Sierra 117

Sierra 117 is the first campaign level of Halo 3. It is the first to feature real gameplay, as opposed to Arrival, which is merely a cutscene and tutorial. Also, take note that this is the First Level that features messages from Cortana on certain occasions.

Upon completing it on the Normal, Heroic, or Legendary difficulties, the player will earn the "Landfall" achievement and 20 Gamerpoints. Upon earning 15,000 points in FFA Metascoring, the player will be awarded with the Guerilla achievement and 10 gamerpoints.

Setting
This level takes place in an African jungle that lies roughly 21 to 22 km from the summit of Mawenzi peak, as confirmed via the hexadecimal code of the Halo 3 Beta and physically confirmed in the Halo 3 E3 2007 Trailer and the short video subsequent Bungie Podcasts (Kibo peak can be seen slightly obscured to the left of Mawenzi peak, both which are part of the Kilimanjaro mountain.) The jungle is home to a Covenant Loyalist encampment, and hosts lush verdant forestry, rivers, rocky landscapes, waterfalls, and tunnels. It has been compared to "Off the Rock, Through the Bush, Nothing but Jackal" of Halo 2's Delta Halo, although it isn't the same place, because Sierra 117 is on Earth and Delta Halo is in Installation 05.

Plot
Having been found by Johnson and the Arbiter, the Master Chief is escorted through the jungle. Johnson has with him two squads of marines but after spotting a Covenant Phantom overhead, he decides to split them into two teams to try and reach evacuation at the river. The Master Chief, the Arbiter and one squad head one way, following the stream, while Johnson and the other UNSC forces scale a waterfall and head another way.

The Chief encounters Phantoms, which drop off Brutes and Grunts. They also have to face Carbine-wielding and Sniper Jackals. Some where along the journey, they receive notice from Johnson that they cannot get into contact with another marine team, Bravo. Almost immediately after, the group comes across a stricken Marine held captive by a Brute on a log above them. After killing the Brute who was torturing the marine, they are told the rest of Bravo is dead, apparently pinned down by a Phantom and killed by a Brute Chieftain. The Bravo team survivor, Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds, then joins their cause.

Further on, UNSC forces and the Arbiter make it to the river for evac, but they are already under attack by Covenant infantry. Johnson is seen firing from the back of one of the Pelicans with a Machine Gun Turret and with combined fire, the Covenant are defeated. However, Banshees show up and fire on the Pelicans with their Fuel Rod Cannons. Heavily damaged, they retreat out of the Chief's sight and more Brute and Grunt reinforcements show up to mop up survivors. After pushing through the Covenant forces, the Chief and the Arbiter are told over the COM that Johnson's Pelican has crash landed and shortly afterwards come across him fleeing from the crash site, pursued by Brutes and Grunts. The Chieftain mentioned earlier disengages with his Phantom to pursue Johnson.

They desperately try and catch up with him, killing dozens of Grunts, many Brutes and a handful of Carbine Jackals and Jackal Snipers that were crowded around the area. After coming across the crashed Pelican, they find Sniper Rifles and Battle Rifles and they discover over the Pelican's radio that there is no sign of the second Pelican. It is assumed to have crashed and sunk into the lake. Master Chief, Arbiter and the surviving marines then find themselves in a thick jungle and have to fight past Jackals hiding in the trees and on the ground, with no sign of Johnson or his squad of marines.

They then reach a large open area where they see Johnson being midly tortured and kicked into a small building and held captive by a Brute Chieftain. It is implied this is the same Chieftain that killed Bravo's men and pursued Johnson from his crash site. The area is also littered with Grunts and Jackals as well as half a dozen Brutes. With slow progress, the two heroes manage to fight their way around the site and even take down the Brute Chieftain. They then rescue Johnson and the three surviving marines from his squad.

Johnson calls in Pelican Kilo 023 piloted by Hocus to come and pick them up, but are first engaged by two Phantoms which drop off hordes of Grunts and a few Brute Captains wielding Brute Shots. Whilst the group engages and kills the ground forces, the Pelican arrives and takes down the two Phantoms with missiles. Hocus then lands and evacuates the survivors and Johnson is seen patting the Chief on the shoulder in thanks before the Pelican flies off into the sunset.

Walk It Off
{Gameplay}


 * Johnson: "First Squad, you're my scouts. Move out! Quiet as you can."

-(Co-op change) Johnson: "First Squad, you're my scouts. Arbiter, watch the Chief's back. Move out! Quiet as you can."

{If you wait and hang around}

Johnson: "Let's get moving, Chief. Come on. I'll lead you out."


 * Johnson: "Bravo Team, this is Johnson. We got him. Fall back to the extraction point. Over."


 * Reynolds (COM): "Roger that. Reynolds out."

Brute howls off in the distance.


 * Marine #1: "That sounded close."


 * Marine #2: "Yeah, too close."


 * Reynolds (COM): "Johnson, you be advised. Hostiles are (static) on the move (static). I've got eyes on a (static) Brute Pack (static). Over."

There is the ominous whisper of gravitic drives as a Phantom flies overhead above the trees.
 * Johnson: "Say again, Gunny. You're breaking up."


 * Marine #2 (Whisper): "Sergeant Major, Phantom inbound."


 * Johnson (Whisper) :"We stick together, we're gonna get spotted. We'll split up, and meet back at the LZ. Chief, go with the Arbiter, head toward the river. Second Squad, you're with me."

-(Co-op change) Johnson : "Chief. You and the Arbiter head toward the river."

''Johnson and Second Squad climb up the cliff by the water fall. The Chief and Arbiter lead First Squad. The Arbiter leads the Chief up on some rocks around a pile of fallen logs, while First Squad waits to go straight over, pointing out a Brute Captain Major.''


 * Brute Captain: "Spread out, you whelps! Find them!"


 * Marine #1 (Whisper): "Up ahead! Single Brute, plus backup!"

''First Squad engages the Brute and his Grunt subordinates along with the Master Chief and the Arbiter, taking them by surprise. They regroup.''


 * Arbiter (to Brute corpse): "The Prophets are liars, but you are fools to do their bidding!"

''Two Phantoms draw near, each deploying a Brute and a squad of Grunts, blocking the advance of the Master Chief and his allies. Eventually, they are cleared, and the Marines form up at a winking flare at an underground cave.''


 * Marine #2 or Female Marine #1: "Those Brutes are tough. Grunts ain't no slouches either."


 * Arbiter: "The Grunt's new-found courage is but fear. When we are victorious, all who serve the Prophets will be punished."

-(Reply in Co-op) Female Marine #1 or Marine #1: "Maybe the Brutes put something in their tanks."

''After advancing through the caves, a massive forested expanse is found: the "Grunt Camp". Sleeping Grunts litter the first half while a few Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts patrol the far hills.''


 * Marine #1 or #2: "Sleepers! Take 'em out, nice and quiet! {On Heroic and Legendary} Jackals, on the ridge! Stay low; looks like they've got Carbines."

{After clearing the Grunt Camp}


 * Johnson (COM): "Pelicans are en route, Chief, but I can't raise Bravo. If you find 'em, get 'em to the extraction point."

Beyond the encampment, a Brute Captain is torturing a Marine Sergeant on a log {It is possible and optional to save the Marine by killing the Brute}.


 * Brute Captain: "Tell me its location!"


 * Reynolds: "Kiss...my...ass."

{If Reynolds is saved}

Reynolds jumps down from the log, grabbing a nearby fallen Assault Rifle and joining the Master Chief and the Arbiter in their fight


 * Reynolds: "Brute Chieftain and a Phantom. They pinned us down...killed my men."

First Squad continues on until they reach another cave.


 * Arbiter: "The river. Hurry!"

''The UNSC force continues forward, towards further caves and pushing towards the river, where Johnson has established an extraction point for Second Squad. They head down a steep slope for some underground caves that lead to the river.''


 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "Could you sacrifice me to complete your mission? Could you watch me die?"


 * Marine #3: "Sir, you okay?"


 * Marine #4: "Your vitals just pinged KIA."

Charlie Foxtrot
''Second Squad leaves the caves; the river is around the next bend. Three Marine corpses are scattered on the ground, with BR55HB SR Battle Rifle ammunition and Fragmentation Grenades.''


 * Johnson (COM): "Chief, Pelicans are at the river. We've got company, so hustle up!"


 * Arbiter: "Grenades! Blow them to bits!"

''Beyond the steep slope is a river substation, next to a raging river. A pair of Pelican Dropships, one being Echo 51, hover above the river, and their door gunners fire on a cluster of Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts that have tunneled themselves in the substation. They are the extraction force to exfiltrate the Master Chief and his team.''


 * Female Pelican Pilot (COM): "Hold on. Got a contact."

As the Master Chief and his men wind nearer to the Pelicans in the substation, two Banshees streak in along the river.


 * Female Pelican Pilot (COM): "Banshees! Fast apporach!!"


 * Echo 51 (COM): "Break off-now!"

The Banshees launch a high-speed strafing run against the Pelicans, and explosions cascade over them as the Pelicans rock.


 * Echo 51 (COM): "Watch yourself!"


 * Female Pelican Pilot (COM): "I'm hit! I'm hit! AAAHHHH!"


 * Echo 51 (COM): "Lost a thruster. Hang on!"


 * Johnson (COM): "Get a hold of her!


 * Echo 51 (COM): "Negative! We're going down!"

''Both Pelicans streak away around the river bend. The unidentified Pelican plunges into the river beyond the dam, but Echo 51 loses control, plowing into the top of the cliff and drops down. While Master Chief, the Arbiter, and the Marines fight through to secure the substation despite two waves of Brute-led Covenant Loyalist reinforcements, Johnson and his team leave the wreck of Echo 51 but are beset by a Brute ambush .''


 * Arbiter (A Marine in co-op): "The Banshees will return. Back into the jungle, hurry."


 * Johnson (COM): "Chief, can you hear me..(static). My bird's down. Half a click..(static)..from your position."

{If on Easy or Normal}
 * Marine #1 or #2: "Jackals. On the ridge. Stay low. Looks like they got Carbines."

''After the Chief and Arbiter pass through the short Jackal Sniper-laden gorge "Sniper Alley", they see a bridge. Three Marines are crossing it, under heavy fire, retreating from Echo 51's crashed Pelican. They hear a familiar voice over the COM unit as a Brute leads a charge against the fleeing Marines.''


 * Johnson (COM): "Come on, you dumb apes! You want breakfast? You gotta catch it!"

Johnson and the Marines frag the Brute and his fellow soldiers on the bridge, and run off into a cave.

''The Chief and Arbiter encounter many hostiles, including a Brute Chieftain on the side of a Phantom, who flies off when either his gunner, or much of his troops are eliminated. The Chief and Arbiter secure the area, and discover Echo 51's crash site by the riverside: the Pelican flipped over after hitting the cliff, scattering ammunition and weapon racks in the area, including a SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle and other munitions. Echo 51's radio is still operational, however.''

{If you wait by Echo 51's radio}


 * Crow's Nest Controller (Echo 51's Radio): "Echo Five-One, this is Crow's Nest. Echo Five-One, please respond!

(Pause)


 * Crow's Nest Controller (Echo 51's Radio): Hocus, Five-One is down, divert for emergency evac. Over."

{If any of Echo 51's Marines are still alive}


 * Arbiter: "Again, the Brutes show their weakness."

{If any Marines accompany}
 * Marine #3 or #4: "Sergeant Major went this way, Chief. Through the cave."

The Master Chief leads the Arbiter (and any accompanying Marines) through the caves towards where Johnson is being held.

Quid Pro Quo
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{Cutscene}

''At the end, the Master Chief and Arbiter reach a low cliff, viewing a Loyalist-held dam. The Arbiter spots the Chieftain beating Johnson on the fair left''


 * Arbiter: "See how they bait their trap?"

''The Chieftain roars at Johnson. Johnson punches back with no effect.''


 * Arbiter: "I will help you spring it."

''The Chieftain growls loudly and kicks him back inside the "prison".

{Gameplay}

''The Chief and Arbiter battle their way across the dam, taking down the Chieftain. They finally reach Johnson, who's been tied up and imprisoned behind a Plasma Shield.''


 * Johnson: "This isn't as fun as it looks. Cut the power!"

(If no Marines came with you or died, the other three Marines in the prison will be still alive and await rescue)


 * Marine Escapee #1: "Brutes were gonna gut us, sir."

The Master Chief releases the plasma shield that was imprisoning Johnson and his fellow Marines.


 * Johnson: "We're even, as long as we're only counting today. Kilo 23, what's your ETA?"


 * Hocus (COM): "Imminent, Sergeant. Find some cover. Gotta clear a path."

Johnson and the Marines grab Covenant weaponry from nearby crates.


 * Johnson: "Roger that, Hocus. Friendly gunship, coming in hot!"

''Two Phantoms arrive, carrying reinforcements. The Chief, Arbiter, Johnson and any accomanying Marines hold position until Kilo 23 arrives.''


 * Johnson: "Hocus! Phantom!"


 * Hocus (COM): "I see 'em! Standby. Going loud. Everyone down!"

''The Pelican Dropship Kilo 23 rounds the river bend, directly in front of the two hovering Phantoms. Hocus, Kilo 23's pilot, lets loose a rocket barrage, etching the air with vapor contrails as the first Phantom explodes in a brilliant coruscation of light.''


 * Hocus (COM): "Scratch one Phantom!"

{If any ground forces remain, Kilo 23 will take them out.} Kilo 23 fires two rocket barrages at the second Phantom, and sends it plunging into the river.


 * Hocus (COM): "Scratch two!"

''Hocus lowers the Pelican to the dam for pickup. Johnson, the Master Chief, the Arbiter and any remaining Marines board Kilo 23.''


 * Johnson: (If you don't board the Pelican) Come on Chief! The world won't save itself!

(If you still don't board)


 * Johnson: "Aren't you going to finish this fight?"

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{Cutscene}

''Kilo 23 takes off. Johnson gives the Chief a pat on the shoulder and goes into the cockpit. Kilo 23 shuts the back hatch and flies over the first dam, en route to Crow's Nest.''

Sentries on watch in the jungle spots Kilo 23 on approach.


 * Marine Sentry: "IFF confirmed. Contact is Pelican Dropship Kilo 23. Over."


 * Crow's Nest Controller #2 (COM): "Roger that. What's the word, Kilo 23?"


 * Hocus (COM): "Sierra 117 onboard. Request priority clearence. Over."

The two marine Sentries bump their fists and smile.


 * Crow's Nest Controller #2 (COM): "Deck's yours. Come on down."

Kilo 23 proceeds to land in a hole in the ground.

Part 1: Walk it off
First, follow the Marines and the Arbiter forward all the way until you get to the area where you encounter the first enemies of this level. From your vantage point, stealthily use your Pistol (or Battle Rifle in Co-Op) to soften them up (make sure to try and center your fire on the Brute). Once most of the enemies are dead, switch to the new MA5C Assault Rifle, move in, and mop up the remaining Grunts with concentrated bursts. Rinse and repeat for the next couple of areas, carefully evading fire and grenades, until you come into an area with sleeping Grunts and one of the marines makes a comment involving "sleepers".

First and foremost, move down to the Covenant cargo mods and switch out your trusty Pistol with a Carbine. There are Brutes, Grunts, and Carbine-wielding Sniper Jackals in this area, and believe me, you want all of them dead ASAP. However, start out by meleeing as many as you can, then when all hell breaks loose, move back to the starting ledge (where the Arbiter stands), zoom in, and give sniper cover for your band of merry men. Kill the Jackals, Brutes, and Grunts, in that order, and when nothing of interest is left, move forward to scrounge for weaponry. Grab the Brute Shot or Needler if you want, as it will help in the next segment.

Upon turning the corner, you should come across a poor marine being bullied by a Brute. You can save him or let him die, but make sure to kill the Brute. I would have suggested acquiring a Needler for this purpose, so go ahead and keep it for the next fight. As you move across the log, jump on top of the nearest rock and pummel the Grunts with Needler rounds, then pop into the alcove where they jumped out and scrounge for guns. Grab the BR55HB SR Battle Rifle (the classic BR revamped) to complement your arsenal, then move forward and mop up the rest of the Covenant, then stride through the flare-lit tunnel and watch the Cortana moment.

Part 2: Charlie Foxtrot
After you exit the tunnel, you will move through a narrow canyon, and exit into a valley where a two Pelican dropships, and a handful of Marines are getting hell from all sides. The Arbiter will mention something about "using grenades to blow them to bits" (if in Single Player). Look around for the grenades, and pop a few grenades down there to help matters. Don't worry about the Pelicans, they get hit and go down regardless of what you do. Before moving forward, zoom in with your Battle Rifle or Carbine on the far side of the river, and target the two snipers that are always there.

Once they are down, feel free to charge forward and get your well deserved turret (if it hasn't been destroyed). Hose down any enemies that still remain, and when the phantom shows up, get off the turret, and snipe the Grunt gunners on the sides of the ship. After it departs, rip the Heavy Machine Gun off its pedestal, and mop up the remaining Grunts and Brutes from the dropship. Move into a narrow canyon, and be on the lookout for sniper or carbine-wielding Jackals. Take them out with your Battle Rifle or Carbine, or let the Arbiter do the dirty work for you.

You should have picked up a Bubble shield somewhere along the line. Deploy it in this next area if under heavy fire. Once you're out of "sniper alley", you will come across Johnson's crashed Pelican, and a massive horde of Covenant Loyalist resistance. Pick up the Battle Rifle and Sniper Rifle at the crashed Pelican site before moving forward to the last section of Sierra-117. You do not need the Sniper Rifle here, but it is strongly suggested to grab it, as it will make taking out the Jackal Snipers and Brutes a lot easier.

Part 3: Quid Pro Quo
After the small letterbox scene where you see Johnson getting beat up by a Brute Chieftain, you can get back to work killing the Covenant Loyalists. You should have the Sniper Rifle, and a Battle Rifle. Immediately switch to your BR and plug the Sniper Jackal down in front of you. Switch back to your SR, stay down, and wait until you can draw a bead on the rest of the snipers (there are about 5 of them). Once they are dead, aim at the Brutes (head shots) and plug them.

You might not be able to kill the Chieftain with sniper fire, so be prepared for a long and drawn out close combat fight with him. However, it is possible to kill him by long distance sniping or BR fire (just wait until his invincibility runs out) It is also possible to stick the Chieftan, but only if you're very lucky. Plasma grenades do not adhere to a Chieftain, so the only way to stick him is to land it on the Hammer he wields. Lay down a pattern of Sniper fire until most of the Grunts, Jackals, and Brutes are gone, then jump on down, switch to your Battle Rifle, and move in. Your SR may be low on ammo, so exchange it for a Needler or Brute Shot.

About the Chieftain: if you see him charging at you and he's glowing white, that means he has his personal invincibility shield on and is preparing to make you a stat in the record book, so be prepared to run. Don't waste ammo or grenades on him when he has this shield activated, you won't do any damage. The best solution is to run around, or get to a high spot to avoid his Hammer and blast radius. A good solution (when the shield is down) is to lob some grenades at him while he's charging and follow up with some automatic fire. The Brute shot is another weapon that is very effective, but never try to melee a Brute Chieftain! The Needer can also be particularly effective, but sometimes the needles bounce off his armor.

Upon rescuing Johnson from the makeshift prison the Brutes made, you will have one final engagement. Two Phantoms will arrive dropping a number of Brutes and Grunts. Engage them on the bridge and kill all of them to initiate Pelican Kilo 023 to fire upon the Phantoms destroying them easily. Hop aboard the Pelican to complete the level and begin the cinematic.

Trivia

 * Note that the level is called Sierra 117; Sierra is the word used in the NATO phonetic alphabet to represent the letter S, which, when used in a military sense, generally stands for "sniper." However, in Halo 3, it is S 117 which corresponds to SPARTAN-117. This has been confirmed in the second Bungie Podcast.
 * In the August 2007 EGM Halo 3 Story, Sierra 117 mistakenly said to be the fifth Level in the Halo 3 Campaign.
 * Jumping into the deep water at the point where the pelicans are shot won't kill you or even lower your shields. Also you can see fish swimming and even kill them. (These are what the small yellow dots are on your motion tracker)
 * Some of the more noteworthy weapons that can be acquired in this level include an Energy Sword (which can be acquired if the Arbiter falls in combat), a Machine Gun Turret (located at the dam where your team is accosted by a group of Phantoms), a Sniper Rifle (located at Echo 51s crash site), and a Gravity Hammer (acquired near the end of the level from a Brute Chieftain).
 * Quid pro quo is latin for "something for something".
 * After Johnson is shot down, when you get to Jackals with carbines if you climb up to where the Jackal on the left rockface in a small corner is a family of cavemen with one carrying a teddy bear.
 * The Achievement "Landfall" is the same name as the Halo Shorts Series, Halo:Landfall.
 * The level is home to two skulls. The Blind skull can be found on a ledge hanging over the precipice following the second encounter of the level. The Iron skull is found on the ledge above the area where Johnson is imprisoned toward the end of the level. When the Iron skull is picked up, the Achievement "Iron" is earned along with 5 gamerscore.
 * The level contains several easter eggs. These include a small group of Cavemen and trees with initials carved into them.
 * It is possible to use the HMG in the level. Simply throw a grenade at the gunner aboard the Pelican when it comes to pick you up. The gunner should die and the HMG should fall to the ground for you to collect. Another way is to throw a plasma grenade at the descending pelican (not into the cabin or at the gunner as it will kill him and destroy the turret!). Throw it at the side of the pelican and it will probably kill the gunner and detach the turret.
 * The first river area, where the Blind skull can be found, is located between 3°10'21" and 3°10'23" South and between 37°38'05" and 37°38'06" East
 * There are speculations that the Master Chief didn't came down from the fireball by himself. Right at the beginning of the game, a huge chunk of metal of what seems to be a large door may be the transport used by him.
 * When you reach the point when the jackal snipers are firing at you from across the water, it is possible to use the mounted chaingun to lay down supressive fire as your allies attack further.
 * Reynolds will grab an Assault Rifle even if you take it first. The same goes for the Needler Johnson grabs.
 * Johnson grabs a Needler when you rescue him; this could be a reference to the level Truth and Reconciliation, where Captain Keyes grabs a Needler when you free him.

Links
External -A leaked video from E3 2007.