Halo 2: Gravemind walkthrough — getting through High Charity without skipping the prison

Halo 2: Gravemind walkthrough — getting through High Charity without skipping the prison **Halo 2: Anniversary in The Master Chief Collection. Mission spoilers. Conventional route, not a speedrun or LASO route.** Gravemind gives you a Needler and immediately puts Brutes in front of you. There isn't a quiet opening to get settled. Get behind something first. You can figure out the rest once you aren't being shot from every direction. **The Council Chamber** Focus your opening Needler fire on one Brute at a time. Scattering needles across both wastes the explosion you're trying to produce. Watch the survivor when the first dies; a charging Brute needs space, not a melee contest. The little pillars provide initial cover. The side seating gives you elevation, but it isn't a permanent safe spot: later enemies can appear beside you, and Brute Shot explosions can still reach you. Work through the reinforcements before approaching Cortana's exit pedestal. Collect a Carbine when one becomes available. With Brutes, knock away the helmet and aim for the exposed head. They aren't shielded Elites; an overcharged plasma pistol isn't the same solution here. **On Heroic and Legendary:** leave yourself ammunition before finishing a wave. When only a manageable Grunt remains, use that breathing room to collect weapons rather than immediately start another fight. Don't stand exposed trying to force every needle to connect with a Brute behind cover. **The first descent** After Cortana opens the exit, fight through the intervening room to the broad platform with a gravity lift at its far end. Reinforcements arrive there, including a Brute Shot carrier. Fight from the approach instead of standing beside the arrival point. When Cortana reverses the lift, descend. Check the landing before pushing onward; Jackals are a particular problem when you're looking only for Brutes. Follow the curved corridors toward the next large lift chamber. At junctions, check behind you after triggering the next encounter. The door ahead isn't necessarily the only place enemies will come from. Clear the lift room, replenish your Carbine and close-range weapon, then take the central lift down to the detention block. **Free both groups of Marines** You arrive at the top of a three-level prison. If the nearest guard hasn't noticed you, take the rear melee opportunity. If he has, abandon the stealth plan and get behind the curved wall. Don't keep attempting the same assassination while everyone is already firing. Clear the immediate guards before descending farther. Cortana directs you to a group on the **middle or bottom level**; the order can vary. Follow her direction rather than assuming the bottom group must always come first. Use the smaller lift pads to move between prison floors. Eliminate the guards outside the indicated holding room, enter, and kill its defenders to release the Marines. Return to the central space, handle the new resistance, then repeat for the other group. After both rescues, enemy reinforcements arrive through the **main lift you originally used**, not just the little floor-to-floor pads. Clear that attack and return through the main lift when Cortana says it is ready. I wouldn't turn this into an ammunition marathon. Check the weapon racks and fallen guards between stages. A nearly empty favorite weapon is a poor trade for a loaded weapon you can actually use. **Back upstairs: the Covenant are fighting each other** Take the available exit from the room above the prison. Elites and Drones appear, followed by more fighting through the curved corridors. These are not friendly Elites just because they are attacking Brutes. Let a fight develop before stepping into its middle. Then deal with whoever threatens your route. Keeping distance also gives your surviving Marines a better chance than charging into sword range. Past the corridors, you encounter Hunters before reaching the first outdoor garden. Don't spend your Needler ammunition on their armored fronts. Use exposed flesh, explosives, or a clear opportunity to move through without being trapped beside them. **First garden and the hanging platforms** The first garden has fighting near the entrance and snipers farther out. Check the elevated positions before walking downhill. This first garden is the collectible stop for Anger and terminal 10: take the skull detour before crossing, then check the terminal near the far exit. The companion collectible guide gives the exact paths. Afterward, climb toward that exit and descend the broad indoor slope to the gravity conveyor. After the crossing where In Amber Clad passes overhead, keep checking for snipers as you enter the hanging-garden section. Follow the walkways and conveyors onward. Flying Elites can attack from above; a clear path at ground level doesn't mean the crossing is safe. The next interior tower contains Drones and flying Elites. Work from the doorway, then reach the onward upper-floor exit opposite your approach. Be ready for enemies coming through it. Another conveyor leads to another hanging garden. Restock at the weapon supplies, cross to the next conveyor, and enter the broad uphill passage. Brutes with Brute Shots hold that approach. Don't climb directly into their explosions while reloading. **The second garden and the Mausoleum approach** Beyond that uphill passage is another outdoor garden. This is later than the first garden and the hanging platforms. If you reach this garden without collecting Anger, you have already passed its earlier detour. Fight across to the far side. Watch for a fuel-rod Grunt and camouflaged sword Elites near the onward climb. Keep a clear retreat behind you instead of letting an invisible Elite cut you off at the exit. Continue through the interior rooms to the long bridge leading to the Mausoleum. The fighting on the bridge is not the last resistance: Hunters and supporting enemies can come through the far doorway as you approach. Keep a precision weapon for the exposed targets and something useful against heavier opposition. Don't empty everything into one side of the civil war while the other side is still helping you. **Finish the Mausoleum, then finish the mission** Inside, let the opposing groups damage each other before committing to a position. Clear the remaining combatants, but do not relax when the main floor goes quiet. Approach Cortana at the exit pedestal to continue. The onward doorway then brings another dangerous Elite group, including cloaked enemies and a heavily protected sword opponent. Use the room you've already cleared to separate that group. Retreating to cover is better than fighting several swords in one doorway. On Legendary, don't treat one successful grenade as proof the whole group is dead. Once the exit is clear, follow the remaining passage to the ending scene. There is no playable Prophet boss fight here. For a first completion, the sensible goal is getting through each section with ammunition and a usable checkpoint. The fast route can come afterward.