Rally Point & Rally (Night)

Mission 03: Rally Point & Rally (Night)

Fight with Your Back Against the Wall

You begin inside a two-level building that the Covenant can easily overrun, so head outside to the top of a ramped road, where Covenant defenses are positioned. From here, you can survey a catwalk and bridges along each side, where Phantoms drop their Covenant cargo; a series of steps and planters in the middle of the map; and a road that travels in a long semicircle from one side to the other, behind which monsters emerge. Beware of a Wraith being dropped onto the street, too. During nighttime battles, be on your guard for the arrival of Engineers.

Data Stream

Expected Enemies

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

Special Enemies

Covenant Wraith Brutes
Engineers (Night only)

Expected Vehicles

Covenant Phantoms
Covenant Wraiths

Optimal Weapon Combinations

Fuel Rod Cannon & Magnum
Magnum & Plasma Pistol*

*After Set 3

Preferred Weapon Combinations

Carbine & Fuel Rod Cannon
Carbine & Plasma Pistol
Carbine & Rocket Launcher
Fuel Rod Cannon & Rocket Launcher
Gravity Hammer & Magnum

PAR SCORE

200,000 Points

Notable Offense

Weapons: Fuel Rod Cannon and Magnum

The Fuel Rod Cannon is dropped by an enemy Brute, Chieftain, or Grunt. When you get it, use it with your trusty Magnum if you want to obtain the largest score in the fastest time with the least amount of danger. During battles with clusters of enemies, the Fuel Rod Cannon delivers pleasing—and devastating—damage, with the potential of killing large groups of foes, after which you can extend your killing sprees by popping the heads of any remaining stragglers. Both weapons are effective at longer ranges, too, meaning you can remain active but away from the focus of the Covenant’s attacks.

Weapon: The Two Turrets

There are two Turrets available on this map, and both are easily reached from the ODST spawning building. However, unlike the Turret in Crater, they offer only limited help; use them only under certain circumstances, such as when you’re low on other ammunition or you’re detaching the Turret before the next round begins and want a more mobile method of strafing foes coming up the road. The Turrets’ main drawback is their limited fire radius; the ODST defenses prevent you from shooting in more than a 90-degree arc. Enemies can easily break in behind you, too, so employ Turrets to take down Phantom Plasma Turrets and groups of foes during initial confrontations.

General Plans

Tactic: Incursion Points—Phantom Drops

As shown on this guide’s map, there are three drop points at which Phantoms can descend before dropping off enemy troops. Phantoms tend to descend one at a time, but reinforcements arrive from additional Phantoms at a quicker rate than Crater, for example. Of the three positions, two involve the Phantom hovering above the narrow bridges at the map’s far north and western corners, opening side bay doors, and letting Covenant pour out from either side. A Phantom that descends to the middle (northwest) of the main street opposite the UNSC spawn point and defenses always drops a Wraith; if you see such a Phantom, you know you have a grav-tank to deal with.

Tactic: Incursion Points—Closets Large and Small

In addition to Phantom drop points, there are seven monster closets along the opposite (northwest) wall. Some of these entrances are a lot wider than others. Due to the large number of openings, it is often difficult to stop the Covenant from spreading out, although training your team to guard certain areas (see “Tactic: Four-Player Foresight” below) helps you raise the alarm. There are three narrow doorways on the ground and upper levels near the two bridges on each side of the map [1], as well as a large central “cache” garage door that opens periodically [2], behind where the Wraith is deposited. As expected, preventing the Covenant from exiting these locations is almost impossible.

Tactic: Wraith Killing

Your number-one goal for surviving this mission is to appoint a “Wraith killer,” an adept player whose primary job is to destroy the Wraith tank that periodically drops from a Phantom into the middle of the map’s northwest area. Failure to eliminate the Wraith means you will be continuously overrun by other Covenant forces, as other team members become more concerned with tackling other incursions and don’t see an incoming Plasma mortar until it is too late. There are two main ways to take care of a Wraith. The first is to circle-strafe behind the vehicle, then unleash a Fuel Rod or Rocket ordnance into its lightly protected exhaust port [1]. The second is to risk being run over and leap onto the vehicle, wrestling with the driver and dropping in a Grenade to deliver the killing blow [2]. Both these plans take skill, so you might want to appoint a backup Wraith killer among your team!

Tactic: Spawning Grounds

The sloping roadway and ODST spawning building entrance is arguably the safest and optimal position to stay at. You are close to the additional ammunition and health inside the spawning building and to the ODST wall defenses and both Turrets. Head up and around to the rear perimeter, near the hub gates (which don’t open): From here, your foes can only approach from the road ahead (northwest) or via the catwalks to the left and right, which are easily defended. You also have excellent views of the steps and concrete planters down to the road. Your only worry are Drones and Jump-Pack Brutes, but you can always retreat into the spawning building via the upper entrance, giving you the advantage of cover and equipment.

Tactic: Cornering Your Foes

Another great tactical position is in front of the door in the left (southwest) or right (northeast) corners of the map, with the back wall behind you. From this location, every enemy attacks you from the front, so you don’t need to worry about being ambushed from behind or the sides. You’re above the road and can see across the bridges toward the map’s center; this extra height lets you easily spot and snipe foes. In addition, enemies are usually funneled along the streets below, making for an easy shooting gallery (when the enemies aren’t heading out of the doors near your location, of course). The only shortcoming of this location is the lack of additional ammo and Health Packs. You’ll be tagging foes in the street below and will have to dash down to grab any ammo, and you must return to your spawning area to get Health Packs. For these reasons, it’s a good idea to warn your friends when you’re retreating to locate health or ammo.

There are places that are tactically disadvantageous, such as the inner bridges spanning the road, which are narrow and are a favorite place for Grunts to throw Grenades at. You can strafe, but not freely, which hinders your progress, so stay only on this bridge if you’re under a Phantom, tagging foes before they have chance to group together. Other dangerous locations include the steps and concrete planters in the middle of the map and the lower road. The lack of height puts you at a disadvantage, and foes can converge on you from all directions. Mill around at the defenses near the Turrets, unless you’re on a kill-crazy rampage with a Gravity Hammer.

Cooperative Plans

Tactic: Four-Player Foresight

Team positions obviously vary from round to round, but general patrol patterns can help you finish the fight: Have one of your team take each corner on the far southwest and northeast corners of the map [1]. Here, they can cover Phantom drops by the bridge, can tear through foes appearing from any monster closet, and can tackle any flying foes landing on the catwalks above your entrance. They can venture to the map’s center to provide supporting fire. The third and fourth teammates should stay at the ODST entrance [2] to do the following: quickly react to incoming Wraiths by sprinting down to the road, to face Drone attacks by manning the Turrets, or to confront Brutes by outflanking these foes and blasting them from each side. This also allows flexibility; you can move to the corners or back to the base along the upper catwalks and maintain the height advantage.

Tactic: Ending the Engineer (Night Only)

Designate one of your team as the Engineer killer and arm them with a Plasma Pistol. Although other weapons, such as Turrets, do a reasonable job of taking out Engineers, a charged Plasma Pistol can make an Engineer fall from the sky in a death spasm. If all your team carries this weapon, you’re ill-equipped as a unit to deal with the other foes, especially once the Famine Skull has activated. The Engineer killer should pair the Plasma Pistol with a Carbine or Magnum so they can still take down Grunts, Shield Jackals, Brutes, and Drones. Another way to dispatch Engineers involves using the Turret. As Engineers provide overshield protection to your enemies, this can reveal the location of Brute Stalkers. You can also annoy the Plasma Pistol wielder by waiting for them to send the Engineer into its death cycle spasm, then shoot it before it explodes and claim the Kill Points!

Bonus Round Plans

Tactic: Perpetual Motion

The tried and true method of killing everything in sight involves the Gravity Hammer, which you can use to swing at Grunts just as they start swarming onto the map; the Rocket Launcher, which can inflict horrendous carnage on the Grunts before they disperse; and the Magnum for kill-chain headshots after the initial carnage. It is imperative you keep moving or you’ll be deluged with Grenades.