Halo

### Depicts

The rescue of the human survivors from the *Pillar of Autumn* and the UNSC's capture of Alpha Base

### Enemies

* Covenant
	+ Grunts
		- Minor
		- Major
	+ Jackals
		- Minor
		- Major
		- Marksman Minor
		- Marksman Major
	+ Skirmishers
		- Minor
		- Major
	+ Elites
		- Minor
		- Major
		- Ultra
	+ Brutes
		- Follower
		- Leader
	+ Ghosts
	+ Wraiths
		- Anti-Air Wraiths
	+ Banshees
	+ Shades
	+ Phantoms

### Weapons

* UNSC
	+ M6G Pistol
	+ MA5E Assault Rifle
	+ M7 Submachine Gun
	+ BR54HB Battle Rifle
	+ M393 Designated Marksman Rifle
	+ SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle
	+ M9 Fragmentation Grenade
* Covenant
	+ Plasma Pistol
		- Brute Plasma Pistol
	+ Plasma Rifle
		- Brute Plasma Rifle
	+ Needler
	+ Shredder
	+ Brute Shot
	+ Particle Carbine
	+ Focus Rifle
	+ Plasma Grenade
	+ Gravity Grenade
	+ Cluster Grenade

*"Seek out surviving Marines and help fight the Covenant"*

**Halo** is the second mission of the Installation 04 Campaign in *Halo SPV3*. It begins on the morning of September 19, 2552, giving us the first "on the ground" view of Installation 04. As one of a small group of survivors from the Bumblebee escape pod crash, John-117 fights against the marauding Covenant forces, while searching and rescuing other survivors from the *Pillar of Autumn*. This is the first level in the series in which Jackals, Skirmishers, Phantom, and Banshees are encountered.

## Overview & Background

This level is set on the ground of Installation 04. While the beginning has the same layout, two brand-new expanded areas are added. Shiela Polaski, pilot of the Pelican dropship Echo-205 from the novel *Halo: First Strike*, makes her debut here, acting as a guide for players for the new areas.

The first new area introduces Marines in make-shift prisons using Forerunner structures, having been captured by a pack of Brutes. Cortana advises Master Chief to rescue them to allow Shiela Polaski to pick them up.

The next area introduces Alpha Base, the temporary base of operations used by the UNSC during the Battle of Installation 04. The Chief must assist the Marines in taking the structure by stopping the attacking Wraiths and Phantoms, and then capture an Anti-Aircraft Wraith.

New wildlife called Blind Wolves are present throughout the level. They were originally going be included in *Halo: Combat Evolved*, but they were cut during development.

## Gameplay Information

This mission employs open landscapes, as opposed to the tight corridors of The Pillar of Autumn. With this change, the game introduces more of the main weapon sandbox, notably weapons suited for mid to long range combat. As well as Marine allies, Sgt Johnson accompanies the player for the first section of the level as a Hero Unit.

New types of enemies are seen here. These include the defensive and precision focused Jackals, who appear as position holders equipped with point-defense gauntlets, or Jackal Shields, but also as marksmen, using long range weapons from secluded vantage points. Also introduced are the Skirmishers, who use their speed and agility to their advantage to draw enemies from cover.

Vehicles are properly introduced as well, mainly the Warthog and its different variants, Chaingun, Rocket, and Gauss. A secret version of the Warthog can also be made available through a Cross-Map Unlock activated in the previous mission. A new vehicle known as the Gungoose is introduced throughout the level. For in case the player has no Marine allies to station the Warthog, the Gungoose was added for the player to have an armed vehicle which didn't require two people.

Enemy Covenant vehicles are present as well, namely the Ghost, Mortar Wraith and Anti-Aircraft Wraith. The hijacking mechanic can be used to commandeer these vehicles if the player can get close enough. The Banshee also appears, but cannot be driven in this mission. Phantoms also make their debut in *SPV3*, ferrying Covenant troops into battle. At the start of the mission, the first Phantom has dynamic behavior; if one crosses the bridge to evade it, but is spotted by the Banshees, the Phantom will move to intercept the player. This is function was taken from the *Halo: CE* 1749 Beta.

Aside from the new areas, enemies, vehicles and weapons, other changes have been made to this mission from its original *Halo: CE* iteration. At the first large fight, at the first Forerunner tower, if one enters the crashed Bumblebee escape pod there, they will have the option to boost the life pod's distress beacon so UNSC forces will arrive sooner. However, this also brings all the Covenant dropships in at once, making for a much more difficult and hectic battle. If this is done, the player will only have to hold out until a Longsword airstrike arrives and wipes out the bulk of the attacking Covenant, leaving the player, Johnson and any surviving Marines to finish off any stragglers. This feature simply gives players an alternate way of approaching this battle.

## Developer Information

Cortana has several lines of dialogue that were taken from other games added in this mission. She even has some lines that were cut from *Halo CE* before release. Some of these lines were taken from the leaked 1749 Beta build of *Halo: Combat Evolved*, including a brief exchange between Cortana and a Marine in the first new section, where a pack of Brutes are holding Marine survivors captive. The conversation in question gives the Stealth Elites a second introduction.

In *SPV3.3*, an option is available in the Customization menu to change the sky of the level. The second skybox is more alien and space themed than the default overcast sky. The orientation of the Halo ring is also inline with how it looks in *Halo: CE*. It is a graphically enhanced version of the sky seen in some old *Xbox* footage. This skybox is also permanently shown in Rockslide in Firefight. *Halo* modder AltSierra117 provided the SPV3 Dev Team with this skybox from his *Halo Pre-Release* mod.

## Trivia

* There are 18 terminals scattered throughout the level.
* Alpha Base was originally described in the novel *Halo: The Flood*.
* This is the first level to feature the Blind Wolves.
* Unlike the original, there are no Crewmen present that can be rescued. They were likely removed due to how poorly they perform in combat.
* Even though Johnson is invincible, he can be killed if he is knocked off the cliff at the beginning of the level. If this happens, it counts as a game over.

## Walkthrough

None Left Behind • The Commander • The Commander: Evolved • The Maw