Coastal Highway

Coastal Highway is the last Halo 3: ODST Campaign level.

Summary
The level takes place during the final stages of the Battle of Mombasa, as the Rookie, Buck, Dare, and Vergil fight their way to the Coastal Highway of New Mombasa, where Dare and Vergil board an Olifant and Buck and the Rookie escort them along the Covenant-infested highway with various Warthogs and a Scorpion. They reach a building at the end of the highway and fight off the waves of Covenant that arrive, until they are finally picked up by the Phantom captured by the Squad, just in time to escape the Assault Carrier that begins glassing the highway.

Transcript
{Cutscene}

''Buck backs into elevator, removing his helmet. Dare, The Rookie, and the Huragok is already inside.''


 * Buck: "Whew! Lord, that thing stinks. Kinda reminds me of my-"

Dare punches Buck in the face.


 * Buck: (coughs) "What was that for!?"


 * Dare: "Abandoning the mission."


 * Buck: "What mission? You dropped off the grid! My squad was scattered-"

''Dare walks up to Buck and kisses him. Buck relaxes and puts his arms around Dare.''


 * Buck: (murmuring) "And that?"


 * Dare: "For coming back."

The Rookie and Vergil look awkwardly at Dare and Buck, then at each other.

Switch to the Rookie's perspective.


 * Dare: "Thank you."


 * Buck: "You did good Rookie, no doubt. But we're not out of this yet."

As Buck walks off the elevator, Dare teasingly looks back at the Rookie, before following Buck.

{Gameplay}


 * Buck: "Captain, how about you hang back? Let us clear a path."


 * Dare: "Agreed. I'll stay with the asset, give it close cover."

Buck and the Rookie come across a Covenant patrol, with a Deployable Lookout Tower and Plasma Cannons.


 * Dare: "Buck, that turret has us pinned. We can't advance!"


 * Buck: "Flank the watchtower, Trooper! Take it out!"

After all Covenant forces are killed.


 * Buck: "All clear, let's move!"


 * Dare: "Where are we going exactly?"


 * Buck: "Waterfront Highway! Fastest way out of the city."

Dare and Vergil come to them as they move down a small street.


 * Buck: "Can't that thing move any faster?"


 * Dare: "All the shooting, it's frightened."


 * Buck: "Want me to give it a little push?"


 * Dare (whispering): "What do you think?"


 * Buck: "Just trying to help."

If The Rookie stalls:


 * Buck: "Follow me, trooper. Double time!"

They enter a building.


 * Buck: "This way, should be an elevator straight through here."

Once you reach the elevator.


 * Buck: "Sit tight, we'll need the alien to power on the switch."

Vergil powers on the switch.


 * Buck: "Okay, we're all set. Hit it, Rookie."

If The Rookie stalls:


 * Dare: "Go on, trooper. Activate the switch."

The Rookie activates the switch, and they enter the elevator.

{Cutscene}

''View of the Highway at dawn opens. Cut to Dare, The Rookie, Buck, and Vergil walking forward. Covenant Cruisers fly above. Dare points to one.''


 * Dare: "When did this happen?"


 * Buck: "They started showing up right before I went underground."


 * Dare: "And you waited until now to tell me that?"

Buck takes off his helmet.


 * Buck: "Oh, I'm sorry, I was a little busy. Makin' sure perfume (points to Vergil) over here didn't take a round and blow us all up!"

Vergil looks sad, and floats away.


 * Dare: "Eddie Buck, always thinking with his gun. You haven't changed one bit!"


 * Buck: "Me? What about you? Oh, so full of big ONI secrets, couldn't even give a guy a yes or no answer!"


 * Dare: "That's not fair."


 * Buck: Oh, you got that right!

The Rookie tries to motion to the two that Vergil is gone, but to no avail.


 * Dare: "I never thought I'd see you again!"


 * Buck: "Yeah? Well...here I am!"

A cruiser jumps out of Slipspace attracting the attention of the squad.


 * Dare: "We need to move. Now. Were you too busy to plan our exit?"


 * Buck: "I stole a Phantom. Yes. Thank you. I hid it in the shipyards down the highway. (Looks toward nearby Warthog) But I only have room for two, so... that thing's gonna have to sit on your lap."

Buck points to where Vergil was, then realizes he is gone.


 * Dare: "The Engineer, where did it go!?"

''Everyone looks around in panic, and then to the Olifant next to them. The hatch opens, and Vergil's tentacle appears. Vergil sounds the horn twice. Dare runs up to the Olifant.''


 * Dare: "Keep me covered. And try to keep up."


 * Buck: "Take my advice, Rookie. If you ever fall for a woman, (puts on his helmet) make sure she's got balls."

Buck nods and move out, as the Rookie looks on.

{Gameplay}


 * Buck: "Take the wheel, Rookie. I'll ride shotgun."

If the Rookie stalls:


 * Buck: "Get in the driver seat, trooper. We gotta roll!"

If the Rookie further stalls:


 * Buck: "Listen Marine, we ain't going anywhere until you drive us there!"

If the Rookie tries to walk away:


 * Buck: "It's too far to walk, Rookie. Get in the Warthog!"

If the Rookie keeps walking:


 * Buck: "What are you, crazy? Stop moving around, and drive this 'Hog!"

''The Rookie gets in the Warthog. He drives ahead of the Olifant, which is leaning off the main road.''


 * Buck: "Hey, uh, Captain? Pick a lane."


 * Dare (COM) (a little irritated): "It's a little crowded in here. The Engineer is doing something with the control circuits."


 * Dare (COM): "Hey! Watch were you put that."

''The four run into a pack of Grunts. The Olifant is crushing the cars.''


 * Buck: "You got to be kidding me!"


 * Dare (COM): "I'm doing the best I can! Just stay out of our way!"

''They fight their way down the highway. Next to a locked door is a flipped Warthog.''


 * Dare (COM): "Covenant must have shut these doors. Give the Engineer a second to override the lock!"

The Engineer opens the door after a few seconds.


 * Dare (COM): "That's it! We're moving on."

''The door leads to a small checkpoint. A second door opens up back to the highway, where a group of Jackals fire on the group. As the Olifant moves on, shields erupt around it.''


 * Buck: "Whoa! What just happened?"


 * Dare (COM): "I think the Engineer found a way to extend its shields, sent a current through the outer plating. I don't know how strong its shields are, so stay close."

''Grunts and some Brutes protect the door up ahead, but the Rookie and Buck kill them. They head through the door.''

''The second door opens, revealing a lookout tower with a Grunt wielding a Fuel Rod Gun. A CCS-class Battlecruiser flies over them.''


 * Buck: "Another cruiser!"


 * Dare (COM): "They're all heading to the Slipspace crater, the Covenant dig site north of the city."

A huge air force of Banshees are seen ahead, but they're too far to be much of a threat.

''The Olifant approaches the door, which opens. A whole swarm of Drones appear. Buck kills them.''

''Two Wraiths and some Covenant infantry fill up the highway, but the group speed past them to the door. The small group of Jackals and a Brute are defeated. Next to the door is another Warthog. Phantoms drop off reinforcements and fly away. Another Covenant cruiser flies over them. A group of Ghosts crowd around a crashed Phantom. The group defeat them and head to the door.''


 * Buck: "Hey, hold up! It's a Gauss 'Hog. Let's change vehicles."


 * Buck: "Same deal, trooper: You drive, I shoot."

The Rookie drives, while Buck takes the Gauss Turret.


 * Buck: "Concentrate on driving. I got this."

''The door opens to reveal the next section of the highway. More Phantoms come. A huge group of Ghosts and Banshees come, but Buck easily takes them out. The door opens at the end. The next section has a Scarab in the distance, along with some Banshees.''


 * Dare (COM): "Buck, Scarab!"


 * Buck: "I see it. Must've dropped out one of the cruisers. Just keep driving, it hasn't spotted us."


 * Dare (COM): "How the hell did you make it down this highway in one piece?"


 * Buck: "There weren't that many Covenant last night!"

Upon reaching the next set of gates.


 * Dare (COM): "I see a Scorpion tank up ahead. We'll need the extra firepower."

If the Rookie stalls


 * Buck: "Captain's right, trooper. We're gonna need that tank."

An Assault Carrier appears from the clouds in the distance.


 * Buck: "Assault Carrier! Twelve o'clock high! Look at the size of that thing!"

Once the Rookie drives through the next set of gates, the Assault Carrier begins charging its Energy Projector.


 * Dare (COM): "It's charging its excavation beam!"


 * Buck: "But the dig site's on the other side of the city!"

After the next set of gates has been passed, the Carrier begins glassing the city in the distance.


 * Buck: "Damn it, no! They're gonna burn this city and then glass the whole planet! Covenant bastards! It's just like Reach all over again!"


 * Dare (COM): "We made it out of there. We'll make it out of here. You can do this, Buck."


 * Buck: "Right. Yeah. Okay."


 * Buck: "Mickey, you read me? Change of plans. You're coming to us."


 * Mickey (COM): "Sky's kind of crowded, Gunny."


 * Buck: "There's no other way. Covenant just wasted the highway. We're gonna keep rolling as far as we can. Get airborne, fly the Phantom to my beacon."


 * Mickey (COM): "Understood."


 * Buck: "And whatever you do... stay clear of that Carrier."

As the trio proceeds, a Scarab jumps out of the water and begins to target the Olifant.


 * Buck: "Scarab, look out! This one's on to us!"

Vergil gives out a high-pitched wail.


 * Dare (COM): "We're going too fast, I can't stop!"

The Scarab fires its main cannon at the Olifant, severely damaging it.


 * Buck: "Veronica! Talk to me!"


 * Dare (COM): (coughs) "The asset...it's all right."


 * Buck: "Screw the alien, what about you?!"


 * Dare (COM): "I'm fine... but this garbage truck's had it."


 * Buck: "Take the next off-ramp, trooper. I see a building, north side of the highway. We'll hole up there, wait for evac."


 * Buck: "Out of the vehicle, trooper! Let's move!"

If The Rookie doesn't get out of the tank:


 * Buck: "Our vehicle won't fit through that. We're on foot from here!"

If The Rookie stalls:


 * Dare (COM): "Go with Buck, trooper. We'll be OK."


 * Buck: "Veronica, wait here. Rookie, let's secure that building!"

Buck and the Rookie takes out the two Grunts guarding the building.


 * Buck: "Mickey, what's your ETA?"


 * Mickey (COM): "Have to reroute, Gunny, the whole damn city's on fire!"


 * Dare: "Trooper, I have a Tier One asset and a whole bunch of Covenant who want it dead. Whatever you're going to do... step on it!"


 * Mickey (COM): "Yes, ma'am!"

Enemy Phantoms begin to assault the building.


 * Buck: "Hostile Phantoms, coming in!"

''The Rookie, Dare and Buck starts to fight off waves of Covenant troops. As the fourth Phantom approaches, two Wraiths on the highway opens fire on their position.''


 * Dare: "Wraith, on the highway!"


 * Buck: "That's not good!"

''The last Phantom drops off numerous Jump Pack Brutes and a Brute Chieftain. The trio defeats them. Mickey's captured Phantom flies into view, directly above the two Wraiths.''


 * Mickey (COM): "Whoo-yeah! Line 'em up, boys!"


 * Dutch (COM): "Romeo, take the one on the left."


 * Romeo (COM) (exhausted): "I got it. Keep her steady."

''The two Wraiths are disabled. The Phantom hovers above the right parking lot.''


 * Dare: "For replacements...you make one hell of a team."


 * Buck: "Just nice to know they really do listen. C'mon, let's get out of this city."

If the Rookie stalls:


 * Buck: "Come on Rookie, get in the Phantom."

If the Rookie further stalls:


 * Buck: What are you waiting for, trooper? Phantom! Now!

{Cutscene}

''The Rookie secures the Phantom's landing zone. Dutch drops off from the dropship, and points his SMG at the Huragok.''


 * Dutch: "That thing safe?"


 * Buck: "Long as it don't get hit!"

''The ground suddenly shakes as an Assault Carrier exits Slipspace dangerously close to the surface. It begins charging its Energy Projector.''

''The Huragok sees the Assault Carrier, seems to panic, and refuses to move. Dare attemps to drag the Huragok to the Phantom.''


 * Dare: "Come on... dammit! Move!"


 * Buck: "Aw, nuts."

Buck pushes the Huragok, until it and Dare are under the Phantom and pulled inside.


 * Buck: "What can I say?..."

Buck pull a piece of a Drone's wings out of his armor, then crushes it with his hand.


 * Buck: "It was a hell of a night."

The Assault Carrier begins glassing the area as the Phantom pulls out with everyone aboard.

{Finale}

Buck and the Rookie pull an injured Romeo from the Plasma Cannon to the centre of the vessel.


 * Buck: "Easy does it."


 * Romeo: "Argh!"


 * Romeo: "We went through hell for that?"


 * Buck: "Give him some meds, would ya?"


 * Buck: "It's important. It knows things."

The Rookie gives Romeo an injection.


 * Romeo: "Heck, Gunny... I wasn't talking about the alien."


 * Buck: "Mickey? I'm sending you a very special co-pilot."


 * Mickey (COM): "Aw, come on! I don't want one of those things in here!"


 * Buck: "It won't bite. And unlike you, it knows what to tell those cruisers to keep 'em off our tail."

Vergil floats to the controls.


 * Dare: "I think they're too busy to care."

Dare walks to the side of the ship to watch the carriers burn the city.


 * Dare: "Looks like they've found what they're looking for."

Buck joins her.


 * Buck: "What about you? What about us?"

Dare holds Buck's hand.


 * Dare: "Win this war... then ask me that again."

''Dutch presses a control panel. The Phantom's sides close as it sets off for space, leaving multiple Covenant Assault Carriers and CCS-Class Battlecruisers to glass the city. As the camera zooms out, it reveals the Covenant ships uncovering the Ark Portal.''

{Epilogue}

EPILOGUE

ONI orbital facility

One month after drop

{Veronica and a Marine walk down a passageway, the screen cuts the Marine's face from view.}


 * Dare: "Lord Hood may have given you clearance, but it was my op, and it's my interrogation. We only captured one. It's very delicate."

The Marine is revealed to be Sergeant Johnson.


 * Johnson: "Don't worry... (tapping a control panel) I know what the aliens like."

''The hatch opens, and the two walk into the interrogation room. Vergil is floating in the center, toying with an F99's Optics Package. Buck's squad is sitting or standing nearby. The Rookie is sleeping next to some stairs.''


 * Johnson: "It has access to the Covenant battle-net?"


 * Dare: "Limited, but yes. We're not entirely sure how it manages a remote connection to the w-"

Johnson throws a lighter to the Huragok, who catches it.

The ODSTs arm their weapons.


 * Buck: "Whoa, stand down! Stand down!"


 * Dare: "Sergeant Major, please! It's extremely flammable!"

Johnson walks right up to the Huragok.


 * Johnson: "The Brutes. The bastards who put bombs on your buddies and killed millions of my people..."

Johnson sits down on a nearby crate.


 * Johnson: (grunts) "... they're digging a mighty big hole."

Johnson puts a cigar in his mouth.


 * Johnson: "You're gonna tell me exactly what they're looking for. And then, you're gonna help me stop 'em."

''Easter Egg: At this point, if the right thumbstick is held left, one can see Buck with a Caveman which is sitting on a grating. Buck carefully picks something off the monkey (possibly a bug), and apparently proceeds to put it in his mouth.''

''The Huragok lights Johnson's cigar, suggesting a deal. Johnson smiles, and the Huragok clicks the lighter off, and the screen blacks out with the lighter's click.''

{Legendary-only Scene}

''In the Superintendent's underground data center, many Huragok is looking around the area, as one looks behind to see the Prophet of Truth arriving from above, on his Gravity Throne. He examines the two Huragok behind him, who then leave. A large hole is shown, with a part of a Forerunner relic located underneath. Several Phantoms fly around in the area. The Prophet of Truth smiles and leaves. A Phantom is then seen moving towards the structure.''

Trivia

 * Completing this level on Normal or above unlocks the Coastal Highway achievement, as well as the map Last Exit on Firefight mode.
 * The Vidmaster Challenge: Deja Vu can be unlocked by beating this level on Legendary LIVE Co-op, with Iron Skull activated, with four players, and without Warthogs or Scorpions.
 * This level prominently features the Olifant; the waste collection variant of the UNSC Elephant.
 * When viewing the level in Theater mode, you can see that the Scarabs are climbing out from underwater leaving some to believe that Scarabs can submerge underwater like a submarine.
 * The ONI orbital facility is actually the multiplayer level Orbital.
 * If the Olifant is destroyed, a corpse will fall out bearing Dare's tag. Upon closer inspection however, the corpse is actually the Rookie's character model.
 * The AA Wraith in this level can be hijacked using the same glitch that allowed you to hijack them in Halo 3. Buck will say that he'll get in the AA Wraith's turret, but will continue on foot as if you were in a Ghost. It is unknown if getting into the AA Wraith will invalidate the Deja Vu achievement, though it would be advisable for the group to stick with the Mongooses and Rocket Launchers.
 * When the Phantom arrives after the final wave of enemies, it is worth noting that the ODSTs manning the turrets are not Dutch and Romeo, but two Rookie figures who both have Carbines on their backs.
 * Throughout the level, several landmarks from previous missions can be seen, such as the smoking ONI Alpha Site and the bridge in Uplift Reserve that Dutch witnesses the collapse of the Space Elevator. These structures are best seen in Theatre mode.
 * In the beginning cutscene, where the Rookie is in the elevator with Dare and Vergil, Buck's Assault Rifle doesn't have the front barrel. This is seen when they are leaving the elevator, when the Assault Rifle is on Buck's back holster.
 * The quote where Johnson says "Don't worry... I know what the aliens like." is a tribute to Johnson's quote in the Halo 2 level Metropolis where he says "Oh, I know what the ladies like." as a reply to Cortana's remark about how John-117 never gives her gifts. It may also be a nod to the fact he had previously seen Engineers and even rounded them up in Halo: First Strike.
 * Before driving the Warthog, the song Rock Anthem for Saving the World from Halo: CE will play if you enter the frontal off-ramp.
 * The Wraith in this level, like in Kikowani Station, can be used normally, but it is hopeless against Banshees, and the Scorpion tank is just up ahead.