The Spartans’ repeated victories have driven the Warden to extreme measures. With Blue Team drawing close to Cortana, the Warden’s hand is forced. In this mission’s final battle, you face not one, not two, but three Wardens Eternal all at once. The combat area is spacious, but there’s nowhere to hide: All three Wardens must be defeated to clear the way to Cortana.
Recommended Loadout
The Incineration Cannons and Binary Rifles dropped by the previous battle’s Knights and Soldier Snipers are ideal firearms to bring into this high-stakes fight. Ensure that your whole team is wielding one or the other. Depending on your play style, a fully stocked LightRifle or Scattershot can function as a solid backup. Scattershots are especially effective if you’re good at thrust-dodging and blasting the Wardens’ backs, while the Binary Rifles and Incineration Cannons are ideal for battering the Wardens from afar.
Legendary StrategyPat yourself on the back if you’ve come this far on Legendary without your team ever dying—then immediately put your game face back on. Three Legendary Wardens is a tall order for anyone to overcome, and doing so with your Harbinger Achievement intact is challenging in the extreme. Exploit the spacious battle arena by spreading your team out—this prevents the Wardens from ganging up on you, which is deadly. Keep close to cover at all times, for on Legendary, the Wardens’ ranged attacks are fatal. Thrust to avoid being hit by them, and use the accelerator pads to give the Wardens the slip. Exploit all of the available power weapons to pile on the damage. Be ready to revive fallen comrades at any moment, but go on the defensive if a teammate dies, striving to survive until your fallen comrade(s) respawn. |
Three Wardens at once? Madness! Even the odds by marking the advancing Warden as a priority target and concentrating Blue Team’s power weapon fire to bring it down as quickly as possible. Move toward one of the side platforms as you fire on the Warden, setting yourself up to collect an Incineration Cannon to replace your current power weapon when it runs out of ammo.
When the first Warden goes down, the other two become more aggressive. Mark one as a priority target for Blue Team and try to lure it away from the other Warden. Stick close to your comrades so you can revive one another each time a Warden lands a devastating blow.
When you run out of Incineration Cannon ammo, rely on a Scattershot and LightRifle to get the job done. Use the LightRifle to pick shots at the Wardens from afar and the Scattershot to blast their faces each time they charge. Stagger the Warden with a Scattershot blast to the face, then thrust behind it and unload on its vulnerable back core. If you’re lucky, you’ll repeatedly stagger the Warden and defeat it in short order.
Achievement: Prison BreakWhen playing with Co-op friends on Heroic or Legendary difficulty, coordinate with your teammates and work at defeating two Wardens simultaneously—success will earn you an Achievement. Each Warden’s death throes last several seconds; defeat another Warden within this brief window to earn the Achievement. If you’re having trouble, try teaming up to wipe out the first Warden, then split up and battle the last two simultaneously. |
When only one Warden remains, the monster spawns Beam Turrets to blast you from the room’s far side. Fall back from them and keep close to cover as you work at defeating the remaining Warden. The Beam Turrets will vanish after the last Warden falls, so simply avoid them as you concentrate fire on the Warden Eternal. Don’t relent until the tyrant is undone.
A ramp appears in the back of the room after all three Wardens have been defeated, and Cortana invites you to advance. Scale the ramp to finally catch up to the troublesome AI. Sadly, despite the Master Chief’s pleas, Cortana can’t be reasoned with. She places Blue Team in stasis, trapping them within a spherical structure known as the Cryptum.
