Mission 2 - Crow's Nest

Know Your Role...

Objective: Secure perimeter defenses

Proceed down the staircase through the hallway, and a soldier will open the door for you. Head outside, up the stairwell towards the hangar, following your troops. Now open the steel door by pressing the RB button on the control panel left of the door. Continue through the next open door, towards the main hangar, and open another door towards your objective.
Objective: Neutralize hostiles in the hangar

To the left of the exit will be an encounter with Grunts and Jackals. Continue forward towards the oil tanker truck and defeat the Brutes in the doorway and continue forward.

Use the scope on the Battle Rifle, and shoot the Jackals at the end of the hall while your squad cleans up the rest of the Covenant forces. Proceed down the hallway, and take a left through the open door. There will be a small room with doors to the left and right.

We recommend that you go through the door on the left, since it not only provides more options for cover from the forces inside the hangar, but also gives you a nice advantage point on the stairwell the Grunts use to get to your position.

Once you've killed the initial Covenant forces, or when the dropship retreats (whichever comes first), make your way to the right side of the hangar and use the Turret. Detach it and carry the Turret to the hangar deck, using it on the remaining enemy forces.

Another dropship will arrive to provide you with more resistance. With the Turret in tow, aim at the dropship's Plasma Cannon at the very front of the ship and destroy it. It will retreat, allowing you to concentrate on cleaning up whatever Covenant forces remain in the hangar. Now proceed back to the ops-center at the start of the level.

Objective: Get back to ops-center

On your way back, you'll encounter a swarm of Drones. It's recommended you equip your Assault Rifle and take out these flying pests with short controlled bursts. Once they're killed, continue on your way to the ops-center, where you'll give the Covenant a small but awesome gift, a bomb.

Gift with Purchase

Objective: Rescue marines in the barracks

Before you can setup the bomb, you'll need to rescue Marines captured by Brutes in the barracks. So get your heavy weapons ready such as Shotguns, Plasma Grenades, and take these guys out as you enter the doorway to the barracks. When you first enter, you'll find the Brutes distracted and taking orders from the Cheiftan. Use this to your advantage. The Brute Captain with green armor is armed with a Brute Shot, which can be a real pain to deal with on Legendary. While he's kneeling receiving his orders, try to take him out first with a well-timed Plasma Grenade sticks. This will make this encounter much, much easier. Of the different enemy forces in the barracks, the strongest is Brute Chieftain, who carries a Gravity Hammer. Don't get too close to him, because the Gravity Hammer will knock you on your butt in just one or two hits. A combo of Grenades and the Shotgun will take care of him, though.

Swap out your Assault Rifle for the Gravity Hammer on the Brute Chieftain's body. Continue up the ramp and through the open door. Walk down the hallway and drop down the shaft in the ground. Switch to Battle Rifle and fight the Drones in the air chamber. Proceed towards the large air vent shaft, drop down (don't worry, you won't get hurt) to the bottom of the shaft and go through the doorway to rendezvous with the Arbiter. Finally, you'll enter the barracks.

Your objective is simple, save the Marines in the barracks, and then evac via the landing pad. Equip your Battle Rifle and dispatch the Brute choking one of your soldiers. If you manage to save this solider, he'll retreat and pick up a Battle Rifle for himself, providing covering fire. Kill the Brutes in the barracks with the Battle Rifle and the Gravity Hammer.

The Battle Rifle will take care of the Brutes from a distance, while the Gravity Hammer works great for the up close and personal attacks against the Brutes. The Gravity Hammer has a limited amount of hits to it, so once it's done you should find another weapon to swap out. Plus, The Arbiter will help you out a lot in this section, a bonus considering he can't die no matter how many hits he gets -- use him to your advantage. After you've squashed the Brute resistance, proceed through the exit door (follow The Arbiter to this location) and outside to the elevator lift towards the landing pad.

Objective: Evac via the landing-pad

On the landing pad, you'll be ambushed by a dozen Jet Pack Brutes. Wait for them to land before opening fire, since it takes the jet pack a bit of time to fire their thrusters and propel the Brutes through the air. When all the Brutes are dead, a Pelican arrives to pick up the troops and to bring them to safety. Now, go back to the ops-center again, because the Brutes have managed to disable the bomb. It's up to you to make it back there and rearm the bomb.

Last One Out, Get the Lights

Objective: Return to ops-center, arm the bomb

On your way back to the ops-center, you'll come across a Grunt operating a Plasma Turret. Kill him and take the Turret in order to dispatch the Covenant forces easily. Continue towards your waypoint marker to the ops-center. Activate the bomb and escape!

Objective: Escape - Find the elevator in the hangar

Ditch the Plasma Turret before you begin your escape, since it will only slow you down. Equip a Shotgun, a Battle Rifle, or an Assault Rifle, and make your way to the hangar bay (yes, the same one from earlier). Follow the on-screen waypoint marker to the maintenance elevator and escape to the next level.

Mission 1 - Sierra 117

Walk It Off

Follow your team until you come to an opening with a waterfall. Once you reach the entrance into the clearing, a Covenant Phantom appears and drops the first enemies you encounter. Follow the path up to your right, and engage the troops in the cement bunkers to your right.

After you have finished off the first wave, a second wave appears, dropping from a Phantom that appears at the little waterfall in front of you. Kill this wave and cross to the other side of the river via the rocks along the waterfall, and kill the third wave of troops.

Note: Try killing the Brute first as this sends the Grunts into panic mode.

After dispatching all the troops in the immediate area, follow your team through the cave tunnel marked with a red flare.

Emerging from the cave, you'll come across a horde of sleeping Grunts. As instructed by your squad, take out as many as you can with a melee attack. (You'll kill about five Grunts before they wake up).

Then, prepare yourself for heavy resistance -- Jackals, Grunts, and Brute Commanders. I recommend a pair of Brute Spikers, as they do considerable damage to even shielded enemies when used in tandem.

You and your squad will keep moving towards the Sgt., entering a small ravine. As you enter the ravine you will see a Brute holding a Marine by his throat above you. If you are quick enough, you can kill the Brute and rescue the Marine, bolstering your own forces.

With your new teammate in haul, make your way up and around onto the upper area where the Brute was, then enter the large cave marked by a red flare. A vision of Cortana flashes on screen. Follow the chain of red flares until you make it to the end of the tunnel.

Charlie Foxtrot

You'll find the bodies of Marines as you emerge from the cave. Search them and you will find a Battle Rifle.

Now that you have the Battle Rifle, continue forward until the path drops off. Ahead of you by the river are several enemies fighting a pair of Pelicans. Up on high ground, use the Battle Rifle to take them out, then advance to their location on the river.

Approaching the river, you'll see a pair of Banshees swoop in and down the Pelican that Sgt. Johnson is in. Although you've reached the river for evac, your evac has been taken out, resulting in a new objective.

Objective: Find Johnson's crashed Pelican

Kill the enemies fighting the Pelicans, then move into the ravine to meet your allies. With only a few steps into the ravine, you'll receive fire from Jackals with Carbines along the upper walls of the ravine, but they're easily spotted because they'll flash a purple light while aiming at you.

Move along the ravine, dispatching the Jackals and other ground forces, until you come upon a point where you see Marines fighting. Turns out they were aboard Johnson's Pelican! You've found the crash site.

Objective: Find Johnson before he's captured

Fight off the forces attacking the crashed Marines, including the ones dropped in by the Phantom, then collect the Sniper Rifle and ammo by the downed Pelican.

With your newly found Sniper Rifle, head back the way you came, towards the cave with a red flare by its entrance surrounded by your troops.

Enter and move through the cave, down its path, until you come to a cliff overlooking an enemy installation. A cut-scene ensues about an imprisoned Johnson, prompting a new objective.

Quid Pro Quo

Objective: Rescue Johnson and his squad

Take out as many troops as you can from your high ground position. Also, several troops sit right below you on the other side of the dock to your left.

Drop down and proceed forward to the bridge that allows you to cross to the other side of the dock. You will have to fight several Brutes on the bridge, including a commander complete with Gravity Hammer. Kill him and take his Gravity Hammer.

Use the Gravity Hammer to kill the remaining forces standing between you and Sgt. Johnson's cell. Free Johnson, drop the Gravity Hammer for a different weapon, and prepare for your new objective.

Objective: Stay alive - Pelican inbound

Two Phatoms will come in and drop off several troops. Finish them off and then join Sgt. Johnson and the remaining Marines back on the bridge between the docks. Jump on the Pelican and the mission is over