Big One Tips

By Danny Chihdo

Note: Big, shiny single-player storyline SPOILERS lie ahead! You've been warned!

Not to take anything away from Master Chief, who is and always will be the hero of the Halo series, but some of the toughest, most challenging battles in the single-player story line of Halo 2 belong to his Covenant counterpart, the Elite holy warrior known only the Arbiter. This alien plays quite a bit differently than Master Chief, relying more on stealth and surprise. The Arbiter even gets a first crack at those ancient parasites, the Flood, who are old news to the Covenant Prophets.

What is he? The Arbiter, that's what.

Arbiter Versus Flood
After an opening mission that sees the Arbiter into his new armor and fighting an outpost of heretics that plays more or less like a Master Chief level, the Arbiter is dispatched to deal with a parasitic infestation of the Flood. You may think you know how to fight these guys, and many of the original ways to kill them do still work, like the shotgun, grenades, rockets, and machine-gun panic-fire. However, you're the Arbiter, not the Chief, so you won't have access to those human weapons right away (including the powerful Brute Shot grenade launcher and the Fuel Rod Cannon, the massive energy weapon Hunters carry).

Your best bet in this first fight against the Flood is stealth, running away, the heavy Covenant beam weapon—think Unreal Championship's lightning gun, with more power—and the energy sword, which kills most Flood dead with one swipe. The only problem is you'll have to get close …

That little guy's on your side.

This area is dark and foggy, but you're going to have to just embrace it. The Chief's the one with the flashlight, while you've got rechargeable active camouflage. (There's even an early throwaway line where one of your lieutenants points out that since your camo is experimental, it doesn't last as long as theirs. Hey, thanks, guys. Anything for your Arbiter, eh?)

Keep your ears peeled for the telltale sound of Flood (you'll be cut off from your commandos at this point) and turn on the camo before you enter any area. Hit the non-explosive variety with the sword—look out for Flood-ed Elites who still have functioning shields, too—and take out the kerploders with a normal weapon or grenades. As you progress, you will eventually find better guns, but surviving the first half of this level is a challenge.

Hot Covenant-on-Covenant action.

Arbiter Versus … Covenant?
Late in the game, a series of betrayals and a high dose of insanity in the highest echelons of Covenant leadership leave the Arbiter with no choice but to join forces with a human who isn't Master Chief (and that's all I'll say for now). In this level, your human ally steals a Scarab, one of those huge crawling Covenant bug walkers. With the Arbiter flying cover in a convenient Banshee, this level wouldn’t be out of place in Rogue Squadron … and that's a good thing.

The Scarab can take a beating, but you'll still be under attack from enemy Banshees, Ghosts, Specters (Covenant Warthogs), and snipers. Your best option is to keep the skies clear in the banshee. Then, when another vehicle arrives, land the banshee, jack it (especially if it's a Wraith tank), and clear out the enemies in that section of the canyon.

Get back in the banshee when the Scarab catches up (or take a fresh one if there's one available) and get ahead to the next bend. Watch for Jackals on ridges armed with Covenant sniper rifles, though. They can knock you clean out of the cockpit before you even see them (and even the Arbiter can't fall 400 meters and live).

Of course, it's not over for the Arbiter. The real fight is just beginning. After the Scarab clears the way, the Arbiter must head down into the bowels of the Halo and find some way to stop the Prophet Truth and his army of Brutes before they take the entire galaxy with them on their "Great Journey."

I won't spoil the final boss battle for the Arbiter (hint: it's not at all the same as Master Chief's), but I will say this: Brute Shot and luck. Have fun!