Coastal Highway/Walkthrough

This is a walkthrough for Coastal Highway. It is written for play on Legendary, with notes for lower difficulties.

Overview
For this mission you play as The Rookie. You are accompanied by Buck and Captain Dare. Your mission is to protect and extract Vergil the Engineer. If you are playing this mission straight out of the menu your starting weapons will be the SMG and Pistol. If you are playing from the campaign you will begin with whatever you finished with in the Data Hive.

Kevin Costner Ain't got Jack on Me (or, How an ODST protects, He Kills Everything Else)
From your experience in the previous mission you should recall that Vergil is extremely vulnerable. He can take several shots, but the shield is not very strong and leaving him uncovered will often result in having to start over. When you first exit the elevator bring up your ranged weapon (Pistol, Carbine, Beam Rifle). You will see a Deployable Lookout Tower with three Plasma Turrets manned by Grunts. As you approach, aim for the Grunt's head, and kill him. This provides you with a reasonable amount of cover to begin clearing the square. Looking to your left and right you will see Jackals and Grunts as well as Brutes. Use your ranged weapons and grenades to clear the Jackals and Grunts. Buck will keep the Brutes busy and also get a few kills himself. Once you've cleared the minors, move up. If your ranged weapon is empty drop it for the closest available weapon or bring up your alternate weapon. Run up to the tower, Buck will distract the enemies here, and kill the Grunts on the turret. Grab a Turret and play hit and run with the Brute Pack, and take cover when you need to recharge. While Buck has the Brutes distracted and possibly wounded, assassinate or finish them off. Once you've cleared the square load up on grenades and ammo before you head out to the elevator. Go to the elevator and hop in.

Alternate Strategy
If you don't have your weapons that you kept with you on the previous level, follow Buck. To the left is a door which is accessible, and will lead you onto a balcony with a corpse with a sniper rifle. Swap your SMG for the sniper, as you need the pistol for headshots. Let Buck take care of the Brutes and Jackals as he is invincible. Snipe one of the Brutes engaging Buck, or snipe any of the Grunts on the Lookout Tower. After dispatching them, there should be several Brutes and Grunts on the other side of the square. Use your sniper for the Brutes, and use your pistol for the Grunts. Always aim for their head whenever the opportunity arises. If you can't see an enemy use your map or VISR mode. When all enemies are clear, don't jump down; instead, there should be another hallway on the balcony. Run down it, and when you reach the exit you should come across an ammo case with a few Assault Rifles and two Rocket Launchers, with two cases of rocket ammo. If you haven't killed all enemies in the area, you can do so with the rockets. Give one to Buck, or take the ammo for yourself, as there is another Rocket Launcher later on. Continue on to the elevator, and hop on.

I Hate the Morning Commute!
Once you're up on the highway, get into the Warthog and charge ahead of the Olifant. On Legendary you will need to use the spare Warthogs most likely so keep a ready eye for alternate rides. Stay to the right side of the highway, and drive straight and fast. Your only priority in the start is to take out the Fuel Rod Grunts near the blast door. Once you've run them over, keep driving in circles until everything is dead. Do not pass the blast doors yet. Stay in the open highway area and clear everything. Once you've cleared that, take a second and swap out both of your weapons for the Fuel Rod Gun and the Rocket Launcher on the ground near the door, or give the Rocket Launcher to Buck if you already have ammo for it. Take another second and evaluate your ride. How beat up is it? If it's on fire and the wheels look like they're going to fall off, grab the Warthog near the door. This is a troop transport version, and you can give Buck the Fuel Rod Gun or Rocket Launcher and let him go nuts. He will take out far more enemies, far faster than on the turret. If you still have a good Turret Warthog though don't abandon it just yet, it will come in handy in the next section. The next section is filled with Jackals and Brutes. Drive quickly ahead of the Olifant and let Buck sweep out the enemies. Once you reach the second set of blast doors, don't go inside. Wait for the Drones to fly out and kill them in the clear. Buck is very efficient with the turret and the Rocket Launcher for this. Find a new ride and get in before entering the blast door. The next area will open and reveal a great number of Deployable Lookout Towers, but only two will have Fuel Rod Grunts. Buck and his turret/Rocket Launcher/Fuel Rod Cannon will make short work of them before they can harm the Olifant, just stay ahead of it and keep Buck's line of fire clear. A the end of this area there will be a Gauss 'Hog, but Buck will not man the turret if he still holds the Fuel Rod Gun or Rocket Launcher, so hop in the side seat and Buck will sling his Rocket Launcher and hop on the turret. Get out of the seat and heal up if you need to before driving on to the next area. Once the door opens, there will be Banshees attacking you. Move forward cautiously and let Buck handle them. Ghosts will approach from the right side of the highway, Buck's rate of fire is fairly slow but he is extremely accurate. Beware of the Ghosts as their plasma cannons can finish you off pretty quick. You should always keep ahead of the Olifant as it is very vulnerable. Drive cautiously dodging plasma mortars from the Wraith on the left, but keep a clear line of sight so Buck can shoot it and keep the focus off the Olifant. Once the Wraith is dead, move forward and clear the rest of the enemy Ghosts.

Rock, Paper, Scissor, TANK!!!
In the next blast door space there is a Scorpion tank. Before you get on it, give Buck the Rocket Launcher. There are few infantry here and Buck will be far more useful shooting unlimited rockets at enemies than in the dinky turret. Be wary though, as he is no help whatsoever against Brutes that hijack your tank. Once the doors open start shooting and killing any enemy that shows up, including an AA Wraith on the middle of the highway. Take care with the Jump Pack Brutes, who can hijack you. Once you're through this area, in the next keep as much in line with the Olifant as possible. Several Phantoms will fly by, and they will shoot and damage the Olifant. You will take some damage here, but it's worth it to keep the Olifant safe. The next area has a few of Ghosts and a few Shade turrets. Stay close to the Olifant and clear the enemies as they close in. Once you get to the part with the Scarab attacking you, stay away from the blast door, to make sure it is 100% certain you won't be fried along with the Olifant. Follow Buck's instructions and get off the highway at the off-ramp.

This isn't IHOP! Gunny, You Promised Me Pancakes!!
Get out of the tank, and jump over the barricade. Once you reach the building there will be two Grunts, melee them and start to set up. Buck should have the Rocket Launcher, leave it with him. Load up your Assault Rifle to the right outside the room that Vergil is staying in. Give Dare the Rocket launcher in the lobby for her pistol. The First Phantom will approach and drop a wave of Grunts and Brutes, kill as many Grunts as you can with the pistol, then move to one of the flanks and bring up the Assault Rifle. Dare and Buck will do a lot of damage with the heavy weapons, and if you stay out of their way you'll be able to pick off the stragglers with headshots and short bursts. Before the second wave drops, heal up and go up the stairs to either side of the lobby. Once you're up top, there are two sniper rifles, two shotguns, two machine gun turrets and a few SMGs. It is NOT recommended to go on the turret, as you'll be sticking out like a sore thumb, especially against the Hunters. The second wave will consist of Jackals (Shield and Sniper) and a pair of Hunters. Stay up top and countersnipe. There will be several Sniper Jackals at range (right or left, it changes), take them out. Don't worry about the Hunters, if they haven't seen you then they'll be futilely focused on Buck and Dare, who'll take them down in a matter of seconds with their Launchers. Grab a Beam Rifle off the ground for your pistol, and load up your Assault Rifle if you have one. Heal up if you need it, the third wave is about to drop, it is comprised mostly of Jump Brutes and a few others. Let Buck and Dare concentrate on the middle, while you stay up top and snipe them. Clear one side, then the other. When you have an opportunity, headshot the Chieftain a few times with your sniper or beam rifle. If you did it right his helmet should pop off and he'll be asking for another headshot. Once you've cleared the Jump Brutes, stay on a flank and shoot the Chieftain, he charges or dies. When he charges, Buck and Dare will easily strip his armor and distract him enough for you to get the kill shot. Once you've killed the Chieftain, mop up any remaining forces and watch the cavalry ride in. Head to the right flank onto the platform and go get some R&R...

Alternate Strategy
Once you're out of the tank, head up towards the building. Stop at the Gazebo in the center of the square and wait for Dare. Swap with her there, then run ahead and up one of the sides. You will see another staircase leading up. Go up top and you will find Sniper Rifles, grenades and two Machine Gun Turrets. Use these to clear out all enemies. Using a combination of Sniper fire and hail of lead, you shouldn't have any problems eliminating all enemies. Buck and Dare will keep the front clear, and you can run down and mop up with the Assault Rifle if you need to. Nothing will come near you until the Wraiths start to fire plasma at you. Pick off the Chieftain and they'll be killed by your teammates' approaching Phantom.

Legendary Notes

 * Vergil will not open the second set of blast doors until you have crossed the threshold of the first set. Before you advance, clear the areas and grab a new ride if you need to.
 * With the exception of fighting the Drones, Buck is far more effective with the heavy weapons than on the turrets.
 * You can always find a new ride, if you need to throw yourself between the Olifant and the enemy to distract and draw fire.
 * At the final stand, the heavier weapons you can give to both Dare and Buck, the less you have to worry about the center.
 * Stay on the flanks/raised balconies, you have better cover and good defilade to attack without major risk.
 * Don't get in the Olifant's way, it will run you over and kill you.
 * In the final battle the MA5C will provide you with a better kill ratio than the Shotgun or the SMG.
 * During the initial battle, a building on the western-most area has a Sniper Rifle. It is obtained by going into the building with the red light, and heading through the door. It is an extremely valuable weapon, and can easily take out Brutes.

Not Legendary Notes

 * Ignore light enemies and mop up after if you feel like it. Concentrate on those who heavy damage quickly (Wraiths, Brute Shots, Fuel Rod Guns)
 * Stay in your Warthog. It will protect you.
 * Buck is a little slow but accurate, if you take your time, he's more deadly than any other NPC in the game. Driving erratically will occasionally knock off his aim.
 * If Buck and Dare have heavy weapons you can almost always stay in the room with Vergil and mop up after with little risk.
 * It is possible to get a Warthog up to the last area and camp with it. Simply place a Warthog up against the off-ramp's barriers and throw a frag grenade under it. If done correctly, it should go over the barrier. Because there is an invisible barrier preventing any vehicles from entering, you will have to melee it once it's over the barriers. Buck and Dare won't enter the Warthog however, so find a good spot to camp and blast all the Covenant away. It is highly recommended to do this with a Gauss 'Hog, as it can help the player pick off enemies if they're a crack shot.