Editing The Covenant (level)

{{Title|The Covenant}}

{{Level infobox

|pagegamelabel=H3

|prev=''[[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]''

|next=''[[Cortana (level)|Cortana]]''

|name='''''The Covenant'''''

|image=[[File:H3 TheCovenant Loadscreen.png|300px]]

|objective=Stop and kill the [[Prophet of Truth]].

|partime=00:20:00 {{C|''Master Chief Collection''}}

}}

{{Article quote|Breach the barrier. Stop [[Prophet of Truth|Truth]].}}

==Summary==

After defeating the Covenant forces outside, the Master Chief and the Arbiter enter the citadel, only to discover that Truth is moments away from using Sergeant Johnson to activate the Halo Array. In a desperate effort to stop Truth, Miranda Keyes crash lands her Pelican into the citadel's control room and attempts to rescue Johnson.  However, she is killed by Truth who then forces Johnson to activate the Ark. United by the common purpose of stopping the rings, the [[Gravemind]] offers an alliance with the Chief and the Arbiter. With the Flood's help, the Chief and the Arbiter defeat Truth's remaining followers and shut down the Halos. The Arbiter then personally executes Truth, ending the Human-Covenant war at last. Moments later, however, the Gravemind and the Flood turn against them. Johnson escapes in Keyes' Pelican while the Chief and the Arbiter fight their way back outside. Upon escaping, they finally discover [[Cortana]]'s solution to the Flood: [[Installation 08|a newly-constructed Halo ring]] built to replace the destroyed [[Installation 04]]. When fired, the Halo will cleanse the Flood infestation upon the Ark while leaving the rest of the galaxy unharmed. The Chief realizes that in order to fire it, he must rescue Cortana from High Charity as she still possesses the [[Activation Index]] from the first Halo ring.

[[File:Trident11.jpg|thumb|300px|The UNSC Pelicans and their Sangheili allies' Phantoms approaching the barrier towers.]]

*'''Commander [[Miranda Keyes]] (COM)''': "We hit these three generators, and the barrier will fall?"

*'''[[Sergeant Johnson]] (COM)''': "Roger that."

*'''[[Hocus]] (COM)''': "[[Charlie Foxtrot]]! Tower One approach has active Triple-A!"

*'''ODST Sergeant ([[Stacker]])''': "Pile out! Go, go, go! Alright, up the beach! Take out that Wraith!"

*'''Commander Keyes (COM)''': "Roger that, Hocus. Get out of there!"

*'''ODST/Marine''': "Objective in sight! Watch for heavy armor!"

*'''Commander Keyes (COM)''': "Chief. You've got to offline that tower."

''A pair of Anti-Air Wraiths, a standard Wraith, Shade turrets and a large Jiralhanae pack led by a [[Jiralhanae War Chieftain|War Chieftain]] guard the Third Tower. After the [[UNSC]] airborne forces take out the Anti-Air Wraiths, the Sangheili Phantoms arrive and drop off Thel 'Vadam and a group of Sangheili. The Chief uses his Hornet to eliminate any remaining enemy armor and infantry. He then lands the Hornet and joins the Sangheili on the ground. The bodies of Johnson's team litter the tower's entrance, but Johnson himself is nowhere to be found.''

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "Darken this tower and the barrier will fall. Go, Spartan! We have no time to waste."

*'''Commander Keyes (COM)''': "Hit the switch, Chief, and the barrier will fall!"

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afhT2Mesrrc '''{''Cutscene''}''']

''The barrier falls. The ''Shadow of Intent'' advances on the Citadel.''

*'''Pelican Pilot (COM)''': "Citadel in sight! Brutes are mobilizing everything they've got."

*'''Stacker (COM)''': "Hornets, inbound!"

[[File:H3 CitadelBattle.jpg|thumb|300px|A Hornet flying above two Scarabs outside the Citadel.]]

*'''Pelican Pilot (COM)''': "I count two Scarabs! Repeat: ''two'' Scarabs!"

*'''343 Guilty Spark''': "''Calamity!'' If only we had more time!"

*'''[[Cortana]] ([[Cortana Moment]])''': "[[Gravemind|It]] asked, and I answered. ''(turns bitter)'' For a moment of safety, I loosed damnation upon the stars."

*'''Sergeant Johnson''': ''(to Truth)'' "What's the matter, big shot? Can't start your own party?"

''Truth leans forward so only Johnson can hear him.''

*'''Commander Keyes''': "You're right..."

*'''Sergeant Johnson''': "Do it. Me...then you..."

*'''Sergeant Johnson''': "''No!''"

''He drops the Spiker, and shakes a fist to emphasize his speech.''

*'''Prophet of Truth''': "You were ''weak''. And gods must be ''strong''."

''He forces Johnson's hand down on the panel with a smug look. Johnson, still overcome with grief and shock, doesn't resist. Instantly, the Control Terminal begins to change and heighten. Truth raises his arms in triumph. The scene moves down the corridor, as six out of the seven holographic Halo rings light up one by one ([[Installation 04]] has not yet been replaced, so its ring does not light up). At the end of the corridor, the Master Chief and Thel 'Vadam emerge from the lift. Two Flood [[tank form]]s drop from above. The Master Chief draws his [[MA5C assault rifle|assault rifle]] and aims, and 'Vadam activates his [[Type-1 energy sword|energy sword]].''

'''Note:''' In the subtitles, the Gravemind says "stop" instead of "halt."

'''{''Gameplay''}'''

===Revelation===

''The Chief enters a room with holograms of Truth in the Forerunner systems.''

[[File:2514795-full.jpg|thumb|300px|The Arbiter duels a Brute Chieftain on the Citadel.]]

''In the second room, Truth's holograms broadcast a final message.''

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYqnZuwk3q0 '''{''Cutscene''}''']

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "And so… you must be silenced."

'''Vadam stabs his sword through Truth's back. It goes clean through him; the two points of the energy sword pierce through his chest as he writhes and screams in pain. Flood spores shoot out of his mouth and the infection lets out a pitiful squeal as both it and its host die. The last of the [[Hierarchs]] is dead.''

''Suddenly, the ground begins to tremble, and massive tentacles rise up all around them. Chief wields his assault rifle and 'Vadam reactivates his sword. They both stare up at the tentacles which are now reaching high above them. The Gravemind laughs maniacally.''

[[File:H3-Arbiter and John-117.jpg|300px|thumb|Surrounded by Gravemind's tentacles, John-117 and 'Vadam stand back to back.]]

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': ''(almost exasperated)'' "We trade one villain for another."

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LI30TaOKWU '''{''Cutscene''}''']

''The Chief lands at the bottom of the shaft, landing in a room not unlike the entrances to the three shield towers. He looks beside him as the Arbiter comes down, and then stands up. A flickering, spooky image of Cortana appears in the hallway, running. She starts to turn the corner and disappears, after a split second. The Chief casually walks around the corner as though amused by Cortana's antics, but 'Vadam is confused.''

''With 'Vadam trailing far behind, the Chief looks around the corner. He sees a control panel. Cortana appears a second time, again for only a second, walking loftily (and spookily) towards it. She stops at the panel and disappears. The Master Chief goes to the panel and activates it.''

[[File:H3-John-117 343 Arbiter in front Installation 08.jpg|300px|thumb|John-117 tells 343 Guilty Spark he plans to activate the ring.]]

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "A replacement. For the [[Installation 04|ring]] you destroyed."

''Spark hovers up from behind and comes up to the Chief.''

*'''343 Guilty Spark''': "Though it will take time to fabricate an [[Activation Index]], I will see to the letter that..." ''(he flies too far away)''

''The Arbiter turns to the Chief.''

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "How will you light it?"

''Fade to black.''

''Level ends.''

==Trivia==

===Glitches===

{{Main|Glitches}}

*If one starts at Rally Point Alpha, and head back to the first tower, the elevator controls will be separated from the platform, and if one goes up, one will be stuck, because the controls remain at the bottom of the lift. If one does not go up the lift, the Hornets the player needs to continue the level with will disappear. If one destroys the two Hornets the Marine Pilots offer, the third Hornet will fly down to the player. One can get him out and drive this particular Hornet to the first tower and reach incredible heights. If one goes near the first tower entrance, the Hornet will disappear.

*At Rally Point Alpha, on the island where the Phantom deploys the Anti-air Wraith, one can trick the game into believing that one is stranded on the island. Then the game will spawn a Hornet piloted by a Marine Pilot who will land it on the island and offer it to the player. The player can have infinite Marine Pilots and an infinite number of Pilot controlled Hornets by exploiting this, causing the map to overload.

*It is possible to "control" a Scarab in this level. First, kill one Scarab then land on the other. Kill all enemies then stand on the top. It will walk towards the direction the player is aiming at because it's AI is scripted to follow the player.

*If one retains 343 Guilty Spark by destroying the Separatist Phantom that comes to pick up Arbiter and deploy an Auto-turret facing Guilty Spark, the Auto-turret will shoot at him for unknown reasons.

*After the cutscene where [[Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter]] has killed [[Prophet of Truth|Truth]], if the player melees the Prophet, the dead body will fall through the platform.

*It is possible to board the Phantom the Arbiter goes into by jumping in quickly before he goes in. Afterwards, the player will fall of and die, or, if they are holding a turret, the Phantom will stay invisible and immobile.

===Mistakes===

*When gameplay first starts in the beginning of the level, there are 2 Pelicans dropping UNSC forces instead of only Hocus' Pelican. This is done mostly for 3-4 players co-op.

*The [[D77H-TCI|Pelican]] that crashes at the start flies past the wreckage and lands at the waterfall—it doesn't land where its crash site was positioned. Sometimes, its two pilots' bodies can be found in or around the water below the waterfall.

*When the Scarabs fall down from the sky, it seems as if they fall out of nowhere.

*The [[Halo 3 skulls#Thunderstorm|Thunderstorm]] and [[Halo 3 skulls#IWHBYD (I Would Have Been Your Daddy)|IWHBYD]] Skulls can be found on this level.

*The [[Siege of Madrigal]] song and [[Microsoft Sam]] can be heard on this level.

[[File:71109171-Medium.jpg|thumb|The [[Marathon]] symbol that appears on the elevator control panels.]]

*The Legendary symbol, granted for completing this level on Legendary, can be seen in the Campaign lobby, and is one of the two symbols that is darker than the rest.

*[[Bungie]] has stated that this is the longest level in the whole ''Halo'' Trilogy, partially because it is the Covenant's ''last stand'' against Humanity. It is also the only Campaign level where players can use [[AV-14 Hornet]]s.

*This is the second and last level in ''Halo 3'' to have [[ODST]]s fight alongside with the player.

*This is the only level in which friendly dropships can be destroyed. The two Separatist Phantoms that appear outside the third tower can be destroyed. Their door-mounted Plasma Cannons can also be blown off from the ground, and are very useful against the Drones inside the third tower.

**Attacking your Flood allies will not cause them to turn against you, nor will the Arbiter react except for a few comments.  

*This level and ''[[High Charity (level)|High Charity]]'' are the only levels in the trilogy in which Brutes can be seen engaging the Flood.

**It is also the only one of the two where the player can, by default, stick an Elite with a plasma grenade to get an Energy Sword on single-player. If the Mythic Skull is turned on, they can survive the stick, but only if the stuck Elite is a Major.

*The Sangheili allies at the third tower will differ in number of [[Sangheili Minor|Minors]] and [[Sangheili Major|Majors]] depending on difficulty.

**Four minors and one major in Easy, three minors and two majors on Normal, two minors and three majors on Heroic, and one minor and four majors on Legendary.

**This is also the only level where living Minors can be seen during gameplay.

*It is possible to get two Elites to ride in the Gauss Warthog if that is the preferred vehicle. One step is giving a Fuel Rod Cannon or a Rocket Launcher to the one closest to the warthog, as he will get in the passenger seat once you get in the driver seat. The second step is to head-shot the marine gunner, who will be replaced by a Sangheili manning the Gauss cannon. However, this will only work on single-player, as the NPC Elites will not progress further than the third tower on co-op.

*This is the first level in which the player can use the [[Spartan Laser]].

*If played on Easy or Normal difficulties, there is a second [[Spartan Laser]] near the crashed Pelican at the beginning of the level.  

*It is possible to progress through the level without destroying the Anti-air Wraith in the beginning. The Pelican will not arrive and no enemies will spawn in the canyon that one would otherwise drive through, until one reaches the area around the tower.

*It is possible to get a [[Mongoose]] or a [[Warthog]] onto the one of the Scarabs in the Scarab fight. Bungie has conveniently placed ramps leading up to both Scarabs as soon as they land. Grab a Mongoose or a Warthog and just line up the Scarab during the jump.

*Upon entering the Citadel (after one defeated the two Scarabs), the Cortana Moment the player experiences before the cutscene is projected on the holoscreens in mirror image to what is in their visor.

==Gallery==

File:H3 Ark Warthog Concept.jpg|Early concept art of the level's closure.

File:H3 CitadelConcept.jpg|Early concept art of the Citadel.

File:H3 InteriorCitadelConcept.jpg|Early concept art of the Citadel's interior.

File:H3 Installation08 Reveal Concept.jpg|Concept art of Installation 08's reveal.

File:Hog in the canyon.jpg|John-117 and two ODSTs drive through the canyon leading up to the First Tower.

File:John 117 Master Chief Petty Officer.jpg|John-117 and two ODSTs engaging Covenant forces in a Warthog.

File:H3 BruteStalkers&WarChieftain.png|A group of Jiralhanae Stalkers being led by a Jiralhanae War Chieftain.

File:H3-Sangheili.jpg|A group of Sangheili at the third barrier tower.

File:H3 Scorpion firing at a Scarab.jpg|A Scorpion fires its weapons at the Scarab.

File:Ark - Citadel.jpg|A view of the citadel.

File:ArbiterRoar-large.jpg|The Arbiter roars in triumph following the Prophet of Truth's death.

</gallery>

==Sources==

{{Ref/Sources}}

{{succession box | before = ''[[The Ark (Level)|The Ark]]'' | title = ''Halo 3'' Campaign Missions | years = '''''The Covenant''''' |after = ''[[Cortana (Level)|Cortana]]''}}