Halo 5 Mythic Difficulty Guide - Swords of Sanghelios

Halo 5 Mythic (LASO) Walkthrough by MythicTyrant

Halo 5 Mythic Difficulty Guide - MISSION 8: Swords of Sanghelios

The Tru7h About Swords of Sanghelios

Rating: Hard

Type: Covenant-Only

I find this mission to be quite unique in the game considering that it seems to the only one to truly showcase the full potential of enhanced mobility. Yes, it's a relatively large mission with vast spaces in general, however, it doesn't just demonstrate how large battlefields can be on the horizontal plane. Instead, it also features multiple sections in which vertical combat is allowed to shine. This is where things like infinite Sprint, Dash, and Clamber really show off their true potential for the player. This part of the mission I personally find to be both unique as well as exciting. It isn't until the second half of the mission where vehicular combat comes into play where things seem to grind to a slow crawl.

Swords of Sanghelios

Sadly our reunion with Blue Team was a short one since we're now back with Osiris, but on the up and up, this is our first time visiting the Elite homeworld!

Once you have control, switch over to your pistol and begin making the long trek to the first combat area. When you enter the small tunnel, you should notice a soft barrier up the rocks straight ahead. Charge through it and grab a Plasma Pistol from the Covenant weapons cache. This next bit, however, may prove to be rather tricky. You'll need to act quickly as well. You'll notice a rock formation down below with an incline along with several Covenant troops. Jump down to the incline as quickly as you can and leap for the other other side of the area. Head to the far right of the rock formation where you'll likely run into a pair of shielded Jackals. If you feel like you need the shields, feel free to melee one before continuing to sprint towards the Covenant Shade turret dead ahead. It's currently unoccupied, and you want to keep it that way. Overcharge your Plasma Pistol and fire it directly at the Shade, allowing you temporary safe passage to reach the tunnel on the other side. There's quite a few Covenant in this area, including Elites that MAY try to follow you into the tunnel, so be quick about exiting this area as soon as you are able.

That said, you'll want to slow it down as you approach the tunnel's bend. Up ahead there will be three Jackal snipers waiting to help you restart the mission. The first one is towards the back on a ledge to the right. Target this one first. On the left there will be two on a rock formation toward the back of the area. One will be on top of the formation while the second will be further down. And just to let you know, the last Jackal standing tends to play Hide and Seek with his two buddies no longer there to back him up.

Move forward once the snipers are down, but only to the entrance of the large area ahead. Keep your eyes trained on the rock formation in the middle. Three Grunts will mosey on out and boost to the top of the rock. Snipe them with your Battle Rifle, and then you will have two choices ahead of you on how to proceed.

The Skip: Whether you're simply a completionist and just want to get through the mission quickly, or if your someone who finds the combat here to be more tedious than rewarding, then I have a solution for you. For this, you'll want to check out my Halo 5 LASO Challenge video. More specifically fast forward to the 4:43:40 mark. You'll want to pick up the Carbine on the top ledge just to your left before you proceed. Then, as FAST as you can sprint, you'll want to sprint, dash, and jump to the circular stone slab just right of the center of the cavern. If you look on the ground, you'll notice several small, circular shadows or dark spots. Stand on the right most one. If you're fast enough and stand directly where you need to be, the Covenant drop pods that come crashing down will launch you high into the air and allow you to Ground Pound to the second level. No enemies will be present, and you can proceed to the next area. I HIGHLY recommend practicing this on Easy mode first as it will take at least a few tries before you get the hang of it. If you do it wrong, you'll find yourself surrounded by a mob of angry Covenant waiting to end you and the rest of your team. If you succeed, however, you will have shaved a considerable amount of time off the mission.
Slow and Steady: Just like it sounds, do the section as you normally would by battling out the Covenant forces. I'll go into more detail below, but I'll state here that there are two major benefits to this approach. First off, this battle I consider to be one of the more impressive in the game. The vast areas with small, option skirmishes placed all about is the most open-world Halo experience I've had since the Mombasa Streets of Halo 3: ODST. And second, you'll be able to obtain an additional Fuel Rod Cannon to deal with the Hunters later.

That said, assuming you're choosing to go with the second option, I'll explain further. Grab the Carbine and jump down to the top of the rock formation where you saw the Grunts earlier. Then look towards the cavern in the back left corner. A few Grunts and an Elite Warrior will emerge. Take them out. If you look further to your left, you'll notice a soft barrier you can charge through. Jump to it and smash through the wall. This is the other side of that cavern and will serve as an excellent place to snipe Covenant after they rain down in drop pods. Head to the other side of the cavern to trigger them, and you should also notice a Covenant infinite ammo crate where you can indefinitely refill your Carbine.

The wave of Covenant that follows will consist of most shielded Jackals, several Grunts, two Ranger Elites, and two Elite Warriors. See the Plasma Cannon on the opposite side of the area? The Ranger Elites will typically mount it, making it very easy for you to take them out. Sometimes one of the Warriors will too. There's not much else to say other than begin sniping the Covenant one by one while having your allies focus on the Warriors.

After the area is cleared you can start making your way to the other side of the room and up the ramp towards the second level. You'll run into more shielded Jackals, Grunts, and Ranger Elites here as well as another Plasma Cannon, so it's best to hug the left wall as you progress to give you as much cover as you can get. There are also additional Covenant infinite ammo crates here you can use to always have your Carbine fully stocked.

At the top you'll need to be on your lookout. There are two additional Jackal snipers here. One on each far side of the room. Take them out and get your barrings. You'll want to first kill the three Grunts to your left who are in the process of scurrying to the other side of the area. One will likely mount the Plasma Cannon, and the other two will eventually return in order to flank you. Up ahead, there will be a few Grunts accompanied by a Ranger Elite. Nothing you can't handle. After you kill them, a Phantom will eventually show up and drop off several Storm Jackals. Mop them up and start heading to the soft barrier on the right side of the area. You can ignore the enemies on the far side if you choose. At least for now.

After charging through the barrier you'll be greeted by a pair of unsuspecting shielded Jackals. Pop them each in the dome, but make it quick. There's a camouflaged Special Ops Elite in the back who's eager to see how well his Energy Sword fairs against your Spartan-grade armor. Switch your Plasma Pistol, pepper him until his shields pop, and finish him off with a headshot. This is where you'll be fighting the majority of the remaining battle, and the nearby Covenant infinite ammo crate will definitely help you with that.

Outside will be a few additional Storm Jackals. Take care of them and slowly, and I mean SLOWLY, start making your way towards the stairs leading to the exit. When you've gone far enough, drop pods will once again bombard the battlefield. Hightail it back to your safety room from before, and start taking them out. Among the enemies here will include two uncloaked Special Ops Elites and two Warriors. After clearing out the trash enemies, start focusing on them, and don't be shy about painting them for your allies either.

With the enemies resting peacefully, you can finally start to move up the stairs without fear of interruption. There will be a few shielded Jackals up here, but your biggest concern by far should be the Fuel Rod Cannon toting Warrior Elite. Make sure all guns are on him, and take him out as quickly as possible. The main upside about doing this area the slow way is being able to use the Fuel Rod Cannon for a future battle. Clean up the Jackals, stock up on ammo (preferably Carbine and Plasma Pistol), and proceed to the next zone.

Hornet's Nest

Watch the pretty ships fly by as they move to close in on the Arbiter's location, and head towards the arena-style zone where a bunch of Covenant will be waiting for you. Take the stairs to the second level. Three Grunts will be standing around picking there noses allowing you to make the drop on them. There will be several more Grunts on the bottom level along with a Ranger Elite on the opposite side. Be wary. He gets a little brave at times and will jet pack his way over to your location. Towards the eastern side of the room will be an Elite Warrior. My advice is that you send your allies to the far east end of the second level to lure him up and take him out. On the northeast side of the of the room (on the second floor) will be a few Carbine-wielding Ranger Jackals. Pick them off along with their Grunt buddies below.

Around this time Mahkee will let you know that the Swords of Sanghelios are on their way with backup. This is where things will start to heat up. Make sure you've mopped up the rest of the current Covenant troops, because a pair of Hunters are about to be dropped off. Head to the eastern side of the area on the second floor where you'll find a crate containing two Fuel Rod Cannons. With one of your allies already having one, all three should now have one equipped. Now send them to the opposite side of the arena. If you did the skip and only two of your squad mates have one, don't fret. There's another Fuel Rod Cannon on the lower level down the stairs on the southwestern side of the room just below where you're currently sending them. Stay near the crate. There's also a Covenant infinite ammo crate here that you'll be making use of very shortly.

The Hunters will be dropped off, and now it's time to get down to business. You'll want to continuously fire your Carbine at the ground to keep the Hunters' attention on you. This way their backs will be facing your squad as they rain pure fuel rod hellfire down on your enemies. It shouldn't take long for the Hunters to expire, paving the way for Mahkee to send down a pair of Mantises.

This is where the mission goes from open and exciting to a complete slogfest.

Pick a Mantis. One of your teammates will take the other, spelling certain doom for that poor machine in the near future. A few Swords of Sanghelios Elites will also drop down from the Phantom to assist you and open the door leading to a massive vehicular exchange with the Covenant.

It's not as exciting as it sounds. First off you need to know that the Mantis's shields are not effected by the Black Eye skull. So as long as you duck into cover as soon as your shields pop, your vehicle can remain nice and healthy for the remainder of the mission. In other words, don't get overly reckless, or you'll find yourself trying to hoof it the rest of the way. Not a great strategy. Instead, when the doors open, send your allies in to Leeroy Jenkins the Covenant with laughingly similar results. There's not much to this battle other than trying to decipher the Covenant from the Swords of Sanghelios, keeping your distance, and mowing down the appropriate faction accordingly.

If the Sword Wraith manages to survive the chaos, I highly recommend parking your Mantis somewhere safe (where your teammates won't find it), and take the Wraith for yourself for at least the beginning portion of the next battle.

Heading into the next area, you'll be introduced to another vast space full of small clusters of enemies. You'll want to focus on the Wraith and other foes on the central platform first. Next deal with the enemies on the left. Take them all out and claim the land as your own. The Elite might take a hot moment, but when he's dead, you won't have to worry so much about being flanked. Then carefully use the Wraith to decimate the Hunters and other foes below the central platform. One or two Ghosts might decided to come up and play too. Show them that Spartans like to play rough.

If at any point in time your Wraith starts to take any significant damage, hop out, command your allies to take your place, and retrieve your Mantis. Even if your Wraith is fine, this next part will serve you better with the Mantis at your fingertips anyway.

Using the Mantis, head inside the broken structure on the left. There will be several Grunts and a couple of Elites here. Stomp the hell out of them and proceed forward until a single Hunter tries to block your path. It's secondary firing solution has quite a bit of range to it and can be very devastating to your Mantis if you're not careful, so be prepared to retreat further back if need be.

Advance to where the Hunter was. You shouldn't have to engage the second (which is somewhere on the bottom floor). At this stage of the game, Covenant dropships have dropped off a few Ghosts and a Wraith that is very rudely blocking your exit (a door which won't open anyway until you've killed enough enemies). Nuke the Wraith first, then go for the Ghosts. There's also an Elite Warrior here armed with a Fuel Rod Cannon, and he's not too happy about what you did to his brother earlier. Take him out along with the rest of the Covenant guarding your exit, and the door will open.

Inside will be yet even MORE Covenant. No surprise there. The corridor here leads to the final area, and just inside to the right you'll see a pair of vacant Ghosts which will come in handy in just a minute. Clear the massive corridor, and now it's time to abandon the Mantis. All you need to do here is hop into the Ghost, boost through the corridor, and into the next area. Make sure you head towards the far right of the area to avoid the drop pods that will otherwise come crashing down on top of you, and head inside the structure. You can use the ruins to your advantage by clambering up to the top of the stairs, then sprint to the Arbiters room. The mission will end, and you can finally pat yourself on the back for officially making over half way through the campaign on Mythic Difficulty!