Learn the delicate art of survival, the Master Chief way.
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by Greg Orlando
Knowing is half the battle, sayeth noted pundit G.I. Joe. The other half, at least for the first-person shooter Halo 3, is getting the basics down. Using these simple tips will help you begin your journey to Halo mastery.
Or they'll at least keep you from dying like clockwork every six seconds.
Step One: Know thy enemy...
The simplest thing you can do to stay alive in Halo 3's single-player adventure is to understand your enemy. You'll be facing a host of Covenant forces, from bumblebee-like drones to hulking Brutes. Each type of foe has its own set of reactions, battle tactics, and weapons. Once you know what a given enemy class is capable of, and what it's going to do in a given situation, you will be well prepared for a meaningful dialogue with it -- by which we mean kill the rat bastard and mock its corpse.
Diminutive grunts, for example, will panic in the face of pressure; kill the Brute leader they support, and the Grunts will throw up their arms and scatter. Jackals serve as snipers and, on the game's heroic difficulty level, are crack shots. When they're around it's best to use stealth to kill the ground enemies they support so as to find a good vantage point from which to snipe them, or else move from cover point to cover point to avoid their deadly fire.
Later on, during the Flood levels, Halo 3 becomes more of a run-and-gun affair. Here, it's not so much necessary to recognize the different Flood types, but rather escape from them. In fact, shooting some of the Flood is just asking for trouble; the little, twitching, bulbous-headed Flood (Flood carrier forms) will explode when shot, releasing a horde of tiny parasites in the process.
Step two: It's tool time!
Do not neglect your tools. They're handy in so many ways.
Bubble shields are invaluable, especially when Master Chief's facing a host of enemies and cover isn't readily available. Dropping one will give you the time you need to reload, recover lost shield power, and plot a new strategy.
Portable gravity lifts can be dropped in doorways or narrow corridors, creating a perfect trap for foes. Any enemy foolish enough to wander over one will be thrust upward toward the ceiling and rendered helpless. From here, it's easy to either shoot them or lob a grenade toward the generator (the generator will then hurl the grenade upward) to dispatch the trapped foes.
A power drainer is great to use on a concentrated group of enemies. It rapidly depletes enemy shields, and will kill anything stupid enough to remain in its area of effect. Players can then follow up the drainer's destructive attack with grenades, or simply plow through the problem spot with little resistance.
In multiplayer games, other players' radar can be temporarily wrecked with a radar jammer. This is great for players who like to take the high ground and snipe suckers from a distance, or for less experienced players who rely on praying and spraying (with the battle rifle, machine gun, etc.) or those who like to dispatch their foes close up with melee attacks.
Step three: Learn this combo...
The ability to wield two weapons at once is a godsend in Halo 3. Covenant enemies such as the Brutes now use armor, and taking them out while it's intact is really tough.
It may seem like an unlikely combination, but the pistol and pistol combination (human and Covenant plasma) works extremely well against armored or shielded foes. Charge up the plasma pistol by holding down the fire trigger (either left or right, depending on which hand the plasma pistol is being held in, and shoot when the pistol begins to hum and shake. This will knock out shields and destroy armor, allowing for two or three quick shots with the human pistol-a surefire way to destroy any foe.
Step four: One last thing...
Always aim for the head. One well-placed head shot is worth 5-10 hits on an enemy's body.
Posted: 25 Sep 2007
