Tip of the Spear Hints – Spoiler Warning

SPOILER WARNING: HALO: REACH WALKTHROUGH for TIP of the SPEAR

This post reveals Halo: Reach Tip of the Spear mission details, events and/or plot twists, and may “spoil” your experience if you continue.

The covenant are discovered on Reach, and its no big surprise that Noble team is dispatched as part of a UNSC counterattack.

The camera pans upward to reveal hundreds of UNSC troops in Warthogs, Scorpion tanks, Falcons and Pelicans rush headlong into battle with the Covenant. The camera angles around to the side of a Warthog showing Kat driving you, Noble 6, into the fray.

The battle surges forward as Kat makes her way toward a bridge that’s taken out by enemy fire and you and she are the last to jump across safely in your Warthog which crashes on the other side.

AFTER THE CRASH

Kat calls you to action and you grab your weapons. Head toward the rocks to the right as your Warthog explodes. From there you can pick off the Covenant in the nearby clearing from relative safety if a) you are quick enough and b) you move around and don’t become a predictable target.

Up the hill a little past some more rocks are 2 Shade turrets, move cautiously to the left or right behind cover of rocks to take them out.

“COMMANDEER THAT WARTHOG, SIX”

After you clear out the Covenant here, you are ordered to move on and secure a landing zone, look for reloads and any weapons you might want that may be found strewn across the battlefield in this area before leaving. Kat will call you to use the new, and upgraded Warthog that just got airlifted in for you via Pelican. You can hop in the driver’s seat and let Kat and the ODST do all of the shooting, or you can operate the turret from the gunner’s position if you like to do all of the heavy shooting, but keep in mind the AI doesn’t drive very well – whether it’s Kat or your ODST buddy. They are better gunners than drivers for sure.

Drive a short distance and after going down one of those “you can’t turn back” speed bumps. you’ll run into some Covenant appetizers running interference for a huge plasma AA gun. Blast all of the “covies” and then destroy the AA gun from the inside out following the advice you get over comms, and if that fails just follow the waypoint set afterward inside the gun. Fire until you destroy the AA gun. (HINT: You can do this from the outside using the turret on the Warthog from the right angle, thus saving your ammo.)

“GOOD WORK, NOBLE SIX”

Around the next couple of bends you will run into some more Covenant. Take care of them and cross the UNSC-repaired bridge. As you cross the bridge the battle rages in the canyon below, left. The Frigate Grafton rains fire into the battlefield as you drive away.

Now you drive down a major “you can’t turn back” speed bumps you get shot at by some Covenant who are so zealous as to not realize they are outgunned by you and your crew in the Warthog, assuming it wasn’t destroyed earlier and you are not now driving a civilian vehicle (without a turret, of course). Continue on past the suicidal Covenant trio and you come to a mining complex across a bridge held by the Covenant. you can move in and gun them down up close, or you can take advantage of the rocket turret on your Warthog.

Between the rocket turret and your M392 DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) you can take Covenant on from a safe distance while dispatching them easily if you fire sparingly with your ammo. If you run out of M392 DMR ammo simply use the rocket turret or move in closer and pick up some spare ammo from a fallen comrade near the bridge.

“…AN ELITE ZEALOT IN FACT”

After dispatching the force out front, you will hear the AI “Auntie Dot” over comms “New intelligence. Friendly forces near the Covenant outpost have spotted a high value target, an Elite Zealot in fact.” (transcription from halo.wikia.com “Tip of the Spear“). You can look for reloads and weapons before moving on into the complex. Across the bridge and up the stairs on the left you will find health packs and your Sprint Armor Ability for Hologram Armor Ability.

GAME TIP: KILL JACKAL IN 2 SHOTS: With your M392 DMR a two-shot kill of a Jackal whiles its shielded and facing you is simple enough. Of course, you could wait until they move and are not behind their shield but for those other moments… on the left of the shield (the Jackal’s right side) is a notch in the shield where they shoot from. Shoot that hand and when they recoil, the shield is momentarily lifted and to the side – go for a quick head shot and your Jackal is dust. This will be helpful when moving through areas like the mining facility where you run into plenty of them.

You can also take advantage of of several places where the Covenant will not shoot at you, because they are too far away, making them easy pickings. Make your way through the facility picking off the Covenant in small groups (don’t rush ahead past a group, only to possibly run into a second group and get trapped between two). You will pass an Armor Lock Ability and some grunts, then your an Elite (not the earlier mentioned Zealot). Take them out and before you drop down to the lower level, look around and there should be a plasma cannon nearby you can grab. Grab it and drop down, take out the Covenant as you approach and get to the next stairs. Finish them off while staying out of the Elite’s crosshairs, he’s running around the upper level. Climb the stairs, and at the top you should be rewarded with one Elite Zealot. With the plasma cannon in head fire away. He may drop down the crater hole into a lower level inside of the facility, but you should be able to finish him off if you’ve stayed on him.

INTO THE FACILITY

Before you drop down inside of the facility there is a UNSC weapon rack with MA37′s if you are in the mood for some assault rifle action. Since you are moving inside to some close-quarters action you might find it useful, though you can shoot many of the Covenant baddies before dropping down yourself. After taking care of them, I grabbed the T50 DER/H Concussion Rifle the Elite Zealot dropped… they are nice but have limited ammo in most cases when picked up.

GAME TIP: WEAPON AND ARMOR ABILITY INFO: Hold down the 360 controller BACK button (the oval button with the left arrow inside) for info on your currently equipped weapon and armor ability

After you clear the first inner room and descend the staircase, you move into another room and you will see health packs, and a T52 GML/E Plasma Launcher. Before you leave, turn around and move to the shelving racks on the far wall behind you (on the opposite side from the exit) and read the data pad.
After reading the data pad walk out the back exit and be ready for a couple of grunts, they tried to speed away on Ghosts, leaving behind a nice Revenant for us to drive!

Now make your way through the various Covenant in your Revenant with convenient plasma mortar and pound or roadkill them on your way to the next Covenant AA gun. Once there you are greeted by troops including some Elites, several Grunts, some Skirmishers, a Wraith and a pair of Hunters. The Revenant can dispatch them all without much loss AND take out the AA gun if you move around quickly, but cautiously (as opposed to running hog wild). Also keep in mind that ravine can be your friend.

Next up… Tip of the Spear, Part 2.