To rescue Captain Keys, you must board the Covenant cruiser Truth and Reconciliation using its gravity lift, fight your way through the ship's hangar bays and multi-level corridors to the command center, which doubles as the prisoner containment area. Once you locate and free the Captain from his cell, you must fight your way back to a shuttle bay and commandeer a Covenant dropship to escape.
This mission is a turning point, shifting from open-world skirmishes to a tense, close-quarters infiltration. Success demands careful management of ammo, smart use of cover, and a keen eye for the cloaked Stealth Elites that patrol the ship's alien halls.
How Do You Get Aboard the Truth and Reconciliation?
Your ticket onto the Covenant cruiser is the massive purple energy beam connecting it to the surface: the gravity lift. Before you can ride it up, you need to survive a brutal ground assault designed to stop you from ever reaching the ship's loading zone.
Secure the Landing Zone
The initial approach is a sniper's paradise. Use the high ground and your sniper rifle to methodically eliminate the Grunts, Jackals, and Elites guarding the area. The Covenant forces are dug in, using rocks and deployable shields for cover. Prioritize the Shade turrets, as they can tear through your shields in seconds. The key is patience; let your Marine allies draw fire while you pick off targets from a distance. Once the first few waves are clear, move up cautiously.
Survive the Ambush and Defeat the Hunters
As you approach the base of the gravity lift, the Covenant spring their trap. Multiple dropships arrive, deploying reinforcements, including two Hunters. These hulking behemoths are the primary threat. Do not engage them head-on. Their armor is impervious to most small arms fire. Your target is the exposed orange flesh—the 'worm bits'—on their backs and midsections. Use grenades to stagger them or have your Marines distract one while you flank the other. A single well-placed sniper shot or a pistol round to the exposed flesh does massive damage. Once the Hunters are down, clean up the remaining Elites and Grunts to secure the grav lift.
Halo: Campaign Evolved in-game screenshot
Ride the Gravity Lift
With the area clear, Echo 419 will drop off Marine reinforcements. Gather your squad and step into the purple beam. The ride up is automated, giving you a moment to reload and let your shields recharge. As Cortana notes, once you're inside, she can home in on the Captain's Command Neural Interface (CNI) transponder, which will lead you toward the ship's brig. Be ready for a fight the second your boots hit the deck.
What's the Best Way to Navigate the Ship's Interior?
The Truth and Reconciliation is a labyrinth of cavernous hangars and curving, multi-story corridors. The Covenant's architectural preference for verticality and open spaces creates deadly crossfires. Always be aware of enemies on multiple levels.
The First Hangar: Stealth Elites and Sword Zealots
You arrive in a large hangar bay. The first enemies you'll face are some of the deadliest: Stealth Elites. These Spec-Ops Elites are equipped with active camouflage, making them nearly invisible. Watch your motion tracker closely for red dots and look for the faint, shimmering distortions in the air that give them away. A quick melee attack or a burst from an automatic weapon will neutralize them. Shortly after, you'll encounter your first Energy Sword-wielding Zealot. Keep your distance and use plasma weapons to strip its shields before finishing it with a headshot.
Halo: Campaign Evolved in-game screenshot
The Multi-Level Corridors: Using Height to Your Advantage
After the initial hangar, the path forward winds through a series of two- and three-story chambers connected by ramps. These areas are crawling with Covenant forces. Use their own architecture against them. Stay on the upper levels whenever possible, using the height to rain down grenades and pick off enemies below. The Grunts and Jackals will often stay on the lower floors, while Elites will aggressively push up the ramps to engage you. This is an excellent place to use the Needler, as the confined spaces make it easy for the super-combining shards to find their targets.
Unlocking the Main Brig Doors
Eventually, you'll reach a large, sealed door with your Marine allies waiting on the other side. Cortana will inform you that the controls to open it are somewhere in the current room. This chamber is a massive, circular control room with multiple tiers. You'll need to fight your way through waves of Covenant to reach the control panel on the upper level. Once you activate it, the door will open, granting you access to the final section of the ship leading to the Captain.
Halo: Campaign Evolved in-game screenshot
Where Is Captain Keys Located?
With the main doors unlocked, you are closing in on the Captain's position. The final push takes you through the ship's command and control center, which serves as its high-security prison.
Reaching the Command Center
As you proceed, Cortana will confirm your location: "This looks like the ship's command center." A moment later, she'll cross-reference the layout and add, "This matches the configuration of a prisoner containment area." You're in the right place. This area is heavily defended. Elites command squads of Jackals who use their energy shields to block corridors, creating a formidable defensive line. Use plasma pistols to overcharge and pop their shields, then switch to a precision weapon like the pistol for a quick headshot.
Clearing the Detention Blocks
The brig consists of several holding cells on multiple levels, all visible from a central command platform. The Captain is being held in one of them. You'll need to systematically clear the area of all Covenant guards. Many Jackals are positioned on the upper walkways with plasma rifles, so be sure to check your vertical sightlines. Once the last Elite falls, the energy shields on the cells will deactivate. Head to the correct cell to find Captain Keys.
Halo: Campaign Evolved in-game screenshot
How Do You Escape with the Captain?
Freeing the Captain is only half the battle. Now you have to get him, yourself, and any surviving Marines off the ship in one piece. The Covenant will throw everything they have at you to prevent your escape.
The Fight Back to the Shuttle Bay
Your objective is to return to a shuttle bay where Echo 419 can attempt a rescue. Unfortunately, Cortana informs you that Foehammer is engaged by Covenant air patrols and can't make it. You're on your own. Retrace your steps back through the ship's corridors, but expect heavy resistance. The Covenant will have set up ambushes in rooms that were previously clear. Stick close to the Captain and his Marine escort, providing cover fire and eliminating threats as they appear.
Commandeering a Covenant Dropship
The new plan is to steal a Covenant dropship. Fight your way to the large hangar bay with the docked Spirit dropships. You'll need to use a control panel to release the docking clamps on one of the ships. As soon as you do, a final, desperate wave of Covenant, including more Stealth Elites and Zealots, will storm the bay. Hold them off while the Captain and Marines board the ship. Once they're aboard, jump in. Captain Keys, a pilot himself, will take the controls and fly you out of the Truth and Reconciliation, completing the mission.
Your Next Objective
With Captain Keys safe, you now have critical intelligence. The Covenant call the ring "Halo" and believe it to be a weapon of unimaginable power. They are searching for its control room. Your new mission is clear: beat them to it.