The Silent Cartographer (Level)

Looking for Silent Cartographer, the map room?

The Silent Cartographer is the fourth campaign level in Halo: Combat Evolved. The Covenant believe that The Silent Cartographer is somewhere under an island, with multiple structures concealing an installation. The Master Chief leads the UNSC Marines in an assault on an island that contains the map room for the Halo Installation.

Part 01: The Silent Cartographer
{Cutscene}

(Two Pelican dropships, Echo 419 and Bravo 022, approach an island, low over the water. You are inside the leading dropship, Echo 419)

{Gameplay}

Cortana: "The Covenant believe that what they call 'The Silent Cartographer', is somewhere under this island. The Cartographer is a map room that will lead us to Halo's control center. The island has multiple structures and installations. One of them contains the map room."

Flight Captain Carol "Foehammer" Rawley (O.S.): "We're approaching the LZ, it's gonna be hot! Get set to come out swingin'. Touchdown! Hit it, marines!"



Marine ODST Sergeant (Stacker or Waller: "GO GO GO!"

and/or

Marine Sergeant (Stacker or Waller): "Pile out people, let's move!"

Marine ODST: "Pile out!"

{Once the beach is cleared of Covenant hostiles}

Marine ODST: "Area's secure. All hostiles have been eliminated."

or

Cortana: "Area's secure."

Foehammer (O.S.): "Affirmative. Echo 419 inbound. Somebody order a Warthog?"

Marine ODST Sergeant (Stacker or Waller) (O.S.): "Hey, I didn't know you made house calls, Foehammer!"

or

Marine ODST (O.S.): "Music to my ears, Foehammer!"

Foehammer (O.S.): "You know our motto: We Deliver."

{As the Chief boards the driver seat of Warthog, two Marines occupy the passenger seat and the turret}

Cortana: "Okay, let's move out. Let's go find the map room that will show us the location of Halo's control center."

{As the team approaches the main building}

Cortana: "There, in the cliff wall; I'll bet the Silent Cartographer is somewhere inside that facility." (On Heroic / Legendary): "They're already inside! We need to get in there quick, before they discover the location of Halo's control center!"

Private First Class Hosky {If he's on the Warthog looking at the passing Covenant Dropship}: "Anyone else see what I see? How are we supposed to get around that, huh?"

{As the Master Chief shoots his way into the facility}

Cortana: "The Covenant are putting up a real fight! The Cartographer must be here. My analysis indicates that the map room should be at the bottom floor of this facility. Let's keep going inside."

''As the Chief sees the open door leading to the shaft. A group of Covenant stand guard at a door, with a Zealot blocking the way in.''

Cortana: "Don't let them lock the doors!"

''The doors close. After all the Covenant troops in the nearby area have been killed.''

Cortana: "Interesting...I underestimated the Covenant's understanding of Halo's subsystems. They've locked the doors, and we don't have enough firepower to get through them." Cortana (O.S.): "Cortana to Keyes."

Captain Keyes (O.S.): "Go ahead, Cortana. Have you found the control center?"

Cortana (O.S.): "Negative, Captain. The Covenant have impeded our progress. We can't proceed unless we can disable this installation's security system."



Captain Keyes (O.S.):{Slight Pause} "Understood. We're still en route to the objective. I may be out of contact when we get there. {Pause} Here are your orders. I want you to use any means necessary to force your way into the facility and find Halo's control center. We have to get to the centre before the Covenant, and failure, people, is not an option."

Foehammer (O.S.): "Echo 419 to ground teams. I'll stay on station and keep an eye out for Covenant bogies."

Marine ODST 1 (O.S.): "Second squad! Ready to roll, soon as everybody's topside!"

Marine ODST 2 (O.S.): "LZ looks secure Sir, nothing moving.'

Captain Keyes (O.S.): "Good luck, people. Keyes out."

Cortana: "We need to find the security override to get this door open."

As the Chief approaches the path leading up into the island.

Cortana: "It looks like there is a path leading to the interior of the island."

If the Chief passes the substation, which juts out of the cliffs.

Cortana: "Well, there's the entrance to the security substation, but it looks like we'll have to look for another way up."

{Alternative Dialogue: If the Security Station is entered before going to the auto-locking door to the map room.}

Cortana: This isn't the map room. Analyzing... (Pause) This is a security override station for the main facility, located somewhere else on this island. Shut the system down so the Covenant won't be able to lock us out.

Once the Chief shuts the system down...

Once the Chief gets inside the substation and reach the security override, the "Normal" way.

Cortana: Use the holo panel to shut down the security system.

{Cutscene}

The previously locked door opens to reveal a Zealot Elite.

Cortana: "Good. That should open the door that leads into the main shaft."

It's Quiet...
{Gameplay}

As the Chief moves down the hall from the security substation, towards the exit.

Bravo 022 Pilot (O.S.): "Mayday, mayday! Dropship Bravo 022 taking enemy fire! Repeat! We are under heavy fire and are losing altitude!"

Cortana (O.S.): Understood. We're on our way.

''As the Chief exits the substation, and finds Bravo 022's wreckage. Marine bodies and Covenant forces are seen.''

Cortana: "Chief, Bravo 022 was bringing us some heavy weapons. After I saw we were up against Hunters, I thought you could use them. Let's move down the beach. Keep an eye out for any cargo we can salvage."

As the Chief approaches the now-unlocked door leading to the shaft.

Shafted
{Cutscene}

''Master Chief walks out onto the platform overlooking the shaft and kicks a loose piece of debris down it. It falls down the seemingly endless shaft.''

{Gameplay}

As the Chief moves farther down into the facility, into the third of four levels.

Foehammer (O.S.): "Foehammer to ground teams, you got two enemy dropships coming in fast!"

Marine ODST Sergeant (Stacker or Waller) (O.S.): "Dammit! Okay, people, we got company comin', let's set the table. Engage enemy forces on sight!"

Cortana (O.S.): "It'll be easier to hold them off from inside the structure. Can you get inside? '

Marine ODST Sergeant (Stacker or Waller) (O.S.): "Negative! They're closin' in too fast, negative! (Pause) Chief! You gotta find the Cartographer! We'll keep 'em busy as long as we can!"

Cortana (O.S.): "Give 'em hell, Marine."

Cortana: 'We'll be in a tight spot if we don't get out of here before additional reinforcements arrive. Let's find that map."

When the Chief finally reaches the Cartographer.

Cortana: "There. That holo panel should activate the map."

{Cutscene}

The Silent Cartographer holo display begins to spin, and the diagram of Halo begins to break into sections.

Cortana: Analyzing. Halo's control center is located there. That structure appears to be some sort of temple or shrine, if I've interpreted this correctly. (Pause) Interesting. A shrine is an unlikely place to put such a significant installation.

{Gameplay} 

Cortana (O.S.): "Cortana to Captain Keyes."

Foehammer (O.S.): "The Captain has dropped out of contact, Cortana. His ship may be out of range or having equipment problems."

Cortana (O.S.): "Keep trying. Let me know when you've reestablished contact, and then tell him that the Master Chief and I have determined the location of the control center. We'll be heading there as soon as we're topside."

Foehammer (O.S.): "Affirmative. Foehammer out."

Once the Chief reaches to the exit of the facility.

Cortana (O.S.): "Cortana to Echo 419. The Chief and I are topside, requesting pickup."

Foehammer (O.S.): "Roger. On my way."

As the Chief boards the Pelican.

{Cutscene}

Echo 419 lifts off from the platform and rises quickly, circling the center of the island.

Cortana (O.S.): "Let's get moving. Foehammer. Here are coordinates and a flight plan I've worked out."

Foehammer (O.S.): "But, Cortana...these coordinates are underground."

Cortana (O.S.): "The Covenant did a thorough seismic scan. My analysis shows that Halo is honeycombed with deep tunnels, which circle the whole ring."

The structure where the first pair of Hunters appeared, lifts up, revealing an underground tunnel; Echo 419 lowers into it as the structure comes back up again.

Foehammer (O.S.): "I hope your analysis is on-the-money, Cortana. This Pelican won't turn on a dime."

Cortana (O.S.): "Look on the bright side, Foehammer. The last thing the Covenant will expect is an aerial insertion from underground."

Echo 419 continues to lower through the structure, the top closes with a bang before everything goes dark.

Trivia

 * It is possible to save up to 6 of the Marines by transporting them away from the beach with the 3 warthogs you encounter. But if you somehow get all 6 surviving marines inside the structure, they will all die for no particular reason.
 * Interestingly, the Sergeant Stacker/Waller can be brought into the facility as a passenger in the Warthog, however he will still talk on the radio to Cortana and Echo 419 as though he is back at the LZ.
 * The Engineer is hidden in the map's code, and can be spawned with the help of Halo Mapping Tools. Apparently, the Engineers were supposed to be on this level, but were removed from gameplay, but not from the map's code. Also, Ghosts and Banshees are in this level's code, but not used.
 * It is possible, (but very difficult) if you drive the Warthog in to the building to jam the security doors open and then by leaving the Warthog you end up inside the passage and can go straight to the Silent Cartographer, bypassing the Hunters etc. If you do this, Cortana will continue to talk as if you had not.
 * If you enter the security terminal without killing off the Grunts and Elites first, they will be dead and blood will be spurted all over them when you come out. The same works for the Cartographer, and if you get out fast enough, the normal Elites and Grunts you left behind will die spontaneously while shooting you right as the stealth ones spawn.
 * You can go through the whole level by going in reverse. When you get dropped off, go backwards until you reach the path into the security override. You can go through about mid through, a marine will say "LZ clear", kill everything, and activate the panel. Cortana will say " Chief, this isn't the map room" The cinematic will start and then Cortana will say " good, now the Covenant won't be able to lock us out." Then go outside, get the Warthog and rockets. Go to where you were dropped off and the Pelicans will leave and start battling. You can bring the Warthog in and get the marines in turrets. Then the Warthog Foehammer drops off will be there. The Hunters will be there and nobody will be in the installation.
 * Going to the Security Station before the entrance to the map room can save time because you don't have to fight your way through to the locked door twice, and the Covenant directly at the door will not spawn. However it can make it slightly more difficult because the Hunters will often spawn at the same time as the Elites and Grunts who are there the first time you go in, meaning you have to fight them at the same time rather than separately.
 * The Zealot who closes the door to the cartographer can be killed either by throwing grenades before the door closes, or shooting a human weapon through the glass on the door. The only use of doing this is he will drop his grenades giving you more than you might have had, but you will still have to fight him in the end.
 * In the X-box version of Halo: Combat Evolved, the hologram in the security control complex vanishes after being deactivated. However, in the Halo PC version, the hologram will simply stand still idling after the panel is deactivated.

Miscellaneous

 * More than likely, all of the Marines deployed on the island were KIA. The Marine that contacted Cortana said that they were going to hold off the Covenant reinforcements for as long as they could. However, after you found the map and got about 25% of the way up, you run into the reinforcements. Obviously, the Marines all died trying to defend John-117 while he explored the Cartographer, due to the Covenant overrunning their perimeter.
 * On Easy and Normal difficulties, you sit next to Sergeant Stacker on Echo 419; however, on Heroic and Legendary difficulties, you sit next to an Asian Marine.
 * Bungie stated that the Silent Cartographer was a sort of sandbox where they just threw a lot of things in to have tested, like lighting, graphics, weapons or vehicles. It was never intended to be a level for players to play in, until it later became a memorable, official level.
 * The original objective of this mission was to assassinate a Prophet who was trying to find the Silent Cartographer. This can be heard in the commentary in the Halo 3 Legendary Edition DVD's commentary for cutscenes.
 * In Halo: The Flood, the Sergeant on the beach was Sergeant Waller. But in Halo: Combat Evolved, it's Sergeant Stacker.
 * The single-player portion of the Halo Trial consisted of this level.
 * A similar shaped island can be found in Halo 3, or more specifically, an unfinished island is a major feature of the landscape as you drive along the collapsing Halo in the final level; Halo. The island, like the rest of the visible landscape, is still snowy, surrounded by metal structures and unfinished, but from above it is nearly identical in shape. You drive around it just before the jump.
 * At no point in the level or in Halo: The Flood is there any attempt to explain (beyond for the sake of gameplay) why the Marines are dropped off under heavy fire when there is an apparently unguarded beach just a short distance further.

Related Links

 * Warthog Jump
 * Death Island