If you don't like my videos have a look at this thread to see other Halo 2 LASO runs:
http://alt-gaming.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=346Before attempting Halo 2 LASO there's a few things you should know:
Before starting, load up a campaign level and put something on your screen in place of your reticle, it will make aiming a hell of a lot easier, I personally use a bit of a sticky post it note. I rip a bit of it off and stick it on my screen.
Black Eye skull allows you to get a 2x Overshield.
If you're attempting this solo you can quickly save and quit after you die and when you hit resume you'll start at you're last checkpoint rather than restarting the level.
You can regen you're shields by destroying objects with melee. Such as turrets, vehicles, flood corpses etc.
You only regain shiels when you kill an enemy or destroy an object with melee.
Kills with the Energy Sword do NOT give you shields back.
It is much easier to do LASO in H2 Classic, enemies are a lot easier to see.
Enemies with Needlers are deadly, be sure to kill them ASAP.
The angry skull is helpful when fighting elites with Plasma Rifles (wait for their gun to overheat then run in for the melee).
For some reason when you hit an enemy with melee as they try to do the same to you they will turn around for an easy kill and easy shields.
The Brute Shot is awesome for Halo 2 LASO, it will melee kill most enemies in two hits and it makes Gravemind a lot easier.
Heretic Elites do no melee damage what so ever (the Elites that appear on The Arbiter and The Oracle).
It takes two overcharged Plasma Pistol shots to take down an Elite Ultra's shields (the white Elites). All other Elites only take one overcharged shot on LASO.
Cairo Station:Sgt. Johnson is your best friend here, you'll use him as a distraction throughout the entire level, just make sure to not lose sight of him. If you're attempting this solo and you leave Johnson by himself he will disappear and you'll most likely have to restart.
Make sure you betray two team mates at the start of the level for free shields.
After the enemies come into the first room wait for about 5-10 seconds before falling down as the enemies are more aware.
Give Johnson the Plasma Rifle so he can take down the Elites shields easier.
If Johnson isn't shooting the enemies it's probably because he can't see them, make sure to put a couple of shots into the elite that you want Johnson to shoot.
Sticking an Elite with a plasma grenade sometimes causes them to enrage and pull out their sword. Make use of this in the first hangar.
Plenty of BR ammo at 24:49 in the video
There's a Marine in the area where you first encounter the drones, if he survives be sure to kill him for some free shields. There's also BR ammo next to where he's standing.
There's another Marine at the back of the final room as well as some BR and SMG ammo.
Outskirts:Lots of free shields in this level, pretty much any car you see can give you shields back.
Only betray one Marine at the start of this level, betraying any more will cause them to be mad and shoot you. Also be sure to grab the Sniper from Johnson.
Remember to grab the Rocket Launcher and some Sniper ammo after entering the tunnel and coming back out.
There's an invincible Warthog that you can go back and get if you want to be extra safe. You can see it in this video at 5:40:
After driving past the first group of enemies in the tunnel they will depsawn so you can go back and get some free shields. You can see me doing this at 8:07 in the video.
When shooting the Shadows (14:10 in the video) you may not see the explosion happen but they will be destroyed, it's safe to assume they're destroyed after shooting them for a few seconds.
I find the easiest way to finish the final area of this level is to shoot a few rockets at the Shadows then Snipe the Grunt on the turret. There's many different ways to complete this area as you can see in other videos.
Metropolis:Destory two gates at the start of this level for a 2x Overshield.
Almost all of this level is just like the speedrun.
Free shields at 1:53 and at 4:10.
When you're on the Wraith if you press the grenade button at the same time as you press the melee button you can plant a grenade and hit the Wraith at the same time.
Make sure to get a full 2x Overshield before boarding the Scarab from destroying the turret and betraying a couple of Marines.
The fastest way to do the Scarab section is to jump on top of it, shoot a rocket and run in and kill the three Elites that trigger the end of the level. If you're not comfortable with doing that you can try taking it slow and kill all the enemies before boarding the Scarab. There's plenty of ammo all over the place.
Shooting rockets near enemies to push them off the Scarab is a good way to do it, because of the Sputnik skull enemies will be launched by rockets and grenades.
The Arbiter:Remember the Elites in this level don't do any melee damage.
Make sure to listen for the sound queue for when you can use camo again.
You can take this most of this level nice and slow, camo then kill an enemy and rinse and repeat.
Betray some team mates for some free shields at the start.
Be sure to get some free shields from the turrets that the Grunt's bring in. You can see me destroy them at 8:06.
If you're quick you can get into the room that I missed at 15:09, it's pretty safe in there.
The Oracle:This end of this level is extremely fun because you get to be invincible :)
Betray the Grunt at the start of this level for some shields and one of the flood corpses in the next room for some more shields.
There's multiple ways to get down the lift in this level, I recommend watching all the different LASO videos until you find what ever way works best for you.
After getting down the lift and heading into the next room go to the left side of the room by following the path that I take, you can get up there from the ground level but it's much easier following the route that I take. It's very safe in this area, there's only one occasion where enemies will be up here with you and it's only carrier Flood so you don't have to worry too much.
In that area are a few Flood lying next to the Famine skull, if you ever need some shields just melee them to death.
Killing any Flood Spore with melee will give you shields back.
After clearing out that room there's a despawn trick which prevents some Elites, Grunts and Sentinels from spawning, I fail miserably at this trick but you can see it being done correctly in this video at 20:30:
After the next cutscene is when things get easy :)
Activate the elevator and let it go up a little bit then activate it again and stand underneath it. This will launch you to the next section and you are now invincible for the rest of the level!
When coming back down after cutting the three cables you need to fall rather than take the elevator because for some reason you can't activate the elevator after becoming invincible. To do this just walk up to the hole after cutting the final cable and count to three, after three just fall down the hole and you should be safe.
Delta Halo:To start off this level grab the BR from the Marine and take out all of the Grunts except for one, kill him with melee to make sure you have some shields.
When you approach the next area with the turrets try and destroy both of the Ghosts that are there so the Elites can't get in them.
You will need a bit of luck for this next bit. Hopefully there's two Elites in Ghosts stuck under the bridge as there is in my video, if there's no Elites there at all I recommend just restarting the level and trying again. Take out those Elites with melee for Shields but be careful because an Elite will try and come up behind you and kill you, you should take him out before killing the Elites on the Ghosts.
After they're dead activate the bridge and take one of the Ghosts.
Grab some rocket ammo from behind the tree that you can see at 5:30 then take out the turret.
Follow the path that I take to hit the loading zones so can complete the level.
When you get to the final area take out the two Jackal Snipers and proceed to the final room.
If the Elites charge towards you just fall back and for some reason they always go for the Ghost, when they're determined to get in the Ghost they won't even attack you so quickly kill them before they get in.
Regret:This level is a bit of a nightmare, start off the level by running through the first door and kill one or two of the Elites with melee then do a grenade jump to get across the gap. Once you're across you can either run towards the Jackal and hope he shits himself or you can take him out with the BR. I recommend running towards him because most of the time he'll shit himself and leave you an easy kill.
After successfully making it across the gap take out the remaining Jackals (there's five in total).
Getting on the Gondola may take a few attempts, to get on the Gondola early throw two Plasma Grenades in the air in the same place that I threw them then spawn the enemies and melee the Elite on the right. Hopefully you'll either kill him or get him enraged so he pulls out his Sword. The two Plasma nades will hopefully launch the other Elite off the edge of the map.
After activating the first Gondola throw a few grenades onto the Gondola that's next to you to hopefully spawn kill the Drones, after that be sure to look back and spawn kill the other Drones with the Beam Rifle. After the Drones are dead just hide and the Gondola will eventually move on, you don't even have to worry about the Elites.
After the Gondola stops take out all the enemies and head inside, there should be a few Beam Rifles for you to use after killing those Jackals so just take your time and pick off the enemies one by one.
In this are you can destroy the two turrets for shields, you can also go to where the Assassin's Skull is located and kill the two Elites for shields and you can kill the Grunt that is next to the Fuel Rod Gun for shields.
For the room at 17:49, go on the left side of the room, hide behind the crate at the end for a second while the Hunters come out then run into the next area, I find that route to be safest way through that room.
Before activating the second underwater elevator make sure to dual wield some Plasma Pistols so you can take out the Elites in the next area. Try and maintain as much shields as possible in this area because the next section is a bitch.
After killing the two Elites and the Grunts take the next area slowly and pick off the Drones, I found the best way to take them out was with Plasma Grenades. After the Drones are dead try and take out one of the Elites by using overcharged Plasma Pistols, after enough enemies are dead a Pelican will come out and will be a nice distraction so you can sneak past.
Before getting on the second Gondola kill the Jackal Sniper that's there with melee for a bit of shields, use a crate to get close to him for an easy kill.
Before activating the second Gondola set up a crate in the corner that will act as your cover. I fail miserably at setting the crate up so watch any of the other LASO videos to see it done correctly. Only one crate is required, in my video I thought that maybe bringing some extra crates along would help but it really does nothing, you only need the one.
Before activating the cutscene after the second Gondola make sure the destroy the two turret's that are there for some shields.
To take out the Elites before you get to fight Regret I found the easiest way to kill them was to walk half way up the ramp and hide behind the crate that's there. Most of the time they'll jump towards you and you can just melee them, after the Elites are dead take out the surrounding enemies and destroy the turrets for shields.
When you go to board Regret if you press the grenade button at the same time as the board button you will stick him and do extra damage. The timing is fairly precise but if you manage to do it every time then you only have to jump on him five times.
Sacred Icon:At the start of the level destroy the 3 holes that the Sentinels come out of then melee a couple of Constructor's for some shields. This is a constructor in case you're wondering:
Make sure to get all your shields back in the room at 8:48, there's plenty of Flood corpes lying around.
Follow the path I take at 17:00 and after that point the rest of the level is fairly easy, you can sit on top of that mountain for the rest of the level if you want while the Elite does all the work.
Quarantine Zone:Kill the Elite at the start of the level for some shields.
Make sure to jump out where I did at 1:30 to destroy the Flood corpse for some shields, there's also another corpse up that ramp if you need the shields.
Jump out of the Ghost where I did at 2:37 then activate camo just before getting to the Rocket Launcher that's on the ground, grab the new Ghost and continue.
Gravemind:As soon as the level starts move backwards and crouch behind the platform that you start on while shooting the Brute on the left with the Needler.
After clearing out the first two Brutes and four Grunts move to the back left of the room.
If you don't get a Carbine in the first or second wave I recommend just restarting, the Carbine makes it so much easier to clear out the remaining waves.
I like to do each wave by sticking one of the Brutes, after that the other Brute should be enraged so he should rush you for an easy kill with the Needler. Once the Brutes are dead kill all Needler Grunts and leave two Plasma Pistol Grunts left to get shields back.
For the third wave try kill as many Grunts as you can first then try and stick the Brutes.
Do not use the lift to go down when you come to your first open area. This is a one time lift and you'll need it to get some shields back later on, follow the path that I take at 14:15 to get down. Grab a Brute Shot before falling down as well. There's also plenty of free shields in that area.
Using weapon crates as cover you is very helpful for this level.
Before heading down the lift be sure to back track and go up the first lift to get a full 2x Overshield.
When going down the lift start rapidly t-bagging a few seconds before you hit the ground because it will make you fall faster, it really makes a huge difference. I used to think SLASO was impossible until trying this. When you land fall to the bottom level and wait around the lift with your Brute Shot and melee kill any enemy that comes down. Eventually more enemies will spawn on the bottom level with you so fall back and pick them off with the Carbine/Brute Shot.
The jail room is fairly unpredictable because it's random the order in which you have to rescue the marines. Try and use weapon crates to your advantage and use them as cover.
There's three Carbine crates in this area, there's a crate in the middle of the bottom level, a crate to the left on the second level and another crate to the left on the third level. When I say to the left I mean if you're facing the main grav lift (the lift that you entered the room from).
After rescuing the marines I like to betray one of them for shields and use the other as a distraction.
When you get to the room at 46:30 try and run past all of the enemies and into the next area, it may take a few attempts but it's easier and faster than clearing out that room.
Grab the Fuel Rod Gun at 49:27, you'll need it to take out the Hunters later on.
When you get to the final room try and take out the Elites first, then the Hunters and finally the Brutes. Killing the enemies in this order prevents other waves of enemies from spawning.
I found the best way to clear out the final wave of Elites was to use the Fuel Rod to damage them as the door opens then pick off the weak ones, Carbine Elites are definitely top priority here. After that wait for the Sword Elite to rush and take him out, then move up to the right and take out the remaining Elites with melee.
Gravemind UPDATE: So Gravemind LASO is possible but much easier in coop, it's still extremely unfair solo. To get down the lift solo you need to rapidly t-bag and it makes you fall faster.
Here's a video of my friend and I beating Gravemind. The video starts at the lift because I wasn't recording before hand as I wasn't sure that it would even be possible. Going down the lift may look easy here but we got EXTREMELY LUCKY. It took about 30mins of attempts to get down and there's a lot of luck involved. It depends how many needler grunts are there as well was what the surrounding enemies are.
Uprising:Nice and easy level after Gravemind :)
Pretty simple stuff really, just follow my path or any of the other LASO videos and you shouldn't have too much trouble.
High Charity:Another fairly easy level really, just follow my path and you should be fine.
Remember you can get shields back from destroying flood corpses, there's plenty in this level. You can also get shields back from destroying the little Flood patches that are on the wall, I destroy a few at 6:18.
Grab the Brute Shot at 5:58.
The Great Journey:Betray the Elite at the start for shields.
The rest of the level is just like the speedrun, nice and easy last few levels to finish off Halo 2 LASO :)