The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)

For more articles of the same name, see The Pillar of Autumn (disambiguation).

The Pillar of Autumn is the tenth campaign level of Halo: Reach. The level takes place on August 30, 2552, near the ship-breaking yards at Aszod.thumb|300px|rightthumb|300px|rightthumb|300px|right

Plot
The Pelican carrying the remaining members of Noble Team is critically damaged and Carter-A259 is badly wounded. Carter orders SPARTAN-B312 and Emile-A239 to complete the courier mission without him, while he lures the Covenant away from the pair by using the Pelican as a decoy. Emile-A239 and SPARTAN-B312 execute a low-altitude jump from the Pelican outside of the dockyard and are forced to fight their way to the facility. After battling through several Covenant outposts, the two SPARTAN-IIIs are forced to continue their journey through a cave system to circumvent a large group of Covenant forces. Upon reaching the other side, however, they are confronted by a Scarab. Realizing that the Scarab's presence prevents Emile and Noble Six from moving on, Carter rams it with the Pelican, knocking it off a cliff and sacrificing himself in the process. The two SPARTAN-IIIs continue their journey and eventually reach the Aszod shipbreaking facility.

The two SPARTAN-IIIs are then hailed by Captain Jacob Keyes, whose cruiser, the Pillar of Autumn, is moored at the facility, and are ordered to clear a landing zone for the Captain, who will use a Pelican to retrieve the Package himself. Emile mans the facility's Mass Driver to provide covering fire against incoming Covenant Phantoms and Banshees, while Noble Six and surviving troopers engage the Covenant on the ground. Once cleared, Keyes' Pelican arrives and Captain Keyes retrieves the Package from Noble Six. As the package is handed over, a CCS-class Battlecruiser is revealed to be moving in on the Pillar of Autumn. Keyes orders Emile to fire on the advancing Battlecruiser, however, before Emile can oblige a Phantom attacks the landing zone, destroying one Pelican and deploying a group of Sangheili warriors onto the Mass Driver. Emile successfully kills one of the Sangheili with his shotgun before a second sneaks up behind him and impales him with an energy sword. Still alive, Emile draws out his kukri and stabs the Sangheili in the neck.

Keyes returns to the landing platform and offers Noble Six transportation to safety. The SPARTAN-III refuses in order to defend the Captain as he heads towards his ship. Using the Mass Driver, Six defends the site and stalls the Covenant Cruiser just as it is about to glass the area. After successfully halting the cruiser's attack, Noble Six looks on as the Pillar of Autumn takes off and heads towards space to escape Reach, with the package safely secured.

Transcript
{Cutscene}

An overhead view shows Noble Team's Pelican being pursued by two Banshees and a Phantom.

Aszod, Eposz

August 30, 2552 16:52 Hours


 * Auntie Dot (COM): "Noble Leader, seek immediate medical attention."

The view zooms in and follows the Pelican.


 * Auntie Dot (COM): "Noble Leader, please respond."

''The view switches to the cockpit of the Pelican, with Noble Six moving closer to the pilot seat. Suddenly, several plasma bolts hit the Pelican, impacting Noble Six, flickering the SPARTAN's shields. The view turns to the troop bay of the Pelican, and Emile-A239 is seen firing his Grenade Launcher at the two Banshees. Emile concentrates fire on a single Banshee, the grenade detonates close by, and the EMP disables the Banshee, which swoops up and crashes into its wingman. Both are taken out, but the Phantom still pursues. The view cuts back to the cockpit, and moves in front of Six. Carter, critically wounded but still in the pilot seat, takes off his helmet and throws in on to the ground. Blood splatters cover the cockpit window.''


 * Auntie Dot (COM): "Please respond, Sierra Two-Five-Nine. You are alarming me."

''Carter-A259 turns back to Noble Six. His face is bloodied, and his armor is charred from plasma fire.''


 * Commander Carter-A259: "Not sure how long she's gonna stay together. Skies are jammed up anyways. Gotta get you off her, Lieutenant."

''Camera faces a critically injured Noble One. Noble Six, grabbing the pilot chair, looks up.''


 * Noble Six: "Sir, you-"


 * Carter-A259: "Don't wanna hear it. Get the Package to the Autumn."


 * Noble Six : "Done."


 * Carter-A259: "Not yet, it's not... Emile, go with him/her. It's a ground game now."

''The view switches to Emile, pumping his left shoulder with his fist. In the background, two more Banshees appear.''


 * Warrant Officer Emile-A239: "It's been an honor, sir."


 * Carter-A259: "Likewise... I'll do what I can to draw their fire."

Six turns and walks to the troop bay.


 * Carter-A259: "Six. That AI chose you... She made the right choice."

''The Pelican turns and make the pursuing aircraft out of sight. Six and Emile position at the Pelican's tail, ready to jump off. Holding the AI data storage unit, Six crouch down as Emile grips the Pelican. Carter counts down with his fingers.''


 * Carter-A259: "On my mark!"

Carter counts down to zero and pumps his fist, giving his signal.


 * Carter-A259: "Mark!"

''Six and Emile jump down, and the view switches to Six's point of view. They slide down a canyon, shields depleting slowly. They come to a stop. Six looks up as he/she and Emile's shields recharge. Carter's Pelican flies over them, more Banshees in hot pursuit. Six turns back, picking up the AI data storage unit he/she looks it over, checking for damage before hooking it on his/her back. They look up to the road up ahead.''

{Gameplay}

Once More unto the Breach
Six and Emile continue through the narrow crack until they reach a cliff edge, overlooking a large area.


 * Emile-A239: "Still with us, Commander?"


 * Carter-A259 (COM): "Stay low, let me draw the heat. You just deliver that Package."


 * Emile-A239: "There's our destination, Six: Pillar of Autumn. Race you to her."

''Carter's Pelican, still being pursued by Banshees, zooms away in a distance. After clearing the distracted Covenant troops, Emile-A239 and Six come upon a pair of Mongoose.''


 * Emile-A239: "Got transport."

If Six stalls:


 * Emile-A239: "You think we got time to Lieutenant?"

''After traveling a short distance, the SPARTANs reach another open area. Heavy Orbital Insertion Pods drop and Covenant troops emerge from them. Suddenly, a Scarab drops from the sky.''


 * Emile-A239: "Scarab! Do not engage! Gun it, Six!"

Carter's Pelican reappears and distracts the Scarab by shooting its back.


 * Carter-A259 (COM): "Get the Package out of there. Remember your objective!"

''More Orbital Insertion Pods drop, and another Scarab falls from the sky. After fleeing from the battlefield, the SPARTANs come upon a broken bridge.''


 * Emile-A239: "The bridge ahead is out, Six. We're gonna have to jump it!"


 * Emile-A239: "Wraith! Heading our way!"

''A Phantom flies overhead as the Mongoose makes a successful jump. Barricades blocks the vehicle's way. Forced to leave their vehicle, Emile and Noble Six continue on foot.''

This Town Isn't Big Enough

 * Carter-A259 (COM): "Noble, enemy forces blocking the road up ahead."


 * Emile-A239: "Got a Wraith! Southeast side!"

After eliminating enemies or rushing through the area, Six and Emile go through a cave.


 * Carter-A259 (COM): "Noble! You got a...situation."

{Cutscene}

''A Scarab suddenly walks down in front of Emile and Six. ''


 * Emile-A239: "Mother... We can get past it, sir!"

Emile walks back in hesitation.


 * Carter-A259 (COM): "No you can't. Not without help."


 * Emile-A239: "Commander, you don't have the firepower!"

''After noticing the two Spartans, the Scarab charges its main cannon, aiming at the two SPARTAN-IIIs. Carter's Pelican flies over and shoots at it. The Scarab is distracted and stops charging its cannon.''


 * Carter-A259 (COM): "I've got the mass."


 * Emile-A239: "Solid copy. Hit 'em hard, boss."


 * Carter-A259 (COM): "You're on your own, Noble... Carter out."

''Carter rams the Pelican into the Scarab's side as it charges its main cannon again. The Scarab's side bursts into flames, explosions rocking within it. The Scarab lets out a dying scream and struggles to stay on the cliff. More explosions rock it and it falls down the cliff. A deafening explosion is heard indicating its destruction. Cut to the two SPARTAN-IIIs.''


 * Emile-A239: "Crevice to the east, Six. Let's go."

Six nods as he/she readies his/her weapon.

{Gameplay}

''Emile and Six enter another cave. The bodies of dead troopers litter the cave.''


 * Emile-A239: "Buggers. Go quiet."

''Drones attack the duo, the SPARTANs take the Covenant troops down. After taking down the buggers and Skirmishers, Emile and Six find the cave's exit. The Sinoviet facility is seen, with the grounded and scrapped now an enormous battlefield between UNSC and Covenant troops. ''


 * Female Trooper: "SPARTANs! Over here!"


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "This is Captain Keyes of the Pillar of Autumn. We are tracking you, Noble and have begun our launch sequence. Proceed to drydock, platform D. I'll be on it myself to receive the package."


 * Emile-A239: "We'll be there, sir."


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "You better be soldier, because my countdown has no abort."


 * Emile-A239: "Understood. We've got to get to the dry dock. Priority One."

After fighting through the Covenant-infested frigate, the duo head into the factories, where they come across two Troopers.


 * Trooper: "Spartans! Drydock's through that structure. Punch through. We'll back you up."

''Six and Emile eliminate the hostiles in the smelting area and take care of the reinforcements. After clearing that area, they move on to the drydocks. Two Hunters and several Skirmishers patrol the entrance in. Six and Emile quickly take out the hostiles and head into the drydocks, where several Marines are attempting to fight some Covenant up at the upper level. The two assist the Marines and clear the top floor, entering a small corridor. An explosion triggers through the building, flickering the lights.''


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "Keyes to Noble team. We're running out of time here Spartans!"


 * Emile-A239: Solid copy sir! We're en route."

''Two Marines are engaging a Jackal with a plasma rifle and two Grunts. Six and Emile help the Marines eliminate the enemy. They head into a hallway. At the end, two more Marines are hesitating at the exit to platform D.''

Keyes
Emile takes control off the Mass Driver as the waves of Covenant approach
 * Emile-A239: "What's the situation?"
 * Marine: "We rigged a mass driver up top. We lose that, the Autumn will have no covering fire. She'll never make orbit."
 * Emile-A239: "Noble to Keyes: we're at the pad."
 * Captain Keyes (COM): "Copy, Noble. My Pelican's ready. Clear an LZ and I'll meet you there."
 * Emile-A239: "Will do, sir. All right, Six, this is it. I'll man the big gun. You just get to the platform and deliver that Package."


 * Emile-A239: I'm in position, I'll take out as many dropships as I can

Noble Six fights off numerous waves of Covenant Infantry while reinforcements from the Autumn fly in, eventually clearing the platform for Keyes.

Captain Keyes' Pelican makes it descent towards the landing pad
 * Emile-A239: Noble to Keyes, pad is clear
 * Captain Keyes (COM): On the way
 * Emile-A239: Six, time for you to leave. Get the package to the pad, and get your ass off the planet. I got you back


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "This is Keyes, on hot approach to Platform Delta."

{Cutscene}


 * Captain Keyes: "Good to see you, Spartan. Halsey assured me I could count on you."

Noble Six hands the package to Keyes.
 * Captain Keyes (Legendary): "Good to see you, Spartan. Catherine assured me I could count on you"

Keyes places a comforting hand on the Spartan's arm.
 * Noble Six: "Not just me, sir."


 * Captain Keyes: "They'll be remembered."

''Keyes turns back towards the Pelican but stops short as a massive shadow appears in the sky. A CCS-class Battlecruiser pushes through the clouds, advancing towards the Pillar of Autumn.''


 * Captain Keyes: "Cruiser, adjusting heading for the Autumn! Noble Four, I need fire on that cruiser or we're not getting out of here! Do you copy?"


 * Emile-A239: "You'll have your window, sir."


 * Captain Keyes: "Bridge, this is the Captain. We have the Package. Returning to the Autumn, over."


 * Marine (COM): "Copy that."

''Captain Keyes and the marines enter the Pelican, Noble Six takes out his/her Designated Marksman Rifle. A Phantom appears close by, and fires plasma bolts from its forward turret at the two Pelicans. The Pelican escorting Keyes' Pelican is shot down and crashes on the platform Noble Six is standing on. Six dives away from the burning wreck, and Keyes' Pelican flees. Six readies his/her weapon and turns as the Phantom wheels overhead towards the mass driver, but is forced to duck as the starboard door gunner fires another barrage of plasma at the SPARTAN. The Phantom drops off a pair of Zealots by the Mass Driver. One Zealots is visible to Noble Six, the second is concealed by the Mass Driver. Emile yells in surprise as the first Zealot raises its Energy Sword, but knocks it off its feet by a shotgun blast, it falls on its back to the deck. Emile stands over the Zealot, raises his shotgun, and fires again point-blank into the fallen Zealot's chest, killing it.''


 * Emile-A239: "Who's next?!"

The second Zealot jumps impales Emile from behind with an Energy Sword, then pulls the Spartan off the blade, holding Emile by the throat.


 * Emile-A239: "I'm ready! How 'bout you?!"

''Still alive, Emile pulls out his kukri from his shoulder pauldron sheath and stabs the Zealot in the throat. The Zealot falls, Emile falls with it, his dying breaths can be heard. Keyes' Pelican returns to Platform Delta.''


 * Marine: "Lieutenant, get on board! We gotta get the hell out of here!"


 * Noble Six: "Negative. I have the gun."

Six turns away from the Pelican.


 * Noble Six: "Good luck, sir."


 * Captain Keyes: "Good luck to you, Spartan."

Keyes' Pelican leaves.

{Gameplay}


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "Noble Six, I need you to get on that mass driver and cut me a path."

''Six moves towards the building housing the mass driver, but is confronted by the Sangheili Field Marshall and an accompanying squad of three Zealots. The four powerful Elites are in turn guarded by several Grunts and an Engineer (on higher difficulties). Noble Six kills the squad of Elites and Grunts and then fights and kills the Field Marshall before manning the mass driver.''


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "Cruiser, moving into position. I need it dead!"

Waves of Phantoms and Banshees attack the mass driver.


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "Mass driver won't crack those shields! Steady, Spartan!"

The Cruiser begins to charge its ventral energy projector.


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "Fire! Now, Lieutenant! Hit her in the gut!"

If Six stalls:


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "You have to fire now, Spartan! We won't survive another hit!"

If Six stalls even more: 


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "Aim for the plasma port!"

If Six stalls too much: 'The Covenant Cruiser will start glassing the area, and you will instantly be killed by a blinding flash of light which will reload you to your last checkpoint.

If Six fires: The mass driver slug hits the ventral energy projector on the Cruiser.

{Cutscene}

The magnetic fields guiding the plasma destabilize, causing a massive explosion that rocks the ship.


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "Good guns, Spartan. All stations: brace for cast-off."

The Pelican docks in time, as a few Marines run by the troop bay.

''Easter Egg: At this point, if the right thumbstick is held to the right, one can see a SPARTAN-II inside a cryo-chamber. The identity of this Spartan is still unknown, many believe that it is Master Chief, some theorize that it is John 117 ''

Noble Six climbs down the ladder leading to the mass driver as the Pillar of Autumn'' launches into the sky using atmospheric rocket pods. The Covenant cruiser crashes down in the background.''


 * Captain Keyes (COM): "This is the Pillar of Autumn. We're away. And the Package is with us."

Six walks down the valley as the Autumn'' flies off into space. The view pans down to Six's legs and the destroyed cruiser.''

Fades to black.

''Fades in to the Soell Star System. The Pillar of Autumn exits slipspace. The cruiser flies over view.''

September 19, 2552 01:20 Hours


 * Captain Keyes: "Cortana, all I need to know is did we lose them?"


 * Cortana: "I think we both know the answer to that."

The Autumn slowly drifts off towards Installation 04 and Threshold.

Credits roll.

Easter Eggs

 * When Keyes' Pelican docks with the Autumn in the end cutscene, one can see a SPARTAN-II inside a cryo-chamber.
 * It was unknown if this was John-117 or Linda-058 until Bungie executives confirmed that the SPARTAN-II is indeed John-117 in a Gameinformer interview.Reach 4989362 Medium.jpg
 * The Hidden Weapons on The Pillar of Autumn easter egg can be found on this level.
 * There is a small Seventh Column emblem on Captain Keyes uniform.
 * The Spartan in Autumn easter egg can be found on this level.
 * If you were to look up into the sky, you would be able to see clouds in the shape of Master Chief.
 * After you exit the building to the final area and Emile goes up the the gun, there seems to be a smiley face in the broken wall.

Glitches

 * If Emile drives the Mongoose over the broken bridge, he may not always go fast enough to clear the gap. However, he is scripted to abnormally lurch forward should he not go fast enough. This can still cause Emile to miss the bridge completely and fall into the canyon.
 * After clearing the Bridge and entering the area where the Wraith is dropped, The Wraith may flip uncontrollable in the air and land upside down or on its side, cause the Brutes controlling it to get out. This was confirmed on the Heroic difficulty only, has not happened on the Normal and Legendary difficulties.
 * Emile's shields are curiously still intact after death, similar to the Elites next to him (which he killed). They will flare up and drain, but only one of the Elite's shields recharges. See Dead Shielded Emile.
 * The invisible Elite in the melting room after you face the Hunters will sometimes wield its sword as if it was holding a gun, the exact requirements to make this glitch occur is unknown.
 * In the large room before you face the Hunters, the first Elite Major (Ultra on Legendary and sometimes Heroic) you see can become invincible; if you shoot him with the DMR, after he takes about 3 shots, his shields will become invulnerable and they will never be destroyed, no matter where you shoot him or what distance you're at. For some reason, this glitch only works with the DMR; any other weapon will damage him as normal. (confirmed on Easy, Heroic, and Legendary difficulty)
 * When viewing the level via Theater, go to the right of the map after encountering the Covenant forces and meeting up with the Marines. There will be a B.O.B sitting there for about 1–2 minutes.

Reference

 * The opening chapter of the level is a reference to the first Halo: Reach ViDoc released, Once More Unto the Breach.
 * The second chapter of the level is a reference to the chapter This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us, from Halo 2's level, Metropolis.
 * The last chapter of the level is a reference to the Halo: Combat Evolved level of the same name.
 * It should also be noticed that the amount of thrusters on the back of the Pillar of Autumn differ from the amount in Halo: Combat Evolved, with the Reach version having 14, and the Combat Evolved version having 10. This is another 7 reference: 14/2=7.
 * This may also simply be due to the more advanced graphics of the game.
 * The end cutscene which shows the Autumn taking off lasts for 1 minute and 17 seconds. A possible reference to 117, or in seconds, 77 a possible 7 reference.
 * There is a building immediately after Noble Six makes the jump across the bridge, that is identical to the one in Lone Wolf, this could possibly be the area where Lone Wolf takes place.

Mistakes

 * For some reason, if one looks at the space background in the last cutscene, the Soell System is shown to be located outside of the Milky Way Galaxy.
 * There are Longsword fighters escorting in the beginning of the first chapter of Halo: Combat Evolved. But none are seen during the end of the level. Though they might have just about to depart from the ship to escort.
 * If campaign scoring is enabled, the ending credits will be skipped.
 * In the opening cutscene, Six is missing his/her combat knife.
 * When you encounter the Scarab on the other side of the cave system, it is interesting to note that when Carter slams the Pelican into the Scarab, there is no trace of any remains of the Scarab or the Pelican at the bottom of the cliff.
 * When viewing the battle which takes place in the canyon there is a battle visible between 2 Scarabs, a Scorpion and a Warthog. Sometimes the Scorpion can be seen driving as fast as the warthog, which obviously isn’t possible as a warthog has a maximum speed of 120 Kilometers Per Hour (75 MPH) and a Scorpion 54 km/h (33 mph).

Miscellaneous

 * The maps Holdout and Boneyard are based on this level.
 * This is the first and only level on Reach where two Spartans die on the same level
 * This level shares the same name as the first level of Halo: Combat Evolved, making "The Pillar of Autumn" both the first and last level of the entire Halo series so far. (Not counting Lone Wolf)
 * There are Cargo Trucks and 18-Wheeler Cabins that can be driven with or without Emile at the beginning of the level. However, they may have trouble making the jump across the broken bridge.
 * The troops defending the ship yard and the ones on-board Captain Keyes' Pelican are UNSC Marines. This marks a rare appearance of Marines in the game, which centers on the battles of Noble Team supporting the UNSC Army on Reach.
 * When clearing the platform for Keyes and when using the mass driver cannon, the player can see two Scarabs alongside Wraiths and Ghosts fighting Warthogs and Scorpions in the background.
 * According to Marcus Lehto, in the Halo: Reach Legendary Commentary, the dialogue between Keyes and Cortana is the original recording from Halo: Combat Evolved. Also, the Halo depicted is the original one as well, unaltered from Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * It is rather odd that Carter-A259 is injured despite the fact there are no bullet holes on the window to show that he was shot by plasma fire and almost impossible to have the pursuing Banshees and Phantom hit him. It's likely though that the Pelican being shot would cause it to rock, and Carter, being in a confined space unlike Noble Six and Emile, would be smashed into the controls and walls.
 * This is one of four levels where the player can operate a forklift.
 * This is the only known level to have all types of Covenant enemies present in the level in the entire series.
 * In fact the only Covenant species not seen in this level are the Prophets and the huragoks which are non-combatants any way.
 * The Marathon symbol engraved on the side of the Autumn is nowhere to be seen. However, there is now a Seventh Column symbol painted on the hull.
 * This is the only level to feature a cutscene that triggers for failing to successfully complete the mission since Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * This level marks one of the only canonical occurrences in which the player fights inside of a UNSC Frigate (despite being deactivated).
 * This is the only mission in the Reach campaign where you can fight/kill the Sangheili Field Marshall
 * This is one of the maps where the Unfrigginbelievable medal can be obtained, using the glitch that allows you to get to the MAC cannon prematurely one can sit in the MAC and shoot down phantoms forever, it would take someone a very long time using this method however.
 * In the cutscene where Emile dies, the Elite that attacks Emile (the one that is shot) has the Energy Sword is in its left hand.
 * When Carter attacks the Scarab that blocks the path of Six and Emile, Emile says that Carter doesn't have the firepower. A Scarab can be brought down by a Hornet or a Banshee, as seen in Halo 3 and ODST, and a Pelican, which is slightly more armed than either of them should be easily capable of killing a Scarab. This could mean that by this point in the war the UNSC did not know about the destructible armor on the rear of the Scarab that, when destroyed, will grant access to the vulnerable power core or that Carter's pelican was running out of ammo so there weren't enough bullets left to destroy the unit. The Pelican's gun itself, however, is functional as it shoots the Scarab to distract it from firing at Six and Emile.
 * There are no missile pods visibly mounted on this particular Pelican, though it is confirmed (In the Halo: The Flood novelization of Halo: Combat Evolved) that Pelicans can carry missile pod attachments.
 * On the last leg of the mission, the part where the player has to defend the UNSC Pillar of Autumn with the MAC Cannon, it is recommended for the player to use the "barrel" of the cannon as a shield from the incoming Phantoms and/or Banshees' ammunition. This is highly recommended on higher difficulties, such as Legendary.
 * In the final cutscene, the Pillar of Autumn's "flaps" in the front of the cruiser seems to be smaller than when it looked like in Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * The time at the beginning of the level (16:52) is a 7 reference. 1+6=7 and 5+2=7.
 * When Emile is on the gun, you can hear him say things like "That was for Kat!" or "That was for Jorge"after he destroyed a Phantom, due to their deaths.
 * during the cutscene where emile dies, when captain keyes says "we have the package, returning to the autumn over." you will hear Sgt.Major Duvall say "copy that." which means either the sarge is in the pillar of autumn, or dies in the pelican that gets shot down seconds after the phantom arrives.
 * If you don't fire the covenant cruiser with the Mac gun in time, it will glass...killing you.