**Halo Wars 2 — Under the Dark: Snipers, mines and the three Kodiak positions**

**Halo Wars 2 — Under the Dark: Snipers, mines and the three Kodiak positions** **Main campaign, mission 9. Mission spoilers.** Under the Dark works much better when you let the artillery do its job. The Kodiaks can hit a position before the rest of the army has to fight through it, but somebody has to reveal the targets and somebody has to protect the guns. This mission has two sections. First, help Jerome reach the gravity lift. Then Alice's force clears the other side and places three Kodiaks where they can remove the lift's defenses. **1. Clear the Sniper route** Use the starting Snipers to defeat the infantry, maintaining their range as the enemies approach. Advance in short steps through the mined route. Snipers reveal the cloaked plasma mines; target and destroy the mines before bringing the rest of the force through. Capture the Power Node, gather the nearby resources and continue toward the crashed Pelican. Jerome joins you there. Explore the nearby branches with detection ahead of the group rather than send everyone around a blind bend together. [Opening route](https://t.co/qkjWqjLvTV) **2. Give the first Kodiaks targets** Once the minibase and Kodiaks arrive, make a small protection force and a forward spotting group. Use the Snipers' cloak and sight range to reveal the Banished position. The artillery can then bombard targets without you sending the whole infantry force into the defenses. Keep the Kodiaks protected from attacks while the spotters are away. Clearing the base with artillery is not much help if the guns get destroyed during the process. Before finishing this half of the mission, take the side route to the **first Brute Warlord**, in the area beyond the initial Kodiak/minibase section. Kill him and search the side passage farther east for **A Small Sacrifice**, the first Phoenix Log. Then finish clearing the base and move Jerome to the marked gravity-lift approach. [Artillery sequence and first detour](https://t.co/5aw7UxCJlC) **3. Switch to Alice and open the shield** The second section gives Alice a base, Snipers and mobile Kodiaks. Deploy the artillery to destroy the shield generator beyond the first barrier. Once the shield falls, move the guns behind a mixed escort and continue along the opened road. Capture nearby resources and build the force you need. Snipers handle detection and infantry, Cyclops help against vehicles, and the Kodiaks attack fortified positions from range. Keep those roles separate enough that one movement order does not send the artillery to the front. **4. Place the first gun and take the Warlord detour** Clear the first marked deployment area and move one Kodiak into position. Continue along the road, clear the next enemy minibase and use the newly available site for your own support buildings if needed. The **second Warlord** is off the route beyond the minibase, along the inner curve. Take the fighting units to deal with him while keeping the remaining Kodiaks behind the cleared line. This is a good time to heal and reinforce before tackling the next shield gate. **5. Clear the gates and the second gun position** At each fortified shield entrance, deploy the Kodiaks, reveal the defenses with a Sniper and destroy the turrets and generator from range. Sweep the minefields before moving forward. The approach to the second deployment position includes Wraiths. Clear or hijack the armor, then move a Kodiak to the marker. Leave enough escort with the last gun that it cannot be isolated while the rest of the army is fighting farther ahead. **6. Finish the Warlords, base and final position** Beyond the later shield gate, kill the **third Warlord** and clear the final Banished base. Destroying all three Warlords earns **Things That Make You Go Boom!** and is associated with the second log, **Rise of Atriox V**. Check the pickup near the final Warlord after the kill. Bring the last Kodiak to its marked firing position once the route is clear. That completes the artillery setup and opens the way for Jerome and Isabel. [Warlord and log checklist](https://t.co/Hga6x2nFIX), [skull requirement](https://t.co/ek4uRDyHP5) **Keep the objective counters straight** The optional survival objective is to finish without losing a Kodiak. Replacing a lost gun can keep the main mission moving, but it does not undo that loss for the optional challenge. The bonus objectives reward Sniper kills, mine detection, Kodiak kills and orbital-strike kills. A detection sweep should happen before the army crosses an area. For the artillery counter, keep spotting targets that the deployed guns can reach instead of letting the frontline kill everything before they fire. On higher difficulty, the slowest-looking part of this route—revealing a position, shelling it and moving after it is clear—is often what keeps the army intact. The mines and fortified gates give you plenty of reasons to use the tools the mission has provided.