This makes the mission twice as long as it was in Halo: Combat Evolved.īeing the first mission, it introduces players to the first half of the expanded weapon sandbox and many of the new enemies SPV3 includes. Large open spaces, such as cargo rooms, hangers and more cryo chambers have been added into the geometry, including a visit to the oval elevator seen in The Maw.
The layout of the level has been greatly expanded. Unlike Halo: Combat Evolved, the training portion is automatically disabled for Normal difficulty and both the motion tracker and grenades are enabled. This level is set in the UNSC Pillar of Autumn where the main objective of the mission is escaping the ship. After the brief meeting, the Master Chief, with his new AI companion Cortana, makes his way off the ship via a Bumblebee escape pod. Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN John-117 is awakened from his cryo-sleep and makes his way to the ship's bridge to be briefed by Captain Jacob Keyes about their current situation. Unfortunately, the Covenant, who are here as well, have beaten the Autumn to the object and proceed to attack the ship. The UNSC Pillar of Autumn, having escaped the destruction of Reach, has arrived near a strange object in orbit around the gas giant known as Threshold. The Pillar of Autumn is the first mission of the Installation 04 Campaign in Halo SPV3. "Escape intact as Covenant forces board your ship."