Halo 3 Mythic (SLASO) Walkthrough - The Nine-Step Program

Halo 3 Mythic Walkthrough by Daniel Morris

The Nine-Step Program

Some of these I've mentioned in the previous sections, and others may just come off as common sense, but all of them are good to keep in mind while you're battling it out in what could be the toughest challenge in the Halo series.

Practice! If you just finished beating the game on Normal co-op for the first time, consider working your way up to Mythic by at least beating the game on Legendary first. One of the best ways to get your feet wet without making your experience an agonizing hellhole is by turning on all skulls except Blind and Iron. By doing this, your enemies will still be throwing everything they've got at you (literally in the case of Grunts), but you'll still have the benefit of being able to monitor your shields, learn when to bash for health, and also be able to revert to the previous checkpoint. Once you feel like you have SLESO down (Solo Legendary Eleven Skulls On), bump it up a notch and switch on the Blind skull. This will enable you to get used to a lack of reticle and not being able to monitor your health accurately. In addition, you'll be able to check out just how much ammo the Famine skull steals from you. Once you are confident you can get through the level with three deaths or less (all being due to careless mistakes), then give Mythic a try.
Stockpile! There are a number of areas throughout the campaign that enable you to backtrack. Don't be afraid to take a few extra minutes to grab weapons from previous areas and move them forward in preparation for the coming battles. You can also "juggle" weapons by walking forward and dropping and picking up weapons at the same time. This has been around since the days of Halo: Combat Evolved. You aren't being timed here, so use every opportunity given to you.
Conserve ammo! This goes hand in hand with stockpiling. Remember that between the decreased amounts of ammo caused by the Famine skull in conjunction with all the skulls which give enemies more health, you'll need make every shot count and use weapons to their full potential. For example, rather than trying to BR a Brute with full shields, use a charged plasma shot to decimate his armor, and then follow up with a headshot from a projectile weapon.
Make the Arbiter your meatshield! He's there. And in case you haven't noticed, he can withstand a tremendous pounding. In addition to his health, you can set him up with weapons by bashing him five times to lower his shields, headshotting him with a BR, Carbine, or Magnum, and exchanging a weapon for the one he drops. When he backflips back to life, he'll pick up the closest weapon to him. One great place to use this is on The Storm with a Rocket Launcher. Note that betraying two or more enemies too close together in time will cause your allies to turn on you. Keep in mind, though, that your betrayal count resets after each checkpoint, so keep a mental picture of where most of the checkpoints are in each mission. In addition, the Arbiter can't seem to use sniper weapons or the Gravity Hammer.
All enemies are now a threat! Even Grunts and Infection forms, which used to be simply laughable, pose a serious danger to the unprepared player. The Catch skull transforms Grunts into grenade spamming masses, while downed shields caused by Black Eye leave you as an easy snack for a cluster of Infection Flood. If it moves and it's not an ally, kill it.
Scan the battlefield! Playing this game on anything less than Mythic has more than likely gotten you into the habit of charging straight into battle, guns blazing. Trying that method on Mythic will almost certainly cause you to die and repent. Once again, take your time and make sure all threats are eliminated before moving on with the mission.
Prioritize your enemies! For each battle, you'll need to use your best judgment to figure out which enemies pose the biggest threat, but generally speaking, the ones that can kill you from a distance are at the top of the list. Beam Rifle-wielding enemies are the deadliest followed by those with Carbines. Next you want to aim for the Grunts. One headshot with the Battle Rifle not only makes them an easy kill, but it also prevents your location from being spammed by masses of plasma grenades. Brutes should be your next target. Typically a charged plasma shot followed by a headshot from either the BR, Carbine, or sniper weapon will do just fine. Save the shielded Jackals for last. It's fairly easy to decimate their shields with a charged plasma shot. Then when they turn and run, assassinate them to regenerate your shields.
Some of the skulls have workarounds! For example, with Blind on, you can use support weapons and vehicles to see if your shields are down. With projectile weapons, you can tell if you're low on ammo if you are unable to reload. You can tell what kind of grenade you have judging by the sound it makes when it's selected. And you can tell what weapon you're holding by looking at your shadow on the ground. With Black Eye activated, you can melee enemies (including an unshielded Scarab core) for full shields in addition to using Regens and Invincibility. Also, jacking vehicles and bashing tanks work as well. Lastly, killing a Scarab will also heal you, though this only pops up four times in the game.
Take breaks! This really isn't an in-game technique, but it's still important. When you start getting tense, particularly when approaching the end of a lengthy mission, don't be afraid to pause the game and take a 5-10 break to calm down. Grab a glass of water and maybe a quick snack. It's important to try and keep your cool so your judgment will be nothing short of top notch.

Keeping all those things in mind, you are finally ready for Mythic! Your journey will be perilous, but may this guide help to keep you on the right path. Don't be afraid to get a little creative, and most importantly, remember to plan ahead. Godspeed!