BCM257 - Rockslide megabattle, 12-man far area defence, needler x2

(5:34) Level 2 ('Halo') on Heroic. Yet more rockslide megabattling using my squad of 11 Marines against 33 covies in a far area defence. Another double play, but this time with a needler - and watch out for a nice long tag!

Released November 8th 2017, gameplay recorded November 6th 2017.

Commentary

00:02 (Play 1) Two Grunts bite the dust on my way in. After joining the squad, things are initially a bit quiet. I send some needles over to a Jackal on the left, and wait for the bang.

00:39 After dodging a plasma ball, I explosively needle a blue Elite who's advanced to the hog. I start to move across to the right, but then a Marine comes under heavy fire from a red on the left, so I direct my attention there. My initial stream of needles gets somewhat diverted towards a Jackal, but I get him with the next. Even before the bang though, I've focused on an Elite attacking Marines on the right, and I score a pleasing long-range tag.

01:05 Two more Elites close in on the right, but I move across and quickly take them out with needles. Then I lob a plasma towards an Elite and Jackal near the tree on the left, but it ends up getting blown away by a Marine frag. I also frag a red Elite in the centre, and he's finished by Marine fire before my needles can get there.

01:30 Needling a blue on the left, and closing in, I see that he's about to get finished off by Marine fire. He conveniently donates two grenades as I leap over his collapsing form, and then I get a slightly lucky tag on a Jackal's hand before backing off.

01:42 The Elites are all dead now but things are still pretty hot, and Johnson gets killed by Jackal fire before the attacker is fragged. Just after that, I needle a Grunt who's trying to throw a grenade at me, and the bang sends it flying high.

02:02 After a bit more skirmishing I run out of needles and end up going on a grenading spree. Just as I finally get some more needles, one of two final Grunts throws a plasma my way, but I give him one back before tagging and needling his buddy. Half a dozen Marines survive.

02:47 (Play 2) No splattering on my drive this time, though a few covies come close.

03:11 After needling two Jackals on the left, I throw a long frag towards a blue Elite attacking on the right. That shakes him up and my follow-up needles close in, but actually he's killed by Marine fire just before the needle bang.

03:30 Two more Elites advance but I make short work of them, mostly thanks to a needle bang. A blue Elite closes in soon after, but I shake him up with a frag and he's soon finished.

03:52 Three Elites remain, and two of them advance now. After sending a big stream of needles towards the red on the left - which subsequently kills him - I throw a quick frag towards the hog. But the approaching blue doesn't quite get that far and is out of the blast radius. I get him with needles instead, but just as I'm firing, he fires a stream of his own which takes out a Marine.

04:04 The final Elite is attacking the Marines but I put an end to that with a full clip of needles.

04:12 I send a long-range plasma towards a concentration of Jackals on the left, but a Marine frag goes off beforehand and sends two Jackals flying. Further carnage follows (including another good Marine frag towards the left), as the remaining Grunts and Jackals are finished off. Looks like seven Marines made it through.

Closing remarks Hey, I just had a thought. I wonder if I can survive this battle with just grenades. Or perhaps grenades and melee. Maybe I'll try it.