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  • Subject: Cairo Station LASO alternate strategies for the average player
Subject: Cairo Station LASO alternate strategies for the average player
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Grumps, I am alot of things, crazy is just one on the loooooooooong list, but I am warmed in the heart that you noticed!

Everybody have a great holiday weekend!

  • 12.21.2011 2:13 PM PDT
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Posted by: womyfts
OP: Re your inquiry on CE no death, no health pack runs...All of the runs I do are legendary, no skipping. Everybody in a bad costume gets killed. One of my pet peeves is leaving enemies alive on runs, for some reason it just doesnt sit right with me.

Even when I was doing the 5 first levels on CE as melee and grenades only (now that was a real major pain in the ass, but I could die and I could use health packs), everybody on the other team dies. If I remember correctly AotCR in that method of play took me 2 weeks to figure out how to make it happen.

I think I have much less hair now......go figure!
The mindset of a Halo 1 pro!!

Crazy!! I only got past the bridge because I used the plasma pistol overcharge on the patrolling Elite for an assassination opportunity. Then again, I wasn't allowed to use grenades. How do you usually dispatch this Elite? Grenade stick? Make him dive off the bridge with a grenade? Or assassination?

And I thought I lost a lot of hair.

Posted by: womyfts
Everybody have a great holiday weekend!
This calls for a Spongebob moment!!

[Edited on 12.21.2011 4:29 PM PST]

  • 12.21.2011 4:26 PM PDT
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I died many, many times running grenades and melee only on that level. I really got better with my long distance sticks, I had to since there are only so many grenades in CE (ah aint Catch a great skull!).

The toughest parts were actually the Pelican basin through the rest of the outdoors ground based parts. There was so much open space I really had to come up with some stuff to survive. The most grueling part was having to melee ghosts and other vehicles along the ground, basically moving my cover close enough to the groups of covies so that I could do shorter range sticks as you could only drive so close and not be noticed. It was funny to find that they never became alerted by a driverless vehicle moving slowly towards them as I punched it along the ground (BOOOORING!). As long as I stayed out of line of sight they just wandered their normal paths, then BAM, stick the elite and clean up the rest as best as possible. I typically had a huge smile on my face every time I got a checkpoint, that meant I did not have to do the whole damn part over again!

The bridge elite got dispatched by me punching the glass when he was closest to the doorway on his route, then I could stick him when he walked past me.

For some reason the jackals always seemed to be the hardest, they noticed me more often than the elites or grunts. Playing this way is one of the reasons that I really grew to hate all jackals, because they really made life tough.

For the bridges I did alot of backtracking through the structures to get to the previous bridge and try to stick elites from a safer distance, they would rarely shoot at me if I was on the other bridge (other than the needler guys). Solo bridges were tougher. Banshessm those were typically pure luck, I had to stay near trees and goad them down for very close plasma sticks. I got smeared to death alot doing that, must be weak ass trees on Halo!

  • 12.21.2011 10:45 PM PDT


Posted by: womyfts
I died many, many times running grenades and melee only on that level. I really got better with my long distance sticks, I had to since there are only so many grenades in CE (ah aint Catch a great skull!).

The toughest parts were actually the Pelican basin through the rest of the outdoors ground based parts. There was so much open space I really had to come up with some stuff to survive. The most grueling part was having to melee ghosts and other vehicles along the ground, basically moving my cover close enough to the groups of covies so that I could do shorter range sticks as you could only drive so close and not be noticed. It was funny to find that they never became alerted by a driverless vehicle moving slowly towards them as I punched it along the ground (BOOOORING!). As long as I stayed out of line of sight they just wandered their normal paths, then BAM, stick the elite and clean up the rest as best as possible. I typically had a huge smile on my face every time I got a checkpoint, that meant I did not have to do the whole damn part over again!

The bridge elite got dispatched by me punching the glass when he was closest to the doorway on his route, then I could stick him when he walked past me.

For some reason the jackals always seemed to be the hardest, they noticed me more often than the elites or grunts. Playing this way is one of the reasons that I really grew to hate all jackals, because they really made life tough.

For the bridges I did alot of backtracking through the structures to get to the previous bridge and try to stick elites from a safer distance, they would rarely shoot at me if I was on the other bridge (other than the needler guys). Solo bridges were tougher. Banshessm those were typically pure luck, I had to stay near trees and goad them down for very close plasma sticks. I got smeared to death alot doing that, must be weak ass trees on Halo!
Ha ha, I did a lot of backtracking for the bridge enemies but I had to watch for those needlers and Hunters, they would also fire across incessantly.

  • 12.21.2011 11:08 PM PDT
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Posted by: womyfts
For some reason the jackals always seemed to be the hardest, they noticed me more often than the elites or grunts. Playing this way is one of the reasons that I really grew to hate all jackals, because they really made life tough.
Jackals? I remember when I first encountered them. Sweet, sweet Jackals... I always hated them!

There's nothing more agonizing, rage inducing then a bunch of Jackals.

I knew from the beginning that they and I would begin a long and beautiful enmity. They're far worse in Halo 3 imo. On Sierra 117, at the dam, you can melee the sleeping Grunts that are near the building but the 2 Jackals have eyes like a hawk!! Of course, that's not as bad as Reach, where they have lost their trademark eyes and are now 50% omniscient, 50% blind, have op plasma pistols, are faster than ever, combined with damage sponge bodies and shields...

The CE Jackals even worse in open areas. That battle at the area where you can get the early Banshee must have been a pain in the ass. Speaking of which, did you kill all the Wraiths, even the one that's up on the ledge? Or are those optional?

  • 12.21.2011 11:23 PM PDT
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Update! After extensive testing (with, at first, raging and cursing) on Great Journey, I have found a workable strategy that will make both the garden and prison rooms as well as the bridge much more easier!! I can now say that Great Journey SLASO can be done by us non-speedrunners. :D

The key is none other than Rtas Vadum. Thanks to him, I was able to get past the bridge and prison room with very little difficulty. For the garden, you just need to grenade jump and headshot the other Brutes with the carbine.

[Edited on 12.22.2011 12:23 AM PST]

  • 12.22.2011 12:19 AM PDT
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With the exception of the one on the ledge, they all bit the big one. The hardest one is actually the first one. Many of the plasmas that the dead covies drop end up ignited by its plasma bombs, which takes away my only way to kill it. The one on the first little the pond, there is great cover up on the mini hill, so the bombs just go over ones head. The last one is tougher, but there end up being alot of plasmas when I take out the tower elites, they typically each drop 2. The tough part is the length of the throws. I remember trying the "punch the warthog" along the ground approach to get closer for sticks (it takes at least 4 plasmas to take out a wraith), but I found that I usually died when I had to go back to the tower and replenish plasmas (the wraith then opens up on you with its main gun) or triggered the upper platform banshee by getting too close. It was not fun trying to deal with both the wraith and banshee at the same time, not enough places to hide! Eventually I ended up doing the tosses from a safer distance. It wasnt easy, but that was the point, make the damn game as unfriendly as possible, and see if I could still make headway.

  • 12.22.2011 11:53 AM PDT
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Posted by: womyfts
With the exception of the one on the ledge, they all bit the big one. The hardest one is actually the first one. Many of the plasmas that the dead covies drop end up ignited by its plasma bombs, which takes away my only way to kill it. The one on the first little the pond, there is great cover up on the mini hill, so the bombs just go over ones head. The last one is tougher, but there end up being alot of plasmas when I take out the tower elites, they typically each drop 2. The tough part is the length of the throws.

I remember trying the "punch the warthog" along the ground approach to get closer for sticks (it takes at least 4 plasmas to take out a wraith), but I found that I usually died when I had to go back to the tower and replenish plasmas (the wraith then opens up on you with its main gun) or triggered the upper platform banshee by getting too close. It was not fun trying to deal with both the wraith and banshee at the same time, not enough places to hide! Eventually I ended up doing the tosses from a safer distance. It wasnt easy, but that was the point, make the damn game as unfriendly as possible, and see if I could still make headway.
I don't follow. Which ledge? Are you talking about the area with the crashed Pelican?

Crazy!! Long distance plasma grenades must mean that facing you in CE multiplayer would be a bad idea right?

  • 12.22.2011 11:57 PM PDT
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Today I successfully skipped the Oracle elevator ride of death with all skulls on (minus Blind, Iron, and Envy)!! :D But getting past the Flood on the descent trip is a pain in the ass and is currently depending on luck. As a result, fighting on the elevator might be a better option.

Curse Famine skull. I need just a little more Carbine ammo and I can kill all the Sentinels and most of the Flood. :( I don't know how anyone can fight Flood Elite combat forms in melee combat. It's insane!! Flood can assassinate me!!! :'(

Edit:

I got past the room that I feared the most: the one where you have to fight a bunch of Flood. It took me quite some time since I didn't jump in there like MisterMonopoli but it was less difficult. Btw, should infection forms popping on your shields cause you to rise? I was under the impression that was after you lost your shields but it looks like Sputnik affects their pop... a lot.

No checkpoint because of the damn infection forms so I had to fight the heretics as if this was single segment. I hate how Famine affects the Carbine...

[Edited on 12.23.2011 5:00 AM PST]

  • 12.23.2011 12:32 AM PDT
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Hya Ghost!

People are gonna start talking if we keep this up!

The ledge refers to the wraith that is on the upper cliff over the Hunter tunnel, where the tree with no bottom is. The crashed pelican is a bit earlier, then you have the two wraith area, one on the small pond with the jackals, and the other on the elevated cliff or ledge. Often times there is a shade turret up there as well. The end of that battle is where the two hunters come trundling up the tunnel. It is also the first place you can hijack a banshee, that ledge area.

  • 12.23.2011 4:52 PM PDT
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Posted by: womyfts
Hya Ghost!

People are gonna start talking if we keep this up!

Great womy!! :D Allow me to do the honors.

I'm working on making both Great Journey and Oracle SLASO (or just plain Legendary in the latter case) pleasant, easy, and enjoyable (I already finished making SLASO strategies for GJ btw).

I can now safely say that my 3 favorite levels are Cairo Station, Great Journey, and Oracle. They're not as hard as they used to be. I'm 97% certain that these could be done single segment SLASO. Outskirts, Metropolis, Sacred Icon, and Quarantine Zone, on the other hand... only speedrunners can do those. I gave up on those missions. They are way too frustrating. Delta Halo and Regret always seem too long to me and Gravemind's mission start is too much punishment. High Charity would be hell. And The Arbiter gives me nightmares.

Anyways, yesterday, I figured out a way to do Oracle LASO (no Blind) without having to fight the Flood in cqc after getting past the elevator. But that was raw testing and I need to redo it later so for now, you guys can enjoy this, a new and improved elevator skip. :D

I took a bit of shield damage (inevitably. Damn Needlers...), but if you leave the elevator area and go to the next area then return, there will only be those things that spawn the infection forms, which means a nice and easy shield recharge and overshield.

Then, in the next area, it's just a matter of allowing the heretic vs. Flood fight to go on then allowing as many combat forms as possible to spawn then disarming them of their weapons. After which you can go down, cloak, crouch jump to the other side and from there, you have a sword (so I am planning on dropping the sword I brought with me for dual wielding plasma pistol and plasma rifle that were in the hallway, which aren't affected by Famine), several combat forms suffering from seizures (and they can be used for shield recharge and overshield), and a really great spot for hiding from/dealing with enemies (although 1 or 2 combat forms may spawn in the same location so it's best to have a sword ready). When the 2nd wave of heretics come, the Flood will usually kill them and if they go on the turret, that's even more convenient. Then the final wave of heretics arrive and the door to the elevator opens. :) In my raw testing, it took me 50 minutes. I'm going to bring that down to 20.

Posted by: womyfts

The ledge refers to the wraith that is on the upper cliff over the Hunter tunnel, where the tree with no bottom is. The crashed pelican is a bit earlier, then you have the two wraith area, one on the small pond with the jackals, and the other on the elevated cliff or ledge. Often times there is a shade turret up there as well. The end of that battle is where the two hunters come trundling up the tunnel. It is also the first place you can hijack a banshee, that ledge area.
Oh. All this LASO testing is turning my mind to mush.

So you didn't kill the one on the ledge? Was it because it's not worth it, there's not enough plasmas, it's not in the path to the next area, or is it because it's inaccessible/the random geometry making it difficult to get up to it?

Oh I hate that first Wraith. Have you considered going back up on the bridge and throwing a plasma from there?

That last Wraith sounds like a good challenge. I want to try that!!

  • 12.23.2011 7:42 PM PDT

I'm so confuzzzled right now!

  • 12.23.2011 8:27 PM PDT
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Posted by: InvasionImminent
I'm so confuzzzled right now!
I'm afraid this will be even more confusing then.

I beat my record (concerning the fight after the elevator trip). Segmented, it's probably around 20 minutes. The entire video is about 35 minutes. It took me many reverts (mainly because it's a pain in the ass to crouch jump back up to the ledge after going down to spawn the next waves of enemies and to collect ammo, and because of those damn Carriers falling out of the sky, but once you get the hang of these, there really isn't anything you need to worry about).

Now I am almost halfway there.

[Edited on 12.23.2011 11:00 PM PST]

  • 12.23.2011 10:59 PM PDT

What is this ledge you guys speak of! I can't find what you're all talking about!

  • 12.23.2011 11:25 PM PDT


Posted by: InvasionImminent
What is this ledge you guys speak of! I can't find what you're all talking about!
It's over by that green tree, lol.

  • 12.23.2011 11:53 PM PDT


Posted by: Grumpy1

Posted by: InvasionImminent
What is this ledge you guys speak of! I can't find what you're all talking about!
It's over by that green tree, lol.

A tree in space?

  • 12.23.2011 11:57 PM PDT
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Update! I found a really good strategy for the part after the elevator (the one after the room of despair which is after the elevator ride of death). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to bring a sword so the Flood were a pain in the ass to fight. But the Sentinel Beam does a really good job at destroying Sentinels. Of course I could have just taken it from one of the heretic Elites but I like being prepared.

Posted by: InvasionImminent
What is this ledge you guys speak of! I can't find what you're all talking about!
It's where one of the CEA skulls are.

  • 12.24.2011 12:14 AM PDT


Posted by: Sliding Ghost
Posted by: InvasionImminent
What is this ledge you guys speak of! I can't find what you're all talking about!
It's where one of the CEA skulls are.

The one on Silent Cartographer?

  • 12.24.2011 12:26 AM PDT
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Posted by: InvasionImminent

Posted by: Sliding Ghost
Posted by: InvasionImminent
What is this ledge you guys speak of! I can't find what you're all talking about!
It's where one of the CEA skulls are.

The one on Silent Cartographer?
Two Betrayals.

On a side note, I take back what I said about Oracle SLASO. It cannot be done single segment. Once you get to the part where you have to cut the cables, that's where things become painful. But I did learn that you can melee the Sentinels for a shield recharge/overshield after cutting the third cable.

Also, the Heretic boss is hell scary. I found a way to deal with him without losing my shield (still lost my overshield though). But after that, I went to the same place MisterMonopoli went and I plan on using plasma grenades. I managed to get a cp there might I add. Heretic Boss, prepare to meet your doom!! >:D

  • 12.24.2011 1:38 AM PDT
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OMFG I DID IT!! I beat the Heretic boss, on Legendary, all skulls except Blind, Envy, and Iron, no overshield, without taking ANY shield damage!! :D:D:D

I must upload my accomplishment ASAP!! Bungie, I'm sorry I ever complained about your AI and damage sponges...

Edit:

Muhahahahaha!!! Here it is. >:D

All those hours of freaking panicking and bathroom breaks finally paid off.

Edit 2:

Of course, a grenade stick is not necessary from the position. It's rarely successful because of Armory. It's better to just sword him.

[Edited on 12.24.2011 5:58 AM PST]

  • 12.24.2011 3:51 AM PDT
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Way to GO! Nicely done, I know how great it feels to get something accomplished that you have worked hard towards relative to these games. It is funny, as players we can usually think of ways to torment ourselves much more devious and cruel than the makers!

I do have a question regarding something I saw you do that I am attempting to duplicate (man, my respect for you grows with each failed attempt! Here is the ?: I am on Cairo, trying to get Johnson into the stairwell that triggers the checkpoint before the first hanger battle. He is a fast, sneaky son of a bit, and every time I get him near the doorway that closes you off from the lobby part after the CP he manages to get away from me a final time and I cannot find him anywhere. There are 2 grunts and an elite in that area that triggers the CP. I have tried moving Johnson there while they are all alive, after killing the grunts only, and after killing everything without triggering the CP. Each time Johnson has slipped away from me and totally vanished! I have looked all the way back to the first battle area, under stairs, in unused corridors, you name it, he is just plain gone. Did this ever happen to you? You dont have to give away an answer if you want me to earn it (it has happened 4 times now, revert to saved CP! and try a different approach!), I am just trying to find out if this is typical or unusual.

Thanks!

[Edited on 12.24.2011 8:10 AM PST]

  • 12.24.2011 8:09 AM PDT
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Posted by: womyfts
Way to GO! Nicely done, I know how great it feels to get something accomplished that you have worked hard towards relative to these games. It is funny, as players we can usually think of ways to torment ourselves much more devious and cruel than the makers!

I do have a question regarding something I saw you do that I am attempting to duplicate (man, my respect for you grows with each failed attempt! Here is the ?: I am on Cairo, trying to get Johnson into the stairwell that triggers the checkpoint before the first hanger battle. He is a fast, sneaky son of a bit, and every time I get him near the doorway that closes you off from the lobby part after the CP he manages to get away from me a final time and I cannot find him anywhere. There are 2 grunts and an elite in that area that triggers the CP. I have tried moving Johnson there while they are all alive, after killing the grunts only, and after killing everything without triggering the CP.

Each time Johnson has slipped away from me and totally vanished! I have looked all the way back to the first battle area, under stairs, in unused corridors, you name it, he is just plain gone. Did this ever happen to you?

You dont have to give away an answer if you want me to earn it (it has happened 4 times now, revert to saved CP! and try a different approach!), I am just trying to find out if this is typical or unusual.

Thanks!
It was a short lived feeling. I just raged like crazy right now because I was trying to get subsequent cps after the Banshee part and I didn't get any other than the one after the cutscene despite having full 2x overshields. I got cps after that part before but now I don't get them anymore.

The key is to block him with scenery items. And yes, he is very, very sneaky.

Yes it did happen to me. The key is to move the big crate over there, push Johnson past the big crate into the room with the 2 Grunts and an Elite, then move a small crate that's in the same room to fill the gap.

Are you nuts? I don't want people to frustrate themselves to hell. I want a Halo where things are fair and sane, like Halo 1. That is why I am coming up with strategies for SLASO. To do SLASO in H3 and Reach would be suicide and tedious but I'm convinced H2 SLASO is possible (although some levels can only be done by speedrunners and trickers). My testing on Oracle is going great (except where I'm at right now, which is after the Banshee part).

Anyways, yes, it's typical.

  • 12.24.2011 11:19 AM PDT
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Coal in my Stocking!

I finally got Johnson into the Hanger battle, I was so frakking thrilled! Yeah, I died (of course) and lo and behold.....NO FRAKKING CHECKPOINT! I found myself all the way back to lobby area that I was trying to get him out of originally (where he kept pulling his vanishing act). Talk about pissed off!

Well, I guess I'll just have to learn from this, and not die (that could be a challenge!). Patience, patience, patience.........Good thing Monday is a holiday as well, I may need that long just to get to the second hanger!

Happy Christmas Ron!

  • 12.25.2011 8:30 AM PDT
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Posted by: womyfts
Coal in my Stocking!

I finally got Johnson into the Hanger battle, I was so frakking thrilled! Yeah, I died (of course) and lo and behold.....NO FRAKKING CHECKPOINT! I found myself all the way back to lobby area that I was trying to get him out of originally (where he kept pulling his vanishing act). Talk about pissed off!

Well, I guess I'll just have to learn from this, and not die (that could be a challenge!). Patience, patience, patience.........Good thing Monday is a holiday as well, I may need that long just to get to the second hanger!
I could try it without Sputnik and make a tutorial out of it if you want help.

Do you have at least one of the following skulls on: Sputnik, Thunderstorm?

On a side note, strategy update for Oracle!! I have decided to completely ditch the sword once I got defeated the Heretics at the area where the Heretic boss flees. MisterMonopoli may have used the sword but damn that takes a lot of skills. How he fights Flood with the sword I'll never know but I am never going to use that sword against Flood, simply because I'll end up losing my shields. Those Sentinels are key; as long as you avoid their death explosion, you get a shield recharge/overshield by killing them. As for the Flood in that aforementioned room, the noob combo is the answer.

I kept my allies alive after receiving them via Phantom with very little difficulty. The only real problems are the Flood combat forms and allies accidentally sticking each other (and me).

  • 12.25.2011 8:48 AM PDT
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Thanks for the offer, but part of the fun is seeing what someone can do, and then experimenting to see if you can get it done yourself as well. I am sure that you could save me alot of frustration, but then where is the fun for you in having accomplished it at not seeing other people suffer the same pain you had to go through!

I have the following skulls on:

Sputnik (to make it easer to move objects around, and well because the cool explosions scatter everything around so nicely!)

Catch (to get all the extra grenades, and well, see first skull)

Envy (to hide when I need to hide, sneak when I need to sneak, and be cool)

Thunderstorm (so all of the enemies are bad-ass, and can draw swords!)

Assassins (well, now if I get to be cool having envy, why shouldnt the enemies be cool all the time, I mean the MC is a nice guy isnt he?)

That would be my skull list, and accomplish this I will! It may take me a year, either I die or my xbox dies, ha ha ha!

  • 12.25.2011 9:44 AM PDT