Sacred Icon (Level)

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Sacred Icon is a Halo 2 campaign level. As the Arbiter, you make your way through a wall filled with Sentinels and Flood, ending in an open-air Elite encampment, which you must defend successfully from Flood onslaught before the next level, Quarantine Zone, starts. This is the first and only level where Jackals will be your allies.

Usable Weapons

 * Battle Rifle
 * Carbine
 * Energy Sword
 * Magnum
 * Needler
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Rocket Launcher
 * Sentinel Beam
 * Shielded Plasma Cannon
 * Shotgun
 * SMG

Allies

 * Grunts (Major Grunt)
 * Jackals (Major)
 * Elites (Specops)

"Uncomfortable Silence"
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{fade in on Covenant-looking structure}

{text: Sanctum of the Hierarchs, Covenant Holy City, High Charity}

{camera pans down, we see a large hallway with rows of Honor Guards, the Arbiter walks through, close up of Arbiter}

{Arbiter watches as Brutes take Honor Guard equipment from the Elites, Brutes fight each other for choice parts, Arbiter walks through a large doorway, past Honor Guard Brutes to where Prophets Prophet of Truth and Mercy speak with Elites}

Rtas 'Vadumee: "This is unprecedented... Unacceptable."

Prophet of Truth: "A Hierarch is dead, Commander."

Rtas 'Vadumee: "His murderer was within our grasp. If you had not withdrawn our Phantoms ..."

Prophet of Truth: "Are you questioning my decision?"

Rtas 'Vadumee: "No, Holy One! I only wish to express my concern that the Brutes..."

{Truth hold up a hand for silence}

Prophet of Truth: "Recommissioning the guard was a radical step, but recent events have made it abundantly clear that the Elites can no longer guarantee our safety."

Rtas 'Vadumee: "I shall relay ... your decision ... to the Council."

''{Rtas 'Vadumee and his Elites leave. Rtas 'Vadumee nods to Arbiter, Arbiter returns the nod. Prophet of Truth speaks to the Arbiter}

Prophet of Truth: "Politics ... How tiresome. Do you know, Arbiter, the Elites have threatened to resign, quit the High Council, because of this exchange of hats?"

Arbiter: "WE have always been your protectors."

Prophet of Truth: "These are trying times ... for all of us."

Prophet of Mercy: "Even as the humans' annihilation filled us with satisfaction, the loss of one of the Sacred Rings wracked our hearts with grief."

Prophet of Truth: "Putting aside our sorrow, we renewed our faith in the prophecy that other rings would be found. And see HOW our faith has been rewarded."

{They turn to a large view screen of a Halo}

Prophet of Mercy: "Halo! Its divine wind will rush through the stars, propelling all who are worthy along the Path to salvation."

Prophet of Truth: "How to start this process? For ages, we searched for one who might unlock the secrets of the ring. An Oracle. And with your help, we found it."

{they turn toward 343 Guilty Spark, who seems to have been suspended in a gravity beam}

Prophet of Mercy: "With appropriate humility, we plied the Oracle with questions. And it, with clarity and grace, had shown us the key."

{triggers a hologram of the Index}

Prophet of Truth: "You will journey to the surface of the ring, and retrieve this Sacred Icon. With it, we shall fulfill our promise."

Prophet of Mercy: "Salvation for all!"

Prophet of Truth: "And begin the Great Journey."

''{Fade to black, fade in on Delta Halo. A Phantom flies toward the surface. Cut to Phantom interior.}''

Tartarus: "Once the shield is down, we'll head straight to the Library. I do not wish to keep the Hierarchs waiting."

{Focus on the Arbiter, zoom in as he speaks.}

Arbiter: "The human who killed the Prophet of Regret ... Who was it?"

Tartarus: "Who do you think?"

Arbiter: "The Demon is here?"

{Focus on Tartarus}

Tartarus: {Snort} "Why?" {Re-focus on Arbiter} "Looking for a little payback?"

{The Arbiter draws a Carbine and holds it}

Arbiter: "Retrieving the Icon is my only concern."

Tartarus: {laughs} "Of course."

''{Cut to exterior panoramic view of Delta Halo's Library, with the Sentinel Wall in the foreground. The Phantom flies towards the Sentinel Wall and stops over a landing. The Arbiter drops from the Phantom, which then flies off. Behind the Arbiter, an Enforcer rises up and slowly advances. The Arbiter whirls around and fires three shots from his Carbine, to little effect. Suddenly, the Enforcer is hit by a sustained burst of plasma fire and loses its right-back leg. The Phantom flies by and away, and the Enforcer chases after it}''

Tartarus: "Lower the shield, Arbiter!" {Cut to mugshot of Arbiter} "I'll pick you up when you're finished." {Fade to white, gameplay starts}

''(After you jump into the passageways moving downward, and the first room, you meet a Grunt, who greets you)

(After you enter the next room, you find a group of Grunts and Jackals fighting Sentinels. After you defeat the Sentinels and cut off any more from entering, a Grunt might speak to you)''

Grunt: "Arbiter ... our savior!" (Pause) "Stupid Jackal, say thank you!"

(If you stare at the Grunt long enough, or just wait around)

Grunt: "If hungry, eat Jackal!"

(When you move into the next room)

Tartarus: (Through your COM link) "You're getting close to one of the shield generators. Many of my Brutes have fallen attempting to take it down. Let's see if you fare better."

(When you stand near the Grunt running toward you)

Grunt: "Big scary thing! Run away! Please! Don't make me go back!"

(When you reach the Shield Generator)

Tartarus: "You've reached the power source, Arbiter."

(An Enforcer descends from above)

Tartarus: "It is useless to attack the Enforcer at the front, especially when it's shields are up. Stay in the shadows, wait until it loses interest, then strike the beast when it's back is turned."

(After you destroy the Enforcer)

Tartarus: "You've reached the power source. Overload the locks holding it in place."

(After you overload (or push them as normal to save ammo) the first three locks)

Tartarus: "One more, Arbiter."

(After you overload the last one)

Tartarus: "Release the power source. Now, find a way to remove it from it's cradle."

(Use the holopanel, the platform will then start moving and the door in front of you will open)

Chapter 2: Buyer's Remorse
(If you look up, you will see the bright-green shield surrounding the Library disappear, followed by Tartarus's Phantom flying lower towards the other side of the wall)

Tartarus: "Our path to the Library's clear. I'll pick you up on the ledge ahead."

(The door of the approaching wall opens to another Enforcer firing on the Phantom)

Tartarus: (Growls) "Blasted machines! Make your own a way through the wall, Arbiter!"

(The Phantom leaves, followed by an attack by Sentinels, Sentinel Majors and a break-out of Flood-Infected Humans)

(Once you get through the wide-opened door in the wall, you will reach a piston at the other end.)

(As you proceed through one of the hallways below, your COM link will pick up a Marine's transmission)

Marine Sergeant: (Over COM link) Proceed to the objective! We'll hold out as long as we can! (Screams painfully) Get it off me!

Marine Suppressive fire! Suppressive fire!

(After you reach the next bottom floor)

Marine Sergeant: (Over COM link) Negative ma'am! They are NOT Covenant ...



Marine: Cover that doorway!

(Once you reach the bottom of the wall)

Chapter 3: 100,000 Years War
(As soon as the doorway opens, a ship can be seen in the distance as it is shot down by Wraith Mortars and crashes farther into the Quarantine Zone)

(When you walk on the snow, pods will land in the canyon)

Elite: "Forerunners be praised! The Arbiter!"

(When you defeat the wave of Flood)

Elite: "This Quarantine Zone has been compromised. We must do what we can against the Flood. Our commander has landed further in. Let us join him."

(Once you cross the bridge and through a tunnel, you will meet the Spec Ops Commander, Rtas 'Vadumee)

Rtas 'Vadumee: "Arbiter! What are you doing here?"

(Rtas 'Vadumee is interrupted by screeches of the Flood)

Elite: "The Flood is upon us!"

Rtas 'Vadumee: "We must hold this camp until reinforcements arrive."

(When you keep fighting the Flood, a Phantom will descend from above, firing on any remaining Flood in the zone)

(Level Ends)

Normal Walk-through
You start out with a Covenant Carbine and a Plasma Pistol. If you turn to your left you'll see a pair of Needlers, I always grab them because they're good against Sentinels. You will instantly see a swarm of Constructors flying about zapping their repair beams before flying further ahead. They're harmless and you can just ignore them, though you can destroy a few if you want. Further ahead you will find a live Grunt, but he will not follow you, even if you meticulously push him down shafts and into combat. Head towards the lighted section of this room and on the left will be a piston (get used to them). Go up to it and press "X" then jump down. When you land there will be another piston, do the same thing and jump down again. Continue down the hallway, killing the sentinels and destroying the things they come out of (just shoot at them). At the end of the hall will be another piston, so repeat the process and jump down.

In the next room you'll get 2 Jackal Majors and a Grunt to fight beside. Due to a glitch you can give the Jackals Covenant Carbines. Destroy all the Sentinels and the things they come out of. At the far end of the room will be a walkway that has triangle supports. You'll see the first in-game Brute here, though its just a corpse (after Tartarus says that many of his Brutes have died fighting the Enforcers). Go down that hallway and you'll come to a room identical to the one you just came from. Once you've killed all the sentinels, there will be a piston at the far end of the room on the right side. Drop down there; the Jackals and Grunt will jump down to follow you. On entering the new room, a new scared Grunt will join up with your group, begging you not to send it back to fight the "big scary thing". Continue down the hallway, destroying sentinels and blowing up the things in the wall they come out of. If you're really concerned, make sure to run ahead and take out the sentinels and their teleporter things ahead of your troops, so your squad doesn't end up taking a lot of damage. At the end of the hallway will be yet another piston, so jump down.

You'll drop down into the shield door that's guarded by an Enforcer Sentinel. The Enforcer will usually end up killing most or all of your troops (2 Jackal Majors and 2 Grunts at this point, if you've been careful) with its barrage of artillery fire, but if you're quick enough and lucky enough sometimes your whole squad survives. Once you kill him (it will die when you unlock the plug locks first and that will make it a lot easier on Legendary) go up to anyone of the large pillars and press "X", and then do the same with the other 3. Once you do that a holographic panel will come up at the center of the thing you’re standing on. Go up to it and press "X." Take a breather and enjoy the music as the Gondola takes you to a room identical to the one you just came from.

The second chapter begins, "Buyer's Remorse". After a few moments of peaceful riding, you can see Sentinels and Flood battling ahead. At this point your troops, if they're still alive, will follow you on the gondola into the next fight. If you had time to optimize guns, take the needlers away from the Grunts and give them Plasma Rifles, as needlers aren't very effective against charging Flood. The Phantom will only stay for a little while, so you need to act quickly. The Phantom will directly engage an Enforcer hovering in the middle of a large hangar which your gondola is going to park in: lots of normal Sentinels come out of the sides as well, but there are Flood swarming behind them. Its a three-way fight, and the Sentinels might fire at you a bit but will mostly shoot at the numerous Flood, who will quickly overwhelm the outnumbered Sentinels). If you time it just right and reload many times (its right after a checkpoint) you can conceivably throw a plasma grenade at the Enforcer while its still fighting the Phantom, before the Flood appear, but this is really difficult, and mostly done so that the Enforcer's artillery barrage doesn't slaughter your troops.  You could just wait for its back to be turned and unleash a duel-needler barrage on it.  Kill as many Flood and Sentinels as you can.

If you take out the Enforcer quickly, the situation will quickly devolve into a chaotic all-out brawl between your troops, the dwindling Sentinels, and the oncoming horde of Flood. This is a protracted Flood-battle which might take a good two minutes. This is very difficult in the heat of battle, but somehow try to rip SMG's off of dead Flood, and give them to your Jackals, *ASAP*, preferably mere seconds into the fight. Your 2 Grunts are basically a write-off at this point: even assuming all of your troops survive the Enforcer's barrage and not even considering the Sentinels, the Flood will easily overwhelm any non-shielded enemies, as if an Infection Form manages to touch an unshielded enemy its basically a one-hit kill. Last time you faced the Flood in "The Oracle", your troops were Elites, who besides naturally just having more health and carrying better weapons, have shields, so the Infection Forms weren't really a big problem for them. There are simply too many Flood coming for you to focus on all of them, and the Grunts are incapable of dealing with them on their own; even if you given them Plasma Rifles, not to mention that the Combat Forms are shooting at them from multiple directions and rushing them for a close-quarters melee attack. The Jackals, however, are a different story. Jackals have their arm-shields, so they can more or less hold their own against plasma and bullet fire from the Flood. You can, due to a glitch, give Jackals Battle Rifles but in such a close-quarters battle this is ill-advised. Instead, giving the Jackals SMG's will allow them to quickly wipe out swarms of Infection Form Flood before they make contact, and the "bullet hose" will also keep the Combat Forms at bay, preventing them from making their devastating physical attack. It is thus actually possible for one or both of your Jackals to survive the entire battle if you arm them with SMG's, and they actually take some real heat off of you. Once in a blue moon, in the small time window you have for arming your Jackals with human weapons in the first few seconds of the fight, a Flood will drop a shotgun, and Jackals can be armed with shotguns, which are of course great against the Flood (documented evidence of a shotgun appearing in the same game that a Jackal is still alive, and the player successfully giving the Jackal the shotgun, is not available at this time). However, even if your SMG-armed Jackals survive, their AI won't let them follow you into the rest of the Sentinel Wall and they'll just hang around the gondola while you proceed inside (of course, you could just race ahead after engaging active camouflage and never even try to keep your troops alive, but the challenge of trying to "save" them is half the fun).

After a while, a large door will open and two Sentinels will come out. Go through the door and follow the hallway until the end where there will be a piston. Jump down. Continue down the hallway and turn right. Activate the piston and jump down. Right near the dead Human bodies there will be s Shotgun and some SMG's. I usually take the Shotgun. Continue down the Flood-infested hallway and at the end will be another piston, so press "X" and jump down.

In this massive room there will be plenty of ammo spread around, you just have to look a little. I don't even bother fighting, but you can do whatever. Turn left from the room that you dropped down from the piston and you'll find a near-identical room with some flood in it. At the end of the smaller room will be an opening into an identical, massive room. Again, there will be some ammo strewn about, so if you’re running low, quick grab some. Otherwise, jump down into the massive room and head left. You'll see a piston, so press "X" when your near to it and jump down.

The next area is very dark, and perfect for the Arbiter's camouflage. Go straight until you reach the stack of boxes, and then turn right. Keep going until you reach the end and walk on the lowered platform in the middle of the room. It's an identical hallway that you've been down before-the one with the triangle supports. It doesn't matter which way you take, but head to the end of the room like before, and go down the identical walkway. Once you're in the next room, head left and at the end of the room you'll see a piston in an alcove to the left. Press "X" and jump down, and do the same with the next piston. You'll drop down into a room like the one you were in when you started the level, except there's a piston in the middle of it. Go up to the piston and press "X" and drop down. You'll drop down into an identical room, except this one has a battle raging on. I always pick up the sword near the piston in the middle of the room before I activate the piston and drop down, but you don't have to. You'll keep falling for what seems like forever. When you stop though, there's a large door a few meters away. Walk through the door, and past the bridge. Keep going until you reach a Covenant Sniper Tower. Fight the waves of Flood with the other Elites until you've killed them all. Behind the Shielded Plasma Cannon is a small tunnel, head through that tunnel. A battle will already be going on, so help them. Keep fighting until the cutscene starts. Congratulations, you've completed Sacred Icon!

Speedrun Normal Walk-through
Alright, so Tartarus just dropped you off so that you can lower the shield surrounding the prize, the sacred icon! Now, as he said, in the cutscene, he does not want to keep the hierarchs waiting, so don't keep them waiting! Do the level really quick for him! I once finished it like this in about 6 minutes. Good luck!

Alright, so you've got a carbine and a plasma pistol. There is a container to your left with two plasma rifles. Dual-wield them in place of the plasma pistol and keep going through the piston on the next level to your left. (Get used to the piston idea). At this part, it doesn't matter. If you want speed, you can overload it with the plasma rifles, or save the battery and activate it manually. The rest of the time you have to use the plasma rifles. Go down, and through the next piston. Once down, you will go through the hall. Use the PRs to activate the next piston, as sentinels will come out. Same thing with the next hall. Now, you come to a hall with grunts and jackals fighting off sentinels. ONLY KILL THE SENTINELS IF YOU NEED TO! You'll need the ammo. Now, there's another hallway. DO the same thing. If you're running low on PR battery, there is a dead brute with a full plasma rifle up ahead. Once at the end, turn left and overload the piston. Now, you'll come to an enforcer guarding the plug locks you have to overload. IGNORE THE ENFORCER! He'll just die once you finish a task a monkey could solve. Once you've overloaded all the locks it's just a push-a-button task. Go invisible and push the button in the middle. The enforcer will just explode once you do this. Thank god that's over. Now Tartarus will just pick me up in the next landing, right. Oh noes! Another enforcer! And Tartarus is leaving me to go on my own? Tartarus, you motherf*****!!! Whatever, I didn't need you. Just kill the enforcer really fast so that you can go on without having to fight the flood and sentinels. Now, if you threw away your dual-wielded plasma rifle to use the carbine, pick it up if you can find it. Otherwise, just keep going through the tunnel that opens once you get to the top. Don't wait around in here, just run through and get in the piston. If you wait, hordes of flood will come out and kill you fairly fast. Now, once you get to the bottom, flood are your biggest problem. Just before you jump over the second half-wall, activate your camo. TIMING IS IMPORTANT! I've been killed many times when my camo wore off in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, another flood infested hallway. And what do you know, we've also got marines to play with! On your way out of the piston room, swap your carbine for the shotgun. If you have the sputnik skull, you can grenade jump out the window to your right and get to the marines first hand, this is a lot quicker. Through this hall, you want to throw grenades, preferably frag, behind you, to kill any chasing flood. While running forward through the tunnel, after about 5 seconds of running, activate your camo. There is a crap load of flood in the next room. Once your camo wears off, you should be able to fight your way through the smaller amount of flood carriers and limited combat forms. If your camo recharges while doing this, activate it o skip the carriers. go down the piston, and you're in another hall, and you'll see boxes ahead of you. Throw a grenade ahead of you to take out some flood, and fight your way through the rest. The piston will bring you down to a floor with a window to the outside where there is an enforcer helping other sentinels fight flood. Ignore them and go into the other elevated hall. Jump in and activate your active camo. Run through the flood and go to a similar hall to the right of you when you jump down, and use the PR to overload the piston. Now you drop to a room where there is no flood and just a piston in the middle of the room. Go down it to another room just like it with another piston in the same place, just with flood and sentinels. Throw a grenade to the flood on your right. There is an energy sword to the right of the piston. Swap your PR for it after you overload the piston with it. Drop down, and you're finally in open space. Run through the first area with flood and elites and go through the tunnel. Now just finish off all of the flood in this area with your shotgun and energy sword (this is what it was for) and you're halfway to the great prize, the sacred icon!

Glitches

 * In the part where you fall down one of the tubes to see the Phantom for the first time, and you land on the beam in the middle of the hole at the end. You are actually invincible, and will not take damage from any enemy regardless of their weapon or what difficulty the game is on. It is only when you jump down off your perch that you become weak again. Also, though your shields won't go down, you will take "damage" from foes until blood starts to splatter the ground, but you can't die.
 * When you hear the Marines scream on the radio, do a grenade jump (you must have the Sputnik skull) to the other side and kill the Flood; they will be enemies. It is not recommended on higher difficulties because the Marines will die as soon as you arrive.
 * In the bit where the Marine yells "Stick to the objective. We'll hold out as long as we can," then a "Get it off me" sign, when you see the first dead Marine in the level, look out the closest right window. A Marine or 2 or 3 will be overrun by about 60 infection forms. If you don't look out this window they'll be invincible till you arrive, but they'll die because the infections forms are still on them.
 * When crossing the gap after defeating the first Enforcer (right before "Buyer's Remorse"), look at the Brute corpse on the platform. It blinks every now and then.
 * During the part where you first encounter the enforcer during co-op if a Flood hits you the exact time you are hit by an Enforcer's rocket you will sometimes be sent across the map onto the top of the area you just came from. However you can not return to the area so you must restart the level

Trivia

 * The Mythic Skull is found on this level.
 * When out on one of the balconies in which Enforcers and Flood are in combat, off on the far corner of the adjacent structure is a door that is clearly miscolored to a bright green. The purpose for the door is unknown upon whether it was an error or intentionally done as a joke. Either way it is an interesting find and not difficult to see, although focusing on it is difficult as the flood and enforcers continue to attack you and each other.
 * After you are dropped off by the phantom, there are patches of flood blood near the scared grunt which indicates the flood has made it far enough to the point of escaping (before grabbing In Amber Clad).
 * If you proceed to powered-up all Absorbers without destroying the Enforcer, it (with all Sentinel Launchers and Sentinels) will self-destruct just before the door starts to open.
 * Originally, Bungie had planned for there to be an additional level after Sacred Icon called "Forerunner Tank." However, it was cut due to deadlines.
 * This is the only level in the entire Halo Trilogy to feature Piston.
 * When you hear the marines on the radio for the first time stating that they will hold the flood off, look out the window to the right of you. 3 marines will be fighting a big wave of infection forms and human combat forms. If they manage to kill all the infection forms, when you follow the path you will trigger something and the marines will drop dead. At the second place where marines argue over radio, 3 marines will drop dead after message around all the crates.
 * The weapon that fires at the phantom at the beginning of the level is a battle and plasma rifle hybrid
 * Strangely, in the place where you start at, the Jackal corpses are placed on the Grunt's blood, instead of Jackal's blood.
 * There is a hidden Marine on the level. If you can find him, he will say this line: "Ha! You think I'm crazy? Look at you and your armor! I-i-i-i I'M NOT CRAZY! I'LL SHOW YOU! I'LL SHOW THE WORLD!" Then he will simply drop to his knees and fall head-first to the ground. This may be a reference to the Crazed Marine from Halo: Combat Evolved.