Since I have no XBL at the moment, I thought I'd write a few tips on beating legendary, on your own that is. Now most of you know that by playing it co-op you get unlimited tries as long as one player stays alive, unlike Halo2 but like Halo 1, so you probably don't have much of a strategy and the thoughts that cross you & your buddy's mind while playing it are somewhere along the lines of "Was it my turn to kamikaze myself into that hoard of brutes to clear the way or was it his?" Now obviously that's not quite the strategy you'd want to use while playing it solo. I played and beat all 3 games (not to brag but to compare) on legendary and have this to say. If you own the whole set you undoubtedly noticed that legendary got harder with each chapter (when I look upon legendary in Halo 1 now it feels like I were playing H2 or H3 in normal) and Halo 3 is no different. Oh, and for those of you who remember those annoying Jackal snipers from H2 that seemed impossible to beat, yeah they're in here too but only a couple of them, not the unreal number H2 featured.
Now like I said every monster seems to have gotten stronger in H3, as even a simple grunt can easily kill you if you're distracted or even switching weapons for not wanting to waste a sniper round on him. I personally only beat it once on legendary (so I actually had to kill most of the monsters instead of rushing like I did with H2 legendary) so there won't be any mention of shortcuts or similar things. Most levels will feature you fighting brutes so weapon choice is key, the old effective combo that still works is the old battle rifle + plasma pistol. Here are some good combos to use when in doubt:
Battle Rifle/ Plasma Pistol: Best for grunts (1 HS kill), brutes ( 1 charge + 1 HS kill) and jackals (1 HS kill), flood (1 center shot kill for the weaker types)
Carbine/ Plasma Pistol: When you run out of br rounds always switch to the carbine as it has the same effect.
Carbine/ BR: Effective when faced with a lot of grunts and jackals but not advisable for brutes as it wastes too much ammo to bring one down (5-6 rounds +).
Shotgun/Br or Shotgun/Assault Rifle or Shotgun/Carbine Shotgun/Plasma rifle or replace the shotgun with the sword in the above combo: Very effective for dealing with the flood as it can kill all types very easily (PR works better than the AR with the small parasite flood, and sword works better than shotgun for the bigger types). The sword can kill almost all flood (except the armored type) in one shot, even the big tree trunk types and those pesky spider like types that shoot spikes and turn into the big tree trunk types of flood, whereas the shotgun can't.
Brute shots can be effective when dealing with several shielded jackals and fuel rodded brutes. They are quite common as most brutes carry them, so try blending them into some combos, but remember they don't hold a lot of charges and they empty fast. Fuelrod/Rockets are a type of weapon I never use but I have the bad habit of picking up. Really bad for almost all scenarios except close up fights where you can cover easily, and tanks you want to destroy but don't have the courage to mount and plant a grenade. Whenever I pick this weapon I always try to conserve the ammo (another bad habit) and sometimes wind up dying for getting too close to a herd of aliens which I would otherwise have fought from a distance. So really don't use this unless you want to clear a closed area; open fields are the worst environment as most brutes dodge it easily and the grunts are just not worth killing with it, who by the way dodge it too. Sniper rifle/ Beam rifle: THE ABSOLUTE WORST WEAPON IN THE GAME..... just kidding, I learned early that to beat legendary without all the hair tearing/controller smashing you need to successfully use this weapon. It can kill brutes in one shot (if you shoot them in the mouth and they don't have armor on it) or 2 shots in most cases. Kills hunters in 2 if shot on the orange spots and you can spot Jackal snipers (but there's not many, probably people complained with the sick amount found in H2 which wound up being very frustrating) and carbine wielding Jackals. It's also effective for sniping ghost-driving grunts and brutes in other vehicles. Really pick it up whenever you can and learn to use it properly. Oh, and remember how prestige that comes with being a good sniper on XBL.Needler, good for easy kill of charging brutes (I prefer the br for this tho), and strong armored brutes that need 2-3 headshots to die. I personally don't use this either as it empties fast. Spartan Laser: this really is the most horrible weapon in the game... I have yet to find a good use for it (other than taking out closed-casket grunt turrets which I can easily do with the br as well, without being exposed so long).Gravity Hammer: Egh... borderline weapon, kills brutes and flood easy enough alright but you're exposed for a couple of seconds after the hit (with the sword too but not as much) so I try to stay away from it most of the time.Mobile turrets: I like using these to wipe out brutes whenever I'm frustrated that I don't have a desired weapon combo, it works out rather well too as they die pretty fast and you can often shoot down 3-5 openly without cover. Only inconvenience is its weight. Pistol, submachines, brute spiker are weapons I never used because they are double wielded and you can't really play that in legendary as you have no access to grenades and the latter often leads to some type of death.
Grenade use: This really comes with practice but my best type is to use the spike grenade on walls (it sticks) whenever possible, a quick combo of frag/plasma to take out a small clustered battalion (bigger explosion), and the fire grenade on the flood (sometimes unwise though because they rush towards you). This really is another essential part of the game as well so practice.
Vehicle use: Whenever there are vehicles available, I usually rush through the level (ghost, mongoose, warthogs are the best for this) so unless you have a knack for wiping out every alien I suggest you do this too. Of course when there are objectives (usually destroying tanks) you gotta do what you gotta do.
Miscellaneous tips:
Remember the essential thing is ducking/covering from the opposition and oftentimes strafing. Two brute shots can render you unconscious and a fuel rod shot can sometimes kill you if hiding under small cover (such as a small boulder), if you get hit by such a shot openly then... as Al Pacino in Donny Brasco would say "Forgedd about it." G.W.G (grunts or G's with ghosts WTF?) Just like N.W.A. these fellows means business, so when facing them try aiming at their head instead of destroying the ghost for a quick kill. No shield jump-dive: This is a thing most people do (a lot of noobs on XBL do it on matchmaking as well). Whenever you have no shield and you are trying to escape by jumping off a plateau of cliff, simply strafe (to avoid getting hit again) and drop down, don't JUMP and then drop down (this gives your enemies and extra chance to hit you and a REALLY false sense of security). I myself have been guilty of sometimes doing this in H3 campaign as I hadn't played in a while previously. Melee: Remember the melee is always powerful and with it you can even take on a charging brute head on (not advisable) and emerge victorious in a brawn fest. This also kills the medium-sized flood (another change from the previous Halo) and even the heavier armored type ones.Dual wielding Plasma Rifles: I sometimes like using this combo when facing the weaker type of flood as I can kill the parasites easier and prevent other flood from coming alive again. Although if you try this anywhere, remember to use it with caution as you are often exposed.Well this is it folks, I know it's very long and that most of you probably already knew this, but I'm posting for the rather inexperienced players who may want to take up legendary, who are often perplexed at killing those crazy aliens in such an unbalanced match (in their favor of course). I hope this helps...
