Halo (Halo 3 level)/Walkthrough

When the level starts simply follow the corridor until you reach the installation. It's here that Gravemind starts his final offensive, air-dropping a massive amount of Flood Combat units on you in dispersal pods. If you're hurting for ammo after the last level (which you shouldn't be, since there's fresh Battle Rifles, Shotguns, an S.M.G., and a Rocket Launcher at the Pelican crash site), but if you are, take out any armed Flood first. Most likely, you should just leave the game, start the level on whatever difficulty, and restart the level. This supplies a rocket launcher and shotgun. Depending on your skill and the difficulty level, try stocking up on a Gravity Hammer, Energy Sword, or even a Brute Shot--anything with a strong melee attack. Another good tactic is to stand on the shelf above the entrance to the tunnel from which you came, because the flood won't attack to up here, giving you freedom to take them all out with a Battle Rifle or Carbine. Plasma Rifles are also very effective and allow you to take out the Flood before they get to melee range (plus most Elite Flood forms drop them, so there are a lot). There's lots of Flood and only so much ammo you can scavenge. The first Flood you'll find will be a Brute Form who is wielding a Gravity Hammer. If you look immediately to your right, you'll find a Fuel Rod Cannon on a small hill. If you wish to give the arbiter a fancy Rocket Launcher, right before you go in the open, stick the arbiter. Then, trade your rocket launcher for his plasma rifle that he drops. He will then pick up the rocket launcher and fire it a enemy flood. It is also possible to just keep the rocket launcher, get an SMG, and dual wield it the first plasma rifle you find. Many combat forms will carry around an SMG, so ammo is very unlimited.

Wind your way up the Control Room as Cortana instructs you to do. However, if you walk along the left side of the Control Room, you can find a Flame Thrower with the maximum amount of ammo as soon as you touch the base of the control room. You can run straight ahead and let the Arbiter (or your friends) deal with the Flood, but it helps to do your part and cut down their numbers. The way up to the next level of the structure is always at the opposite end of where you first climb up, so you're in for a lot of action.

When you hit the top of the fortress, you'll hear from 343 Guilty Spark that he won't open the door until all the Flood attacking you are destroyed for security, so be ready to go on the defensive. A ton of Stalker, Ranged, Tank, Human, Elite, and Brute Combat Forms will land near you and swarm from all directions. In single player mode, give the Arbiter plenty of room to do his thing and do your part in killing some Flood. There is an Invincibility in an alcove across from the doors. It may or may not appear, so don't always count on it. A good strategy for dealing with the tides of Flood is to melee any Flood-form you see in the midst of resurrecting or upgrading; it'll prevent them from getting back up, and, if you hit them bad enough, it'll shatter their corpse, rendering it useless for reanimation. Keep a Shotgun for close quarters and a powerful weapon, like the Rocket Launcher, Fuel Rod or Battle Rifle for the various Forms. If you have any Incendiary Grenades, use them to burn away corpses. If you are having a lot of difficulty on this part, you can drop back down to the ground below and fight your way back up, thus mitigating the Flood's ability to swarm and attack  you from every direction. Another way to ease the pressure being put on you is to take the two Auto Turrets that are conveniently placed right in front of the door. Pick them up and activate them in approximately the same place they were laying, facing the Flood opposition. If they are still there after all the Flood are dead, destroy them. They aren't going to remain friendly to you for much longer, and you will have to retrace your steps back through here. On Legendary, they will cut you down in about a second. BEWARE: there is a marine combat form that holds a Rocket launcher on higher difficulties!

After clearing the infestation, you have a few moments to calm down and get some ammo. If you want to retain any weapons you have right now later on, swap them out for something else. You lose all of your guns and grenades after the control room segment. The only way to keep them is to keep them on the ground out here. It doesn't really matter what you pick up in exchange, as you will get the only weapon you need up ahead. So swap out your weapons and follow Guilty Spark into the control room, watch the cinematic, and prepare for what could be considered the only boss in Halo 3: 343 Guilty Spark.

Guilty Spark has two main combat modes: one is a massive spherical shield that pushes you back and protects him from harm, and the other is an extremely powerful version of the Sentinel Beam. Play defensive--even without that shield, Guilty Spark's mighty construction keeps him from harm. Try to stay near the center of the bridge, as his shield can push you off the edge if you stray too close. If you have retained a Bubble Shield from outside, now is the time to use it. Back all the way up against the center of the door, deploy it, and stay inside. It blocks Spark's beam and you don't really need to return fire right now anyways, as all of your current weapons are basically useless against him. When Johnson blasts him with the Spartan Laser, run up to Johnson and swap weapons. Guilty Spark is just the right size to fit into the reticule of your rifle, and he stays still too. That beam is deadly, so stay careful. Blast Spark three times to defeat him.

First things first: be ready to alternate between shooting and running. Any weapons you had before are now gone: you have just an Assault Rifle with 3 magazines and no grenades, nothing else. Suffice it to say, you're outgunned here. No matter, two Elite Forms will appear with about 15-20 Infection Forms. Kill them, and grab the Plasma Rifles the Elites dropped. Outside, the Sentinels that were your allies are now your enemies. Destroy them, and grab weapons from the corpses from the previous battle (before you entered the Control Room). Head up the ice slope which is directly to the left of the entrance to the Control Room (facing towards the entrance). Be careful though, if you set up those Auto Turrets; they will kill you almost instantly as you exit the Control Room. Take the ice bridge directly to the right of the entrance and follow it to a cave. Mow down the Combat Forms in your way, and grab the plentiful Assault Rifle ammo they drop. Inside the room, a battle between Sentinels and Flood is taking place. Lighten their ranks with AR fire, and head down the hallway. Stick the Carrier Forms with Plasma grenades, and continue to the left up a ramp. Shoot the swarm of Infection Forms, and head out. A Warthog sits there, so board it and floor it. However, if you like a challenge, head to the left before you reach the tiles. Depending on the difficulty, a Mongoose sits in the corner on a platform, or a pair of Brute Choppers. The Mongoose is especially hard to complete the level on, due its lighter weight, slower speed, acceleration time, lack of clearing jumps, and lack of on board weapons. The Brute Choppers are slow too, but their on board boost alleviates the problem somewhat. The 35mm auto cannons are good for tearing through Flood and Sentinels.

Escape is, to say the least, tricky. Trust in the Arbiter (or your multi-player pals) to shoot any oncoming Flood, and watch where you're driving. Halo is in the middle of activating and destroying itself. When you see an explosion, stay away from where it was. Those panels are gone now, and the only thing underneath them is instant death. Keep your cool, watch for where the ground is solid, and keep note of where you see the plumes of fire marking the explosions. You'll find Flood in straightaways, so feel free to step on the gas and dodge the falling debris. The Flood aren't too much of a threat in this area. Just be sure not to splatter carrier forms, as they are practically waddling trip mines. The panels are falling behind you, so don't screw around for too long. The way is pretty straightforward, so don't worry about getting lost. The Sentinels can be a major threat on Legendary, not only because their Sentinel beams do a fair amount of damage, but their beams are able to push your vehicle. In the Warthog, you mostly just have to worry about this during jumps, but in the Mongoose the beams should be avoided as much as possible, as they can and will flip your vehicle even on completely flat terrain.

You'll eventually reach a series of roundabouts. Follow the red-tile road to find the path off of them before they explode and plummet to the ground below, taking you with them. You'll reach the end of the path eventually--when you see the ship over in the distance, you'll know you're near the end. When you finally see the frigate pull in front of you, go straight and fast and take the jump. Do not slow down here, the panels will start falling the instant you enter this area.

It can be a really good feeling when you beat this level, and a bit sad, especially after watching the ending. Although it's disheartening that the original Halo trilogy is over, you'll know that you finally defeated the Covenant, and eliminated all the Flood on Installation 04.

Watch the ending, stay for the credits and hit the next level of difficulty! Halo 3 is short, but legendary and sweet, and there's always one more challenge over the hill to face against the Covenant and the Flood. On Legendary starting from mission start, after destroying 343 Guilty Spark, and the two Combat Forms and Infection Form, outside the doorway, jump down a floor to your left and you will find some Ghosts. Then, when you are in the Warthog, right before you are heading into the exploding tiles turn left past the two rocks and you will see two Choppers.

Halo - It's finished...