- RC Master
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- Exalted Mythic Member
Halo 3 (31st), ODST (14th) and Reach (4th) Mythic Conqueror. (Mythic is Solo, Legendary, All skulls on + scoring on and no deaths/saves).
Staff Writer and speedrun record holder at highspeedhalo.net
Ignorance is the true enemy of all things.
Rocking Bungie.net for over 8 years!
Heres my latest and I think my best run through of Tip of the Spear on Mythic. and stats. I timed the actual game time to be 30:16.
Right at the start, run up the left side of the area among the rocks. The slopes here are a little difficult to navigate sometimes. I ended up using roughly the route I saw in DarkDevstation's run.
Once behind all the enemies, its super easy to simply use the rise of the hill to cover you from enemy fire. Start on the nearest turret, then any jackals and Grunts. Then move over the second turret. Sometimes the Concussion Ultra will get into one of the turrets, if its the far one, you can usually leave him alone, the near one, use the Grenade Launcher on it.
When the Pelican comes in, make sure you wait for Kat. While we're not going to see her for most of the level, shes a good distraction in the next area.
Get out just at the top of the rise into the next area, in sight of the Needle Rifle Skirmishers. Kat should hop off and start moving towards the fray while your gunner opens up on them. DMR them to speed things along.
Kat should be just out of sight now, over the next hill engaging the Ghost and possibly the Revenant. Take the 'hog and your gunner and go to the path to the right towards the bridge. Theres a Ghost there that you want dead so when you leave you'll be as safe as possible. Stop the 'hog just at the top of the rise in sight of the Ghost. Your gunner should take him out fairly easily. You can assist him with some grenade lancher EMPs if the ghost gets close enough. Sometimes this Ghost doesn't appear at all. If so, great!
In the middle of this area is a box with some PPs and a health pack right next to it. Its probable that you got hit between the start of the level and here, so top up using the AoE PP Overcharges if necessary.
Kill your gunner with a shot to the face and then go back to the AA gun area and grab the Needle Rifles of the dead Skirmishers. Then proceed to Rocket the gun of the Tyrant gun until it dies. As soon as it does, high-tail it up the path on the right straight to the broken bridge. Don't wait for Kat, we don't need her any more and she can be annoying anyway. The Pelican should come pretty quick and drop the bridge for you. With the Ghost gone you shouldn't take much, if any, fire.
You can drive straight past the next Skirmishers if you wish, but I find their shots can sometimes flip you over a lot. So I jump out and headshot them from behind one of the pillars with my DMR.
Theres a healthpack just over the next rise (near the parked civi-vehicle) that you can use if you need.
BXR facility: Skip time! There are two skips you can do here which basically bypass all but 4 of the enemies.
The first bypasses most of the enemies out the facility. If you're simply going for completion, just kill 'em all with the Rocket 'hog. But since I found it, I thought I'd show it to you guys anyway.
You don't even need to kill the Shade like I did in the film. I simply did because it had been giving me trouble on a practice run. Jump onto the rocks over on the right, and sprint behind them all. Up the stairs cap the two Skirmishers and move to the next set of stairs. Be sure to crouch and hide from the enemies (who may have killed the troopers by the time you get there) to grab healthpack before moving on.
Now here, is the cool bit. You can use the steel beams (3 of them to be exact) to jump through and under the assembly to a concrete ledge which you then sprint along to go completely underneath the platform you would usually take. This bypasses a few spawn points too: Zealot? What Zealot? You emerge at the bottom of the area he would hang out at. Then you simply head up the stairs and take out the two shield jackals. Using their PPs to grab the healthpack in the little room if you want it.
Grab the Plasma Launcher for the hunters, then take the Revenant part of the way down the path. You could theoretically go straight past these next guys, but since I'm coming back to for the Ghost (you'll see) I take them out. Needle Rifle for the Grunts, Rev Splatter for the Ultra.
When you're in sight of the second AA gun, bombard it from the cliff until it dies. Then go back to BXR to for the Ghost.
Drop down into the area and go right. Circle around the hill with the drop shield on it and engage the Wraith(s). Sometimes there will be two, sometimes only one. I'm not quite sure why. There being two isn't a big deal; it'll simply take longer.
You're probably wondering why I use the Ghost over the Revenant. Well, its projectiles move faster, in a straight line and fire faster. They are hence, much more difficult for the Wraith to dodge, and since they move in a straight line, much easier to aim. The Ghost is also much quicker at changing directions, is a smaller target, and is generally easier to move around in than the Revenant. So it's easier to avoid the Wraith morters in it.
Be sure to stay well out of range of the overcharges of the Grunts and Jackals, and hold the trigger down; you'll be here a little while. :)
Once the Wraiths are dead; Needle Rifle the Grunts, Jackals, and Skirmishers. There is crate of the stuff next to the drop shield and second Plasma Launcher, and another by the cliff edge nearer the other broken bridge.
Move around to get different angles and circle all the way around the left side of the stack the AA gun sits on to make sure they're all definitely dead.
After that, find the Ultra and use the Ghost's cannons to take down his shields from a distance. Then hop off and headshot him with your Needle Rifle. Be careful not to get too close to the Hunters.
Around about this time, Jorge's Falcon should arrive, and provide ample distraction for the Hunters. If they don't start hitting it immediately, move around behind the Falcon and they should approach it.
Manoeuvre around behind the Hunters and lay into their orange fleshy backs with your Needle Rifle. A few super-combines should knock off their back-plates. Once both (to maximise splash-damage) of their backs are exposed, use the Plasma Launcher on them. Grab the second one near the drop shield and use that too. They'll probably still be alive, even after all that. From here, you can use pretty much anything to take them down. I'd recommend either continued super-combines of the Needle Rifle, or use the Ghost's cannons. Which ever you're more comfortable with.
Grab a Plasma Pistol from one of the dead enemies, then head over to the downed Falcon in right corner of the area (from the area's entrance, head straight along the cliff-face to the right and its next to the cliff edge). There, is a health pack. Use the AoE PP Overcharge if you need and grab it.
Get on the left side of the Falcon. This side seems to be slightly easier; less stuff blocking your shots and a pretty good separation between you and the enemies. Take out the enemeies on the bridge, then take out the Shades as soon as you can hit them. They're your top priority. Be sure to hit the other enemies too in the small gaps of time between when the shades you can see are dead, and the Falcon moving on.
In the Spire, grab the health-pack and a jet-pack straight away. Then train your sights on the large, flat-ish slopped rock more or less straight ahead, using the wreckage of the Falcon for cover. Skirmishers with Needle Rifles and Focus Rifles will jump on this rock, headshot as many of them as you can. As they run away, try to still kill them until you can't see them any more. Some will go up a small path on the opposite side of the flat rock, others will go up the large path on the right where all the Grunts are. Those on the right you can usually still see; headshot them from here.
Go to the right of the area and jetpack up onto the ledges there, then jetpack onto a little ledge with a tree on it. Using the tree as cover, headshot the lone Grunt in between the pipes and the cliff. Then move forward, jumping down to use the pipes as cover. Hopefully this Grunt will have had a PP. If not, I'd recommend circling around the back of the Spire and picking off a squad there and stealing one of theirs. Either that, or use one of the Plasma Rifles at the top of the Spire.
Anyway, assuming you have your PP, move up the right side of area, using your jetpack to get up the ledge. Here you should see a civilian vehicle on your left, and a broken pipeline above you. Jetpack up onto the pipeline. Using the rock ledge in front as a stepping stone. Run along it, then when you get to the end, jump and jetpack onto the 'roof' of the 'lower' Spire.
Once you're at the top, go onto the ledge circling the 'upper' Spire, then, if you're paranoid; roll the Plasma Batteries off the ledge. Then peak into the 'control room' where all the Grunts and the Sword Ultra is. I like to use the right door, but it doesn't really matter. Headshot the green FRG Grunt and toss a couple of 'nades at the other Grunts. The Sword Ultra should come running for you. Switch to your PP and mash the trigger at him, being sure to dodge his Plasma Grenades and use your jetpack to get away if he comes too close. DMR headshot to finish.
The grunts will often beserk after this, mop them up, and carefully take out the other FRG grunt; you don't want to die here!
Hit the button and you're done!
Final tip: Rally point Alpha is in your rocket 'hog on the approach to BXR, and Bravo is the start of the Spire. This'll allow you to practice both areas very easily.
Bam! No excuses for not having this level done now :)
[Edited on 10.10.2010 1:19 PM PDT]