Sandtrap

Sandtrap is a multiplayer map featured in Halo 3.

Summary
Sandtrap is set in a vast desert (possibly situated on The Ark, as the nearby Albatross known as "03" was said to have crashed in the Ark's vicinity) with rolling sand dunes and some enigmatic structures, half buried in the desert. The origin of these structures is unknown, but they bear certain similarities to the "temples" on Installation 05.

It features odd Forerunner constructs and is encircled with a minefield that features vertically-launching mines to prevent players from venturing beyond its boundaries. Six large towers surround the outer extremities of the map, all connected by a large wall. The purpose and origin of these structures is unknown. The September 07 EGM stated that this was the site of a Brute excavation and UNSC forces (deployed from the frigate Aegis Fate, which hovers in the sky above the map) came along and removed them. It has a heavy emphasis on vehicular combat. Most of the vehicles in the game are on this map - for example, the "bases" are a pair of UNSC Elephants at opposite ends of the recently unearthed Forerunner ruins. In this map there lie some very interesting sniper spots. For example, if you are inside of the Phantom, it is hard to see you and it gives you a very interesting view so you can kill a few unsuspecting players.

History
It was first announced in the June 2007 issue of Gamepro. It may also be the "large map" Bungie sparsely talked about in one of their updates. This wasn't one of the three maps featured in the public Halo 3 Beta. This map was originally named Shrine, but was confirmed to have been renamed to Sandtrap in the July 13, 2007 Bungie Weekly Update.

Overview
The main spine of the level is where most battles take place, there is an underground part to this spine that comes out into a small "pit", or the ravine where most vehicle battles take place. The larger base also has an underground "cavern" to it, though unless you are just defending, it is an easy place to ambush. The destroyed Phantom is a great sniping spot. The "deck" on the side is also good cover from below, the smaller base has less hiding spots to it, but it is more open, better for explosives. The Albatross is not the best for attacking or defending.

Unusable Vehicles

 * UNSC Aegis Fate (Hovering high in the background)
 * Phantom (Crashed and destroyed near the Banshee spawn)
 * Albatross Dropship (Crashed and buried near one of the Elephants)

Strategies

 * On several dunes to the side of the map where the sun is you can easily see the whole area of the map. Set up here and you can dominate. A common tactic is to take the sniper and use a Mongoose to drive over to the area and snipe. Good secondary weapons are Battle Rifles and Spartan Lasers, so any incoming threats can be eliminated, and the sniper can continue wreaking havoc from afar.
 * Upon picking up the Spartan Laser at the beginning of the match, be ready to destroy the opposing Banshee, Chopper, Warthog and Mongoose, because more often than not, the enemy will most likely get it ahead of your teammates, and you can eliminate the threat immediately.
 * If you are good at sniping, get the Sniper Rifle/Beam Rifle and kill any enemy team member that goes near the Banshee until one of your guys gets it or it is destroyed.
 * If you start at the "Albatross" end of the map, if you are going for the Sniper Rifle, always keep an eye out for enemies camping up high on the other side, although a Bubble Shield is an easy way to get past this problem.
 * If you are playing this level on multiplayer Infection, a good way to stay alive is for at least two people (non-zombies) to form an alliance and get to a Warthog or Elephant. Whoever is the better shot uses the turret and the driver continuously drives around the whole level on the path. As long as you have good reflexes and are a good shot you can usually kill the charging and incoming zombies before they reach the Warthog.
 * One great sniper spot is inside the crashed Phantom, it provides excellent cover. Be sure though to carry another weapon that can help you for opponents can become aware of your position and attack, this also allows you to watch the Banshee.
 * Another excellent sniper spot is the highest sand dune on the outer edge of the map. This area provides a spot where you can see the whole map. However, there is no cover and you can be easily detected. Also, it is usually the first guess as to where a Sniper is hiding, due to the relative popularity of the spot.
 * When playing infection you and a friend should get in a warthog or a mongoose. Go into the minefield. If Zombies are following you shoot them or the mines you have kicked up will get them. Keep your eyes open. You should survive pretty long.

Forge

 * If you take out all of the vehicles on the map and replace them with Mongooses it allows for more tactical based play.
 * There are two ways to "bridge the gap" between the big wall in the center. The first is a simple two-way teleport system, obviously both being on the same channel. This allows for infantry to cross, however vehicles can't go through teleporters. The way to fix that is to place two permanent Grav Lifts, one on either side, of the gap. This will allow most land-based vehicles going a decent rate of speed to cross, the only exceptions being Scorpions and Wraiths. Be cautious going towards the smaller base (with the Albatross), as you may go through the holes in the top, and flip your vehicle over.
 * The map is obviously based on vehicular combat, so consider that when in Forge. Place vehicles like Hornets and Gauss Warthogs, and make Sniper Towers out of the pillars, adding Barricades for cover, and a Two-Way transporter from the top of the pillars to the bottoms. Add Missile Pods and Warthogs to the Elephants, setting both to automatic respawn.

Alternate Sandtrap Variant
In Matchmaking, infrequently there will be an alternate map variant of Sandtrap, called "Sandtrap Covies". Here are the differences between the two variants:
 * The Banshee, Warthog, Chopper and Mongoose (except for the ones in the Elephants) spawn points are replaced by Ghosts and Wraiths.
 * The usual Missile Pod spawn points are replaced by Rocket Launchers.
 * The Gravity Hammer spawn point is replaced by a single Missile pod.
 * Spartan Laser spawn points are replaced by a Bubble shield.
 * The Sniper Rifle spawn point is replaced by a Beam Rifle instead.

Trivia

 * If you go from the center of the map (the big gap between the sniper spawn and the 1 Flag CTF Base) to the Phantom to the Albatross, it resembles a 7, another reference.
 * There are six very real easter eggs on this level. To find them, overload the map and venture past the invisible wall in theater mode. An egg is located at the top of each tower. They only appear when close to the player, and are covered in cryptic messages.
 * This is the only map to feature Elephants.
 * GamePro has stated that Sandtrap "...has few ties to older Halo 2 maps, but its massive size recalls Relic."
 * The metal ring around Sandtrap resembles the Halo logo.
 * At E3, a map was shown on video. It was said by viewers to be called "Sand Trap" — in contrast to having been called "Shrine" before that point — and was labeled "... the largest map ever to be in Halo." The new name of Sandtrap was confirmed in the July 12 Bungie podcast.
 * The mines in the mine field resemble the heads of spike grenades.
 * Hieroglyphics can be seen inside every structure on this map.
 * Unlike other games, the UNSC Aegis Fate is not part of the "floating bitmap in the sky." If the player could fly anywhere, they would be able to actually go aboard the vessel.
 * There is a mod available where there are are two UNSC forward unto dawns spanning the entire map. It is called Boarding Action because it resembles the Halo:CE map of the same name.
 * Note that almost all vehicles at full speed (or players in custom matches where player speed is increased) can outrun the land mines surrounding the shrines. Also, note that land mines will attack the player even if in a low-flying Banshee. Driving into the minefield might be effective for losing pursuers (also note that there is NO safe place in the minefield, not even places where mines have already gone off, they will quickly re-spawn).
 * If the player manages to flip the Elephant, when approached, instead of the "Hold RB to flip [vehicle name]" message, the player will receive "Hold RB to flip... wait, what? How did you do that?"
 * You can go higher in actual gameplay in this map than you can in theater.
 * A low textured Sentinel Beam (that normally stays at the spires but will rarely follow the player inside the map) is supposedly in control of when the Mines spawn. To best see this, drive a Hornet through the minefield, staying about 10 feet off the ground. When you see an orange-yellow laser beam, quit and go to Theater. In theater, follow the laser. You will see the that the laser originates from the spire furthest away from you. The other end has been reported to set off mines, however, this does not always seem to be the case.
 * Elements of Sandtrap seems to have been inspired from the Halo 3 Campaign mission, The Ark, and the Halo 2 multiplayer maps Relic and Burial Mounds.
 * It appears that the farther out you go the deadlier the mines become, finally becoming "super-mines" when you leave the map, with one hit killing players and going off almost instantly.
 * There have been several sightings of the Ghosts on this map. They allegedly have all yellow armor and use a Spartan Laser. One sighting during an offline Team Slayer match reported that the Ghost appeared wearing full Recon armor. Sandtrap can be said to have the most variaties of ghost sightings of any map in Halo 3.
 * This is the only other map to contain an unusable Albatross dropship, the other one being Relic.
 * This multiplayer map is the second largest in Halo 3, just behind the new DLC map Avalanche.
 * In the Elephant, there is a screen near the Mongoose with description about the vehicle and the map itself.
 * Sandtrap has the highest barrier in the game allowing pilots of a Hornet or Banshee to give the player the full experience of a war game.
 * It is possible to get on the metal rim in player mode. You can even forge there, but beware, the mines can and will still come out at you, and will kill you unless you overload the map.
 * There have been reports of glitches during custom matches in which an activated Spike Grenade was seen twirling in 360 degree motion and levitating towards Aegis Fate off of the map. This scenario has been commented as a "less harmful Ghost appearance".
 * It is possible to overload the map just like you can on Snowbound with trip mines.
 * Sometimes in Juggernaut or Infection (either Forge or not) a random Mongoose will spawn and fall on the ground in front of one of the structures in front of the downed Phantom.
 * This is the map in which two players recorded a video for Youtube called the "Ghost of Sandtrap" by using a glitch to make a gun appear in the distance.
 * Near the top of one of the temples there is an apparent "Black Hole" that absorbs any explosive attack, for example, if you shoot a rocket into it, it will go through the Black Hole and not explode. This same "Black Hole" lets you see through the eyes of another player.
 * If the game types juggernaut and infection are played, one of the elephants disappears.
 * It is possible to go to the very top of the tower in normal gameplay by using the Banshee, but this is only recommended if you have a long range precision weapon, like the Sniper Rifle.