These grunty critters have a lot of plasmas stuffed up their shirts, and apparently they want me to know about it!

(5:33) Level 5 ('Assault on the Control Room') on Legendary. This shows two grenade crazy Grunts in the first octagonal room, including setting things up fast with a handy checkpoint.

Released August 22nd 2011, gameplay recorded August 17th-20th 2011.

00:02 (Setting up) In the first section of the movie I set things up with a handy checkpoint for playing about with the platform Grunts. It doesn't take long when done fast like I'm doing here (I'm trying to go really fast), so I thought I'd include it as a quick tutorial. Plus it gives me an excuse to show some extra covie slaying!

As soon as I'm off the Pelican, I start my standard two-frag blitz of the welcoming party. Ideally the first frag should go slightly through the door as it opens - not so far that it might blow Elites out - but mine stops at the doorway, so the blast probably doesn't do as much damage as I'd like. I move to the right to try and avoid being spotted - not essential but I prefer it that way - and follow up with frag number two. Again I don't want it to go so deep that it might blow Elites out, but in this case it gets slightly behind a red, sending him into my face. He's badly weakened though, and I give him a nice drilling to finish him off. I take down the blue and a Grunt as well, then quickly swap the AR for a plasma pistol. My firing is a touch wild as I use it on a Grunt around the corner because I'd only just started this play session and I was still settling down. Doesn't matter though. I take care of all Grunts except one, who I want for my 'Grunt bomb'. As he runs off in panic I tag him as he's near the door, then fire a shot to try and ensure that the patrolling Elite gets attracted to the entrance if he's not already there. I duck back into cover to avoid any shield damage and BLAM! - that's the Elite taken care of. Works nearly every time!

00:28 Back near the start of the long section of passage, a checkpoint got triggered. That's the one I'll want later, so it needs to stay delayed. Mostly it'll get delayed by enemy threat, but as you'll see, I do a bit of jumping to make sure the delay continues the rest of the time.

My next task is to kill unwanted enemies, namely everyone except the two platform Grunts. As I approach the entrance to the inner chamber, I check my motion tracker to try and pick up the Elite who I hope to attract with gunfire. This time however, it's a Grunt that comes waltzing my way. I give him the stun 'n tag I'd intended for the Elite, and take cover when I spot the bigger fella lurking behind. I cross my fingers and sure enough, BLAM! - the blast takes out the Elite. Gotta love those Grunt bombs eh? With enemies panicking, I charge in. A plasma ball goes to waste but I take down a Grunt with my pistol. Standing around in the inner area isn't particularly healthy because these minor enemies can quickly gang up and tear into your shield, so I jump through the side window. Seeing a Jackal running past, I get ready to fire a plasma ball, but actually a Grunt ends up taking it. I finish the pair of them off with a frag, then jump back through. I need to avoid triggering the three extra Grunts from the exit passage, so it's safer this way.

00:47 My remaining victims are around the other side of the room. Rather than wait for them to show up, I head through a window after shattering it and sending in a frag. As it turns out, the frag takes care of them nicely. No need for the plasma pistol I'd got ready with. I hasten to my pre-planned starting position, turn on my flashlight in preparation, switch to the pistol in case I ever want to headshoot a Grunt quick, then let myself get the delayed checkpoint. Set-up complete!

01:05 (Right Grunt) Section two now, in which I get the far Grunt repeat-throwing. He's the best one to use. As I enter, the first is starting to creep back along his platform and I eliminate him with a gratuitous double-tag, hee hee! It was nice that he's up there ready to be tagged immediately - that makes for good fun.

01:14 Switching to my plasma pistol, a few shots bring the remaining Grunt to the top of his platform, then I back off and fire close while dodging about. He throws a first grenade and starts backing off. Another follows and he's soon at the base of the slope where the repeat-throwing can begin in earnest. I attract his aim to a particular spot to get a pretty pattern in which grenades interact with one another. He's throwing at top speed here: 20 per minute. After a while I move back for a wider view, then I go to the left walkway to give you a close-up view near the platform for a while.

02:55 Time to adjust his aim. I fire a shot to get grenades bouncing off the right walkway and down into the shaft. I like it. I get a close view looking down the shaft, but you have to be a bit careful with this because if you get too close to the bounce point a plasma may stick to you.

03:24 Now for the finale. I head around the outside and hop up behind the Grunt, carefully staying back to begin with, else he'll stop. Also I keep my flashlight off else he'll be alerted. I let him throw a while, during which you can see his glitchy 'stumbling' footwork which seems to be what makes this repeat-throwing work. Eventually I switch the flashlight on and move in for close view of one last throw. "Get down!". Yes grunty, but actually I'm over here now. I tag him low intending for him to fly off high, but this time he hits the opening and ends up on the platform.

04:08 (Left Grunt) The other Grunt only seems able to target a relatively small area near the left of the entrance, but in this third and final section I get some decent fun out of him. After he backs off and can be heard stumbling at the base of the slope, I send a plasma to bounce off the siding of the other Grunt's platform. He moves past it and the blast sends him flying. What a grunty fool eh? But he spotted me before dying, and by covie telepathy the remaining Grunt is alerted to my location too. He starts throwing, but it's slow and irregular.

04:57 I then get him throwing to another spot, which I know he can target. Again his throwing is slow and irregular, and when the fourth grenade gets blown back towards him (which was the first time I'd seen that), he amusingly dives off his platform. He manages to make it across the shaft but there's no escape. I've got a few plasmas of my own, so I give him one back!

Closing remarks It was actually a Grunt in the second octagonal room who I first saw going grenade crazy, but in due course I found that all six platform Grunts in the first two octagonal rooms can do likewise. I made this movie the first one simply because it's the earlier room. The second room is covered in BCM39.

One thing the movie doesn't show is the refined initiation method which I only cottoned on to rather late. If you want to have some fun with these Grunts yourself, make sure to read about that method in the article, as it'll enable you to get a Grunt repeat-throwing more easily.

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