Tsavo Highway/Walkthrough

''Mount Up. Get to Voi''

Overview
This is a walkthrough for the Tsavo Highway It is written for play at Legendary Difficulty, with notes for lower difficulties. For this mission your goal is to reach the city of Voi by crossing Tsavo Highway. Your starting weapons for this mission from the menu are the BR55 Battle Rifle and the MA5C Assault Rifle.

Full Contact Safari (Warning: Hitchhikers May Have Jet Packs)
As you start this mission be aware that although this is a "vehicle" mission, you will be spending a lot of time outside your vehicle. Head to the left side of the room and through the hall into the room with the intact Warthogs. You will have a choice of the Turret Warthog or the Troop Transport Warthog. Choose the Troop Transport version for the greater level of fire power that it will provide you. Once the door opens, wait until the other 'Hog goes out then proceed down the path. Move forward cautiously, making sure to clear out any enemies that appear. Once you're out in the open move forward giving your troops angles to take out the Sniper Jackals quickly. You need to be quick but steady otherwise you'll throw off the Marines' aim. At the top of the open area there is a crashed Phantom with several Plasma Turrets and a Fuel Rod Gun wielding Brute Captain. Run them all down before they can kill you, then grab the Fuel Rod Gun and give it to the Marine in the passenger seat. Once you've cleared the open areas stop near the Deployable Lookout Tower where the Jackals were and grab the beam rifle for your Assault Rifle then proceed forward slowly. Once you go over the drop stop and ease forward and aim at the right hand side. Hop out and zoom in the Beam Rifle and get the two Jackal Snipers on the dam, then quickly aim left and get the Brute with the Fuel Rod Gun before he gets you. Keep this Fuel Rod Gun for yourself, then circle clockwise around the boulder giving your Marines a quick shot at the Shade. Go forward again, past the dam where the snipers were and proceed to the next battle area. Before you go over the dam into the next battle hop out of the Warthog. You should have about ten seconds before your Marines commandeer your Warthog and move up so be quick. Circle to the left side around the buildings there and grenade the War Chieftain with the Fuel Rod Gun. His shields will prevent you sticking him, but getting a frag at his feet and a follow up melee will end his assault really swiftly. If you get the Chieftain before he gets your Warthog, you're golden, You can grab the other Warthog with the turret and clear out the remaining enemies, including a couple of Choppers and some Drones. Once you've cleared all enemies, deactivate the shield. Before you go forward, Swap out your Battle Rifle for the Fuel Rod Gun, and grab a beam rifle that has most of its charge (there should be one lying around). If you have an undamaged Chopper you can take it into the next section, but unless you're a very skilled operator, they are fairly ungainly with no strafing ability so leave it, you're better on your feet. Jump back in your Warthog and drive until you can't drive anymore. Hop out and jump over the broken bridge.

The Broken Path (Brutes and Choppers)
Bring up your Beam Rifle, run forward and hop up onto the overturned Transport Hog. There will be a Brute Captain Major, identifiable by his gold armor. Kill him, then quickly train left. Ignore the Grunts, the Marines will deal with them. To the left you will see two Brute Captain Ultras, one with a Fuel Rod Gun and a few Brute Ultras. If you can get the Fuel Rod Captain, kill him first, as he is not aiming at you but the Marines he is aiming at will help you later if you can save them. Take out the rest of the Brute Pack, then bring up your Fuel Rod Gun and take out the clumped Grunts on the hillside to your left. Go forward to the barrels then back pedal, A few Jump Pack Brutes will appear, kill them with what is left of your beam rifle and melees. There are 2 methods to overcome the next wave:
 * 1) Move forward again being sure to reload your Fuel Rod Gun then go up to your Marines at the structure on the left. Swap your Beam Rifle for the Sniper Rifle. Grab a Trip Mine and as the Brutes are coming down, throw it out to the right side of the building. Take cover on the left, and look out to the Deployable Lookout Tower and kill the War Chieftain with the Fuel Rod Gun. Drop the Sniper Rifle (you're going to need it and the ammo later) and grab a Battle Rifle. There's a case of them so don't worry about ammo. Your Marines are most likely dead so throw out Trip Mines and grenades to secure your position and kill all the Brutes you can see. Eventually you will trigger the second wave with another War Chieftain with Fuel Rod Gun and a Wraith. Use your Battle Rifle to clear as many Brutes before you get to the Wraith. A good trick here is from the shelter of the building, find a good vantage point on the Wraith and use either the Battle Rifle or Carbine to take out the gunner. A new Brute will always hop into place so you don't have to keep scanning, if you do this right you'll be left with Jump Pack Brutes and the War Chieftain. Leave the War Chieftain alone for now. He stays in his little box, and if he can't see you he won't shoot at you (unlike the Wraith). Bring up your Fuel Rod Gun and kill the Wraith. It will take a few rounds, but it's better than going toe to toe with a War Chieftain behind you.
 * 2) Wait for the next wave of Brutes and the Wraith to appear. Stay down when the Phantom arrives and hide in the pipe sections. After the nasty Phantom is gone, take out your Beam Rifle and kill as many Brutes as you can, saving the last few shots for the gunner on the Wraith. After that, pick a moment when the Brutes are looking at the Marines and make a mad dash for the Wraith. Both the War Chieftain and the Wraith rain fire on you, but keep running and strafing, right until you get close enough to hijack the Wraith. NOTE: This maneuver will take a couple tries, but it beats the heck out of dealing with the Brutes. After you hijack it, boost away in the wraith without killing the brutes behind you. They will leave you behind after a while. When you safely get away, you can return to where the Brutes were behind you. They will have disappeared due to game programming.

Killing the Wraith's driver will trigger the Pelicans to come in and drop Marines and a couple of Warthogs. ''Note: skip this part if you went with Method 2. ''Use the Warthogs as a distraction as the War Chieftain will concentrate fire on them and give you the opportunity to sneak up from behind and assassinate him. Reload your Fuel Rod Cannon, and grab the Sniper Rifle before getting in the Warthog. The next area has several Choppers as well as Brutes with Beam Rifles. Stay to the left and circle behind the Deployable Lookout Towers letting the Marine on the turret do most of the work. Take out the Shades if the other Warthog hasn't done it and go through the tunnel to the other side. There will be a couple of Brute Majors and Choppers, you can just run them over before they get in their Choppers. Stop here and get out. If you can see them snipe the gunners off the Wraiths (Hard to do, but worth it, don't force it though). Load up the new Warthog, and get ready because this part sucks. Drive over the edge and down into the depressed area. Do not drive in circles around the hill. Stay to the front and drive back and forth, methodically letting your gunner and passenger shred the Choppers while staying out of the Wraith's firing line. Once the Choppers are scrap metal, move clockwise taking out the Shade, then the Wraiths that will hover down to the lower level. Drive up the hill and hop out. Melee Wraith number 3 so you can hop in and drive it. If you can hijack a Wraith, it makes the rest of the level simple. You just have to use the Wraith's Mortar until everything is dead. If you can't get the Wraith, go forward in your Warthog. Clear the first blockade using the smash and retreat method. Your gunner will get the Brutes up in the Lookout Tower, first then concentrate on the ground level enemies and Jump Pack Brutes. Once you've cleared the first blockade, move up until you can see the big blockade near the tunnel entrance. Bring up the Sniper Rifle (there is more ammo next to the lookout tower) and shoot any Brutes you can see. If you can see the War Chieftain with the Plasma Cannon, shoot him first. Once you've burned up your ammo, Bring up the Fuel Rod Gun and take out the Shade. Get back in the Warthog and move forward slowly letting your gunner do most of the work. Once you're too close to effectively maneuver get out and use the Fuel Rod Gun to clear an remaining enemies. Now, go blow the Shield Generator.

Alternate Walkthrough
This is an alternate method for Tsavo Highway. It relies heavily on your ability to drive and protect your Marines, but if successful will shorten the time to complete this mission considerably.

Follow the directions for the first part of the mission above. Proceed cautiously to ensure Marine survival. Your Transport Warthog holds four Marines. Each time you encounter a Fuel Rod Gun give it to one of the Marines in your Warthog. This should mean that by the time you reach Rally Point Alpha, three of your four Marines will have Fuel Rod Guns. Give the fourth Marine a Beam Rifle for some assistance at Range. You should have a Beam Rifle and Battle Rifle. Your Marines will follow you to the other side and between three Fuel Rod Guns and two Beam Rifles, you will make short work of the first wave of enemies that appear and you probably won't lose any Marines. Grab the fourth Fuel Rod Gun and give it to the last Marine who doesn't have one before the next wave drops in. You will probably lose Marines here, but don't worry too much, with accurate fire you're going to trade 3-1 or 4-1 with the Brutes. Again, with accurate fire from you and your Battle Rifle, you should be able to pick off stragglers, the Fuel Rod Armed Marines will blow off their Power Armor, allowing you to put a round in the Brutes' heads at a distance, ending the threat quickly. Once you've cleaned out these waves, load up the transport Warthog that gets dropped with Fuel Rod Marines (There are more than enough to go around) so your Warthog is a tank on wheels. Grab the Sniper Rifle. Proceed into the next section circling left to get the drop on the Brutes with Beam Rifles. Grab a Beam Rifle. Then go forward, through the tunnel to the next section, run over the Brutes, then drive forward over the edge, sweep back and forth, letting your Marines hammer the Brute Choppers with their Fuel Rods, then move on to the Wraiths. If you're quick enough you can dodge the incoming fire and let your Marines kill each Wraith with two or three volleys. Proceed forward and again let your Marines clear the first blockade. Stop when you crest the hill and can see down to the final barricade. Use your Sniper Rifle and Beam Rifle to kill until you're out of Ammo, then drive in and let your Marines slaughter anything that remains alive. Blow the Shield Generator.

Legendary Notes

 * Your Warthog is a grenade and Fuel Rod Magnet. If you can't drive more than a few lengths without braking or turning, get out. You stand a better chance of survival on foot than in a vehicle.
 * There are plenty of ranged weapons available, and you have big spaces. Use Carbines and Battle Rifles to their fullest to keep you and your Marines alive.
 * Your Marines are better off with Battle Rifles than Beam Rifles. They will have a higher rate of fire with no real drop in accuracy. Of course if you could load them all with Fuel Rod Guns, so much the better.
 * Stay away from Brute Choppers, their limited agility and relatively slower speed is not worth the ability to shoot.
 * If you can hijack a Wraith, this level is a walk in the park.
 * Don't ever stand still.
 * If you're not having success with vehicles, walk. It may take a long time, but it's almost easier than hopping in and out of the Warthogs all the time.
 * Sniper Rifles and Beam Rifles are few and far between, make the most out of the ammo you have and don't use it when a Battle Rifle or Carbine will do.
 * Vehicles are not good cover. Brute Shots and Fuel Rod Guns can shove them and kill you and Choppers can ram them and kill you. Use cover that cannot be moved or destroyed.
 * Getting close or under the Deployable Lookout Towers quickly prevents the Snipers from having a shot and lets you destroy them and kill the occupants without taking fire.

General Notes

 * Your marines are deadly and accurate, at lower difficulties you can also count on them lasting longer, so drive more and let them shoot anything that moves.
 * This is a good level to practice hijacking on.
 * On lower difficulties grab a Brute Chopper and practice driving it. You'll find it almost as easy to drive as a ghost, though not as maneuverable. Also you can use the cannons on the Chopper to do massive damage quickly to clear areas.
 * Playing this mission on Heroic or Legendary will give you Flight Body Armor.

Achievement Notes
We're in for Some Chop: Towards the start of the level, you will get to the area with two Choppers and the first shield door. As you enter this area, towards the right will be a few small huts. Inside these are trip mines, which are pretty much the only type of equipment capable of getting the achievement. Go out to the Choppers, and get one to follow you. As its coming towards you, throw down the trip mine in front of it, and it should blow it to smithereens. It may help to damage it with your weapon as well so that it has no chance of surviving the explosion.

Debriefing
New Vehicles: Warthog, Brute Chopper, Wraith

New Equipment: Trip Mine

New Weapon: Fuel Rod Cannon, Shade

Cavalier Achievement Milestone: 15,000 points.

Recommended Multiplier: 4+ Tough Luck, Fog, and Famine Skulls.

TIME BONUS

0-15 min - 3x

15-20 min - 2.5x

20-25 min - 2x

25-30 min - 1.5x