House of Reckoning - Halo Infinite Guide - IGN (2024)

In IGN's Halo Infinite walkthrough of House of Reckoning, you'll find strategies for completing the mission on Legendary, the House of Reckoning boss fight guide, and more. This is the fourteenth main mission in Halo Infinite.

Now that you've finished the Road, you'll be locked in this building for the duration of the mission. If you don't have any good weapons, don't worry. In the room with the Escharum hologram, there are plenty of weapons to grab. There are Manglers on the left, and there's a Skewer leaning up against the wall you should definitely grab before leaving the room.

You'll come into what appears to be a huge UNSC battle training room. In the center of the room, there is a mock battleground with UNSC weapons and equipment. Get a good read on the room. Once you approach the middle of the area, Escharum will begin speaking over the intercom, and the mock battleground will turn into a real battleground.

Survive Basic Training

This can be one of the more difficult fights in the game on Heroic or Legendary. Luckily, there is a lot of equipment at your disposal, so be sure to take advantage! Up in the center platform there is a Battle Rifle you can use. You should pick it up right away. The first wave of enemies will enter through the same way that you did, which we'll refer to as the front left of this room.

Two Jackal snipers will enter the room. From the UNSC bunker, you can scope in and take them out with the BR. If you turn around after taking them out, you should see a small weapons room with shotguns, sidekick pistols, and commandos. If you have a preferred weapon of these three, feel free to grab one. To the left of this is a turret.

This first wave also includes multiple Elites coming in from the back left side of the room. When you kill one Elite, you may want to take his plasma weapon since they are so efficient at taking out Elites.

A big key here is to keep moving around the UNSC bunker during this first wave. There are so many walls and buildings that you can't really get exposed from too many directions at a time.

If you aren't already playing with subtitles on, you may want to flip them on for this mission. Escharum says specific lines over the intercom that indicate when the next wave of enemies is coming in. Once Escharum screams "MORE" over the intercom, a second wave of Banished will come in.

The second wave will come in the back right of the room, or the opposite corner of where the first wave entered. For these first two waves, which contain a lot of Grunts and Jackals, you can mostly hang out on the UNSC training area. There are plenty of buildings to hide behind, meaning enemies from far away won't be able to do cheap bonus damage on you.

When Escharum says "HUNT HIM DOWN", even more Banished will appear in the front right of the area. A good strategy is to prepare for their arrival after taking out the previous wave. Once a wave is clear, if you still have a scoping weapon, you can take a position at one of the high points on the central UNSC area and snipe a few enemies for free. When they start showing up though, it's time to get down, because you could easily be exposed.

Legendary Strategy Tip: Pay attention to the rooms the enemies emerge from by listening to the alarm. You can set up with a bunch of grenades or coils before the doors open and explode the waiting enemies before they even have time to pass through their door. Just be sure to have equipment ready for a quick escape just in case, like the Thruster or Grappleshot.

Finally, when Escharum says "DO NOT LET UP, BREAK HIM," another wave will start. This features a ton of Brutes from the left and right side of the room. When this happened, you can actually abandon this center area and head to the back right corner of the room to take out the Brutes. From here, you can get a clear shot up the line at a lot of them down the right wall. A jet pack Brute will take position on the top of the structure you were stationed for the first few waves of the fight. In this back corner, there are coils here you can throw at him, in addition to taking plenty of headshots with the BR.

You can stay in this corner for most of the fight against the Brutes. This is the last wave in this area so don't worry about your positioning for when more reinforcements come in.

Before leaving, you can scour this area for weapons and grenades. There are sniper rifles, Needlers, and grenade restocks. You should also be able to find another BR and multiple shotguns lying around the area from the Brutes. A Battle Rifle and shotgun is our recommended loadout for the next phase of this mission. When you're ready for an even tougher part of this fight, head into the elevator after the Escharum hologram.

Complete Advanced Training

Legendary Strategy Tip: The first wave you can get away with almost any weapons, but we'd recommend a Battle Rifle. Pick up a shotgun for your second weapon and hold it for the second wave. Use the Battle Rifle to take out the unshielded snipers quickly in the second wave and use a combination of grenades, coils, and the shotgun to outrun and out damage the Berserkers. Movement is essential for this one. For the third, make sure the Grunts and Jackals are eliminated in your area with some sort of rifle and use the dropped Skewers against the Hunters as you keep your distance.

In the next room, you can find a kinetic ammo refiller on the left for your Battle Rifle. There's also a Ravager up the ramp here in the back of the room you can find before you head out to the right.

The layout of this room is very similar to the last, with a few more powerful weapons in stow. Don't grab them yet, but take note of the rocket launchers and snipers by the Pelican parked on the structure. Save these weapons. You'll be glad you did later.

In the UNSC bunker, you can find a restock room with a ton of ammo for your BR, so you should never run out of ammo. Steel yourself, and get ready for the first wave.

Jackal Skirmishers and Grunts kick things off in this room. Just like the first wave in the Basic Training, you can keep yourself on the move in the UNSC area, taking out any enemies that show themselves to you.

Again, when Escharum blares over the intercom and the horn starts ringing, reinforcements are inbound. This second round includes Berserkers, so you'll want your shotgun at the ready. At the same time, multiple Brute snipers enter the arena on both the left and right sides of the room.

As usual, there are multiple strategies to try out here. We held out in the ammo restock room and let the Berserkers come to us. It's risky, but quick shotgun headshots and a final melee blast were enough to take care of them on Heroic, along with a little help from a toss from the blast coil in this room, too.

Or, you can equip your Grappleshot and quickly make your way to one of the edges of the room and take out the Brute snipers with your shotgun. Then, the Berserkers will attempt to run up the ramp to attack you, but you should have enough time and space to take them out with the shotgun before they make it all the way up the ramp to you.

You may want to try to take out this wave of Brutes as fast as you can, because the next wave of reinforcements can come out before this wave is over. After the Brute round, it's Hunter time.

In addition to two Hunters, this round also features plenty of Jackals, two Berserkers with overshields, and packs of suicide Grunts. In this wave, keep your grappleshot equipped so you can maneuver around the room as fast as possible.

The Grunts come in the back left corner of the room. Let's take care of them first so they don't sneak up and surprise you. For the Grunts, grab a coil and throw it at them to take them all out, or use your Battle Rifle.

Next, your goal should be to take out the Berserkers early so they don't bother you. They will track you down on their own, so have a shotgun or other strong weapon ready. Eventually it should be down to the Hunters, and maybe a few stray Jackals.

To take out the Hunters, you can use:

• The rocket launcher from the top of the room by the Pelican
• Any Skewers from the Brute snipers on the edges of the room
• Pursuit Hydras on the top of the UNSC area

As always it's important to keep moving. Just use the grappleshot to get around - there are plenty of places to use it to give yourself some space and cover.

We made rounds around the outside of the arena to take out all the stragglers and not get exposed by the Hunters. When one of the Hunters is gone, you can run around for a checkpoint so you'll never have to deal with both again. When everything is eliminated, you've completed Advanced Training!

You'll enter yet another arena. Avoid the closed-off room in the middle for the time being.

Stock up on power weapons in the area before grappling into the enclosed room with the voices coming out of it. Inside, you'll see a device on the ground that the mother talking to her child is originating from. Investigating it triggers the boss fight.

Jega 'Rdomnai Boss Fight Guide

This boss guide has been written based on a Legendary Difficulty playthrough. It is still applicable to all difficulties, though Easy and Normal players can use a wider variety of weapons and strategies in this fight. Have a different strategy? Let us know how you took down this boss in the comments.

Jega 'Rdomnai is Escharum's Blade Master and skilled Elite who prefers his two special Energy Swords above all else. It's time to face him. His preference for invisibility makes the Threat Sensor key to winning this rather short fight.

Unlike the other invisible Elite boss you fought previously, Jega will actually leave this confined space between his attacks, giving you time to prepare between his assaults. He always renters from specific places too if you're on the right spot down on the lower level (more on that in a second), making him predictable.

Weapon Loadout Recommendation: Pulse Carbine (or other Plasma or Shock weapon) and a Bulldog shotgun
Equipment: Threat Sensor and Thruster

If you don't have one already, we recommend using the scan feature to find a Plasma weapon (the Pulse Carbine is great for this) and grabbing a shotgun from the back weapon rack on the top floor. There's also a Kinetic ammo crate and a Plasma ammo crate should you need them later.

Run to the weapons if you need to as soon as you load in (just be careful with Jega trailing you) then go straight down to the second floor and stand under the spot where you would have entered from the top floor with your back against the wall. Shock Coils wait for you here. You can get here by taking the stairs or dropping down the holes on the first floor.

This will be your only combat space. Use the Threat Sensor (sticking it on something like the ceiling or a crate will help it survive explosives better), and wait for Jega. He will always emerge from the illuminated spots on the left or right side of this room. It's best to wait with a coil in hand. You can hear where he's coming from before you see him if you have an audio system that allows you to hear noise on specific sides of a room. If not, keep a close eye on both sides, always keeping a Threat Sensor active.

Jega will leap down and try to get the jump on you, but instead, toss a coil at him and work on getting his shield down with your Plasma weapon while dodging any incoming attacks. You can swap to the Thruster too if you're having a hard time evading his dual Energy Sword attacks. After one or two swings and when he takes damage, he'll suddenly disappear. He straight up leaves the battlefield, again, giving you time to set up. Grab a fusion coil, quickly reload, and make sure that Threat Sensor is down.

After attacking Jega like this twice you should be able to wear down his shield and maybe even get some damage on him. The shield doesn't recharge (and if it does, it doesn't do so quickly). Once Jega's shield is down swap to the shotgun. The repetitive shotgun damage can make him stagger too, making it extra helpful in this fight. You should be able to slay Jega in one or two cycles of pure damage. Congrats on beating Escharum's pal!

Legendary Strategy Tip: Get rid of the Energy Sword. It's about to be useless. Swap it out for a shotgun or a Power Weapon if you can find one. Make sure you have all grenades collected from this room. You're going to need them.

After you defeat Jega, move onto the next room. You'll come into a room where you see the pilot restrained. Attempting to free him will trigger the next boss fight.

Escharum Boss Fight Guide

This boss guide has been written based on a Legendary Difficulty playthrough. It is still applicable to all difficulties, though Easy and Normal players can use a wider variety of weapons and strategies in this fight. Have a different strategy? Let us know how you took down this boss in the comments.

Escharum's loadout: Scrap Cannon and a Special Gravity Hammer

The fight with Escharum is split into three distinct sections. In the first third of his health, he'll run around wielding a Scrap Cannon. Let's call this the explosive section because that's what you're going to need. He can't move fast, but you can.

First Section - Scrap Cannon

This first section of the fight isn't too bad and can go quickly if you simply grab one of the two rocket launchers from the west side of the room (to the left of where you entered). Just scan and you should find it quick!

Escharum moves slowly with the Scrap Cannon, giving you the advantage to juke around corners with the Thruster and toss grenades or the plentiful coils around the room at him. He doesn't have a shield here either, so lay into him with explosives.

You may want to save some of the coils for later in the fight though, so if you're playing on a harder difficulty, it might be easier to use the smaller guns here first (Pulse Rifles, Needler, etc) to lay a foundation of damage, follow up with explosives, then force him into the next phase of the fight. You'll basically only scratch him with this part.

Second Section - Shields and Scrap Cannon

Now you're going to need something with precision. We recommend the Battle Rifle, pistol, or another precision weapon. With Escharum's health down a bit, he's going to start taking it out on your friends. Escharum stands in the middle of the room and creates a shield that, when damaged, inflicts pain on Echo 216. While Escharum is powering up this shield you can run around the room and grab that precision weapon.

As his shield charges, a power relay will open along one of four spots in the large, open part of the arena. Scan if you don't see it. You'll need to dodge Escharum as you find and destroy the spot. Avoid using explosives or other high damage dealers on the power relays. You only need to shoot the open orange power relay a few times to destroy it.

Once the relay is down you can attack Escharum again. You can use the rocket launcher here for a quick skip to the next Relay (you're going to have to destroy four of these) or other weapons from around the room. He still has the Scrap Cannon, so he isn't moving that fast. Repeat this process until all four relays are destroyed. At this point, Escharum should have a little less than half of his health and you should get a checkpoint not long after the fourth relay is destroyed so long as you've got some space between you and Escharum. Now for the hard part.

Final Section - Gravity Hammer

Unsurprisingly, this final section is the most challenging. At this point, Escharum has completely lost his cool and knows he's in the last fight of his life.

Recommended loadout: Disruptor and Mangler
Equipment: Thruster (fully upgraded) or Grappleshot

Escharum will pursue you constantly here. You're going to need to switch your weapons and fast. You should hit a checkpoint after Echo 216 is confirmed safe by The Weapon. To the left and behind Echo 216 is a weapon rack with a Mangler and Disruptor. Grab both. The Disruptor may seem silly at this point, but the shock damage over time is instrumental in completing this final part of the fight. If you already used the Disruptor, there's another in the room too. There's also a shock ammo crate to the left of the door you entered from.

Escharum has the following attacks here:

• A jump followed by a slam of his Grav Hammer (the most common attack)
• A slam of the Grav Hammer next to him, straight down like he's stabbing the ground (he'll do this if you get especially close or behind him)
• A regular Grav Hammer Swing

Note that the Grav Hammer has a cone shape damage radius like this: E< MC
(The E represents Escharum and the MC is, of course, Master Chief).

To dodge Escharum's Grav Hammer, you'll need to start moving as soon as he starts lifting his arms or couches for his jump. If you're slow to see it, you are likely too late -- at least on Legendary.

If you try to dodge it to the side too late, you will likely die. If you use the Thruster to doge left or right just as he's jumping for the attack, you could make it out of the way in time. You can also use the Thruster to push past him. Careful not to move directly at him, though, or you will die or take significant damage. Learning how to best dodge his Gravity Hammer attack can take practice.

Quick tips for this final part before we dive into the strategy that worked best for us after testing a few options:

• Escharum may be on his last legs, but he's still fast. Outmaneuvering him is how you'll win this fight, and you can do so with some strategic barriers, patience, and the Thruster.
• The machine gun, Plasma Cannon, BR, and most standard weapons shouldn't even be options in your mind for this fight on higher difficulties. They will probably just get you killed.
• If you're comfortable changing quickly between equipment, use the Grappleshot to pull any remaining coils to you and toss them at Escharum should you get the chance.
• Have at least one Thruster charge available at all times. You'll have two if you have the equipment fully upgraded.
• Mangler headshots can stagger Escharum. The Bulldog is usually a better shotgun option, but the spread makes it inferior for this strategy.

There are three spots where you should focus the majority of this final part of the fight: around the mirrored middle passage pillars that have their own hallway and separate the room or around the pillar holding Echo 216 captive. You can run through the hallways, but avoid the open middle part at all possible if you're focused on pulling him through the hallways. The third strategy we'll lead with (also shown in the video guide), is solely using the middle of the room, explosives (if you have them), and relying on the Grappleshot to stay away as far as you can from Escharum.

If you're fighting in the middle with explosives:

It's not essential for you to have explosives for this strategy (as shown in the boss guide video), but it sure is a lot easier. The strategy here is to deal as much damage as you possibly can to Escharum from a distance, then, as soon as he gets ready to jump at you, use the Grappleshot on the ceiling (never the floor) to swing to the other side of the room. If you Grappleshot the floor you won't clear enough distance. Rinse and repeat, only running through the sides for ammo carefully.

This method works best if you've upgraded your Grappleshot at least to where it has a fast recharge and if you can clearly identify when Escharum is getting ready to do his jump and slam attack. The Mangler has a decent range too, so it can work here. And, when in doubt, the Disruptor's damage over time can be greatly helpful in this strategy.

If you're fighting around the torture structure:

If you can, start the fight by grabbing a coil (particularly a shock coil) and tossing it at Escharum. If you've got Plasma or Spike Grenades, this is when you'll have the easiest moment to stick him with them for assured damage. Hitting him dead on (preferably closer to his head) will briefly stun him. After that, you can start moving backward and shooting him in the head with the Disruptor. You'll want to do this until you're out of ammo.

Again, shock weapons do damage over time, and the more charged he is the more damage and the longer it'll last. The best place to dish out this damage and to follow up with the Mangler is by running close circles around the structure Echo 216 is connected to. Walk backward on Echo 216's side and the opposite, then jump or use the Thruster over the torture tables that jut out. Escharum should have trouble getting over them, giving you extra distance and time to fire at him.

You should only fire at Escharum as he's coming around the corner across from yours, no closer or you're risking him getting in the range to swing his Gravity Hammer or charge at you. This might take a few times to get down, but if you start with shock, then end with Mangler headshots, you should be able to wear him down.

If you need to grab more ammo, the best way to break the pattern safely is by dashing out with the Thruster, or if you're good with switching abilities quickly, using the Grappleshot to get away quickly to the spot of your choice. Run always, and keep an eye on the radar.

Once you have what you need, you can try to start the fight back up with any coils available to you or by simply luring Escharum back into the circle around the torture structure.

Keep a close eye on the radar. Sometimes old Escharum gets turned around and will detect that you're closer to a particular side and starts running at you in the opposite direction of your dance.

If you're fighting around the middle passages:

This is a tougher fight and not recommended, but it can work! There's less control than the strategy around the torture structure. There's more of a chance for Escharum to alter his path, but dragging him around through the outside and hallway of these structures can give you the time you need to escape his Grav Hammer swing. Like the other strategy, the key here is to only attack when you're out of harm's way, meaning Escharum is coming around a corner away from you.

Note that Escharum can swing his hammer in the small hallway if he happens to get in there with you. He can also run a bit faster down the hallway if you're not careful since, unlike the torture structure, there are no obstacles on the ground built in to slow him down.

As with the other strategy, start off with any coil you can get your hands on for him to have a brief pause. While this happens, toss Plasma or Spike Grenades at him for the quick damage and get to your chosen passage. Be sure to use the Disruptor and Mangler strategy here too. Get as much shock damage in him as you can with the fast-firing Disruptor then switch to the Mangler for headshots.

Escharum has a ton of health, but you can do this! Keep trying to master whichever strategy makes the most sense for you, or consider playing to your strengths. The key is to keep moving and to stay out of the big open areas of the room.

Once Escharum is dead, you can take his Gravity Hammer called Diminisher of Hope.

Have a strategy that works for you? Every instance of course will have different weapons available based on what you brought in, what equipment you upgraded, and what resources you used at different times during the fight. Be sure to share your strategies in the comments below. We'll keep adding strategies for the Heroic and Legendary versions of this fight as we have them. Once Escharum is defeated you can free the pilot from his restraints, but before you do, there is an opportunity to pick up an audio log.

Restock your weapons and make your final preparations, because the final mission starts right away. You can grab a Battle Rifle and a Shock Rifle. You'll definitely want a long-range weapon for what's coming.

Our Halo Infinite walkthrough continues with Mission 15: Silent Auditorium.