led by John-117, fight through several pitched skirmishes through the industrial zone of Voi.

After breaking through the industrial area, John-117 meets up with a group of approximately five Mongoose ATVs and commandeers one with a Marine riding 'pillion' using a M41 Rocket Launcher. They immediately engage a squadron of Anti-Air Wraith tanks to secure a landing zone as Brute Choppers and Ghosts attack. The Covenant are being continually reinforced by Phantoms. Hornets and Banshees fly above, vying for control of the skies. Although they manage to take the landing zone, the victory ends up being short-lived as a Scarab arrives to crush the UNSC forces. After John-117 destroys the massive walker, remaining UNSC forces prepare to push into a Brute-controlled warehouse.

With reinforcements led by Thel 'Vadam and Sergeant Johnson along with volunteer civilians from a nearby factory, they push onwards, engaging nearly a dozen Brutes armed with Spikers and Brute Shots, a pair of Hunters, and a Brute Chieftain wielding a Gravity Hammer. They finally press on to the Anti-Aircraft Battery, engaging a small Covenant force defending it, including a War Chieftain. Eventually, they succeeded in destroying the gun, enabling three UNSC Frigates to attack Truth's ship.

Ghost Town
Military Operations Urban Terrain.

{Gameplay}

''A convoy of three Warthogs: two M831 TT Warthogs and one M12 Warthog LRV roll down a tunnel of Tsavo Highway, with the Chief riding shotgun in the LRV. (On co-op, Thel 'Vadam and N'tho 'Sraom ride shotgun on the TTs, but Usze 'Taham uses the Turret of the Warthog the Master Chief is riding on).''


 * Lieutenant Commander Miranda Keyes (COM): "Chief, the Prophet of Truth has found the Ark. Our only chance of stopping him is a surprise aerial assault. Clear this sector of Covenant anti-air defenses. Make a hole for the Admiral’s ships. Good hunting. Keyes out."

''The Warthogs emerge from the tunnel in a parking lot scattered with destroyed Warthog chassis and Marine and Grunt corpses. The Warthogs roll to a halt as the Marines and Master Chief walk out, and the Marines form a perimeter outside the locked door. (On co-op, Then 'Vadam and N'tho 'Sraom will also get off their warthogs, but Usze 'Taham will remain unless he chooses to get off.)''


 * Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds: "Ready when you are, Chief. Open the door and take point. We’ll cover you with the .50."

or


 * Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker: "Ready when you are, Chief. Open the door, take point, we'll cover you with the .50!"

''The Master Chief opens the door into an empty factory section and then into a next section with Covenant. An M12 Warthog LRV and a sqaud of Marines follow him in.''


 * Prophet of Truth (Hologram): "With my gentle encouragement, our Lords' holy relic springs to life. It is unfortunate that our enemies also bear witness to its glory. But soon their dull eyes will be closed; seared by the Rings' unforgiving might."


 * Stacker: "Chief, open the door; we can roll on through!"

''A set of doors is opened, leading to a factory tunnel full of Brutes, Jackals, Grunts, and even a pair of Ghosts. Beyond that is another door that will lead to Lake Bed A. After cleansing the tunnel, the UNSC forces open the next door, revealing a massive expanse with cruising Ghosts and a heavy Covenant garrison.''


 * Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood (COM): "Kilo-two-three, this is Forward Unto Dawn. I need a sit-rep, Commander."


 * Keyes (COM): "Atmospheric disturbances is intensifying above The Artifact, Admiral."


 * Lord Hood (COM): "And Sierra-117?"


 * Keyes (COM): "Moving as fast as he can, sir. I know he’ll get it done."

''A Phantom deploys a standard Wraith at the far side of the lake bed. John-117 and his marines meets another group of marines under fire from a Phantom and troops deployed from it. The marines, with the help from John-117, destroys the Anti-Aircraft Wraith and the supporting Ghosts in the area.''


 * Marine (COM): "Hell yeah! Boom! The Fly Boys are gonna love us for that!"


 * Sergeant Major Avery Johnson (COM): "That-a-way, Chief! Target destroyed. Move to the next area, over."

Master Chief and the remaining Marines exit the lake bed into the confines of the factory again, where a War Chieftain wielding a plasma turret and his attendant Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts have a pair of Marines pinned down in the adjacent section.


 * Marine: "They just keep coming!"


 * Female Marine: "Check your fire! It’s the Chief! Flush ‘em out, sir. We'll nail them with the .50."

After the Chieftain and his troops are killed by the Chief and Marines:


 * Marine: "We’ve made a hole. Hurry, before any more Covenant show up!"

If the player brought the Warthog from the last section:


 * Marine: "Hey! We got a hog!"

''The Marines defending the warehouse open the door. The Chief and accompanying Marines head through.''


 * Female Marine: "We're down to our last mags, sir. Thought those last ones had us."


 * Marine: "We've got a Phantom, overhead!"

''A Phantom hovering overhead above a glass roof frightens the Marines a little. The Master Chief and Marines quickly move to the next section as the glass roof shatters and a horde of Drones descend. Eventually they are fought off and the Master Chief and Marines enter the next factory tunnel section.''


 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "I have defied Gods and Demons..."

''At the end of the tunnel are four Mongoose vehicles, next to a rack of weapons. Marines rush to man the ATVs.''


 * Female Marine: "Mount up, Rockets in back!"

The Chief opens the tunnel's door.


 * Female Marine: "Gotta move fast, and punch hard!"

''The Chief takes a Mongoose {or can take any other vehicle of choice} and joins the Marines in the assault on the Anti-Air Wraiths in the neighboring lake bed. While a small squad of Marines are pinned down on the boardwalk on the northern side of the lake bed, Covenant vehicles mill in the center.''


 * Johnson (COM): "We’ve got Anti-Air Wraiths in the next lake bed, Chief!"

The ATV's quickly take out the first Anti-Air.


 * Marine: "One down, one to go!"

''A few Choppers along with Phantoms carrying Ghosts overwhelm the lake bed with Banshees above. The second Anti-Air Wraith is taken out. The ATVs, Hornets, and Missile Pods eventually clear the lake bed of Covenant resistance.''


 * Johnson (COM): "Both AA Wraiths have been neutralized...standby. Something big, closing in on your location."

Judgment
'Scarab. BFG. End of World.'

There is the booming of the anti-aircraft emplacement in the distance, but also an ominous mechanical grinding noise.


 * PFC Chips Dubbo (COM): "What's that sound?"

The booms and grinding get louder.


 * Dubbo (COM): "It’s getting closer!"


 * Marine (COM): "Oh, this can't be good man..."


 * Johnson (COM): "Scarab! Find some cover. Now!"

''A massive Scarab walker lumbers down from the roof of the factory onto the lake bed, and dust rises as its legs slam into the ground, destroying a Troop Transport Warthog in the process. Marine vehicles and a pair of Marine-manned Missile Pod turrets open up in volleys.''


 * Marine: "Use rockets! Target its joints!"

If the player waits around:


 * Johnson (COM): "Its armor's too thick!"

or 


 * Johnson (COM): "Aim for its legs, Chief!"

If the player wastes more time:


 * Johnson (COM): "Jump on top of it Chief, just like New Mombasa."

The Chief, Marines, and Missile Pod emplacements eventually take out one of the Scarab's joints, forcing it to lower and consume all power into getting back up again, and deactivating its primary weapon.


 * Marine: "Now, while it's down! Find a way inside!"

The Chief boards the Scarab.


 * Johnson (COM): "Look for something big...power core, something like that."

On the upper deck of the Scarab, several Brutes, Jackals and Grunts await the Chief, forcing the Chief to kill anyone in his path.

If the player stays on the Scarab for a while:


 * Johnson (COM): "Look for the core, Chief. You'll know it when you see it."

The Chief finally finds and overloads the power core.


 * Dubbo (COM): "Get away! It's gonna blow!"

''The Chief jumps off the Scarab and runs for it. The Scarab detonates violently.''


 * Keyes (COM): "Well done, Chief! I’m sending in a few Pelicans."


 * Johnson (COM): "One more target, Chief. There’s a Covenant AA gun in the next area. Take it down and Lord Hood can start his attack run."

''A Pelican lands, deploying Thel 'Vadam. The surviving Marines lead 'Vadam and Master Chief to a locked door leading to the factory's warehouse.''


 * Thel 'Vadam: "There was honor in our Covenant once...and there shall be again!"


 * Female Marine: "We've got this area locked down, sir. Follow us, we’ll get you through."

''The door opens up, leading to a dirty tin-walled section filled with wounded Marines and civilians laying on the floor. Several grim-faced Marines are standing behind sandbags, tending to the wounded, and operating the sole UNSC field radio available.''


 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "I am your shield. I am your sword."


 * Wounded Marine: "Ahh! Somebody, get me some morphine!"

Voices begin to play through the radio and are attentively monitored by a pair of Marines operating it.


 * Naval Officer (COM): "All Brute cruisers are pulling back to Truth’s ship. Winds inside the storm just hit 200 kilometers per hour. Energy cascades all over the artifact!"

''There is a moderate pause within the radio conversation, before another starts between Commander Keyes and Lord Hood. This conversation foreshadows the very end of the last cutscene in the level.''


 * Keyes (COM): "Admiral, a single Covenant ship has slipped in-system!"


 * Hood (COM): "Just one? What's its range and disposition?"


 * Keyes (COM): "Above the artifact, inside the orbital line. Seems to be holding steady."


 * Hood (COM): "The attack proceeds as planned, Commander. We’re not going to get another shot at Truth."


 * Keyes (COM): "Sir. Yes, sir."

''The Master Chief and Thel 'Vadam pass through a stained area of bolted tin plates until they reach the periphery of the warehouse, where a trio of Marines are pinned down under sandbags as Spiker projectiles fly through the air. Farther forward is a steel bridge where a pair of Marines frantically open fire on Brutes all around them with a Heavy Machine Gun.''


 * Marine: "We’ve got company!"

''After the Brutes between the sandbags and the bridge are killed by the UNSC forces, another group of Brutes charges from the next section, chasing two Marines. ''

A surviving Brute from the previous wave tries to warn the charging Brutes of the impending doom but is too late.


 * Brute: No, fall back!

They then run towards the bridge and a Marine fires the bridge-mounted turret.


 * Marine: "Hold the line! Enemy charging!"


 * Thel 'Vadam: "Be careful!"

After the next wave of charging Brutes is killed.

''Master Chief, 'Vadam, and surviving Marines make their way into the next section, where behind a mass of stacked crates a Brute violently throttles a construction worker. Three other workers armed with Pistols flee from the Brute and his pack. The throttling Brute roars out.''


 * Brute: "Kill them for honor!"


 * Construction Worker: "Get to safety!"

After the current group of Brutes are killed:

''The next section is littered with civilian corpses and a few live Factory Workers cowering in the corner. A door leading to the outside of the factory is nearby. The door is opening up, and a group of four construction workers runs in. However, they are cut down by two massive green beams of energy blowing up the fusion cores next to the workers: a pair of Hunters appears.''

The Hunters charge in over the worker corpses and after the Master Chief, Thel 'Vadam, and the awaiting Marines. The cowering workers get up and are relieved to see fellow humans.


 * Construction Worker: "I thought we were the only ones left-"

Their celebration is cut short for they sight the hunters and retreat behind the approaching Marine forces.

If the fight continues for a while:

Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker: "Gotta get around ‘em, Chief! Look for gaps in their armor!"

''After the two Hunters are killed, the Marines, Master Chief, and Thel 'Vadam run past the Hunter corpses and through the open door to a series of low-roofed buildings where a Brute Chieftain awaits with numerous other Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts. The Prophet of Truth sermonizes from a holographic pedestal behind them.''


 * Prophet of Truth (Hologram): "Take heart, my brothers! Only our enemies should fear this raging storm!"

The assault force finally defeats the Covenant defenders and continues on ahead.


 * Prophet of Truth (Hologram): "Darkened skies and lashing fire are all that remains for them when we, the worthy, have passed beyond."


 * Thel 'Vadam: (upon seeing Truth's hologram) "I will not be shamed. Not again! Not by you!"

''The Chief, 'Vadam, and the remaining Marines charge around the remaining buildings to the hill where the massive anti-aircraft emplacement stands. Before the hill's slope are a Marine, a Surface-to-Air Missile Launcher, and a few corpses behind sandbags and a weapons rack. Grunts tentatively run down the slope to face the onrushing UNSC forces while mid-way up the hill a Grunt manning a turreted Plasma Cannon stands side-by-side with a War Chieftain wielding a Fuel Rod Gun with his captains and bodyguards. The anti-air emplacement opens fire on a surging UNSC Longsword, destroying it and catching it on fire as the wreck soars into the cliffs below.''


 * Keyes (COM): "Chief! Hood's ships are closing fast! Destroy that gun; we’re out of time."

The Chief, 'Vadam, and all Marines and civilians push up the hill, taking down all Covenant defense.


 * Johnson (COM): "Chief, that gun’s been firing non-stop: it’s gotta be running hot! It’s gonna be opening up its access panel!"

If the player delays:


 * Johnson (COM): "Wait till it opens up, vents its excess plasma. Shove some lead down its throat!"

''The anti-aircraft emplacement's lower section opens to reveal a white sphere. Steam vents as the panel continually opens. The Master Chief destroys the sphere.''

{Cutscene}

''The AA Gun explodes, sending the upper section flying down the cliff. The Master Chief and 'Vadam stand on the cliff side of the crater on the hill of the recently destroyed anti-aircraft emplacement. Multiple squadrons of Longswords streak overhead, followed by three UNSC Frigates, including the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, Lord Hood's flagship. The Covenant fleet is hovering before them, with the Forerunner Dreadnought centered below them at the center of The Artifact.''


 * Hood (COM): "All ships: fire at will!"

''The frigates engage the Forerunner Dreadnought. Their Magnetic Accelerator Cannons discharge in volleys, and explosions coat the Dreadnought's surface, but the ship remains unscathed. The Forerunner structure begins to open like a starfish. The Dreadnought is lowered into the structure, an energy beam being focused on it. The beam of light grows thicker and expands, sending of a shockwave. Everything soon blacks out.''


 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "This...is the way the world ends."

''A large glowing sphere of blue light soon appears, centered by pitch darkness, in the sky above the artifact, and the vessels of both UNSC and Loyalist fleets are drifting in the air, disorganized. The large fins of the Portal are focusing energy on the sphere.''


 * Hood (COM): "(coughs) What did Truth just do? (coughs) Did he activate the rings?"


 * Keyes (COM): "No, sir. But he certainly did something..."

Thel 'Vadam roars angrily as the Forerunner Dreadnought rises safely into the sphere, followed in close order by the rest of the Covenant fleet.


 * Hood (COM): "Evac wounded and regroup. Wherever Truth went-"


 * Naval Officer (COM): "Sir, new contact - slipping in!"

''A damaged CCS-class Battlecruiser emerges from Slipspace to the east of Voi, and hurtles just over the Chief and 'Vadam. It is smoking with rancid fumes. The air is darkened and smog rises, veiling the sun. As the ship loses altitude and crashes to the ground out of sight, there is a flash of light and a deep rumbling is heard, followed by silence. An omen of ancient evil is in the air.''


 * Thel 'Vadam: "What is it? More Brutes?"


 * Master Chief Petty Officer John-117: "Worse."

Fades to black.

Level ends.

Glitches

 * It is possible to fly a dumpster on this mission by getting a second player and have them both jump rapidly to make the dumpster ascend. It is possible to steer if both players jump in the same direction.
 * If one uses a Power Drain or an over-charged Plasma Pistol shot, one can take down a Hornet but the player can not fly it or use the passenger seats. If the player do this while fighting the Scarab the player can stand on top of the Hornet and jump on to the Scarab after the Hornet can fly again and gets close enough to the Scarab.
 * The Banshees at the anti-air defense gun fly around for no reason. They can be shot down for some points. But sometimes one or two will shoot at the player for a second. If one manages to catch one in a Power Drain, or use a Plasma Pistol on one of them, they can be boarded and the player can fly around the place. The player will, however, die if they pass beyond the map borders.
 * When one first sees the Anti Aircraft Battery's "legs" keep going straight, then left onto a small cliff. One can jump onto the other side of the big crack in the earth and go on the other side. Doing this one can walk through some buildings and some of the trees to the right of the road do not have bottoms (assuming Bungie did not plan this)

Mistakes

 * Despite entering the city from the Southeastern edge, the turn off to Arusha calls for a right turn, while in reality the city of Arusha is on the other side of Kilimanjaro with respect to Voi. This would logically place the turn off on the player's left.
 * If one looks at the name of the UNSC Frigates firing on the Forerunner Dreadnought, they all say Forward Unto Dawn and the ships' numbers are the same as well. Furthermore, on close observation of the cutscene, one can see that one Frigate actually fires its MAC gun twice, however, this Frigate may be similar to the Pillar of Autumn with a MAC gun capable of multiple firings per charge.
 * When the player leaves Lake Bed A and enter the area with the marines on the machine gun, the female Marine cries "We'll nail them with the .50". However, the gun that the marine is using is the AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun, which, in fact, uses 7.62x51mm SLAP ammunition.
 * The Halo 3 official game guide doesn't show a gravity lift being on this level, however there is one in a dark area near the marines manning missile pods.

Easter Eggs

 * If one manages to get into the boat either in Theater or somehow in actual gameplay, there is a blurry picture of a pirate with writing under it in Swahili that says "Pimps at Sea", a reference to Bungie's April Fool's joke about the made-up game.
 * The Catch Skull can be found on this level.