Halo 4 Grind Guides: Spartan Ops – Season 1, Episode 3

Kill counts coming right up for Catherine, the third installment in the first season of Spartan Ops. As always, these are based on Easy difficulty, since grinding commendations at a higher level just adds time and doesn’t really up the benefit, and mileage may vary in regards to killing vehicle pilots, suicidal grunts, and bad sticky discipline on the part of your enemies.

Chapter 1: The VIP
Grunts: 36
Grunt Imperials: 10
Grunt Ultras: 7
Jackals: 1
Jackal Majors: 5
Jackal Rangers: 24
Elites: 23
Elite Zealots: 1
Elite Officers: 12
Elite Generals: 5
Wraiths: 4

Chapter 2: Galileo
Grunt Imperials: 28
Grunt Ultras: 1
Jackals: 6
Jackal Majors: 3
Jackal Rangers: 3
Elites: 6
Elite Officers: 22
Elite Generals: 5
Hunters: 2
Banshees: 2

Chapter 3: Spartan Mountain
Grunts: 2
Grunt Imperials: 4
Grunt Ultras: 1
Jackals: 11
Jackal Majors: 3
Jackal Rangers: 18
Elites: 12
Elite Zelaots: 6
Elite Officers: 9
Hunters: 4
Wraiths: 1
Ghosts: 2

There are probably a few more kills to get here, but you either have to be really quick to clean out the bulk of the opening confrontation without your AI buddies from Mountain team, or you need to kill them all off before stealing your kills.

Chapter 4: Shootout In Valhalla
Grunts: 35
Grunt Imperials: 22
Jackals: 27
Jackal Majors: 4
Jackal Rangers: 7
Elites: 48
Elite Officers: 28
Hunters: 14
Banshees: 23
Wraiths: 2

Yes, you read that right. Fourteen hunters and nearly two-dozen Banshees. Obviously, this is the best place to grind both of those, and for those reading this without having played the chapter at least once, don’t be alarmed. Mantids get dropped in halfway through the proceedings, with which you can go to town on said Hunters, Banshees, and five or six Phantoms, though there’s no commendation for that last item. Still, it’s fun blowing an entire dropship to kingdom come.

Oh, and there are three turrets you need to activate to proceed with the early bits of the mission; to make sure every single kill goes to you, you can clear the area, activate a turret, and then blow it up so it’s not stealing any of your counts. For economy’s sake, just fire on said turrets with one of the Ghosts ahead to the right of the starting point to take them out.

If you’d like a couple of extra Ghost kills, feel free to park one until you get hijacked by an Elite and then blow it up, but there are better ways to rack up Ghosts than this map.

Chapter 5: Hunting Trip
Grunts: 35
Grunt Imperials: 16
Grunt Ultras: 6
Jackals: 16
Jackal Majors: 13
Jackal Rangers: 27
Elites: 2
Elite Zealots: 12
Elite Officers: 2
Elite Generals: 1
Hunters: 2

And that about does it. Kind of a mediocre spread, but thanks to the pile of Banshees and Hunters (and the sweet Ghost jump you can do to get to the Mantids once they drop), have fun on Shootout In Valhalla.