Halo Wars Mission 15 Escape

This is Part 15 of our complete Halo Wars Walkthrough, featuring Halo Wars Mission 15 Escape.

Mission 15: Escape
- - YouTube: Halo Wars Walkthrough - Escape Part 1 HD (Time: 5:01)
1. This is the final mission of the game.
2. Black Box Location: Go due North of your base across the interlock plating. The black box is directly North of your base past the plates. It's really easy to spot.
3. The mission starts with the flood attacking your army. Fight them back with your spartans and marines.
4. You need to open all of the interlocks around the big center structure. You can open any interlock by clicking on it with A. This brings up the command circle with an Unlock option.
5. TIP: You can open the interlocks in any order you want, but there is a "correct" order that leads to an achievement. The first two interlocks are indicated with big arrows. So just follow the indicator on screen.
6. You have a small base just South of your army. Build 2 supply pads and a reactor there.
7. Now upgrade your main base into a station.
8. The station upgrade finishes quickly. Once it's done, immediately upgrade your base again into a fortress.
  - YouTube: Halo Wars Walkthrough - Escape Part 2 HD (Time: 5:01)
9. Send your army out to collect the nearby supply crates. There is also a forerunner elevator just West of your base. Send a marine into it for some extra supplies.
10. You start the mission with a lot of money, so just spend it. Upgrade your reactor right away.
11. Now build a second reactor, another supply pad, a field armory, and an air pad.
12. Create turrets in all 4 sockets around your base.
13. Upgrade your second reactor. You should have 4 total power now.
14. After a little while Forge contacts you. He estimates that the detonation will happen in 30 minutes.
15. This sets a timer on the mission. You only have 30 minutes from this point to open all of the doors. Don't worry, you'll have enough time.
  - YouTube: Halo Wars Walkthrough - Escape Part 3 HD (Time: 5:01)
16. Highlight the field armory and upgrade your turrets.
17. Train 5 hornets at your air pad. Have all 3 of your spartans pilot a hornet.
18. Now research the wingman upgrade for your hornets.
19. You can worry about opening the interlocks once you have a big army. The enemies have scarabs and other powerful units. Sending your army out too early will just get them killed.
20. Research the chaff pod upgrade at your air pad. Once it's finished, save up 1800 supplies to research hawks. This super unit makes the mission much easier.
21. The hawk research upgrades all of your hornets automatically.
22. Train hawks until you have at least 10-12.
  - YouTube: Halo Wars Walkthrough - Escape Part 4 HD (Time: 5:01)
23. TIP: Research the reserves upgrade at you field armory. This allows hawks to train much quicker.
24. Venture out to the interlocks. First kill the covenant scarab that patrols around the center structure. This triggers an optional objective.
25. Optional Objective: Kill 3 Scarabs
26. This is the objective that leads to the skull.
27. Take your army North-West. Kill any stray covenant forces as you go. Your hawks are enough to take down anything you encounter.
28. Keep going North-West until you reach the indicated interlock. Kill the flood tentacles guarding it to get access.
  - YouTube: Halo Wars Walkthrough - Escape Part 5 HD (Time: 5:02)
29. Press A on the interlock and open it. It seems that the doors are paired. You'll always be opening doors that are directly across from each other.
30. Follow the arrow back towards your base to open up the next interlock.
31. The game no longer indicates the interlocks with a big arrow. But there is a correct order.
32. Return to your base. The next interlock is the Eastern-most one that's directly above your base.
33. Keep training hawks. Get as many as will fit in the population limit. This is around 18 or so hawks.
34. Take your army to the Eastern interlock and defeat the flood buildings around it. Then open the interlock.
35. Keep your eyes peeled for the next scarab. They only come every 5 minutes or so. If you want to destroy 3 of them and get the skull, you need to make them first priority whenever one appears.
36. TIP: Don't destroy any covenant bases on the West side of the map. You need them around so that the covenant will continue to train scarabs. Destroying these bases can lengthen the time between each scarab and increase the difficulty of getting the skull.
  - YouTube: Halo Wars Walkthrough - Escape Part 6 HD (Time: 8:34)
37. The next interlock is indicated for you. It's the Western-most interlock on the map.
38. Be careful, this interlock is directly next to a covenant base. Kill the army here, but don't attack the base itself. This could effect the frequency at which you'll see a scarab. And you don't want to risk missing the skull.
39. Once the covenant army is down, open the interlock. Be quick though, you'll start taking fire from the covenant base if you linger here too long.
40. Now take your army to the North-Eastern part of the map. Kill the flood tentacles guarding the interlock and then open it.
41. Just one interlock left. Don't open it yet though. Wait until a third scarab appears so that you can get the skull. You should have plenty of time.
42. TIP: If the clock is getting low, you can scout the covenant bases for the scarab. A newly built scarab will hang around a covenant base for a little while before it starts patrolling the interlocks. If you're very low on time, then just finish the mission. But you should have enough time left to get the skull before opening the last interlock.
43. SECRET: After you defeat your third scarab, the Emperor Skull appears at the North end of the map. Send your hawks over to grab it.
44. Now it's time to finish the game. Take your army South-West to the final interlock.
45. Kill any nearby covenant units. Although this is the last interlock, it doesn't have any more defense than the previous ones. Meaning it has almost no defense.
46. Open the final interlock. If you opened all of them in order, you'll get the Thinkin about My Doorbell achievement.
47. That ends the mission. You'll also get the No Way Home? achievement simply for finishing the level.
48. Enjoy the ending.
  - YouTube: Halo Wars Walkthrough - Ending Credits HD (Time: 9:27)