Restricted Zone
Enemies Encountered
- Cabal: Basilisk Flamethrowers, Legionaries, Centurions, Phalanxes, Incendiors, Psions, War Beasts
- Fallen: Vandals, Servitors
- Boss: Primus Zahn (Legionary)
Objectives
- Hack the door.
- Break through.
- Defeat Primus Zahn.
Echion Vae
Super: Optional (one player)
Grenades: Optional
Variations: Tougher foes, elevator control locations may change
Navigate the hangar bay and two platform bridges ahead of you. Priority targets are the flamethrowers atop these bridges, and then the closest foes to you. Mop up and slowly advance (as the Fallen are dropping in Vandals and Servitors), using the scenery to your advantage. There’s an alcove on the upper-right area and suspended tanks on the left side of the hangar; both are good places to provide covering fire.
Your main plan is defeating a couple of Centurion henchmen next to Primus Zahn, who makes his first appearance. If the three of you can focus on each target at the same time, they fall in seconds and Zahn retreats quickly, prompting you to head onto a giant cargo elevator and mop up both Cabal and Fallen infantry. The crates and other scenery makes this relatively straightforward. Save your Supers for the final battle to come.
If your foes are giving you grief, it’s worth prioritizing your targets and demolishing them together, but from different locations within the hangar. One teammate could be atop a hanging tank. Another could be on the ground, soaking up enemy fire, with the third atop one of the platform bridges or in the alcove.
Primus Zahn’s Last Stand
Super: Recommended
Grenades: Recommended
Variations: Toughened foes, Psion headhunters (snipers), solar charge location may change
Boss Weak Spot: Head
Primus Zahn peers down from atop the elevator on the cargo deck and hits hard with his sniper rifle. You’ll be cursing this weapon frequently during the remainder of this Strike, so hide behind the crates, and when you’re at the open deck, split up. Take care of the flamethrower sentry guns immediately while a second player executes a Super at Zahn and the third follows up with hard-hitting strikes and a grenade (also at Zahn). The trick is to remove the first third of Zahn’s health as soon as you can so the battle doesn’t get too protracted. As you’d expect, you’re focusing all your regular firepower at Zahn’s head. When a third of his health is removed, Zahn jets up to a high platform you can’t reach, protecting himself with a solar dome of energy.
Between stages, a host of Cabal arrives from doors and dropships. Expect dozens of Legionaries, Phalanxes, Incendiors, and a couple of Centurions to cramp your style. You must defeat them, though staying on the perimeter edge where the flamethrowers are helps you from being swamped. As soon as it becomes available, rush to grab the solar charge. Run it across the deck to the circular depositing conduit, removing Zahn’s platform protection and starting the second stage of battle.
Zahn flies down, and more flamethrowers and a pack of War Beasts are summoned at the ramped gantry on the perimeter of the deck. If you stay at the edges, you can use the nearby cover and the height of the ramp to avoid some of the incoming fire. Zahn will train his sniper rifle on one of you, so it’s wise to launch a Super at this point. Have two or all teammates focus on Zahn (one could be coaxing the Cabal infantry away from this fight). You want the toughest Guardian taking the brunt of the sniping while the other rakes Zahn’s head. Keep up the pressure until the second third of Zahn’s health is lost (or thereabouts), and he boosts up to a different platform.
While Zahn is up on his protected platform, retreat to a far part of the deck so he finds it harder to snipe you. The last part of the battle involves Zahn dropping down from his upper platform and engaging you at closer quarters with what appears to be the world’s most dangerous shotgun (which bounce-shoots you if you’re close to the ground). You should have perfected your Movement Mode to the side or backward, landing on any of the low mechanical structures through the deck without seeing them to step on. Use the height and partial protection of this scenery while whittling down Zahn’s health. If two or three of you can do this from different angles, there’s hope to finish this fight. Got a Super, a shotgun, or another close-quarters weapon you favor? Then it’s time to use every last offensive technique at your disposal.