Site Poll 76: What's your favourite mission?

[Ranger Intel]

 

 

Hi everyone, Spartan here with site poll #76.

 

 

Last week we talked about your favourite enemies to fight. There were some great points from each and every member, and it's honestly hard to disagree with anyone's points, because there were some really well thought-out comments being made. The prometheans weren't a popular option, and to be honest I can see why. Click here to view the last poll, #75.

 

 

 

 

What's your favourite mission?

 

 

Honestly, pretty much every Halo mission is iconic. That's what you get when you have such a well-developed campaign. Many think this tends not to be the case with some of the newer titles, Halo 5 for example, though it does really depend on the user's personal enjoyment with each mission. You may find yourself playing one mission or one campaign a lot more than another. I believe we have compared the campaigns of the MCC in one of my earlier polls, but now I'm asking what your favourite mission across the whole franchise is. I'm sure some of you will have clear answers, and others will be torn between two or more options. From Halo CE to Halo Wars 2, the world's your oyster.  (Yes this does include the top-down games.)

 

 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts,

Spartan out.    

Edited May 19, 2018 by UNSC Spartan-II

[Halo6 Follower]

Definitely The Covenant from Halo 3. That opening cutscene, the Flood arrival, working with the Sangheili to storm the tower. 

 

Not to mention that it starts you off with a Spartan Laser, so you just know that it's going to be big. 

 

AND those Hornets!! 

 

 

"I will beat the Prophet's shield like a drum..." 

 

[Spartan II S-125]

CE the mission where u have to save captain keyes , H2 when u meet grave mind, H3 i havnt played yet, H3ODST so far the mission where u first see buck, H4 last mission or i dont remember if there was one the one where u fly a pelican, H5 the first blue team mission and the last mission

[Mothy]

Oh boy, picking my one favorite mission from the entire Halo series... Lemme quick think about it. Honestly I would have to say High Charity from Halo 2. For me the entire idea of a gigantic mobile mechanical planet that was used for the base of operations for the Covenant was pretty interesting, and since you all know my passion for the Flood, combining the two into one pretty lengthy level created one of the most memorable first play-throughs imo. And let me tell you playing it in remastered graphics was absolutely stunning, to this day Halo 2 Anniversary is one of the best looking games in my entire 150 Xbone collection (Right up there with Destiny 2). I probably stared for a good solid five minutes when I came across this part of the level and realized really how freaking huge this place is. 

[Maestro]

It's hard to narrow it down to just one, but I'll list my favourites from each game:

• CE: Keyes. This level is chaotic but fun. You don't have any allies, so you get to destroy anything that moves. I like it more than Two Betrayals because it's easy enough to navigate, somewhat short, and the hardest enemies in the game make their debut. The atmosphere and the chaos tell you that has officially hit the fan in full force.
• 2: Gravemind. This may be one of the hardest levels in the whole series, but it's a cinematic masterpiece. Like Keyes, the toughest enemies in the game make their debut here, and you witness the Covenant fall apart firsthand. There's no exposition, no cutscenes (I'm looking at you, Halo 5), you see the chaos unfold around you as you play the level. When the Covenant is fighting each other, you can let them duke it out, pick a side and kill the winner, or mow everything down yourself. Many people hate it because the first battle is excruciatingly painful, but my opinion of it hasn't been tarnished by trying it on Legendary... yet.
• 3: The Ark. I can see why people love this level. You start out sniping enemies with a squad of ODSTs, and then you get to cruise through the desert on vehicles until the last quarter of the level. You can find more Fuel Rod Guns than you know what to do with, and have so many options in each encounter. Playing this level on Legendary is a blast, and it's even more satisfying when you're able to keep any ODSTs until the end.
• ODST: Data Hive. It's an odd choice, but it's because of the story. Throughout the game, you learn what happened to your squad but don't really have a clear idea of what the mission was until you finish Kikowani Station. Then you hear Dare's SOS and fight off a squad of Brutes led by a Chieftain to descend into the Drone-riddled depths of New Mombasa. The eerie atmosphere and the culmination of your efforts have led to this and the effect is intoxicating.
• Reach: New Alexandria. The level's mood and atmosphere send the message that humanity is losing and hope is lost. It's also pretty fun to fly the Falcon and shoot down hordes of Banshees and Phantoms with the chaingun, and the secrets scattered throughout the level are entertaining. If nothing else, I like this level because I can party with Grunts and Brutes in the nightclub.
• 4: Reclaimer. You can do some pretty cool skips and there are almost no Prometheans you have to fight. It's one of the least painful missions in the game.
• 5: The Covenant. This level is so much fun. You start with a Spartan Laser and- wait, you mean writing +2 on my Halo 3 disc doesn't count as Halo 5? Damn. Then I guess the winner is the Breaking, not because it has fun gameplay or a huge impact on the plot but simply because it has awesome music, pretty lights, and I got the achievement for beating it on Legendary without dying on my first try.

[I_Make_Big_Boom]

 

It's hard to narrow it down to just one, but I'll list my favourites from each game:

• CE: Keyes. This level is chaotic but fun. You don't have any allies, so you get to destroy anything that moves. I like it more than Two Betrayals because it's easy enough to navigate, somewhat short, and the hardest enemies in the game make their debut. The atmosphere and the chaos tell you that has officially hit the fan in full force.
• 2: Gravemind. This may be one of the hardest levels in the whole series, but it's a cinematic masterpiece. Like Keyes, the toughest enemies in the game make their debut here, and you witness the Covenant fall apart firsthand. There's no exposition, no cutscenes (I'm looking at you, Halo 5), you see the chaos unfold around you as you play the level. When the Covenant is fighting each other, you can let them duke it out, pick a side and kill the winner, or mow everything down yourself. Many people hate it because the first battle is excruciatingly painful, but my opinion of it hasn't been tarnished by trying it on Legendary... yet.
• 3: The Ark. I can see why people love this level. You start out sniping enemies with a squad of ODSTs, and then you get to cruise through the desert on vehicles until the last quarter of the level. You can find more Fuel Rod Guns than you know what to do with, and have so many options in each encounter. Playing this level on Legendary is a blast, and it's even more satisfying when you're able to keep any ODSTs until the end.
• ODST: Data Hive. It's an odd choice, but it's because of the story. Throughout the game, you learn what happened to your squad but don't really have a clear idea of what the mission was until you finish Kikowani Station. Then you hear Dare's SOS and fight off a squad of Brutes led by a Chieftain to descend into the Drone-riddled depths of New Mombasa. The eerie atmosphere and the culmination of your efforts have led to this and the effect is intoxicating.
• Reach: New Alexandria. The level's mood and atmosphere send the message that humanity is losing and hope is lost. It's also pretty fun to fly the Falcon and shoot down hordes of Banshees and Phantoms with the chaingun, and the secrets scattered throughout the level are entertaining. If nothing else, I like this level because I can party with Grunts and Brutes in the nightclub.
• 4: Reclaimer. You can do some pretty cool skips and there are almost no Prometheans you have to fight. It's one of the least painful missions in the game.
• 5: The Covenant. This level is so much fun. You start with a Spartan Laser and- wait, you mean writing +2 on my Halo 3 disc doesn't count as Halo 5? Damn. Then I guess the winner is the Breaking, not because it has fun gameplay or a huge impact on the plot but simply because it has awesome music, pretty lights, and I got the achievement for beating it on Legendary without dying on my first try.

 

 

I almost did this exact thing, but deleted the post lol. Looks like it's gonna be me too. Except this time, I don't have just 1 favorite mission from each Halo game...

 

CE: The Library, The Maw

- Everybody hates The Library, and I dunno what the **** they're on about. Mission's one of the best gauntlets, if not the best gauntlet in all of gaming. While Spark is there to guide you, he doesn't make any attempt to help you kill the Flood. So it's basically you versus the world here. It's desperate, hopeless, and iconic.

- The Maw contains our very first Warthog Run, and is a fitting finale to Halo CE. Destroying the engines or whatever's not really my cup of tea, but everything after is high octane fun. 

 

2: Outskirts & Metropolis, The Great Journey

- I put Outskirts & Metropolis together since when I was a kid I would play them back to back all the time on my OG Xbox. Every day, all day. Its city combat, and leadup to defeating the Scarab was something I couldn't get over: even to this day. I mean, at the very start of Metropolis, you get a friggin tank meant to unload on a bridge of Covenant a-holes. Also, it's in these two missions that Johnson has some of his best, funniest quotes.

- The Great Journey's a special mission for me too, but mostly only to get to the end to fight Tartarus, and hear the Mjolnir Mix Theme with Steve Vai in the credits. I'd play this entire mission just to hear the Mjolnir Mix, even though some parts of the mission I don't really like.

 

3: The Storm, The Ark, The Covenant, Halo

- The Storm's another thing I couldn't get over when I was like, 11 or 12. The ominous leadup to the Scarab fight is one of the best moments in all of Halo. What I really like about it too is that the fire from the Covenant cannon-thing in the background perfectly syncs with the background music. I only found out a few years ago that that cannon sound wasn't in OST for the mission, which feels so wrong. They had to have known, right?

- Ah, The Ark... The opening Sniper thrash, everything getting blown away by the Forward Unto Dawn swooping in, the first Scorpion romp, cheesing the enemy-packed route to the Scarab by sliding down that huge metal incline directly to the Scorpions, the Scarab fight itself, the ******** Brute, the contest of strength against the Chieftain (though I always immediately tried to kill all the Brutes at that part)... There's allot going on here, bruh.

- The Covenant is colossal, and is like 2 missions crammed together. The Hornet beatdown, infiltrating them towers against the 2 Chieftains, the freaking Flood, Scorpion curbstomping, maximum overdrive twin-Scarab throwdown in the Hornets (or on the ground if you're that awesome), the gauntlet to get to Truth past like the hundredth Chieftain in this ******* level, and the ol switcharoo by the Flood.

- Halo... Yes. Killing that damned Spark is cathartic, yep. Getting the hell off of Halo is even more cathartic. It's basically orgasmic, just saying.

 

ODST: NMPD HQ, Data Hive

- Sniper combat on some tall-ass skyscrapers was something I never knew I needed in Halo, but we freaking got it. What really gets me about this level is the scenic view: it's pretty breathtaking.

- Data Hive is like, secret agent cooler action with a large element of surprise. It has that Die Hard feeling where you're a lone wolf against the world in a cramped locale, and it's great. It's just a cozy, winter time level.

 

Reach: Exodus & New Alexandria, Lone Wolf

- I like Exodus & New Alexandria the same way I like Outskirts & Metropolis. While the Reach missions are harder to play together due to being like, 3 times bigger, I still prefer playing them together. Exodus has that secret agent-y feel like Data Hive, but in a city. New Alexandria takes the cake with that open-world Falcon flythrough.

- Lone Wolf is a unique level where the level ends when you die, and it's fun to see how long you can last against an endless onslaught of Covenant. While this outcome is no less tragic, Noble Six going out in this way ensured he would never be forgotten.

 

4: Shutdown

- The story's a different story (HA), but I don't have much to say about Halo 4's gameplay... well, besides the fact that we got to pilot a freaking overpowered Pelican in Shutdown. That's great.

 

5: Battle of Sunaion

- Everything about this game's Campaign I already spoke about in sheer negativity, but if I had a favorite mission in 5 it would be Battle of Sunaion. The reason why is the blaring horns in the background, and the dark epicness of earthshattering conflict here. This was the thing I wanted to see out of Halo 5, but never saw it anywhere else. I mean, even in this mission we have to deal with bull**** like disabling stupid anti-air turrets, but I still like it because of that epic feel.

[Ranger Intel]

Honestly reading every post here makes me want to go through every single Halo mission again, right now. Best poll so far without a doubt.

[Guts]

Halo CE: The Maw. The most enjoyable mission of the game. Although backtracking through almost the entire first mission (dont get me started on this game and backtracking), is annoying, the rest of the level is enjoyable. The Warthog run is entertaining apart from the poor controls and the inability to drive in a straight line for more than a second. There was really no need to for that many obstacles and ramps. The one upside is that you can drive past Echo 419's death because it tries to make a big deal out of a poibtless characters death.

 

Halo 2: Metropolis. Easily the least tedious and long winded missions in the game. You can skip most of it by driving which is a huge bonus.Unfortunately, this brief respite only prepares you for possibly the most boring Campaign in gaming.

 

Halo 3: The Covenant. The mission I would endlessly mess around and replay as a kid. Its honestly still entertaining to this day. I know I am biased since I look at this through nostalgia goggles (something that unfortunately killed the communitys logic) but messing around with the Scarabs, racing back to the Hornets on the beach and storming the towers are just a few of things that make this mission amazing.

 

ODST: Uplift Reserve. Grab the Warthog and drive to the end. There's nothing better than beating horrendus and boring missions quickly. Although its only really the beginning of driving you into depression.

 

Reach: Noble Actual and Lone Wolf are tied for the prize......of being the kindest thing this game did. Noble Actual allows you to leave and do somethibg worth your time for about 5 or so minutes. Lone Wolf can be completed within a minute so you can snap your game disc and never play the game again. Im honestly torn between the two.

 

Halo 4: Infinty. Fighting your way through the jungle is enjoyable. You get out of it before fighting the Prometheans becones too tedious. The next section of the mission is one the most fun tank sections in any Halo game so far. Using the Mantis and fighting through the Infinity to reach the deck is pretty fun too. Holding the deck doesnt become tedious and the barrage launched at the Didact is the perfect end for this mission.

 

Halo 5: Blue Team and Guardians. Both truly excellent missions. They both have the perfect balance of enemies. They both contain great and interesting areas. They incorporate the new gameplay features amazingly into the level. The plot points they cobtain are good as well. Especially, Guardians. The AI uprising really has true promise for a great plot.

 

Overall though, The Covenant is definitely my favourite mission. The nostalgia goggles really influence my opinion here. Hopefully the community takes them off for once and Halo 6 can be enjoyed by all.

[RedStarRocket91]

I'm sorry I'm so late to this!

 

I'll start by shouting out a couple of honourable mentions. In no particular order; '343 Guilty Spark', from CE, for its absolutely fantastic pacing, really creepy atmosphere and brilliant introduction to the Flood; 'The Maw' from the same game, for its epic three-way battle and the intensity of the Warthog run at the end; 'The Ark' in Halo 3, for its massive, sprawling combat on foot and in vehicles; 'Midnight' in Halo 4, which has possibly the single best music of any mission in Halo; and finally, 'Lone Wolf' in Reach, which was just the perfect ending to Noble Six' story.

 

But for me, there's only ever really one choice for my favourite mission, and that's 'The Covenant' from Halo 3. It has absolutely everything: from the opening moments, storming the fortified position with a Spartan laser, to the vehicular assault on the first tower and then the fight upstairs; the Hornet battle across the sky as you assault the second tower, and the sudden change of pace as the Flood arrive on the way out; and then the vehicle rush culminating in the only time we battle not one, but two Scarabs, simultaneously. And then it culminates with a direct assault on the very last of the Covenant themselves, a desperate rush against the clock as the thing we've been trying to prevent for three games, finally happens.

 

It's everything which is good about Halo, wrapped up in a single mission. Almost the whole weapon sandbox is available to use at one point or another; you fight every single type of enemy; the set pieces are at their most massive, most epic, the music is absolutely on point the whole way through, and the overall sense of pacing, and of escalation, is brilliant, as the high stakes just keep getting higher and higher with each success and setback. And the payoff at the end is just fantastic; when the Covenant are defeated, they're really defeated, with the last of the loyalists wiped out to the last, including the prophet, the Halo rings are finally disabled, and you even get a glimpse of Cortana toward the end, setting up the next mission perfectly.