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  • Subject: Tip of the Spear BOB Search - Please Help!
Subject: Tip of the Spear BOB Search - Please Help!

I recently put out something of an open letter at HBO to see if I could get some assistance with a BOB mystery on the level Tip of the Spear. I noticed that about 20% of the time, no known BOB would spawn. Was this a glitch, or was there a yet-undiscovered BOB?

Bungie's Niles Sankey -- the lead mission designer for Reach -- replied via Urk that the BOB spawn script for the level appeared to be functioning properly, and that there was a BOB spawn point that I had not identified! You can see what he had to say here.

What does this mean? There's another BOB discovery to be made on this level! Do you crave the fame and glory of finding an obscure enemy in Halo: Reach? Then get to work!

I've prepared two videos for review; you can feel free to play the level and search on your own recognizance, but if you'd like to fly around with the freedom of Theater mode without the hassle of plowing through the level first (and hoping that the mystery BOB spawns instead of one of the known ones) then these are for you!

Tip of the Spear: Where's BOB? (Short)

The above video is just me advancing through the level as fast as possible on Legendary, and no known BOB spawns. The final time is about 12 minutes, and no deaths. This is a good video if you just want to look at certain obscure areas of the level.

Tip of the Spear: Where's BOB? (Long)

This video is also on Legendary, and no known BOB spawns. However, in this game I methodically took down each enemy, without skips, and as a result the video is about 50 minutes long. There's also five embarrassing deaths; if I have time, I'll make another video with no deaths. This is a good video if you think there's some specific trigger to making the BOB show up that might be missed in a quasi-speedrun.

If you get a chance, please watch one of these videos, and look for a new BOB. Whoever finds the BOB will get credit in my BOB video guide, for what it's worth.

Just to clarify, here are the known BOB spawn points (images from Halo Creation):

One spawn point overlooking the first Tyrant Anti-Air gun:

Click for video
Click for image

Three spawn points near the Spire:

Click here for Spawn Point 1 Video
Click here for Spawn Point 2 Video
Click here for Spawn Point 3 Video

Click for picture of all three spawn points

Feel free to post here with any thoughts, theories, or strange things you may have noticed on this level. I can probably save people some time, as I've tried quite a few obscure theories myself.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!

  • 12.18.2011 9:08 AM PDT

youtube helps trust me well it might
ok i know where he is reply and ill tell u

  • 12.18.2011 9:09 AM PDT

spiral out

Why!!?!!?? Do yourself a favor and stop hunting golden ranger elites.

  • 12.18.2011 9:10 AM PDT

its fun tho

  • 12.18.2011 9:11 AM PDT

Posted by: akonecny
youtube helps trust me well it might ok i know where he is reply and ill tell u

YouTube isn't a bad resource, but no one has found anything.  Saying "reply and ill tell u" clearly indicates that you don't know where it is, so thanks.

Posted by: beastage1458
Why!!?!!??  Do yourself a favor and stop hunting golden ranger elites.

I'm not making you do it or anything, I enjoy it, so, that's just like, your opinion, man.

Posted by: HC Swat Is Back
It's random ya idiot.

They don't always spawn.

Actually, you can think of it as a die; when you start a new mission, Reach rolls a BOB die, and the number of sides is equal to the number of BOBs in the level. Some of those sides might be weighted (Bungie cheats!) but you'll always get one of those BOBs. You might not see it, and you might not know where to look, but in each game one BOB will appear. If you disagree, show me a video where no BOB appears (aside from the mission at hand) and I'll show you where you missed a BOB.

Die is singular of dice, in case you didn't know.

  • 12.18.2011 3:23 PM PDT


Posted by: Lord Friendship
I recently put out something of an open letter at HBO to see if I could get some assistance with a BOB mystery on the level Tip of the Spear. I noticed that about 20% of the time, no known BOB would spawn. Was this a glitch, or was there a yet-undiscovered BOB?


I'm glad you're looking and drumming up support for the hunt! I posted similar queries at Reach Secrets and The BOB and "GRD" Helmet .... A conversation is occurring at the second forum. ZEROHAME alerted me to your post in a reply in the first forum. (I also posted to the BOB Megathread, but that thread seems to be dead.)

I have studied quite a few missions of Tip of the Spear wherein BOB did not spawn in any of the four known locations, and am almost convinced that the fifth spawn location requires a trigger.

The only other thought I have is that BoB might be in one of the three banshees in the opening battle. This seems unlikely, since there is no precedence of BoB replacing another character, but maybe it's possible. After all, these banshees have pilots. Why? I haven't finished studying this possibility ...

[Edited on 01.02.2012 9:07 PM PST]

  • 01.02.2012 9:01 PM PDT

the gun pointed at the head of the universe

there's this guy at the end of the level. You've already identified him?

Edit: Nevermind, you have.

[Edited on 01.02.2012 9:20 PM PST]

  • 01.02.2012 9:18 PM PDT


Posted by: Lord Friendship
Feel free to post here with any thoughts, theories, or strange things you may have noticed on this level. I can probably save people some time, as I've tried quite a few obscure theories myself.


I just visited your thread at Grunts Pajamas. Awesome.

I see you investigated the far left banshee too. I wouldn't have conjectured it to be a banshee bob, as it has a pilot. In the tapes I looked at last night (of ToTS with no Bob), that pilot is sometimes clearly not gold. (The rest of the time, I think it's copper but wouldn't have ruled out gold.) But in any case, this is old news.

I'm sure you're following the thread over at Bob and GRD helmet, where Lord Zedd and Paul Torrance have decided the last spawn point is at the second AA gun near the cliff behind the northwestern wraith. He isn't there in my saved BOB-less games. So what's the trigger?

I don't know how to get onto the center part of the broken ramp, where the DMR is (and a data pad on legendary?). Picking up the data pad is perhaps a plausible trigger.

To hunt for the trigger (and I'm sure you know this -- posting for the benefit of others), watch for BOB and play the game through to the spire. If he hasn't spawned by then, save the game before completing the mission. (It might be wise to verify the absence of BOB in theater mode, since BOB under the spire can sprint away fairly quickly.) Resume the game and restart the mission. Bob won't spawn in any of the known locations. You can play it through again to verify this. Play it to completion, if you like, as the saved game will remain on your menu. Resume and restart the mission, and look for possible triggers at the second AA gun .... Good luck.

On another note, in your thread on GP, you refer to results when there was a Golden Tree Challenge, which I think has only happened twice (1/17/11 and 11/2/11?). But you make it sound like you did the challenge several times. How did you do this? Is there a way of resetting your account so that you can do the challenge again? Or were you using several different accounts? (I guess you don't need xbox live gold to participate in this challenge.)

  • 01.03.2012 11:58 AM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

Banned just for calling someone retarded? lolBnet mods
Duardo = retard

So you think Reach is an actual Halo game, huh? LOL
Jesus! There's a BoB in ma Falcon!


Posted by: beastage1458
Why!!?!!?? Do yourself a favor and stop hunting golden ranger elites.
No u.

  • 01.03.2012 11:59 AM PDT

Posted by: HydratedRex1254
I'm sure you're following the thread over at Bob and GRD helmet, where Lord Zedd and Paul Torrance have decided the last spawn point is at the second AA gun near the cliff behind the northwestern wraith. He isn't there in my saved BOB-less games. So what's the trigger?

I don't know how to get onto the center part of the broken ramp, where the DMR is (and a data pad on legendary?). Picking up the data pad is perhaps a plausible trigger.

On another note, in your thread on GP, you refer to results when there was a Golden Tree Challenge, which I think has only happened twice (1/17/11 and 11/2/11?). But you make it sound like you did the challenge several times. How did you do this? Is there a way of resetting your account so that you can do the challenge again? Or were you using several different accounts? (I guess you don't need xbox live gold to participate in this challenge.)


First, thanks for your compliments and interest.

I wasn't aware of a TotS BOB search occurring anywhere other than the threads I have started, so thanks for bringing that to my attention. Unfortunately, it seems that much of what is being discussed there is conjecture with no evidence. Saying that the missing BOB spawns at a given location with no evidence is silly; we won't know where he spawns until we get him to spawn.

If you'd like to see how to get up to the DataPad, feel free to check out one of the TotS videos in my file share, particularly one of the "BOB ##" ones. I move through the level pretty quick, don't die, and I always get the DataPads.

As long as you're trying to falsify a theory, you can prove that something does not trigger a challenge an infinite number of times. It was a "Golden Opportunity" challenge on 11/2 that I used for this; "Golden Tree City" only pops if you get the New Alexandria Banshee BOB. So, basically I just made sure not to kill any BOBs that day while trying to find the missing BOB. Hope that clears things up.

  • 01.06.2012 5:58 AM PDT


Posted by: Lord Friendship
Unfortunately, it seems that much of what is being discussed there is conjecture with no evidence. Saying that the missing BOB spawns at a given location with no evidence is silly; we won't know where he spawns until we get him to spawn.


I encourage you to reread the thread, starting with Lord Zedd's post on page 199, and the discussion with Paul Torrence and myself.

It is natural to dismiss Lord Zedd's post as suspicious due to a couple of claims (14 spawn points on Winter and 5 -- Yes 5! -- on ONI) and that he's a serious Reach gamer but not a Bob hunter (Forerunner rank but only 17 Bob kills!). But he got his information from the map files.

The 14 spawn points on Winter make complete sense, as the followup discussion showed. The ONI mystery is still a mystery and I'll get back to that later.

His information includes another tidbit, namely the distinction between a "different" Bob and spawn locations. Again, we were able to make sense of the tidbit. Further, the letter you cite from Niles affirms this interpretation:
Letter from urk: Also, it should be noted that the three Bobs that spawn in your lower screenshot are all controlled by the same spawning function but this particular Bob squad (even a single AI is referred to as a squad) has three starting locations that the engine randomly chooses from.
My conclusion is that Lord Zedd's information is credible, and coupled with Paul Terrance's information, the last spawn point on Tip of the Spear is at (or should be at) the second AA gun.

I am torn as to whether a trigger exists or if there's a bug in the program, but I lean to the latter. :-(

Again, quoting Niles:
In any case, it appears that the script is working as designed and I don't see any reason why Bob wouldn't be spawning in. ... On the other hand, with the amount of time you've put into the game, I can't believe you wouldn't have seen him unless there is a bug preventing it.

As for the ONI mystery, I think the most likely theory is that the other three spawn locations were written out of the final game (whether by accident or on purpose), and that the spawn locations remain only in the maps.

  • 01.06.2012 11:49 AM PDT

Well, his information makes sense, and it's as much of a lead as anything else I've seen. I have some potential ideas on how to bypass the glitch that's preventing the BOB spawn, but it's all random conjecture and I won't waste anyone's time with it yet. Thanks for linking me to that thread, it's by far the most productive BOB discussion I've seen on either Bnet or Waypoint. Let me know if you guys find anything.

  • 01.09.2012 9:01 AM PDT

Que Custodiet Ipsos Custodes

--Tea-baggers are funny, it's as if they think they are far more hetero than the people who do it in real life, because they use their e-ballsacks to do it. What a manly victory dance.
~ManBearPig_06~

Hmm, weird. I would assume there are 3 areas were one could spawn, like some other levels. (the three being the hill, the crash-landing site like in your picture, and one unknown)

[Edited on 01.09.2012 10:52 AM PST]

  • 01.09.2012 10:29 AM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

Banned just for calling someone retarded? lolBnet mods
Duardo = retard

So you think Reach is an actual Halo game, huh? LOL
Jesus! There's a BoB in ma Falcon!


Posted by: beastage1458
Why!!?!!?? Do yourself a favor and stop hunting golden ranger elites.
No, how 'bout you stop hunting golden ranger elites.

  • 01.09.2012 10:34 AM PDT
  • gamertag: Methew
  • user homepage:

There are two known BoB spawn points.

The one on the small hill overlooking the first AA gun immediately after you pick up the Hog.

The other is a random spawn location on the Spire map area in what is considered the P1 area. The BoB spawns and immediately begins booking it towards the Spire.

  • 01.09.2012 10:36 AM PDT

Que Custodiet Ipsos Custodes

--Tea-baggers are funny, it's as if they think they are far more hetero than the people who do it in real life, because they use their e-ballsacks to do it. What a manly victory dance.
~ManBearPig_06~


Posted by: Methew
There are two known BoB spawn points.

The one on the small hill overlooking the first AA gun immediately after you pick up the Hog.

The other is a random spawn location on the Spire map area in what is considered the P1 area. The BoB spawns and immediately begins booking it towards the Spire.

The Halo wiki lists these three

As you head for the first AA gun, a B.O.B. can spawn on the hill to your left.
After your Falcon crashes, a B.O.B can spawn wielding a Fuel Rod Cannon, near the first bravo objective in Invasion on Spire.
A B.O.B. with a Fuel Rod Cannon can spawn among the Skirmishers and Grunts.

Although I'm not sure why it doesn't specify a general area for the last one, it sounds like just another one of the locations after the falcon crash, which should count as the same 'area'. So now I wonder if a third location is glitched, or if it's one of those really specific ones like the drop pod BOB on LNoS (where you have to be looking at him when he emerges, or else he disappears).

[Edited on 01.09.2012 10:53 AM PST]

  • 01.09.2012 10:47 AM PDT

Posted by: i can has drugz
The Halo wiki lists these three

As you head for the first AA gun, a B.O.B. can spawn on the hill to your left.
After your Falcon crashes, a B.O.B can spawn wielding a Fuel Rod Cannon, near the first bravo objective in Invasion on Spire.
A B.O.B. with a Fuel Rod Cannon can spawn among the Skirmishers and Grunts.

Although I'm not sure why it doesn't specify a general area for the last one, it sounds like just another one of the locations after the falcon crash, which should count as the same 'area'. So now I wonder if a third location is glitched, or if it's one of those really specific ones like the drop pod BOB on LNoS (where you have to be looking at him when he emerges, or else he disappears).


You don't actually have to be looking at him. I made a post on HBO and put a video on YouTube (my user name there is LordFriendship) showing what you have to do to get him to show up. It's some sort of conflict with the Spirits there.

All indication is that the third location on TotS is glitched; Lord Zedd does actually have some plausible information on the location, and Reach's mission designer Niles Sankey explained that the community has yet to identify a BOB spawn on this level.

  • 01.09.2012 7:16 PM PDT

If you guys havent notice, every time i play that level when you get close to the spire an invisible phantom appears from it and flees away some thing seems suspicious about it

  • 01.09.2012 7:36 PM PDT


Posted by: i can has drugz

The Halo wiki lists these three


The wiki on halo.wikia is not very accurate. I've thought about correcting the information there, but it would be a massive rewrite that no doubt would tread on a lot of toes. Perhaps, though, it's better that it's inaccurate, as this leaves some mystery to the BOB hunt ...

... like the drop pod BOB on LNoS (where you have to be looking at him when he emerges, or else he disappears).

Posted by: Lord Friendship

You don't actually have to be looking at him. I made a post on HBO and put a video on YouTube (my user name there is LordFriendship) showing what you have to do to get him to show up. It's some sort of conflict with the Spirits there.


I'm not quite sure what Lord Friendship means ... I don't think the video I watched is the one he meant.

While this BOB disappears very quickly, he's the only BOB who leaves evidence behind that he's been there. If you want to hunt him, fight a couple of waves of spirits on the beach to see if he'll appear. If you see him or his drop pod but fail to kill him, do a revert to last save. That will take you back to the first wave of spirits. He will again arrive by drop pod, but not necessarily in the same location. There are three possible locations -- on the beach near the wraith, or two locations that are close to each other near the last regular drop pod. Camp out near your favorite drop site until he shows, or until you're certain he won't (look for the drop pod at the other sites to verify that he has indeed come and gone). Do another revert to last save and try again. When he drops, my experience is if you get a bullet into him before he disappears, then he won't disappear for quite some time -- long enough for you to kill him or be BOB meat. Savor the kill, revert to last save and repeat. You won't lose your medal nor credit for the kill.

  • 01.10.2012 6:58 AM PDT


Posted by: BIG ERN 8
If you guys havent notice, every time i play that level when you get close to the spire an invisible phantom appears from it and flees away some thing seems suspicious about it


Hey Big Ern, nice to see you giving a little more thought to our discussion.

I think this Phantom is just part of the story. Remember, the spire is a teleporter (Jeorge: "Teleporter, linked to what?"), and with the appearance of the Phantom, we now know what it teleports. In the cut scene at the end of the mission, we get the answer to Jeorge's question.

  • 01.10.2012 7:07 AM PDT