Burial Mounds

Burial Mounds is a Halo 2 Multiplayer map established on Basis. After the destruction of Installation 04, Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction used it as a base.

Universe and lore
During the Battle of Installation 04, Alpha Halo was destroyed by John-117. Following the ring's destruction, wreckage of the Forerunner installation would rain down on the moon of Basis. Chunks, varying in size from gigantic landscapes to small scraps of metal, of the installation are raining down on the surface of the moon Basis. Two huge chunks of twisted metal dominate the horizon already, and flaming fragments enter the atmosphere frequently.

Overview
The map is ideal for 4v4 and the most popular gametype is Team Snipers, though the map is also ideal for One Flag and Assault.

Strategies

 * The tunnel near the bridge (over the gully) is useful as a sniper cover spot. Since it also spawns the rocket launcher, it's a good place to camp with a sniper/BR and rocket launcher, so that you can destroy any threatening vehicles and take out the enemy from a distance. In sniper exclusive games, however, this strategy fails.
 * The ribs are tremendously popular in sniper games- avoid them (or not, depending on your skill level) as often as possible. It's usually better to keep distance.
 * The earth ramps that go up near the gully are sometimes used as a lockdown for team battles. They will simply sit in the tunnel, gully, and hills, and wait for enemies to get within battle rifle range. This is incredibly painful for the other team in most cases, as snipers will take up defensive positions in the rocky knolls near the ribs, and simply snipe anyone that breaches the 'fort'.
 * The dark area near the ribs is a good sniper cover, as it's often ignored because of its lighting.
 * Burial Mounds is a large map. However, there is plenty of cover in the generators, rocks near the ribs, the rocks near the gully, the gully itself, and the back path near the defensive base. Use this variety of cover to be unpredictable. If you're predictable, you will usually be killed.

The Gully
The gully runs along a side of the map, with the offensive base at one end. Many boulders lie inside, making for many hiding/cover areas. A bridge spans the gully in the middle, and a rocket launcher has a default spawn on top of the bridge. Towards the back of the gully near the base, chunks of the Halo form a shadowed area where a beam rifle can be found. A Warthog spawns near the base.

The Ribs
Metal walls form over this area to what would look like a rib section of the map. It provides good cover from the turrets of the defensive base.

The Cave
This cave along the back of the map has two entrances on the back wall. An Energy Sword can be found in the middle of the cave. The cave provides a good hideout from the other players, and also serves as a camping spot.

The Center
The center of this map is mostly bare, except for a pillar of burning metal. A Ghost is usually found at the base of this pillar.

The Defensive Base
This base has three walls and a bridge to the front of the map. There are two windows; one large window opens to the center, and the higher window overlooks the Gully. It has two Gun Turret placements on each window. A sniper rifle is at the back of the bridge.

Production notes
Burial Mounds is based on the now-cut campaign level referred to in development as "alphamoon". In early drafts of Halo 2's story, alphamoon would have taken place of what would later be revised into The Arbiter/The Oracle - featuring Thel 'Vadamee being deployed onto the surface of Basis to assault the Heretic camp on the moon, with the Heretic leader being holed up in the wreckage of Installation 04's control room. This level was ultimately scrapped, but the basis for the mission would be picked up by Halo 2 multiplayer lead Max Hoberman.

The first layout for Burial Mounds (see below) predates Zanzibar, Standoff and Timberland. The map design was ultimately scrapped due to its size, as Max Hoberman and Chris Carney were the only developers available to work on it, and the layout was redesigned. This early revision features several elements intended for the alphamoon mission such as Installation 04's control room.

After the Halo 2 media blackout that occurred in 2003, Burial Mounds was the first Multiplayer level to be shown in the form of a screenshot on Bungie.net on January 30, 2004.

Glitches

 * There is a way to get out of Burial Mounds. You need two players. One needs to be wielding a weapon without a scope, the other needs to be driving a Warthog. Position the first player near the beam rifle spawn, where there is a small corner. Make the Warthog barrel towards the first player while he is walking backwards. This should send him flying up onto a platform. Jump on the rocks at the edge to get to the Largest rock. Out near the corner, there should be a point. Zoom in on an unscoped weapon and start to walk towards it. When you hear your feet stop, walk to the right to be out of the map.
 * This glitch is also known as the Hologram Glitch. To find this glitch in Burial Mounds, you must be equipped with a rocket launcher as the primary weapon, or it can be found on the bridge over the gully in the middle of the map. Wraiths must also be on the map, it also requires two players. One of the players must stand on the front side of the rock column by the ghost respawn point where the rock slants inward. There should also be a plasma pistol near the base move a little to the right and turn around, so you are not facing the rock. The second player should get in a Wraith and drive towards the first player standing by the rock column. Right before you ram the first player, boost using L with the Wraith, and you should push the first player through the rock and out of the map. While falling down the player should hit a beige sphere, this beige sphere is known as a skybox. Have the second player in the Wraith look up, and the dead giant figure of the Master Chief should be lying on top of the map with his weapons.
 * In the launch of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Burial Mounds' loading screen used the map description for Halo 3's map Last Resort.

Miscellaneous

 * A different approach is taken on its appearance in the Red vs Blue series where, on the director's commentary, they call Burial Mounds a "melted version of Sidewinder." The general horseshoe shape of Sidewinder can be discerned in Burial Mounds.
 * One piece of debris in the map resembles the central structure in the level the Silent Cartographer in Halo: Combat Evolved where Master Chief encounters the first Hunter pair.