Examining Halo 2's Longest And Hardest Mission

[@BenPlaysGames]

✅ Subscribe: kzbin.info 🖱 Support the channel: www.patreon.com/ben_plays_games Long... and hard.

[@jango7889]

you know what else is long and hard? MY MOM!

[@MyLifeIsAFrickingMess_MRPOLSKA]

I was going to ask, but do you have a discord server? Do you plan to make one?. Good vid

[@ErikLosLobos]

Just a note to say I think someone impersonating you is trying to run a scam around a PC prize in this comments section. 🤔

[@doomfan8603]

Ayo

[@thearbiter5065]

Fun fact: The band Breaking Benjamin were huge fans of the halo series back in the Bungie days. So when they were brought on to write a song for halo 2, they let Bungie have the rights to their single 'blow me away' for completely free, as they were just happy to have it in the game.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Thanks for filling me in, did not know that - pretty awesome honestly, I'd lose my shit if I had a song in a Halo game.

[@thearbiter5065]

@@BenPlaysGames yeah it would definitely be an exiting moment. Great video by the way, love how detailed your analysis of levels are.

[@peterricard7483]

And also incubus and Steve Vai

[@John-du4ie]

Such an iconic song. Fits perfectly.

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

What a "fun" fact.

[@mikeysenpai6094]

i always find chief saying "boo" to the grunt still makes me laugh even now

[@BenPlaysGames]

One of my favourite moments in the game and same for me - always makes me chuckle.

[@CD-Gaming]

Like he remembered how easy they are to scare! And to be fair, in Chief's boots, we'd all do the same, don't lie, you know you would!

[@falconPL156]

they are quite easy to scare just a simple "boo" and they run away with tears

[@paulryan9818]

LOL!

[@everythingsalright1121]

Well remember chief is basically a cataclysmic force of nature. Chief has killed untold numbers of covies so being a low ranking foot soldier in front of chief who knows they have no chance youd run too

[@MrEXTREMETORTOISE]

I miss the Halo 2 brutes, I remember I was playing splitscreen co-op with my buddy and a brute was in berserk mode but was glitched so he wasn't moving then my buddy got closer and the brute went back to beserking and I'll never forget the scream that came out of my buddies mouth, priceless lmao. I just wish they would bring back the berserk mode, definitely made them unique.

[@thatrandomzealoth4]

Halo 2 brutes are actually the knights from halo 4.

[@Shiftimusknob]

I feel like their more monkey aesthetic as well suited them more. Making them more imposing. They just kinda look goofy in every iteration since. The H2A brutes look particularly good

[@tylerasweet]

Didn’t they bring it back in infinite?

[@jameswilson8907]

@@tylerasweet sure did, they're terrifying.

[@AlChestBreachFan7]

They were so unpredictable. Halo 2 on heroic/legendary was just brutal

[@deflamrek]

My jaw dropped when you said that grave mind is the last level you fight elites in the whole trilogy. I never realized that.

[@kachebele_phiri]

Me too 😂 I had to do a quick mental check

[@satazs6195]

That's false. You fight them in Reach...

[@deflamrek]

@@satazs6195 "trilogy"

[@bluemaster75]

@@satazs6195 Reading Comprehension is lacking

[@aerialmacaroon6312]

Considering how insane the difficulty is in 2 saying one level is hardest is really saying something

[@BenPlaysGames]

Others may disagree but for me at least, Gravemind is brutally difficult and definitely the mission I struggled with most. I was 16 odd when Halo 2 came out, with poor anger management skills, and so was so close to smashing my controller to pieces haha.

[@aerialmacaroon6312]

@@BenPlaysGames true plus the rng moments of luck on legendary

[@jesterjay420]

No other level in 2 will kill you in the first second…over and over and over.

[@aerialmacaroon6312]

@@jesterjay420 iron is more hell here than anywhere els

[@mrmadskillz1240]

Amen

[@jayburn00]

Funny thing: the gravemind was originally going to have skulls for teeth, but it was decided it was too much.

[@JoshSweetvale]

The jagged bone plates arguably work better.

[@Mariopwnzu]

As difficult and long as the mission is it's definitely a favorite for me The fact that we kill a Prophet during Regret and are then told during the following missions as the Arbiter that the Brutes are taking over as a result of Regret's death then we switch back to Chief directly in the Covenant capital DURING A CIVIL WAR THAT WE CAUSED is just amazing and really makes it feel like our actions have impact. We aren't just reacting to events we are causing major events to unfold and without the Schism the rest of the war would've played out a lot differently

[@ryanelliott71698]

I forgot to mention, but I kind of feel we missed a great opportunity to see what happened with the UNSC ship. Yeah, it gets controlled by the flood, but I think seeing what went down or at least a part of the takeover as the Arbiter in the race to the icon would’ve been great

[@PineappleStickers]

I always felt that was a massive failing in Halo 2's story telling, even if only due to time constraints. The explanation pretty much gets chalked up to "eh, it happened off screen somehow, don't worry about it"

[@BenPlaysGames]

Being on In Amber Clad as everything happened would have been awesome, that's a great idea. Would have been a pretty original scenario for a Flood mission too, which is highly valuable as the Flood are repetitive and, I think, live or die on the quality of the environment, story etc built around them rather than on entertaining combat a lot of the time.

[@ryanelliott71698]

@@BenPlaysGames A viable way I think it could work is if the marines do capture the icon first and escape to the ship, causing the Arbiter to give chase with the flood in tow. The mission could be a very cool remix of the missions in Halo CE of the missions The Pillar of Autumn and Keys. Where the positions are switched as now your the one invading a UNSC ship, slaughtering marines. And for good measure, as the ship is taking of, an infected pelican crashes into the ship, giving you cover to capture the icon. And we can have the final confrontation with the Arbiter, Maranda and Johnson fighting each other to escape the ship. With pretty much everything else that happens with betrayal staying here. Arbiter gets pushed off the phantom as it departs and crashes into the sea. Thoughts?

[@Specoups]

@@ryanelliott71698 An interesting idea, but as said many times, it would present issues in terms of gameplay. Bungie purposefully never pitted you against marines in Halo because they use hitscan weapons, meaning you cannot dodge their projectiles. Marines, unlike the flood, are trigger happy and accurate. Fighting them would be equal to fighting squads of sniper jackals: if you're in easy or normal difficulty, you just bum rush everything. If you're fighting in heroic or legendary, then you get killed as soon as you get a line of sight. This creates a boring combat experience where dancing around enemies and picking off targets in sequential orders doesn't matter anymore.

[@shadowguy321]

@@ryanelliott71698 would have LOVED that idea. You win my seal of approval. Imagine a level where we walk through In Amber Clad as it's eaten alive by the Flood. It could have been an epic horror themed level. Although as Specoups mentioned, it would have suffered from balance, hard core. Marines shoot their weapons far more than flood, and they are hit scan. It's why in Halo I always found flood with human weapons to be far more difficult than Flood with Covenant weapons

[@cse9675]

11:10 on harder difficulties, specifically legendary, this is where you forget about combat and sprint to the end

[@taleseylad1249]

I played it on heroic and just ran. I can only imagine the pain legendary players face

[@lincon_logs3939]

I think "stealth" in halo has always been rather poor. Understandably, it's not a particularly important aspect of the entire Halo series, but it's frustrating that missions like Truth and Reconciliation and Gravemind seem to offer you a "stealthy approach" only to whisk it away no matter how you play it. I would have preferred they never give you the illusion of a quiet approach to be honest.

[@SobeCrunkMonster]

i would have preferred if they did the way that was in the other one

[@sandman8993]

What do you mean. I can get past quite a lot as the arbiter with the cloak ability

[@cephalonsimaris4395]

I think a good solution would be a system where as long as enemies don’t fire their weapons you’ll stay undetected so if you can kill enemies extremely quickly and one at a time you’ll stay I detected

[@BenPlaysGames]

The prison in Gravemind I can kill one, maybe two enemies before everyone goes guns out. Gimme a chance to be sneaky is all I'm asking!

[@matthewwhite3967]

It always seems like the grunts wake up no matter what you do, and as soon as that happens it's guns out. Even on Truth and Reconciliation you can take out maybe a few enemies with the sniper, but they'll always figure out where you are eventually.

[@buckeyebeliever3397]

Halo 2 brutes were by far the best iteration. Them being shieldless bullet-sponges with the ability to beat a spartan to death made them so interesting and so different from the Elites. H3 just made them into slightly different Elites and I’d say that’s less interesting

[@Headless_Bill]

Not only that but I thought it was weird how their shields / armor completely disappeared when depleted in Halo 3. They, like you said, were just slightly different (slightly disappointing IMO) elites. Like, where'd all of their ridiculous strength and endurance go?

[@goldheartodyssey4486]

Honestly Halo 2 Brutes are extremely weak to headshots. They only take 3 headshots. Also of course Needlers too.

[@mikegaruda4270]

Halo 3 was a downgrade in terms of difficult and lore.

[@worsethanyouthink]

Plus halo 3 has at least 20 encounters that are just a 'bunch of brutes' with the only variation being that one group is invisible and another group has the option of killing the chieftain before you have to fight them all anyways

[@343killedhalo4]

nah they were way too overpowered. it made the civil war unrealistic. if they were actually that powerful all the leotes would be dead. halo reach did brutes the best. they didnt feel like knock off Chewbaccas with halo guns but instead an actual alien threat.

[@nicos1097]

Tbh, gravemind is my favorite level of any video game I’ve ever played. The atmosphere of high charity and the great schism was so magical to me when I first played it

[@thorntonwager6750]

YES! Nothing was crazier than walking in on battles between Elites and brutes! 343 needs to find a decent secondary antagonist so we can get set pieces like that again.

[@Mr___f]

Great video but I need to complain quickly: the "arena" at the end is the mausoleum where the Arbiter was sentenced to his "death" in the opening. It is an extremely important area for the elites which is why that super high ranking council elite shows up with the spec ops (that you only fight on legendary in this level). It is very symbolic to be fighting on "sacred grounds". Just a minor nit pick though!

[@BenPlaysGames]

Nice spot, f - that adds extra narrative weight to the whole encounter for sure.

[@trillionbones89]

Where he *became the Arbiter. The first room is the one where he was sentenced to death.

[@doomfan8603]

@@trillionbones89 The title of Arbiter is usually a death sentence

[@2xben]

its funny because the councilor elite being there was a coding mistake, it was supposed to be a zealot (golden elite). instead it can be an honour guard councilor or an honour guard ultra which ends up being so much cooler

[@Russman25123]

Great critique as always! But there is one thing regarding the Breaking Benjamin part of the level. I remember watching @The Act Man's Halo 2 review, and how he stated that the song was actually put into the game for free so the band could get publicity Pretty cool of them, if you ask me

[@lesbianduck7862]

I'm pretty sure I remember seeing an interview with the band in 2015 about how much they hate Halo 5 too which is kind of hilarious

[@sicKlown86]

I got to meet them after a Halloween event and they came off as really humble and level headed guys. They were more than willing to stand around and shoot the shit with us, but if I had known they were into games maybe I could have had something to talk about other than bland fanboy stuff.

[@lesbianduck7862]

@@sicKlown86 yeah I know Ben certainly is (there's a real old video of him playing Oblivion and Ghost Recon), think the video I mentioned was them trashing on Battlefront 2015 when EA asked them to promote the game and say it was great so instead they made that video.. cool guys I'm jealous you met them

[@fanamatakecick97]

@@sicKlown86 So humble that, despite from Pennsylvania (i believe), St. Louis, MO will always be their home. Every time they come here, they tell the story of their first tour. It was going utterly horrible, and no one was interested. But, as soon as they come to St. Louis, the line for the amphitheater was backed up for blocks, and they made their biggest break here. Fucking awesome, i tell ya

[@BenPlaysGames]

Thanks Russman! And that's super cool - few people have mentioned it in the comments and I honestly had no idea. Used to be bang into them back in the day especially, late 90s/early 00s rock and metal was awesome. As it happens, I actually saw Jimmy Eat World in Brixton the other day.

[@PandaJerk007]

Love this mission! I wouldn't want that first room removed, but definitely reworked. And in general I don't mind the repetition of Gravemind. I didn't like The Library's repetition because even a lot of the encounters feel the same, but with Gravemind there's so much variety in encounters that I wouldn't even mind a longer level tbh

[@fluffytoaster427]

There’s also story progression throughout the background audio on Gravemind. Whereas Library is just “wait here til I perform protocols to open this door” for 25 minutes. Gravemind also has some of the best music tracks in Halo 2. And that’s saying something since the whole soundtrack was much better than any video game has a right to have🔥

[@PandaJerk007]

@@fluffytoaster427 yeah for sure the story progression was amazing on Gravemind! and the music too, such a beautiful soundtrack The Library was impressive in other ways tho. Like I loved how ancient and massive the place felt. It felt truly alien and creepy like a tomb, while also being really tame with visuals. Super memorable in its own way you know, it has Forerunner vibe without any gimmick!

[@BenPlaysGames]

It's definitely better than The Library for sure. At one point, this was going to have the title of 'Is Gravemind Halo's worst mission' to fit in with some of the others I've done, but I decided not to as having played it through three times for the video alone, I'm very confident it's not. High Charity is worse for starters.

[@PandaJerk007]

@@BenPlaysGames Yeah I loved Gravemind! only comparison it has to Library is some repetition, but Gravemind is soo much better! It feels a little gross to even compare the two xD

[@frazfrazfrazfraz]

You know, I always loved the repetition of the Library as a kid. It really made it feel like a long ordeal, which I know people say derogatorily, but I enjoyed that personally. It was immersive for me, I guess.

[@madcat789]

Tartarus, _Tartarus_, Chieftain of a group of alien Gorilla-Rhinos called _Brutes,_ was trying to give mercy to who was ostentibly an Old Man being attacked and strangled to death. That was always a scene that stayed with me, and in the anniversary cutscenes you can just tell by the look on his face that he thought about disobeying and saving Mercy anyway. Damn. What a great character.

[@Kotor13e]

My favorite mission from the cutscene to the story and the atmosphere of the level.

[@BenPlaysGames]

I could watch that opening cutscene over and over again, and never get bored. It's so bloody good.

[@vol4jesus684]

Gravemind is in my top 5 favorite Halo missions ever, maybe even top 2. I loved grinding it to get as few deaths as possible. The length, the difficulty, the thematic nature of the level, it’s just a great mission. Nice video, God bless bro.✝️❤️

[@Erinxh]

I'm not a huge fan of the mission “Gravemind", it's a bit too long and the gunfights in the consecutive corridors starts to overstay their welcome. As you fight your way through the level, the environment opens up and you eventually get to see High Charity in its full scope. This moment, the magnitude of the place should grasp the player. But it never truly does. As you enter an European gothic church, the sense of humility hits you as you get overwhelmed by the huge space and the enormous high ceiling. I believe they tried to awaken a similar feeling in the player as soon as you get to see High Charity in the background. The problem is that the background is too disjoined from the gameplay area itself. While you are fighting your way through High Charity, you never get to immerse yourself with the rest of the capital. The rooms and the corridors you’re traversing through are not truly that distinguished from other Covenant spaceships. (Aside from a couple of unique rooms/areas.) Justifiable or ironically (depending on your view.). High Charity is technically a spaceship off course, but you never get the feeling that you’re fighting your way through a capital city filled with the lives of billions of Covenant aliens nor the feeling of fighting through the command center, the heart of the Covenant. If you would remove the intro cut-scene and the High Charity background, you wouldn't know whether you are fighting in the interior of a regular Covenant spaceship or actually making your way through the place of power of the Covenant. I sadly find its twin level 'High Charity' even worse, which has one saving grace. My favorite song in Halo 2. Pretty much right at the beginning of this mission or at least early on, the song "Pursuit of Truth" (Renamed and remixed to "Charity's Irony" in the Anniversary edition.) starts to play and that's when 'High Charity' is at its apex. And as I ironically mentioned, this happens early in the mission. So the apex is short-lived. The level loses its charm once the song ends and you're back to fighting through enclosed areas and corridors but this time filled with the flood. A memorable part of the mission is when Truth starts his monologue. He delivers his speech so well! Read the following sentence while you have the song ‘Pursuit of Truth’ playing in the background. *_"Shall we let the Flood consume our holy city? Turn High Charity into another of their wretched hives? No enemy has ever withstood our might. The Flood too shall fail."_* Did you read that with Truth’s voice in your head? Cause I do, every single time! It’s one of those moments you will never forget.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Thanks for the detailed comment Erinch! As you say, Gravemind to High Charity is a pretty brutal pair of mission to play through. Gravemind at least has some spectacle and amazing story beats, but High Charity, for me, is a real slog in particular to get though. And yes mate, when I read that sentence I absolutely hear it in Truth's voice 😂

[@hiro_cuhh5672]

I agree w everything you said but imo i think cortana in halo 3 is almost as bad as gravemind imo. Sucks that its the only mission in halo 3 that actually sucks

[@BenPlaysGames]

@@hiro_cuhh5672 Cortana is a stinker as well for sure. I actually did a video on that mission too, although you'll have to excuse the quality as was still learning: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6mViWeNmZZ7hbc

[@TimsGamesDoneHard]

Personally, I think the Elitification of the Brutes was a good call overall, losing the Elites in Halo 3's combat would have been kind of a hit to the moment to moment gameplay. And for me, the Gravity Hammer Chieftains kept the ferocity that I liked about brutes in Halo 2. Also since the Chieftains were rare and clearly powerful enemies, it didn't feel as annoying to get pummeled by it compared to the basic brutes in Halo 2 ramming into you.

[@leegofilms]

7:32 I’d argue they don’t replace elites in gameplay terms. Since Brutes also act as “amorphous infantry” in way the elites never really did. Elites stayed predominantly an officer class, especially in later parts of H2, Brutes did not do this.

[@ThinsofWheat]

The comments you made around 13:00 are spot on. To me, what made the Bungie games special was not Master Chief, but the world around him. It's the carefully woven conflict between the three (later even four) factions, the impending future of the known world and the atmosphere it creates, and the constant back and forth between hope and doom. Unfortunately, 343 seemingly care more about the marketing opportunities of throwing Master Chief's face on everything and have turned Halo from a story-driven epic into a "will-they, won't-they" afternoon TV soap opera. The Halo 3: Believe trailer has been doing the rounds recently because of the Fall Guys thing (kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2S9eHp_mdWZe68&ab_channel=Bungie - for anyone wondering) and for good reason. I think it's the epitome of Bungie's perfect understanding and approach.

[@BenPlaysGames]

That trailer is awesome (I've actually used it in videos before too), as were many of those released around Halo 3. Starry Night was always the one that got me going most, such an amazing trailer: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXynnH6BqZ6Mbas

[@TheKusa5]

One of my favorite missions in all of halo along with delta halo and New Alexandria, I just love the environment while outside, seeing high charity in all its glory, the story moments as you watch the Great Schism unfold around, its just absolutely perfect for me.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Story beat during the mission are fantastic, you're right there. As it happens, I also have videos on both of the other missions you mentioned if you're looking for stuff on those too mate.

[@ChairmanKam]

I love how often I found myself nodding in agreement watching this. Especially the Brute analysis.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Nodding is good! Better than shaking your head in indignant rage for sure 😂

[@kpoc676]

This mission was such a beautiful level. the difficulty is almost worth it because each area was either epic or beautiful.

[@Wepospalient]

I've always liked Halo 2's brutes, while they often are a bit TOO bullet spongey, I always liked how beefy they were. They were a tougher target that you needed more fire power to take down. In games like halo 3 and reach, the brutes are often squishy to the point of being a joke in most encounters. I also love halo 2 brute's berserking, it is the one and only time in the whole series where a berserk brute was an honest threat. As soon as you saw that brute hunch over, you knew he was now your top priority on the battlefield, you killed him or he killed you, and it make a lot of brute encounters more tense, in subsequent games the berserk brutes move much slower, attack less often, and have much slower and more telegraphed attacks, taking the berserking brute from the biggest threat in a fight to the weakest and most insignificant threat in a fight.

[@BenPlaysGames]

I'm of the same view. They can be a bit of a pain in the arse in narrower areas, but they definitely felt like something different, but equally threatening, compared to the elites they replaced.

[@samtheweebo]

Honestly I prefer having repeated rooms with different encounters over having different rooms with the same sort of encounters. Like you use the rooms differently in different encounters and knowing the space around you gives you more planning options

[@erikjan15585]

15:03 that 'circular arena' is actually the mausoleum of the arbiter, from a few levels prior

[@AdorablePeach23]

Hey having to fight both elites and brutes during the civil war was an extremely unique experience. Also having Marines with you fighting along side you was also very satisfying. Then having to fight the flood on top of that as well to me was epically fantastic to witness. Good storytelling and one of my favorite missions to me. Also the music in Halo 2 was one of my favorites. Also Halo 3 and ODST had extremely good music. Just not as unique as Halo 2.

[@DragonActual]

One thing I did not notice until I played Halo 2/2A: The cutscene where Miranda retrieves the Index, the said cutscene makes the area look isolated and a small room with not much space. Yet, prior to the cutscene, playing as the Arbiter, the room is actually has lots of space.

[@yosil1718]

‘Long and hard’ immediately into the video, jesud

[@BenPlaysGames]

Go long and hard or go home.

[@whitechocolate029]

Everytime I think I've weakened a brute enough for melee, he gives me a good 1'2'3.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Happens to me every single time I play Halo 2, never learn 🙈

[@ColtonWhite123]

Your script is very well-written and you are well-spoken as well dude! Ur gonna blow up soon enough for sure

[@BenPlaysGames]

Cheers Colton mate!

[@angmordagnithil7127]

I played Halo for the first time last year because of the MCC (PC gamer 4lyfe), and this mission kicked my ass. When I got to the bridge with the hunters, I had used up every powerful weapon I had come across, and only had a plasma pistol and a single half-empty charge for a carbine. I simply did not have the resources to beat the final encounters. I had to start the entire mission over from scratch. The second time through, I gave beam rifles to all of the rescued marines, and had a _much_ easier time.

[@BenPlaysGames]

When I'm playing on harder difficulties, kitting up the marine is always a very useful strategy as the can do some real damage with the right weapon in their hands. One of my favourite things in Infinite was to do similar and then drive around in a Razorback melting everything.

[@whensomethingcriesagain]

I figured out, Brutes in Halo 2 take massively increased damage from explosions, so the Needler is an ideal weapon for taking them out.

[@Headless_Bill]

My preferred brute takedown weapons: 1) Dual wielded needles 2) Covenant carbine (headshots!) 3) Lucky plasma nade 4) Beam rifle or fuel rod cannon

[@animarthur5297]

The first thing this mission does is give you a Needler and pit you against two Brutes. Clever

[@fmita_]

16:05 is the most underrated cutscene. It shows how deceptive Truth really is. He claims that the reason the elites are being replaced is because they failed to protect a prophet, yet the brutes fail to protect one here as well and he lets him die. Clearly, he wanted both prophets to die to gain total control, and saw the brutes as more blindly faithful than the elites.

[@SamsarasArt]

Gravemind is my favorite level in Halo 2. The opening cutscene is amazing and High Charity is a really cool setting to explore. It's a really difficult level, especially on legendary, but the way the covenant civil war breaks out as you progress is amazing. It mixes up the combat in an interesting way while being story significant. It's also the only mission where you fight every type of covenant enemy.

[@Sarah-qx4vz]

I just recall always having the music and all around vibe of the entire mission to make me feel some way. It was so eerie and somber

[@curtisleblanc5897]

It has one of my favourite opening cutscenes and some of the best music

[@BenPlaysGames]

I love the opening cutscene to death, Gravemind is such a great character.

[@BaronLickilicky]

Very much enjoyed the cut of your jib on this one, Ben! Completely agree that the Brutes have never really seemed brutish after Halo 2; they're a very distinct enemy in this game which I like. I also love the sections of this mission seeing the Covenant civil war - I like how you can dive straight into the fight or hold back and watch them kill each other. I remember hearing somewhere that it was Marty O'Donnell's idea to have the song by Breaking Benjamin play in the final room, and that most of the staff weren't convinced. But like you said, it does make a smashing tune to that fight. Keep up the great videos!

[@BenPlaysGames]

Cheers Baron! Not overly surprised to hear Bungie devs were against adding Breaking Benjamin to the final room - as I say in the video, I would have been vehemently against it. That being said, it actually works and I wouldn't have it any other way haha.

[@reddivisions9017]

People who click fast instead of hold the needler are true legendaries.

[@jameswolfe2678]

I can’t tell you how many times I got turned around on gravemind. Also another thing is sometimes you can get in a death loop on the first room when the mission starts with that brute needled combo

[@puddel9079]

Oh man, I remember arming all the marines with needlers. Absolutely wrecked shop in close quarters.

[@Karmakarzii]

The moment you hear Blow Me Away start playing is fucking epic. One of the strongest memories in all of Halo 2

[@liamcastro4184]

"and there are some who like it long and hard" might want to re phrase that

[@BenPlaysGames]

Why, it's a perfectly legitimate sentence with no dirty undertones of any sort.

[@shadowguy321]

First time I played Halo 2, I got my ass kicked HARD in that damn first room. Cleared the first Brute, then he started beserking and I freaked. The needler became a stand-in rocket launcher, and I tried to shave health down from the brutes evenly in every encounter so no Brute would beserk me with full health. First time I played Halo 3 and met the Brutes and saw them "beserk" I remember going, "that's it?" The enemy that freaked me out to fight as much as the Flood...that was what they were reduced to? Halo Reach, the Elites were kicking my ass in every level. Then I came upon New Alexandria, I was nervous in the dark with Covenant everywhere and suicide bombers. I had to remind myself that I was a Spartan and feared nothing. Then I saw my enemy and I literally shouted, "oh thank goodness, it's just Brutes!" The fact that they reused the Elite AI in Reach, which caused them to just be fat gorillas was such a let down. Halo Wars 2, seemed 343 was giving the Brutes some love. And then Halo bloody Infinite. Congrats 343, a Brute beserking officially freaks me out again, well bloody done!

[@YourFavoriteCommie]

Gravemind is definitely one of those missions I never feel bad about playing through on easier difficulties, not only to save myself from the infuriating experience of heroic or legendary but also because the storytelling really is phenomenal, and I feel like when you're able to play it easier, it gives you more space to really enjoy the narrative.

[@Tentaclear1]

Gravemind is a blast when you’re not on legendary, one of my favorite underrated missions

[@peterfabeer6988]

this is the video i waited for! its story wise the best level of every halo game

[@BenPlaysGames]

So good, isn't it? Hope you enjoyed the video Peter mate.

[@jackmb9760]

When Ben uploads a video it’s a good day indeed. Keep up the great work my friend!

[@BenPlaysGames]

That's kind of you to say jack mate - and will do, plenty more in the pipeline!

[@retr0pearce765]

I'm really liking your content. Having said that, the fact that you considered Gravemind a hard mission, baffled me, until I noticed you not dual wielding Needlers or any other gun throughout the entire video haha

[@wiffmastermase]

Jackal snipers aside, I've never thought Halo 2 Legendary to be that difficult. My geek circle growing up raced to beat legendary solo overnight. One of my friends was so obsessed with hitting level 50 he was actually smoking crack just to stay awake while sticking a butter knife into his XBOX so he could force matchmaking to only choose the 'Multipler pack' maps when the first batch came out. Shit was wild back then.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Crack smoking butter knife man is definitely one of the wilder stories shared on this channel haha.

[@itsfrostyice6954]

that first room on legendary is one of the hardest things I've experienced in halo lmao

[@Spongebrain97]

Halo 2 was always special to me because I only owned a PS2 back then and so the only time I got to play the game was at my uncle's house who lived out of state which was once every summer. The Halo 2 Brutes I think are still the best version of them just because you gotta change your combat style due how differently they play vs the elites. And I always found it amusing when the space gorillas began charging at you and were boxing champions along with having funny voices. As a kid just having Order 66 vibes with this mission and I remember feeling bad when you still gotta kill elites in this level

[@nazizombiesmustdie1]

Ha! You delivered on my request, thank you Ben!! Love this mission!

[@BenPlaysGames]

No worries dude, got there in the end haha.

[@jirakj]

I find your comment about the lighting change for the anniversary edition to be spot on. When I played the original, I found the library and high charity were so dark and drab that I sometimes lost where I was going. Halo CE always managed to work in an open air pace breaker at the exact right time that gave you some sense of where you were on the level.

[@MrCacheo]

You forgot to mention one of the most unique part of Gravemind: the special elite

[@justinnyugen7015]

I appreciate this level for the story it tells - an all out conflict breaking out as conniving Truth makes his escape from the bad green man. It's absolutely beautiful looking in either version, with vista view of Covenant buildings and the mysterious Keyship in the distance. It's also neat because High Charity is a place we've seen throughout the entire game, with chief finally setting boots in those pivotal cutscene locations (The audience chamber, the place where Arbiter was branded, the Mausoleum, the prisons, and the inner sanctum.)

[@TheFacelessStoryMaker]

I love how the names of the 3 prophets also go in tandem with their deaths. Regret knew too late he made a mistake, regretting his actions. Mercy expecting Truth to help him, did not. He received no mercy. Truth died believing in his twisted version of truth to the very end that the firing of the rings would make him a God.

[@OmarrMcinnis]

What cements the Gravemind as for me as real threat When 117 tells Arby to" relax" and that he'd "rather NOT piss this thing off"... Scary words coming from "THE DEMON"...!

[@bainbonic]

Bit of a tangent, but I love how Tartarus goes to help the Prophet attacked by Flood without any hesitation, and looks really torn when told to leave him. He's a massive dick, but I like this moment of clear loyalty to the Prophets, makes him and the Brutes as a whole more interesting than just big apes, they're just as in deep for the Great Journey as any other Covenant race.

[@charlesjackson7576]

When I was a kid, idk, like 13 years old, I would play Gravemind over and over again on legendary just so I could get to the mausoleum and hear Breaking Benjamin as I shredded through Halo 2’s big baddies. I’m 33 now, and this specific part of the mission is my favorite part of any video game. Also fun fact, as you’re chasing the heretic in the sand storm on Banshees, on the original Halo 2, there’s an electric guitar riff going on - that’s Incubus. The song is named “Follow Me.” So Incubus and Breaking Benjamin were really popular when I was a teenager, and this game was IT. Totally the in on in.

[@mortman200]

The Brutes in Infinite are a great return to the Halo 2 Brutes by making them fight in a vastly different style to the Banished Elites.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Agreed John - should have mentioned Infinite's brutes in the video really!

[@simplyskrypt3914]

To be fair, the Brutes acting more like Elites in halo 3 compared to halo 2 could litterally be a storytelling element. In halo 2 you are looking at their inception as squad leaders. They have been in a leading position for mere days, at best. You are probably their first ever hostile encounter since rising up to their new rank. Halo 3 however, is set some time later, so you would expect Brutes to slowly adapt to their new role and start behaving like actual leaders and less like dollar store Hunters

[@zadeinator2370]

I completely agree regarding the brutes and their "elitification" post-halo 2. One of the things I think Infinite did very well was bridging the gap between 2 and 3's brutes with the ones that have the armour that can be individually shot off, although I do still wish that they berserked instead of leaving the berserking state to an individual brute type.

[@BenPlaysGames]

You're right, Infinite was much better and I probably should have mentioned that in the video honestly! Like you say, would have been nice to have had the possibility of any brute going berserk rather than using a specific type, although maybe they would do it a little less frequently than 2's.

[@MobiusTrigger7]

The song breaking Benjamin put in to the game was completely free they were fans of halo and they wanted to have a song in Halo2 and bungie and Marty with Donald Michael Salvatore agreed

[@maxime2445]

I love the blow me away section. That and the mjolnir parts. Quite memorable. Don't remember the room, just fighting flood and covenant with epic guitars in tje background

[@Wizzkidwas]

"Blow me away" is literally the only reason I re-play this mission

[@revolvingzyclon6901]

Fun fact the Gravemind actually speaks in Iambic Heptameter which is why he sounds odd when he speaks and hence why he rhymes

[@BenPlaysGames]

He does! I actually thought about including it in the video but I couldn't verify it myself so decided not to. I actually have a degree in English, and studied poetry as part of that fairly extensively, but always struggle hugely trying to count syllables.

[@tri-sapien6487]

The part where Blow Me Away plays I don't think Bungie shoehorned in just to get use out of what they paid. To my knowledge most of the band songs in Halo 2 were made specifically for Halo 2 and were made without request from Bungie. Bungie didn't have to pay a penny for most of these songs, and I also know Blow Me Away was officially made for Halo 2.

[@LilSticcBoi]

As far as I know, Bungie actually didn't pay anything on Blow Me Away. Breaking Benjamin genuinely just loved Halo, and made music for them, which honestly I think makes that end room where it plays better!

[@yoshiboibest9700]

He knew what he was doing with that intro

[@mdioxd9200]

The true problem with halo 2's brutes is the lack of feedback... They aren't stunned, they don't react to getting shot except a tiny flinch... They should've given them some sort of visible hit animation and something showing their remaining health, a bit like the elite's shields do

[@NYG5]

Yep, even elites get staggered when taking health damage shocks. That's actually what I hate about playing many shooters like Destiny, enemies dont really react to being hit until they die and go instant floppy ragdoll

[@RtwSeano]

Loved this mission. Was the only level in halo2 I couldn’t beat solo in legendary.

[@thorntonwager6750]

Gravemind is everything I love about halo. Awesome music, enemies I love killing, and the most amazing setting of the series (imo) High Charity. Oh, and Master Chief being completely unphased by the fact that he’s on the literal covenant homeworld 😂

[@e1ectricfee1]

Another day…another banger video from Ben! Keep it up! You should do a halo night with subscribers!

[@BenPlaysGames]

Cheers for always checking them out Andrew! That's actually not a bad idea and I've been looking at maybe setting up a Twitch recently - watch this space.

[@e1ectricfee1]

@@BenPlaysGames definitely set up a twitch! Keep up the good work. Peace and love from across the pond.

[@purificationdreams249]

Watching this video just after i finished gravemind legendary, it took me like 6+ hours and i wanted something to forget the pain

[@BenPlaysGames]

I just did the whole campaign on Legendary on stream the other week, level's a pain in the backside!

[@Sup3rNo7a]

They honestly could have fixed the Halo 2 Brutes without really changing their overall design or behavior at all if they had just changed 3 simple things when dealing with them: 1) Don't have them move their head down and off to the side when they go Berserk. This alone made them stupidly frustrating to fight because it massively hampers the player's ability to naturally and instinctively aim for their heads, because their head isn't where it's supposed to be anymore (and is now also constantly moving every so slightly as they endlessly shoulder-charge toward you, making it even hard to hit). 2) Make their helmets NOT able to block (at the very least) a Sniper shot. A Carbine round is one thing (still kinda stupid, but fine), but Sniper and Beam Rifle rounds to the head should kill them, even with their little helmets. Elites wear helmets, too, but we don't have any problem headshotting them once their shields are down (or even through their shields with sniper rounds). 3) Giving us access to a Battle Rifle to fight them with. Granted this isn't a change to the Brute at all, but a Battle Rifle would have made fighting the Brutes a lot more manageable all by itself because the 3-round burst would have made it possible to get rid of the helmet and score the headshot with a single trigger pull, rather than being forced to use the relatively inaccurate Carbine and hit their head twice (or begin spamming it and praying once they start berserk-charging you).

[@draculinalilith396]

I love halo 2 so much, the campaign is unreal and imo still unmatched. They three way massive conflicts were amazing

[@chrisk_nfl4120]

Gravemind is the one mission from Halo 2 I'll always replay no matter what. I bloody love it. I love the fact you're basically THE Lone Spartan (especially on Legendary cause no Marine survives) on a Covenant space station shooting at everything and trying to survive. It's at a great time of the game where it kicks off "act 3" and contrasts the rather emotion driven "uprising" that follows, the pretty boring slogs of the two missions prior (the arbiter ones at the library). What I love the most tho, is it's use of the weapons sandbox. It has large open areas where a carbine or beam rifle would be useful, and a lot of close quarters areas where a plasma rifle, needler and energy sword would be beneficial. On legendary it's almost a challenge in itself trying to predict the next area and have the right equipment. The arenas are repetitive and the enemy spawns can make a grown man cry, but I think that adds to the charm of Gravemind. Personally, I would've loved for Bungie to cut out the prison scene and started the schism in the very first room. Just drop you straight into the mayhem.

[@truvc]

I feel exactly the same way about the brutes’ being turned into elites that look like brutes. The halo 2 elites look the coolest too. They look meaner and more savage in gameplay and cutscenes in halo 2

[@suprmeshaolis]

The Breaking Benjamin part being cheezy is a dang lie. That was the absolute best part that i loved about H2

[@galacticbrickstudios7147]

Bro that intro is INSANE

[@azreal18]

4:18 Master Chief : Boo Grunt : AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@sonsauvage]

It took me a solid 10 minutes before I realized they must have put a remastered/anniversary edition out. I was like, I really don't remember the shit looking this good on the Xbox

[@BenPlaysGames]

The cutscenes are the anniversary edition and the gameplay is the original but with a few modern upgrades such as much higher res and framerates. 4K/120fps is such a great experience if you've got a monitor with a high refresh rate. Definitely recommend it.

[@morbidtotty8375]

All I know, is that when playing this mission during my legendary play though of halo 2, this is the mission that nearly broke me. It took me quite a long time to beat and tested my patience in every single combat encounter. Requiring nothing short of perfection and a great amount of luck, it’s a very difficult mission indeed

[@OfficialBilboShaggins]

Gravemind is and always will be my favourite mission of all time! The story beats, fighting both the brutes and elites and witnessing the beginning of their civil war, all finished off with the mausoleum battle at the end - perfection!

[@sdsocal2374]

It‘s actually by far my favorite Halo mission. Love the level design of High Charity

[@Essman614]

Iirc in one of the books I believe the gravemind reveals that he speaks the way he does as speaking normally is beneath the intelligence he has amassed. In practice he speaks in Iambic Heptameter because it Bungie loves the number 7, but also because it's poetic

[@Apollo5752353]

I played all the Halo missions so many times (minus 4 and 5, and Infinite I haven't touched yet because I am worried about it's story) that it's second nature to me to quote these lines in all the Halo games, they're that good

[@rogan_.]

infinite isint bad but you have to pretend it’s not a halo game

[@Apollo5752353]

@@rogan_. It is still a Halo game at heart, just a husk of it's former self by a greedy, spineless company named Microsoft

[@K_End]

I completely agree the gravemind is one of my favorite cutscenes in halo 2, granted only really playing anniversary edition, soo many cutscenes are iconic imo.

[@rizzjusvibin]

The first 25 seconds of this video are legendary to say the least.

[@BenPlaysGames]

Haha cheers Rizz!

[@volsfan0526]

Man. I remember loving this mission so much, i always used to kit out all the marines and try to keep them all alive to the end

[@DriveVibeAuto]

The song kicking in hyped me tf up when I first played campaign with my brother. Definitely not cheesy. Did exactly what it was intended to do. lol

[@ultrajd]

Two things about this mission. Firstly, concerning the brutes. A theory that I’ve always had about why they seem to be different. In subsequent titles is probably due to the fact that maybe they have for the lack of a better term grown when it comes to fighting the humans. After all until the release of the book contact harvest, it was implied that it was only until recently in the war that the humans had actually even encountered in the brutes. So it could be that as the fighting went on the brutes involved in a sense of changing up there tactics. Secondly, as I’m sure everyone who is played this game knows you can swap weapons with NPC marines. One thing that I noticed that is actually quite useful in this mission is giving all of the Marines the carbine. Even on higher difficulty settings, giving them the carbine actually makes them into viable combat companions. Whenever I did that, even on heroic and legendary, they could even kill brutes.

[@katon4525]

This was was absolutely fantastic!!!

[@BenPlaysGames]

Cheers Katon, thanks for the kind words!

[@thisIsFunnyLolz]

I like gravemind but also loathe it. It’s pretty much similar to every Halo 2 mission in that you can feel it was rushed or not play tested enough, but still awesome which is a testament to the talent and chaos that was Halo era Bungie. It really did have the potential to be one of if not the best mission in the whole saga

[@Matt-zu2lu]

This mission kicked my ass on legendary difficulty so much. It was so ridiculous with how much I was dying lol

[@phillipbass9493]

Hey! Love all this (and other videos). I won't lie, I never thought about the mission's length and which rooms should be removed. Beyond hallways, throughout the mission you visit all the places of the Arbiter's origin prior to playing as him. The High Council Chamber, the branding spot, the prison he was kept in, and then you march off to the Mausoleum of the Arbiter. Do you believe that's some narrative tool for the mission or more fun Easter eggs?

[@BenPlaysGames]

Hey Philip, appreciate the lovely feedback mate, thank you! I'll be completely honest with you, I never noticed that at all and now you mention it, I wonder if there is a reason. I like to think it's more a narrative decision, but equally it may have just been a way for Bungie to get maximum value from assets/environments by using them both in the Arbiter's cutscene and Master Chief's gameplay. Although, I hope that's not the reason as it's not as interesting 😂

[@phillipbass9493]

@@BenPlaysGames Hahaha I agree. I'd love the idea of the narrative reason. Of course if it is money based, I guess who can blame them 😂 Regardless, love the content and always looking forward to your next videos!