Top 10 Best Halo Missions
1. Gravemind – Halo 2 (10/10)
Challenging as hell, long as hell, and fun as hell. A pivotal moment in the Halo 2 story-line watching Covenant fight each other for the first time, a gorgeous vista and sense of progression through this gigantic alien ship, a wealth of enemy variety (flood excluded) and a Breaking Benjamin song that doesn’t suck makes this my personal favourite Halo mission ever.
2. The Silent Cartographer – Halo Combat Evolved (10/10)
Halo’s sandbox gameplay at its peak. Stunning, luscious scenery, open-ended level design (that can be done in reverse), no flood, a warthog ride with mates etc. etc. it remains one of the all-time best missions in any Halo game. It rules.
3. The Ark – Halo 3 (10/10)
It looks beautiful even today, and the desert scenery is unique in the series. It’s long as hell and it takes you through a lot of gameplay scenarios, from “tank beats everything!” goodness, to gravity hammer brute-kicking, scarab destroying etc. etc. it’s a hell of a ride through and through
and I’ll never get sick of replaying it. It also starts with one of the best cutscenes in the series.
4. Regret – Halo 2 (9.5/10)
Regret, regret, regret… hmm, catchy… and something about a raggedy fleet?
5. Two Betrayals – Halo Combat Evolved (9/10)
Okay, okay… I know what you’re thinking… the mission everyone thinks about when they talk about how CE recycles levels in its second half. Well, technically this is the only level that fully does so and doesn’t offer up any new environments. However, it’s incredibly long (which is good) and offers up the most gameplay diversity within one level in the entire series.
I don’t hate the flood at all unlike many, and so having them mixed in with the Covenant, one of the few times this happens in the series, is absolutely awesome to me. There’s some flying, there’s some hunters, there’s some bridges,there’s some snow… what else do you need?
The environmental repetition doesn’t bother me in the slightest. You could put me in different coloured boxes over and over for a mission. As long as the enemies are varied and there’s progression, Halo’s combat is so satisfying and endlessly entertaining that it holds
up all by itself.
6. New Alexandria – Halo Reach (10/10)
Flying a falcon around going from place to place in this crumbling city makes for really interesting, unique gameplay. Piloting the falcon itself is enjoyable and it handles really well, and visiting all of the locales is cool. It’s got a hell of an atmosphere and the cutscenes are touching and impactful. A perfect mission.
7. Data Hive – Halo 3 ODST (9/10)
I’m not just trying to be inclusive with this one, I actually really like this mission. It’s atmospheric as hell and has a plot-twist, and not being alone for once feels like a breath of fresh air after all the walking around in the night.
The best drone battle in the series bar none, too.
8. Exodus – Halo Reach (10/10)
Away from your squad mates exploring city scenery. It feels hopeless and it’s strange feeling isolated and I love it.
9. Sierra 117 – Halo 3 (9.5/10)
A beautiful jungle locale and some of the best gameplay scenarios in all of 3. A great introductory level to a hell of a game. Gameplay wise it may not be anything special, but it’s just so perfectly designed that I really couldn’t care less.
10. Requiem – Halo 4 (9/10)
Would I really put this here if I didn’t want to exclude a game? Hmm, maybe. I’m not actually sure. It is a really good mission, but then again Halo 4’s gameplay is still my least favourite, so… anyway, it’s long and there’s no forerunners to fight. There’s vehicles and visually it looks
great! It has always been the stand-out mission of the game for me as it’s the closest to the classic Halo games.
Honourable Mentions
1. Mombasa Streets – Halo 3 ODST: If it were a true mission like the rest, instead of just being a hub world to get from mission to mission, it’d be number 3. This hub world is what makes ODST so special. It oozes atmosphere and it’s an exceptionally gorgeous place to be backed up by a mind-blowingly good score and sense of isolation and discovery. It doesn’t get much better than this.
2. The Arbiter – Halo 2: Your first forray into the hooves of a sanghelli, armed with an energy sword and a voice-over by Keith David, both equally as deadly. In design, it’s so 6th generation console era in how out-there it looks. It’s got the second best guest music track in the series (and the last)
and overall I love me some carbine fighting against elites who do no melee damage, what can I say?
3. Delta Halo – Halo 2: It’s sooooo pretty! It’s also really easy to get out of bounds. And tank beats everything (sorry if I appear moderately erect, my Halo 2 lust is engorging)
4. Tayari Plaza – Halo 3 ODST: What’s so special about this one? Well, nothing really. I just like the early morning visual aesthetic and playing as Buck and on-foot action is where Halo is at its best, which is all that this is. Gameplay wise it’s nothing special. I just really enjoy it.
