Outskirts (Level)

Outskirts is a Halo 2 campaign level. As the Master Chief, you must battle your way through the streets of Old Mombasa to reach the beach. From there you head to a highway tunnel, which leads to the next level, Metropolis. This is the first level in which you will encounter Jackals, Hunters, Phantoms, and Sniper Jackals. As well as the first Halo 2 level in which you can drive vehicles.

UNSC

 * M6C Magnum Sidearm
 * M7/Caseless Sub-Machine Gun
 * BR55 Battle Rifle
 * SRS99C-S2 AMB Sniper Rifle
 * M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher
 * M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun
 * M9 HE-DP Fragmentation Grenade

Covenant

 * Scarab Gun
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Needler
 * Beam Rifle
 * Energy Sword
 * Plasma Turret
 * Plasma Grenade

Drivable Vehicles

 * Ghost
 * M12 LRV Warthog

Part 01: Outskirts
J7ZzYQbIZ_M (Three Pelicans rocket away from In Amber Clad, jet engines thundering, and spear out towards New Mombasa. The Assault Carrier hovers high over the city, Gravity Lift engaged.)

Cortana (O.S.): The message just repeats. 'Regret, Regret, Regret.'

(The Master Chief watches from the stern of a Pelican as the clouds roll by below.)

Commander Keyes (O.S.): Catchy. Any idea what it means?

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): (as the dropships approach the outskirts of Mombasa, passing over a convoy of Warthogs) Dear Humanity ... we regret being alien bastards. We regret coming to Earth.

(Inside the cockpit of the Pelican, Johnson leans against the bulkhead behind the two pilots.)

Sergeant Johnson: And we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!

Pilots (in unison): Hoo-rah!

Cortana (O.S.): Regret is a name, Sergeant. The name of one of the Covenant's religious leaders. A Prophet. He's on that carrier, and he's calling for help.

(A Marine sniper/spotter team lies prone on a rooftop, and the Pelicans pass over their position.)

Marine (O.S.): Immediate; Grid kilo two-three is hot. Recommend mission abort.

Pilot (O.S.): Roger, recon. (To Sergeant Johnson) It's your call, Sergeant.

Sergeant Johnson: We're going in. Get tactical, Marines!

Lord Hood (O.S.): Master Chief, get aboard that carrier, and secure the Prophet of Regret. This is the only place on Earth the Covenant decided to land. That Prophet is going to tell us why.

Pilot: Thirty seconds out... stand by to... whoa...

(The pilot goes silent as a huge walking tank comes into view. Its leg spears a truck which explodes, then its main gun focuses and fires, hitting the lead Pelican. The two other Pelicans veer off, Plasma Turrets on the tank's back tracking them. The lead Pelican flips inverted, hits a building, and slides through a low brick wall, before blacking out the frame.)

(Your view is blurry.)

Cortana:
 * (Easy) You all right Chief?
 * (Normal)(*Fakes tapping helmet*) Hey, wake up.
 * (Heroic) Talk to me, should I start CPR? What's going on?
 * (Legendary) Blink if you can hear me.

Sergeant Johnson: Shake it off, Marines. Clear the crash site. Go, go, go!

Part 02: They'll Regret That Too
(As you arrive at a bombed-out building and a firefight breaks out)

Marine 2: Secure this area! / Dig in fella's! / For now, this is home. (varies)

Marine: Hoo-rah!

Sergeant Johnson: If they didn't know we're here before, they do now.

Sergeant Johnson: Yep. Here they come! Up high!

Sergeant Johnson: I don't wanna kill ya, you're just too ugly to let live!

{After the first wave of Covenant forces are killed}

Sergeant Johnson: More on the street! Left side!

{After the second wave of Covenant are killed}

(Jackals come around a corner)

Sergeant Johnson: We got Jackals in the courtyard!

(Later, A group of Drones flies into view)

Sergeant Johnson: Buggers, headin' over the rooftops!

{Another wave of Covenant attack}

Sergeant Johnson: Across the street! Down low!

(Later, The sound of Phantom engines drifts over the rooftop)

Sergeant Johnson: Eyes up! Phantom's back!

(Later, another Pelican arrives, hovering over the courtyard)

Pilot 2 (O.S.): My girl's a little big for that courtyard, Sergeant. I see a good LZ on the other side of these buildings. Meet you there, over.

Sergeant Johnson: Copy that. Someone get a satchel on the gate!

(A pair of Hunters breaks through the gate)

Cortana: Hunters.

Sergeant Johnson: Stand back, Marines. Let the Chief show you how it's done.

(Once the Hunters are down)

Cortana (O.S.): Second squad, this is Cortana. What's your status, over?

Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker (O.S.): We're operational Ma'am, barely. Our pilots didn't make it.

Cortana (O.S.): Find a hole, stay put. We'll come to you.

(When you reach the second courtyard and kill a Jackal sniper)

Marine: The only thing worse than Jackals ... Jackals with sniper rifles!

(When you reach the far courtyard, a third Pelican drops off Marines.)

Commander Keyes (O.S.): Sergeant, I need you on that bird.

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): Ma'am?

Commander Keyes (O.S.): My Pelicans are going to start airlifting armor and reinforcements into the city. They'll need an escort that isn't afraid of a little hostile ground fire.

Sergeant Johnson (O.S.): Understood. I'll keep an eye on 'em. Chief ... good luck.

(Sergeant Johnson climbs aboard the Pelican and dusts off)

(Once you reach the second squad's position)

Sergeant Stacker : Chief! Glad you could make it. Crash site's on the other side of this hotel, Chief. Covenant are crawling all over it. Follow me.

(As you move into the darkened hotel)

Sergeant Stacker : Stay outta sight.

(A Marine pulls up in a Warthog, honking the horn)

Marine 3: Special Delivery from Commander Keyes, Chief.

Cortana (O.S.): The highest concentration of Covenant ground troops is directly below the carrier. I don't think they want you to get on board.

Cortana (O.S.): That bridge is the most direct route to the city center.

Part 03: A Day at the Beach
If you took the Warthog:

Marine 3 (Rider): Oh man, I love the beach...

Marine 2 (Gunner): I hope you packed a suit, mate!

Cortana (O.S.): Cut the chatter... we got trouble.

{Taking the Ghost will skip the part above)

(As you negotiate the beach)

Commander Keyes (O.S.): Chief ... the carrier just launched a wave of pods. They're inbound on your position!

(Covenant Orbital Insertion Pods slam down on the beach all around you, and armed Elites spring from them)

Cortana: This tunnel leads up to the bridge. It's full of rats if you know what I mean, but it beats swimming.

(As you move into the highway tunnel)

Cortana: I've been analyzing the Covenant tactical chatter. They're surprised, confused... I don't think they expected us to be here. Not... you and me...all of us... humanity, on Earth. Odd, I know, but it does help explain why they came here with such a small fleet.

Part 04: Speed Zone Ahead
(When you come across a group of Shadows in the tunnels)

Cortana: The Covenant must be trying to regroup. Don't let them.

(Once you approach the exit of the tunnel, the level transitions)

Normal Walkthrough
Primary Objective: Rally scattered Marines and clear hostiles from the Old City.

Mission Briefing: Master Chief, secure the Landing Zone. Conquer the building and defend it against attackers until a Pelican can reach you. Clear the landing zone and start searching for the Marines from the second downed pelican.

Normal Walkthrough:

Starting Weapons: M7 Caseless Submachine Gun BR55 Battle Rifle

Part 1: “They’ll Regret That Too”

You begin this mission by waking up to Cortana’s voice. Once you can move, follow Sergeant Johnson’s advice and secure the crash site. You can swap your BR55 Battle Rifle or M7 Caseless Submachine Gun for Sergeant Johnson’s S2 AM Sniper Rifle if you wish. Note however that he is immortal and always has infinite ammo. Whatever you do, head for the doorway next.

As you leave the landing zone, a single Grunt will approach you, whack him before he can alert his friends near the building on the other side of the courtyard. As you charge across the courtyard you will see a small group of Grunts and Jackals. Take them out with a quick grenade and some rifle shots.

You can jump onto the truck to your right to get to the upper level of the building. There's an Elite and some Grunts in the atrium of the ruin. Flank them while your Marines distract them. You might want to check out the ammo supply by the steps in the western part of the building.

After you've defeated the local Covenant force, you'll get a new Mission Objective. You need to defend the building from attacks until the Pelican arrives. Pay attention to Johnson's audio cues in the next part as they'll help you target and dispatch foes quickly and effectively.


 * “Here they come. Up high!”

An Elite appears on the roof of the building on the other side of the street. The rest come through the two smaller lanes uner it. (On higher difficulty levels, Jackal snipers appear as well and can kill you with one shot.)


 * “More on the Street. Left Side.”

A Lance of Grunts and Elites will come around the corner of a building further up the street.


 * “New Contact.” or “Across the Street, down low.”

Grunts and Elites will emerge from the two small alleys.


 * “We got Jackals in the Courtyard!”

Jackals and at least one Elite will appear in alleyway leading from the crash site to the courtyard. A well aimed grenade should do the trick. You can also use the machinegun mounted on the second floor.

“Buggers, heading in over the rooftops”

A swarm of Drones will fly in over the buildings. The machinegun works wonders here.

After several waves, an enemy Phantom will make an appearance. Take cover inside to evade its fire. (Or destroy the guns with your machinegun.) After it's done deploying troops, greet them with grenades. Take care of the last patrol, wandering into the courtyard through the alleyway leading to the crash site, and a Pelican should appear.

The pilot will tell you the courtyard's too small and announces its intention to land on the other side of the buildings. After the Pelican flies away two Hunters will break through the metal gates. The easiest way of disposing them would be the machinegun. However, if you prefer you can just as well engage in a good old fashioned melee. Man against monster. Do note that it's now much harder to kill a Hunter by shooting its back than it was in Halo: CE. If you go for the machinegun, take cover when the Hunter's weapons start to glow.

On the other side of the designated landing zone, Jackals await - and they have a sniper among their numbers. you'll find a welcome ammo supply in a niche and you'll discover a handy Sniper Rifle on the level above it. just jump on the boxes to reach it. You can take the jackals out with some grenades but your first priority should always be the sniper. Never underestimate them as not even the Master Chief can survive two well-aimed shots from a Beam Rifle.

At this point a Pelican picks up Sargeant Johnson, looks like you're on your own again.

The so-called "Sniper Alley" lies behind the next corner, and you'll soon appreciate the aptness of its name. Peer carefully around the corner and shoot the Jackal in the middle of the road. The Sniper Rifle would do well here in taking out the Jackals down the end of the road as well as those on the rooftops. There's an explosive barrel midway which, if blown up, helps greatly. In total there are six snipers; the one in the middle of the road, two in the ruins at the end of the street, one in the middle near the barrel and the remaining two can be found on the rooftops on either side of the alley. Be prepared to deal with a swarm of Drones as you move further down the alley. On higher difficulty levels (e.g. Heroic and Legendary), to make matters worse, there's a Stealth Elite wandering around as well. be careful and take it slow. If you feel like being surrounded, take cover and let your shields recharge. Unless you're playing on Legendary this part shouldn't be such a problem. Providing you always take out the snipers first.

To the left, you'll find a new alley with, Lord behold, even more Jackals as well as two more Snipers. One of them at the back of the alley and one in the small overpass. Make sure to deal with them. A small alley that branches off to the left will lead you to an ammo cach with a Jackal sniper. If you continue down the alley you'll be greeted by a three different groups of Grunts, each led by an Elite. Dispatch of them as you see fit and watch out for the Jackal sniper on the rooftop to the left.

Once you're done, you can either go around the building, left or right, or you can jump on top of the green crate and jump from there on the roof to your right. There's a hole you can slip through. You'll emerge behind two Grunts. Whack them in the back and use your elevated position to slaughter the nasty aliens that threaten your Marine allies.

Head towards the back of the hotel. After the loading message is done, throw a grenade towards the exit. You should be able to hit a group consisting of some Grunts and two Elites. Paste the walls with whoever escaped the blast. Once they're out of the way a Phantom will come to drop off reinforcements. If you still have your sniper rifle you can take out the enemy tangos from afar. If not, deal with them however you see fit.

After you've sent them to wherever aliens go in the afterlife, a Warthog will pull up nearby. Take whatever position you like. Or alternatively, hijack one of the Ghosts pursueing the Hog.

Part 2: A Day at the Beach.

(Note: You don't actually have to do this next part. If you want you can just get a Ghost or Hog, pedal to the metal and drive all the way to the highway tunnel. Theoretically you don't have to kill a single opponent after the Hunters to finish the level successfully. This is referred to as the "Path of Shame", as opposed to the "Path of Valor" that you follow by achieving every specified objective.)

Whatever you choose, head out to the beach when you're done. You'll notice a crashed Pelican to your right. Sometimes it'll be guarded by some Covenant while on other occasions there won't be an enemy in sight. From here you, drive down the beach past the first ramp. If you still have some sniper amo left you can take out the snipers past the ramp. If not, drive in and let your passengers take care of them. You have to clear all enemies around the huge AA gun on the beach. (Though it isn't actually mandatory, so you can skip if you wish.) After the first gun you'll find yourself breaking through a barrier, only to end up on another beach, with yet another gun.

Repeat and cleanse the area of hostiles. Once you're on the beach itself and have destroyed most of the occupying force, a Phantom will come help out your besieged enemies. He'll drop off a couple of Ghosts as wall as provide covering fire with its own guns. After a while he'll fly away to the next beach and the next objective.

Once done, clear the ramp and you'll end up ojn the last beach before you get to the tunnel. Ghosts are hammering you Marine buddies while the Phantom once again provides covering fire. On top of the little building to your immediate left, you'll find not only a Sniper Rifle, but also a brand new Rocket Launcher. Time to play!

Dispatch of the Ghosts and the Phantom's guns. You can use your Sniper Rifle to take out the Jackal Sniper in the floating watchtower. Be wary of the Elites dropping in. Occasionally they'll try and attack you in the back by getting up on the roof. After you've annihilated them, you're free to walk towards the tunnel. Or so you thought. Once more Elites drop in to prevent you from doing so. And instantaneously Ghosts will appear as if from nowhere. Your Sniper Rifle and Rocket Launcher should suffice.

The tunnel is very long and a Ghost or Warthog are definitely recommended. Follow it until you reach the exit, occasionally driving into a parallel tunnel. The Covenant have constructed makeshift barricades, which you can either destroy or simply drive right past. Be wary of Drones hijacking your vehicle. They can't force you out but will inflict some serious damage. At a certain point you'll encounter a convoy of three Shadows. Destroy them. In the last hall before the end of the tunnel the Covenant have set-up the most challenging barricade of all. But it shouldn't be a real problem. A couple of Ghosts, a Shadow and two stationary turrets will make a last attempt to stop you. Convince them otherwise or simply drive past the Shadow - and finish the level.

Speed Run Walkthrough
Note: This walkthrough require correct Grenade Jumping, precision in everything and... speed. This walkthrough is based on the current fastest Speed Run at High Speed Halo, Fully_Synthetic and Chad's 4:43 Legendary Co-Op run, with a bit of minor editing as I personally deem fit to allow for Single-Player use. It may be altered when faster runs emerge on the web.

Start moving towards the doorway. Jump onto the lamp in front, then onto the awning to the left. Turn back towards the hole you jumped up from and jump towards the pathway there. Throw a Frag Grenade as you fall and immediately jump again as you land so that you make use of the grenade's force in a Grenade Jump. Jump across the chasm to the building opposite. Throw a Frag Grenade at the wall of the building as you reach the top of the small slope and turn towards the building to the left, jumping as you reach the edge. Follow the path and jump down to the next area, then jump onto the pointed roof, then over the parapet. Follow the path in a straight line over to the next building, jumping as necessary. Throw a Frag Grenade shortly before you reach the small parapet and jump as you hit the parapet, letting the grenade blow you onto the next building. Continue walking in a straight line until you see the sign for Hotel Zanzibar. Jump over the gap between the building you are currently on and the next one, then head for the hotel and drop down. Go in and throw your currently last Frag Grenade at the Covenant in the hall, then hide to the left. Rush out and charge past the survivors, heading down to the beach. If you've been going fast enough, you should hear Miranda say "Sergeant, I need you on that bird" as you near a parked van. Find the crashed Pelican and the Ghost near it, then board it. "A Day At The Beach" will appear as you do so, as will a checkpoint.

Boost the Ghost past all resistance and head into the highway tunnel. You will get a checkpoint as you near the first turn. Once "Speed Zone Ahead" appears, get out of the Ghost and commandeer the Warthog that appears. Charge past the resistance. You will get a checkpoint as you pass the first group of Covenant, then a second near the little ramp.

Single-Player Speed Run Walkthrough
Single-Player Speed Run Walkthrough done by Epeu

Note: The Sputnik skull is required for this run. This works on all difficulties.

When the level starts, turn slightly right and head for the firey, dirt area. Once you enter it, turn left and grenade jump onto the ledge. Turn right and jump onto the next building. Throw a grenade where the next building begins and jump. The grenade will propel you up onto the building. Turn slightly left and jump onto the gray square with the empty middle. Jump onto the bridge, and grenade jump onto the next building. Jump down to Hotel Zanzibar, and avoid the Major Elite with the Plasma Cannon. Proceed down the hall in the hotel and throw a grenade when you reach the end. Use your SMG to take out what the grenade didn't.

A Phantom should drop an Elite or two and a few Grunts onto the far end of the bridge. I recommend switching to your BR and sniping them out, although you could go in and whack them all. If you want to make a no-shot speedrun, you could just whack everybody where I told you to use the SMG, and whack everybody that the Phantom drops. After they're all gone, a Warthog will drive down the road under you. Jump down and get into the driver's seat. Let the other Marine get into the Passenger's seat, and A Day at the Beach should begin. Avoid the crashed Pelican and ride over the "bridge". Avoid the large messy battle and turn left at the end of the beach. Don't mind the Grunt and Elites waiting for you there. Turn down the hall and avoid the next large messy battle by driving across the beach and over the next "bridge".

Avoid the last large messy battle and turn left to enter the tunnel (the next part will begin here). Turn right and zoom through the tunnels, making the appropriate turns. I don't stop during the battles so my Marins can take them out. Go ahead and to that if you want to, but it will take a while. The Shadows will make no big threat to you even on Legendary as long as you just drive past them.

At the end of this part, just drive up the ramp and you're done.

Weapons Caches

 * The first one is on the second storey of the main structure in the first plaza. Get on the second story and check under the stairs. It contains a BR and Sniper ammo, a Magnum, and (interestingly) two SMGs that have a total of 430 rounds (80 rounds more than usual).
 * Another on is found after you encounter the Hunters. Go through the doors and you'll reach two crates stacked on top of each other. Jump on top and turn right. You should see some bodies. Go towards them and you should see the ammo. There will be two dead Grunts, a Jackal and two dead Marines. There will be three Frag grenades, two fully loaded Plasma Pistols, a Sniper Rifle and two clips plus one Magnum.
 * Another is very close to the above cache. When up by the bodies you should see a broken street light. Jump between it and the wall to get the ammo.
 * If you go to the building with the two Jackals on the bottom floor there are several Sniper Rifle clips as well as a sniper rifle.
 * A Sniper rifle cache is found in a balcony. It contains four or five boxes of ammo and a sniper rifle. This balcony also has the IWHBYD Skull when you trigger the events on Legendary.
 * Another is on the rooftops, if you go along the rooftops next to the sniper alley, you should find a house with a corner blown off. There is an energy sword inside.
 * The last one is in the third beach area, in the open area building. If you park on the right side there is a ramp that leads up to the top floor. Here is the only Rocket Launcher in this level, plus a sniper rifle, BR ammo, and Sniper ammo. On the bottom floor is two Rocket ammo boxes. This area is useful for both sniping the Elites the come out of the droppods and destroying the many Ghosts that come at you.

Base Defense
In the first part of the level, when you must defend the Marines until help arrives, try to defend your base a bit properly. In this case, your "Base" will be the large building in the center of this courtyard. This building was probably a small open area park of some sort. There are three levels and an atrium, with a tree taking up most of the space in the atrium.

A flight of stairs leads up to the second level, which is basically a large balcony (very vulnerable to Snipers) that has an MG turret in the center, with a separate stairwell leading up to the third level. Sgt. Johnson will take up position here, sniping any enemies he notices. The Marines will usually stay with you on the second level, but one might stray down to the courtyard and side street.

For your convenience, there are three ammo caches for you to feast upon. The first one is on the ground level, right in that little room in the doorway. There will be SMG and BR ammo. The 2nd and 3rd cache are on the 2nd level, one under the stairwell leading to the 3rd floor. This cache contains BR, SMG, and Sniper Rifle ammo, plus a Magnum. The third is situated in the center of the balcony, surrounding the Machine Gun turret. There are also some Frag Grenades in the courtyard.

The MG turret will be very useful in upcoming fights, but its firing path is only centered on the main courtyard. Keep that in mind.

On the right side of the balcony (facing outwards) there is a large hole you can drop through.

The 3rd level consists mostly of a glass sunroof that will break if you try and walk across it.

The ground floor's main entrance has no door to close, making it vulnerable to infiltration. Keep your enemies at bay with the MG to solve this problem.

There are many ways to get on and off and into your little fort. Two effective ways are the white and brown trucks that are around the side streets. Jump onto these trucks, and from there you can get to the balcony.

There are many crates in the courtyard for your enemies to hide behind. Try to take out them out before they can find cover.

Base defense tends to be a more effective tactic on Heroic and Legendary difficulty levels as it gives you a good fall back position and hiding spot to regenerate you shields. When playing on Normal or Easy you will probably find yourself on the street more often than not, retreating to the base occasionally to use the turret.

Trivia
The "Outskirts" cutscene shows the Master Chief's Pelican being the only one hit, while the other two are being tracked by the Scarab's turrets, but the "Another Day at the Beach" sidestory shows the ODST's Pelican being the only one hit. The "Outskirts" cutscene would be considered most "canon," because it was featured in the game.
 * [[Image:Pelican_Damage_Comparisons.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The two cutscenes *featuring different damaged Pelicans.]]
 * Being a civilian area, Outskirts shows the player much of the culture of the 26th Century.
 * This is one of only two maps in the Halo 2 Campaign that features ladders.
 * The Blind and I Would Have Been Your Daddy Skulls are found on this level.
 * On this level, the female marine in the tunnel is voiced by Laura Prepon who is best know for her work as Donna on That 70's Show.
 * It is actually possible to finish the entire level without ever having to reload your BR, a couple of grenades, and with more than half sword energy. Just head out of the crash site and IMMEDIATELY get up on the roofs. Hop from roof to roof until you reach the sword, switch your SMG for the Sword and continue along the roofline until you're a building or two away from the Hotel. Jump down, melee the grunts, sword the Elite. Run through the hotel. Throw a Grenade after the loading message disappears and shoot/melee any survivors. Head outside, jump down onto the beach and throw a grenade under the Pelican to weaken the two Jackals and one Elite. Melee them, jump on the ghost and go.
 * A good way to finish the first part on harder difficulties is to give Johnson a strong weapon and let him do all the fighting. It may take some time but you'll last a lot longer. He's indeed very skilled with the Battle Rifle.
 * A glitch has been found in this level. If you give Johnson a Particle Beam rifle, he'll sometimes use it like he does in the final level.  It has only been seen a few times and is very helpful.

Related Articles
Suicide Jackal