Halo Infinite is here. While Microsoft launched a fun and rich multiplayer component in November, now it’s finally time to play the solo campaign, which represents a fresh start for the series in a variety of ways. 343 Industries’ latest has been lauded as a spiritual reboot in terms of narrative, but its shift to an open-world setting also drastically reinvents moment-to-moment play – even veterans of the series may find themselves in need of some basic training. 

Because of this, we’ve put together six essential tips and tricks for the Halo Infinite campaign to help you finish the fight in style. If you’re more of a Slayer-style Spartan, be sure to check out our Halo Infinite multiplayer tips instead – although most of those work pretty well for campaign, too.

1 Don’t focus on melee too much

In multiplayer, melee attacks are a part of the so-called Halo golden triangle alongside guns and grenades. In the Halo Infinite campaign, melee is still important, but it’s probably best not to put too much stock in it. Solo missions tend to include bigger arenas than multiplayer and big chunks of them are set in the Zeta Halo open world. This means trying to beat your enemies with close-range attacks will likely put you in danger more often than not. If you have low ammo or don’t feel comfortable with your equipped weapon, Halo Infinite has a variety of guns to choose from. Don’t be afraid to pick unfamiliar ones up and experiment with them – you might even find a new favorite.

2 Use the Gungoose for bases and bosses

The Gungoose is a new model of the beloved Mongoose, the fast and versatile quad-like vehicle introduced in Halo 3. You can travel across almost the entirety of Zeta Halo with it, although some of the rockier terrain will probably force you to leave it behind.

The biggest difference between the Gungoose and Mongoose is that the former is equipped with a handy – and deadly – rocket launcher. You can use this weapon with the right bumper and, provided you prioritize taking out Brutes and Elites, clear Forward Operation Bases before you’re even boots on the ground. You can also get rid of most of the High-Value Targets this way. If you want to nab yourself a Gungoose as quickly as possible, focus on Valor-awarding objectives like propaganda towers and helping UNSC Marines out on the battlefield.

3 FOBs don’t reveal every interest point on the map

Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry towers probably introduced you to some pretty bad habits. While ascending these structures often allows you to fully synchronize with the world around you, Halo Infinite opts for a different approach. While it still has ‘towers’ – or ‘Forward Operation Bases’ (FOBs) as they’re known here – that reveal a lot of content available on the map, ‘a lot’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘all.’ 

Sure, you’ll be able to learn the locations of some propaganda towers, Marine squads and Forerunner structures, although there’s much more to Halo Infinite than that. If you truly want to get lost in Zeta Halo, it’s best to roam around at your own pace and explore using visual clues. 

4 Grind towers and UNSC Marines to unlock Valor

Just like multiplayer, the Halo Infinite campaign introduces a mini battle pass for Master Chief’s character progression. Making your way through the battle pass allows you to access better equipped UNSC Marines, more powerful versions of your weapons and vehicles such as the aforementioned Gungoose. 

You can earn Valor by completing side activities, but beware: While bosses and bases are fun to play and Spartan Cores are fast to grab, they don’t earn you any Valor points. This means you have to focus on destroying propaganda towers and, perhaps more importantly, setting groups of endangered Marines free.

5 Boost shields first

Master Chief is well equipped with gadgets and skills that help you evade attacks from Brutes and Elites, not to mention the new grapple shot that can shock enemies. However, our suggestion is that you maximize your shields first if you want to have an easier time throughout your campaign. You’ll find out pretty quickly that you won’t use your other skills very often, or at least that upgrading them doesn’t make them meaningfully better than their base versions. Beyond that, having more shields is particularly important right now given that Halo Infinite doesn’t support co-op yet, meaning the more you can resist your enemies’ attacks, the better.

6 You can’t replay story missions

A little detail you might miss at first: in Halo Infinite, you can’t replay story missions. If you’re a completionist and don’t want to miss Skulls or other collectibles spread across the map, be sure you search the environment thoroughly during your first run. Otherwise, you’ll be forced to start your campaign again in a new save just to repeat the mission. While we don’t know if 343 Industries intends to add mission replayability in the future, the good news is that Skulls unlocked in one save are available in your other save slots, too.

Written by Paolo Sirio on behalf of GLHF.