The Tradition Of Beating Halo On Legendary

What better way to spend the couple of remaining vacation days than by diving into the new Halo campaign. Ever since I got an Xbox, Halo was a staple of my gaming collection. The first Halo I ever played was Halo 3: ODST, and it completely changed my perception of first-person video games.

Halo Infinite was that, but made for 2021 - the same captivating story, fantastic cutscenes and arc, and it all looks phenomenal in 4K. There’s really nothing negative I can say about the campaign. To say it was an enjoyable experience would be an understatement, and I say that as someone who’s happy to criticize bad games when I see them.

Once the new campaign dropped, I thought I’d continue the almost decade-long tradition of completing the game on Legendary difficulty. Because what can make gaming more enjoyable than replaying the same boss fight for the 50,281st time because they just keep lunging at you with the gravity hammer.

The first one was Halo 3: ODST (December 8, 2012 - 9 years ago):

Then, it was Halo 4 (June 29, 2013 - 8 years ago):

Followed by Halo 5 (November 1, 2015 - 6 years ago):

And finally - Halo Infinite (January 2, 2022 - now):

Some unsolicited tips on beating campaign bosses (cheesing or not - doesn’t matter to me, I’ll use every game mechanic possible):

• Tremonius. Plasma Carbine is tremendously helpful to knock his shields down. Then, use the Skewer and any kinds of grenades to get the last of him. What’s also helpful is that you have plenty of room to run around the arena - take advantage of the underground passages to hide and recharge your shields.
• Chak ‘Lok. By the point of fighting this boss, you will unlock the Threat Sensor ability. Jump in the middle area on one of the ledges, and throw the threat sensor out. Watch where Chak ‘Lok will be, and then use Plasma Carbine to knock down his shields, and then the Ravager to knock down the rest of the health bar.
• Bassus. Go into the room to the left, and jump on the ledge above the door. From there, Bassus won’t get you, but you can get him with whatever weapons you got.
• Adjutant Resolution. Make sure to aim for the four turrets and run around the arena to hide and recharge the shields. Having a Skewer helps. This was the least challenging battle of all.
• Tovarus and Hyperius. Hyperius can be knocked down of his chopper by grappling towards him, and then running him over. Alternatively, find the Warthog and use turret on its back to get to Hyperius - he generally won’t move close towards you. Once done, you can focus on Tovarus from above the remnants of the ship you’re around - if you are on top of it, you have plenty of room to hide and recharge the shields.
• Adjutant Resolution (Again). The second time is a bit more challenging than the first, but it’s not too bad either. Aim for the turrets, use a Skewer (if you have one) or a Shock Rifle. There are plenty of places to hide, but don’t hang out too long around a pillar or on top of it - they will come down quickly. Also, watch out for the Sentinels around you.
• Jega ‘Rdomnai. Before picking up the beacon with the recording on the ground, stack up a bunch of the coils right against the wall from the entrance you popped into. When Jega will appear after the cutscene, use a Ravager to push him into the pile, and then trigger the coil pile chain reaction. For whatever health is left, it will be easy to use the Threat Sensor to spot Jega and finish the job.
• Escharum. Until you destroy the power relays, Escharum will chase you around the arena. You can run in circles around the game area and hide between walls while occasionally getting a shot or two in. Rocket Launcher works well. A Skewer? Even better. Once the power relays are down, Escharum will have a gravity hammer and avoiding it will be hard. Grapple into him and then rotate as he hits the ground with the hammer, all while clocking in a punch for every rotation. You’ll be unscathed, and Escharum will fall soon.
• The Harbinger. The most fun battle of all. Beam Rifle is good for the initial waves. Take care of Skimmers fast, because they will sneak up on you. By the time you get to the Brute Chieftain, make sure to leave at least one Elite or Grunt on the field so that a checkpoint can be created while you run around avoiding danger. You want a checkpoint. Once you have one, jump between the gap in the wall circle to a ledge on one of the doors, and then take care of the Chieftain with a Cindershot and the Beam Rifle. Once the Chieftain is out, run along the lower level to get an Energy Sword, and then hide in a gap under stairs to the second level, lunging at the Harbinger with the sword. Shouldn’t take long from that point.

And I have to say - the real MVPs of this game are the Unggoy Grunts. They’re absolutely hilarious in Halo Infinite, and I am here to subscribe to the Grunt podcast whenever it comes to life.

Next on my list will be exploring some of the network APIs that are used to track Halo multiplayer stats - I’ll be spending some time there now that the campaign is over. LASO is not out of the question either.