Safety Not Guaranteed Achievement in Halo: The Master Chief Collection

As with any of the playlists dedicated to the Halo 3: ODST Campaign, the (shorter of the two) LASO Campaign playlist will task players in completing all eight missions on the Legendary difficulty with all skulls on. Take note however that the developer has selected a preset number of skulls for this Campaign, so all the skull modifiers aren’t technically activated. With that said, this achievement can be earned in either Solo or Co-Op play. 

What’s more, it’s important to remember that only scoring skulls will be activated. These generally reward players with higher score multipliers and bonuses to base enemy values (for Par Score achievements). Non-scoring skulls on the other hand are sometimes neutral, such as Grunt Birthday Party. Below, you can get a glimpse of all the skulls that will be activated in the Halo 3: ODST LASO Campaign playlist.

• Black Eye - Your shields only recharge when you melee enemies. Bash your way to better health!
• Blind - HUD and weapon do not display onscreen.
• Catch - Enemies throw and drop more grenades.
• Cowbell - Acceleration from explosions is increased.
• Famine - Weapons dropped by AI have half the ammo they normally would. You might want to pack an extra magazine.
• Grunt Birthday Party – Grunt head shots lead to glorious celebrations.
• Iron - Death carries a heavy price. Dying in co-op resets you at your last saved checkpoint. Dying solo restarts the level.
• IWHBYD - Rare combat dialogue becomes more common.
• Mythic - Enemies have increased health.
• Thunderstorm – Upgrades the rank of most enemies.
• Tilt – Enemy resistances and weaknesses are increased.
• Tough Luck – Enemies always go berserk, always dive out of the way, never flee.

As a few general tips, keep the following suggestions in mind when tackling this achievement. First, take combat slowly and try picking off enemies from afar with short controlled bursts of medium-ranged weapons like the UNSC Pistol or Covenant Carbine. Since your HUD and weapon will not appear on screen, it may take some time in getting used to the “blinded” touch. Also, choose your shots wisely and always aim for vulnerable weak spots since ammo is scarce on the battlefield and enemies will have increased health and resistances. Second, since deaths will revert your progress to the mission-start, it’s highly recommended to attempt this achievement in Co-Op play. Lastly, enemies are going to be agile in combat, diving away from your shots and throwing a lot of grenades, so don’t forget the basics of cover, and when necessary, close-quarters combat, especially since shields will only recharge upon melee attacks. 

Here are a couple other tips to keep in mind:

• Towards the end of Tayari Plaza, make sure to eliminate all the Jackal Snipers and as many Brutes as possible; when the Hunters begin to storm the streets, don’t stop to kill them…rush towards the end of the mission
• On Uplift Reserve, use a Warthog to quickly drive past the first battlefield until you reach an isolated Ghost; grab this Ghost and try rushing through the rest of the mission as if you were going for the “Classic” achievement
• On Kizingo Boulevard, it would wise to learn how to get at least 1 or 2 Scorpion Tanks over the barriers where Dutch is located as a means of having powerful vehicular firepower in the final battle
• During the interior fight of Oni Alpha Site, make sure to give Mickey a Rocket Launcher since he’s invincible and will have unlimited ammunition
• For NMPD HQ and Kikowani Station, it would be in your best interest to learn a Legendary speedrun of both missions as a means of bypassing fights that aren’t necessary to take part in
• On Data Hive, always keep a Noob-Combo on hand (for Brutes) and make sure to use VISR Mode often, especially in the darker corridors; make sure you grab a Covenant Carbine (for the Drones) when venturing into the Hive with Dare
• Once you reach the highway on Coastal Highway, grab a Fuel Rod Cannon from a dead Grunt and give it to Buck; make sure he rides passenger until you get a Gauss Hog, at which point he should ride the turret of this vehicle

Overall, with enough persistence and skill, the Halo 3: ODST LASO Campaign playlist shouldn’t be too time consuming if you group up with a competent party and make use of the various tips mentioned above coupled with scattered video guides online. Just take the missions slowly and once the Epilogue cut scene has concluded, the achievement will unlock.