Gravemind (Level)

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Gravemind is a Halo 2 campaign level. The Gravemind teleports the Master Chief to High Charity. The Prophet of Truth has the Index, and you must get to him before he leaves. As you you travel through High Charity, the Covenant begin their civil war. You will move through battles between the Elites, Grunts, and Hunters versus the Brutes, Jackals and Drones.

Strangely enough, apart from the opening cut scene, there is no contact with the titular character or his Flood minions. Also of note, is that the word "Gravemind" is not mentioned until two levels later in High Charity. This is also the level where the Energy Sword appears most often, and is one of only four missions were there are absolutely no Human weapons in the level (The others being The Arbiter, The Oracle and The Great Journey).

Summary
Council Chamber -> Holding Chambers -> Valley of Tears A -> Hanging Gardens A -> Mid Tower -> Hanging Gardens B -> Valley of Tears B -> Mausoleum of the Arbiter

Usable Weapons

 * Brute Plasma Rifle
 * Brute Shot
 * Carbine
 * Energy Sword
 * Fuel Rod Cannon
 * Needler
 * Plasma Cannon
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Shielded Plasma Cannon

Chapter 1: Inside Job
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''{The Master Chief begins to wake up, we see a red circle of lights on the ceiling of some underground area. We see that he's being held by a tentacle and brought towards the head of a massive creature: the Gravemind.}''

Cortana: "What ... is that?"

''{The Master Chief is held in front of Gravemind's head. The head being one giant mouth made from separate parts, somewhat similar to an Elite's}''

Gravemind: "I? I am a monument to all your sins." ''{As Gravemind talks, he breathes out the vapors found in Flood infestations. Two tentacles bring forth a struggling Arbiter.}''

Master Chief: "Relax. I'd rather not piss this thing off."

Arbiter: "Demon!"

{the Gravemind makes loud huffing sounds, indicates the Master Chief}

Gravemind: "This one is machine and nerve, and has its mind concluded." {a tentacle wraps around Master Chief's head, then indicates the Arbiter} "This one is but flesh and faith, and is the more deluded."{turns the Arbiter upside down}

Arbiter: "Kill me or release me, parasite. But do not waste my time with talk!"

Gravemind: "There is much talk. And I have listened. Through rock, and metal, and time. Now I shall talk, and you shall listen." {he raises two tentacles, one wrapped around a red Monitor, the other merged with a half-Flood Prophet of Regret}

Monitor: "Greetings. I am 2401 Penitent Tangent. I am the Monitor of Installation 05."

Prophet of Regret: "And I am the Prophet of Regret, Councilor most high, Hierarchy of the Covenant!"

{2401 Penitent Tangent sees the Master Chief.}

2401 Penitent Tangent: "A Reclaimer? Here? At last! We have much to do. This facility must be activated if we are to control this outbreak."

Prophet of Regret: "Stay where you are! Nothing can be done until my sermon is complete!"

2401 Penitent Tangent: "Not true. This installation has a successful utilization record of 1.2 trillion simulated and one actual. It is ready to fire on demand."

Prophet of Regret: "Of all the objects our Lords left behind, there are none so worthless as these Oracles! They know nothing of the Great Journey!" 2401 Penitent Tangent: "And you know nothing about containment! You have demonstrated a complete disregard to even the most basic protocols!"

Gravemind: "This one's containment ... " {gives a disgusted huff} "And this one's 'Great Journey' are the same." {he lowers the tentacles, Regret shrieks in fear} "Your Prophets have promised you freedom from a doomed existence, but you will find no salvation on this ring. Those who built this place knew what they wrought. Do not mistake their intent, or all will perish as they did before ... "

(At this moment, the Arbiter stops struggling against the tentacles)

Master Chief: "This thing is right. Halo is a weapon. Your Prophets are making a big mistake."

Arbiter: "Your ignorance already destroyed one of the sacred rings, demon. It shall not harm another."

Gravemind: "If you will not hear the truth, then I will show it to you. There is still time to stop the key from turning, but first it must be found." {indicates each in turn} "You will search one likely spot, and you will search another. Fate had us meet as foes, but this ring will make us brothers!"

''{Master Chief and the Arbiter disappear in teleportation rings. Fade to black, fade in on High Charity.}''

''{A swarm of Covenant ships attack each other. Fade in on the walkway outside the Council Chamber, Honor Guard Brutes guard the gates from rioters.}''

Prophet of Truth (voice over): "We are, all of us, gravely concerned."

''{Cut to Council Chamber. A line of Honor Guard Brutes stand at attention. A cameraman Grunt focuses a holographic camera on Truth as he delivers his propaganda, while the Prophet of Mercy watches from aside.}'' Prophet of Truth: "The release of the parasite was unexpected, unfortunate. But, there is no need to panic. In truth, this is a time to rejoice. A moment that all the Covenant should savor." {raises the Index} "For the Sacred Icon has been found. With it, our path is clear, our entry into the Divine Beyond guaranteed! The Great Journey is nigh ... " {the Grunt notices the Master Chief appearing out of thin air behind him} " ... and nothing, not even the Flood, can stop it." {The Chief looks down at the shocked Grunt.}

Master Chief: "Boo."

''{the Grunt yelps, throws up his Needler and runs, the Master Chief catches the Needler, aims it at the Prophets. Two Brute Honor Guards shield Truth with their pikes.}''

Prophet of Truth: "Kill the Demon!"

{the Prophets and some Brutes escape through a grav lift, leaving two Brutes behind.}

Gameplay
Cortana: "Brutes! The faster you can kill these Brutes, the better." {The Chief kills one Brute.} "They don't have shield generators, but take them out before ... it's berserking!"

{The Master Chief kills all Covenant in the room}

Tartarus (over the loudspeaker): "The Demon has infiltrated the Council chamber?! Protect the Hierarchs! Seal the exits."

Cortana: "Oh, I don't think so."

{After the Master Chief fends off the attackers}

Cortana: "Put me down on one of the pedestals near the door."

{The Spartan does so, and Cortana's hologram appears}

Cortana: "That Prophet ... Truth, he has the Index. You've got to take it from him. Let me get these doors. {The Chief reaches for the pedestal} Go! It will be easier to track Truth if I stay in the network. Don't worry. You can pick me up later."

{The Master Chief fights his way to the ledge where the Arbiter was tortured}

Cortana (O.S.): "Watch out for the Captain, it's got a Brute Shot!" (Note that the Brute Captain with the brute shot first shows up in the council chamber on Legendary)

Cortana: "Truth is moving through the lower levels of the tower. I'll reverse this gravlift. Drop down, try to cut him off." {if the Master Chief pauses} "It's safe, really. Just step in."

{If you continue to stall}

Cortana: "After that stunt on the Cairo, I know you're not afraid of heights."

Cortana: "Fine, I won't watch. Meet you at the bottom, okay?"

{later}

Tartarus (loudspeaker): "Reinforce all approaches to the holding pens. Slay the Demon on sight!"

Cortana: "They're beefing up their patrols. Stay sharp."

{later}

Cortana (O.S.): "Wait a minute! I'm reading Marine IFF transponders. The signals are originating somewhere below your position."

Cortana: "There's another lift in the next room."

{When the Master Chief reaches the lift}

Cortana: "Here, Chief. Jump in"

{He takes the gravlift down}

Cortana (O.S.): "There are two groups of Marines in this detention block. I'll zero their locations. You neutralize the guards. ... Quietly."

{The Master Chief frees the Marines}

Cortana: "Listen up, Marines! The Chief's hunting a Prophet, and you're gonna help him kill it."

Marine: "Affirmative!"

or

Marine: No sense sticking around here!

Cortana: "That's all the Marines, Chief. Good work."

Cortana (O.S.): "We'll get out of here the same way we came in--the central gravlift. ... Hostile reinforcements coming down the lift!"

{The Master Chief and the Marines kill the reinforcements}

Cortana: "The lift is clear. Step on in."

{later}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "Fear not, my brothers! The Sacred Icon is secure. It was Tartarus and his Brutes who took the Icon from the Flood, and for that they have our thanks."

Cortana (O.S.): "Excellent! Truth is broadcasting on the move. It'll make him much easier to track."

{later}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "The Elites have failed to protect the Prophets, and in doing so, have put all our lives at risk. Let no warrior forget his oath, 'Thou, in faith, shall keep us safe, whilst we find the Path.'"

Cortana (O.S.): "I've got a fix on Truth, just outside this tower, Chief. There's an exit nearby. Hurry."

{later}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "With my blessing, the Brutes now lead our fleets! They ask for your allegiance, and you shall give it."

Cortana (O.S.): "You wouldn't believe the number of kill-systems the Covenant are throwing down around me. Not to worry, it's pretty sloppy stuff. I guess they never expected a hostile intelligence to penetrate their networks from the inside."

{later}

Cortana (O.S.): "The Covenant just destroyed two of their own ships. And I'm hearing reports of small arms fire throughout their fleet."

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "Creatures of the Covenant! The path is broad, and we shall walk it side by side."

{later}

Cortana: "Slipspace rupture. It's In Amber Clad!" {'In Amber Clad' flies by overhead}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "Be glad! A reward for all your toil and all your sacrifices in the year at hand."

Cortana: "Hailing ... No response. She's crashed into another tower ahead of our position. I'll keep trying to make contact, but I'm not registering any human vital signs."

{later}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "At this moment, the Council is gathered on Halo, to see the Icon safely placed."

Tartarus (loudspeaker): "Rise, my brothers! Cast down the Elites!"

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "There are those who said this day would never come. What have they to say now?"

Tartarus (loudspeaker): "Once the towers are clear, we'll drive them from the lower district."

{later}

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "I have listened to the Oracle, and confirmed our deepest hope. The Great Journey begins with Halo."

Tartarus (loudspeaker): "The Elites are falling back to the Mausoleum. Fools! Their Arbiter can do nothing for them now."

Prophet of Truth (loudspeaker): "Who would doubt the Prophets? What have they foretold that has not come to pass?"

{later}

Cortana (O.S.): "If we're going to catch Truth, we'll need to take a shortcut, straight through the Mausoleum. Look on the bright side, for now, they seem much more interested in killing each other."

{The Master Chief approaches the large fight in the Mausoleum}

Cortana: "You might consider sitting this one out."

{Once the battle begins, where you watch Brute Captains and Ultra Elites duke it out, you'll hear the instrumental version of Breaking Benjamin's "Blow Me Away"}

{after the room is cleared}

Cortana: "Hang on! I'm picking up two more transponders. It's the Commander and Johnson! They're closing on Truth's position, Chief. They'll need your help. This way, Chief."

Cortana (O.S.): "...This isn't good. I’m getting confirmed reports of Flood leaving In Amber Clad ' s wreckage. Let's get the Index and find a way out of here. Before things get really ugly."

Second Cinematic
4mjleIO7JUk {Tartarus and his Brutes take Keyes, Johnson and 343 Guilty Spark toward a platform where the[Prophets of Truth and Mercy wait with three Phantoms}

Tartarus: "Split them up. One in each Phantom."

''{Three Brutes do so. Keyes notices In Amber Clad in the tower before being pushed into the Phantom. The two Phantoms take off. Tartarus kneels before the Prophets.}''

Prophet of Truth: "The hopes of all the Covenant rest on your shoulders, Chieftain."

{Prophet of Truth hands Tartarus the Index}

Tartarus: "My faith is strong. I will not fail."

''{Infection Forms spring up and rush them. The Brutes get ready. They manage to crush most of them, but one gets through and lodges itself to Mercy's throat, knocking him off his throne}''

Prophet of Mercy: (Screams in agony)

(Tartarus moves to remove the Infection Form)

Prophet of Truth: "Let him be."

(Tartarus turns to Truth in surprise)

Prophet of Truth: "The Great Journey waits for no one, brother. Not even you."

''{Prophet of Truth boards the Phantom, the Honor Guard Brutes follow immediately, but Tartarus pauses at the dying Prophet of Mercy. He looks at the Index and turns away from Mercy.}''

Overview
Get ready for the longest level in Halo 2. There's a reason it's the last one to get a walkthrough posted; this sucker will take you a while. Parts of it are tedious, but there's also much good carnage against all types of Covenant.

A couple of pre-requesites: You'll be taking on brutes for the first time. They don't have shields, but they're quite nasty. Guys at Bungee call them "damage sponges". At least their damage is cumulative, unlike elites whose shields recharge, so every shot you land sticks with that particular brute. But they have their own ways of doing you in.

Besides just being hard to kill, they also have one trick you haven't seen before. The last brute in a pack will often go berserk. He'll just flat out charge you and attempt to melee you to death. Since he's faster than you when he's berserking, you usually can't just retreat. So you'll want to be ready to deal with a berzerk brute when you kill his pack mates, by having something that will do unto him before he does unto you.

There are two primary ways to kill brutes in this level. A clip of needles will do in a brute, and in fact at the start of the level a needler is the only weapon you have. But beware; they tend to duck behind cover when threatened with incoming needles, which just wastes your ammo because the needles harmlessly impact on a wall or something.

If you have dual needlers, so much the better. You'll be able to unload a lethal dose that much faster.

However, relying too heavily on needlers to deal with brutes is not recommended if you intend to go higher on the difficulty levels. The best weapon to deal with a brute from medium distance (which is where you'll usually be) is a Covenant carbine.

The problem is that the carbine doesn't kill brutes very well if you just pump out shots into the brute. That will require about a clip and a half, and besides using up too much ammo, with a charging brute you might not have enough time to get in that many shots. Instead, you need to head-shot him. Three or four head shots will almost always take down a brute. I've seen as little as one shot do it. Apparently that shot goes through his mouth and hits his walnut-sized brain.

Sniper weapons kill brutes too, but they take two head shots or several body shots to do it, so your dead-brutes-to-ammo ratio is better with a carbine. Brute shots, seen for the first time in this level, also work pretty well at short-to-medium distances. You'll have to learn to aim them a bit high because the shot arcs.

The blade on the brute shot is not just for show; the brute shot is also one of the best melee weapons in the game. But unless you can sneak up on a brute from the back, you'll have to get in several melee licks to kill him, and he'll be pummeling you at the same time. The brute shot is better at melee for all the other Covenant types, where one whack is often sufficient.

Part 01: Inside Job
So let's get back to the level. It starts right as the Master Chief transports in and grabs a needler out of the air after a panicked grunt tossed it up and ran.

First order of business is to take out two brutes. If you can, pick up the other needler dropped by the other grunt in the cut-scene. It's a bit behind you and to your right. (You can get by with one needler, but it's harder.) Use the needlers to take out both brutes. As soon as you kill the first, get ready to start backing up because the other one will go berserk and charge you. Pump needles into him as he charges until he's dead.

Now get ready for a brute with a couple of grunts, who are about to enter from a door on the side of the chamber. Use the time to grab a brute phaser rifle as your back up weapon. The brutes you just killed have left a couple behind. The general idea is to use the phaser rifle on grunts and save your needles for brutes. An alternative is to use dual brute plasmas, since there are two available, as your main weapon. I find that tedious because it takes so many plasma shots to kill a brute and you can't aim them that well from across the room.

I like to use the areas in the corners close to the throne area for cover during the first group's assault, and come out to pick them off one by one. Later I'll move to the back of the room as more enemies appear. The cover in the back corners is even better than the cover in the front corners.

Another brute will appear on the ledge overhead, armed with a carbine. You can shoot him up there, but I usually wait until he comes down so I can use the carbine after he has no more use for it.

The last two brutes to appear will come up at the throne. Needle them if you have any left, or use the carbine or plasma rifle if you don't. Then scavenge for weapons, go to the back of the room near one of the pedestals and wait until Cortana finishes blatering about Truth and opens the door for you.

The next room is a pattern you'll see several times. Inside the door is a wall that you go around to get to the rest of the room. Don't do that yet; instead, whip out your brute plasma. Several grunts will come charging around the wall and it's easy to dispatch them one at a time. In addition, they'll furnish you with some more needles, which may be helpful in the next fight.

On the other side of the wall, the room slopes upward to another similar wall, with a door behind it. A grunt up there will be manning a stationary gun, so you have to take him our early. Plasma rifles will do nicely for that. But be careful. There are a couple of brutes up there who will peek out and fire carbines at you. Stay close to your wall and retreat behind it for recharging or weapons as needed until you've taken care of all the grunts. If you have any carbine ammo left, now is a good time to use it to take out the brutes. Practice those head shots!

If you have no carbine, or even if you do and those silly brutes won't stand still enough to shoot from a distance, you'll have to charge in. Take advantage of the cover along the sides. Take out the two brutes with carbine, grenade, or whatever, and reload your carbine from theirs. Try not to go to the exit door until you've reloaded.

Have your carbine ready and advance towards the door until it opens. Outside the door is a platform with a grav lift at the other end that you'll eventually need to get to. If you watched the cutscene where the Arbiter was tortured, the platform should look familiar.

A brute honor guard (the hardest kind of brute to kill) will be outside the door a bit to the left. Take him out quickly with carbine head shots. You'll probably need five or six shots. After killing him, if you need ammo, this is a good time to dash to a weapons locker outside the door and to the left. It has a couple of carbines to resupply the one you're carrying.

You'll need that because about three waves are about to be thrown at you, featuring a combo you'll get familiar with: brutes, jackals, and grunts. The grunts like to man some stationary guns at the far end of the platform, while the jackals come out from cover on the sides closer to you. If you've got both a plasma rifle or pistol and a carbine, you know what to do - use the plasma on the jackals to knock out the shields and then optionally switch to the carbine to finish him off. (It's a good chance to work on your carbine head shots. One head shot from a carbine finishes a jackal.)

The brutes stay a pretty good distance away, so you'll need some pretty good long range shooting to take them down. One will have a brute shot; Cortana will warn you about that.

After dealing with them all, reload your carbine. There's another carbine locker at the end of the platform on the right. I usually pick up the brute shot from the late captain. It doesn't have much ammo, but for the next mini-battle you don't need much, and in fact you can just melee your way through it with the brute shot if you prefer. But first you have to get to it.

Go to the end of the platform. Cortana will appear and tell you to step into the grav lift. If you dawdle, she will tease you a bit. I like to go around behind the grav lift and enter it from that side, so I'm facing the right direction when I land. (Of course you can turn in the air too, but that always seemed strange to me.)

Step in and as you descend you'll see some grunts and jackals on the platform you're landing on. I usually brute shot a couple and then take out the rest via melee. You probably want to get the jackal sniper early. He's the biggest threat, and you're going to want to use his rifle soon. Pick it up as you exit the platform, replacing the brute shot which is close to empty at this point.

The next room is a copy of the one you left before, with the two walls at each end close to the doors. But it's empty, so just charge right through. At the next door, you'll have to first contend with three jackals. I use a grenade to take one or two out, and then switch to the carbine and melee the rest. I keep the carbine ready for room beyond them.

Don't get in a hurry to charge in here. The room is a long passage that curves to the right, so you can't see all of it from the door. It contains a couple of jackals, several grunts, and three brutes. Proceed in until you see enemies and dispatch them one by one. The carbine works well against the brutes, as before, but you can use the beam rifle if you prefer. Watch for charging brutes.

When you take down the first brute, you can either go straight ahead to deal with the rest, or you can jump up on the ledge/hallway on the left. I usually do that. If you want to switch back to needlers, there's a weapons locker with a couple up there at the beginning of the hall, often with a jackal hanging around it. If he's there, melee him. The hall will also have at least one more jackal and a few grunts, so take care of them. Don't forget the brutes down at the end. If you take too long, one may sneak up on you. They're probably firing carbines at you, which at least gives away their positions, so take them out with your choice: needles, beam rifle, carbine, or even grenades if you throw well. You should have picked up a few grenades by now and there are plenty more coming. Don't worry much about running out of needles either. They're all over the place for the next few rooms.

After you've disposed of everyone here, rearm and get ready for the next room. It's similar, except that it curves to the left instead of the right.

But don't charge right in. When you open the door to the room, two jackals will come in from the red door on your right and try to flank you. I usually trip the door into the room, and then back up to deal with the jackals. Then I go on into the next room and pick off the grunts and brutes in the order in which they stick their heads up, using the carbine.

At this point, Cortana will tell you there's a lift in the next room. What she doesn't tell is that there are a slew of brutes in there too, plus a couple of jackals. When you open the door, if you stand still the jackals will often walk right in front of you to be slaughtered. Then you can concentrate on the brutes.

They will appear in three places: directly ahead at the top of the lift, and in the back of the room on the left and right. Be patient and take them all down. Then go behind the central pillar with the lift to get the last brute, who usually hides back there on the lower level. Since he's hiding, you can sometimes sneak up and melee him, but I usually go around on the ledge until I can sight in and snipe him with the carbine or hose him down with needles.

It's time to load up on weapons before getting on the lift. You're about to embark on one of the more tactical fights of the whole level. I usually go with a fully loaded carbine and a brute shot. You should find a brute shot lying around one of the brutes you just dispatched. The brute shot doesn't have to be fully loaded; there is ammo available in the next area.

Go to the bottom level of the room, follow Cortana's advice and get in the grav lift. Look down as you go, especially when you get close to landing. You're looking for a brute with his back turned. He's the reason for the brute shot. If you don't dawdle, you can take him down with one whack of the brute shot, and if you're lucky no other Covenant will wake up. That allows you to take your time.

The area you are in consists of the central lift and a u-shaped ledge that runs around the edge. The walkways from the lift extend to the ends of the U. There are three levels, and you're on the top one. The ledge contains a mixed group of jackals and grunts scattered all around it. You need to kill them all before proceeding.

If you've been quiet, you can sneak around and whack some of them before they wake up. I've whacked as many as four of five because the alarm was raised, though usually I only get a couple. I like to start at one end of the U and work my way around it. The left side seems to have fewer Covenant to start with, so I prefer it, though either end of the U will work as a starting point.

Now you're ready to rescue some Marines. There's one group on each of the two levels below you. Cortana can let you into the holding cells, but each one is protected by a two layer defense. There are one or two brutes and a jackal or two on the outside of the holding cell, and a brute or two with a couple of jackals or grunts on the inside of the cell.

It's random as to which level Cortana directs you to first. Whichever one it is, move around on the top level until you can sight in on the troops protecting the outside of the holding cell and fire at them from above. Any weapon will do. Needles actually work pretty well against the jackals if you fire a full clip because their shield gets bounced aside and the last few needles get the jackal. Needles, brute shot, or carbine will work for the brutes. When there are two brutes, the second one will berserk around a while, but since he's on a different level he can't hurt you. Wait until he settles down, hose him down with homing needles, or practice shooting a moving target.

Once they're down, you're ready to free the first batch of Marines. Rearm with your favorite brute killing weapons and go to the area of the U that contains some lifts. They're the round things with purple glow coming up from them. The ones on the left go down, and the ones on the right go up. (On the top level, the ones on the right are not glowing because you can't go up any further.) Take the one that goes down. If the marines are on the bottom level, go down one more level.

A marine holding cell will have the usual assortment of Covenant. I usually brute shot them all except for using carbine against the last grunt or two, but needles work pretty well too. When you've killed all the Covenant, the Marines will be released.

When you come back out, some grunts and jackals will probably attack from the direction of the lift. Deal with them before doing anything else.

Then find Cortana on the level below (if you have freed the Marines on the middle level), or the level above (if you have freed the Marines on the bottom level). Kill the guards, take the lift to that level, and repeat the holding cell action to free another batch. If you dawdle too long, some of those outside guards may come up or down on the lift to meet you.

Rearm, kill a few more grunts and jackals that show up, and get ready for the last fight before getting out of that place. Cortana will warn you that reinforcements are coming down the lift. She means the main grav lift that you entered with, not the lifts that move between levels. Go to the tip of the U and take out the usual mixed bag of Covenant. Watch for grenade throwing brutes and grunts during this battle.

Now you and any surviving Marines are ready to go on to the next area. I usually take a carbine and brute shot, both fully loaded, to deal with the fight to come. When you're ready, get on the main grav lift and it will take you back up to the general area you came from earlier.

You'll see three doors. The one that doesn't show red is the one you'll need to go through. But as soon as you get close, three elites will come charging out. As soon as the door starts to open, toss in a grenade, and then unload the brute shot into that group. That will typically get at least two of them, and your Marines will probably pin down the third, damaged one. Reload the brute shot and get ready for some drones that spew out of the door.

I hate drones; they're hard to shoot and they just chip away at your shield until it's gone. However, when they fly in formation, the brute shot works wonders. Just aim in the swarm and let go with a clip of shots. The shots will hit some of them and explode, and usually take down some more that are close by. Then switch to the carbine to pick off the survivors.

When you go through the door, two or three more drones will show up, so be ready for them. There's also a sword lying there, if you're into that. I usually don't take it because I prefer a carbine against brutes, and there are also some hunters later on for which the sword is totally ineffective. Besides, if killing brutes with a sword is your kind of thing, you'll get a battle where you have to do that in the next level as the Arbiter.

But the real story here is that you get to see your first internecine battle. Yep, the Covenant civil war is in full procession, and in this particular mini-battle, two brutes are up against two honor guard elites, with a few drones to spice things up.

You're going to see several similar scenarios. The elites have an advantage in these fights because of their shields. They can do a battle of attrition against the brutes and normally win if they can occasionally retreat to recharge the shields.

The best strategy would probably be to take down one honor guard, and then let the rest fight it out for the honor of being killed by you. However, your impatient Marines will usually charge in and screw that up. They also like to shout "We're gonna lose 'em!", as if you wouldn't like them to get lost so you can ignore them.

The charging Marines often cause one of the brutes or elites to charge you or your Marines. Things vary from there, so improvise until you get that room cleared.

As you exit the room, another swarm of drones will buzz you. Since you just triggered the door, you might be a bit close for the brute shot. Aim in the middle of the swarm and empty a clip of carbine ammo. I've managed, with some luck, to take down the entire swarm that way. If any survivors get through, you and your Marines will make short work of them.

After passing a dead hunter, you'll enter another similar room that curves the other way. This next room is the same general story, with the addition of a few jackals. If you hang close to the door, that will usually keep your Marines from jumping in and getting killed. I do like to pick off the jackals with their backs turned, though, so I don't have to worry about their shields when they are facing me later.

Now you need to rearm for a battle with a pair of hunters. I a use brute shot, if it has any ammo left, and a fully loaded carbine. Keep in mind that needles and swords are almost useless against hunters. The hunters will be in one of those rooms with a wall inside the door at each end, and in this case the room will slope upward.

Get ready to say goodbye to most of your Marines. They don't have the brains that you have to avoid the hunters, so most or all of them will die. You can sometimes use them as decoys and shoot a hunter in the back when it attacks them.

Otherwise, you've got to deal with the hunters yourself, and you have no rockets or fuel rod guns to help out. So you have to do it the hard way. Or perhaps I should say, one of the hard ways, because there are multiple ways to go about it.

Some like to melee the hunters, and the brute shot is good for this. It takes good timing. When the hunter raises his arm to strike, pivot around him and melee. A few times will take him down.

However I have a couple of ways I like better. If you can find a spot just barely around the edge of the wall, the hunters may just stand there and stare at you. That gives you an opportunity to sight in on the vulnerable orange bits in one of them and snipe him a few times. Enough of this will take him down, but it's tedious. He'll sometimes lower his shield arm over the orange bits, and you have to wait for him to relax, while constantly being ready to move if he green-lights you with an incipient blast.

The way I like best involves a combination of grenades and one of the two weapons you're carrying. If you stick a hunter with a grenade, when it explodes it will almost always turn him around so his back is to you. So the process is to stick him and then sight in on his midsection. When the explosion happens, open fire even before the smoke clears. You should be pumping shots into his vulnerable back, and sometimes just one of these episodes will take down. If not, the second one almost surely will.

When you exit that room, you'll come on an outdoor area that is the stage for another battle in the civil war. Usually an honor guard and a brute are duking it out right in front of the door, so be ready to kill the survivor. There's also usually an elite somewhere off to the right, and a couple of snipers to worry about.

One of the snipers is in a platform to the right. A carbine can make short work of him (sniper jackals have no shields).

You don't really want to get very involved in this battle. You don't even need to go to the area at the bottom where most of the action is taking place; your path to proceed is along the rocks on the right. So hang back, pick off stragglers until things look safe, and rearm for the next section. I usually take a beam rifle and a carbine, and there are weapons lockers on the right with both of them.

Your destination is the door that you see up on the wall across from the door you came through. Well, I should say that the game designers want you to think the door is your destination, and they've made it a bit of a puzzle to figure out how to get to it. It turns out that the rocks on the right can be leaped upon, and you can manuveur around on them to get to an area where you can drop down and enter the door.

If you do that, a brute will come out of the door and you'll need to take him down before proceeding. But you can send him into neverland by not going through the door. Here's how it works.

While you're scrambling on the rocks, instead of dropping down, keep going higher. It might look too steep, but trust me, you can climb it. When you go over the peak, you'll see that the rocks meld into a wall, and the top of the wall is accessible to you. Walk or leap onto it, and begin walking to your left. Take the first right, which becomes a wall for the chamber you need to be in (you know, the one the door leads into, but you've avoided the door). Jump down into the chamber. The brute won't appear. If you've really taken care of your Marines and have any left, they'll follow you in through the door, but they won't trigger than extra brute either.

The chamber you're in is empty except for some carbines and a few plasma grenades lying around. So go to the end, and exit. You're at roughly the half-way point in the level. Yep, that means you've got plenty more Covenant to kill before you're done.

As you exit the empty room, you'll see a kind of plasma slidewalk thingy. You'll be seeing several of these from this point forward. When you step on one, it transports you to the other end. Most of them are one-way only, so make sure you're ready to go on before getting on one.

At the other end of the slidewalk, a lone jackal sniper will be hanging around, but he is quickly joined by a battling group of elites, grunts, and brutes. Pick off the sniper as soon as you can, and then avoid the battle until the ranks are thinned down a bit. Hang around the entrance if you want to protect your Marines, because they'll show up behind you and spill right into the middle of the battle, making it a confusing, three-way affair.

When you've finished off the surviving Convenant, you can go either way on the sidewalk around the next structure. Rearm first, of course, and then go around and spend a bit of time watching a battle between an even number of elites and brutes. If you don't interfere, the elites will usually win, though sometimes the brutes eke out a victory by pushing the elites over the edge. I typically knock off an elite or two to speed things up. If a brute is the last survivor, he'll probably go berserk and charge at you. In that case, be ready, because if you're not careful while avoiding him, you'll fall off the edge and die.

Your next foes are fairly dangerous - a couple of flying elites. If you have no Marines to distract them, they can take you down pretty fast, especially on Normal or Heroic. If you're good at sniping erratically moving targets, then you can use a beam rifle on them. But the easy way is to hose them with needles. Go back around the structure the way you came and pick up a couple of needlers dropped by dead grunts. Then go back to the arches, and fill up the needlers by walking up to a needler weapons locker at the far end on the left of the arches. Not only do you get some extra needles, but you also trigger the flying elites.

It's your choice of cover, but I like to retreat back to the sidewalk I came in on, and watch around the edge of the structure for the elites to fly in. When they get close enough, open up. A clip apiece from dual needlers is more than enough.

Now exchange the needlers for a fresh beam rifle from the weapons locker on the right side of the arches. Go around the next structure and you'll see a group of elites and grunts who will be presently joined by a brute or two. If you hang around, the elites will come after you, so snipe them and get ready for the brutes. When you've cleaned everyone out, reload and get ready for the next slidewalk.

Check the other end with a zoom scope before you go. Occasionally, one of the brutes stays over there instead of coming across for the previous battle. If he's there, snipe him before heading across.

At the end of the slidewalk is a door, and when you open it, two drones will fly by. They won't attack you even if you provoke them, because they're heading for a bigger battle. The hallway they enter ends in another two-level room, and another big Covenant civil war battle is underway. Hang around the doorway and watch flying elites, regular elites, brutes, jackals, and drones fight it out. This one will take a while, even if you help out. When it's finished, rearm, go through the door opposite the one you came in, and enter another hallway that ends at a slidewalk.

Take the slidewalk. At the end of this slidewalk is a scene that will look familiar, except that some shields are scattered around. Proceed around the structure as before and watch the wierdest battle in the Halo series. Two berserk brutes are chasing a bunch of grunts around. The grunts are in panic mode, and they won't fire at you even if you fire at them. You need to take out the brutes, but it's tedious because they move around so much.

When you're done, rearm, and head past the arches and around the structure for another slidewalk. This is the last one, in case you're getting tired of them. When you go in the door at the end of the slidewalk, you'll see a mirror image room to the empty one back where you entered into it by walking on top of the wall. As you enter, three brutes will come in from the door. Use your favorite brute killing technique - I prefer carbine head shots - and go to the end of the room for another battle in an exterior setting.

As you exit the door, an elite and a brute will be fighting on the left, with a jackal standing by making occasional sniping comments. You know what to do. Then freelance until all the enemies in the pit below you are dead. There are plenty of weapons around, and don't forget the brute shots dropped inside the room you just exited. Watch out for a fuel-rod wielding grunt across the way. Snipe him if you can, and take note of where he drops the fuel-rod gun.

When all is quiet, go down towards the right, rearm as necessary, and cross into a pathway that leads out of the pit area. Watch for hidden brutes; occasionally the last one is injured and hiding along the path you'll be taking.

As you go up the path, you'll be challenged by two sword-wielding cloaked elites and a small contingent of grunts. I usually brute-shot the swordsmen, but it's player's choice because you have a variety of good ways to kill them. After you're done, wind around to the right and start up a path towards another door. There will probably be a lonely grunt hanging around guarding it.

At this point, I often gather up a few weapons to leave outside that door. The fuel-rod gun, if I can find it, plus a loaded brute shot, a loaded carbine, and a couple of needlers. There is a very large battle coming up a couple of rooms ahead, plus another couple of major battles after that, and if you don't grab those weapons now and drop them, they'll disappear (even the ones in the weapons lockers) when you go further ahead.

Have your brute shot out, and enter the next room. An elite will have his back to you. Whack him, and get ready for three or four silver grunts that will come around the wall at the end of the room. They seem twitchy; it's even odds whether they'll fire at you or just run around like idiots. I prefer it when they fight because at least they stand still to be mowed down.

There are some more weapons you might want to stockpile if you didn't get enough on the porch - some needlers and a carbine in a weapons locker. As with the others, they'll disappear if you don't grab them and stow them somewhere.

In the next room, a cloaked elite is hanging around toward the end. Dispose of him and watch for a grunt which sometimes retreats there from the previous room. This room also has some useful weapons for the big fights coming up; weapons lockers with brute shots and carbines, and a fuel rod gun laying on the ground.

That fuel rod gun is going to come in handy because you've got four (count 'em, four) hunters coming up before you finish the level. I usually pick it up and trot back to the porch to add the ammo from the earlier fuel-rod gun, and then take it back and drop it where I found it. You won't need it right away, but trust me, you'll be coming back for it in a little while. (If the fuel-rod gun is not in that room, it might be in the next room. But you'll have to clear it out before looking.)

Now get ready for a whole slew of elites and their grunt allies. When you open the door at the end of the room, one of the elites will be on a ledge on the upper left, probably walking away from you. Try to stick him, or if you suck at throwing grenades have a couple of needlers ready to stream at him. But watch out, because before you know it you'll be taking shots from all directions.

The general strategy here is to poke through the door, take down an enemy or two, and retreat back through the door to recharge and reload. I use the carbine mostly, but use what you like. I don't advise using up your fuel-rod ammo unless you like facing hunters without a heavy.

The elites in this battle are expert grenade throwers. On Normal, if you stand around with the door open you're sure to get stuck. So don't stand still, and watch for that blue glow. As soon as you see it, start backing up.

When you clean out the elites and grunts, rearm and go up to the ledge on the second level. Creep around towards the door at the other end of the room, and that will trigger a brute and some jackals to stream through. Deal with them, and get ready for the biggest civil war battle you've seen so far.

when you go through the next set of two doors, you'll come into a large staightaway that slopes down and then up again. It's also in one of the cut scenes early in the game. At your end, a group of several brutes is shooting towards a group of elites in the middle of the straightaway. One of the elites is on a shade, and there are some drones and jackals scattered around too. Everyone else is giving the elites a hard time, and the elites are actually out-numbered and outmatched in this battle. So take down some brutes, before they turn around and take you out. Then let the battle proceed and clean up the survivors.

Rearm, with a beam rifle as one of your weapons. There's a dead jackal sniper close to your entry door who dropped one, and there are two in a weapons locker in the middle of the straightaway close to where the shade is (or used to be if it was blown up in the fight). Take note; there are the last beam rifles available to you, and you'll probably need all three before you're done, so don't waste them. Approach the door at the other end. Don't go up to it though; another set of cat-fighting Covenant are about to come through. As soon as it starts to open, hightail it back to your end of the straightaway, find some cover, and get ready to snipe the fighting Covenant at the other end. If anyone mans a shade, snipe the bit that sticks up just over the shade's shield. Watch out for fuel-rod wielding grunts.

If drones are the last survivors, they'll fly down and give you some trouble. I usually keep a carbine in reserve for that.

OK, time for hunters. Go back and get your fuel-rod gun. Again approach the opposite door, and again retreat as soon as it starts to open. Find cover at your end. Pick off the grunts first while avoiding any green blasts from the hunters. Then wait for a hunter to stand fairly still, sight in with the fuel-rod gun and cut loose with a blast. Unlike Halo 1, the fuel rod blast won't arc - it's more like a giant plasma pistol overload.

It will usually take two fuel-rod blasts per hunter, though sometimes they're standing too close together so they both get damaged by a single blast. They also move around a bit, so you may waste a few blasts. That's why you got extra ammo when you had a chance.

When these guys are done, look for dropped fuel rod guns to reload, and get ready for the final battle of the level. You'll want a beam rifle to go with your fuel-rod gun.

Another double set of doors leads into the Mausoleum of the Arbiter, which you saw in an early cut-scene. Cortana gives you some good advice: "You might think about sitting this one out." Hang around the door and watch. Three silver elites are on the ledge battling with a group of brutes in the lower middle area of the room. To even up the odds, I usually snipe the elite that has a the fuel rod gun, and then let the rest of them just fight while the best music of the game plays. After most are dead, a pair of hunters and some more brutes will enter, and pump up the fight for a while. Look for an opportunity to snipe one of the hunters in the back, which evens out the battle and ensures that you'll face no more than one hunter when they're all done.

Eventually the survivors will realize that you are peeking through the door, and come after you. Fuel-rod anybody coming towards you.

When they're all dead, Cortana will appear on a pedestal close to the locker that held the Arbiter's armor back in that early cut-scene. Don't go to her until you have the freshest beam rifle you can get. Then approach her. When she starts talking, go back towards your door, and go to the adjoining part of the ledge with a clear view of the other door. When Cortana finishes blathering, a couple of cloaked elites and an elite honor guard will come through. Snipe them if you can, or fuel-rod them if they get too close. Don't worry about your ammo because these are the last enemies on the level.

When you're done with them, go through the opposite door. Cortana will start talking, and you can stand there or look around or whatever, because when she's finished talking the next cut-scene begins. You're done with the longest level in Halo 2!

Trivia

 * The Anger Skull is found on this level.
 * Gravemind has only one chapter name "Inside Job"
 * When you reach the area with the first Brute you see on this level with a Brute Shot(Or possibly second or third on higher difficulties. Cortana will mention that its safe to go down the gravity lift at this part.), the Anti-Gravity generators holding up the spires can be destroyed, allowing them to fall. While it seems at first merely a cosmetic effect, this fallen pillars can provide quick cover and can even kill a Brute or Grunt if properly knocked over. Just be sure not to get killed by it yourself.
 * This is the last level in the Halo Trilogy where Elites appear as enemies.