The Great Journey/Walkthrough

Normal Walkthrough
Enter the driver's seat in the Spectre (or the Wraith as the Wraith can easily destroy Ghosts with one easy short range blast) and boost through the path until you reach an open area with a cliff. A Brute-controlled Ghost or two may follow you. If so, take them out. Slowly approach the Scarab until the Phantom is triggered, then stay behind the boulders until it goes away. After it does, move toward the opposite end of the area. While Rtas 'Vadumee fires on the enemy Wraiths, get out of the Spectre and strafe around the group of Brutes before attacking from the side. This way, you can take a Brute Shot from them.

When all enemies are removed the door will open, trade your other weapon for a Carbine and follow your allies which also include hunters. After passing through the corridor, open the door to let your allies into the next room but stay behind yourself. This way, the enemy fire will be drawn elsewhere. After a moment, engage your active camo, open the door and use your Carbine to headshot the Brutes. If the Brutes berserk at you, switch to your Brute Shot. After all the Brutes are dead, trade your Carbine for a Particle Beam Rifle and head through the next door.

Creep around the bend with your active camo and use your Particle Beam Rifle to snipe enemies on the far side of the canyon. Watch out for Jackal snipers! If you run out of ammo, replace your rifle with the other one in a previous room. If you drain that one, replace it with a Carbine. When you snipe all enemies you can snipe, run to the bridge and engage active camo just before you turn the corner. There sits a Brute on a Shade; toss a grenade on him which would remove him and from the sentry gun. Wait for your active camo to charge and then walk slowly down the right side of the bridge until you engage a checkpoint. Now, a new batch of enemies should show up. Snipe what you can, but be ready to switch to Brute Shot if they come near. The hunters will not advance from here on and you will have to go on your own.

When you reach the next bridge, use a Beam Rifle to take out the Jackal sniper at the far end. Take out the shielded Jackals near you, but keep in mind that a Phantom will come and fire on you if you linger long. Just stay out of the Phantom's reach and wait for it to go away. Use the Particle Beam Rifles to snipe Drones at the far end.

In the next room, go up the ramp and switch your Particle Beam Rifle with the Energy Sword. Engage active camo, walk around a corner and use your sword to take out a Jackal, and then run back the way you came. Repeat until all Jackals are dead, then trade your sword for a Carbine. Engage active camo and head around the left side. Notice a small machine projecting a force field to seal an Elite in a cell. Take it out with your Carbine. While the Elite distracts the Brutes, free a pair of Hunters in a lower level cell. Proceed to kill the Brutes. Follow the next corridor and fight the Brutes you find outside with the help of the hunters and the elites, during the fight (if you go to the left you will notice a pair of humans behind a box aiding you in the fight) until the cinematic is triggered. Another way to free the prisoners is to go invisible, use your carbine and quickly free the Councilors or the Hunters before your camouflages fails then let your friends do the rest!

If you are low on ammo, it may be wise to return inside to collect weaponry. When you are satisfied, board a banshee which has landed and boost to reach maximum altitude. The Scarab will not be able to destroy the first three Wraiths on its own, so help it out. After they are killed, you can fly alongside the Scarab and fight the enemies that attack it, however, this is unnecessary. The Scarab can not be damaged, so you may boost through the canyon at once and simply wait for the Scarab to catch up. When it opens the door, proceed into the Control Room.

When the scarab blasts through the doors, head on through. Soon enough, several Brutes, Brute Captains and Brute Honor Guards head through the doors. Kill them or avoid them (your active camouflage can help with the latter) and head through the door to the control room. I suggest grabbing a pair of Brute Plasma Rifles to use in the upcoming fight. If you can't find two, just wait and grab the one that the Brute Captain has in the control room.

If you are low on ammo, health, or just don't want to fight the Brutes, there is a way to fly in through a side entrance, bypassing the entire fight. Another way is to throw to grenades at both sides of Tartarus which will immediately kill the brutes. An easy way to kill Tartarus is go to the top(Via the gravity lift) and gun him down from above. But there is a problem if Tartarus goes up via the gravity lift which is when you should go down. Wait till he is on the bottom level then go up and start firing down. {Cutscene}

Let the Elite reinforcements deal with the Brute Captains; there's no point fighting them and Tartarus if you don't have to. Wait for the Sarge to headshot Tartarus, then move into attack with your Brute Plasma Rifles in short sharp bursts. Don't let them overheat, as you will be defenseless. Watch out for Tartarus' gravity hammer, it will kill you with one good blow so its better to be a good distance from him. Until Tartarus doesn't glow any more, you can unleash plasma hell on him 'til he dies. It may take you a few times to get him down.

Speed Run Walkthrough
''Note: The techniques utilized in this walkthrough require correct camouflage usage, precision and speed. This walkthrough is good for Legendary, and is based on the current fastest Speed Run at High Speed Halo, Flechette's 12:48 Legendary run. It may be altered as and when faster runs emerge.''

Take the Spectre. As soon as it's yours, activate the boost and charge straight for the first Wraith in the level, ignoring the Elite that gave it to you as well as the Brute-driven Ghosts that will pay a visit. You may want to use Active Camouflage when attempting to hijack the Wraith.

As soon as the Wraith's yours, make a beeline for the Scarab and take out the two Wraiths in front of the door, ignoring the fire from the Phantom that may attack. Now go around the right rock and assault the Brute waiting there. Get out and swap out your Plasma Rifle for his Brute Shot once he's dead. Now charge for the door. If you've been fast enough, you should get a checkpoint as you enter.

Swap out your Plasma Pistol for the Carbine and run right past the reinforcements. Once you get to the first room with Brutes, run right past them and activate Active Camouflage as you near the door. Skip the two Brutes that will run in, as well as the Brute in the turret. As you get to the other side of the chasm, you may come under fire. Use Active Camouflage once again and vault the low wall. Open fire on the enemy reinforcements with your Brute Shot, then run on. You will get a checkpoint as you reach an open-air bridge.

Jackals will arrive to greet you. Use your Active Camouflage once again to bypass them and slaughter the Jackal sniper at the end with your Carbine before he can get his deadly shot off. Then run on. If you've been following to the letter, you should get another checkpoint two rooms before the next enemy encounter.

As you reach the room with the prison cells, take the lower floor's right route and destroy the generator for the cell with the Hunters in it. Then take the left route and free the Elite Councilor. Feed the Brutes two Plasma Grenades, then head to the upper floor. Trade out your now-empty Brute Shot for the Energy Sword and free the last Councilor, then assail the Jackal waiting on the platform. As the next group of Brutes enter through the door, activate Active Camouflage and run through. You will get a checkpoint one door before the next encounter.

Back stab the Brute with his back foolishly to you, then stick the nearest Brute Captain with a Plasma Grenade. Camouflage yourself once more and stick the Brute nearest to the Scarab, then kill the final Brute with a Sword Lunge. Enjoy the cinematic if you want... or skip it. You are, after all, on a speed run, and every second counts. Wait for the Elites to land the Banshees, then get into one. You get a checkpoint as soon as you're in the air.

Fly low to the ground as you engage the Wraiths. You will want to be close enough to the Wraiths to make them use their plasma turrets. Let them hurt your Banshee until it loses either wing, then retake to the skies and wipe them out from up high. As soon as you destroy the last of the three Wraiths, immediately start boosting towards the Control Room. You should get a checkpoint as you fly over the spare Banshee.

Ignore the Spectre charging towards the Scarab and head straight for the Control Room. If you've been boosting all the while, you should receive another checkpoint just before you go off the cliff.

Find a spot on the exterior of the Control Room and start... waiting. For Johnson to get the Scarab to the door. If you've been following to the letter and dashing madly on, the wait will take about two minutes. Watch Johnson blow up the door to the Control Room.

Here, you have two choices. Firstly, you can find the spot on the Control Room's exterior which will instantly teleport you into the final battle. If you followed this method, skip the next two paragraphs.

Or if you don't know where that is, don't despair, because Flechette didn't use it either. Fly the Banshee into the interior and head to the ceiling. Squeeze the Banshee through the hole in the rafters and down to the door. If you set off on the second method as soon as the door blew, you should get a checkpoint on the way down after squeezing past the rafters.

Get out of the Banshee and make the door open, then get back in and fly the Banshee past the Brutes that enter the next chamber, on to the next chamber.

Here is where both routes meet. Enjoy the cutscene if you want... or not. You get a checkpoint as soon as the cutscene ends.

Leave the Brute Captains guarding Tartarus for Johnson and the Elite reinforcements that show up, and make a beeline for your Banshee. Get in and fly over to Tartarus.

It's mostly smooth sailing from here on. Simply pummel Tartarus with the Banshee Bomb and a bit of plasma fire whenever Johnson brings his shield down and dodge him as he jumps around. Luckily, he's too stupid to hit the Banshee with his Hammer. However, at times in the fight Brute reinforcements will arrive to aid their Chieftain and, ironically enough, they're not as stupid. However, they are much easier to wipe out. Feed them your firepower before they can take out your ride. Rinse and repeat until Tartarus is dead.

That's the end of the Great Journey... and Halo 2 as a whole. The current record is Flechette's 12 minutes 48 seconds.