**Halo 4: Shutdown — the two communications towers and the final spire**

**Halo 4: Shutdown — the two communications towers and the final spire** **The Master Chief Collection. Mission spoilers. Full objective route, without the tower-skip shortcut.** Shutdown lets you fly the Pelican, but most of the work is still waiting inside the towers. One tower uses exposed power cores. The other makes you fight your way along a gondola route. Then the last spire brings collapsing platforms, Hunters and a room full of Banshees. This route does the power-core tower first and the gondola tower second. The game allows you to approach the first pair in a different order; the important thing is recognizing the room you've entered instead of following directions meant for the other objective. **Equip before boarding the Pelican** Check the weapons around the hangar and Pelican before taking the pilot's seat. A precision weapon is useful for the Watchers and other ranged enemies inside, while a close-range or heavy weapon can help when Knights get onto a platform with you. Fly out of Infinity and approach the marked towers. For this route, begin with the right-hand objective. Deal with the defending aircraft before landing, then leave the Pelican and follow the hallway inside. **Power-core tower: operate the console, then work around the room** From the entrance platform, remove visible Watchers before dropping into the room. Use the marked console to begin the objective. The three cores are spread around the chamber. Descend the ramp from the entrance side and clear the first platform. Destroy the exposed core when you have the angle, then turn back toward the route you used: more enemies appear as the objective advances. Return toward the middle and cross to the opposite side. Follow the connecting walkway, clear its defenders and destroy the next core. Again, don't assume the path behind you stays empty just because you cleared it once. Continue around to the remaining platform and the last core at the far end. Use the objective markers to check what is left rather than shooting at unrelated scenery. On Heroic and Legendary, finish Watchers promptly when they're supporting the encounter, but keep enough space for a Knight that closes on you. Trying to win a close melee exchange on a narrow platform is a poor substitute for backing into cover and using your weapons. Once the objective is complete, retrace the route to the entrance. Expect resistance in the exit corridor. Return to the Pelican and fly to the other tower. **Gondola tower: start the transport** After landing and entering, take the ramp down to the gondola. Its activation switch is on the upper part of the vehicle. Use it to begin crossing the chamber. Watch for ranged fire from the structures along the route. You don't need to stand at the front of the gondola taking every shot simply because it is moving toward the objective. Use its cover and clear enemies with a view of your position. The gondola stops twice because the enemies override its controls. Waiting aboard won't solve those stops. **First override: leave, climb and return** Cross the light bridge to the adjoining structure. Fight up through the Covenant to the override control and activate it. Prometheans enter the fight as you prepare to return. Follow the available route down and back across the connecting light bridge. Check the gondola before stepping aboard: Knights and Crawlers can occupy it while you're away. Clear the transport and use its switch again. Be ready for additional Knights after it resumes moving. Don't empty your weapon into the scenery while a new enemy is materializing behind you. **Second override and the carrier field** At the next stop, repeat the process at the second structure: cross, climb through the Promethean defenders, operate the marked override and return along the new connection. The final approach brings you to the carrier-wave generator. Clear the enemies blocking the platform, then **enter the energy field** as Cortana instructs. This objective uses the suit's EMP. It isn't another core you need to destroy by firing at it. The discharge drains your shields, and Watchers appear afterward. Have a weapon ready and move into a defensible position instead of remaining exposed while waiting for your protection to return. When the area is clear, return to the gondola, activate it and ride back. Leave through the entrance corridor, dealing with the resistance on the way out, and board the Pelican again. **Enter the final spire** Follow Cortana's new waypoint to the opening platform. Land and head inside. The blue lift carries you into a room where pieces of the floor begin disappearing. Move onto the surviving route to the right and cross the gap. Watch your footing before looking for distant targets. A cleared platform is useful only if there is still a path to reach it. Continue across the linked platforms, dealing with the Covenant in sections. The mission's terminal is on a side platform to the left before the Hunter platform; make that detour before taking the lift beyond the Hunters. **Deal with the Hunters** The pair drops into the platform containing the next blue lift, interrupting your progress. Use cover and room to move rather than letting both enemies trap you against the same edge. If you're attempting **Explore the Floor**, you need Heroic or Legendary in MCC and must make a Hunter fall to its death. That needs deliberate positioning near the drop, not simply killing one with gunfire. For an ordinary clear, concentrate on surviving the fight and finishing both enemies normally. Once the way is open, enter the lift to the upper chamber. **Cross the Banshee room and reach Cortana's console** The upper section has Covenant on the platforms and Banshees operating around them. Clear the immediate landing area before deciding how to cross. A parked Banshee gives you a way to move across the room and attack from a different angle. Taking it doesn't make the flight harmless: avoid hovering in front of fixed guns or flying straight at every enemy aircraft at once. If you remain on foot, check both the destination platform and the aircraft above before crossing each exposed bridge. Reach the doorway on the far side, leave the vehicle if you're using one, and move through the corridor to the control room. Insert Cortana at the console to advance the sequence. Retrieve her when prompted. Once the exit opens and the platform lowers, follow the final route and jump from the indicated edge to trigger the ending. Don't confuse that scripted finish with the earlier platform gaps you're meant to survive normally.