Exodus/Walkthrough

This is a walkthrough for the seventh level of Halo: Reach, Exodus. It is written for play at Heroic and Legendary difficulty.

Level Notes

 * This is the first level where you fight Jiralhanae aka Brutes. They replace Elites on this level, leading Covenant minor infantry and wielding heavy weapons. Unlike Halo 3's shielded fairly weak versions, Brutes in Reach take more after their Halo 2 incarnation, having lots of health, strong melees, and berserking to fight you at melee range. They're not nearly as broken as in Halo 2, luckily, being easier to headshot and slightly weaker, though it still takes several shots to break their helmet. Since you don't have to break their shields, the Noob Combo is useless but blamite weapons like needlers and needle rifles become very handy. Just avoid fighting them at melee range and you should be capable of dealing with them.
 * The key weapon to this area is the sniper rifle. You'll receive a lot of ammo for it, and should you position yourself right you can take out a lot of dangerous threats before they're even capable of hurting you. In total you'll have 36 shots on this mission.
 * Unlike Halo 2 and 3, berserking does not cause a Brute to sheathe his weapon. Instead he'll charge while firing it rapidly. He won't run as fast as in previous games, but if you see a Brute stop shooting and roar, focus on him.

Bodies...Bodies Everywhere
You start out at mid-health and armed with only a single M6G magnum. Don't worry about conserving ammo; there's more pistols later on and you'll be discarding it soon anyway. The area you start in has no enemies; just a bunch of dead civilians so run on ahead until you pass through the dark room with the broken door.

As you exit, you'll come to some stairs where three Skirmishers are on patrol. It's easiest to headshot when they're crossing from left to right. Hit one, and the others will shoot at you for a while before running away. It pays to kill them now, since otherwise they'll turn up later to harass you. Once they're gone, head up the stairs, where you'll find a dead trooper with a pistol. It only has a little ammo, but it's enough to recover any you lost. There is also a health pack nearby. Heal up and head into the next set of doors.

I Just Want To Hug You To Death
As you enter the doorway you will hear over the radio reports of Covenant suicide squads. There are three Grunts that will go kamikaze and rush towards you. Finish them from a distance with a quick headshot. Turn on your night vision and head to the stairs leading to the dark corridors of the city. There are two more Grunts that will try to blue ball you; one at the bottom of the stairs and one around the corner. Keep your distance and take them out same as before with a headshot from your Magnum. As you turn the corner, there is an Armor Lock you can swap out your Sprint for. You may also want to go back and pick up a Needler to collect ammo for later in the mission. Keep your Magnum handy for easy headshots. Tip: Keep an eye on your radar and listen for the suicide cries of the Grunts that rush you.

The next section is really close quarters combat. At the bottom of the next set of stairs around the corner are three more Grunts who are literally quite startled to see you. Quickly back up the stairs and repeat your tactics. A safe distance and a headshot to finish them off. If you have Armor Lock equipped, you can activate it if the Grunts get too close for comfort. Once they're dead, carefully proceed to the next area but don't go too far as there are more kamikaze Grunts ready to kill you. Lure them out by triggering them to rush you. Watch your radar and listen for their pitiful cries as they attack. Again, keep a safe distance and eliminate them quickly with a headshot. In some cases, they may trigger an explosive chain reaction that will wipe most of them out.

Once everything is quiet again carefully proceed to the next area. There is Magnum ammo near a dead marine by the elevator doors. Be careful! There is a pit of doom here with some railing missing on some of the bridges. Cross safely and head to the last area. There are multiple Grunts on the level above you and attempt to suicide rush you. You know the drill by now. Safe distance; headshot; and most likely a big chain explosion. If you didn't kill all the Skirmishers in the first encounter, they will be here to pester you. Eliminate them. When every alien is dead it's time to get back to daylight. Climb the stairs and head to the exit. There is a health pack on the wall here if you need it. If you picked up a Needler earlier, you should have a maximum of 96 rounds which is handy in the next section.

A Word Of Caution
Before you engage in the next section there is one annoying factor thrown into this mission. One of the worst game mechanics is introduced because if at anytime one of the civilians is killed by you even by accident, you die instantly. This proves to be a headache as the civilians you are trying to protect have infantile intelligence and tend to get in the way while killing aliens. Try to avoid lobbing grenades or firing any heavy artillery near them. Bottom line: Do not kill the civilians! Stand by and let the Covenant do it instead.

Brutes. Even Jackals Don't Like Them
Exit out the door and a Spirit will pop up with a pack full of Brutes. These Jiralhanae are different than the ones in Halo 3 as they have no power armor and are easier to kill than the ones in Halo 2. They are susceptible to needle based weapons and can be killed with a supercombine. They tend to berserk too and try to make a bee-line to you while firing their weapon. Headshot based weapons are good at taking down Brutes from a safe distance. Just aim for the head to pop their helmets off and finish with a shot to the dome. Never attempt to melee a Brute. Their melee attack is very powerful and on higher difficulties, deadly.

As you head left quickly go down the stairs as Brute will be occupied with a civilian. If you are quick enough you can sneak up behind him and land an assassination. Alternatively: you can use your Magnum or a Needler if you have one to kill him. As you link up with UNSC forces, kill the next Brute ahead of you as they "play" with the civilian. The Spirit will drop off three additional Brutes and another one is in the back near the food kiosk pestering another civilian. The Needler really shines in this section as it only takes 6 needles to supercombine on a non shielded target. Once they are all dead, a door will open and an additional Brute with three Skirmishers will emerge. Take them out. A well placed frag thrown at the door can yield good results as well. With all enemies in the area dead, head back the way you came and go up to the upper level. There is some Sprint you can swap out and a Sniper Rifle! You will be needing this in next area and throughout the end of the mission. Once your set, head to the atrium doors to the west.

As you enter the atrium entrance, head up the stairs to the left. There is usually one or two Grunts here. Melee them. Turn right and head into the main atrium section. There are multiple Brutes, Grunts, and Jackals in this area. They tend to move around the atrium so keep an eye out for enemies close to you. The Brutes are your main enemy to concentrate on. Eliminate them all with headshots, Needler supercombines, ect. There is also a Brute Captain on the upper tier with a Concussion Rifle. If you picked up the Sniper Rifle earlier, drill him with a headshot. There is also a DMR on the top near a planter and one near an ammo case on the bottom floor to the left you can swap out your Magnum for. Clear out all the rest of the enemy forces and head to the elevator at the back. Before pressing the button to call the elevator, take note of the weapons in the area. There is a crate with additional Needler ammo if you need it and a few Magnum rounds near by. If you didn't grab the Sniper Rifle go back and get it. Grab whatever you feel suit to kill Covenant with and activate the button.

Why Is There Only One Elevator?
After you hit the button, two Phantoms fly in to drop off reinforcements in the courtyards. The Lower courtyard consists of a pair of Brutes, some Skirmishers, and a Brute Captain wielding a Gravity Hammer. The Upper courtyard consists of an additional pair of Brutes, a group of Grunts, and another Brute Captain with a Hammer. This guide will start with the latter as you are close and have a elevation advantage over the enemies entering in the lower part of the atrium. The Sniper Rifle is key here. Note: If you are not adept to sniping you can use the DMR and the Needler to take out enemies as previously mentioned.

As the Phantom lands in the upper courtyard, take out your Sniper Rifle and wait for the pair of Brutes to get out. Drill them with a headshot. Kill the group of Grunts next with a well placed grenade or headshot them with the DMR or Magnum. Immediately switch back to your Sniper Rifle and snipe the Captain as he gets out. Once the upper courtyard is clear, move to focus on the lower courtyard invaders. Mind the Skirmishers and focus on the Brutes. Kill the Brute pair and nail the Captain with some sniper headshots. Clean up the area by eliminating all the Skirmishers and head to the elevator.