Vidmaster Challenge: Endure

25

Halo 3: ODST

Vidmaster Achievement: Endure is an achievement in Halo 3: ODST and one of the Vidmaster Challenges. It is unlocked when you play on Firefight, on any mission, and pass the 4th set (the 12th round and 60th wave) on 4 player Heroic co-op Live. It is worth 25 Gamerpoints.

It is represented by a green Marathon symbol, with the number 4 in front of it.

Strategies and Tips

General Tips and Strategies

On the bonus round, let every person aim at one of the shafts the Grunts come out and keep moving whilst shooting. This will earn you lot of headshots.
You could also try stealing a War Chieftain's Fuel Rod Gun, if a Chieftain that had one was present, and shooting into the Grunts' shafts, as this will heavily benefit towards getting more lives and killing the Grunts very quickly.
A good weapon to have would be the automag.
Try using the silenced SMG against Drones, not the automag. Alternatively, you could wait for Drones to get close and melee them. This will benefit towards getting more lives and getting more points and recharging your stamina when the black eye skull is enabled.
Almost every round works the same; the first wave will be Grunts and Jackals, the second one will also be Grunts and Jackals and some Brutes, the third wave will either be Drones or Hunters plus some Brutes. The fourth wave will consist of lots of Brutes and some Grunts, and the last wave will consist out of 2 or 3 War Chieftains with Fuel Rods and/or 2 or 3 Chieftains with Gravity Hammers and lots of Brutes, all with jump packs and flares.
When facing Brutes, try using the Noob Combo, as it is most effective against them when the Skulls begin activating.
Try to let the first hit on a Chieftain be an overcharged plasma pistol shot; it will cause it's shields to fall. Killing a Chieftain is quite easy on all difficulties and with any skulls on provided you can assassinate them. Wait for them them to rush towards you (if they jump, move away), strafe to the side while constantly turning to face them, then melee them in the back. May take practice, but makes Chieftans one of the least dangerous enemies provided you can do it. DO NOT attempt if they jump, as they can hammer behind them if they jump, though not when they rush.

Map Specific Tips and Strategies

Alpha Site

Have every person defend two stairs. The long view range from either stair (far enough to see the landing parties actually drop) makes sniping Grunts and Jackals from the other side of the map with the Automag entirely possible- the view will also give you time to prepare if you sight a Hunter or swarm of Drones.

Lost Platoon

A good tactic is to have two people in the base (one with Laser to deal with the Wraiths) and two people in the Warthog. Try and jack and/or kill the drivers of two Choppers and get into them, because once the second set rolls around and Tilt is activated, the Warthog turret becomes harder to use, and having two people in Choppers helps to splatter Hunters and Chieftains, but be weary of the rocks and obstacles that dot the terrain.

Windward

Simply camp inside the central building with each player watching a single entry. The fourth should act as reinforcement to whoever is handling the most combat. Note, however, that enemies will trickle in slowly and every wave will be 2 to 3 times slower than normal play. It is safe, but don't attempt it if anyone is likely to quit.

Last Exit

Have one person snipe, one hijack Ghosts and taking them to the top level (with sniper covering them) and two in the upper level of the spawning room, camping.

Warnings

Brute Stalkers are very dangerous if the Catch skull has been activated. They will throw a plenitude of Firebomb Grenades, and players who don't keep moving will quickly find themselves incinerated. If you do choose to go out on your own, be sure to keep your VISR mode on. This will allow you to see the Stalkers much easier with an outline of their form. Bear in mind that Stalkers also carry Flares, however, which can make it much more difficult to see them. Should you catch sight of a cloaked Stalker, open fire immediately to disrupt their cloaking and give away their position to other players, if any.
At the last wave, be careful when facing the Brute Chieftains. The Fuel Rod Gun is especially lethal, and the Gravity Hammer can cause damage through walls and other obstacles. Players should try to focus on one Chieftain to start, take his weapon, and use it to kill the remaining brutes.
Do not quit the game after you passed the 4th set, as it will cause no achievement and much time wasted.
War Chieftains often, like most other Covenant, shoot their Fuel Rod Guns when they die. Be cautious of this as it can often result in death on Heroic.
The Bonus round must also be completed for the achievement to unlock.

Trivia

This achievement automatically unlocks the 200,000 points achievement for the map you're playing on, because you'll have easily over 600,000 points at the end of the 4th set.
On a Bungie.net poll, this achievement was voted the hardest to achieve with Deja Vu and Annual tied for second.

Links

Vidmaster: Endure on YouTube Strategy Guide

Sources