Halo Wars 2 Full Campaign Walkthrough

Andy and Gus play through the Halo Wars 2 campaign on Legendary difficulty in co-op. The overall verdict: HW2's multiplayer surpasses HW1's, but the campaign falls short — the mission design is less varied, the maps blend together, and the AI overuses beam attacks to an exhausting degree. Andy rates the campaign 6.5/10 (vs. HW1's 8/10).

General Observations

• Platform: PC (MNK) for Gus, controller for Andy — co-op with unit sharing enabled
• Technical issues: HW2 accumulates new bugs over time (foliage glitch, controller drops from cutscenes); HW1 on Steam runs more cleanly by comparison
• Beam spam: The single biggest campaign complaint — AI fires beams on a roughly 45-second cycle throughout the entire campaign, with no line-of-sight requirement on higher difficulties
• Mission design critique: Many missions feel similar and blend together; HW1 visited distinct locations (Harvest, Arcadia, Shield World) while HW2 stays on the Ark throughout

Key Mechanics & Tips

Unit Control

• Splitting vs. beams: The critical skill — move units in small separated groups to dodge beam attacks. Units bunched together get wiped.
• Units do NOT gain veterancy while moving — a significant HW2 quirk; rarely do you see high-vet units in campaign because there's little time to stand still
• All units select: Q on MNK; right bumper on controller
• Control groups: Hold Right Trigger + a face button on controller to assign a group
• Attack-move: Hold X (controller) — creates a red targeting symbol and units hold ground while firing
• Leader powers: F key on MNK to pull up the radial menu
• Hijacking: Spartans can hijack enemy vehicles; press Y ability to exit the vehicle afterward
• Height advantage: Positioning units on elevated ground provides a damage or damage-reduction buff

Economy & Building

• Supply pads are the primary income source; bases have locked building slots
• Generators on minis provide power income from mini-bases — worth prioritizing
• Campaign pricing ≠ multiplayer pricing: Hornets cost 375 resources in campaign vs. 250 in multiplayer. This makes air feel "OP" in campaign but is not representative of multiplayer balance
• Veterancy retention: Heroes (Spartans) keep their vet stars when they go down and get back up

Unit Notes

• Air units are very effective in campaign against Wraiths and most ground targets
• Nightingales (healing aircraft) are extremely valuable in late campaign missions — keep them mobile
• Siege units (Kodiaks): Do not always obey orders in campaign; will sometimes move independently
• ODSTs: Drop from orbit via leader power; recommended to drop as frequently as cooldown allows
• Hellbringers: Effective counter to Hunters and infantry clusters

Lore Context

• HW2 takes place after Halo 5, set on the Ark — the same location as the end of Halo 3
• Atriox is introduced as the primary villain; he continues into Halo Infinite
• Decimus is the Banished warlord encountered in early missions (boss fights in Missions 2 and 6)
• Engineers (Huragok): They were enslaved by the Covenant against their will. Their appearance in HW2 is their last in the franchise before the DLC
• Jerome-092 (Spartan) is the controllable hero for the UNSC side

Mission-by-Mission Notes

Mission 1 — The Signal

The Atriox introduction cutscene is praised as "absolutely insane" — an immediately compelling villain reveal. The game takes place after Halo 5 and references the aftermath of Halo 3's Ark battle.

Mission 2 — A New Enemy

First playable mission. Both players start with highly unequal unit distributions.

• Decimus mini-boss appears — get out of the circle during his area attack
• Hellbringers are effective here; use them on Hunters
• Counter-attacks on your base occur mid-mission — keep garrison units active
• Beams begin appearing immediately and never stop

Mission 3 — Ascension

Objective: reach the Cartographer.

• Bridge activation mechanic: Kill the enemies blocking the bridge to trigger it
• Hunters appear mid-mission; a unit with two Gens on a mini is noted as a major threat
• Wraith tanks are in the area — counter with air units

Mission 4 — The Cartographer (Vault Map)

The in-game multiplayer map Vault is clearly the same layout as this mission.

• Air spam is effective; Wraith tanks counter by going air themselves
• Vortex ability used by enemy — stuns and debuffs armor; combo with a beam on top is devastating

Mission 5 — Lights Out

Involves navigating around permanent beam emitters using teleporters.

• Teleport pads move your units around the map to avoid the fixed beams
• Reavers (anti-air) are present and can be hijacked
• Decimus boss fight: Uses a shield juggle — he destroys his own shield before it expires and rebuilds a fresh one because rebuilding is faster than recharging. Kill him quickly when the shield drops

Mission 6 — From the Deep

Beach invasion with units emerging from water — one of the better-looking mission designs.

• Garrison covers provide significant armor buffs — place units in them
• Lotus mines placed at choke points are highly effective
• Warlord boss: Alice (Spartan) solo-kills the warlord near mission end with a well-timed activation

Mission 7 — Hold the Line (Beach Defense)

Defending a beachhead.

• Garrisons are the key defensive structure; spread Spartans across available covers
• Units emerge from multiple directions including the ocean
• The design is noted as the likely inspiration for the Terminus Firefight DLC mode
• Wolverines (anti-air vehicles) are important for the air pushes in later waves
• Lotus mines at chokepoints clear entire waves efficiently

Mission 8 — Hold the Line (Tower Defense)

A ~30-minute tower defense mission. Both hosts call it one of the best mission designs in the campaign.

• Five lanes of enemy approach with turret slots along each path
• Turrets can be upgraded (anti-infantry, anti-vehicle, anti-air) — prioritize based on incoming wave composition
• Jump pack Brutes appear mid-mission and bypass the forward turret lines — keep units in reserve
• ODSTs via leader drop are recommended as continuous reinforcement
• Lotus mines are critical — place them in lanes and redeploy on cooldown
• Air waves appear in later rounds — switch turrets to anti-air accordingly

Mission 9 — Under the Dark

Fog of war / stealth mission with detection mechanics. Considered the hardest mission of the run.

• Detection drones (small floating units) reveal cloaked/hidden enemies — essential to keep alive
• Three Spartans are provided (Alice, Jerome, Douglas) — distribute across lanes
• Enemy hero uses vortex + beam combos — vortex stuns your units in place, beam immediately follows
• The warlord "panic beams" when low on health — pull back when he triggers fury mode
• The "shroud" (a shield projector) can block leader powers; destroy it before dropping targeted abilities

Mission 10 — The Foundry

Scarab mission — a large Banished excavation Scarab is the centerpiece.

• The Scarab can be used offensively to stomp through enemy structures; its walking stomps deal AoE damage
• Scarab cannot attack air units — keep Hornets/air to handle Banshees
• Engineers appear in this mission — their last appearance in mainline Halo before the DLC
• Nightingales keep the Scarab alive through sustained pushes
• The Scarab retreats for repairs when health drops critically — it is not permanently lost

Final Mission — The Halo

Last tower defense mission with Anders working to activate the Halo ring.

• Unlimited resources provided — spam ODSTs and unit production freely
• No population cap — build and produce without limit
• Five lanes of Banished attack; turrets upgradeable along all paths
• Late units available: Condor (super unit), Grizzly tanks, Vulture bombers
• Final boss: three Scarabs rush simultaneously; hold the line until Anders completes the activation sequence

Final Thoughts

• HW2 is considered a better pure RTS mechanically but the campaign lacks the mission variety and atmosphere of HW1
• The beam frequency in campaign is the single biggest design flaw
• Hosts plan to cover the Spearbreaker and Awakening the Nightmare DLC campaigns in future recordings