**Halo 5 — Swords of Sanghelios: reaching the Arbiter without losing your Mantis**

**Halo 5 — Swords of Sanghelios: reaching the Arbiter without losing your Mantis** *Halo 5: Guardians, Xbox campaign. Full mission spoilers.* Sanghelios is worth slowing down for. The river, the enormous statues, the ruined halls—there's a lot to look at before the mission turns into a fight through the Council grounds. There are also twelve intel items spread through it, so check the companion route before taking a one-way drop. If you're here for **Preying Mantis**, bring a human co-op partner, select Heroic, and plan to preserve both Mantises when they arrive. The vehicles aren't available at the start. You have quite a bit of fighting to do before that delivery. **Follow the river into the ruins** From the landing, follow the water through the canyon. Explore the opening ledges and statue-side alcove now if you're collecting intel; it is much easier to do that before everyone has moved into the firefight. The first enemy positions give you an elevated approach. Keep your Battle Rifle for useful precision shots, and pick up Covenant weapons as your starting ammunition runs low. A Plasma Pistol and Carbine make a sensible combination for the Elites ahead: remove the shield, then finish with a headshot rather than pouring precision ammunition into the shield itself. There is a breakable wall on the right of the early combat area with a Carbine supply inside. That recess gives you a place to fight from instead of standing in the river with enemies spread across your view. Past the first pond and the shielded Jackals, the next position has a Shade turret. Peek from cover and disable it or remove its occupant. Watch for another Elite taking the seat afterward. An empty turret is only an empty turret until somebody reaches it. On Heroic and Legendary, keep a retreat path open before concentrating on an Elite. If another enemy circles around, move back into the ground you've already cleared rather than trying to win two close-range fights at once. **The bodies, the drop pods and the ruined chamber** Follow the water onward into the cave with the fallen Swords of Sanghelios. Vale's dialogue marks this quieter section. Check the elevated body for intel before leaving; the next drop takes you toward another fight. The next open area has enemies above you as well as across the lower ground. Look at the opposite ledges before dropping in. Clear the ranged threats, advance enough to bring in the reinforcements, then fight from cover rather than remaining underneath their arrival point. Continue through the cave into the large ruined space with the central drop. The broken walls around it offer alternatives to walking an exposed ledge. Check a side passage before rushing through it: a camouflaged sword Elite can turn what looks like cover into a very short encounter. Work upward through the ruins, clearing the elevated positions and the enemies arriving in pods. Follow the exit at the top of the ridge into the old hall. Refill your weapons there. Beyond the hall, you'll see the sea and the Covenant moving toward the Council Chamber. **Pause for the Mythic skull here if you're collecting it.** Its pillar jump is outside this ruined section, before the landing-zone battle. The collectible companion separates the jump setup from the combat route. **Clear the landing zone** Cross toward the Council grounds and clear the infantry from the arena. Keep some heavy ammunition for the pair of Hunters that arrives next. The nearby weapon supplies include Fuel Rod Cannons; look around before the Hunters have you pinned into one corner. With co-op partners, spread your angles. A player drawing a Hunter's attention can give another player a much better shot than four people firing into the same shield. Solo, use squad orders and the area's height, but keep enough space to withdraw when the Hunter turns toward you. I would clear the remaining smaller enemies before committing to the Hunters. A Jackal you ignored can be the reason you can't safely reload or revive somebody when the larger fight gets messy. Defeating both Hunters allows Mahkee to deliver friendly Elites and **two Mantises**. Check your targets from this point onward: the Swords troops helping you are not the Covenant you're fighting. **Use the Mantises through the courtyards** Take a Mantis and have your co-op partner take the second for the achievement attempt. Use the machine gun against exposed infantry and the missiles against the heavier targets. Withdraw behind solid cover when the vehicle's shield is depleted. A Mantis is useful because it gives you firepower and protection, not because it can absorb an entire courtyard indefinitely. Clear the first courtyard with your allies. Once the next door opens, you have a larger fight involving Wraiths, Hunters and infantry. Begin by establishing a safe edge of the arena. Deal with the Wraith covering the central area, then work along a flank instead of marching between every active enemy position. The broken structure on the left offers a route forward. Watch for the Hunter inside, and back up if it starts landing shots. Farther along, the exit is covered by another Wraith and additional Covenant. Clear the defenders until the passage opens. For a normal completion, alternative vehicles are available along this part of the mission. For **Preying Mantis**, keep the two supplied walkers alive and stay with them rather than swapping into a Ghost because it happens to be convenient. **Into the Council Chamber** The next corridor leads to the final courtyard. Clear the infantry and watch for reinforcements arriving in pods; don't assume the entrance is safe because the first group has fallen. Fuel Rod fire is particularly important to notice while you're protecting a vehicle. Before entering the chamber, collectors should check the final intel detour in the shallow water beside its entrance. Then push inside, help the allied Elites on the stairs, and climb toward the Arbiter's marker to trigger the ending. On Legendary, the long stretches between safe progress are the real reason to be patient. When a courtyard is nearly finished, take the extra moment to recharge and identify the last heavy weapon. That's a much better trade than replaying the whole fight because you rushed its final few enemies.