Halo 3: Sierra 117 — getting through the jungle and bringing Johnson home

Halo 3: Sierra 117 — getting through the jungle and bringing Johnson home **Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Mission spoilers. Conventional campaign route, with Normal, Heroic and Legendary advice.** Sierra 117 starts with a walk through the jungle and ends with Johnson locked up on the other side of a Covenant-held dam. The distance isn't really the problem. It's the number of places where something above you can shoot you while you're busy fighting something directly in front of you. I'm keeping this to the normal route. No jumping out of the level, no checkpoint manipulation, and no expectation that a first clear should also be a speedrun. **Through the opening jungle** Follow the squad over the fallen tree. When the group splits, stay with the Arbiter and follow the trail to the Brute and Grunts ahead. On **Normal**, the assault rifle is perfectly usable at sensible distances. On **Heroic or Legendary**, start building a better weapon combination immediately: a plasma pistol to break Brute protection and a precision weapon to finish exposed heads. Use the Magnum until you can replace it with a Carbine or battle rifle. Don't throw away your only accurate weapon just because a new enemy dropped something louder. When Phantoms arrive, get behind solid cover. Trying to finish one more Grunt while a dropship's gun is aimed at you is a bad trade. Deal with the troops after the ship moves off, then continue along the riverbank toward the rock passage marked by flares. **Collectible stop:** Blind is beside the water in this early area. Take the detour before continuing through the jungle if you're collecting skulls; the separate collectible guide covers the exact approach. **The basin and the Marine on the tree bridge** The next larger clearing gives you a better view of the opposition, but it also gives the opposition several different views of you. Check the elevated Jackals before crossing the low ground. Pick up a Carbine and work across the basin, using the trees and rocks to break sightlines rather than trying to win the entire fight from the middle. At shielded Jackals, aim through the exposed weapon-side opening, or use a charged plasma shot to remove the shield. Don't waste a precision magazine firing into the shield's center. Continue through the passage to the Brute holding a Marine on the tree bridge. Shoot the Brute promptly if you're trying to save the Marine. Avoid tossing a grenade into both of them and hoping the game sorts out the difference. Cross the tree and check the recess on the left for weapons and ammunition. Clear the remaining enemies before following the trail onward. The Cortana interruption is part of the mission; it isn't a sign you've taken a wrong turn. **The riverside sub-station** This is the earlier industrial encounter, **not** the final prison battle. Watch the attempted extraction and continue when the situation changes. Deal with nearby enemies first, then check the roofs and the opposite riverbank for marksmen. Work around the concrete structures and up the side path rather than making an exposed charge straight into every Brute on the platform. On **Normal**, you have more room to move forward between kills. On **Heroic**, clear the next firing position before occupying it. On **Legendary**, treat a surviving elevated Jackal as unfinished business even when the ground immediately in front of you looks empty. Keep a retreat available. A crate that stops bullets isn't necessarily going to save you from a grenade landing beside it. Once the platform and onward route are clear, replenish your precision ammunition before entering the next jungle stretch. **Sniper Alley and the crashed Pelican** Slow down here. Search the trees, ledges and high rock faces, not just the trail. Move to one piece of cover, locate the next shooter, remove that threat, and then move again. If a Jackal fires first, retreat and recover instead of staying exposed to force a rushed return shot. A recovered beam rifle can help, but don't empty it into every nearby Grunt. Those distant firing positions are the reason to carry it. Beyond the sniper section, Johnson and Marines are fighting their way away from the crash area. Clear the enemies below and above before dropping into the valley. At the wrecked Pelican, collect the available weapons and ammunition; a sniper rifle is especially useful for what comes next. Continue up the slope, through the remaining opposition and the cave. The following scene identifies Johnson's prison at the dam. His capture is scripted. Reaching this scene doesn't mean you failed an invisible rescue timer. **Across the dam** Use the opening overlook before giving up that height. Search for Jackals on elevated positions, including the area above Johnson's prison. Remove those threats before concentrating on the Brutes down below. Then move into the near-side complex. You can cross using the lower passage beneath the main walkway: take the stairs down, clear the room, and follow its opening beneath the bridge toward the far side. This reduces your exposure, but it isn't a force field. Check the way out before climbing back up. The hammer Chieftain is dangerous because he closes distance. Keep space between you and him; don't back yourself into a dead end. If he activates invincibility and turns bright, stop spending your best ammunition on him. Keep moving and resume damage after that protection ends. The Arbiter can help, but don't build the whole attempt around him killing the Chieftain on cue. Reach Johnson's building and use the control to lower the prison's energy barrier. Go inside so the rescue progresses normally. **Hold for extraction** The rescue isn't the end trigger. Reinforcements arrive, and Hocus brings the Pelican in to clear the Phantoms. Fight from cover near the prison while that happens. You do **not** need to personally destroy both dropships with your remaining ammunition. Once the Pelican settles into position, finish any skull detour you intended to make, then board its troop compartment. Boarding is what takes you onward to Crow's Nest. There are **no terminals on Sierra 117**, so don't spend the extraction searching the buildings for one.