Leveling Down

Firefight may seem daunting at first - especially the achievements that require you to get 200,000 points on every map. The first time I played Firefight with some friends, we ended up with only 60,000 points and 200K seemed impossible. Yet two weeks later, I realize that getting 200K on each map can be relatively straightforward, provided you go in with a gameplan and follow some basic strategies. I decided to put together a short guide, first with general strategies and then map specific tips. I’ve also included a strategy for getting the Vidmaster: Endure achievement. These tips are by no means exhaustive, but should give you a head start on conquering Firefight! Since this is a relatively long post for our blog, you can find everything after the jump.

Table of Contents
I: General Strategies
II: Map Specific Strategies
1. Alpha Site (good for Vidmaster: Endure)
2. Chasm Ten
3. Crater
4. Last Exit
5. Lost Platoon
6. Rally Point
7. Security Zone
8. Windward

General Strategies

These are the concepts and strategies I’ve found most helpful getting 200K. Remember - getting to 200K is about racking up points as quickly as possible; you only need to conserve as many lives as you need to get up to 200K. Endure is a different beast, but the same general strategies apply. But anyway, here we go:

1. Pistols (conventional and plasma) are your best friends
If you want to be successful in Firefight, get used to using both types of pistols in Halo 3: ODST. They are the most efficient way to take down enemies, rack up points, and conserve ammunition. First, use the human pistol to take out grunts and jackals in bunches by zooming in and taking headshots (turn on the Grunt Birthday Party skull as well since it makes it more rewarding). If you can headshot 3 or 4 grunts in a row, you’ll rack up almost 1000 points for the 4 bullets that you used. That’s efficiency. Also, Jackals can get annoying, but if you zoom and hit the opening in their shields their head will be exposed and you can take them out. Also, make sure to take out non-shielded Jackals first - they carry carbines or sniper rifles and can deplete your shields (or stamina, if you insist on being true to the game) quickly.

Plasma pistols and human pistols are the ideal combination to take out Brutes (similar to the plasma/assault rifle combination of yore). Nail any Brute (except Chieftains who carry fuel rod cannons or hammers) with a charged plasma shot, and he’ll be stripped of all his armor AND stunned momentarily. As your charged shot is en route, switch over to the human pistol and zoom in. When the Brute is stunned, one headshot will take him down, saving precious ammo and giving you a point bonus. If you’d like, have one person focus on the plasma-ing and another on the headshot-ing - your team will still get the same point bonus. My clothes!

2. Turrets and vehicles are your second-best friends
On levels where you can control turrets and vehicles, make sure you use them. You will get multi-kills and rack up points in no time. The only “catch” is during the 2nd and 3rd rounds of every set: you need to be careful because Grunts and Brutes throw grenades like crazy. If a grenade explodes near your turret, it’ll get blown off of its bearings and you’ll be reduced to only 200 rounds of ammunition. Try to prevent this for as long as possible (it will eventually happen - if a grenade doesn’t do you in a hunter or fuel rod cannon blast will). You should learn how to jump off the turret and into cover quickly to avoid damage as well. It’s especially important during the Black Eye Round (Round 3) because you want to avoid having to engage up close for as long as possible. If you’re on a vehicle, make sure you are constantly moving, especially if there is a Wraith around.

3. Know where to find power weapons, and save them for the 5th wave
Every map has a rocket launcher or a spartan laser – make sure you know these weapons locations (and secondarily, the sniper rifle as well). These weapons should be saved for Brute Chieftains if possible, though if you need to use some ammo on a Hunter it’s not the worst thing. Ideally, you know the location of the power weapons and during the break between the 4th and 5th (or 3rd and 4th) waves, go grab it to get ready for the big boys. I’ve tried to indicate most of the locations below, but I would recommend scoping out the map once before going for the Achievement. If you’re out of rocket launchers…

4. Know the most effective means for taking down each enemy type
Here’s a quick rundown, from hardest to easiest enemies:

Brute Chieftains: Whether you are facing a Chieftain carrying a hammer or a fuel rod cannon, your goal should be to have one person be the “bait” and you should get someone else to melee the brute in the back for a one shot kill. This will work even when the hammer chieftain is invincible (covered in green shield thingy). If you’re not adept at doing this, practice and you’ll get better quickly, but if you still find it too hard, save your power weapons and blast these Chieftains to smithereens. But if you’re in Set 4, note that it will take a LONG time. Before then, one charged plasma followed by a rocket blast does the trick.

Hunters: I personally like to use my power weapons on these paired monstrosities, or you can sticky grenade/snipe the fleshy part on the back. Just don’t try to shoot them from the front - it’s a major waste of ammo. Power weapons can be fired from the front though if necessary. You can see when their fuel rods are powering up so it shouldn’t be too tough to jump out of the way (just make sure your teammate isn’t behind you).

Vehicles: For Brute Choppers and Ghosts, try to snipe the drivers off (or disable the vehicle with a charged plasma pistol) and for Wraiths, power weapons work best.

Brutes: See above – charged plasma + headshot = win

Jackals: See above – zoomed pistol

Drones: SMG or Plasma Rifle, drones (or buggers) are the only enemies I use the SMG for.

Grunts: See above – zoomed pistol

Engineers: There’s only one optimal way to kill an engineer: one charged plasma shot (stay out of the way of the resulting explosion). KILL ENGINEERS FIRST. The shields they give the other enemies will make your life very difficult. KILL ENGINEERS FIRST.

5. Boost your score with technique and multiple kill bonuses, and stay ALIVE
If you’re going for 200K, you want to spend as little time as possible. That means you want to get as many bonuses as possible. Use the plasma/pistol technique mentioned above, melee enemies when you can, and try to string together kills for killtaculars and such. It will make things go much quicker plus a lot of the techniques make you a better player as well. And it’s kind of obvious, but the less you die, the better, because you get bonuses when you are on a “running riot” and the like.

6. Exploit chokepoints by waiting for the enemy to come to you
Most maps have very natural chokepoints that all the enemies will eventually flow through. If you play a little less aggressively, you can wait for the enemies to bunch up in these chokepoints. This will allow you to kill a bunch at once, hopefully getting you double and triple kills. Additionally, by funneling enemies through chokepoints you protect yourself from getting overrun and/or flanked. Of course, if they get through, you are in trouble, but if you play conservatively you should be okay.

7. During the Black Eye Round, stay conservative with fits of aggression
The Black Eye Round is the toughest round of any set and will result in the most deaths because your shield only regenerates when you melee an enemy. To counteract that, try to be MORE conservative for the most part. Take cover more, don’t expose yourself too much, and try to take shots from a distance. Also, let the enemies get a little closer - sometimes one will stray from the pack and you can get a melee in on them to regenerate your shields. When you’re getting ready, pick and choose the time to go out and get a punch in. If there are still med kits available, consider using one. At the same time, if you pick your spots correctly, the Black Eye Round will reward you for using aggression at the right time. Also, if you save a hammer, you can smash people and it will count as a melee, so make sure to keep one around if you’re having trouble.

8. Make the most of the bonus rounds
If you save power weapons, you can really make some hay during the bonus rounds (sometimes over 20K in less than a minute). For a lot of the maps, you can figure out where the grunts will be dropping from, and a few well placed shots can get you killtaculars and killionaires, netting you a lot of points. Another option is running around like crazy with the hammer and getting as many kills in a row as possible, though that is pretty dangerous. Regardless, not only will the bonus round net you lives, but the enemies are so bunched up that you can really get yourself close to that 20K efficiently if you play the rounds right. Also keep in mind that the enemies are limited, so if you’re not chaining kills, you will probably not be able to get the point requirement for the extra men.

9. Know the enemy spawn points
Along the same lines as the bonus round, enemies often spawn from the same points. If they’re being dropped from a Phantom, you probably should take cover, but if they’re coming out of the shield doors they will be bunched up and ripe for the picking at the beginning of each wave. Focus a turret, power weapons, or a vehicle gun on the door and watch your point total skyrocket. An added bonus is it will also keep you alive longer since you can take out a large contingent of baddies before they even get to you. It’s especially gratifying to turret down a bunch of drones as they are coming out.

10. Find a good team, split into pairs, and communicate
Finding a consistent team to work with might be the hardest part of Firefight. Not only do you have to find friends you want to play with, you also have to find the time and the energy to do so. Expect to spend about an hour getting 200K (or maybe even more if your team isn’t so great). So take care of anything else you have to do first.

Oftentimes it’s easiest if you split into pairs, especially since a lot of the levels are symmetrical and each pair can handle one side. Obviously there will be a lot of co-mingling, but working in pairs (preferably balancing out skill levels) can maximize your team’s efficiency. It’s also easier to watch one person’s back, limits friendly fire, and importantly, limits the number of people firing on one target (which leads to wasted ammo).

This all leads to the final and perhaps most important point: COMMUNICATE with your team. You don’t need a Xbox headset – you can use a cellphone headset if you’d like. But it’s important that people call out where weapons drop, where enemies are spawning, and what dangers are lurking around what corner. If you have a good view of the Phantom when it’s dropping its payload, call out enemy types so your team can pick up the appropriate equipment. If the hammer brute is inbound, call it out and figure out who’s going to be the bait. Part of communication is finding what roles work for what team members: my team usually has a dedicated engineer killer, a designated charged plasma shot (or two), and the power weapon guy. The more you and your team gets comfortable with your roles, the more efficient and dominating you are going to be.

There are tons of other strategies and tips that help (feel free to post in the comments), but those are the main ones I personally try to bear in mind when I’m firefighting. Below I’ve put together some map specific tips. These are pretty short and sweet, but should give you the beginnings of a gameplan you can use to finish each map.

Map Specific Strategies
1. Alpha Site (good for Vidmaster: Endure)
2. Chasm Ten
3. Crater
4. Last Exit
5. Lost Platoon
6. Rally Point
7. Security Zone
8. Windward

1. Alpha Site (good for Vidmaster: Endure)
Alpha Site should be your map of choice for the “Vidmaster: Endure” Achievement. 200King this map shouldn’t pose much of an issue, and you can even do it on Heroic difficulty to speed things up (or if you have a couple of hours, get Endure at the same time). Alpha Site is a recreation of the battle inside the ONI building in the campaign, minus the turret in the middle of the hallway. The main fighting arena is basically an X, and ALL of your enemies (aside from buggers) will be forced to come through that X, creating clean and natural chokepoints.

The strategy: Have two teams of 2 set up on your team’s side of the X. Focusing on using the pistol and try to take out as many enemies as possible before they even reach the center. Each team should be responsible for enemies coming from the opposite side and avoid running into the center except for ammo grabs. You’ll need lots of plasma pistols, as you can hit brutes with a charged shot from VERY long distance and then finish them up with a headshot. The rocket launcher is on the other side of the wall (at the center of the enemies’ side of the X) so pick it up around Wave 3 or 4 of every round in anticipation of the Hammer Brute in Wave 5. If you are patient and stay back, you can get through Waves 1-4 with minimal loss of life. When the Hammer Brute is charging you, you can run between the pair of walls on your side of the X - that should prevent the hammer brute from getting a clean shot off. Using this strategy we had 30+ lives by the time we reached the 4th Set on Heroic (and way more than 200K). If you’re conservative and a good shot, similar results are definitely attainable (we play very cautiously).

If you’re going for Endure, when you get to the 4th set make sure at least 3 of your team members are armed with plasma pistols (Famine causes very low ammo), and MAKE SURE you hit the brutes with a charged plasma shot before you head shot them. You will definitely need to conserve the ammo. Other than that, it’s the same basic strategy. To ensure that you get the maximum number of bonus lives during the bonus round when on an Endure run, save some fuel rod/rocket ammo, and fire at the openings near the ceiling where the grunts drop out of RIGHT as the timer starts its countdown. Refer to the video below.

2. Chasm Ten
This was the last map I finished but I think it’s one of the more enjoyable Firefight maps. The action takes place on two levels, you start on the lower levels but there are elevators up to balconies above. There are four turrets on the level: two downstairs and two upstairs. Keep your visor on to make enemies easier to see.

When the level starts, make note of where the rocket launcher and first aid kits are, then exit the main doors and pull the two turrets off of their bearings. It’s too dangerous to man these turrets so you might as well take them with you. Take any elevator upstairs, and then split up into teams of two by the upstairs turrets. The concept you are going for is to man the turrets and have the other two float and protect the turrets, giving you two on the left and two on the right upstairs. The free roaming players can pick off enemies as they make their way towards the elevators, while the turrets can nail anyone coming off of the elevators. Make note of the spawn points, enemies come from the back wall (left, middle, and right). You can get a lot of free shots when they are coming out.

The nice thing about Chasm Ten is there are hallways and corridors to hide in if things get too hot. Also the large open space makes it much easier to pick off buggers with turrets. Hunters can seem scary but they will be so far away that you can dodge their heavy fire. There is so much room on the balconies that the Hammer Brutes will be practically dead by the time they get to you, but hide in the hallways if they are invincible (or get someone to ninja them from the back). Just make sure you take out Engineers who are sometimes hard to see due to funny angles. With good turret management we finished this level before the end of the second set with plenty of lives to spare, and you should be able to as well!

3. Crater
Crater was the first map I finished, and I’m not sure it was due to the lack of experience, but I actually find Crater to be pretty difficult. I recommend playing the night version (so you can keep your visor on at all times to help out with invisible brutes).

I think the key to getting 200K on this map is to protect the turret at all costs. Have one person on dedicated turret duty, and when the enemies spawn on the left and the right, fire away and you will rack up killtaculars (and points!) like nobody’s business. When enemies are arriving via Phantom drop, just take cover until the Phantoms leave - it’s too dangerous to stay exposed. The most important thing is to be smart about hopping on and off the turret: you don’t want to take any damage, but even more importantly, you DON’T want the turret to be blown off its bearings by a grenade (rounds 2 and 3) or a fuel rod cannon! The longer you keep the turret alive, the faster you’ll rack up points.

Other than that, the strategy is pretty straightforward: the other 3 members of the team should take enemies out at the natural chokepoints (try not to let enemies up the stairs to protect the turret). Make sure you fire a charged plasma shot at Engineers IMMEDIATELY - sometimes they are way in the back but since a lot of enemies come from there, send your best player to go take them out. The sniper rifle is on the opposite platform, and the rocket launcher is in the parking garage below the sniper rifle - grab these stronger weapons before the 4th and 5th wave of each round to prepare yourself for the hammer brute.

Finally, if things get particularly tough, you can use the hallway where you spawn to your advantage, just keep running back and forth from side to side and Brutes have a tough time zeroing on your position. Just be careful to not let the Hammer Brute inside, because that is…dangerous. It took us two full sets and change to get 200K, but now that we are more experienced, it can be done within two sets on Normal.

4. Last Exit
Last Exit is reminiscent of the final battle in the campaign with a few notable changes. First, there are two turrets set up at the base of the stairs on both sides of the building, which are pretty useful. Secondly, there are elevators that allow access up to the 2nd floor balcony, so you can’t just hang up there as a team because enemies will flank you using those elevators.

Anyway, the key to making this level easy is to take over Ghosts. You can accomplish this by sending a charged plasma shot at a Ghost and then taking out its driver with a headshot (you’ll need to do this quickly though) or by jacking the Ghost if you’re up close. Once you get the ghosts, you are pretty much golden, I would recommend getting 3 ghosts and leaving one team member on foot. The foot soldier can man the turret to back up one ghost, while the other two ghosts can protect each other on the other side of the map. You basically want to split your team in the semi elevated areas near the courtyards (it’s symmetrical, set up one team on each side), near where enemies spawn (when they come through those shielded doors). That way you can take out a bunch of enemies with your Ghosts and vehicles and rack up double and triple kills, and you can run out into the courtyards to ram people when necessary. There are also lots of places for you to duck and cover when enemies are dropped off via Phantoms.

When you’re up against the Hammer Brute, a neat trick I found (at least on Normal difficulty) was that the Hammer Brute couldn’t jump up to where the turret was. So as long as someone is playing “bait” and the Hammer Brute is chasing them around in the open, it’s clear shots from the turret. You always have the rocket launcher and sniper rifle to help out too. Be careful if you’re still in your Ghost though since you’re not as maneuverable. The trick is keeping Ghosts alive as long as possible because as long as you are riding one you have an advantage over the enemies. Stay mobile and watch out for snipers who like to set up in the distance. It should take about 2 Sets to reach 200K if you’re efficient.

5. Lost Platoon
This map can seem daunting at first (and at higher difficulties, it is) but on Normal, this is actually one of the easiest maps to 200K. The strategy is simple: vehicles are king. Your goal should be to commandeer some Brute Choppers as soon as possible. As soon as the firefight starts, 2 people should be manning the Warthog and should be able to kill some Brutes on their Choppers (WITHOUT blowing up the Choppers) by the 2nd or 3rd wave. Then the remaining 2 teammates should man the Choppers and all three vehicles should just drive in circles around the main base, hiding in the little alcove by the stairs whenever Phantoms are dropping their payloads (by the two medkits).

The other important thing to keep an eye out for is Wraiths, which drop pretty often. Pick up the Spartan Laser at the bottom of the base and abandon your vehicle whenever a Wraith drops to take it out. Aim well and you should have enough shots to last you through each round. In a pinch, you can try to shoot the Wraith with another vehicle, but make sure you are good enough at dodging to get out of the way. My team made it to 200K on Normal in the last wave of the 1st round of the 2nd set – in the vehicles you rack up double and triple kills like crazy, including in the bonus round (we got 20K right there). Saddle up and ride your way to victory!

6. Rally Point
Rally Point is the other night level, and again I’d recommend playing at night so you can keep your visor on, but it probably doesn’t make that big of a difference. This is another map with a Wraith on it, which can get pretty annoying. The first thing you need to know is the rocket launcher is in the far left corner of the map, RIGHT by where the Wraith spawns. Make sure you grab it when you need to and take the Wraith out as soon as possible. Later on, save Fuel Rod ammo for the Wraith, or if you’re good you can charged plasma the Wraith and plant a grenade on it. Be wary of the fact that the Brute on the mounted gun can still shoot you though, so you might want to take him out first.

Other than that, a good position to take is the elevated positions to the left and right of the room where you spawn (2 to a side). These positions give you two advantages. First, they are one of the few areas where you can create natural chokepoints (enemies need to walk up the stairs and walk across bridges to get to you), as long as you watch your back (the two chokepoints are on either side of you). Secondly, you get a clear shot at some of the areas where enemies spawn so you can take a bunch out quickly and at once. Since the platform is so long, you can also get a lot of shots in on the hammer brute before he gets to you, but as always you need to be careful. As long as you make sure to take care of the Wraiths, Rally Point shouldn’t pose too much of a problem - just hold the high ground and make sure your partner watches your back.

7. Security Zone
Security Zone takes place outside of the ONI building from the campaign. The key to finishing this map is “Wraith management.” All the enemies arrive via Phantom drop, and the Phantom almost always drops a Wraith off. Grab the Spartan Laser from the leftmost platform (it’s on a bench next to the turret). You have 5 shots with the laser, and will see a maximum of five Wraiths. Don’t miss. It’s a couple thousand points per Wraith (a triple kill plus some other bonuses), so not only will you save lives but you will rack up points. Make sure you’re always looking out for a Wraith - just because it’s not firing doesn’t mean it isn’t there!

The rest of the strategy is pretty simple. Feel free to take turrets off their bearings and use them liberally once “Catch” is on, since grunts can hit you with their grenades when you are on the turret anyway. There are three turrets so you should have enough ammo. Make sure you take cover when the Phantoms come in, as they fire for awhile. Once the Phantoms leave, you should be able to pick off a bunch of the enemies from on the platform. One good strategy is to have one person firing down from a platform (preferably with a mounted or free turret) while the other three cover the aisles on either side of the platform (so the turret guy doesn’t get flanked).

Another option is to just pick off enemies as they come up the aisles (or you can do a combination of the two). When I did this, there seemed to be less Brutes and more buggers (perhaps it is programmed in that way). Buggers are super annoying because they fly around everywhere, which is why you should try to pick them off as they come up the aisles. The nice thing about this level is that when you are up against the Hammer Brute, there is a lot of room to run so have someone play “bait” and everyone else can get tons of shots in. The rocket launcher is also right by where you spawn so it’s easy access. You can use the same strategy for Hunters since you should be far enough away that you dodge their fuel rod cannon.

Since we were getting about 4500 points per wraith, this level went by really fast (less than an hour) on Normal. Be patient and stay on the high ground, and you will persevere!

8. Windward
We used an incredibly conservative strategy (probably too conservative) on Windward, but it works if you are willing to be patient. We basically holed up on the second floor of the room you start in, with two people at the very back and the other two in each aisle close to the doors at the top of the stairs (but not too close). Any enemies coming from below have to come up the stairs so the people in the back get free shots at them, while the people towards the front should cover any enemies coming from the doors. The problem with this strategy is it takes a long while for enemies to come to you, but if you are patient they will come. If you are feeling impatient you can always run out to draw their attention or just fight them outside, you just need to be careful about the Banshee. This is a good level to “ninja” the Hammer Brute, but of course power weapons are available should you need them. The nice thing about this strategy is that if one person is engaging one of the bigger baddies downstairs, the other three can take shots at him from upstairs. It took us two hours (way too long), but we got to 200K with little issue.

Parting Thoughts
Hopefully this guide gives you a good start and some ideas for how to conquer Firefight. If you’re still having trouble, don’t fret - practice makes perfect. And again, these strategies are by no means exhaustive, so if anyone else has ideas on what worked for them, please post in the comments! Have fun…Firefight definitely is a blast!