**Halo 5 — Enemy Lines: getting through the temple and taking down the Kraken**
*Halo 5: Guardians, Xbox campaign. Full mission spoilers.*
The Kraken spends much of Enemy Lines hanging over the fight, but you don't bring it down by emptying everything you carry into its hull. Osiris has to reach the Forerunner facility, get airborne, board the machine, and destroy it from inside.
If you're also going for **Kraken Lackin'**, decide that before you start. Leave the Kraken's mounted turrets alone throughout the mission. You can still fight the Covenant on the ground; the restriction concerns the weapons attached to the Kraken itself. Tell your co-op partners before someone starts a perfectly understandable strafing run.
**Through the caves**
Follow the rocky approach through the initial Covenant positions. The opening stream and cave have intel detours, so collect those before pushing out into the first large battle.
Use the cave mouth as cover when the Kraken comes into view. Friendly forces are engaging it. Concentrate on enemies threatening your immediate route and let the battle develop rather than standing in the open shooting at the giant machine.
Against shielded Elites, keep something that can strip shields and a precision weapon for the finish. A Plasma Pistol and Carbine are useful here. Spend a moment finding a safe angle on a turret instead of trading shots with it while several infantry units also have sight of you.
When the Kraken moves away, continue along the cliff and into the defended passage. Clear the gun positions and look for the energy barrier blocking the route. Its generator is accessible from the adjoining room on the right: shoot through the opening at the generator to bring the barrier down.
That is a much better use of ammunition than repeatedly firing at a shield and hoping it will give way.
**Take a Ghost into the next fight**
Beyond the barrier, use one of the available Ghosts. Keep enough room to move sideways and reverse. Driving straight into a doorway full of Covenant is how a useful vehicle becomes a very expensive grenade delivery service.
In the open area, watch the infantry coming from the side entrances. Grunts carrying live grenades deserve immediate attention. If your Ghost is badly damaged, look for a replacement rather than treating the first one as something you have to preserve for the entire mission.
Clear the opposition and continue toward the temple grounds. The Kraken remains part of the surrounding battle; your immediate job is opening a route through the defenders below it.
On Heroic or Legendary, avoid boosting past enemies you haven't accounted for and then stopping among the next group. That creates fire from both directions. Work from one piece of cover to the next, and dismount somewhere sheltered when you need a precision shot or a collectible detour.
**Across the temple grounds**
The bridge area has enemies at different heights. Take a moment to identify the elevated shooters and gun positions before advancing across the center. A shielded Jackal on a ledge can keep interrupting your recovery while you're focused on an enemy directly ahead.
The later Wraith position deserves a deliberate approach. Fight from cover, clear nearby infantry, and use the available heavier weapons when you have a clean line. Don't stop in the middle of the courtyard to line up several perfect shots while the mortar is already on its way.
There is a breakable side route around the later barrier. Once you're through and reach the apparent dead end, look upward. Climb the broken stonework to the raised platform and interact with the small statue. That opens the onward passage.
If you've been following the intel route, do its bridge and wall detours before leaving this area. Several recordings are above or below the main route rather than sitting beside the objective marker.
**Get airborne, then board**
Continue through the Forerunner passage to the Phaetons. Before committing to the Kraken, check the nearby lower platform for the final intel recording.
Fly over and put yourself in a position to land on the Kraken. For the turret-preservation achievement, make this an approach and landing, not an attack run. Avoid spraying the deck with explosive fire.
Once aboard, move into the interior. The green-lit passages lead down toward the power core. Clear the enemies directly blocking your path, then pause before destroying the objective: **the Catch skull is in a Banshee hangar inside the Kraken. Get it now if you want it.** The collectible companion covers the ledge.
This is also the time to agree on an escape plan in co-op. If you're attempting Emergency Boarding Procedures, one Spartan needs to pilot a Phaeton while another rides on top. Sort out who is doing what before the core is gone.
**Destroy the core and leave**
Damage the exposed power core until the objective updates, then immediately retrace the exit route. Don't remain beside it waiting for a more dramatic confirmation.
Follow the green-lit route back toward the hangar and get out in an aircraft. For an ordinary completion, use the available escape vehicle rather than adding an unnecessary trick jump. For the Phaeton-riding achievement, the pilot should fly smoothly and avoid teleporting with their partner standing on the craft.
Once clear, head for the newly accessible Forerunner facility. The destruction of the Kraken is a big moment, but it isn't the end of the mission.
**Draw out the Constructor**
Inside the facility, reach the central objective. Osiris needs to attract a Constructor; damaging the indicated terminal gives it something to repair.
Before triggering the encounter, look over the room and its weapon supplies. Know where you'll retreat if the center becomes crowded. The arriving Prometheans can put pressure on you from several angles, and stopping beside the objective isn't much of a defensive plan.
Deal with exposed Soldiers, then remove Watchers when you can do so without standing in concentrated fire. Use the room's heavier weapons against Knights. If a Knight forces you out of cover, move to another protected position rather than backing into the center while trying to finish it.
On Legendary, direct squad fire onto one dangerous target at a time. A scattered squad can spend a long time damaging several enemies without removing any of them. Keep your own shield recovery and a viable retreat ahead of the temptation to chase a nearly defeated target.
Finish the remaining defenders, follow the extraction objective, and board the friendly Phantom. That's Enemy Lines complete: the Kraken is down, and Osiris has the Constructor needed for the next stage of the plan.
**Halo 5 — Enemy Lines: getting through the temple and taking down the Kraken**
· Games / Halo 5: Guardians