Mission 10: The Maw

Mission Objectives

1. Fight through the crash site to the Autumn

   You crash-land back on the surface of Halo near the wrecked Pillar of Autumn. The surrounding area is a chaotic battlefield: Flood pouring from wreckage, Covenant remnants making a last stand, and Sentinels strafing everything. Use the Warthog near your crash site to punch through to the ship's entry point — do not fight on foot.

2. Destroy the four engine reactors

   Cortana needs you to overload the Autumn's fusion reactors to trigger a ship-wide detonation that will destroy Halo. Each reactor room is guarded by Flood and Sentinels. Throw a frag grenade into each room before entering to clear infection forms. The reactor override panels require you to hold position for five seconds per reactor — post up with your back to a wall so Flood cannot hit you from behind.

3. Reach the bridge and initiate the self-destruct

   After the fourth reactor, the ship's interior begins exploding. Hunters and Flood combat forms block the route to the bridge. Use the rocket launcher from the hidden armory (see secrets) to clear the corridor. On the bridge, activate the self-destruct console and Cortana begins the countdown: six minutes until detonation.

4. Escape via the service tunnels

   With the timer running, you must reach the hangar bay before the Autumn blows. The service tunnels are narrow and filled with panicked Flood and Covenant fighting each other. Do not stop to engage — sprint, melee anything in your way, and keep moving. The timer is generous on Normal (six minutes) but tight on Legendary (four minutes).

5. Complete the Warthog escape run

   The final stretch is the iconic Warthog escape through the Autumn's cargo bay. The path is a twisting gauntlet of ramps, exploding conduits, and collapsing platforms. Drive with controlled bursts of speed — full throttle everywhere will flip the Warthog on the tight turns. Firing is almost never worth it; just drive. The timer stops when you reach the Longsword fighter in the hangar.

Boss Strategy

No dedicated boss encounter. The Warthog escape run functions as the mission's climactic challenge. The driving route has three lethal chokepoints: the collapsing cargo ramp (slow down, let the debris fall, then accelerate), the ninety-degree turn in the engine corridor (release the accelerator, tap the handbrake, power through), and the final jump into the Longsword hangar (aim for the center of the ramp, hit full speed three seconds before the launch point). On Legendary, the timer is shorter and exploding barrels line the escape route — memorize their positions and steer wide. The Sentinels in the hangar will fire at you during the final approach but cannot kill you before the Longsword cutscene triggers.

Collectibles

• Terminal 10 — In the Pillar of Autumn's engine room, near reactor two
• Skull: Bandana — In the ship's bridge, on the Captain's chair

Secrets & Easter Eggs

• Alternate Warthog route — the cargo bay has two parallel paths. The left route is the intended one with ramps and cover. The right route is narrower but has zero exploding barrels and a straight shot to the final jump. Take the right fork after the first collapsed platform; it shaves four seconds off your time.
• Hidden Rocket Launcher — before entering the reactor rooms, detour through the Autumn's armory (same location as Mission 1's secret). The armory now contains a SPNKr rocket launcher with six rockets. This launcher makes the reactor rooms and bridge approach dramatically easier. Grab it even if you plan to swap at the hangar.
• Longsword hangar skip — during the final jump, angling the Warthog slightly right as it leaves the ramp causes it to skip the landing animation and trigger the Longsword cutscene one second faster. This is only relevant for speedrunning but is satisfying to land on any difficulty.