Which Halo Level Is The Worst?

[@BenPlaysGames]

✅ Subscribe: kzbin.info 🖱 Support the channel: www.patreon.com/ben_plays_games Fancied putting together a video that some might have strong opinions regarding. Don't hate me!

[@rustyshovel7179]

I was gonna say "what a stupid question, it's the library" but then I remembered that halo didn't end with reach.

[@scouttrooper2871]

Yoooooo

[@Ivan_Ooze]

Everything after reach is in their silver timeline, so it kind of did

[@SimonPetrikov12]

The Library has always been enjoyable to me luckily

[@rustyshovel7179]

@@SimonPetrikov12 I mean, even the worst level in classic halo is still classic halo.

[@halinaqi2194]

The classic halo ce controls and gameplay is definetly carrying your experience. It plays very well, its just the library is the same thing, stacked on top of eachother like 3 times, it wouldve been a fine level if it wasn't so repetitive and long.

[@regularphill]

Keyes was mid but seeing the spec ops for the first time was really cool.

[@BenPlaysGames]

They are really cool but did they really need to be carrying fuel rod cannons in a level which already has too many explosions?!

[@regularphill]

@@BenPlaysGames Yeah we could have at least been able to pick em up.

[@AJadedLizard]

@@BenPlaysGames They're also the only Elites in the OG game coded to throw grenades without the Catch skull.

[@Hopeful_Husker]

This shows that ODST and Reach are the gigachads of the series

[@dignelberrt]

ODST Supremacy

[@regularphill]

Reach Favoritism.

[@John_Smith_]

ODST is criminally underrated just because it's different. When roaming around the main area in between levels you get a level of mistery and thrill I haven't felt since 343 guilty spark. Still, not my fav entry in the series but actually the third one after CE and Reach. If I had to say anything bad about ODST I'd say it's too easy on Legendary, mainly because of most nades being broken and extremely accessible. That's literally it.

[@Monsuco]

@@John_Smith_ My only criticism of ODST is that it's too short.

[@thisIsFunnyLolz]

ODST is so fun to replay

[@SneedRemembrancer]

Idk I actually like Keyes Seeing the covenant on their own ground being overrun by the flood and the ship you fought on previously now being a flaming wreck with it leaking coolant into the mesa below was great switch up compared to two betrayals before which was just the level backwards and not much more. Also covenant spec ops introduction is etched into my brain as a oh shit moment as they come in with a door breach manoeuvre And pose much more of a threat than the regular covenant troops something I wish the series continued but it didn’t with spec ops just being sadly relegated into basic camo enemies by halo 3.

[@Commander_Appo]

I forget what the name of name of the level is in CE (I think it’s the one where you have to jump into the light beam to disable it and repeat that 3 times), but it’s my least favourite game experience ever because near the end of the level I accidentally pressed the wrong button and Master Chief jumped out of the banshee he was in causing him to fall to his death. I got a checkpoint midway through the “get out” animation, so I was just left to forever watch Master Chief fall to his death with nothing I could do. I had to restart the mission and I was pissed.

[@Foxtrox7616]

Two Betrayals

[@poopsk8s]

3 betrayals

[@KattalystFr]

4 betrayals

[@BenPlaysGames]

Ha that's brutal! I have a love hate relationship with that level, some parts are great but the bad bits are really bad.

[@Commander_Appo]

@@BenPlaysGames the second worst level I’ve ever played is Winter Contingency. I started playing Reach’s campaign for the first time a few weeks ago. A little bit after Jorge and I got on that truck, MCC crashed. I still can’t open up MCC. Edit: I fixed the issue like 2 days after I posted this comment. How? No clue. I beat Reach for the first time a few days ago (06/24/23) and it’s such a bittersweet campaign. I wish there was a way to go into it blind

[@LordyT34]

"Assault on the Control Room" isn't a bad mission objectively, but good gosh man that level feels about twice as long as it really is. Cross bridge, fight stuff, cross bridge, fight stuff, cross bridge, fight stuff, cross bridge, fight stuff

[@Mortablunt]

It's way too long. If they cut it in half it would have been fine.

[@AJadedLizard]

Bungie *really* liked to have missions too large. The only time it really pays off is the Delta Halo segment of Halo 2, and Bungie tried to replicate that with the Ark missions in 3 without actually knowing why that worked, which is why both of those missions have the same climax. It's like someone in their level design team got writer's block and just decided, "Well, what if we just add more Scarabs to it?"

[@Monsuco]

The tank part was fun as hell though.

[@pligon09]

It's my favorite level for the sheer amount of ways you can mess around. You get every vehicle and weapon and enemy in the game with some cheats that make it a laugh, can choose stealth or blasting your way through, grenade launching your buddy's corpse. Got the best replay factor IMO

[@captainhowlerwilson508]

I still think it is a great level, but yes, it should never have been as long as it was, resulting in repetitive rooms.

[@PandaJerk007]

Somehow I didn't really mind the slow moving elevator on The Oracle. It was a fun enough moment and might honestly be more memorable than just another regularly paced room/section. Also by taking power away from the player so they can't run away or hide, it kinda makes the flood more scary and less controllable by the player. (actually I think I just like The Oracle pretty well overall ^_^ )

[@Baconator984]

Personally, I think the elevator would have been much better if that's where you first fought the Flood. Have the tease at the beginning, then the room with the hologram be a heretic ambush, then on the elevator have the Flood start jumping down at you. Even better would be if the Juggernaut wasn't cut, because apparently, that elevator ride was going to be where you first went up against one.

[@regularphill]

I played sacred icon and this video came out 2 hours later. Funny.

[@halinaqi2194]

The elevator section couldve been salvaged if it was a bit shorter and wasn't sandwiched between 2 wave defense encounters. The first one isn't bas as its around like2 mins in length, but the second is a bit too long. The second half of oracle is a banger though.

[@lingricen8077]

Statistically, there will always be idiots with bad taste, so you aren’t rocking anyones world here

[@andydufresnefromshawshank5866]

Honestly, if the elevator always stopped once I think nobody would’ve complained. I like the mission to and honestly I like the worst halo two mission over almost all Halo 4 and 5 missions.

[@jamesgames3969]

Love your videos!!! And the lack of toxicity in your opinions! You’re amazing Ben I’m happy I found your channel

[@torb-no]

Yeah, I think Ben showcases how you can be critical without doing it in a toxic way.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Cheers James! Love the mention of the lack of toxicity too, have really made an effort over the years to ensure the channel is a nice place to visit, so that's great to hear.

[@spartan2ar949]

Halo 2 sacred icon: wasted opportunity to kill humans as the arbiter.

[@jordancourtney9142]

A video on the problems with the promethians as an in-game enemy could be very interesting

[@everythingsalright1121]

I can lay them out for you: Lack of enemy types: you have crawlers, knights, watchers and those stationary turrets. In halo 4 they had no vehicles so despite being a major enemy their depth is lacking which is compounded by the next issues: Even though there's only two major body types for prometheans, they're hard to tell apart. Almost every other enemy in halo can be distinguished by their color, shape, and weapon. This lets players easily determine the rank and threat of an enemy. If you see a rare gold elite carrying something on his shoulder you know hes gonna be a priority target. Prometheans rely almost exclusively on shape and even then it's hard to tell what that shape means. In general all you can really do is go "okay the more complex the head shape on the promethean the more dangerous it is" and that's not a good thing. Their visual clarity is bad. Half the time you cant even tell what gun theyre using until they fire which can result in you getting killed if its a binary rifle or incineration cannon. Lack of ways to approach combat. Halo 4s questionable balancing plays into this too but for the most part the prometheans themselves are the problem. Watchers will ALWAYS be your first target because they shield prometheans, throw your grenades back at you, and revive dead ones. You literally cant end the fight unless they die first. Because they immediately start flying away from you once they start taking damage, close range weapons won't help you unless you risk rushing them down. Which means you always have to dedicate a slot to a precision weapon (light rifle, battle rifle, dmr, carbine, etc). Even more so cause crawlers and knights are both weak to them. So most of the time you snipe them to death. Of course close range weapons work alright if you spam them but its a lot more risky because they can also just teleport away from you or teleport closer. And their melee can one shot you with little chance to avoid it. Because of how halo 4s encounters are designed (typically long range with lots of weak enemies that should be headshotted or lots of knights or both), your weapons loadout as a result is always a precision weapon + power weapon/close range/plasma pistol (which has barely any ammo in halo 4) in a pinch. But some levels dont give you many covenant guns. So you have to use the promethean guns which arent all that great for fighting prometheans aside from ammo availability. The suppressor works in a pinch as does the scattershot for killing knights but you basically gotta be within dangerous hugging distance for them to work. And that forerunner grenade is just horrendous. So its back to plinking away at their heads with rifles. Which doesnt feel great cause theyre tanky and mobile but have small heads. You can dump a mag of light rifle ammo into one only for it to teleport away and regen its shields (also isnt very clear when theyre down). Theres no skill expression when approaching prometheans. You always carry the same guns and do the same things. And...i guess lore wise theyre somewhat neat but they dont do anything to reflect that in game. Example is how elites/brutes command grunts and if you kill them the grunts freak out for a bit giving you some time to deal with them. Killing a knight wont make the crawlers weaker. If anything crawlers are more dangerous than grunts or even jackals due to them being armed with rapid fire guns, being able to climb walls AND do a damaging melee attack AND they can be armed with the one shot binary rifle. Theres little prep time when it comes to dealing with prometheans. They just teleport in or crawlers come out of the environment. Unlike the covenant which spawn out of dropships usually. Dropships give you some time to run for cover, prepare, or even thin the enemies out as they drop down. Nothing like that for prometheans. When they spawn in for an encounter youre always at a disadvantage. They dont drop out if a ship next to each other, theyre all spread out. Theres no time to prepare, they start shooting immediately. Theres no cool visual spectacle, they just pop in. Imagine if we got a swarm of like, forerunner metal that flies in that turns into prometheans. And you can shoot it to reduce the amount that spawns just like a phantom can be shot into. Thatd be a lot more fun and engaging. I cant speak for halo 5 much but ive watched enough on YT to know they didnt really address the issue there. Humanlike weaker enemies were added and they got a vehicle but they didnt solve the problems really. Also fuck recycling warden eternal.

[@ThePlumOf]

Tbh I for one would love a "Best Story Moments in Halo"

[@BenPlaysGames]

Love that! It's been added to the list.

[@woodsyjones]

The only ones that really hurt my feelings were… Keyes Sacred Icon Other than that, I respect your opinions and the video was great as always!

[@LostShipMate]

Sacred Icon definitely deserves to be on this list.

[@Crispy_DAWG]

Honestly I understand what he means now with regards to his issues with it. I think what would have elevated the entire level and the one after is the lack of a 3rd faction to fight. I think that alone would make the level more interesting and make the player want to engage in combat with the flood and humans rather than speed run the level to get it over with.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Thanks dude... and apologies!

[@woodsyjones]

@@BenPlaysGames🤣 no worries my dude. Keyes for me is mostly because I have my nostalgia goggles on, and Sacred Icon because of its great atmosphere, but you did point out very valid reasons for these levels to be on the list!!

[@ThatGirlMisty]

I agree on Keyes. I'm more understanding of Sacred Icon; I don't think it was as bad as Ben made it sound, but it was definitely my least favorite level in Halo 2.

[@flyingdoggo9887]

7:49 THE SENTINEL GOT CRUSHED LMAO

[@BenPlaysGames]

Glad someone spotted that, I only noticed during editing and laughed my arse off. Wrong place, wrong time!

[@mrgaberhamlincoln9562]

I actually like the sequence mission in Infinite and it may have been my favorite. The way I played it was I acted as if each area is it’s own mission and change the strategy/loadout/reinforcements. I do understand and respect your opinion though.

[@ambrose3560]

I like how you mentioned the backwards phantom in the anniversary cutscene, but did you notice in the opening to Shutdown, Master Chief pulls the charging handle to his AR on the right, while it's in full view on the left

[@AJadedLizard]

Yeah, I was watching that trying to figure out just what the hell he was doing. The MA5 has *no* controls on the right side, just like a traditional right-handed rifle, so he's just running his hand along the gun.

[@ODSTReach1]

A little snippet of information: The "Cortana" mission was a cut mission that would've played after "Floodgate" originally was called "Floodship" it was the mission that would also be connected to the renamed floodship, and there was supposed to be a city you'd have to battle through, saving marines, battling through infected streets. The city was Old Mombasa. You'd get to the ship and basically play Cortana, or Floodship. Same thing, either way, thanks for attending my Tedtalk.

[@Mortablunt]

If you got Cortana back for the second half with that, that would have been great. H3 just wasn't right without Cortana there.

[@AJadedLizard]

Oh, so it's exactly the same as Floodgate, just without recycling the final portion of The Storm, and probably longer? That's okay, I think Halo 3 is long enough.

[@ODSTReach1]

Yeah, it is pretty long anyway. Bungie was too ambitious for its time.

[@AJadedLizard]

@@Mortablunt Anything to make her stop making me fat walk through half the mission. That gimmick is like jump scares in a horror game: it's okay the first time and obnoxious every time after.

[@PandaJerk007]

I love the atmosphere in Keyes, but the main problem I have is that some points the flood seem to respawn infinitely. This and some hallways on The Maw made me lose all immersion for a bit, and just think of how it's a bad level design. At least The Maw had other great redeeming qualities tho

[@vaniellys]

I'm surprised, because I personally love Keyes and think it's a good level.

[@regularphill]

I like Sacred Icon so I guess you are not the only one who likes unpopular missions. (I think Keyes is mid but not bad)

[@BenPlaysGames]

It's the randomness of the whole thing that gets me most. Even on lower difficulties it's so easy to get wrecked without it ever really being your fault.

[@regularphill]

@@BenPlaysGames Fair

[@Liberator130]

I will gladly take any other Halo level over "Cortana" and "Floodgate" any day of the week. Also, the point of the Didact being defeated in a QTE is the point of his character - Chief can't beat him in straight up regular combat because he's outmatched and a cutscene wouldn't be satisfying for the player involvement, so the QTE was the compromise. Otherwise, we'd might have gotten something like the absolute embarrassment of Guilty Spark's boss fight

[@majesticglass]

For me any level in halo five with where you fight the Warden, so most of the levels. The level when Exuberant Witness gives you the tank was pretty fun though

[@BenPlaysGames]

Wait you mean you don't like fighting the series' worst boss, except there's three of them?!

[@iaincrawford8004]

I said in a previous video that i have never played a HALO game after Halo 4 and after watching this i'm glad i didn't. 343 industries severely suck

[@giancarloauriemma7525]

Ben I love your work! I get ecstatic with every upload thank you so much

[@BenPlaysGames]

That's really kind of you Giancarlo mate, cheers - I appreciate you checking them out!

[@PandaJerk007]

It's nice to hear you talk about H5 levels! (I'm curious to think about that game more in general. It definitely did a ton bad, but I'm also curious for any of its good encounters)

[@Vaquilbreaker]

Jul Mdama was such a cool book character and they killed him first mission IN A CUTSCENE

[@justinnyugen7015]

That's the case with most of Reclaimer trilogy. Characters are set up well in books as a sort of "alley-oop", only for the games to miss the dunk entirely. Cool backstory about Forerunners and potentially a fight with Precursors in the future? Here's one "Forerunner" you don't actually get to fight and a bunch of composed humans. And evil Cortana. And Covenant 2.0. And NOT The covenant but totally has the same species Banished. Halo Infinite taking place on one of the most important rings in Human/Forerunner (and even precursor) shared history? Eh, here's a squid lady and the Endless with no DLC in sight. Atriox being a badass and set up as primary antagonist? We'll pretend he died off screen and replace him with subordinates the entire game, killing off any anticipation for a rematch throughout.

[@BenPlaysGames]

It's such a random start to the game, really hate how the narrative is handled at 5's beginning especially.

[@davidriley354]

Everyone hates the Library level except me, it seems. I love it because of what, as you say' it's trying to be. For me that slog is the point. The relentless of the flood is the point. The length of the level enhances the fact that they're not going away, not going to run out, and all you can do is go until you can't anymore. I think this is best emphasized for me because I've never beaten the level, playing properly, without dying. That's meant to be near impossible, and that's only conveyed through the length, repetitiveness, and sheer aggression of the flood.

[@jeffh757]

Library appreciators are people of culture. I think the devs made it repetitive and long and brutally hard with as minimalistic of a level/plot advancement as possible. The Flood is all you have time to think about. It's claustrophobic and stressful, but it feels so rewarding once you've beaten it on Legendary. It's one of the great gauntlets in gaming imo, and playing it into the wee hours of the morning with my cousin back in the early 00's is one of my favorite gaming memories.

[@AJadedLizard]

CMT, a modding group who've been making rebalance mods for Combat Evolved since Halo 2 came out, did a really solid workup on The Library that makes it quite a bit of fun. There are multiple encounters where you run into Covenant search teams who've made it inside and are now just trying to hold off everything else, including you, trying to kill them. There are also Flood controlled vehicles and, as a result, Guilty Spark dispatches Enforces to assist you during several encounters. It makes the level feel a bit more like a traditional Halo level which I do appreciate.

[@ugipse]

Pretty sound list, albeit I would put most Halo 5 levels in there (if I could actually remember them). I think it’s maybe a little unkind to put Sacred Icon as number 4. I feel that level could be slightly lower down the list given the excellent cutscenes, the small human stories in there, the interesting Enforcer fights and I for one really appreciate the transition between the two walls when Orbit of Glass plays.

[@AJadedLizard]

Sacred Icon has the one and only instance of a boss fight in a Halo game being good, especially if you took the trouble to give your allies better weapons. Regret is a bit tedious (punching him is funny though), the Heretic is awful, Tartorus is awful unless you cheese him with a Banshee, the Scarab fights in 3 are super repetitive after the first one and an absolute slug, Guilty Spark should've been a cutscene for all the gameplay you're actually allowed, and the Didact *is* a cutscene.

[@ghastlyanarchy1720]

to add to number 10 here, the mission prior to the sequence, where we take down three AA guns is the exact same just in a more contained area. So, having the same type of mission back to back like that doesn't help either.

[@justinnyugen7015]

A few Banished Scarabs would've been perfect for that confined AA area. We'd have to draw them away from the pilot/crash site and lure it to some cliffs where we can board or something.

[@ghastlyanarchy1720]

@@justinnyugen7015 that would've been better than some beefed up Brutes that drop like any other with a few head shots.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Spot on! Pelican Down is a far, far better version of it which really doesn't do The Sequence any favours.

[@ghastlyanarchy1720]

@@BenPlaysGames for all the potential Infinite had, even for my enjoyment of the interactions between the three mains, Chief, the Weapon, and the pilot, it's just small glimmers of what could have been, small fading positives in an ever growing ocean of negatives with 343i at the helm for halo.

[@smorgasborgas]

Im surprised 2 betrayals didn’t make the cut. That mission is agonizingly long, and on legendary it’s like bashing your head against the wall fighting the flood

[@BenPlaysGames]

What saves Two Betrayals for me is the multi-faction battles out on the snow. The rest of the level is very meh, but I absolutely love those pats in particular.

[@illyay1337]

For some reason, despite all of this, the last level on pillar of autumn was super cool

[@nkvd1606]

Always hated The Maw. Sacred Icon is criminally underrated.

[@regularphill]

I love the enforcers and the gondola in between the snowy containment zone.

[@NateRiversforRever]

One thing about Sacred Icon, you get to see the Sentinel Factory get shot down from the sky at the tail end of the mission. That is pretty cool at least.

[@AJadedLizard]

I really like all the Delta Halo missions in 2; it's the only time in the series post Combat Evolved that Halo itself felt like a fully-fledged world. The environments on the Ark just felt generic (oh look, a desert! Oh look, tropical islands!) and we never set foot on a Halo in 4.

[@NateRiversforRever]

@@AJadedLizard yeah, having infinite being the first time we step on a halo is absurd it took that long.

[@drewmike681]

I love the video. Your list is well thought out and pretty close to my own rankings.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Nice one Drew!

[@Temmie321]

I’d take all of Bungies worst Halo levels before any of the 343 studios ones. Maybe except Cortana in Halo 3, but I would say that is Cortana and Gravemind didn’t talk so much and kill the pacing it wouldn’t have been so bad.

[@justinnyugen7015]

The insane amount of health the Ranged forms have also killed the experience for me on higher difficulties. And the fact that you're fighting through lasagna and never come face to face with the gravemind again despite the build up

[@halinaqi2194]

Sadly it was cut. Old mission script files basically reveal you were meant to use a scarab and destroy the generators using that and having gravemind be the boss fight.

[@VoiceOfTheEmperor]

For me it's a dice roll between Gravemind, Cortana, Two Betrayals and anything from Halo 4 & 5.

[@carlosrenteria4712]

Gravemind and Two Betrayals are my favorite missions in their games ;-;

[@VoiceOfTheEmperor]

@@carlosrenteria4712 to each their own, man.

[@justinnyugen7015]

Gravemind is tolerable on lower difficulties because of the cool environment and narrative importance, but yeah, it's definitely one of the worst Legendary difficulty experiences in the original trilogy

[@BenPlaysGames]

There arguably could have been a mission or two more from 4 and 5 especially but I actually don't think a lot of their levels are completely terrible or anything. Are they proper Halo levels? Not really, but I think if they were in another series they'd be received much better.

[@conn23ful1]

I swear on the sacred icon Vista version the ship always flew in backwards

[@thomasarmstrong3917]

It still does on anniversary graphics I think

[@halinaqi2194]

I'm p sure it did in og halo 2 Xbox as well.

[@AnesidoraAston]

I haven't played past 4. I recently went through all of them up to and including four, and immediately noticed that none of the interactions with prometheans are balanced correctly.

[@deerecoyote2040]

Skip 5, and play Infinite. It's good. No huge, stand-out great levels, but almost all are good, and a lot of great stuff in there, the gameplay is really good.

[@spartanjohn-1176]

Issue skills

[@insertusername9755]

I wonder at what place library is. I know it has to be included...

[@angryretailbanker5103]

Gonna have to wildly disagree with you on "Midnight" and "Cortana". Midnight's final section was a beautiful combination of a rush to beat impossible odds, combined with an incredible score that matched the eon-spanning grandeur of the environment and its history. Also, while I'm not a big QTE fan, gamers are absolutely toddlers when it comes to it. It's a cool sequence in which Cortana has one last heroic moment that allows Master Chief to defeat the only enemy that we've ever seen best him. As for Cortana, I only have an issue with the hatred of the Cortana/Gravemind Moments. I think the people that hate them the most are the people that can't handle going sixty seconds without a zillion Michael Bay explosions. They play quite well into the events going on, highlighting the Lovecraftian and cosmic horror nature of the Flood, an eon-spanning horror that can be juxtaposed with what I said in the previous paragraph about Midnight. They also help bring Bungie's arc to a close, as much of the ravings of Cortana stem from The Fall of Reach and The Cortana Letters, both of which predate the first game. Also, the idea of stopping for three seconds "bringing the pace to a halt" is just baffling to me. When I played, hearing Cortana unraveling as she was being tormented by Gravemind had me rushing through the level to get to her in time even though I knew logically that the game wasn't actually putting a timer on me, the player. Genuinely, the hatred of these Cortana/Gravemind Moments really is a source of frustration for me because it makes me feel like gamers can't appreciate good storytelling. And yes, they ARE good storytelling.

[@torb-no]

Mostly agree with you. I don't have that many specific levels but my list would be something like this: - Most of Halo 5 (only ones I truly really dislike tho) - As much as I like Halo 4, significant portions. The part where you fight the Promotheans in particular. - Not sure they’re the worst, but I find a lot of ODST to be quite tedious. - Cortana from 3 - Significant parts of the Arbiter-levels in Halo 2 (frankly: the ones where chief is in the covie city too). - And a controversial one: The Maw. I just find it tedious and the warthog run doesn’t quite make up for it anymore. I guess I’m often tired after Keyes. - And sure, the Library drags on maybe a bit long, but I actually mostly like it… and rocket flood are cool! I always look forward to them. They're exhilarating to fight! Thanks for another great video!

[@BenPlaysGames]

Thanks mate! I'm definitely blinded by the Warthog run when it comes to The Maw. Would be pretty middling to poor level without it, I must admit.

[@Blvckguy]

Great video !! I remember my first time experiencing #6 that shit was like “ …😐 that’s it ?…. 💀 yeah this my last halo” 🤣🤣

[@BenPlaysGames]

Cheers mate!

[@Wepospalient]

I wish Cortana had a better mix of high charity architecture and flood biomass, instead of 90% biomass, 10% high charity. I've also never liked halo 3's bright orange flood biomass, it looked so much better in 1-2 in those shades of sickly pale green. Given Cortana was just a hackjob of a section from floodgate though, I think it really shows in the level's quality.

[@halinaqi2194]

Umm i played halo 2 a lotz and the flood biomass on the level high charity is the same orange brown color as seen in halo 3. The change from the other flood color to the new happen when they went from 1 to 2, not 2 to 3. The only flood thing that kept the same green glowy color scheme was the gravemind, which people joked about calling him Audrey.

[@asdatrollys8944]

Ready? Steady? Library!

[@dhdd9395]

When going through halos levels individually it becomes more and more apparent that long time halo fans have nostalgia poisoning When thinking about bungies games. They are able to overlook alot of the horrible and boring parts.

[@mikegaruda4270]

Resume: Ben hates flood

[@BenPlaysGames]

Love em story wise, often hate em gameplay wise.

[@darkknightkg9872]

When I saw the Library was only at 8th I knew this was going to be good! Only thing redeeming about the Arbiter levels is his invisibility. I pop that thing on as much as possible and skip past most of the enemies. Par times are a lot easier with that feature! Lol Also really enjoy the videos Ben! You've become one of my favorite Halo and other games channels. Love the reasonable and analytical approach to level design and gameplay.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

Cortana is probably my least favorite single level. The Promithians drive me insane, but I can't point to a particular level that gets me as frustrated as Cortana.

[@nihilist92]

As far as Bungie’s games go it’s got to be The Library, Sacred Icon and Quarantine Zone for me. Great vid and I hope life is treating you well 🤘🏻

[@BenPlaysGames]

Cheers as always dude - life's good thanks, two weeks today until the wedding, so mega busy! Hope all's well with you too mate.

[@ErickCastroT]

3:25 how i miss the grenades chain reaction in newer games, i died so many times just for this. funny memories.

[@beeno3487]

I somehow got very lost on Cortana. It was really weird and totally unclear where I had to go. Al’s enemy’s will hide on that map and you have to clear a room to progress sometimes and if they’re not moving hiding in the ceiling or something , then you can see them on your motion tracker and you can’t find them.

[@AJadedLizard]

I hate that mission so much. I reached a point on my Legendary run where my strategy for the first half just became seeing how far I could run past enemies because fighting the Flood is so goddamn tedious anyway. You can, and probably should, skip the entire first half of the mission because, well, you're gonna have to replay it anyway on the return trip.

[@RainCloudVideos]

@@AJadedLizardnever realized how much of halo 3 you can just run or drive past Lmao

[@AJadedLizard]

@@RainCloudVideos Yeah, I started to learn that on my first Legendary run; the combat is shit but you can at least skip most of it.

[@PandaJerk007]

I like Sacred Icon more than Quarantine Zone. but I agree your idea to combine them could've been a great upgrade overall!

[@justinnyugen7015]

I tend to skip through most of Sacred Icon without engaging in the fights (as intended?). The only highlighst for me in that level are the brief section where you have jackal allies for the first (and only) time and the end when you meet up with the Elite squad.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Assault on the control Room but with more space zombies! It would even be at a similar point in the campaign to Assault on the Control Room too, which would have been cool.

[@CliveGlitch]

Damn, It's so hard to make a top 10 worst levels 😢, it may as well be a top 10 halo 5 levels

[@cyqry]

I love how the list is mostly just Flood levels and then Halo 4.

[@BenPlaysGames]

The Flood have to be handled so much more carefully than The Covenant because of how fundamentally repetitive they are. Environment design and narrative weight is key.

[@cyqry]

@@BenPlaysGames Oh for sure. Halo's direction isn't geared towards horror elements, so having a horror-esque enemy is much harder to pull off. If Halo was designed like say Dead Space then it would work amazingly well, but then you'd have difficulty putting in the Covenant without them feeing off. There's definitely some great modded maps and campaigns that handle the Flood incredibly well.

[@ryanelliott71698]

I agree Midnight is terrible. The one thing I think most of it is how pointless it is to pick up anything than a promethium weapon as the low ammo count and lack of UNSC and Covenant weapons throughout the level makes choosing any of the later a waste of time

[@justinnyugen7015]

I almost pull my own eyes out every time I play the broadsword section. The floor is gray. The walls are grey. The obstacles, enemies, and your own ship are all gray. It's like playing through a fucking untextured map from a vidoc with occasional orange lights. Also that infinitely respawning crawler bridge section is hell on Legendary

[@BenPlaysGames]

God, the lack of ammo in the guns is the worst. I don't see any reason whatsoever for it to be a thing. Hate it.

[@ryanelliott71698]

@@BenPlaysGames it makes those 2 rooms where there’s just random UNSC and covenant weapons strewn about narratively feel so out of place.

[@SpectorEuro4]

Every single mission that 343 studios has created sucks. Plain and simple.

[@Himan1372]

Awesome first vid my man

[@BenPlaysGames]

Much appreciated dude!

[@Himan1372]

@@BenPlaysGames lmao that was meant to go to another person. But your content is amazing my dude

[@iaincrawford8004]

I liked Two Betrayals apart from the one point when you fly up to one of the areas you need to neutralise and encounter a rocket launcher holding flood who if you don't take him out fast enough before he gets to you will fire it at close quarters and take both the flood member and you out in very quick order

[@TheJohnmurphy516]

I tend to feel keys was good enough to not deserve to be on this list. The arbiters first two levels in 2 certainly could have been better. Ironically the best part of the arbiter missions is a glitch. The heretic elites melee attack are bugged and can only hit you when you are side on to them. This made charging in with a sword a viable option in a game largely dominated by br plasma rifle due to insane death time

[@BenPlaysGames]

Huh, didn't know that. Will go test!

[@ugipse]

After Halo: Infinite, I must disagree with your comments about bosses in Halo Ben, notwithstanding that game’s many faults, I felt 343 demonstrated bosses could work in the Halo sandbox 😊

[@BenPlaysGames]

Some of Infinite's bosses were much better to be fair. Really like the one at the end of Pelican Down.

[@ugipse]

@@BenPlaysGames who else would you say was a good boss? My thoughts were: - Chad Lok (AKA Mad Chad Lad) - Brute Hammer Chieftain - Escherum

[@deerecoyote2040]

Infinite, though being flawed and unfinished, had a lot of great ideas, and really showed that the 343 devs have learned how to make good gameplay. Problem with Infinite was development hell that led to the game being so unpolished.

[@ugipse]

@@deerecoyote2040 yeh, rather than doing the classic 343 start over, I feel this is the correct base to build on. To name a few of the things they got right (campaign only) - The Banished - Bosses - Aesthetic - Chief, The Weapon & The Pilot - Soundtrack - On foot gameplay - Easter eggs - Difficulty - Online co-op - Villain motivations - Weapon sandbox (minus a few duds) Care to name a few more?

[@deerecoyote2040]

@@ugipse Yes, It totally agree! And with Pierre Hintz in charge, I think they'll probably keep going with Infinite, so I have hopes for the future.

[@jasinjonuzi1784]

Will there be a "which halo levels aren't quite the worst?" Like the best levels video? Also fantastic video as always

[@zexstrow376]

What I see people overlook the most with Keyes is that, like Two Betrayals, you have the ENTIRE sandbox available, all the guns, and all the enemies, this time in close quarters compared to the open environment of Two Betrayals. Also with the Library, one of my favorites especially on harder difficulties, it's just straight running and gunning the whole time, not any dead time, save for the elevators, to catch your breath as the scope and scale of the Flood reveals itself as you realize conventional combat is absolutely worthless against them, and the only way of stopping them is this getting to this Index device. Also the level is a good display of how badass the chief really is, both gameplay and lore wise.

[@devilmingy]

A good list. You always articulate your points so well. I still think Keyes is far more painful of a level than Library, nor do I think anything in Halo Infinite scratches the bottom of the barrel (though there isn’t anything in there that’s really great, either), I agree with the others on the list and especially the first. What amazes me about The Breaking is that Halo can have levels that are just glorified Firefight arenas and make it work. It just needs good variety, good framing, and enough of that magic to make it a bit harder to see that all the developer really did is make 3-4 rooms and lock me in for as a long as they could. ODST’s ONI Alpha Site and (perhaps a far better comparison) Infinite’s House of Reckoning show how a little bit of effort goes a long way, and The Breaking doesn’t even bother.

[@Nephalem2002]

Assault on the Control Room, Halo (CE, Yes Kill Me), Truth and Reconciliation, Crow’s Nest, Almost every Mission in Halo 4, Every Level in Halo 5, and I quit playing Halo Infinite awhile back so I never finished the Campaign.

[@ramengod5768]

The breaking is actually one of my favorites from the bad levels. Warden is easy enough when using enhanced movements. The extended audio and voice lines helped. Yes it is probably still on my top 5 worst ones too, but the cutscenes and story helped it in my eyes, compared to the library which had little of that.

[@johnnymccraze]

I didn't expect any missions from Reach to be on this list, and I wasn't surprised.

[@klaykid117]

Interesting it seems alot of these are flood levels which makes sense fighting them can be a slog

[@BenPlaysGames]

Flood levels really have to be thought through, as if they're done badly they can be really awful. Repetitive enemies become a real issue when what's around them isn't very good.

[@halinaqi2194]

Flood levels are a double edged sword, when done right, they are great (floodgate, 343 guilty spark, high charity, Keyes) but when done terribly and sometimes on purposefully to be a test of patience its very noticeable (the library, sacred icon, oracle, cortana). The flood shine when put in an encounter with multiple factions, but just like sentinels, they alone can't carry the gameplay of a level. I think Keyes is a fine level, never had grenade issues since the hallways are long and you are meant to backpeddle while chucking grenades and watching the carnage. The only time I see a understandable reason for the chain explosion criticism is the spec ops elevator right before the warthog run on the level the maw. You are forced into a close range encounter with spec ops covenant who each usually drop a couple grenades with fuel rod grunts who when they die, their gun explodes, causing a chain reaction The game already teaches you to keep distance when combating the flood before Keyes, so at this point, dying to grenade chain reactions is just the player making the mistake fo trying to engage flood up close and or using grenades to close to yourself. The shield gen encounters on two betrayals on the other hand and that rocket flood in that hallway are BS. Forcing to fight flood after losing shields when you are exposed and they are using human weapons which are better against hp, is not a great experience, especially in legendary. You have to get a health pack before then.

[@MatthewLee-fo3me]

I'm not entirely sure what you've got against Sacred Icon other than it's meh. It's got some pretty decent atmosphere, and I would never consider the Flood to be boring in any regards. I know it's your opinion but I can't say I'd ever put it as worse than The Library or Cortana.

[@browe091]

Replayed halo 5 for the first time since it’s release and mannnnnnnnn it’s just as bad as I remember. My buddies and I played through all the games in order and the only joy we had in H5 was playing the last level. Simply because we knew it was all going to be over soon.

[@OneOnOne1162]

11:39 - In regards to being reunited with Cortana so late, I think it was necessary for the story to proceed as it did with the whole "I still have the index" twist (which I do like). But I do broadly agree. I think it's really just representative of a deeper problem with "Halo 3" which is that its story is a significant step down in its complexity and ambition from "Halo 2." It's shorter and there's much less to it. And I think because of that Cortana HAD to be reunited with you only at the end. I think if the game and its story were more intricate and longer they probably could've fit a level or two more in between "Cortana" and "Halo" where you dealt with some more story-related stuff. But as the story is written in the actual game we got, I think they had no choice but to make reuniting with Cortana one of the final things you do. Cuz there were just so few important story beats.

[@silverbackentertainment237]

Keyes is a tedious mission though I found it made The Maw even better. Bungie said they on a tight deadline with CE which might explain why the second half of the campaign could've been better. Halo 3 doesn't have as many levels as 2 though the level designs are much better so maybe it should be quality not quantity with levels. It's great that you're uploading so many Halo vids, always a pleasure to watch.

[@SimonPetrikov12]

I'd say the Quarantine Zone gondola ride is way worse than the Oracle elevator. It's so long with no checkpoints and janky gravity

[@blaseNEMESIS]

The best thing about shutdown is you can skip most of it by just going to the last objective.

[@bengeorge9063]

The Cortana rescue mission in Halo 3. Mostly because of the nonstop "visions".

[@Mortablunt]

Those visions ruined the game for me. Okay, there were lots of other serious problems, but no other singular thing directly infuriates me as much as having my game interrupted to semi interractive slo mo repeatedly.

[@jo3y960]

You say these were controversial but tbh they were honest and you were pretty right in your critiques. Tbh i thought a reach level would be on this list and I can't for the life of me put a single reach mission on this list. Even the bad ones still had good defining moments.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Nightfall would be the closest for me I reckon. Not a massive fan of that one.

[@OD_047]

I read that as "which halo levels are the WORT'st" and im sad to see it was not actually written as that

[@sam_ac_smith]

Love the videos! Curious what the mistake on the anniversary edition of Sacred Icon was. I only have the classic version so I haven't played it.

[@woodsyjones]

The Phantom flies backwards in the opening shot haha

[@sam_ac_smith]

@@woodsyjones Maybe I should work for 343 because I missed that too lol

[@BenPlaysGames]

Thanks Sam! Someone else has beaten me to it, but yeh, it's the backwards phantom in the wide shot.

[@CLANSPI3]

Some of these levels are not so great in Singleplayer, but have you played and ranked levels for videos based on a co-op playthrough with a friend? I actually look forward to the Flood levels when playing with a friend on Legendary, they're a fun challenge. Best co-op play missions ranking video perhaps?!

[@titanicsteampunk4137]

I was fortunate enough to have a friend around to play the level Cortana with for my first playthrough of Halo 3 just recently. It was way more enjoyable than I imagine solo being.

[@CLANSPI3]

@@titanicsteampunk4137 That's good to have a friend to play through with! First time I played was when it launched, but I played offline/solo. It was always a rough level.

[@Vash_Carrison]

I rather enjoy the library now after having read the novel, "Halo: The Flood". Helped give a lot of context. Also, Ruby's REBALANCED mod made it tens times better.

[@Jacob-360]

My worst halo levels ranking would be something like this: -the Oracle -Repository -Evacuation -Sacred Icon -Shutdown -the Library -Genesis -the Breaking

[@flyingdoggo9887]

why genesis?

[@Jacob-360]

@@flyingdoggo9887 I just didn’t like this level, the beginning is awesome but the rest of it is one of the most frustrating halo levels, if you played it on legendary you know what i mean also you fight warden 3 times in that level.

[@flyingdoggo9887]

@@Jacob-360 oh yeah the tank can be a pain in the ass to manage since you're being fucked by wraiths and incineration cannons in all directions

[@Jacob-360]

@@flyingdoggo9887 exactly

[@johnsimmons1992]

Great video, as usual! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go watch Halo: Landfall (for the twentieth time) as a palate cleanser.

[@grahamhill676]

Honesty I think every Halo 4 and 5 level is on par with the bottom 20% of every Halo 1-Reach mission. Even at its worst, Bungie Halo levels always offer something notable, whether thats cool visuals, memorable moments, a good soundtrack or vibe...but 343 Halo just doesn't stand out at all. I cant even remember Halo 4, 5 and Infinite levels, even the boss ones.

[@spartanjohn-1176]

Good joke

[@cowerdnerddespacito9518]

What is the thin fin piece on the bottom of the Paris class frigates even for? I know the Charon and Stalwart have giant cargo bays there but the Paris is more of a Gun boat than a cargo ship

[@TanksyTube]

3:45 Your explanation of what makes Keyes such a bad level to you is precisely why I like it so much. The relentless flood and explosions in tight hallways, it gives me a rush Hahaha

[@iaincrawford8004]

"All Killer, No Filler" Sum 41 joke reference ahoy

[@Stop_Motion_Hub]

worst level for CE is 'The Library" due to the same encounters and level design. If CE did what Ruby did for his Ruby's Rebalanced mod, it would be one of the best mission imo.

[@PineappleStickers]

I thought i might be able to guess this list until i remembered 4, 5 and 6 were a thing. Any given mission in those 3 games could easily be in the bottom 10. Definitely have to agree with The Oracle making the list. At the time, I'd just gotten to play Outskirts and Metropolis, starting to fullfil that fantasy the E3 gameplay demo had set up, and then all of a sudden you're yanked away to some place you've never seen before to play as the arbiter against an enemy you've never heard of before. A complete lack of any and all human weapons, confusing level design that's easy to get lost in and the re-introduction of the flood that was super underwhelming.

[@8BitCyberWarrior]

Watching someone you love die is nothing compared to seeing them reanimated as a necromancer's plaything. Halo should have ended when Bungie said it was over

[@TheGrizzledAncient]

If I made a “Top 10 Worst Halo levels” it would just be Halo 5 and Halo infinite levels lol

[@akend4426]

The “final run” segment of Two Betrayals has always been the worst part of any playthrough of CE I’ve played. At least with The Library I know where to go after enough times. That, along with the vehicle segments from Quarantine Zone in Halo 2 and all of the level Cortana in Halo 3 have always been my least favorite moments in the Halo franchise.

[@dawn7724]

i forgot the warden existed in 5 frankly I've forgotten how bad that games campaign truly was

[@matthewrogersmusic]

I feel like Cortana is only at fault due to the design of the flood. High Charity is totally infested with flood, and they are the color Orange, so it’s gonna be all orange. Gameplay I suppose could be better, but you can’t ask for a challenge to be easy.

[@justinnyugen7015]

For me, it's mostly ally-less levels with repetitive /repeated environments and either Flood or Promethean over abundance.

[@Hommel125]

Am I the only one who loves The Library? It stands out to me for being intense the whole way through.

[@iunnor]

I think The Library could’ve been better if they created sections of the area that you have to seal off to slow the Flood down on your way to the top.

[@PandaJerk007]

I'm glad Cortana is only 5th place on your list of worst missions. I think it gets wayy more hate than it deserves xD

[@relentlesschaos7445]

Easily The Library in Halo Combat Evolved My reasons: -No Cortana,No Marines, No Covenant, an Entire Flood Level -Boring because corridors look all the same and layout design is lame - Half of the entire level is just fighting Flood, Waiting for The Monitor to open the door, Waiting on the elevator to take you to the next level, -Rocket Flood -Takes to long where it seems like forever -The Monitor can just teleport us into the lift and already grab the Index. He didn't have to make us go through all that trouble fighting Flood and leading us into those lame corridors and hallways

[@ThatGirlMisty]

Okay so take this with a grain of salt because I have yet to play Halo 5, and it's been a decade since the last time I played Halo 4 and I remember so little of it that I can't reasonably include any of its levels in my ranking. But my personal choices for the least enjoyable levels in Halo would probably be Truth and Reconciliation from Halo 1, Sacred Icon from Halo 2, Tsavo Highway and Cortana from Halo 3, Tayari Plaza from Halo 3 ODST, and Nightfall from Halo Reach.

[@Wasted117.]

i love halo 1 chain explosions. bring them back.

[@Liquorice_Monster]

I couldn't disagree more about Keyes. While it's true that the level design gets fairly repetitive at times, and it is just a copy and paste of the spaceship interior from Truth and Reconciliation, I've found I enjoy Keyes a lot more than T&R. It may have a lot to do with the story bears that Ben mentioned himself here, and the narrative of the level making it feel more fun, or maybe it's because the combat is so much more hectic and unpredictable. Or maybe it's the lack of allies, because I would stress myself out so bad trying to save the lives of every single marine on my side during T&R and they aren't there to protect in Keyes. The endless Flood waves at certain points can get very annoying indeed, and while it's true that grenades become a much less effective weapon due to the chance of starting a grenade chain explosion or triggering Flood carrier forms, there's something I weirdly enjoy about that. When a chain reaction causes me to die, there's something humorous about it, and when I intentionally start a chain reaction from a safe distance and kill a whole group of enemies, it's highly rewarding and fun. However, I will say that my favorite way to play Keyes is with heroic difficulty on the Anniversary Edition but with original graphics, and with bandanna skull turned on. The combination of challenging enemies but unlimited ammunition really makes it fun.

[@Phillibetrus]

Never played 5 or infinite. Hated 4 too much that I think the bottom half of my list would just be halo 4 levels if I even included it which I probably would not. I am surprised you had the Library so high, would have put it bellow scarred Icon, Quarantine Zone, and Cortana for sure.