This is my no-skull Legendary walkthrough for this mission. If you use easier skulls or an easier difficulty, you will get this MUCH easier, but I was going for the true experience on my first run through without any skulls.
I found this oddly enough to be quite easy. However! It was a constant, frantic pace for the entire mission. I'm very good at looking at many things at once rapidly, and frenetic RTS gameplay. You will find this hard if you have trouble with scrolling the map fast(hold down
to scroll faster), selecting units on screen, or all units and then selecting which units you want to use, and fast access of the leader power menu!
I did this first try, and found that the units they give to you each time are pretty good for what is coming up.
I hope these walkthrough steps below will help, because this is a very unusual type of mission due to not having any bases, unlimited resources for leader powers and turret building/upgrading, fast leader power recharge times, reinforcements periodically, and the constant assault of wave after wave of Banished troops.
The mission goals first:1. Build up all turrets, stations infantry in all the garrisons, and position your Spartans.
2. Use Leader Powers as often as possible where most needed.
3. I don't know if it actually helps or not, but take out the Brute Chieftains.
4. Keep an eye on all incoming waves of Banished, and make sure your troops are well-matched for what they are facing.
5. Keep your Nightingale's in the places for healing, and make sure to keep your Nightingale's healed!
Step by step Mission guide:1. IMMEDIATELY BUILD ALL TURRETS and upgrade them to Anti-Infantry!! There are 7 turrets to build around the entrance points if I remember correctly.
2. Leader Power call in ODST's!
3. Spread your units around each entrance. I put one Spartan near the top entrance, two Spartans near the bottom entrance, Hellbringers in the garrisons, otherwise Marines/ODST's in the garrisons, some Cyclops at the bottom and mostly Cyclops at the right entrance(behind Marines!).
4. You should be set up for the initial attacks now. Use the healing power generously, you do NOT want to be losing units, especially Nightingales or eventually tanks!
5. The Banished waves will start wimpy and gradually build up. It will be mostly easy infantry at first, with some Hunters mixed in. Those will usually go down quickly, but always look for the strongest concentration of Banished and drop the Turret Leader Power there. It will make quick work of it!
6. Call in your ODST power as OFTEN as you can. Station ODST's at the entrances, in the garrisons, and on the 'cliffs' overlooking each entrance.
7. Keep an eye out in the center for reinforcements. Each time you get reinforcements, put them where you are the weakest, and spread the units around. Try to pair up Nightingales together, and keep them behind the front lines so that aren't directly targeted.
8. Also try to keep your units all just behind the garrisons/towers so the garrisons and towers take all the damage first!
9. In the early waves, you might have some Banished push through to the center. Use your Spartan on the north side to take them out, or with ODST other reinforcements as you see fit.
10. Somewhere around here, you'll get the objective to take out the two Brute Chieftains. I did this, although didn't do it within 10 minutes. They are protected extremely well, however! You can have some fun. Simultaneously call in on the Chieftain location a Turret, then ODST's, then an Archer Missile, and finally the Powerful Pelican Support Leader Power. Combining these all at once, I was nearly able to take out one Chieftain just that way. You could always send in Hornets or a Spartan to mop up if you did enough damage, then just wait for all the abilities to recharge and do it to the other Chieftain. It could be that my taking them out did make the mission easier somehow.
11. Before your reach the most dangerous wave, you will keep getting better reinforcements. when you start facing Covenant tanks, make sure to upgrade most or ALL or your Turrets to Anti-Vehicle. When you get the Scorpion/Grizzly reinforcements, park them on the high spots near the entrances so that can provide support fire, and also be healed by Nightingales. When you get the Hornets, assign them to a Control Group(select only the Hornets--double tap
on a Hornet when they are all on the screen--, then hold the
and hold the
in the direction you want to assign for the Control Group. Now that you have a Control Group of Hornets, hold
and tap the
in the direction of the Hornet Control Group to select them wherever they are on the map). Use your Hornet Control Group as a Quick Reaction Force to take out Locust and other nasties.
12. The most dangerous wave will come after quite some time--you will have face Wraiths, and pretty much every Banished unit except for Banshees; but the LOCUST wave is very dangerous. They have a ridiculous range, and can attack most anything. Make sure to use your Spartans to hijack the locusts if at all possible, use ODST/Turret drop on concentrations of Locusts, etc.
13. At some point you will get several Vulture reinforcements. I kept one near the top of the defenses, and one near the bottom. Use their Phoenix Missile often, it's epic in doing damage.
14. If you've reached this point, you probably have been doing a great job so far keeping units healed and alive and well, and Banished dead and sad and gone.
15. Don't forget your ODST drops!
16. And Vulture Phoenix missiles!
17. And Nightingales healing everything(including each other)
18. So, at some point here you'll start getting hints about Banished air units. As soon as you hear about Banished Air units, or SEE any Banished Banshees, upgrade most of your Turrets to Anti-air, and try to keep very healthy strong units between the Banshees and your weak troops(Spartans?).
19. Sometime soon after the Banshees show up(or maybe before, it was really chaotic for a bit here), a Scarab will show up! It will come from the top, towards the North entrance. Happily though, it will get distracted by your Garrisons and Turrets, so use your Vultures Phoenix missiles on it, Archer missile Strike, Turret drop, even ODST's... and maybe the Pelican Support Power if necessary. I found that I was able to take out the Scarab very easily.
20. Keep on beating off the waves, and finally Atriox will lose his temper! He'll just get mad, and send 3 Scarabs at you! You have 2 minutes to survive. At this point, I selected ALL my units, and told them ALL to target the most northern Scarab. I used abilities, I forgot to use leader powers at this point it was so chaotic, but I eventually took out the northern scarab. IF the other scarabs look like they are going to take out your garrisons though, make sure to replace the garrisons with fresh troops! I was about half-way through the 2nd Scarab which had just climbed up the NE side of my defensive wall, when the mission completed with a pretty cool cutscene!
Overall, this was a pretty CRAZY, FUN mission. I enjoyed it, but then again, it was non-stop action the entire time, and you have to make a lot of good decisions and reactions with where to put your units, when to use leader powers, and keeping units healed and in order.
Please ask if you have any questions about parts of this, and I'd recommend using the save option generously if you find it at all tricky. I didn't save at all, but then... I forgot there was a save option for most of the campaign. LOL!
Enjoy.
