Boarding Action Walkthrough – Halo: Campaign Evolved

Away Team – First Boarding of the Covenant Capital Ship

The mission begins with Master Chief and a squad of marines boarding a Covenant capital ship. Your opening loadout is a Battle Rifle, a Magnum, and two frag grenades. After the cutscene, you are in a small room with three panicking Grunts. Immediately headshot all three Grunts, then watch the corner to your left. An Elite will spawn after the Grunts die; take cover and wait for it to appear, then burn its shields and finish with a headshot. After the Elite, clear the shield-bearing Jackals. Note that in Campaign Evolved, shooting a Jackal’s hand to expose its face is less reliable; use a Plasma Pistol overload or a melee attack instead.

Once the room is clear, walk to the dropship to trigger a cutscene introducing Sergeant Johnson. He wields a super-powered sniper rifle (“Sophie”) and can draw fire, but he can die and will respawn. Follow Johnson to the large door. Do not stand directly on the door while Johnson hacks it – Grunts beyond the door will bombard that position with Plasma Grenades, forcing you to repeat the hack sequence.

When the door opens, headshot the Grunts inside but do not enter. A turret on the walkway above will kill you quickly on Legendary. Grab a Plasma Pistol from the first room (it has surprisingly high ammo capacity). Peek right as you enter the doorway and fire a fully charged Plasma Pistol shot at the turret to disable it, then swap to your primary weapon and headshot the pilot before the turret reboots. Be aware that swapping off the Plasma Pistol has a brief delay that prevents shooting for a second, so time your shots accordingly.

After disabling the turret, fight from the doorway to clear the remaining enemies: three Elites, several Grunts (watch for Plasma Grenades), and Jackals. Move forward into the next large circular room. Johnson will provide cover from the upper walkway. Slowly circle the room’s edges, taking down lower-tier enemies. Turrets on the upper walkway may be handled by Johnson. On the far side you will encounter another Elite. Clear it and proceed through the door marked by the objective.

Take out the next turret quickly, then use the doorway to angle on the remaining Covenant. Head up the ramp on the far side. At the top, a Covenant arsenal chest contains UNSC weapons – refill your Battle Rifle ammo, grab a frag, and consider taking the Magnum again. Your ideal loadout now is Battle Rifle/Magnum plus Plasma Pistol, or Battle Rifle plus Magnum. Go through the arch and you will be back in the circular room on the second floor. The turret has a new pilot – eliminate it. The dropship turret that tracks your movement is harmless; ignore it.

The First Hunter Encounter

Before taking the gravity lift, look for a collectible. Cross to the far side of the circular room’s second floor, then follow the walkway back toward the mission start. You will find the Malfunction Skull overlooking the opening area. This Skull, when active, causes a random HUD element to disappear after each respawn.

For the Hunter pair in this area, use accumulated Plasma Grenades to stick one Hunter in the face, or lure one Hunter down the ramp and into the doorway. The door and corners can separate the two Hunters, exposing the back of the retreating Hunter for attack.

Change of Plans – New Objectives and the Training Room

After the Hunter encounter, a new objective triggers. You will descend into a thin hallway lined with Beam Rifles and Brute Plasma Rifles. At the end of the hallway, a ramp leads down to a small room. In the corner of that room is an Overshield (power items are held as consumables, not applied immediately). Also, the rack behind the staircase contains Needle Rifles. The Needle Rifle can headshot lighter enemies and triggers an explosion after three quick hits on a target.

The Training Room

Enter the training room. You will see Elites and a Ghost (a Covenant vehicle). If possible, stop an Elite from taking the Ghost. Then use the Ghost from the entrance side of the arena to fire on Elites and enemies on the upper platforms. Focus on the Ghost pilot first, then clear the rest.

After the room is cleared, use the open second-floor doors above the entrance to return to the previous room’s upper platforms. Newly spawned Elites will appear; defeat them. On the curved walkway that extends toward the center, you will find the Johnny Ammo Seed Skull. This Skull discards all ammunition remaining in a magazine whenever you reload – be careful when using it.

Forge Reconnaissance – Push to the Final Arena

The final objective phase begins. You will encounter a mix of Brutes, Elites, Grunts, and Jackals. Brutes have a red chest control that can be shot to enrage them. An enraged Brute attacks nearby Covenant and the player, so you can use it to thin mixed enemy waves from a distance.

The Tractor Beam Room and Final Arena

Near the end of Forge Reconnaissance, you enter a room with a vertical tractor beam. Clear all waves but do not take the beam yet. On the small left slope at the dead end of the hallway behind the room’s back-left side, you will find the Leadhead Skull (its effect is not detailed in the source material).

After collecting the Skull, ride the tractor beam upward. Immediately turn around and enter the unlocked blue doors behind and to the right of the beam. Inside, the The Path Terminal is on the right-hand wall. Activate it to complete a terminal objective.

The final encounter is a large circular arena with multiple waves. Use the cubbies beneath the ramps or the defensible upper positions beside the Shade turrets. Scout weapon racks between waves for power weapons and equipment. Save explosives and Active Camo for the Hunter and stealth-Elite wave. Keep moving and use the environment to control the flow of enemies.

Sources

• Boarding Action Walkthrough - Halo: Campaign Evolved (IGN) – All mission objectives, enemy tactics, Skull locations, and terminal details.