Alpha Site

Mission 05: Alpha Site

Fight in the Close-Quarters ONI Interior

After emerging from one of two spawning corridors, you have moments to race northeast toward a central elevator lobby, passing a Sniper Rifle and a dark alcove near either set of stairs; these house your health and caches. From the elevator shafts, there are two narrow sets of steps leading to an open-air balcony with dotted pillars, and there are exterior steps leading to two different platforms. Except during bonus rounds, all foes are dropped onto either platform by Phantoms.

Data Stream

Expected Enemies

Grunts
Jackals
Brutes
Brute Chieftains
Jump-Pack Brutes
Brute Stalkers
Drones
Hunter

Special Enemies

None

Expected Vehicles

Covenant Phantoms

Optimal Weapon Combinations

Carbine & Magnum*
Carbine & Plasma Pistol*

*For all sets, including after Set 3

Preferred Weapon Combinations

Carbine & Fuel Rod Cannon
Carbine & Rocket Launcher
Fuel Rod Cannon & Magnum
Rocket Launcher & Magnum
Sniper Rifle & Magnum

Par Score

200,000 Points

Notable Offense

Weapons: Plasma Pistol and Carbine (or Magnum)

For seasoned ODST soldiers who wish to last the longest, and with the high possibility for kill chains and other bonuses, there are only two weapon combinations that make sense: the Plasma Pistol and Carbine, or the Plasma Pistol and Magnum. These weapons are preferred because of the enemies you face in this mission. There are no vehicles to worry about, and the infantry-only foes allow you to charge a Plasma Pistol shot to remove any armor if applicable (e.g., for Jackals and Brutes) before following that up with the old favorite: the headshot. Although you may favor other weapon combos, including ones never listed in this guide, many hours of play-testing have proved that headshot sniping is the safest and easiest way to accrue a large number of points in most circumstances. Read through the Tactic sections below for advice on where to stand.

Weapon: Grabbing the Gravity Hammer

When Brute Chieftains drop their powerful weapons, especially the Fuel Rod Cannon and Gravity Hammer, some of your team may develop a reckless streak, abandoning good, tactical planning for adrenaline-fueled rampages. This area is much narrower than Crater, and the risks of standing on a Grenade while bludgeoning a foe with your Hammer outweigh the fun you’ll have. Storming up to the Phantoms with a Hammer and laying waste to foes as they fall to the balconies can gain you points, but your sniper squadmates are limited in their aiming while you’re leaping about like a madman. A way around this is to have your snipers train on the other Phantom drop point to avoid friendly fire. Although the Gravity Hammer has its place, “funneling” foes gains more score and less team deaths.

General Plans

Tactic: Incursion Point—Phantom Drops

The locations of your incoming foes are much easier to learn on this map, as there are only two exterior balconies [1 and 2] along the southeast side of the map, accessed via one of two short sets of steps. These platforms usually receive a Phantom drop one side at a time, allowing you time to relay the location of the next Phantom to your teammates and to prepare a suitable attack. When the Phantoms release their payload of foes, they drop straight down from an exit hole, rather than from the side doors. The only time foes appear inside the Alpha Site building is during the bonus round.

Tactic: Funneling Foes

Learning the two mirrored choke points and using them to your advantage is the key to a long-lasting, high-point Firefight. The two choke points are the staircases on either side of the elevators in the center of the lobby area [1]. The tall walls and narrow thoroughfares allow you to try an exceptionally useful “funneling” tactic. Basically, enemies landing outside are forced to head down these steps, allowing well-positioned ODST squads to launch all manner of attacks at them, such as sniped headshots and Grenades. The latter are especially lethal, as your foes can’t dodge in the narrow confines of the stairs and corridor. Stay near the spawning location staircase and tag foes from medium range. Even when the Drones arrive [2] and can fly into the lobby, they still must navigate the narrow opening above the stairs; if you have one or more adept snipers, this tactic demolishes wave after wave of foes incredibly easily.

Cooperative Plans

Tactic: Crate Camping

The central lobby and elevator shaft area has two large crates in the center. These are excellent obstacles to use in a couple of ways: First, two of your team should leap atop these crates, gaining a height and view advantage in the process. You can now shoot over the glass walls that surround the elevator corridors, allowing you to snipe foes from the moment they descend from the Phantoms’ drop points. If the enemies close, simply fall from the crate and use it as cover, especially during the funneling tactic.

Second, if you have four players, keep two on the crates, while the other two tool up with close-assault weaponry, such as the Mauler or Gravity Hammer. These teammates are responsible for listening and watching the crate guards and for attacking any foes that manage to break through the crate duo’s sniper fire, keeping all of your team safe.

Tactic: Shields Down

Split into two teams of two. One squadmate focuses on Plasma-powered weaponry, while the other collects bullet armaments. Now lay waste to foes in double time as the Plasma-weapon teammate removes enemy shields, and the other finishes off the foes. Although the Plasma-weapon wielder sacrifices their score (as they only remove shields and don’t receive points for kills or assists), the total you’re aiming for is accumulated. If your pride can handle that, try this tactic. This becomes even more important once the Famine Skull activates, limiting the ammo you can gather. At this point, specify a squadmate to, say, collect only Plasma-powered guns from fallen foes, instead of devoting two or three of your team to the task so you don’t collectively run out of ammunition.

Tactic: Four-Player Foresight

The optimal way to spread out your four-player team is to position two squadmates in the lobby, one on each crate and each aiming at a different funnel-corridor stair [1]. Behind them should lurk your other two friends, each with long-range sniping armaments, so you’re all ready to start the funnel tactic [2]. When different weapons are accessed or when teammates request closer assaults, you should move the two “crate” squadmates behind pillars that have excellent visibility to incoming Phantoms; this allows them to lob Grenades, launch Rockets, or fire Fuel Rod Cannons. The remaining two friends move up to the funnel stairs, ready to continue sniping; they can also retreat to the previous position if a friendly death or a large influx of enemies can’t be contained outside.

Bonus Round Plans

Tactic: Exterior Grunt Hunt

The only time enemies don’t appear from one of two Phantoms dropping in on the exterior balconies is during the bonus round. In the bonus round, masses of Grunts leap down from the upper elevator doors in the middle of this map, landing in the central lobby. Although the usual back-off-and-get-a-headshot tactic is worth trying for the additional points you accrue, you’ll find yourself and your team quickly overwhelmed. Wading in with a close-assault weapon like the Gravity Hammer is another tactic, but one that usually results in a Grenade-based death. Instead, in the moments prior to the bonus round starting, split up and dash east or south, up the stairs and onto the outside balconies to where the Phantoms arrived. Switch to a Carbine or Magnum, and headshot every Grunt that falls into the lobby. Continue the carnage as the Grunts waddle up through the steps to reach you; clusters of these foes are easily tagged in the head. Be sure you use both balcony exits, though, as the Grunts throw a deluge of Grenades at you.