Those Elites may love their plasma rifles, but I've got one too! And a plasma pistol besides!

(6:35) Level 2 ('Halo') on Heroic. It's been quite a while since my last rockslide megabattle movie, so I figured it was time for some more. Here are three plays of my favourite save, involving a squad of 11 Marines helping me out against 33 covies in a far area defence. I know I've shown this set-up lots of times before, but it's addictive. At least you're seeing a new weapon combo though; plasma rifle and plasma pistol. Serious power, to help me put down the seven Elites. And watch out for a tagging spree at the end!

Released May 14th 2017, gameplay recorded May 10th 2017.

00:02 (Play 1) During the drive to the squad, a Grunt narrowly avoids getting splattered when he dives across my path, but no covies are killed. I lose a health bar after getting hit by a plasma ball in the rockslide.

00:28 After picking up plasma weapons from my stash of spares, I quickly take down the first Elite, a blue who runs into a plasma ball then gets finished with my rifle. As I back off to the squad, another blue comes in from the right but he's quite quickly brought down too. I threw a plasma grenade but it ended up wasted.

00:49 There are two Elites at the rocky semicircle, and as I get near the hog I throw a plasma and tag the red. That'll do nicely! I back away in time to avoid a plasma ball, and then I avoid a stream of needles coming from a blue on the left, before zapping him dead. A frag takes out a Jackal near the tree, but by the end of that I've lost two health bars.

01:02 Moving back towards the squad, I see an Elite approaching the hog out front. I throw a frag hoping to shake him up but it goes long. However, a Marine throws too, and his frag finishes the Elite after my plasma fire severely weakens him. In the course of that action though, I get hit by not one but two plasma balls sailing in from afar. Really should've avoided the second, but I wasn't decisive enough. I go down to four health bars, but at least I'm able to recharge.

01:17 The final two Elites are at the semicircle. I lob a frag their way and it shakes up the red. Meanwhile the blue has ventured out and falls prey to my plasma fire (using a fresh rifle). I zero in on the red next, and bring him down just as my rifle overheats.

01:34 Two Jackals on the left are giving the Marines a hard time with long-range zapping, and I use plasma grenades to take them out, before backing off and working my way into the semicircle, dealing with various minors along the way.

02:04 When I jump out of the rocks, there's a group of three Jackals facing me and I drop a plasma right in front of them, which I can see is going to take them out. Moving clear, I find myself behind a yellow-shielded Jackal firing on the Marines, and I smite him with a whack, though it's tragically a moment too late to save Sergeant Johnson. I'm down to two health bars and with a bleeping shield now, so I'm careful to avoid needles from an approaching Grunt as I give him a plasma ball in the face. His buddy flees in panic, shouting "Bad, bad cyborg!", but I bring him down with a quick bit of rifle fire. Seven of my squad remain. Pretty good.

02:18 (Play 2) Just for the record, a Grunt and Jackal got splattered on my drive to the defence location, so the covie count is already down to 31. I zap the leading blue dead pretty quick and then try to get the next with a plasma ball, but it hits the cliff behind him. I hurt him with plasma rifle fire though, before switching to a Jackal whose plasma ball sailed close by (I heard it being fired and dodged accordingly). My plasma ball misses so I throw a quick frag to do the job, then turn to deal with two blue Elites who've got close to the Marines. One is the guy I hurt a moment ago, and he's quickly down; then the other - who furnishes me a fresh rifle.

02:46 A red Elite approaches the hog and I throw a frag which shakes him up. He's quickly finished with plasma fire. Another red comes in from the left and I throw a frag before switching to help the Marines with a red on the right. After hurting him bad, I let the Marines finish him off while I kill a Grunt and nab his plasma pistol. Meanwhile, my frag hurt that other red and made him back off.

03:07 After picking up the new plasma pistol I fire a quick plasma ball at a Grunt still a long way off, and subsequently hear him dying. But by then I'm focused on a big mass of covies near the gap into the rockslide, and I throw a plasma. Around the same time, Johnson yells "Frag out!" and promptly blows himself up. Good work sarge! At least he leaves me a spare frag though, which I scoop up along with two others. Meanwhile my plasma has killed an Elite. That was the red I hurt earlier with a frag.

03:22 Some other Marines are doing better with their frags than Johnson did, and when I advance, I throw one of my own which kills a blue Elite near the hog. That just leaves Grunts and Jackals, which are mopped up without much trouble. Looks like I've got seven Marines left again.

04:08 (Play 3) After a couple of dud plasma ball shots at two Jackals on the left, I help the Marines take down a blue Elite instead. Then another blue arrives and gets killed thanks to Marine frags and a loose plasma.

04:37 A blue reaches the hog and I throw a couple of plasmas to try and sandwich him, but the first tags the hog at the back, and that's all it takes. While the hog is shifting around from a few more explosions, I pick up a fresh rifle and zap a paniciking Grunt on the left, who doesn't quite live long enough to finish his cry of "I can't stop him!".

04:51 Hearing a Grunt needling on the right, I quickly zap him to end the threat, but it's too late to save a Marine. There's a yellow-sheilded Jackal advancing too so I throw a quick frag, but it looks like it might be short. I don't have time to see because I've suddenly heard needles being fired my way from a blue Elite up near the Marines. Turning and dodging, I release a plasma ball which brings down the attacker.

05:01 For a while I attack with plasma fire, killing some minors. Over on the right, it looks like that earlier Jackal escaped my frag after all, but this time my throw is better.

05:21 There are still three Elites left, and now one of them advances to the hog - a red. My frag hurts him pretty bad and I follow up with a plasma ball, then it just takes a bit of zapping with my rifle to finish him off. By now another red has reached the hog, but he dives away when it's still settling. That gets him clear of my frag, though a Grunt isn't so lucky. I get him with plasma fire instead, though I end up with a bleeping shield and two health bars gone.

05:38 A Jackal is attacking Marines on the right, but I stop him with a plasma ball then finish off with rifle fire. The final Elite advances but I stun him then score a tag, which is a relief because I've lost another two health bars by then. His grunty back-up goes down from Marine fire after the bang.

05:52 Picking up a nearby fresh plasma pistol, I head out into covie territory and start picking them off, and it turns into a tagging spree. Five tags including the final covie - a Jackal who flies through the air very nicely. During that spree there was a Grunt who was busy lobbing plasmas himself, but with rather less success. I just ignored him until eventually zapping him in the face. Five Marines are left.

Closing remarks Fun huh? Plasma combo is nice! I used it once before in a far area defence movie, though I only had Stacker and Johnson that time. See BCM102.

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