Editing Tip of the Spear

{{Status|Gameplay}}

{{disambig header|the level|the soundtrack|Tip of the Spear (music)}}

{{Level infobox

|prev=''[[Nightfall]]''

|next=''[[Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace]]''

|name='''''Tip of the Spear'''''

|image=[[File:HR TipOfTheSpear Loadscreen.png|300px]]

|player=[[Spartan_(multiplayer)#Campaign_and_Firefight|Noble Six]]

|date=[[2552#August|August 12, 2552]]

|place=[[Szurdok Ridge]], [[Ütközet]], [[Reach]]

|objective=Neutralize [[Covenant]] [[Cheru-pattern Tyrant|AA cannons]] and disable [[Spire One]]'s [[Energy shielding|shield]].

|partime=00:15:00 {{C|''Master Chief Collection''}}

|parscore=30,000 {{C|''Master Chief Collection''}}<br/>15,000 {{C|''Halo: Reach''}}

{{Article quote|Two massive armies clash! Time to go to war against the Covenant.}}

"'''Tip of the Spear'''" is the fifth [[Campaign]] level in ''[[Halo: Reach]]''.{{Ref/Site|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1109806p1.html|Site=IGN|Page=Deep Into the Halo: Reach Campaign}}{{Ref/Site|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/haloreach/video/6272121/halo-reach-interview--campaign|Site=Gamespot|Page=Halo: Reach}}

The level opens with [[Auntie Dot]] briefing [[Noble Team]] on the situation: A large Covenant invasion force has been discovered in the [[Viery Territory]], and a [[Order of battle (Viery, Reach)|joint UNSC military force]] has been mobilized to counter them across the continent. Noble Team's mission is to destroy [[Spire One]], one of many [[Deployment spire|large towers]] the Covenant have placed around their landing zone. [[SPARTAN-B312|Noble Six]] and [[Catherine-B320]] lead the charge at the Covenant positions, and destroy two [[Cheru-pattern Tyrant|Covenant anti-air guns]]. Noble Six, manning a Falcon's gunner seat, then joins [[Jorge-052]] as they make their way to the Spire. As their Falcon passes through the Spire's [[Energy shielding|energy shield]], the craft is disabled by an [[Electromagnetic pulse|EMP]] which sends it crashing to the ground, killing the crew and forcing the Spartans to continue on foot. Jorge and Six eventually make their way to the Spire, where the installation is revealed to be a [[Slipspace translocation|teleportation terminal]], used by the Covenant to transport troops to the ground from a yet-unknown source. After deactivating Spire One's energy shield, Six leaves the area on a Falcon accompanied by [[Carter-A259]] and Jorge-052 as the {{UNSCShip|Grafton}} destroys the Spire. Immediately after the tower collapses, the ''Grafton'' is destroyed by the previously cloaked [[Sh'wada-pattern supercarrier|Covenant ''CSO''-class supercarrier]] ''[[Long Night of Solace]]''.

[http://youtu.be/syXSr5yoDC4 '''{''Cutscene''}''']

''A convoy of more than thirty [[M12 Warthog|Warthogs]], a [[M274R Mongoose|Mongoose]], four [[M808C Scorpion|Scorpion]]s,  along with several [[UH-144 Falcon|Falcons]] and two [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelicans]] advance across a bare plain.''

''The Warthogs, led by Kat and Noble Six, charge towards the Covenant landing zone, followed by a group of Falcons. Carter is revealed to be on board a Falcon overlooking the Warthog driven by Kat. Noble Six rides shotgun in Kat's Warthog.''

*'''[[Commander]] [[Carter-A259]] (COM)''': "That landing zone has been tagged by UNSC command as a Priority One target."

*'''[[Warrant Officer]] [[Jun-A266]] (COM)''': "Det-charge link is loud and clear!"

'''''Note:''' At this point, the subtitles show Jun saying, "Time to bake that cake we made last night!" The dialogue was confirmed by Bungie to have been a last-minute change.{{Ref/YouTube|Id=CamPre|FTQwXVgNHLo|Bungie|Halo: Reach Campaign Preview}}''

*'''[[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Catherine-B320]]''': "Copy that. Acquiring signal lock on the [[Stealth pylon|pylon]]. Detonating in three, two..."

''Kat detonates the [[Unidentified UNSC explosive|charge]] that was planted on the pylon in the previous mission by Jun, which is seen far to the right of the advancing Warthog strike force. The pylon is destroyed.''

''[[Banshees]] swoop down on the convoy and open fire, while Wraiths lob mortar rounds from a distance. The gunners on the Warthogs retaliate, firing at the Banshees. {{Pattern|Zurdo|Wraith}} mortar rounds tear into the convoy and destroy several of the advancing vehicles. Kat and Noble Six dodge the mortar fire, and turn towards a [[Bridge (structure)|bridge]] across a deep chasm, but as they prepare to cross, a plasma mortar destroys the bridge.''

*'''Kat-B320''': "Might want to hold onto something!"

''Kat accelerates and the Warthog manages to jump the gap in the destroyed bridge, but crashes violently on the other side, (presumably) killing the gunner and sending Kat and Noble Six flying.''

''Fade back to Noble Six's point of view, which is hazy. The SPARTAN is lying facedown after the crash, with an [[M319 Individual Grenade Launcher]] lying several feet away. Vision clears, and Six glances towards the destroyed bridge. A second Warthog attempts to clear the gap in the bridge but fails, and the troopers inside fall screaming into the canyon below.''

*'''Kat-B320''': "Six! Can you hear me? Six, you alright? I could use some help!"

*'''SPARTAN-B312''': "On my way."

''Kat activates her [[Armor Lock]] as the Warthog she is using for cover explodes after being shot by two Banshees. A Spirit drops down troops and flies away. A Falcon flies overhead and engages a few Covenant troops before being shot down. On the adjacent plateau across the river, dozens of Warthogs and Ghosts are clashing.''

''Kat and Six encounter heavy resistance as they move up the hill, including two Fuel Rod Shade variants. After eliminating the enemy forces in the area, a Pelican shows up with a [[M12R Light Anti-Armor Vehicle|Missile Warthog]].''

*'''Carter-A259 (COM)''': "Kat, be advised: [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] has ID'd two hostile [[Cheru-pattern Tyrant|anti-aircraft guns]] southwest of your location."

*'''Kat-B320''': "Copy, Commander. New targets, Six. Go shut down those AA guns."

*'''Kat-B320''': "Commandeer that Warthog, Six."

''Kat and Six drive a short distance before arriving at the AA gun. A Falcon flies above the Covenant infantry, engaging them before being shot down by the AA gun. ''

*'''Carter-A259 (COM)''': "Six, AA gun should be in visual range."

*'''[[2 Lima 4]] (COM)''': "2 Lima 4 to Noble One, those guns are pounding us with high-velocity plasma shells!"

*'''Carter-A259 (COM)''': "Noble Six, all our birds are stuck out of range unless you can do something about those guns."

''As they approach the gun, a furious battle can be seen in the valley below. Three [[Deutoros-pattern Scarab|Scarab]]s and multiple {{Pattern|Karo'etba|Ghost}}s, Wraiths, and Banshees are exchanging fire with a large group of Warthogs, Scorpions, and Falcons.''

''Kat and Six proceed to the AA gun, encountering resistance along the way.''

*'''Carter-A259 (COM)''': "New intel, Six. Looks like normal weapons won't dent those AA guns."

*'''Auntie Dot (COM)''': "I would suggest neutralizing the internal fuel cells, [[Lieutenant]]."

''Kat and Noble Six eliminate the Covenant troops in the area.  Six then goes into the base of the AA gun and destroys its power core. They make a quick exit as the gun begins to overload.''

''After the AA cannon explodes, three [[Longsword]]s and two heavy frigates, the {{UNSCShip|Grafton}} and the {{UNSCShip|Saratoga}}, fly overhead.  A Covenant Phantom arrives but is quickly annihilated by the frigates' guns.''

''The frigates open fire on the Covenant forces in the valley, as the Longswords commence a bombing run on the three Scarabs, destroying two of them and disabling the third, which detonates seconds later.''

''If the player proceeds without Kat on their Warthog:''

*'''Kat-B320''': "Six, take that south road and see if can you have a better view at the Spires. I'll be on [[COM]]s."  

''Kat and Six proceed on, soon driving under a partially destroyed bridge. They head up the slope, encountering a T-26 AGC Wraith and a group of Skirmishers.''

*'''Kat-B320''': "Six, Pelican inbound with deployable bridge. Once the bridge is down, head over to the southwest side."

''A Pelican, while under fire from a Phantom, drops off a [[deployable bridge]], allowing NOBLE Team to continue.''

*'''Kat-B320''': "No visual on target."

 

 

*'''Kat-B320''': "High value target has been neutralized. Impressive, Six."

''After eliminating the enemy forces in the area:''

*'''Kat-B320''': "Mining facility secured, Six. Move on at your discretion."  

''Kat and Six move outside to find two [[Unggoy]], three Ghosts, and a [[Rizvum-pattern Revenant|Revenant]]. When Noble Six exits the mining facility, the two Grunts attempt to escape in the Ghosts but are quickly eliminated. Six and Kat commandeer the Revenant (or continue on foot) and proceed down the trail, encountering Covenant forces as they go.''

''Kat and Six arrive at the second AA cannon and engage a large amount of Covenant forces, including two Wraiths, a [[Mgalekgolo]] pair, and a swarm of [[Drones]]. A Falcon flies overhead and assists in clearing the area before suffering the same consequence the previous Falcon did near the first AA cannon; shot down by the AA cannon.''

 

''After neutralizing the Covenant forces in the area, Six proceeds inside the cannon and destroys the gun's power core. The gun soon overloads and explodes. A Phantom arrives to drop off reinforcements, which are soon defeated.''

''A navpoint appears on Noble Six's [[HUD]].''

''Noble Six mans one of the Falcon's [[M460 automatic grenade launcher]]s.''

*'''Falcon Pilot (COM)''': "I'll call out targets as we go."

'''''Reach the top of the spire and prepare for evac.'''''

''The Falcon flies along the river. It eventually reaches a bridge, with Covenant forces attempting to cross it.''

*'''Falcon Pilot (COM)''': "Top of the canyon, dead ahead."

[[File:Halo Reach - ToTS gunner.jpg|thumb|300px|A first-person view of the turret aboard the Falcon.]]

''Six eliminates the forces on the bridge. Jorge and Six encounter more resistance further down the canyon, but Six eliminates them as well.''

*'''Falcon Pilot (COM)''': "There's the spire."

*'''Falcon Pilot (COM)''': "Affirmative, sir... Here we go."

[http://youtu.be/b7HkDrI4Cn8 '''{''Cutscene''}''']

''Cuts to Noble Six's point of view as the Falcon spins out of control, scratching the rock wall in the process. The grenade launcher retracts, and Six holds on to the side of the Falcon. Six looks at Jorge, who is also holding on to the side of the Falcon.''

''The Falcon crashes. Six is thrown a short distance from the Falcon. Jorge emerges from the Falcon, tossing out equipment. Six grabs an assault rifle on the ground and stands up. After looking around briefly, Jorge picks up his [[M247H Heavy Machine Gun|gun]].''

''Skirmishers and Unggoy are seen moving downhill towards the crash site.''

''Jorge and Six move across the river, encountering minor Covenant resistance, composed of only Unggoy, Kig-Yar and Skirmishers. The two Spartans arrive at a small cliff overlooking the base of the Spire as the Spire comes into full view. A Phantom seemingly appears out of nowhere in the Spire's midsection, and flies away, outside the dome-shaped energy shield.''

[[File:HR SpireAssault2.jpg|thumb|300px|Six and Jorge fighting a group of Unggoy at the Spire's entrance.]]

''Noble Six eventually makes it to one of the gravity lifts, sending them up to the top of the spire.''

''Alternatively, Six can hijack a Banshee and fly it to the spire's top.''

''Six arrives at the top of the Spire.''

*'''Jorge-052 (COM)''': "Ready when you are, Six."

''Noble Six proceeds to engage the Covenant forces at the top of the spire. A [[Sangheili Ultra]], seen manning the controls of the spire, draws his [[Energy Sword]] as soon as Noble Six engages him.''

*'''Carter-A259 (COM)''': "Hurry, Lieutenant. We got a frigate inbound to blow that spire as soon as the shield is powered down."

''Noble Six eliminates the hostiles in the spire and proceeds to the spire controls.''

[http://youtu.be/DlOVqVapN8I '''{''Cutscene''}''']

''Noble Team's Falcon continues to fly away from the Spire, joining a larger group of Falcons.''

*'''Carter-A259''': "One way to get their attention! Hang on to your teeth, people!"

''The ''Grafton'' continues to move towards the spire, and, with a bright flash, fires its MAC cannon, hitting the Spire and shattering it. Jorge, satisfied, turns back and nods at Carter and Six, failing to notice a purple glow illuminating the sky above the ''Grafton''. Moments later, an [[energy projector]] beam streaks down from the sky and hits ''Grafton''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s bow section, instantly gutting the ship. Secondary explosions blossom along the hull, and the ''Grafton'' begins to plummet towards the ground.''

*'''Jorge-052''': ''(shocked)'' "No. ''No!'' Somebody tell me this ain't happening!"  

''The Falcon flees the scene. As the shattered UNSC ''Grafton'' falls to the ground, a [[Covenant supercarrier]], the ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'', is revealed to be holding position over the destroyed Spire.''

*It is possible for the player to kill himself/herself during the [[cutscene]] after the Falcon goes through the Spire by continuously firing the grenade launcher at the shield. When the player goes through the shield, they will hear their shields collapse and will be brought back to the previous checkpoint. In Co-op, the player who shot the shield will die instantly once the gameplay starts again in the crash site.

*The "[[Tip of the Spear vacation]]" can be done on this level.

*In the opening cutscene, when the machine guns on the Warthogs fire on the attacking Banshees, their barrels do not spin.

*The Warthog that fails the jump at the beginning cutscene is nowhere to be seen in the canyon below. It (or its remains if it did not survive the fall) may have floated off with the river.

*When the Falcon loses power after going through the shield, it spirals out of control before crashing, like a modern-day helicopter would. It would likely not spin after losing power, as the Falcon does not have a tail rotor as most modern VTOL craft do. During gameplay, Falcons that are affected by an electromagnetic pulse simply drop straight down.

<!--As seen in the level Dome of Light in Halo Wars, Covenant aircraft are immune to the electromagnetic pulse produced by energy shield domes. Do not add this to the article, as it is not a mistake.-->

*During the final chapter ''The Spire'', if the player wields the left grenade launcher of the Falcon (opposite of an army trooper), the cutscene following will still show Six on the right side of the Falcon (opposite of Jorge-052).

*After the Falcon crash, the player starts with two-thirds of their total health, reflecting injury from the crash. If the player had only one third of their health left before entering the Falcon, though, they will have two-thirds after the crash anyway, meaning the crash somehow increased their health.

*The player must clear the top of the spire which is loaded with Grunts led by an Ultra Sangheili, resembling ''Halo 2''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> campaign level "[[Metropolis]]",  where the inside of the Scarab is also led by an Ultra Sangheili.

*''Tip of the Spear'' was alluded to in a [[Bungie Weekly Update]] before the release of ''Halo: Reach''; Campaign Design Lead Chris Opdahl hinted at a level with the initials "TotS" likely becoming an instant favorite among fans.{{Ref/Site|URL=http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=27328|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Bungie Weekly Update: 07.16.10|D=25|M=07|Y=2010}}

*This is the first level of ''Halo: Reach'' in which Yanme'e are encountered. They're found behind the second Tyrant gun.

*This is the third of four levels (the others being "[[Winter Contingency]]", "[[ONI: Sword Base]]", and "[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]") where the [[MA37 Individual Combat Weapon System|assault rifle]] has more than the usual 288 rounds; in this case, it carries 568 rounds on both solo and [[Cooperative Play]].

*It is possible to use the grenade launcher's secondary fire to disable a Banshee at the beginning of the level. However, these Banshees cannot be hijacked and it is possible that their momentum when EMPed will cause them to fall forward and ram into the player.

*This level marks the first appearance of the [[Deutoros-pattern Scarab|Scarab]] in ''Halo: Reach'', although it is not fought by the player. The Scarabs in the distance have a single looping walking animation, but they do not move anywhere. When the Longswords bomb them, the Scarabs are destroyed but do not have a destruction animation.

*The Covenant Spire that Noble Six destroys is the central location for the multiplayer Invasion map ''[[Spire (map)|Spire]]''.

*The Spires in the distance are actually merged bitmaps and are only a quarter as tall as Spire One's in-game geometry. Similarly, a player that escapes the map can discover that they are not solid and the projected shields do not block any shots, inside or out.

*You are able to destroy all {{Pattern|Cheru|Tyrant}} Batteries without entering its lower level and destroying the core. With enough external damage using heavy firepower, such as the [[M12G1 Gauss Warthog]] or the {{Pattern|Rizvum|Revenant}}, the {{Pattern|Cheru|Tyrant}} will begin to leak plasma from its joints and explode, rendering the weapon useless. This method may be safer, although it has the drawback of taking longer periods of time.

File:Level - ToTS.jpg|Preview of the level in ''Halo: Reach'' menu.

File:HR-TipOfTheSpear-Viery.png|[[Order of battle (Viery, Reach)]].

File:Fall of Reach Ground Battle.jpg|The Warthogs firing at Banshees.

File:HR TyrantApproach.jpg|Kat and Six approaching the first Tyrant as it fires a plasma bolt at a Falcon.

File:reach_5016770_Full.jpg|The {{UNSCShip|Grafton}} and {{UNSCShip|Saratoga}} firing their point defense guns.

File:HR BXRBridgeAssault.jpg|Covenant troops defending the bridge leading into the BXR mining facility.

File:HR BXRBattle.jpg|Kat and Six clearing the mining facility of Covenant troops.

File:HR SpireAssault1.jpg|Six fighting a Sangheili Minor at the base of the Spire.

File:HR SpireAssault3.jpg|Six clearing the top floor of the Spire.

File:Spire MAC'd.jpg|UNSC ''Grafton'' destroys the Spire with a MAC round.

File:ToTS_Ending.jpg|The decloaked ''Long Night of Solace'' reveals itself.

{{Ref/Sources}}

|after = ''[[Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace]]

{{Levels|HR}}