Neither High nor Low is the sixteenth level in Marathon. It is the fourth level of Durandal, the fourth chapter of the game. It is centered around a large room with a spiral stairway that is repeatedly visited as the player attempts to make their way to the top. The player's objective here is to reach the exit terminal at the top of the stairway. At the very end of the level, the player can pick up a SPNKR SSM Launcher (rocket launcher) for the first time.
The enemies in this level include Hunters, Wasps, and Lookers (including some invisible Lookers).
There are two pattern buffers in this level. One is found beyond a door on the east side of the bottom floor of the central spiral stairway room, and one is found at the very end of the level. A 2x shield recharger can be found in a niche just northwest of the player's starting position. A hidden 3x recharger can be found in a maze of corridors in the northeast corner of the level, and another 3x recharger is found in the final room of the level.
Walkthrough[]
Just to the northwest of the location you start out from, a 2x shield recharger can be found in a niche. Once you've found it, go back to the start terminal, then follow the corridor eastwards to a large room with several elevated platforms. Jump across the platforms to a corridor in the northwest (use the elevator in the west wall if you fall down), where you'll find a pattern buffer.
From this point, there are two tunnels that lead to rooms filled with enemies. Clear out the rooms, it'll make your life easier later in the level.
Now go back to the 2x shield recharger and continue northwest. You'll be in the spiral stairway room. Follow the stairs up, entering each new side door when you reach it. The first side door will take you on a path through a corridor with some massive crushers; run through the crushers to the west. Make your way back to the spiral stairway.
Take the next side door up, and cross the ledge on your left hand side. Hit the button at the end of the corridor, then run back north to the large room where some platforms will be raised, allowing you to get into the corridor to the north.
Make your way past some windows looking out into space. Take the elevator at the north end, then go back south and then east. You'll find another room filled with enemies; kill them and make your way up on the ledge. To the west, you'll find a maze of corridors. Move south, then east; the exit of the maze is found in the southeast corner. Follow the corridors back to the spiral stair room.
There's a button behind the side door just to your right. Hit it to raise an elevator in the center of the spiral stairway room. Jump onto the elevator as it rises, then jump to the highest door in the room. You'll soon reach a 3x shield recharger, a pattern buffer, and the exit terminal. Don't forget to pick up the rocket launcher here.
This map contains a number of secrets. In the room with a staircase leading to a raised ledge, one of the wall panels (at the position marked A on the map) can be opened to reveal an ammo cache and an infrared vision powerup.
In the very northeastern corner of the maze, a hidden 3x shield recharger can be found. Although the wall panel in front of it can only be opened briefly, the recharger can still be interacted with through the wall afterwards.
A flamethrower can be found in the maze as well, up in a niche at map position B. You'll have to grenade jump to reach it.
Terminals[]
Public Access Terminal 39-f<13.19.31.37>[]
The first terminal is a message from Durandal. He spells out his name for you, but insists that it does not spell Durandal. Afterwards he spells out "trouble", and tells you that the universe will close in 15.193792102158E+9 years.
Public Access Terminal 13-n<3.47.391.30>[]
The second terminal is another message from Durandal. He tells you that you are going to go where no human has gone before and that you should explore. He then tells you to stop in front of a window and if you aren't teleported to move on to another window. He then teleports you to Pfhor Your Eyes Only...
Trivia[]
- The music for this level is a song titled Flippant. It was previously heard in Defend THIS! It is track #3.
- There is one named regions on the level map, called "Core Center".
- When this map is opened in a map editor, a written message can be found outside the bounds of the level. It reads:
GK IS THE #1 VID At BUNGIE JAY COULDN'T SLIP ON A BANANA
- "GK" refers to the map's designer, Greg Kirkpatrick. "JAY" might refer to Jason Jones.
Sources[]
Marathon - Level 15: Neither High nor Low