The Silent Cartographer (Level)

Looking for The Silent Cartographer, the map room?

Summary
The Covenant believe that what they call The Silent Cartographer is somewhere under an island. The Cartographer is a map room that will lead your forces to Halo's control center. The island has multiple structures and installations. One of them contains the map room. Find and locate the map for Halo's control center.

Usable Weapons

 * Pistol
 * Assault Rifle
 * Rocket Launcher
 * Frag Grenade
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Needler
 * Plasma Grenade

Drivable Vehicles

 * Warthog

Part 01: The Silent Cartographer
(Opening cinematic. Two dropships approach an island, low over the water. You are inside the lead dropship)

Cortana (radio): 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.

Foe Hammer (radio): We're approaching the LZ. It's gonna be hot. Get set to come out swinging. Touchdown! Hit it, Marines!

Gunnery Sergeant Waller: GO GO GO!

(Once you clear the beach of Covenant)

Marine: Area secure. All hostiles have been eliminated.

Foe Hammer (radio): Affirmative. Echo 419 inbound. Somebody order a Warthog?

Gunnery Sergeant Waller (radio): Hey, I didn't know you made house calls, Foe Hammer!

(Alternative)

Marine (radio): Music to my ears, Foe Hammer!

Foe Hammer (radio): You know our motto: We Deliver.

(As you approach the Warthog)

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 you approach the main building)

Cortana: There! In the cliff wall! I'll bet the Silent Cartographer is somewhere inside that facility.

PFC Hosky: Anyone else see what I see? How're we supposed to get around THAT, huh?

(As you push your way into the building)

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 you see the open door leading to The Shaft)

Cortana: Don't let them lock the doors!

(When the door closes)

Cortana: 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. (Radio) Cortana to Keyes.

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

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

Captain Keyes (radio): Understood. We're still en route to the objective. I may be out of contact when we get there. 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 center before the Covenant. Failure, people, is not an option.

Foe Hammer (radio): Echo 419 to ground teams. I'll stay on station and keep an eye out for Covenant bogies.

Sergeant Stacker (radio): Second squad! Ready to roll, soon as everybody's topside!

Marine (radio): LZ looks secure Sir, nothing moving.

Captain Keyes (radio): Good luck, people. Keyes out.

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

(As you approach the path leading up into the island)

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

(As you pass 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.

(Holo-panel is activated, cutscene of Gold Elite)

Cortana: We should now have access to the main facility, let's find the map room.

(Once you get inside the substation and reach the security override, the "normal" way)

Cortana: Use the holo panel to shut down the security system. Good. That should open the door that leads into the main shaft.

Part 02: It's Quiet...
(As you move down the hall from the security substation, towards the exit)

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

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

(As you exit the substation)

Cortana: Chief, Bravo 22 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 you approach the now-unlocked door leading to The Shaft)

Part 03: Shafted
(Cinematic-Chief walks out onto the platform overlooking the shaft and kicks a loose piece of debris down it)

(As you move farther down into the facility, into the third of four levels)

Foe Hammer (radio): Foe Hammer to ground teams, you got two enemy dropships coming in fast!

Gunnery Sergeant Waller (radio): Dammit! Okay, people, we got company comin', let's set the table. Engage enemy forces on sight!

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

Gunnery Sergeant Waller (radio): 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 (radio): Give 'em hell, Marine. (to you) 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 you finally reach the Cartographer)

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

(Cinematic-the Cartographer holo display begins to spin, and the diagram of the ring 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. (radio) Cortana to Captain Keyes.

Foe Hammer (radio): The Captain has dropped out of contact, Cortana. His ship may be out of range or having equipment problems.

Cortana (radio): 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.

Foe Hammer (radio): Affirmative. Foe Hammer out.

(As you near the exit of the facility, just before you meet the squad of cloaked Elites)

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

Foe Hammer (radio): Roger. On my way.

(As you dive into the dropship)

(Cinematic-the dropship lifts off from the platform and rises quickly, circling the center of the island.)

Cortana (radio): Let's get moving. Foe Hammer. Here are coordinates and a flight plan I've worked out.

Foe Hammer (radio): But, Cortana...these coordinates are underground.

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

(Cinematic (continued): The structure where the first pair of Hunters appeared lifts up, revealing a tunnel; the Pelican lowers into it as the structure comes back down again.)

Foe Hammer (radio): I hope your analysis is on the money, Cortana. This Pelican won't turn on a dime.

Cortana (radio): Look on the bright side, Foe Hammer. The last thing the Covenant will expect is an aerial insertion...from underground.

General Walkthrough
When you first land (normal mode), don't mind wasting your ammo on those Grunts and Elites on the beach. Wait for your Marines to do the work and then continue to the Warthog.

When you get in the Warthog, go down the beach until you reach the two big mounds. Run your Warthog to the left of the Jackal on the ground. When you're close enough, swerve suddenly to the right and let the back of the vehicle catch the Jackal. Ignore the one on the mound. If you seriously want to kill it, take a pistol and shoot him in the head twice. After this, there is a group of Grunts and Elites near the big cliff. Let your Marines kill them and then advance. Approach the big structure hanging out of the hill. Park your Warthog in the middle of the overhang and then get out and help the Marines.

Go back outside of the structure, and keep going around the island. Where you see an overturned Warthog on the beach is where you should go. First, kill all of the Covenant in the trees with the Warthog. Then hop out, and go through that tree in the corner. Turn left and go up the path, killing Covenant as you go.

When you get to the top, switch to the pistol, and grab the ammo left by the killed Marines. Battle the Hunters here, and grab the over shield if you need it. It's smart to grab it even if you don't need it. Now move up forward, fighting the Jackals. When you've finished them off, snipe with the pistol at the enemies in the clearing below, slowly advancing. Kill them and move on.

Now you'll be at a cliff's edge with an entrance to another structure. Kill the Grunts and move inside. Battle the two more Hunters and go into the security override station. This will give you access to the map room. Leave, and take note of the camoflauged Elites where the Hunters were. Let them take off any remaining over shield you have. Move back outside. Grab the overshield. You now have two choices.
 * 1) Move back down the way you came, and make your way back to the structure.
 * 2) Jump forward onto the tree, and then fall off. You'll lose all of your overshield. Then, grab the rocket launcher (it makes things much easier), and head around the island back to the structure. The structure mentioned is the one in paragraph 2.

Now go inside the structure all the way, and deal with/bypass the Hunters. Go inside the structure, through the door, and left. Make your way down the structure to the very bottom. Find the map room, activate it, and come back up the way you came. Go all the way back outside the structure, and a dropship will pick you up.

Speed Run Walkthrough
As soon as you begin, go the opposite way around the island, until you reach the Warthog. Flip it over and get in it. Drive forward, and go to where the Covenant Dropship is dropping off the Jackals. Kill them and grab the Overshield.It is easier to kill the Hunters if you go to the wrecked pelican somewhere on the island and get the rocket launcher, just look around on the ground and you will find it.

Now drive up the ramp, the same direction you were going in the Warthog. Turn around to go into the structure. Drive through, and turn right, down the ramp, and left. It's hard for the Warthog to get through this passage, but it's possible. Slow down near the end, and turn into the door. Don't worry about killing the Covenant there, just ram the Warthog through the door. If you do it fast enough, you can get the Warthog stuck, and the door won't close.

Now get out, and turn right. You'll go to the Shafted platform. If you are facing out, like a diving board, stand on the bottom-right corner. Walk straight off at an angle. You'll land on the very corner of where you can activate the map. Make sure to grab the Overshield, it is helpful because your health is so low.

Activate the map room and then advance up like in the guide above. Some ways into the path back to the surface, it is possible to grenade jump to an Active Camouflage in a room with Jackals on an elevated platform, which can be used to bypass a large number of enemies, including at least one pair of Hunters. When you get into the Warthog at the end, make sure not to try to drive it out--you can't. Walk outside and get aboard the dropship.

It should be noted that if you check the beach you will find all of your marines dead.

Related Links

 * Warthog Jump
 * Death Island