Spartan Ops/Season One/Catherine/Spartan Mountain/Walkthrough


 * this walkthrough is written with the assumption that the player will be playing on either Heroic or Legendary difficulty.*

This fight can be a difficult one, because of the scarcity of essential weapons and the proximity at which you will be fighting your foes. Power weapons will be very limited, so it is recommended you use them only for targets which will be detailed further here.

At the beginning of the level, you are deposited on the base overlooking the coast and ordered to assist some marines near the down Pelican. Immediately turn to your right and circle the base from that side. At the top of the small slope in the area is a Shade turret giving suppressive fire to the Marines. Since the turret is isolated and the Grunt manning it has it's back turned to you, a simple shot to the head will suffice. Using the turret to kill the enemies is extremely effective, because they are too busy fighting the Marines to even bother looking in your direction, even when they get hit. You can kill the entire enemy force in less than a minute with sustained fire. Since the game hasn't registered you actually "reaching" the first objective point yet, the Marines will not take any accumulative damage during this time either.

Approaching the area will trigger the Marines gratitude-and the next wave. While the Marines are speaking, you can either head back to the turret and repeat the strategy as before or grab a Battle Rifle and hold out with the Marines. When they are finished speaking, a drop pod will deposit foes into the small stream between the turret and the Pelican site. It's 3 Elites and a few Jackal Marksmen. From your vantage point with the Shade, most foes will not be able to bother you EXCEPT the one Elite Commander carrying a Fuel Rod Cannon. He is a priority target and should be dealt with quickly before he can shoot at you. Target him first as he descends from the drop pod.

When the other enemies are dispatched, you are instructed to activate a switch to open up another area. But BEFORE you do this, there are some important steps that need to be taken first:

Take the Elite Commander's Fuel Rod Cannon, since power weapons will be in short supply and they will be very important at 2 points in the level.

DO NOT pick up the Rocket Launcher or the Machine gun turret by the downed Pelican yet. Leave them there for now.

Pick up either a Battle Rifle or Covenant Carbine from the ammo crates, or swap with a Marine for a DMR if you prefer that weapon.

Destroy the Shade turret to prevent it from being used by the Covies (it is no longer useful to you either.)

When all this is done, there's still one very important action to take that will significantly aid you in the next firefight. Move towards the second base on the far side of the map and scan the left side of the area. There are 2 empty Ghosts parked in a secluded spot. BOTH of these ghosts should be taken and driven back to the base overlooking the coastline. Doing this will keep the Ghosts available to you but deny them to the enemy. It is very unlikely they will move towards this base, making this the perfect place to hide the Ghosts. If you're a good Ghost pilot, you should use one right now for the upcoming fight.

When all the preparations are made, now is the time to hit the switch. As soon as you do, A large Covie force is going to move into the flat area to the right. 4 Hunters, several Elites, a Sniper, and some Grunts will land from Drop Pods to accost you. Unfortunately, the Marines will make the mistake of staying put and fighting them in an area with little cover. Try as you might, it is nearly impossible to keep even one of the Marines alive on Heroic difficulty. To stay alive, you will be making a stand somewhere else.

As soon as the pods descend from the sky, immediately sprint back to the Pelican crash site or the waterside base. You do not want to engage all the foes at once. Running away will draw out the faster foes and separate them from the more dangerous Hunters. (Alternatively, you can fight this entire engagement with a Ghost instead of on foot if you are good at dodging Fuel Rod blasts.)

Whichever path you take, the first foes to follow you will likely be Elites with Energy swords. Because of the distance, you can dispatch them easily before they become a threat. Next, the 3-4 Elites carrying Fuel Rods are you next priority. They will tend to stay with the group at the Covie landing site. Attacking them from afar with a ranged weapon is the safest option, or if they are alone, you can get too close for them to be able to fire the weapon and use an assault weapon or punches to kill them.

Next, use a ranged weapon to pick off the straggler Grunts and Jackals, as well as the Sniper (he's in the floating tower on the far side of the map.) When all other foes are defeated, it's safe to target the Hunters. If you run out of Fuel Rod shots, there's an ammo crate next to the floating watchtower if you are willing to make a run for it. (Again, if you're a good pilot, the Ghost is your best option.)

Whatever weapons you choose, try your best to leave either 1 turret still available and a few rockets/fuel rod shots on hand, since you will need them again. Your orders are to destroy the Comm Jammer, but don't waste valuable ammo on it. Just melee it until it's got only a sliver of health left, then back up to a safe distance and hit it with a few shots to get it to explode.

After it's destroyed, the next wave will land in front of the mountainside base. It's another tough one, so retreat back to a safe defensive point and get ready. Unlike the last wave, a lot more of these enemies will try to chase you. At least 1 Fuel Rod Elite, a few Grunts and Jackals, and 1 or 2 Elite Rangers (may be carrying energy swords) will try to charge you. If you're on a Ghost, be careful as the Fuel Rod Elite's shots will cripple your vehicle in just 2 hits. Kill him first as before, then target the Rangers and remaining enemies. Remember to keep your distance. Pick up the Elite's Fuel Rod shots when you're done.

The rest of the Covie force back at mountainside base will not be easy. A Wraith is guarding the area with some mid-level Elites with Storm Rifles, some Jackals, and Sniper on the ridge to the left. Take your ranged weapon and carefully pick off as many enemies as you can without drawing the Wraith's fire. Be prepared to sprint, as it can easily target you in the open areas. When the Wraith is sufficiently isolated, try to take out the gunner before backtracking to get a plasma pistol at any of the ammo crates. Carefully aim an overcharged shot at it, and while the Wraith is idle you can aim a full clip of Fuel Rod shots at it. Repeat this process a second time, and the Wraith should be destroyed in 7-8 hits.

Take out whatever's left, but before you activate the switches, you've got a difficult choice to make:

The next wave will have several (about 10) Elites, plenty of Jackals, and 1 token Sniper. 3 of those Elites have Energy swords and will bum rush you as soon as they can. Because they will spawn very close to you (inside the base!) they will be the biggest immediate threat. A Needler can deal with them, but the 2 Fuel Rod Elites will need to be taken out by a ranged weapon. But that means you will have to give up your Fuel Rod if you want to be prepared. The reason for trying to keep the Fuel Rod is that the wave after this one will have 4 Hunters, and you'll have to sprint past them if you want to get at the Fuel Rod ammo or Rocket/machine gun turret at the ammo sites. If rushing past Hunters doesn't phase you, say goodbye to your Fuel Rod and swap for a Needler at the carte on mountainside base's side (the one near the waterfall.)

Whatever choice you make, the strategy will be the same. As soon as you hit the second switch, enemies will spawn inside the base, and more will arrive via drop pod. Toss a grenade inside the interior room at the base, then sprint to the high ridge overlooking the area. This a good place to hold out, because there is only one path to get to you and the rocks are tall enough to give good cover from the enemy fire. Wait for the Energy sword elites to dash at you up the hill, and line your Needles/Fuel Rod bursts to kill them. When no more appear, pop out from the behind the rocks to take shots with your ranged weapon at the Fuel Rod Elites and the Minors and Majors next. Take out the jackals last, and prepare your Needler/Fuel Rod again for one last Energy sword Elite inside the base (he usually never notices you at the initial spawn and just stays there the whole fight.)

The last fight isn't too difficult if you still have a Ghost, a Fuel Rod Cannon, a Rocket Launcher, or a plasma/machine gun turret. If you have used up all of these, the fight will be much, much harder.

4 Hunters will drop pod down to you, accompanied by a lot of Jackals, some Marksmen, some carrying shields, and some snipers. Because of the vantage point afforded to you by mountainside base, you can pop the Jackal heads easily and out of the Hunter's range. When all of the Jackals are gone, sprint down either the left or the right path to the turret/rocket/Fuel Rod ammo at the first covie landing site or the pelican crash site. (Alternatively, you can go all the way back to waterside base and use a leftover Ghost.)

The Hunters will stay clustered together for protection, but if you have a Ghost, you can shoot at them from a safe distance and the Hunters will be helpless because of their lack of speed. About 15 seconds of sustained Ghost fire will kill each Hunter. When all 4 are down, you're done with the level, which will be the first of 3 levels in the "Spartan Mountain" arena.