Echo/419: Silent Thunder's Multiplayer Guide

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Knowing your maps is the absolute key to winning at any type of game, especially Slayer. Know everything about the map-- where to get the best guns, where most of the respawn points are, and how to find a good sniping perch. This section contains map strategies and official Bungie overhead views of each map.

Note: I do not yet have the descriptions for the new Halo PC/Mac maps. Those will be coming soon, so check back.

Maps

	Battle Creek. A small box canyon featuring two bases, separated by a creek and an arch structure. Defending the forts is made easier by controlling the teleporter at the back, which leads to the back of the other base. There are alcoves at the top of the map and to either side, with ladders leading to them; each has a sniper rifle and can make a great sniper perch.
	Damnation. A Covenant structure that was used to control water flow into a section of Halo. Damnation is one of the few non-symmetrical maps in Halo, and it incorporates both a high and low flag base. During CTF events stay close to the flag locations and snipe across the high teleport road and the low dam crossing. Communicate well and the flag is yours, as it is easy to attack the flag bases from multiple sides at once. The rocket launcher is located in the middle of the lower corridor below ‘shotgun alley’, so be sure to pick it up during your travels. In addition, use the two sniper rifles to surprise and effective suppress opponents. There's a good hiding place near the uplink crate. Watch your step! There are a lot of areas on Damnation where you can walk off a ledge and die. Pipes, on the other hand, can be fun places to hang out and get the drop on someone. You can’t hop to the pit area from the falls bridge area, but you can do it the other way.
	Rat Race. An asymmetrical map which involves some human mining into one of Halo's hallway system. As with all multiplayer maps, keep moving to stay alive. To attack the high flag base during CTF, use the teleporter located near the lower flag base and attack through the cave system (you can also pick up a shotgun on the way). To attack the lower flag base, use the same cave system, but drop down on the defenders using the ‘murder holes’. You can shoot the power-ups down from their roosts! Shotgun + over shield = dishes of pain. Find out where those teleporters lead; they can come in handy.
	Prisoner. A four story corridor of destruction. Most of the spawn points are on the first level, so climb high as fast as possible to escape the chaos. Sniper rifles are located in the two 4th floor platforms and can effectively cover the central corridor, although from highly exposed positions. Respawn generators are located in the openings behind these so be wary that opponents may pop in behind you at any given time. Grab the rocket launcher and invisibility (below) from the central platform on level two and work your way up. However, watch your tail. During CTF games, try to stay on the highest level as much as possible. Falling down leads to a long walk up, and plenty of exposure to the respawned below, so be careful. There are two ways up to each level. Practice your jumping skills for this map. Needles can force players to either sidestep off a ledge or become a popping pincushion.
	Hang 'em High. A large storage facility on the Halo which provides an excellent location for all sorts of scenarios. The sniper rifle and rocket launcher are located on the catwalks above, and are well worth the risk. Meanwhile, the shotguns tend to spawn in the shelters on either side of the maps, so spin through these areas occasionally during your exploration. For ball games, try controlling the areas around the ‘shotgun gallery’, as there are only two ways in and out. The pistol rules this level. There are two ways onto the middle platform, but you can't get off without taking some damage. Don’t get stuck in the trench; it isn’t easy to get out. The invisible power-up is your friend on Hang 'em High. Beneath the corner with the tall tower is a long tunnel. This is easily defended in team Oddball games. Another benefit: it is situated beneath several spawn locations, where your teammates will reappear when they die.
	Chill Out. A Covenant research facility on HALO, used to analyze Halo's material. This environment is a series of connected rooms, with several changes in elevation. The rocket launcher is located on one of the two horizontal beams, but use with extreme caution. The confines of this map are tight. Grab the shotgun and the super-shield power up in the cooling room, and go say “Hi” up close and personal. In addition, use the geometry of the map for different points of cover. Find that rocket launcher and you could be sitting pretty. This map is really small and getting from one end to the other is easy, especially if you know where all the teleporters go. Be sure to watch your motion tracker on this one; there are a lot of turns so it's hard to see people coming.
	Chiron TL-34. An intense training facility for SPARTANs. Keep moving, grabbing whatever weapons are in front of you. Also, check out all of the rooms in the structure, as several strategic opportunities exist in their positioning. If you can figure out the layout of this map and where all the teleporters go, you will have the jump on many of your opponents. The motion tracker is still useful through the teleporters as they lead where you would expect. That is, if you see a red dot on your motion tracker pointing to the teleporter, throw a grenade at the teleporter because there is probably someone coming through. Similarly, if you're playing a game with nav points to guide you, trust the teleporters and follow the nav point. Shooting rockets through the slits in the central, maze-like room is very satisfying. You can get some good angles at teleporters with them. The shotgun is very useful on this map. There’s a health pack in every room, though sometimes you need to look for it.
	Longest. It is advantageous to take the higher ground, especially on offense. If playing defensively, stay in the lower corridors, near the ends of the hallways. Power-ups are especially good to have on this map. Learn to jump well over the ridges and you can jump between halls easily. Grenades are fun to chuck down the halls. A great environment for large or small teams. Use the ladders towards the middle to get the shotgun and power-ups. In addition, the pistol (located in the bunkers) is also quite effective. During CTF, guard the flag well, as once it is gone… it's gone.
	Wizard. The middle platform is a quick way to each of the four side platforms. Don’t hide next to the teleporter; it's a dead end. In more ways than one. Get those power-ups and health packs whenever you can. Another human training facility. Pick up grenades in the short lower hallways and use plasma grenades for close confrontations. The pistol also does well in this environment, although plasma weapons and the Needler are equally effective.
	Derelict. A long-abandoned wreck in space. Look out the window in the middle of the lower floor to see the stars. The second level is the key to holding the map. Power-ups appear in the walkways around the edge of the second floor, and the rocket launcher lies in one of the transition hallways. Use this second level to rain hell down on the folks below, or to escape with the ball. The hallways around the first floor contain weaponry, so scout them out before taking the top floor. Also, use the ramps in front of each teleporter on the first level to "launch" yourself into the teleporter and make yourself a harder target to hit. Teleporters are the only way up. Figure out where each goes so you can track players through them. Each teleporter goes 30 degrees counter clockwise. The side hallways are good to hide in. Keep moving.
	Boarding Action. Two human starships face each other in an epic confrontation. A great environment for sniping, and use the sniper rifles in the far corners of level 5 (on the left side, if you are facing the specific ship). In addition, invisibility sits on floor 1 (on the right side), so pick up what you can and keep moving. Otherwise, it can turn into a shooting gallery at the state fair. For CTF maps, attack from levels above, as the flag bases are rather exposed. Of course, this strategy becomes rather obvious, so defenders can use this to their advantage and rocket the flag-carrier and flag into space The numbers on the sides of the walls will tell you where you are, and where your opponents are as well... Getting to know how to get from one level to the next and from one end of the ship to the next is very important. Sniper rifle rocks on this level; there are two emplacements, up high. When sniper rifles are involved, never assume that nobody can see where you're hiding... There are some good shortcuts you can take on your way down. Look for ledges and platforms off the regular hallways. If a player is heading toward a ladder, wait for him to start climbing, then snipe him. There are teleporters to the other ship on the top and bottom floors.
	Blood Gulch. A dried-up river valley in the middle of a box canyon. There is a good sniper spot behind the red base, up on a hill in the shadows. Use those teleporters to get across the map quickly without a vehicle. Caves can provide good cover to get you across the map. Parking a vehicle on top of your enemy's teleporter location is an effective (if low and dirty) way of controlling the middle of the map. Try going into their base with Active Camo and waiting for them to try to use the teleporter. The rocket launcher, which appears in the middle near a small bush, is a precious commodity. When playing with vehicles, try to only use your rockets on a vehicle. Rocket ammo is in short supply, especially if a lot of people are playing, and snipers like to pick off people going for the launcher. So pick your targets wisely. When shooting a warthog, you want to hit it so that you kill at least one of the passengers while flipping it so it tosses everyone else. Try and nail the front of the warthog. This will usually kill everyone except the gunner, and he'll be tossed out with a lot of damage done to him. Unless you have a good shot (and time to reload), toss a grenade in or finish the other guy off with your other weapon. Eventually you'll be brazenly standing in the path of oncoming traffic with a rocket launcher. Flying vehicles will kill you, so remember your basic laws of physics. Just for kicks though, try standing in a valley in the middle of Blood Gulch and get a jeep to ramp up a hill and jump over you. Then fire a rocket at the jeep as it flies directly over you. It will be a while before your opponents hit the ground. When traveling across the map in the warthog, try to avoid taking big, flashy jumps & instead weave around through the valleys: you’re less of a target this way.
	Sidewinder. A giant, horseshoe, snow-covered canyon of death and destruction. Use the vehicles for quick access to the other base, but careful of the warthog on ice and for snipers on the higher levels. In addition, you can use the outer teleport route to pick up the rocket launcher and to work your way around the outside of the canyon. However, the teleporter between the bases and first teleporter station is one way, so be prepared for a bit of a walk. In addition, a central base connects the two sides of the horseshoe, and also contains grenades, power-ups, and pistols. For a quick CTF capture, try grabbing the flag, running through this central base structure, and throwing the flag (to a waiting teammate) through the power-up gate. In addition, ghosts can be used effectively to either guard the flag or ram it home, however visibility can sometimes become occluded by the structure. Use the teleporters to get across the map quickly, but remember: once you leave the base you've got a long walk back. Parking vehicles on teleporter delivery areas can block the teleporter. The most effective attack route on Sidewinder is up through the tunnels leading from one base to another. Get the dual power-ups on your way to the opponent's base, not on the way up the ramp to the middle. That way they will last long enough for you to use them near the enemies (mostly applicable to team games). Once past the middle of the tunnel route, you have two choices for attacking - down through their tunnel, or right off the edge of the cliff. When defending, keep this in mind - the enemy is far more likely to come in the door on the tunnel side of your base. It’s easy to defend the base as there are only two ways into the base and only one way to the flag. Note that there are only two ways up to the tower, but three ways out. Don’t drive the jeep on the ice; you will be a sitting duck. Conversely, keep an eye out for warthogs on the ice; they're easy targets. The sniper rifle can be your friend or your worst enemy on Sidewinder. Try to take your vehicle to strange and interesting places. Sometimes a vehicle is best used blocking a doorway on this map. If someone is camping near your teleporter outlet points with a shotgun or some other death-dealing doodad, try running through the teleporter backwards - often you'll be face to face with the ambusher and in a better position to deal with him. When Scorpions are available, a horrifyingly effective tactic is to shell the enemy base from a distance, hitting the second floor and the front doors constantly. If you find yourself the victim of this, the teleporter on the second floor is often your best hope, since it will get you clear of the bombardment, near a rocket launcher, and often behind the enemy tanks. When playing CTF, a favorite tactic is to get the flag and then run into the tunnels. Instead of turning and running up the tunnels, turn and run down the other side, where the over shield and invisibility power-ups can be found. Once you arrive, throw the flag through the bars (preferably to an ally on the far side). Not only is this faster, but it's almost impossible for the enemy to recover their flag once it's through the bars.