The Flood (level)

The Flood is the ninth campaign level of Halo Wars.

As Spartan Red Team tries to locate Professor Anders' signal, their Warthog is destroyed in a crash, leaving them separated from the main UNSC force. Under orders from Captain Cutter, Sergeant John Forge mounts a force to assist the Spartans from a nearby UNSC base. Soon, however, the UNSC forces encounter Flood colonies scattered about the landscape, and a Flood Proto-Gravemind. Serina informs the UNSC forces that the Proto-Gravemind may be the reason they are unable to get a fix on Anders' signal, and all UNSC ground forces are rerouted to destroy it.

Plot
Following Professor Ellen Anders' transponder signal, Spartan Red Team crashes their Warthog about a hundred yards from the signal, near several Flood colonies and a Proto-Gravemind. After the crash, Captain James Cutter contacts Sergeant John Forge at a nearby firebase and orders him to rendezvous with Red Team and to find Anders. After building up his forces, Forge leads an assault to link up with Red Team, only for the transponder signal to stop broadcasting as it was being duplicated by the Proto-Gravemind to trick the UNSC forces. Together, Red Team and Forge's forces kill the Proto-Gravemind.

With the Proto-Gravemind dead, Serina is able to detect Anders' real signal to the east of the UNSC position.

Transcript
{In-Game Cutscene}

Red Team's Warthog is moving at high speed, with its turret firing at enemies around it.


 * Jerome-092 (COM): "Spirit of Fire, this is Red Team. We are 100 meters from Ander's transponder signal... Meeting strong resistance. Seein' some pretty crazy stuff out here, over."

''The Warthog drives over a small hill and crashes, forcing the Spartans to continue on foot. Countless Flood structures and forms stands in front of them.''


 * Captain James Gregory Cutter: "Hold your position, Red Team. Reinforcements will come to you."

{Gameplay}


 * Cutter: "Sergeant Forge, rendezvous with Red Team and find Anders, but be careful: we don't know what these things are capable of."


 * Serina: "I've received Red Team's coordinates. I've marked it on your map."

After 10 minutes:


 * Jerome-092 (COM): "Spirit of Fire, getting a little hairy here, sir. Where's that backup?"

The UNSC forces advance to Red Team's position, encountering and destroying the first Flood colony.


 * Jerome-092 (COM): "Not sure what just happened, but the large one just shook like it was hurt."


 * Serina: "Yes - when the colony was destroyed, I registered the large creature weakening."


 * Jerome-092 (COM): "We noticed a few colony creatures on the way in. We can weaken the big one by taking them out first. Uploading coordinates."

''All five locations of the Flood colonies are shown on the minimap. The second Flood colony is destroyed.''


 * Serina: "Keep killing those things. The big one is even weaker!"

After some time, however, one of the destroyed Flood colony has regenerated.


 * Serina: "One of the colonies has regenerated and the large creature has gained strength."


 * Marine #1 (COM): "Regenerated? Why can't these things just stay dead when I kill them?"

The UNSC forces move near Red Team.


 * Jerome-092 (COM): "About time you guys showed up!"


 * Serina: "I've lost Anders' transponder - could the creature be jamming the signal?"

The UNSC forces assaults the Proto-Gravemind, killing it.

{In-Game Cutscene}

The Proto-Gravemind collapses as the liquid inside spill out.


 * Marine #2 (COM): "Yay, all of the creatures are dying!"


 * Captain Cutter: "Serina, report. What's going on here?"


 * Serina: "Captain, as soon as that creature died, I picked up a new signal just east of here."

Level ends.

Trivia

 * The Warthog that Red Team are driving in the opening cutscene differs from the normal model, it has a much darker color and is wider. This could be a special model made for the Spartans, as they are much heavier. It also has additional storage boxes/pockets attached to the sides, which have never been seen before on any other Warthog.
 * At the start of the level, when Red Team is riding their Warthog, one of the Spartans (most likely Jerome-092) is shooting a sniper rifle, but once the Warthog flips, all three Spartans have their normal weapons (Alice - turret, Douglas - rocket launcher, and Jerome - Spartan Laser).
 * This is not the first level to feature a Proto-Gravemind, which is referred to as the "Flood Boss", as one was featured in the level Keyes from Halo: Combat Evolved, but it is chronologically. It is also the first level in which the player must destroy one.
 * This is the only campaign level that includes the individual buildings build site, which is already occupied by supply pads. If the player recycles them, the site will be lost. These supply pads can be upgraded and enable the player to avoid having to build supply pads in their base unless they so choose.
 * The Elephants from the previous level remain present around the player's base. The player can use them to train infantry units in lieu of building a barracks in their base.
 * While a Marine cheers "Yay, all the creatures are dying!" when the Proto-Gravemind is killed, the subtitles report that he instead asks Serina what is going on.