Last Resort (Level)

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Last Resort is a Halo 3 multiplayer map. It is a remake of Halo 2's multiplayer map Zanzibar.

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A birds-eve view of Last Resort.

Discovery

This level briefly appeared in the Halo 3 ViDoc: Is Quisnam Protero Damno! at about 0:56-0:57. Soon after, the map's name and existence were confirmed in a leaked video of the internal Halo 3 Beta. Although many were quick to call modding, it was shown that this was, in fact, a Beta build of Halo 3, by appearance of the Bubble Shield. By careful observation of the video, it was confirmed that the level was named "Last Resort", and that it was indeed a remake of classic Zanzibar.

It was officially confirmed on July 3rd, 2007 by Bungie Studios on a top story.

Layout

Fortress

Last Resort is extremely similar to Zanzibar. At one end of the map is a large urban fortress, a larger more expanded version of the one featured in Zanzibar, offering more defensible positions and points of egress. The "prison bars" gate that once blocked the vulnerable right flank of the fortress is now replaced by three hazardous massive cement speed bumps, preventing vehicles from intruding and giving defenders more cover. There is, however, an internal switch to lower the bumps. The "flag room" of the fortress has also been maximized by a factor of three or four in terms of surface area, making it more spacious. A turbo engine also sits in the center of the flag room.

The two passages that allowed attackers at the "front door" of the fortress to enter have been widened and elongated. A secondary point of entrance for vehicles has been added to the far wall (perpendicular to the main gate entrance). The gate here is also controlled by the internal switch located in the "flag room" of the fortress.

Camp Froman

Camp Froman, familiar to many Zanzibar players as the sniper spawn, is still mid-map, but is now more accessible. There is an open room underneath Camp Froman that is accessible from four different fronts (a drop-down from above, a door under each set of stairs, and a primary door in-between the stairs). Furthermore, a second catwalk stems from the second story of the fortress to Camp Froman, which allows base defenders to reach the Sniper just as quickly as attackers. In Zanzibar, players could exit the fortress on the right hand side by jumping down from the windows, or walking down a dirt ramp. This alternative catwalk replaces the dirt ramp and edges along the cement wall that walls off the map, makes a perpendicular turn midway and connects to Camp Froman.

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A vista from the beach to the towering fortress in the distance.

Beach

At the other end of the map is the beach, next to a cinematic seashore, where the Warthog, Ghost, and two Mongooses spawn. There a large chuck of land between the fortress and the beach. This chunk of land is home to the Sea Wall. Now more easily defended, the Sea Wall runs along the length of the beach as it did in Halo 2, and moves up towards the middle of the map (opposite from Camp Froman) with a path to the fortress or wind wheel.

Wind Wheel

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An underside look at the wind wheel.

The iconic Wind Wheel still is placed squarely between the Sea Wall and the fortress. The Energy Sword that was present in the small wheel on the center of the windmill, has now been replaced with Active Camouflage. A Bubble Shield now resides where the Active Camouflage was in Zanzibar, the tower to the wind wheel via the Sea Wall.

The tower on the right hand side of the Sea Wall still allows players onto the wind wheel, although now an unknown red-colored mechanism replaces the yellow-colored fusion mechanism to stabilize (drop the bridge) the pathway from the tower to the wheel. The broken pathway from the tower to the fortress has not changed much aesthetically, but has been lengthened. There are now stairs and gratings around the base of the wind wheel giving players more mobility and freedom to move around the map.

Comparison

Bungie, however, originally said they would not do remakes of old maps, even at the beginning of the multiplayer revealing, they stated High Ground was the "new Zanzibar". Many took this as a loss. But after the confirmation of this remake, more are certain to be on the way.

A fan's comparison of Zanzibar and Last Resort. Note the differences.

http://www.maj.com/gallery/Sparkie92/Halo/comparison.png

Trivia

• It is possible that the name, Last Resort, is a joking reference to Zanzibar's idyllic, island setting.
• Last Resort was in the Halo 3 Alpha, but was not placed in the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta.
• Last Resort is the only direct remake of a map present in the shipping version of Halo 3.
• Last resort meticulously resembles Zanzibar, but looks 'newer'. Since next to none of the scenery looks damaged and the main building looks newly constructed, it is quite possible that this level is a version of Zanzibar before the Human-Covenant War or maybe earlier. It is unlikely to be after the war due to the old stone buildings being mostly repaired.

• There are seagulls flying out over the sea, it is possible to snipe them down, in which they will float on the water/sink below the water, and remain there.

• It is possible, also, that Last Resort is a map from after the human covenant war. Essentially a rebuild of the post war world.

• If you go to the beach, look past the end of the Warthog. In the clouds, you will see what looks like the Chief flexing his muscles.

• If you shoot the birds that fly around you can see them burst into a ball of blood.

• Last Resort is the most edited map formatted for playing Infection.

References

Last Resort was in the Halo 3 Internal Beta but not the Public Beta