We know that many of you out there are going to feel like Halo: Campaign Evolved is familiar, almost like swimming or riding a bike, when you first dive into it given that it’s probably been among your favorite games over the years. But given that this one’s the first multiplatform release in the franchise’s history, we’re sure to have a few players diving into the chaos of Master Chief’s adventures for the first time through no fault of their own.
We’ve been spending some time with the game ahead of its release and our review, and have come away with a few useful pointers for you to keep in mind whether you’re a returning veteran or a new recruit to the cause. Let’s get right to it.
1. Leave Nothing Behind
Many previews have been pointing out that some doors lock behind you once you cross their thresholds, and that anything you leave behind on the battlefields they block off could be lost forever. It doesn’t happen to all doors as far as we’ve seen, but it’s happening consistently enough across the board to be something worth mentioning as part of our experience with the preview build. If you’re coming up on an obvious transition point, it’s a good idea to backtrack and replace depleted weapons or refill your ammo.
2. An Interesting Use For The Plasma Pistol
Fully charging up a shot with the Plasma Pistol makes it act like an EMP that can be very handy in vehicle heavy encounters if you want to save your rockets for later. It works on Ghosts, Wraiths, and other vehicles, and can be very nifty once you get used to deploying it precisely. It’s going to work very well with another tip that’s coming up, and can be quite a potent combo in situations where you could use a little breathing room. That happens quite a lot in this one.
3. Use EMP Windows To Hijack Vehicles
Vehicle hijacking is now a thing, and given that the Ghost now seats a full four-member party, it pays to have an easy way to get your hands on one. Well, the EMP from your Plasma Pistol’s charged shot opens up an opportunity for you to commandeer disabled vehicles, using its immobility to board it and turn the tables in tight encounters. Getting your hands on a heavily-armored machine can easily turn a fight in your favor, giving you a lot of control over its outcomes in the process.
4. Capture Those Wraiths
Building on our last couple of points, if you see a Wraith in action operating against you, it isn’t a reason to try and avoid it, but an opportunity to commandeer a very potent vehicle with simple tactics. The EMP is once again your best friend here, and getting your hands on a Wraith gives you some very heavy armor that protects some serious firepower in a fight. They’re a priority, and a very rewarding one at that.
5. Be Ready To Be Boarded
We’ve been talking a lot about boarding enemy vehicles, so it’s probably worth mentioning that your foes are going to try and eject you from their valuable vehicles. If you’re on the move with your enemies in pursuit, it’s a good idea to keep your momentum alive, and stay away from the enemy infantry who might get caught up in the crossfire with no reliable escape route on the ground. Try to dispose of threats when you’re in a Ghost, Wraith, or other crucial vehicles, or at least shake them off before you head for safety.
6. Share Your Best Loot With Marines
We’ve been itching to try this out ourselves, but we did catch some of our Marines using rocket launchers with devastating precision in some previews. That’s because you get to exchange weapons with them, and giving them some solid gear is going to make them valuable additions to your side of the battles you’ll be facing with them. They’re especially effective when vehicles are involved, and while there’s talk of their ammo being unlimited, we’re going to wait for the final build before making any comments.
7. Arm Marines Before Getting On The Scorpion
Once you gain access to The Scorpion, know that any gear you give your Marines before they get on it remains at their disposal in subsequent battles, making the Scorpion function as a mobile squad that’s armed to the teeth, and armored enough to shrug off some devastating attacks as it blazes a path across battlefields. It’s quite a glorious sight to see in action, and we can promise you it’s going to be a while before it gets old. If it ever does, that is.
8. Protect Your Best Marines
If you’ve given Marines Power Weapons, you might want to hold off on rushing headlong into the thick of battles with the Scorpion, as taking a more measured approach could mean you make the most of their arsenal whilst avoiding unnecessary losses. Considering that each Marine uses what you’ve given them only when they’re alive, you might want to take advantage of the Scorpion’s defense and unleash its full potential when you sense safety ahead.
9. Save Those Portable Overshields
A change we’re really happy with is the fact that Overshields are now portable, instead of activating the moment you pick one up like in the original release. That means you get to save them for truly dicey situations, which we highly recommend given that they’ve meant the difference between surviving them or eating a ton of enemy fire without one handy. Think of them as a sort of emergency counter measure and use them as you see fit from there.
10. Use Active Camo Wisely
We know its tempting to just take a stealth approach with Active Camo as soon as you see it on the battlefield, but given that it’s also usable later, it’s a good idea to save it all for a rainy day. They’re best used when you need some breathing room to reposition, or when you’ve got a priority target you’re trying to take out first before all hell breaks loose. Traditional backsmacks work exactly like they used to, and getting to enemies undetected is a lot easier if they can’t see you.
11. Sprint When You Need To
Sprinting’s quite a useful addition to the gameplay loop, and it’s a great way to cross open spaces if you anticipate coming under fire when you do, and is a good way to break contact if the need arises, perhaps getting behind cover before enemy fire gets too overwhelming to effectively respond to. However, it’s going to work against you if you end up sprinting into unfamiliar rooms, as you’re going to need to find cover to figure out enemy formations in time to come up with a viable strategy.
12. The Elites Are More Intelligent
The enemy AI is pretty good for the most part, and most enemies are able to identify opportunities to withdraw from the fight to recover their shields and come back into the fray. That’s going to be quite prominent in co-op sessions on higher difficulties, and if you’re up against an Elite, you might want to make it a priority as much as possible since allowing those potent foes to come back into the fight with more protection is definitely a bad idea. Preventing regeneration on your targets should be something you try to do as much as you can as a rule of thumb anyway.
13. Switch Between Cover Positions
Speaking of Elites, we’ve found that they like to flank your position quite often this time around, effectively trying to force you to break cover while Grunts and Jackals try to pin you down the moment you try to make a run for it. Switching between cover often forces them to reset their strategies while opening up options for you to counterattack while they scramble a response. Identify multiple defensive positions and weave in strategies unique to them as you go along to maximize your effectiveness in the field.
14. The Magnum’s Precision
The Magnum has returned in all its glory, and its potency might make you mistake it for an emergency side arm, but if you use it against exposed infantry and suitable targets, you’re going to find battles going in your favor more frequently than before you holstered it. If you’ve got something on hand for breaking shields and other defences, the Magnum is going to be a finisher like no other, and is worth weaving into your battle plans as much as possible.
15. Replacing Empty Enemy Weapons
Those enemy Weapons can seem like they’re indispensible, but having to collect them only after you’ve expended uses on the one already in your possession makes them less practical than they could be. We wouldn’t recommend getting too attached to having one on hand, instead treating them as convenient options to use if and when one is easily accessible. Their limited ammo doesn’t allow them to be more than that, sadly.
16. Save Your Grenades For Targets That Matter
Grenades are definitely powerful, but they’re quite scarce enough to justify saving them for bosses or groups that are proving too troublesome for your other tactics. Regular Grunts and weaker targets must always draw only gunfire, with potent explosives saved for the ones where your guns aren’t making enough of a dent to leave you in control of the fight. They’re especially effective against enemies in large clusters, positions that come heavily defended, or places where some area damage is going to even the odds.
17. The Faster Scorpion and Wraith
The driving mechanics are certainly a highlight and the Scorpion and Wraith are now much better than their original counterparts, with better handling, tuning, and battle capabilities on board. They’re great ways to tear through stiff opposition as long as you keep moving to avoid being boarded, and be quite liberal with using their cannons to devastate enemy locations. They fire quite fast, which means that staying mobile and maintaining pressure means your enemies don’t get a chance to regroup and come at you with better strategies than the losing one.
18. Take On Specific Roles In Co-Op
If you’re bringing your buddies along, it’s a good idea to approach the game with a plan, and with each of you serving specific roles on your team. To that end, you’re going to want to share the best weapons, gear, and loot that suits those roles as and when you find them, ensuring that your teammates are well-equipped enough to have your back when things inevitably get nasty. It also ensures that you spread important functions like precision fire, shield removal, explosives, and close-range fighting across the board, with each of you knowing what needs your attention, and what to leave to your pals.
19. Co-Op Increases More Than Just Enemy Numbers
If you’re indeed bringing the boys along, know that the campaign scales according to how many of you are jumping in, and the difficulty you’re taking on. That means you could see more enemies instead of just more powerful versions of existing ones, and more intelligent responses to your attacks such as avoiding grenades, better targeting, and more tactical retreats for shield recovery. It gets harder the more of you there are, which is what’s going to make your victory feel that much sweeter when it finally arrives.
20. Use Your Personal Difficulty Modifiers Generously
While we’re still on the subject of co-op, you get to adjust important parameters like your damage resistance, the recharge speed on your shields, your melee damage, and even ammunition options. If you’re teaming up with pros and need that extra hand, Campaign Evolved has got you and you don’t need to sit out the action or force your more experienced comrades to insult their skills on a lower difficulty. However, certain challenges focused achievements are going to be out of your reach when they’re on, so keep that in mind and try to phase them out once you get into your groove.
And that’s about it. You’re going to be dominating the battlefield in no time once you remember these little nuggets of wisdom. Master Chief’s already a force to be reckoned with, and in the right hands, he’s a powerhouse like no other. Well, you now have everything you need to make that your reality, and have a hell of a fun time doing so.
