Halo CE Anniversary Full Campaign Walkthrough

Andy and Gus play through Halo: CE Anniversary on Legendary difficulty in co-op via MCC. The playthrough is marked by recurring MCC co-op connectivity issues that caused multi-week gaps between recording sessions. Both hosts generally enjoy the Anniversary graphics, though they note the second half of the campaign suffers from repetitive level design — a product of its era.

General Observations

• Difficulty: Legendary co-op throughout
• Graphics: Playing on Anniversary (remastered) graphics. The Halo rings and character models look especially good, though the environments look less impressive.
• Weapons: The Magnum ("Vista Pistol") is widely acknowledged as broken/overpowered and is the most sought-after weapon throughout the run.
• Assault Rifle: Praised for its high ammo count (~100 rounds), satisfying sound, and stopping power — considered one of the best ARs in the franchise.
• MCC Co-op: Persistent launch failures plagued the playthrough. The hosts note MCC co-op campaign has long-standing netcode issues that 343 has acknowledged but never fully resolved.

The Pillar of Autumn

The opening mission introduces the Anniversary visual toggle — old vs. new graphics can be swapped in real time. A Halo 4 easter egg is visible early on: a dark planetoid called "Planetoid Rising" with a troll wall face.

• Spawning without a weapon at the start is noted as an annoyance on Legendary
• Overshields are available early in the level — one per player
• Bob (the hidden Elite from Reach) does not appear in Halo CE

Halo (The Ring)

A large outdoor mission with Banshees, Warthogs, and a skull hunt. The hosts are going for a no-vehicles achievement, making this mission significantly harder.

• Three Banshees need to be destroyed for an achievement — players need to kill them before elites can board
• Covenant drop ships actually land in this game (Phantoms/Spirits set down), unlike in Reach where they hover

Truth and Reconciliation

A nighttime infiltration mission aboard a Covenant cruiser. Requires the sniper rifle to take out the turret gunner silently at the start to unlock an achievement.

• Stealth opening: Kill the first group silently (crouching, sniper only) to get the achievement
• Halo 4 easter egg: A terminal reads "Linda — Cryo Chamber Status: Unavailable," referencing a Blue Team Spartan who appears in Halo 5
• Active camo is available on this mission; useful for getting close and meleeing enemies
• The turret can be hijacked — jumping into it triggers a chaotic sequence
• Foreign skull found behind the Hunters near the end of the level

The Silent Cartographer

A beach/island mission. Notable for being one of the more enjoyable levels in the campaign.

• Jackal shields are noticeably harder to deal with in CE compared to later games — they hold shields more consistently
• The level has a distinct interior section with Hunters
• The hosts note the island/beach setting as one of the stronger level designs in the game

Assault on the Control Room

A long outdoor/indoor mission involving Wraiths, Banshees, Scorpion tanks, and a multi-story Forerunner structure.

• Scorpion tank is available but unwieldy — poor controls, limited field of view, screen shake
• Vehicles in Halo CE are indestructible (unlike later games)
• The Ghost has no boost in this game
• The Forerunner structure interior is noted as a visual match to the same location revisited in Halo 3
• This mission takes roughly 1+ hour to complete on Legendary

343 Guilty Spark

Transition mission introducing the Flood. Short but atmospheric.

• The Flood appear for the first time — "popcorn flood" (exploding infection forms) are the most notable threat
• Described as a great concept — parasitic rather than typical zombie trope
• One stray popcorn flood can block co-op respawns, causing frustration

The Library

The most criticized mission in the campaign — long, repetitive, and fought entirely against the Flood across identical-looking rooms.

• Four floors of Forerunner structure, all visually near-identical
• Shotgun and assault rifle are the most effective weapons against the Flood
• Rocket-wielding Flood appear in the upper floors
• Hosts note this mission would be "ripped apart" by modern critics for its design
• The Sentinels (Forerunner drones) become active near the end; they are initially friendly

Two Betrayals

A revisit/reversal of Assault on the Control Room — same geometry, played in reverse.

• Three pulse generators must be destroyed; each requires a grenade thrown into a specific opening
• The rocket launcher can physically push/launch the grenade into the slot if used carefully
• Banshees are required to reach the third generator (it's elevated)

Keyes

Boarding the Truth and Reconciliation a second time, now overrun by Flood.

• The level involves locating Captain Keyes in the brig — wrong doors are common
• Shotgun remains the best weapon against Flood
• The level's sewer/coolant environment is considered one of the better visual designs of the campaign
• Hunters appear unexpectedly on the ground floor

The Maw

The escape mission — drive a Warthog through the exploding Pillar of Autumn.

• The driving physics are notably poor — Warthog flips frequently on ramps
• One player riding the gun while the other drives is the most viable co-op approach
• The mission ends with the Chief escaping on a Longsword fighter as Halo detonates

Final Thoughts

• Halo CE Legendary is considered manageable, with the Flood-heavy back half being the hardest stretch
• The game "shows its age" in its second half but the core mechanics (gunplay, enemy archetypes) remain excellent
• Both hosts agree Halo 2 is a significant step up in campaign design
• MCC connectivity issues caused multiple multi-week gaps between recording sessions