The Covenant (level)

Looking for the Covenant, the main antagonists of the Halo games?

The Covenant is the title of the seventh campaign mission of Halo 3.

It takes place on The Ark. In this level, you must deactivate the shield protecting the Prophet of Truth. Before reaching Truth, you must face off against a massive vehicular Covenant force, including two Scarabs. Finally, united by the common purpose of stopping the rings, Master Chief and the Arbiter unite with the Flood, only to be betrayed when the threat has been dealt with.

Upon completing it on the Normal, Heroic, or Legendary difficulties, the player will earn the "Last Stand" achievement and 40 Gamerpoints. It is the longest level in the game and the last level in which you fight the Covenant. This level is very important for being the final defeat of the Covenant.

The IWHBYD Skull is found on this level, as well as the Thunderstorm skull. (See Halo 3: IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy) Skull for more details on how to acquire it).

Trident
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{Cutscene}

''Five pelicans fly in, Followed by two Separatist Phantoms. Behind them is the carrier Shadow of Intent. Cut to a large energy barrier surrounded by Covenant Loyalists''


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "We hit these three generators, and the barrier will fall?"


 * 343 Guilty Spark (COM): "A small section, yes."

A Grunt spots the flight formation as it approaches the mainland, and cowers.


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Good enough. Johnson, drop the Chief at the first generator, then head to the third. The Elites will punch right down the middle."


 * Johnson (COM): "Roger that."

''The Pelicans and Phantoms break formation. Two Pelicans, one carrying the Chief, head towards Tower 1. AA fire erupts around them.''


 * Hocus (COM): "Charlie Foxtrot! Tower One approach has active Triple-A!"

''Gunfire hits one of the engines of the following Pelican, forcing it into the Chief's Pelican, tossing a Warthog out onto the ground. The Pelican swerves out of control.''


 * Damaged Pelican Pilot (COM): "MAYDAY! I can't control her!"


 * Hocus (COM): "Pelican down, Pelican down!"


 * ODST Sergeant (Stacker) "Brace yourselves; we're going in a little hot!"

Chief grabs a Spartan Laser jumps off the Pelican with the ODSTs

{Gameplay} (Note: if you play on Co-Op, there will be two Pelican drop ships landing.)
 * ODST Sergeant: "Pile out! Go go go!


 * ODST Sergeant (Reynolds): "Up the beach! Kill that Wraith!

or


 * ODST Sergeant (Stacker): "Alright, up the beach! Take out that Wraith!


 * Hocus (COM): "Commander, this is Kilo 23. Lost my Wingman and our only Hog. Over."


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Roger that, Hocus. Get out of there!"

The Master Chief and his Squad secure the beach, and destroy the Anti-Air Wraith


 * ODST Trooper (COM): "Beach head secure, Commander. Hostile Anti-Air has been neutralized."


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Understood. I'm on my way. Shipmaster, begin diversionary bombardment."


 * Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum (COM): "I will beat the Prophet's shield like a drum. By the time the barrier falls, he will beg for mercy."

A Pelican drops off a Mongoose and Warthog for the Chief and the Squad.


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Spark believes Truth can activate the rings at anytime. If he does, Earth... every being in the Galaxy... Halo will kill them all."

They mount up and head off for the first tower.


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Get to the first tower. Shut it down."

As the Chief drives up the hill towards the 1st generator, he sees the Separatists' Phantoms battling with the other Loyalists' Phantoms on Tower 2.


 * Johnson (COM): "Ma'am, we're on the ground. Third Tower in sight."

Keyes (Radio): "Good. The Arbiter and the Elites have touched down in No. 2."

-(Co-op change) Miranda Keyes (COM): "Good. The Elites have touched down in No. 2."


 * ODST Trooper: "Objective in sight! Watch for heavy armor!"

Prowlers, Ghosts, a Wraith and a Shade turret stand in the Chief and his squad's way, but the squad eventually clears the Armor and other resistance on the perimeter of the tower


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Chief. You've got to offline that tower."

Keyes' Pelican drops off weapons.


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Get inside that tower. Take it down!"


 * ODST Trooper: "Perimeter secure. Get inside that tower! Stick together! Check your corners!"

(Master Chief gets inside and secures the bottom floor. The ODST and/or Marines hold while the Chief secures the top floor and deactivates the tower. The Chief secures the top floor, after an encounter with a Chieftain with a hammer)


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Chief, find the control panel, and shut it down!"

The Master Chief deactivates Tower 1.

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(shows also the next cutscene)

{Cutscene}


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Good work, Chief! That's one. The Arbiter should be just about to..."

-(Co-op change) Miranda Keyes (COM): "Good work, Chief! That's one. The Elites should be just about to..."

Tower 2 shuts down.


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "...that's two! It's all up to Johnson's team now."

Tower 3 remains active.


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Get back outside Chief. Wait for transport.

{Gameplay}


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Johnson, come in. Over."


 * Johnson (COM): "Brute reinforcements, ma'am (static). We're pinned down!"


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "I'm on my way!"


 * Johnson (Radio): "Negative! Fire's too heavy! (to his squad) Everyone fall back! Now! (Static and cut-off)"


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Sergeant Major!"

''There is no response. The Chief hurries back downstairs.''


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Johnson! Can you hear me?! (no response.) Chief. You need to link up with the Arbiter and proceed directly to the Third Tower. Make your way back to the beach."

-(Co-op change) Miranda Keyes (COM): "Chief. You need to link up with the Elites and proceed directly to the Third Tower. Make your way back to the beach."

After clearing a group of Jackals and Grunts attacking the Marines holding the lower floor, the Chief and his squad get back to their vehicles (if there are none, a Troop Transport Warthog will come to pick them up) and link up with Hornets on the beach.

If You Want It Done Right...

 * Hocus (COM): "I got a few birds that need an escort. Take a Hornet; get 'em safely to the Third Tower."

''The Chief gets on a Hornet and the other Hornets assist to clear the airspace of Tower 2.

{If you try to land the Hornet on the second tower}
 * Arbiter (COM): "Second Tower is clear Spartan, no need to land. Let us hasten to the Third Tower."

''They proceed to Tower 3. They reach Tower 3 Airspace, with heavy resistance both in the air and on the ground.''


 * Pelican Pilot (COM): "Objective in sight, Commander. No sign of Johnson or his team."


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Understood. Chief, clear an LZ then get inside the tower."

''After the airborne forces take out the Wraiths, the Separatist Phantoms arrive and drop off the Arbiter and his Elites for the Assault. The Chief lands the Hornet and joins them. They secure the lower floor of remaining armor and infantry defenses.''


 * Arbiter: "Darken this tower and the barrier will fall. Go, Spartan! We have no time to waste."

''The Arbiter and Elites hold the lower level while the Master Chief heads up. The Chief secures the top floor, after encountering a Chieftain Support Gunner with Stealth Brutes.''


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Hit the switch, Chief, and the barrier will fall!"

The Chief deactivates the Third Tower.

{Cutscene}

''The barrier falls. The Shadow of Intent advances.''


 * Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum (COM): "Now, Prophet... your end has come!"

''A Slipspace Rupture suddenly appears. High Charity emerges and approaches the Ark.''


 * Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum (COM): "High Charity...?! By the Gods, brace for impact!"

''Debris strikes right through the Shadow of Intent's hull. More is seen. A Flood-rock breaks apart in midair. Part of the rock crashes through the window right above the Chief. His body language expresses the fear he has for the Flood.''

{Gameplay}

The Chief quickly manages to eliminate the few hostiles that arrived in the rock.
 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Shipmaster, what's your status?"


 * Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum (COM): "Significant damage! Weapon systems disabled!"


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Move to a safe distance! Stay away from the Flood."


 * Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum (COM): "Why would the Parasite come here?!"


 * 343 Guilty Spark (COM): "The Ark is out of range, of all the active installations! Priority: We must contain this outbreak before-"

Keyes interrupts Guilty Spark.


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "No! First, we stop Truth! Then we deal with the Flood."

''The Chief links up with the Elites and the Arbiter under attack. After eliminating the Flood in the tower, they get outside to meet Marines engaged in combat with the Flood, and assist. A Separatist Phantom arrives to pickup the Arbiter.''


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "I must see the crash site; assess the damage done to the Ark."


 * Arbiter: "To the top of that hill, Oracle, no further! We cannot risk your capture by the Flood."

''The Arbiter takes 343 Guilty Spark with him. The Pelicans dropped a M12G1 LAAV Warthog, a Mongoose with a Rocket Launcher equipped Marine, and a Scorpion for the Assault on the Citadel. The Chief, Marines, and surviving Elites mount up.''


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "The Shipmaster's Carrier is out of commission, Chief. I need you to take down Truth. The Flood's just going to put pressure on him and accelerate his plans. Punch through the cliffs! Get inside that Citadel!"

Journey's End
The Assault Team gets through the snowy cliffs, where they first encounter few small Covenant encampments.


 * Marine (COM): "Citadel in sight!"


 * Marine #2 (COM): "Brutes are mobilizing everything they got."

''The Assault Team clears the cliff, facing Ghosts and Prowlers. Once then, a Wraith is the only thing standing in their path, and once taken out they meet with Hornet Gunships near the route down into the clearing.''


 * Marine Sergeant (Stacker) (COM): "Hornets inbound!"

Depending on choice, the Master Chief takes a Hornet and makes his way to the Citadel, when two Scarabs drop down from above.


 * Pelican Pilot (COM) "I count two Scarabs! Repeat: TWO Scarabs!"

''With the choice Chief chooses, the Assault Team backs him up: Scorpion Tank (Wraith if you hijacked one and had a marine control it) fires from a far range, the Warthog and Mongoose move about under the Scarabs to assist Chief in taking their "legs" down, and the Hornet engages the Scarab from the air. But some Ghosts, Banshees and another Prowler help to defend the Scarabs.''

The Chief takes out one of the Scarabs.


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "First Scarab's down! All units, concentrate your fire on number two."

The Chief takes out the second Scarab.


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Both Scarabs down, well done."

{If any resistance is left}


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Marines! Kill the stragglers!"

A Separatist Phantom arrives at the Platform leading to the entrance of the Ark's Control Room, dropping off the Arbiter and 343 Guilty Spark.

{If you're not there when the Arbiter lands}


 * Arbiter (COM): "Spartan, come to me. This ramp hides a path!"

The Chief lands and meets the Arbiter and 343 Guilty Spark at the top of the Platform.


 * Arbiter: "The Flood scales the citadel's far wall. Activate this bridge, Oracle! (To the Chief) The Prophet will die by my hands, not theirs."

(Co-op change: The Arbiter has no in-game dialogue during co-op.)
 * 343 Guilty Spark: "Calamity! If only we had more time!"

''The Chief and the Arbiter enter alone. The entrance is a large hallway with screens mounted along the walls.''

(During The Cortana moment if you look at the screens on the walls you will see Cortana popup on the screens.)
 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "It asked, and I answered. (Her tone turns bitter) For a moment of safety, I loosed damnation on the stars."


 * Truth: "My faithful... stand firm..."

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{Cutscene}

''The screens light up. The Prophet of Truth is seen making another speech. The Chief and Arbiter rush to find a way up.''


 * Truth: "Though our enemies crowd around us, we tread the blessed path! In a moment I will light the rings and all who believe... shall be saved."

Master Chief and Arbiter find an elevator, with a screen in front of it, showing Johnson behind Truth, held aloft by a Brute. Johnson punches the Brute in the face to no effect.


 * Miranda Keyes (COM): "Chief, how close are you?"

''They look up. The height is phenomenal.''


 * Master Chief: "Not close enough."

In the Control Center with Truth.


 * Johnson: "That the best you got?"

Brute Chieftain gives growls, then picks him up around the neck and begins to strangle him.


 * Johnson: "Ooh, come on. Impress me!"


 * Truth: "Stop, you imbecile! He wants you to kill him. (He turns back to The Ark's console) I would prefer that you did not."


 * Johnson: "What's the matter, big shot? Can't start your own party?"


 * Truth: "I admit: I need your help. But that secret dies with all the rest."

''Behind, a Pelican roars through a huge window and crashes onto the ledge next to them, pushing a Brute off. Truth is thrown off-screen.''

A Brute Captain gets up, but Keyes blasts it with her Shotgun.


 * Miranda Keyes: "Johnson! (she ejects a shell from her shotgun) Sound off!"


 * Johnson: "(Coughing) Get out of here!"


 * Miranda Keyes: "Not without you!"

''Brutes surround Miranda and Johnson. Miranda fires away at the Brutes with a shotgun.''


 * Truth: "You delay the inevitable. One of you will light the rings."

Miranda draws a Pistol and aims her weapons both ways.


 * Truth: "You cannot hope to kill them all!"

''Miranda lowers her weapons, thinking. She looks at her pistol.''


 * Miranda Keyes: "You're right..."

She aims the pistol at Johnson.


 * Johnson: "Do it. Me...then you..."

Keyes hesitates, lowering her pistol slightly with sadness on her face.


 * Johnson: (urgently) "Now!"

''Keyes straightens up and aims. Several spiker shots are heard. Keyes gasps in pain and drops her weapons. Johnson starts to run to her aid.''


 * Johnson: "NO!"

''A Brute Captain restrains Johnson, who still struggles, horrified. Miranda collapses and dies, with several spikes in her back. Truth walks onscreen, a Spiker in hand.''


 * Truth: "Your forefathers wisely set aside their compassion..."

He looks down at Miranda and gingerly tosses the Spiker away, and shakes a fist to emphasize his speech.


 * Truth: "...steeled themselves for what needed to be done."

Truth walks up to Johnson.


 * Truth: "I see now why they left you behind."

Johnson is brought up to the control panel.


 * Truth: "You were weak - and gods must be strong."

''He forces Johnson's hand down on the panel with a smug look. Instantly the Control Terminal begins to change and heighten. The Seven Holographic Halo Rings light up one by one. At the end of the corridor, the Chief and Arbiter emerge from the lift. Two Pure Flood Tank Forms drop from above. The Master Chief draws his Assault Rifle and aims, and Arbiter activates his Energy Sword.''


 * Gravemind (speaking through the Pure Flood Tank Forms): "Do not shoot, but listen! Let me lead you safely to our foe. Only you can halt what he has set in motion!"

''They lower their weapons cautiously. Several Infection Forms scurry past as the Master Chief and the Arbiter look at each other.''

Revelation
{Gameplay}

''Master Chief, Arbiter, and the Flood begin the assault on the Covenant. After crossing a bridge guarded by heavy weapons, they reach a room with holograms of Truth in the Forerunner systems.''


 * Truth: "How could I have known the Parasite would follow?! Undoubtedly this is the Heretics' doing! A final, bitter curse. Clear evidence of treachery long hidden!"

''At the second bridge, the Covenant forces make their final resistance. At the second room, Truth holograms make a final message.''


 * Truth: "So far are we along the path, that I must strain to hear the clumsy patter of their feet. Know this my brothers. They may foul the way with their charred and broken bones, but they will not stop the Journey."

''The resistance on the third bridge has already been decimated by the Flood. A light bridge is all that remains to reach Truth.''

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{Cutscene}

''The Chief and the Arbiter cross the light bridge, and come across Johnson, who is resting the dead Miranda Keyes on his lap by her head next to the Pelican. Johnson closes her eyes.''


 * Johnson: "Stop the rings. Save the rest."

''The Chief continues to stare at Miranda while the Arbiter approaches the crawling form of Truth, his Energy Sword turned off but at the ready. He grabs Truth by his robes and points his currently harmless sword in his face.''


 * Truth: (Weakly) "Can you see, Arbiter? The moment of salvation is at hand!"


 * Arbiter: (grabbing Truth by the throat) "It will not last!"


 * Truth: "Your kind never believed in the promise of the sacred rings."


 * Gravemind: (speaking through Truth):"Lies for the weak! Beacons for the deluded!"

''At this moment, the Arbiter draws his Energy Sword back and activates it, ready to kill his former leader. The Master Chief points his Assault Rifle at Truth, in case he is completely taken by the Flood.''


 * Arbiter': "I will have my revenge - on a Prophet, not a plague!"


 * Truth: "My feet tread the path; I shall become a god!"

Tentacles begin to sprout on Truth as the Flood takes him.


 * Gravemind: (speaking through Truth): "You will be food - nothing more!"

The Chief approaches the Ark's Control Panel, ready to deactivate it.


 * Truth: (realising what the Chief is about to do) "NO!"

''Chief deactivates the Ark. The Seven Holographic Halo Rings dim. A Flood body begins to stir.''


 * Truth: (now being held aloft by the Arbiter, with an impressive view of the Core behind) "I... am... Truth! The voice of the Covenant!"

''The Arbiter turns Truth away from him and grabs his neck violently. Truth's crown falls off as he pitifully gasps for air, trying to grab The Arbiter's hands.''


 * Arbiter: "And so...you must be silenced."

''The Arbiter plunges his sword through Truth. It goes clean through him; the two points of the Energy Sword poke through his chest as he writhes and screams in pain. Flood spores shoot out of his mouth.''

''The Arbiter lets Truth's corpse fall to the floor. The Arbiter lets out a roar of triumph and deactivates his sword. The Chief looks at the Arbiter and nods; they then turn to see Johnson carrying Miranda's body into the Pelican. Suddenly, the ground begins to tremble, and tentacles rise up out of the ground around them. Chief wields his Assault Rifle and the Arbiter reactivates his sword. They both stare up at the tentacles, with are now reaching high above them. The Gravemind laughs maniacally.''

''Johnson leaps into the cockpit and starts to take off. The Chief climbs onto the Control Panel of the Ark and jumps onto the Pelican's landing gear. The Arbiter grabs the Chief's hand and just before the Pelican is out of the hole in the Control Room window that Miranda made, both are knocked off by the tentacles, sending the Pelican spiraling out of control. On the ring, the tentacles swerve around them and multiple Flood forms appear.''


 * Gravemind: "Now the gate has been unlatched, headstones pushed aside, corpses shift and offer room, a fate you must abide!"

''The Arbiter holds his sword at the ready, and the Chief takes aim. They come back to back.


 * Arbiter: "We trade one villain for another."

The tentacles retreat and two Elite forms come up from the control panel

{Gameplay}


 * Johnson (COM): "I can barely keep hold of her, Chief! No way I can pick you up! Head back to the lift... find a way down!"

The duo fights their way through hordes of Flood, which have now betrayed them now that the Halos have been deactivated.


 * Cortana (Cortana Moment): "I'm a thief... but I keep what I steal."

''Master Chief & Arbiter make it back. The lift is not working, so they jump down a shaft at the back of the room.''

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{Cutscene}

''The Chief lands at the bottom of the shaft, landing in a room not unlike the entrances to the 3 Shield Towers. He looks beside him as the Arbiter comes down, and then stands up. A flickering, spooky image of Cortana appears in the hallway, running. She starts to turn the corner and disappears, after a split second. The Chief casually walks around the corner as though amused by Cortana's antics, but the Arbiter is confused.''


 * Arbiter: "What do you see?"

''With the Arbiter trailing far behind, the Chief looks around the corner. He sees a control panel. Cortana appears a second time, again for only a second, walking loftily (and spookily) towards it. She stops at the panel and disappears. The Master Chief goes to the panel and activates it.''

''A view screen slides open, the Chief and the Arbiter step out onto a balcony to watch as a massive structure rises up out of thick fog. It's a Halo Ring, incomplete, rising from inside the Ark's Core. Cortana's plan is becoming clear.''

The Arbiter turns and looks at the Chief.


 * Arbiter: "A replacement. For the ring you destroyed."


 * Master Chief: (To a blue glow behind him) "When did you know?"

Spark hovers up from behind the Chief and the Arbiter and comes up to the Chief.


 * 343 Guilty Spark: (sounding guilty) "Just now - but... I had my hopes. What will you do?"


 * Master Chief: "Light it."


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "...Then we are agreed! A tactical pulse will completely eradicate the local infestation! I will personally oversee the final preparations."

He flies enthusiastically around the Chief and Arbiter, who look at each other, and then flies off toward his new Halo, now talking to himself.


 * 343 Guilty Spark: "Though it will take time to fabricate an activation index, I will see to the latter to..." (he becomes too far away and we can no longer hear him)


 * Arbiter: "How will you light it?"

They both turn to look at High Charity, knowing that Cortana still has the Halo Index required to activate Installation-04.

Walkthrough
This is it- the Covenant's last stand. For those of you who have been killing the Covenant since Halo 1, prepare yourselves for the longest level in the Halo franchise, and for the defeat of the Covenant. Grab your guns.

Part 1: Trident
As the level starts off, you will notice that you are armed with a Spartan Laser. There are two Spartan Lasers on this level, the second being at the Pelican crash site, but they only have five shots each, so don't waste ammo. Switch to the more versatile BR55HB SR Battle Rifle. Turning slightly to your left, nail the three Grunts with head shots, then throw a frag grenade at the retreating Covenant on your left. Aim for the glowing pod for maximum effect. Now, keep moving forward slowly, and pound the remaining Grunts and Brutes on your side of the beach head.

Now is the time to use your Spartan Laser. Cut around to the far left of your side of the beach head, zoom in on one of the Shade turrets, and destroy it with your first shot. You should have 80% battery left. Switch your aim, and fire upon the second turret. You should have 60% battery left.

Okay, now that you have some room to breathe, mosey over to the ODST with the Shotgun, and trade your Spartan Laser for his pump gun. Now, this guy will be able to kill whole Brutes at ultra long range. But enough about that- now on to your job. Using your Battle Rifle, snipe any Grunts and Brutes that you may see, and once you are ready to move, charge up the left side of the beach head, and scale the rocks to get right up close to the AA Wraith.

Here is where your pull out your requisitioned shotgun, and try to sneak up on the Fuel Rod Cannon wielding Brute Chieftain. If you can't, then start blasting and melee-ing and don't stop until the bastard's dead at your feet. After that, destroy the Wraith, and wait for the Pelican to show up.

Legendary tip: Try using the AA Wraith glitch and drive it up to the first tower this is much easier than going in a warthog but you may need to boost to get up the hill

Now, time for some arming up. Give one of your men the powerful Fuel Rod Cannon, and ditch the Shotgun entirely. You yourself have the choice of a Battle Rifle, Assault Rifle, or Mauler as a 2nd weapon, and keep your personal laser cannon. Under NO circumstances should you ditch the Spartan Laser, unless its bone dry on ammo. Now, the Pelican will drop off a Warthog and Mongoose. Although the Warthog has the added firepower of its Chaingun, the Mongoose presents a smaller target and has a lot more speed, so we're going to with the Mongoose. Make sure that the Fuel Rod Cannon Marine gets on the Mongoose with you, and then take off down the beach. You will be engaged by two Banshees, but the Marines Fuel Rod Cannon and the 'Hogs Chaingun should make short work of them, and the two Ghosts that come down to greet you.

Anyway, as you move farther inland, a ledge bearing a Shade turret and a handful of Grunts and Jackals will try to stop your progress, but you should be able to be dispatched quickly. After that, just keep going up. As you reach level ground, the crap hits the fan. First off, let your Marines fry the two Ghosts that will try to kill you, and then move across the waterfall, and burn the Ghost and Shade that are on the ground.

All right, here is where it gets hard. If you look up, you'll notice the big bastard Wraith that is stationed next to the structure. DO NOT charge directly at it, but stay in the water, which should slow you down just enough to allow you to make sharp turns without toppling over, while still giving you enough speed to outrun the Plasma Mortars/Cannon rounds that the Covies will try to kill you with. Simply run around the big rock in the center of the pond, and a few strafing runs should decimate the tank. Two Prowlers will come in as backup, but a few more patterns of strafing runs will knock them out of the fight. After that, it should be a simple matter of blasting the Shade on the ledge, and the large amount of Grunts/Jackals/Brutes outside the structure. When the Pelican drops a few weapon pods for you, you will know that you finished this fight.

The weapon pods contain two Magnums, a Shotgun, an Assault Rifle, and a Battle Rifle. Much more than enough of ammo, but before we collect it, whip out your Spartan Laser, and nail the Shade placed directly in the hall in front of you. After that, use a Battle Rifle to pick off the Grunts, Jackals, and Brutes, and then, once they're dead as well, grab both Magnums, along with the Shotgun, and enter the room at the end of the hall.

As you skirt the glass partition, open fire on the Grunts, Jackals, and single Brute that are clustered in the room in front of you. With any luck, you will nail the first few before the rest can regroup. Or, if the Wraith from previously wasn't totally destroyed, use that to clear up the rest of the Covies.

Now that the first room is cleaned up, grab a few grenades from the dead Covenant and also, should you want to, replace the Magnums with a Battle Rifle, since it'll come in handy during the long run. Walk up the stairs and eliminate the poor Jackals running from their cover. If you decide to peek around the corner, you'll see a large group of Jackals, Grunts, and a Brute or two on the ledge ahead. Common sense tell you to grenade them, right? Duh. Use Plasmas or Spikes, since Frags have a tendency to bounce off of your target. Two or so grenades should be enough to scatter/kill the rest. Jump up to the ledge and kill the remainder with your Battle Rifle/Magnum, then walk up to the lift. Alternatively, if you want to, you can run forward when you get to the lift and jump to the secret platform on the other side. There should be a few good weapons that you could use against the Brutes, along with a nice Terminal to add to the Marathon Man achievement. Once you've collected your weapons of doom, pull out your Spartan Laser/Shotgun, get onto the lift, and head on up.

Now you can see why I told you to have a Shotgun with you, or hopefully a Spartan Laser if it still has at least one charge left. On the top of the lift, you'll see a group of Brutes led by a Brute Chieftain. Pull out your Spartan Laser and decimate the Chieftain, then use whatever weapon you have left and waste the remaining Brutes. If you don't have the laser, just pick off as many Brutes from a distance and lure the Chieftain over to you, then pull out your Shotgun and unload a few shells into his head.

Once you're done with that and you've disabled the shield, you'll learn a shocking surprise. Johnson didn't shut off the tower! Oh boy. Well, what do you expect? He's a marine, not a Spartan or Elite. Sighing, grab some new ammo, like replace any of the useless weapons with no ammo with the Spikers, Needlers, and Carbines you should find there, then head on back to the lift and head downstairs.

Once you're down, you should find two new marine reinforcements, being attacked by a small group of Grunts and Jackals. Waste them, then head on outside. If your Warthog/Mongoose is still intact, you'll have to drive that. If not, then a marine will be kind enough to give you a Troop Transport Hog. Pick either one, then head on back to the beachhead, where you can pick a Hornet.

Part 2: If You Want Something Done Right
Grab a Hornet, get two marines in it, and let loose. Up in the skies, you should see a bunch of Hornets and Banshees fighting, along with the Separatist Phantom leaving the battle. Don't worry; it'll come back soon enough. If you want to grab a few spare Plasma Rifles, drop down on the second tower and get some from the inside of the tower. They're by dead Elites. First off, the AI is pretty stupid here, so they might get wasted by the AA Wraiths. Using your superior intellect and firepower, waste the AA Wraith and the other Brutes on a small island. Once you do, head on over to the 3rd tower.

The third tower is very annoying. First off, destroy the Phantom, since its Plasma Cannons WILL waste you in a matter of seconds. Take care of any annoying Banshees that open fire on you as well. Once the skies are cleared, direct your attention to a large platform at the top of the tower, where there should be a pack of Brutes firing at you with Fuel Rod Cannons. There should be a bunch of explosives by them, so just fire one missile and watch the fireworks. Afterwards, take out the Shades and the AA Wraith, since they are most likely able to blast your allies out of the sky. Once that's done, direct your attention to the remaining blue Wraith and destroy it. Once they're all done, head on to the entrance of the platform but DO NOT GET OUT OF THE HORNET!!! At the entrance, there's gonna be a large pack of Brutes, and no sensible Spartan would dare run into that pack. Save yourself some ammo and just pummel them with machine guns and missiles until they're nothing more than corpses. Once they're all dead, get out of the Hornet and rejoin your fellow friend The Arbiter, then push into the facility.

At the 2nd entrance, you should be ambushed by a few Brutes. Hopefully you have a few Spikes or Plasmas left. If you do, stick them when the rush through the door. If you don't, just attack them like mad with your weapons. Inside, immediately head either left or right and pull out a controlled, short burst weapon, like a Battle Rifle. The drones that pour out of the lift should fly over to where you're hiding at in small numbers, allowing you to pummel lead and plasma into those bugs. Once they're dead, take care of the two hunters in the middle of the room, which should be easy to do without interference from those dumb bugs. Once you're done, head through the door at the end of the room.

Walk up the ramp that you find, but don't rush blindly up the ramp, since the last door at the end of the hallway will be flooded with Brutes. Instead, use some more grenades and blow them up just as they're running through the door. These are the last Brutes you'll encounter in this floor of the tower, so finish them off quickly. Careful, as some of them have Maulers. Once they've been eliminated, walk up the ramp and carefully walk up to the lift. You'll be ambushed by a pack of Drones coming down the lift. Immediately take cover and pummel lead into them. Once they're dead, walk up to the lift and activate it.

This resistance is much weaker than the last tower resistance in my opinion. Pull out your remaining grenades and fling them at the Brute with the Plasma Cannon. Hopefully a few of your throws will make contact and kill him. Either way, you should be able to kill him with six grenades, judging that you have the six. Once you do, take out a Battle Rifle/Carbine/Assault Rifle/Spiker and carefully examine the sides of the hallway. There are Brutes with cloaking, and, should you see anything suspicious, open fire. They are armed with Plasma Rifles, which can kill you easily in higher levels like Heroic and Legendary. Examine BOTH sides of the hallway, since there are Brutes on both sides. Also, a nice note to add is that they have Firebombs, which can get pretty annoying should they land on you. Thankfully, they make the Brutes easy to see when arming them, so blast them before they get a chance to incinerate you. Once all of the Brutes are dead, grab as many Firebombs as you can and deactivate the tower. You'll see a nice cutscene here where the Elites and Rtas Vadum aren't stopped by the Brutes, but a Flood Infested High Charity. A pod from the city will crash land into the room you're in, so pull out those Firebombs and turn those Flood into nothing more than flaming corpses. Make sure that ALL of the Flood Infection Forms are dead, as they have a tendency to reanimate the Brutes you killed.

Trivia

 * At the very end of the level (right after truth gets killed) if you turn around and look above the glass that got broken, there is the marathon symbol.
 * Bungie said it for themselves that this is the longest level in the whole Halo Trilogy. It is also the only level with a Hornet.
 * Behind the crashed Pelican in the beginning, hiding in the shadow of a rock, are two flowers. There are no flowers on any other Halo level.  Possibly an Easter egg.
 * There is a glitch where you fight the first normal Wraith. Climb up the tower that you are supposed to go under and then you will find a rift of snow where you can see your buddy on co-op.
 * The introductory cutscene bears striking resemblance to the introduction of the Silent Cartographer from Halo: Combat Evolved. Multiple Pelicans approach a Covenant-controlled Forerunner structure, initially traveling over water, and attempt to establish a beachhead on the coast, fighting off numerous enemies.
 * Additionally, In the Silent Cartographer a crashed pelican holds a Rocket Launcher, and in Halo 3, there is a crashed pelican with a Spartan Laser. In both you must travel with a warthog, (or mongoose, in Halo 3) to deactivate a Forerunner defense system.
 * If you manage to successfully execute the Anti-Air Wraith glitch after killing the chieftain, progressing up to the first tower is a lot easier, and you can bombard the Covenant hiding in the hallway just before the door into the tower.
 * The IWHBYD Skull is found on this level. See Halo 3: IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy) Skull for more details on how to acquire it.
 * During the beginning of the cutscene showing Johnson being held by a Brute, he is being held by a Brute Minor/(maybe stalker) on the screen, but when it cuts to him, it is a Chieftain that throws him to the ground, no Minor in sight.
 * The Covenant is the longest level in Halo game history, followed by The Ark, Assault on the Control Room from Halo:CE, and if you are counting levels as distance traveled then Quarantine Zone from Halo 2 (though in terms of length of time taken to complete, Gravemind would be the longest level in Halo 2) though not in that order. The Covenant, on Legendary, can take more than two hours to fully complete-even on co-op. Bungie probably wanted to make the final stand of the Covenant full of the most action, giving the "tension feeling" to players.
 * They call the level the Covenant, but there is the flood in the level.
 * At the point where you reunite with the Arbiter and 343 Guilty Spark after defeating the Scarabs, if there are any surviving Covenant nearby, Spark will use the same energy beam he uses against you in the control room to take them out.
 * It is possible in this level to have two Arbiters standing right next to each other, just after you kill the two Scarabs. Get up to the point where the green Phantom flies low to pick up the Arbiter and 343 Guilty Spark (this is just after you shut down the second tower). Use the Tank, the Gauss, or any weapons you have to take down the Phantom. Make sure the Arbiter is in it when you do it. Then, grab the Gauss and drive up near the Arbiter, and he should get in. After this, continue through the level, making sure the Arbiter stays safe. After you finish off the two Scarabs, drive the Arbiter up to the spot where he is usually dropped off. The SAME Phantom you destroyed will drop down and drop off another Arbiter and 343. Keep an eye on the Arbiter you took through the level. He has an amazing ability to completely disappear. Unfortunately, he can't be taken through into the Citadel building. This technique is not the only one. You can get two arbiters by using a glitch in the third tower.
 * Throughout the level, there are few cutscene-subtitle spelling mistakes.
 * In the part when you have to shut down the first and third towers to deactivate the barrier, the Marathon symbol is in the middle of the elevator that takes you up to the Chieftain and the other Brutes.
 * It is possible to get an Energy Sword in this level. Just stick an Elite after deactivating the third tower. It should drop an energy sword [The energy sword is NOT fully charged, being at ranges from 60+ and lower in power.]. You can also get one by activating the lift and staying behind. Kill an Elite and then the arbiter and take the arbiter's sword. It should have full battery.
 * This level is first and only level in the Halo Trilogy where you get flood allies, just before you stop Truth.
 * This is the last level in the Halo Trilogy that you fight Covenant enemies if you don't count the final grunt.
 * After the Arbiter kills Truth and the Flood turn on you, if you t-bag Truth's dead body 3-5 times, his corpse will fall through the platform he is lying on.
 * If you sit the entire opening scene then restart and skip it the second time; a marine with a radio will be floating in the river in front of you dead. Flood infection forms will ignore marines.
 * It is possible to lock The Arbiter out of the Citadel building. Simply drive a vehicle (the Hornet works best if you still have it) into the door to the building. Almost all of the vehicles will not fit. When it gets stuck, back it up so it is just outside the door. Get out of the vehicle and run in the door. In most cases, he will not pass the vehicle, and the doors will close. However, he will appear after talking to the Flood, or occasionally during the Cortana moment.
 * In the Citadel, the hallway on the top floor with the ring statuses actually looks similar to the bridge in the Halo: Combat Evolved map Gephyrophobia
 * It is actually possible to trade weapons with flood combat forms when they are allies.
 * When the Prophet of Truth is killed by the Arbiter, he loses his Crown. However, when the gameplay resumes and Truth is dead on the floor, he is still wearing his Crown.
 * When you deactivate the shield in the third tower where Johnson failed to do so, you are attacked by Flood who come crashing through a window. However, when you go outside (in the area with the 2 scarabs), the glass is not broken and is intact.
 * The beginning of the level is named "Trident". This relates to the fact that you have to deactivate 3 towers.  There are 3 spikes on a trident.  The handle that the spikes lead up to on the trident relates to the place where Truth is hiding.
 * There is an interesting glitch on this level in the area with the two Scarabs. First, make sure you have a loaded shotgun. Then jump into a hornet and fly straight towards the Scarab on the left. Get next to it so that when you get out you will disembark towards it. As soon as it stops with the whole nose-in-the-air thing, jump off and run towards the control organisms. Blast away with the shotgun. You should be thrown very far in a random direction if you kill the Scarab in time. It is possible to get the 'Revelation' checkpoint if you are flung to the top of the Citadel. This can also be done if you land on it right away and blast it while it is still getting up.
 * Just before the fight with the two scarabs there is a cliff that you can climb that takes you to the top of the map and on legendary a marine will sometimes appear and shout random stuff at you, possibly a reference to the lone marine which is Sergeant Mendoza on 343 Guilty Spark (level).
 * When you fight the two Scarabs, if you look at the ground where the Scarabs land, you can see the two big, gray circles that are caused of the impact of their landing, even though the Scarabs are still in the air.
 * The Siege of Madrigal can be found on this level.
 * This is the only level in which friendly Dropships can be completely destroyed. The two Separatist Phantoms that appear outside the third tower can be destroyed. Their door-mounted Plasma Cannons can also be blown off from the ground, and are very useful against the Drones inside.
 * It is possible to get a Mongoose into the citadel. You first need to drive as far into the citadel as possible (up to the invisible anti-vehicle barrier) and turn it sideways to the door. Slowly push it into the door continuously. Once the door shuts you can get on to it and drive. Once the Cortana Moment occurs, though, it will dissapper.This can also be done on the Storm (after the Scarab battle).
 * After exiting the third tower, try and jump aboard the Phantom that Spark gets into. After a couple of seconds, the Phantom will become camouflaged, but you will also fall through it and to your death.

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