The Covenant (level)/Walkthrough

Recommended Skulls
The recommended active skulls for this mission are Tough Luck, Fog, Famine, Tilt, Thunderstorm, and Mythic. Those wishing to maximize points should activate the Touch Luck skull, which is only a slight inconvenience; and Famine, which makes the third tower much more difficult, but is worth the modifier. You should always go through this level at least twice before considering to activate the Fog skull -- the opening battle and indoor firefights could be irritating, since it is fairly easy for enemies to flank you. Thunderstorm is a good choice for skilled players -- it may slow your progress with the number of promoted opponents, but the additional points are a more-than-reasonable compensation. Tilt is normally an irritation during head-on battles, but if you use Plasma Pistols or Needlers against Brutes, and Beam Rifles against the first two Brute Chieftains, you'll barely notice that the skull is active. For Mythic, you'll need more ammo to take out guys like Brutes, but the score is doubled to compensate. Remember this: when Mythic is activated, it doesn't protect them from headshot kills. If you don't want it to be too hard, either activate Famine or Mythic, not both.

Trident (Mission Start)
The Chief and a few ODSTs are hastily dropped off by a Pelican, the former equipped with a Battle Rifle and a Spartan Laser, and the latter armed with mostly Assault Rifles and Battle Rifles.

Beachhead
Clearing this first area is a matter of planning your attack methodically, and attacking with the correct weaponry. There are Grunts that attack from the right as soon as you touch down, and there may also be some on your left. Throw a Frag Grenade at the party in front of you, then kill any on your left with your Battle Rifle. The objective here is to rapidly thin their numbers so your allies can engage the other infantry units.

Edge out to the left end of the rock cover until you spot the first of the two Shades. Destroy the turret with your Spartan Laser, then walk further the left to get a clear shot at the second turret. Speed is crucial here if your allies are to survive.

Return to your starting position. Your allies should be combating a band of Grunts and a Brute armed with a Brute Shot. You can use your Battle Rifle to get rid of the latter, but using a Plasma Pistol or Needler is easier -- you should find some among the corpses to you right.

Run around the rocks to the right and clear out any surviving Grunts from cover. Then dispatch any others up ahead from a distance with your Battle Rifle. Don't move up the hill ahead -- a Brute Chieftain wielding a Fuel Rod Gun will be waiting for you. If he fires, duck back into cover without hesitation.

Take out the two Brute bodyguards with your Battle Rifle, and then head to the cliff wall to the far right. Carefully climb the slope, and choose a spot in which you can get a full view of the Chieftain. Eliminate him with your Spartan Laser. If he has yet to notice you, score a shot to his head without difficulty. If he is aware of your presence, you'll generally have to dodge incoming Fuel Rods as you aim and charge up the laser beam. It is vital that you have at least one remaining shot. Keep a close eye on the Anti-Air Wraith -- you'll have to immediately duck back into cover if it fires.

The Wraith should be your final target. Sneak over carefully, board it from behind and pummel it with melee attacks. Don't bother risking a frontal charge, or engaging the attention of the driver -- it is rare the one survives a barrage of those lethal green blasts.

After the Wraith's down, a Pelican will drop a Warthog, a Mongoose, and a few Marines. Give the Marine riding shotgun the Spartan Laser and Marine riding pillion on the Mongoose the Brute Chieftain's dropped Fuel Rod Gun. Your passenger now carries a lethal chaotic weapon with unlimited ammo. Wait for a Marine to man the Warthog's turret, and then hop into the 'Hog's driver seat, and drive forward to trigger the arrival of Banshees, then immediately retreat along the beach so your passenger can blast these in turn with his Spartan Laser. This neutralizes the danger of being hit by plasma fire and mortar blasts from above.

As you push forward towards the bottom of the slope ahead, Ghosts will move in to attack. Again, reverse and let your passenger with the Spartan Laser skewer them. When the path splits in two, take the route to your left. Park at the spot where the two paths meet, and let your Marine have a clear shot at the Shade emplacement. Drive up and let your turret operator mow down the infantry. They should also be easy work for the Marine wielding the Fuel Rod Gun.

Tower 1
As you reach the high pass above the entrance to the Forerunner building, you will encounter two Grunts. One on a Ghost, another is on foot. Neutralize them both without moving any further along the path. This is a battle in which you'll really begin to appreciate the help that your passenger provides. The Wraith below and to your left will bombard your position with its main cannon as soon as it notices your arrival. Carefully drive off the edge, and give your passenger a clear shot at the Wraith. Keep in mind that landing your Warthog upside down could end in it being blown up. A few direct hits should destroy the tank, but having the luxury of being able to sit there and watch your allies do all the work is a rare opportunity -- you'll have to drive fast and precisely to dodge incoming mortars, but still give your passenger a clear view of the Wraith.

After reducing the tank to a wreckage, remain parked at the edge of the cliff, and your heavily armed companion will diligently blast the Shade turret and surrounding infantry on the rock outcrop in the distance, even if the trees are blocking your view of them. When he stops firing, make your way down the next slope. Awaiting you will be a Shade turret and additional Ghosts, so proceed with caution.

The trickiest part of the battle is luring the two Prowlers into the open, then escaping before your Warthog is cut into shreds. The safest way of eliminating them is to drive back up the slope near the entrance, and collect a Beam Rifle at the dispenser. Make sure you park your vehicle where your Marines could get a clear shot. If necessary, use a Beam Rifle to eliminate the turret operators. If you had spent some of the Beam Rifle's battery, pick up another one at the same dispenser. Once the Brute turret operators are dead, the Prowlers should be easy work for your allies. There is a Shade turret and a large group of enemy infantry inside the tower entrance, your passenger should be able to destroy the turret and your turret operator would take care of everything else.

A Pelican will drop off a few pods; collect Battle Rifle ammunition from them. Make sure you have full battery for the Beam Rifle before continuing. A Cloaking powerup is situated to the left of the entrance; collect it before entering the building. Multiple Grunts and Jackals are in the next room, so use your Battle Rifle ammunition wisely. Take cover behind the screen and pick off the nearest Grunts. Pull out your Beam Rifle and land a headshot on the Brute before he retreats. If you fail, use grenades to flush him out from cover. You should aim to kill all adversaries in sight, including those on the upper walkway. When the area is visually clear, take the left route. Two Jackals armed with Carbines will be situated at the opposite end. Other remaining infantry will usually be congregated around the doorway. Toss a grenade into their midst and finish off any survivors with the Battle Rifle. You should be running low on bullets now, so replace your Battle Rifle with a Carbine, and collect all the ammo you can before proceeding past the doorway.

Cautiously walk up the slope; there are Grunts and Jackals awaiting your arrival. There is also a further group that attacks from the floor level above. Hang back around the corner and shoot targets in the immediate vicinity first. Disable the Brute -- or, at the very least, his armor -- with the Beam Rifle, but choose your shots carefully, as you'll need to save this weapon's very limited battery supply for the next battle. If the opportunity arises, blow up the Fusion Coils on each levels to take out multiple enemies at once.

Jump past the elevator and into the room containing the Terminal. Collect more Carbine ammo and access the Terminal -- remember, it isn't fully accessed until the screen turns red. Get on the elevator, and ride up.

Guarding the control console will be several Brutes and a Chieftain wielding a Gravity Hammer. Sounds hazardous, but you'd be well equipped for the situation. Take cover behind the transparent barrier and snipe the first few Brutes who rush in the attack. If you're not confident in your sniper skills, shoot their bodies before finishing them off with the Carbine.

Before the last few Brutes attack, cautiously inch out and snipe the Chieftain. He'll usually stay in plain sight and not charge until all his allies have been slaughtered, so it's pretty easy to kill him from range. If he runs at you, use the Cloaking device to evade him and execute a melee strike to his back. Once he's down, finish off his pack mates, run to the end of the room, deactivate the console, and watch the cutscene.

On the way out of the building, you'll find Marines combating a small Covenant force by the exit. Shoot these from above as your elevator descends. Your allies tend to struggle more against Jackals, it helps to eliminate those first. Don't risk throwing grenades, though -- the Marines may get caught in the blast. When the Covenant reinforcements are finished, collect the Power Drain beside the Terminal you accessed earlier -- get rid of your Cloaking if you still have it. Also, swap your used Beam Rifle with a fresh one on the dispenser before returning to the beach.

Vacation
This is the part where you can glitch out of the level and take a little vacation. Get into a Ghost, and using the boost, fly on top of the tower, using the destroyed Shade turret as a starting point. Once there, jump up onto the next part of the tower, and then grenade jump onto the yellowish part and keep walking up until you are forced off of it -- it's okay, you're supposed to fall off. When you do, walk to your right until you can successfully walk up the mountain; from there, walk up the cliff until you are at the invisible barrier. Walk left to a corner, where you will see blurry images; go down that corner and the game should freeze and say "Loading..."

Get ready, because you can easily die here. When you fall down, you will be outside the barrier; slide against the rock to stay alive. You can travel down a little further (it's the area where you fight the Scarabs), but you will eventually die if you try to get to the actual spot where the battle later takes place. From here, you'll have to die to get back and finish the mission.

Aerial Battle
There are two Hornets that land on the beach; pilot one and ascend into the battle. Making it to the third tower alive is really a matter of taking a patient approach; accelerating into the fray too enthusiastically makes you easy prey for Banshees.

From takeoff, ascend to maximum height straight away -- it's hard to see, let alone shoot, Banshees operating at a high level when you make a low level approach. Also, flying high keeps you save from the Anti-Air Wraith and its accompanying Brutes on the small island below. You can deal with them once the initial squad of Banshees has been shot down. As you engage, saturate enemies with fire by holding down RT and pressing LT every three seconds; even if they are out of range, you can still damage enemies.

The second tower contains both a Terminal and the Thunderstorm skull. Make sure you collect these before flying past, because once you've made it to the next area, there's no going back -- literally, a loading point will prompt some invisible barriers to show up behind you. Around the cliff corner, yet another small force of Banshees will engage you. Remain out of their attack range, only coming closer to fire your rockets, but retreating when your foes decide to make an attack run. Once all the major aerial threats have been neutralized, destroy the Phantom before bombarding the land-based force protecting the third tower.

The three Wraiths should be your top priority, most notably the Anti-Air one. Make sure you continue strafing when firing at it. Always keep on the move -- it's embarrassing to be destroy by a normal Wraith's mortars because you stayed in one position for too long. You don't actually need the automatic lock-on feature of your Hornet's rockets -- they stay in one position, so manual aiming will suffice.

With the artillery out of commission, engage the individual Brutes and Shade turrets. Despite the presence of a Chieftain armed with a Fuel Rod Gun, you can actually move closer at this point. Make use of both your aircraft's rockets and machine guns to mow down all ground infantry; they'll run for cover, so kill them quickly. The rockets won't home in on them, but their destructive power is enough to blow them sky-high.

When only a few Brutes remain, a group of Elites will land and engage them on solid ground. When firing, be careful not to accidentally hit them, and refrain from launching any rockets -- the chances of friendly fire are very high.

After landing, swap your Beam Rifle for the Chieftain's Fuel Rod Gun. Try to remember the rifle's location, since you'll come back later to reclaim it.

It is possible, though difficult, to use a Banshee for this part of the level. The Banshees will fight you, but if you kill the Brute and save the Banshee, try to make it land on the islands or small extensions in the mountain edge. Banshees are, however, not the best vehicles for this part of this level. Their lack of homing missiles and vertical landing (helicopter-like stopping) will make you an easy target if you try to pilot one, so only attempt to use them if you're looking for a challenge.

Tower 3
The U-shaped corridor that leads to the structure's entrance is usually home to the Brute stragglers that survived your massacre. You can deal with them from a safe distance, or let the Elites happily take them out for you. As you approach the door, a large force of Brutes will burst out. If the Elites are not in the area yet, deploy the Power Drain you collected earlier to deprive them of their shields, then pull back and finish them with headshots as they emerge.

Once all hostiles outside of the tower are finished, return to your Hornet and land it as close as possible to the tower's entrance. If the Hunters in the next battle chase you out of the tower, you may be able to get a few shots or even a missile hit on them.

The first room is identical to that of Tower 1. In fact, all but one of the towers are completely the same. But in the next battle, cover is more crucial than ever. Hunters and Drones, both of which appear here, are both very lethal and hard to defeat. A battle with Drones requires reliable cover to evade the many projectiles they'll fire at you. A battle with Hunters requires dodging their powerful beam and keeping your distance so they don't bludgeon you to death with their shields. There is a way of dealing with the threat effectively. The Drones don't actually spill out until you move too far forward, and they are deadly against your Elite allies, so it's wise to stay put behind the screen unless for good reason.

Switch to your Fuel Rod Gun and send a barrage of missiles at the nearest Hunter as you dash from behind the barrier and take cover behind one of the two walls. You should have enough ammunition to kill one Hunter and severely weaken the other. Finish it off with grenades before it reaches your allies. Keeping them alive is important, as they'll be a big help later. Losing their support straight away is a terrible loss.

As soon as the final Drones retreat, go outside and retrieve your Beam Rifle before moving on. Trade your other weapon (which should be either a Carbine or Battle Rifle) for a Needler, and make sure you collect as much of its ammunition as you can.

On your way to the elevator, a fairly large force of Brutes will attempt to stop you in your tracks. The advance party will consist of three or four of them. The others will be waiting through the next door. Welcome the initial attack force with a grenade, then finish them off with barrages of needles. The survivors (if any), will retreat back up the walkway. Stay at the bottom of the slope until your adversary decides to rush you again. Remind him of why that is a bad idea. It seems the best way to tell him is through a grenade explosion. Use the Spike variety if you have any -- you will probably be able to replenish your supply using the corpses of Brutes.

Replenish your supply of Needler ammo if required (gaining the maximum amount of needles should be easy). As you approach the elevator, a swarm of Drones will try to surprise and slaughter you. Dive into the alcove to the right as your position, and pick them off at will. The Elites should be able to effectively dispatch the Drones and finish off the attack force within seconds. The Needler is a hopeless weapon against Drones, so it is a good idea to backtrack and pick up the Battle Rifle (or Carbine) that you set aside earlier, prior to ascending the elevator shaft. Note that another Terminal will be where it was in the first tower, on the opposite side of the elevator. Check it, and then head up the elevator.

The following battle is similar to that in the first tower. Pull out your Beam Rifle as your short elevator journey has finished, then land three headshots on the Chieftain to eliminate him. This one carries a Plasma Cannon turret, so it may be a little more difficult to get a clear shot without much disturbance. Stay behind the transparent barrier, and wait patiently as each Brute Stalker moves into the open. In this light, they're actually quite easy to see, so pick them off with your Beam Rifle.

Make sure you grab two Maulers to dual wield at the weapons dispenser before you deactivate the shield barrier. A cutscene will play, as large, damaged chunks of the Flood-infected High Charity will crash through the window, releasing Combat and Infection Forms.

As soon as the cutscene ends, temporarily drop one of the Maulers and grab the Plasma Cannon dropped by the Chieftain. Constantly fire as Combat Forms charge at you. This will be especially useful when encountering the shielded variety. It may be difficult to handle the Infection Forms as you concentrate on the more deadly targets, so expect them to reanimate the corpses of the Brutes you dispatched earlier. Once the area is visibly clear, drop the turret, pick up your second Mauler, and head towards the elevator. Be careful -- there may be more Combat Forms hidden out of sight.

When your descent is complete, you'll see the Arbiter and any surviving Elites fighting several Combat Forms (and any Covenant stragglers you may have missed). Immediately rush down to offer your assistance. The battle won't be too intense; the amount of assailants may vary, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Make sure all the Flood bodies are smashed before you continue -- melee any that are still intact.

Be wary as you approach the door; the two Carrier Forms outside can sometimes be lurking directly behind it. A large group of Combat Forms and Infection Forms will attack here, but with Elite assistance, these should pose little trouble. After all the Flood are dead, take your time and police the bodies for weapons and ammo, then head to the front of the tower.

The Arbiter and his Elites will board their Phantoms and cloak, while Pelicans drop off a Gauss Warthog, a Mongoose, and a Scorpion. Obviously, you'll want to be driving the Scorpion; choosing the Warthog or the Mongoose will make the upcoming encounter much more challenging due to your lack or firepower.

Journey's End (Rally Point Bravo)
Once you pick your vehicle, proceed up the path and through the small cave. Soon, you'll exit out into a snow filled canyon and see a Brute, who runs for a small outpost around the corner.

This outpost has a Prowler, Plasma Cannons, and a sniper platform, with several small Plasma Batteries near the base of the platform. There are also several Brutes here, including one that has a Fuel Rod Gun. Take out the Prowler, and then aim for the Plasma Batteries to take out the rest of the enemies quickly. Proceed through the canyon. By the way, the Prowler has four Brutes in it, and taking it out with the Scorpion is the easiest way to get the Used Car Salesman achievement.

The Citadel
Exiting out of the canyon, you'll see another lookout tower a short distance down the path. Take it down and eliminate the defenders around it. There is a Shade on the other side of a rocky outcropping; take it out before you move onwards. As you round the corner, the Brutes will start several Ghosts and Prowlers at you and fire at you from yet another lookout tower. There is a small boulder near the edge of the path that can shield you from distant fire, so make use of it and deal with the enemy vehicles as they approach. Afterward, inch out until you can see the tell-tale glow of a Plasma Battery near the base of the platform. Shoot it for a quick kill, or take out the turret and platform separately. Proceed down the path.

At the next Brute checkpoint, there will be a Wraith. This is obviously your priority. Take it out and then focus on the turret and any stragglers. Ironically, though this area has the most powerful usable Covenant vehicle, it is the easiest to take out. Proceed down the path to where two Hornets are taking up position.

Here you will be faced with a choice. You can either stay in your Scorpion (or chosen vehicle) or get out and commandeer or ride one of the Hornets. Two Scarab Tanks will drop out of the sky, shortly followed by two Ghosts as support, so you'll be forced to decide quickly.

If you stay in the Scorpion, you trade mobility for firepower, and may have to find a new ride after you take the first Scarab down due to all the enemy fire you'll be taking. With the Hornet, on the other hand, it is possible to destroy the Scarab Tank without even boarding it; simply concentrate your fire on the armor covering the Scarab's rear. If the rear armor takes enough damage, it will fall off, revealing the Scarab's vulnerable core and allowing you to quickly finish it off. This strategy works well on both Scarabs -- as long as you keep moving and do not allow its front or rear turrets to hit you -- and also allows you to pick off the Ghosts that travel below.

When the two Scarabs are down, you'll get a waypoint up the short flight of stairs in front of the Citadel, where the Arbiter and 343 Guilty Spark are disembarking. The Monitor will activate a energy bridge to the main structure; run across it and enter through the door, where you will receive a Cortana Moment before activating a cutscene.

Revelation
After the cutscene plays, you'll be tasked with crossing a long, segmented platform filled with the last Covenant forces in the game: dozens of Brutes, Grunts, and a handful of Jackals. You'll have Flood Combat, Pure, and Infection Forms along with the Arbiter to help you. You can usually just let the Flood do all the work, as the Pure Forms can take a lot of damage before dying, and the Infection Forms can infect any Brutes they kill. However, it is up to you how to proceed. As this is the last fight in the game where you battle non-Flood enemies, you may want to charge in and do the dirty work yourself.

You'll want to melee any uninfected Brute corpses, as well as any unbroken Flood corpses, to prevent them from being reinfected later. If you can melee a corpse off of the bridge and into the void below, even better.

Regardless, this first area is filled with Brutes, Grunts, and Jackals, mostly concentrated near the far door around supply pods. There will be two Grunts that have Fuel Rod Cannons and a Brute Chieftain with a Gravity Hammer, so approach with caution or snipe from afar with a ranged weapon while the Flood take the hits. When all enemies are dead, scavenge for ammo and weapons, and then pass through the door and small chamber to the next area.

This area is dominated by Brutes, and while crossing the area you'll be hit by a squad of Jump Pack Brutes wielding Carbines, which will make covering your flank while watching your front difficult. Try to take the Jump Pack Brutes out before engaging the grounded ones; you can use ranged weapons (for distance attacks and sniping) or heavy, close combat weapons for power attacks when the Brutes land. Once you've finished with them, focus on the rest. Near the door there is a Brute who (on varying difficulties) will either be a Captain (gold armor) with a Plasma Cannon, or a Chieftain with another Gravity Hammer. The former should be dispatched with grenades, followed by a melee attack if necessary; the latter should be killed with grenades and ranged fire. When the Brute is dead, proceed through to the final area.

There are no enemies here, just corpses. If you want, you can police the bodies for ammo and weapons, as well as destroy any Flood corpses you can find. If possible, knock the Brute corpses off the platform. When you're ready, run up to the small console and activate the energy bridge to the last platform. About halfway across it, a cutscene will occur in which the Halo Array is deactivated and the Prophet of Truth is killed.

When the cutscene ends, aim for the two Combat Forms that leap out from above -- remember to aim for the Infection Form in their chests to take them down quickly. Proceed across the energy bridge and engage the Flood. Infection Forms will swarm the area, so if you have an Assault Rifle, dual-wielded Plasma Rifles, or other rapid-firing weapons, let the Arbiter draw their fire and attention for the moment and proceed to kill as many as you can. Switch back to a powerful, accurate weapon and engage the Flood, aiming for the Infection Forms in their chest, and make sure to keep on the lookout for mobile Infection Forms reviving dead Combat Forms. Proceed through the door and into the small chamber, where another Cortana Moment will occur.

Sentinels will appear at the midway mark and take down a large chunk of the Flood forces here, though you'll have to take down any Flood that leapt past them towards you. Once you clean up here, proceed through the chamber and onto the last area. Flood Pure Forms are here, so stay close to the Arbiter and concentrate your fire on the mouth area. Afterwards, run back up to the elevator and go past it to an elevator shaft.

If you're so inclined, you can grab the IWHBYD Skull at this point, but just remember to carry it with you into the elevator shaft!

Jump down the shaft, and the level ends with a cutscene.