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PC FAQ Version ................... 1.00 : Game Version ............... 1.0.4 =============================================================================== =============================================================================== --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S : --------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== Introduction ...................................................... s01 Search Index ...................................................... s02 General Information ............................................... s03 Walkthrough ....................................................... s04 Story and Characters ...................................... x00 Air Defense Bunker ........................................ x01 Air Defense Trenches .................................... x02 Hangar Perimeter ........................................ x03 Interior Hangar ......................................... x04 MCC Landing Site ........................................ x05 Operation: Advantage ...................................... x06 Canyon .................................................. x07 Perimeter Defense Station ............................... x08 Aqueducts ............................................... x09 Aqueducts Annex ......................................... x10 Nexus Hub Tunnels ....................................... x11 Nexus Hub ............................................... x12 Strogg Medical Facilities ................................. x13 Construction Zone ....................................... x14 Dispersal Facilities .................................... x15 Recomposition Center .................................... x16 Putrification Center .................................... x17 Waste Processing Facility ............................... x18 Operation: Last Hope ...................................... x19 Data Storage Terminal ................................... x20 Data Storage Security ................................... x21 Data Storage Terminal (Revisited) ....................... x22 Tram Hub Station ........................................ x23 Tram Rail ............................................... x24 Data Processing Terminal ................................ x25 Data Processing Security ................................ x26 Data Processing Terminal (Revisited) .................... x27 Data Networking Terminal ................................ x28 Data Networking Security ................................ x29 Nexus Core ................................................ x30 The Nexus ............................................... x31 Version History ................................................... s05 Legal Stuff ....................................................... s06 Contact Info ...................................................... s07 Credits ........................................................... s08 ----[ N O T E ]-------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to jump directly to a specific section, simply hit CTRL+F and enter the appropriate three-character code. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : I N T R O D U C T I O N : --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================[s01]==== Greetings, and welcome to my Quake 4 guide. If you found yourself here, perhaps you're stuck, in need of strategic advice, or merely curious about the game. In any case, I'm sure this document will prove useful. This FAQ includes all the information you would normally expect from such a guide, including a full walkthrough of the game, and detailed information about the weapons and enemies you will encounter. But what makes this FAQ different from others is in the way all this information is organized and presented. This is the second FAQ I've written using this format, and I certainly hope you will find it helpful and easy to follow. Give it a read a see for yourself! Quake 4 is a first-person shooter, released in 2005 and currently available for the PC and Xbox 360. The story directly follows the events of Quake 2, in which the human race wages an all-out war against aliens known as the Strogg. While Quake 4 didn't really revolutionize or advance the FPS genre in any way, its excellent graphics and non-stop, fast-paced action immediately pulled me in. It's a fun game that sticks closely to the standard FPS formula. So in short, I hope you'll find this guide both informative and interesting. If you'd like to see more FAQs like this one, be sure to check out my contribution page on GameFAQs at the following address: * http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/61433.html =============================================================================== --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : S E A R C H I N D E X : --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================[s02]==== Because most of the information is contained within the walkthrough itself, you won't find separate lists at the end of the document detailing every weapon, monster, etc. However, I still want to provide a means to find any kind of information quickly, and this is what the following tables are for. Simply look up the relevant code, hit CTRL+F on your keyboard, type in the code and hit enter (twice usually)! If all goes well, you'll be taken directly to whatever it is you're seeking. ----[ N O T E ]-------------------------------------------------------------- The information contained in the following tables could be considered spoilers. Use at your own risk! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----[ W E A P O N S ]---------------------------------------------------------- Blaster ........................ w01 : Hyperblaster ................... w06 Machinegun ..................... w02 : Rocket Launcher ................ w07 Shotgun ........................ w03 : Railgun ........................ w08 Grenade Launcher ............... w04 : Lightning Gun .................. w09 Nailgun ........................ w05 : Dark Matter Gun ................ w10 ----[ V E H I C L E S ]-------------------------------------------------------- Hovertank ...................... v01 : Walker ......................... v02 ----[ E N E M I E S ]---------------------------------------------------------- Strogg Marine .................. e01 : Teleport Dropper ............... e09 Grunt .......................... e02 : Tactical Transfer .............. e10 Berserker ...................... e03 : Light Tank ..................... e11 Gunner ......................... e04 : Slimy Transfer ................. e12 Gladiator ...................... e05 : Failed Transfer ................ e13 Sentry ......................... e06 : Iron Maiden .................... e14 Stream Protector ............... e07 : Heavy Hovertank ................ e15 Scientist ...................... e08 ----[ B O S S E S ]------------------------------------------------------------ Strogg Voss .................... b01 : The Makron ..................... b03 Network Guardian ............... b02 : The Nexus ...................... b04 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : G E N E R A L I N F O R M A T I O N : --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================[s03]==== Here is some information you might find useful if you're new to the game or to first-person shooters in general. ----[ H E A L T H ]------------------------------------------------------------ You will lose a certain amount of health points whenever you get hit by enemy attacks or various environmental hazards. If you lose all your health, you will die and be forced to reload your latest savegame, or restart the current level. The maximum amount of health you can have at any time is 100. To restore health points, always be on the lookout for the following pickups: * Small Health Pack : restores 25 health * Large Health Pack : restores 50 health ----[ A R M O R ]-------------------------------------------------------------- Armor provides additional protection that will allow you to receive less damage from most attacks. The more armor you wear, the less damage you will take, up to a maximum of 100 points. Unfortunately, your armor will degrade rapidly as you sustain damage (you will usually lose armor points faster than health points, especially if you have lots of armor). Always try to keep your armor rating as high as possible, as without it you'll have trouble surviving against even the weakest of foes. To increase your armor rating, look for the following pickups, scattered around each of the game's levels: * Armor Shard : adds 5 armor points * Small Armor Vest : adds 50 armor points * Large Armor Vest : adds 100 armor points ----[ H E A D S H O T S ]------------------------------------------------------ It's important to note that in most cases, you can kill your foes faster if you aim for their head. Usually, scoring a headshot results in double the normal damage you would have inflicted otherwise. This obviously allows you to defeat your enemies faster, which is especially important against the tougher ones or when you're being attacked by several enemies at once. Practice headshots early, and abuse them often! ----[ S C R E E N S A N D P A N E L S ]------------------------------------ Quake 4 features an interesting GUI (graphical user interface) system which allows you to interact directly with several of the game's computer screens or panels. To interact with a GUI, simply approach it until your crosshair changes to a small hand cursor. Use this cursor to click on the various elements of the GUI and produce the desired effect. This usually mean clicking on one big obvious button. ----[ T H E M A R I N E S ]-------------------------------------------------- Because Quake 4 pits you in the middle of a war against the Strogg, you will often be fighting alongside other marines. These marines are quite capable, and are typically equipped with a Machinegun. Keep them alive as long as possible and they'll make your life a little easier. But Medics and Tech marines are especially helpful. Simply click on them and they'll fully heal you or repair your armor, respectively. As long as they're not engaged in combat, that is. ----[ D I F F I C U L T Y L E V E L S ]-------------------------------------- Upon starting a new game, you must select a difficulty level. This will affect the accuracy of your enemies, as well as the amount of damage they deal to you. Be sure to pick a difficulty level that reflects your own skills and experience with first-person shooters. The General skill level is especially brutal, as most of your enemies can destroy you with only a few shots. * Private (easy) : Try not to shoot yourself in the foot * Corporal (normal) : You can hit a moving target... usually * Lieutenant (hard) : Shoot first, ask questions later * General (very hard) : An unstoppable death machine =============================================================================== --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : W A L K T H R O U G H : --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================[s04]==== This is by far the longest section of this document, covering everything you need to know about Quake 4 from start to finish. Read up a bit about the background story and characters if you want, or jump directly to any other section of the walkthrough. While it is meant to be read in order, it is by no means required. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : S T O R Y A N D C H A R A C T E R S : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x00]---- ----[ T H E S T O R Y S O F A R ]---------------------------------------- In the mid-21st century, a barbaric alien race called the Strogg launched a massive invasion on Earth. While the invasion was originally believed to be an attempt to strip the planet of its natural resources, humans soon discovered the Strogg are only after one thing: the human remains of those they kill. Through a horrific process, the limbs and flesh of the fallen are fused with metal and machinery to create the monstrosities that are the alien Strogg. The Strogg battled the human race for years on Earth, but as resources became depleted, Earth mounted a counter-assault on the Strogg homeworld. The first assault force was launched from the fleet and encountered massive resistance - most of the drop-ships were destroyed by the Strogg homeworld's massive defense weapon known as "The Big Gun." One surviving Marine broke through and was able to destroy The Big Gun and ultimately defeat the Strogg leader, the Makron. However, the war did not end there. The Strogg provided to be extremely resilient and as the war continued to rage, the Strogg regrouped and constructed a new and more powerful Makron. You are Matthew Kane, a member of the elite Rhino Squad and part of the next massive invasion that spans across the entire Stroggos planet. Equipped with hi-tech weapons and vehicles, and teamed with a top Marine squadron, you soon realize this war is far from over. In fact, your worst nightmare is soon realized when you discover to defeat the Strogg, you must become one of them. (story taken from the manual) ----[ C H A R A C T E R S ]---------------------------------------------------- ----[ Matthew Kane ]--------------------------------------------------------- You play as Matthew Kane, the newest addition to the elite Rhino Squad. Kane has somewhat of a mysterious past and not much is known about him, except that he's a survivor. As one of his squadmates so eloquently put it, Kane is one "certified badass". Can one man change the course of the war? ----[ Rhino Squad ]---------------------------------------------------------- Besides Kane, Rhino Squad is made up of eight other marines, with whom you'll interact regularly throughout the game. Each of them even has a unique and (in some cases) interesting personality. * Lieutenant Scott Voss, Squad Leader * Sergeant Marian Bidwell, second-in-command * Lance Corporal Nikolai 'Sledge' Sledjonovitch, heavy weapons specialist * Corporal Alejandro Cortez, sniper * Corporal Dell Morris, communications officer * Corporal William Rhodes, demolitions expert * Johann Strauss, tech marine (and arrogant bastard) * Jeremiah Anderson, squad medic ----[ Other Squads ]--------------------------------------------------------- Of course, Rhino Squad can't save the world by itself. You'll always be able to count on the support of many other marine squads, such as Badger, Cobra, Eagle, Kodiak, Scorpion, Viper, Warthog and Wolf. However, the most noteworthy, and by far the biggest of all the squads has got to be Raven Squad. If you're observant enough, you might notice that every marine of this squad is named after the various Raven Software staff members. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : A I R D E F E N S E B U N K E R : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x01]---- ----[ N O T E ]-------------------------------------------------------------- This walkthrough was played on the normal (Corporal) difficulty level. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The game starts with a nice introduction sequence, featuring some sweet and gory models. You are riding on board the battleship U.S.S. Patton, who just arrived at planet Stroggos to help out with the ongoing war against the Strogg. As your dropship flies down to the surface with countless others, Lieutenant Voss will briefly uh, brief you and the rest of Rhino Squad. Following the events of Quake 2, a lone marine was able to kill the Strogg leader called the "Makron", and disable the planetary defense guns. Well he obviously missed a few guns, as your dropship gets shot out of the sky and crashes on the planet's surface. Luckily, you somehow survive the crash (as does all of Rhino Squad), and the game begins shortly after you regain consciousness. First, get a feel for moving around (default keys: W, A, S, D), jumping (press SPACE) and crouching (hold C). For whatever reason, you can't pick up the Machinegun off the dead marine at your feet (not like he'll need it), so practice firing your pathetic BLASTER around (click the left mouse button). ----[ W E A P O N ]------------------------------------[ Default Key: 1 ]---- BLASTER ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clip Size .................... n/a : Power ............... [|:::::::::] Max Ammo ..................... n/a : Speed ............... [|||||:::::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A shot from this standard Marine-issue energy pistol can barely penetrate a sheet of paper, let alone an armored Strogg. You can fire quick, but weak shots by pressing the fire button. You can also charge up the Blaster by holding down the fire button for about one second and then release it. This charged shot is much more powerful, yet still pretty useless, considering the time it takes to fire. The Blaster is also fitted with a Flashlight (toggle it with the F key). And thanks to its internal nuclear battery, it will never run out of ammo. Still, I wouldn't recommend using it against anything but Strogg Marines, and then only when you really, really need to conserve ammo. I can pretty much guarantee you'll never use it again once you obtain a better weapon. On a more positive note, I do like the design of the Blaster. --------------------------------------------------------------------[w01]---- Now head towards the guy who's desperately trying to contact headquarters on the radio. Meet Sergeant Morris, Rhino Squad's communications officer. He'll tell you that you need to regroup with the rest of the squad as soon as possible, and thus give you the first mission objective of the game. ----[ Regroup With Rhino Squad ]----------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- The survivors of Rhino Squad have made their way into the Strogg fortress ahead. Hurry up and join them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hurry up they say... but it's their fault they left you for dead in the first place. Run past Morris to meet a second member of Rhino Squad: Medic Anderson. After he introduces himself, Anderson will heal you back up to 100 health points. How nice. Now run towards the fortress entrance to meet up with Private Webb, of Badger Squad. Private is just another word for "expendable", isn't it? Follow him inside and run through some hallways to reach a larger room. This is where you'll sort of be ambushed by your very first STROGG MARINE. Try shooting him down with your peashooter, or let Webb do all the work for you. ----[ E N E M Y ]------------------------------------------------------------ STROGG MARINE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power ............... [ varies ] : Toughness ........... [||::::::::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- These could be considered your Strogg equivalent, except you've never seen such incompetent marines before. These bottom-of-the-food chain type of stroggs barely constitute a threat by themselves, though they can certainly be an annoyance in bigger groups. They can wield different types of weapons, such as a Blaster, Machinegun or Shotgun, but their aim is generally terrible. ----[ Blaster Marine ]-------------------------[ Power ]--[|:::::::::]---- If your own Blaster is any indication, you'd know these don't pose much of a threat. The slow-moving projectiles they fire are easy to dodge and don't hurt much. Just don't get caught into their line of fire too often, as even low damage can quickly add up. These Marines are of a grey color. ----[ Machinegun Marine ]----------------------[ Power ]--[|:::::::::]---- While the Machinegun certainly is a step up from the Blaster, these particular stroggs barely know how to use it. Their fire is wildly inaccurate, and whatever bullets hit you will likely scratch your ego harder than your own flesh. They appear in an orange/red color. ----[ Shotgun Marine ]-------------------------[ Power ]--[||::::::::]---- A Shotgun will only cause real damage at close range, so always keep your distance with these Marines and you'll be fine. If one does manage to hit you from close enough you might bleed a little, so just keep strafing. These stroggs come in a brown/yellow color. It's also worth noting that if a Strogg Marine gets close enough, he'll start using you as a punching bag. They don't deal much damage in melee either, but there's no reason you should ever let that happen. Finally, these Marines wear little to no armor (possibly because of budget issues), so any weapon works well to take them down. --------------------------------------------------------------------[e01]---- Follow Webb around the room, shooting up more Strogg Marines along the way. You'll soon meet up with Private Dees and a couple more Strogg Marines. After the last of them have been eliminated, Webb will tell you to rejoin your squad while he and Dees stay behind to hold this room. Exit the room into another hallway, in which you'll find two SMALL HEALTH PACKS in a crate next to the blue flare. These will restore 25 health each, so you'll want to grab them if you've been hurt so far. Go through the yellow door, just in time to witness an unlucky marine getting dragged away by a Grunt. Too bad you can't help him. Make your way around this room, passing by a crashed drop pod, until you reach another unlocked yellow door. This might be a good time to mention that most doors in the game that display red lights will be locked, while the doors with green lights are unlocked. Makes sense, though it's a good thing the Strogg attach the same meaning to the green and red colors as most humans do. In any case, this is always an easy way to discern where you should be headed next. Speaking of which, proceed through that unlocked yellow door now and pick up the MACHINEGUN next to the dead marine (there's a hidden Machinegun on the marine as well). ----[ W E A P O N ]------------------------------------[ Default Key: 2 ]---- MACHINEGUN ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clip Size .................... 40 : Power ............... [||::::::::] Max Ammo ..................... 300 : Speed ............... [||||||||::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : SPECIAL : [ Zoom ] Hold down the Special key to look through the : : : Machinegun's scope. Though this mode features semi- : : : automatic fire, each shot is slightly more powerful. : ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Machinegun is a weapon you will rely on quite a bit, especially in the first half of the game. Its excellent rate of fire more than makes up for the Machinegun's relative lack of power. This gets even better once you acquire the Extended Clip Mod, which allows you to fire up to 80 shots without having to reload. Twice the shooting fun! Needless to say, such a high rate of fire comes at the price of accuracy. You won't lose much accuracy up to medium range, though beyond that you're likely to miss more and more (unless you're shooting at a wall). It's best to use the Zoom function if you want to hit some far away enemy. The Machinegun is also equipped with a Flashlight (toggle it on/off with F). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : UPGRADE : [ Extended Clip Mod ] This mod increases the Clip Size : : : to 80. Obtained in "Operation: Last Hope". : ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : AMMO : Clips (50) - Machinegun (40) : --------------------------------------------------------------------[w02]---- At last, you can say goodbye to the Blaster. Not that it took all that long. But really, if I could throw it away, I would. Anyway, as soon as you advance in this room, a Strogg Marine will drop down from the ceiling. Pump his head full of lead with your shiny new Machinegun to drop him real quick like. Then be sure to pick up the two CLIPS just ahead, as you'll want to make the most of your Machinegun. Turn left and run through this room, and you'll find two Strogg Marines waiting at the other end. Find some cover behind the pillars so you can safely shoot them down. Go through the next door to find Private Kovitch struggling with a Grunt, then take care of the problem himself in an admirable fashion. Shotgun blasts to the face have solved countless problems before, possibly making this one of the most effective negotiation tactic ever. After wiping Grunt brain matter off his armor, Kovitch will say that you need to find Badger Squad just ahead. Before you follow him in the next room, loot this hallway to find a SMALL HEALTH PACK and a CLIP in a nearby crate, plus two more CLIPS next to the door. Go through the door into the next room, and through the long hallway with rows of pipe on the left. Just a few steps in, a GRUNT will smash through the pipes and try to take a few swipes at you. He won't hurt you if you just stay on the other side of the hallway. Start shooting him up with the Machinegun, after which he'll run to the end of the hallway so he can run back towards you. This should give you plenty of time to gun him down, though be warned he'll try to leap at you once he gets close enough. ----[ E N E M Y ]------------------------------------------------------------ GRUNT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power ............... [||||::::::] : Toughness ........... [||||::::::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This short but massive alien is covered in armor that kinda gives him the appearance of a football player. Consequently, you don't want to stay in his path when he comes charging towards you. While the Grunt is equipped with a shoulder-mounted chaingun, he will rarely use it. The damage it causes is weak anyway, and he's got a terrible aim. Instead, Grunts like to use some rather powerful melee attacks that you'll want to avoid by staying far away from them. In addition, they can leap at you from great distances. Dodge this attack by strafing if you can, as it's twice as powerful as their normal melee attacks. You might notice that Grunts sometime choose to absorb the green chemicals plugged into their arms. I'm not actually sure if this has any effect, except perhaps allow them to run a bit faster. While Grunts are certainly more resilient than Strogg Marines, you should still be able to kill them easily with most weapons save the Blaster. Obviously, the stronger the weapon, the faster they'll die. But that matters little if you can stay out of their melee range. --------------------------------------------------------------------[e02]---- With the Grunt dead, run to the end of the hallway and then back on the other side of the pipes until you come up to a door. You'll see a stroyent health station on the left wall there, but not being a Strogg yourself you can't do anything with it. Instead, go through the door on the right to witness a Strogg Marine get blasted in the face by Private Hillstrom. Looks like you found the rest of Badger Squad! Just follow the path to find Sergeant Miller. Since one of his men is badly wounded, he'll order you to run back, grab Medic Anderson, and bring him back here. Why should you take orders from this man? You already have your own orders. Oh well. ----[ Retrieve Medic ]--------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Find Anderson, Rhino Squad's medic. Bring him back to the wounded marine near Sgt. Miller. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before you head back, loot the nearby crates to find two CLIPS and two SMALL HEALTH PACKS. Now time for a little backtracking. Retrace your steps into the pipe room and run to the other end. The pipes that were previously broken off by the Grunt will explode, setting off an alarm. You'll then be assaulted by a Grunt and two Strogg Marines, followed by three more Marines. You shouldn't have any problems if you stay at the other end of the hallway and pick them off from a distance. Zoom with the Machinegun if necessary. Keep running back, through the room with the large windows and into the room with all the pillars. You'll spot Corporal Pierce motioning you over, but then the door behind him opens and a BERSERKER impales him! Pierce got pierced... get it? Um. Just unload into the Berserker with your Machinegun, and aim for the head as much as you can. You might need to step back a bit to avoid his attacks. ----[ E N E M Y ]------------------------------------------------------------ BERSERKER ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power ............... [||||||::::] : Toughness ........... [|||||:::::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Berserkers are the masters of melee, possessing a wide variety of harmful close-range attacks. They have a blade on their right arm and a morning star on the left, both of which they can use in melee to inflict much pain on your person. If that wasn't enough, they can also leap towards you in a similar fashion to the Grunts to inflict extra damage. And to top it all off, Berserkers run very fast. But that's not all! At any moment, Berserkers can choose to hit the ground with their blade, creating a shockwave that's fairly hard to avoid. Try jumping or running backwards. Thankfully, this attack doesn't do much damage. They can also shoot out a beam of lightning from their blade, which causes about as much damage as their melee attacks. Like the shockwave, this attack doesn't have much range, but is very hard to avoid. Not only can Berserkers dish out pain in many varied and effective ways, but they can also withstand quite a bit of it. You'll always want to take them down as quickly as possible, especially when they attack alongside other stroggs. Not like they'll give you much of a choice anyway. You can't shoot at anything else when you got a seven feet wall standing in your way. --------------------------------------------------------------------[e03]---- Go through the door where the Berserker came from, and into a small room containing two MACHINEGUNS, a CLIP and a SMALL HEALTH PACK. Continue through the next door and you'll be back into the room with the crashed drop pod. Run forward to help Anderson deal with three Strogg Marines. Nice job so far, but you still need to bring him back. Which means even more backtracking for you. Re-backtracking? Back-backtracking? Whatever. ----[ Retrieve Medic ]----------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Escort Anderson ]-------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Protect Anderson and bring him back to the wounded marine near Sgt. Miller. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is your first escort objective of the game, meaning you must protect a specific character until a task is accomplished. If you let that character die, it's game over for you. Thankfully, Medic Anderson is a good shot, and you should have no problem escorting him back. Remember that you can click on him at any time (unless you're in battle) to have him heal you right up. Before going back, you can look behind the door the Strogg Marines came from to find a dead marine and a MACHINEGUN. So head back past the drop pod and through the door straight ahead. A Grunt will smash through a floor panel in this room, but with Anderson's help you'll have no problem gunning him down. If you want, jump down into the hole the Grunt came from, and you'll land on a small walkway below the floor. Follow this path (be sure to turn on your flashlight) and you should be able to find a CLIP and a SMALL ARMOR VEST near some fire. Sweet, some protection! Then click the interactive panel near the ladder to open up a hatch above, and climb it up. You'll be back in the drop pod room, so run back into the next room, and again through the next door. In the pillars room, just run forward and this time a Berserker will drop down from the ceiling! Again, with Anderson's help he won't be a problem. Run through the door, through the windowed room, and you'll be in the pipe room. A Berserker will try to ambush you from the broken pipes, and two Strogg Marines will attack from the end of the room. Stay cool, and find cover if necessary. You can then run to the end of the room, and you'll find a newly-unlocked door. Beyond it lies a MACHINEGUN and several dangerously explosive barrels. You should now run back into the other room, where Sergeant Miller patiently awaits your return. Anderson will take care of the injured guy, and Miller will finally let you go by unlocking the large door in this room. ----[ Escort Anderson ]---------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- Grab anything you might have missed before leaving this room, and make sure you grab a heal from Anderson if you're hurt. Go through the large doors to see Cortez take care of three stroggs in a rather awesome way. What nonchalance. He'll introduce himself as Rhino Squad's sharpshooter and remind you that you still need to regroup with the rest of the squad. Look around this place to find a MACHINEGUN, three CLIPS and two SMALL HEALTH PACKS. You can then run through the red door that Cortez pointed at to find the exit panel for this level. That's what the panel says in Strogg alphabet... "Exit". Simply click it to finish the first level! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : A I R D E F E N S E T R E N C H E S : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x02]---- What, did you think Rhino Squad would be right behind that door? Nope, still have a little ways to go. Run into the next room, where Sergeant Bidwell will inform you over the radio that you need to find him as soon as possible. Again. Could they stop reminding you for like, five whole minutes? Follow the path to an elevator, and click the yellow panel to ride it up. Follow this path through a door and into a large room. A Grunt will run up some stairs to tackle you, but you should have little problem shooting him down. Look into the small computer room on the left side to find a SMALL ARMOR VEST. Run down the stairs and through a door. Follow this path until you reach another dead marine (seems to be a lot of those around here) near a red flare. Pick up his MACHINEGUN and CLIP if you dare, then walk through the door. You're now back into the room with the large windows from the first level, though on the upper ledge. If you look down, you can see a marine shooting down some Strogg with a Hyperblaster. Cool weapon. Follow this hallway which will lead you outside, where you'll find a SMALL HEALTH PACK and a LARGE HEALTH PACK sitting in a crate. You can also climb down the pipes on the right to find four ARMOR SHARDS. You can then run through the tunnel until you reach the trenches. Woo, lots of action out here. Thankfully, you're pretty safe where you're standing. That's what trenches are for. Run forward, past Sergeant Dischler, to find a SMALL HEALTH PACK and three CLIPS in a crate. Notice how all this ammo and health is just lying around when you don't really need it? Ah well. Turn right and follow the red and yellow cables into another short tunnel to meet Damato. Quickly follow him outside. You should first notice two Strogg Marines and a Berserker, which you should swiftly take down with Damato's help. Three more Strogg Marines will then come in, UNLESS Damato dies, in which case you'll have to face six more Marines. As you can see, it's best to protect Damato, especially from the Berserker (he's basically the only one who can kill him). By the way, this is the first time you'll encounter the Shotgun Marines. You'll find a CLIP by looking around in this area, and you can then run through the next tunnel. Bidwell is getting really impatient! You'll meet with Corporal Rhodes in the tunnel, who seems a little disappointed to see you alive. That'll teach him to bet against you. Regardless, you can grab the CLIP at his feet, then exit the tunnel to finally meet up with Sergeant Bidwell - Rhino Squad's second-in-command - as well as Sledge. ----[ Regroup With Rhino Squad ]------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- Time to get some new orders, which you'll receive from Voss himself over the radio. Seems like the Strogg air defense cannon is keeping the fighters pinned down, so you need to take it out from the hangars. You're to go with Morris and rendezvous with Viper Squad there. Wait, Morris? Where the hell did he-- *turns around* Aaahh! No seriously, where did he come from? Why didn't he help you sooner if he was following you? Anyway. ----[ Destroy Strogg Aircraft Hangars ]---------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Marine ground units are being shredded by Strogg air support. Find a way to take out the Strogg hangars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well then, get a CLIP and SMALL HEALTH PACK in the crate that was behind Bidwell. Follow the trenches until you come to a fork, where you should get attacked by a Berserker. Should be easy for you and Morris. Up to five Strogg Marines will also attack you from the right, so find some cover behind the crates and snipe them with your Machinegun. You can also explode the barrels near those Marines for fun and profit. Follow the trenches along the path that should be nearest to you (where the Berserker came from). You'll encounter two more Strogg Marines on the way and soon find the red exit door for this level. Now that was short. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : H A N G A R P E R I M E T E R : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x03]---- You're now inside a tunnel again, and Morris is still with you. So far so good. Proceed through the next door to get a glimpse at a new enemy: the Strogg GUNNER. These enemies can be pretty tough in confined spaces like this, so stay in cover near the door and take your shots from there. Be sure to run away if he throws a grenade your way! The Gunner also has two Strogg Marines supporting him from behind, though you should only take care of those afterward. ----[ E N E M Y ]------------------------------------------------------------ GUNNER ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power ............... [|||||:::::] : Toughness ........... [|||||:::::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A tall, heavily armored Strogg with a massive gun grafted to his right arm. You can tell right away this guy isn't kidding around. His gun effectively doubles as a nailgun and a grenade launcher. Most of the time he'll be firing the nailgun, which doesn't hit as hard as you might think. The nail projectiles aren't too hard to dodge by strafing, though if you do get hit by a lot of them you'll find yourself hurting. Once in a while, the Gunner will launch a grenade towards you, provided you're far enough. The grenade will typically land close to you, giving you only a few seconds to move away before it explodes. If you do get caught in the grenade's explosion radius, you'll be taking a hefty amount of damage, especially if you're unarmored. Ouch. It's easy to tell when a Gunner is about to launch a grenade, because he'll pump his gun first. I should also note that if you get close enough, Gunners can punch the crap out of you. But why would they get close in the first place? Anyway, Gunners are pretty tough, thanks to all that armor I guess. Strong weapons are advised, though even the Machinegun will work if you're so inclined. --------------------------------------------------------------------[e04]---- With the nasty Gunner and his bodyguards down, run through the hallway until you meet two more Strogg Marines and a Berserker. With plenty of space between you and them, they should pose no problem. Now go through the door at the end of this hallway to meet up with Viper Squad. Corporal Mahler will resume the situation and kindly give you his SHOTGUN! Seems like you're to clear the way for the demolitions team. Makes sense. Too bad Morris will have to stay behind and re-establish communications (that's what he does best, after all). ----[ W E A P O N ]------------------------------------[ Default Key: 3 ]---- SHOTGUN ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clip Size .................... 8 : Power ............... [||||||::::] Max Ammo ..................... 50 : Speed ............... [|||:::::::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- While Shotguns are often king in first-person shooters, it's actually not all that great in Quake 4. At least, before you get to upgrade it. It has a slow rate of fire (as you would expect from a pump-action shotgun) and a horrible reload speed. On the plus side, it is fairly powerful, but only at close range. When you can get close enough to your foes, the Shotgun is certainly a solid choice, especially when aimed between the eyes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : UPGRADE : [ Extended Clip Mod ] Increases the Clip Size to 10. : : : Also adds clip-based reloading, which is much faster. : : : Obtained in "Operation: Last Hope". : ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : AMMO : Shells (12) - Shotgun (10) : --------------------------------------------------------------------[w03]---- So you now get to travel with three members of Viper Squad for a while, with one of them being a Medic and another a Tech marine. This has obvious advantages, because as long as they're alive you can use them to stay at full health and armor. As far as I know, none of these marines can be killed in the first portion of your little adventure together. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to protect them as you go along though, if only to practice your escorting skills. But before you go anywhere, pilfer the Vipers' reserves, which consist of a SMALL ARMOR VEST, two MACHINEGUNS, a CLIP and three boxes of SHELLS for your new Shotgun. So ready your Machinegun (you'll see why in a sec) and go through the doors to enter a cool looking area. A Gunner will appear far ahead of you, so try to snipe him with your Machinegun. You'll also face about six Strogg Marines in this area, though with three teammates helping you out they'll go down quick. Viper Squad is awesome. Walk around this area and up some steps to find a door. You'll also find a CLIP and SMALL HEALTH PACK where the Gunner was standing. Go through this door, then do like the others and take cover behind a crate. You'll fight off two Strogg Marines initially, then four more will come from the door at the other end of the room. Again, the Machinegun works best here. Speaking of which, you can pick one up form a nearby dead marine. Now equip your Shotgun! Go through the door, pick up the SHOTGUN in front of you, then run down the stairs ahead. You'll meet up with a Berserker halfway down, but with a Shotgun in hand he should go down quick. Your marine buddies should take care of two Strogg Marines below. Downstairs you'll find a MACHINEGUN, a CLIP and a LARGE HEALTH PACK. Go into the next room, where you can check a few repair bots working on the busted engine of a Strogg Flyer. Kinda neat. Enter the next room and turn right into the first hallway. Or you can keep going to find three ARMOR SHARDS near a locked door if you want, but with Li around, why would you need them? Anyways, follow this hallway to reach a large elevator, but you'll first have to go through a Grunt and two Strogg Marines. There's also a MACHINEGUN and two SMALL HEALTH PACKS near a large screen to the left. Once everyone is on the elevator, Mahler will activate it. Follow this new hallway to reach another large room where the Strogg store a few engines. This room is packed full of enemies, including a Gunner up above and about ten Strogg Marines total. Sounds like a lot, but you still have Viper help. This is a nice place to practice using the Shotgun. After looking around, Mahler will come to the conclusion that you need to find a way to break through that reinforced bulletproof glass. Hmm, maybe those engines could help. Note that as of this point, Li and Hayes can be killed pretty easily (they no longer appear immortal), so PROTECT THEM if you still want to use their services in the near-future. ----[ Circumvent Glass ]------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Find a way to get to the other side of the glass. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After you receive your objective, the door to the far end of the room will unlock and a Berserker will come through. Kill it quickly before he decides to kill Li or Hayes. Heal up if you're hurt, then go through the door the Berserker came from. You'll find one Strogg Marine on your right here, and two more will come from the door ahead. You'll also get to see a Strogg Flyer get transfered to another part of the hangar. Cool stuff. Head through the other door to find a small storage room with a ladder. Climb it up, and exit back into the large room you just crossed. Now you need to extend the bridge to proceed, so click the button on the panel on your right. Cross the platform, and get ready to take down a Berserker and Strogg Marine. Walk into the next room, and you'll no doubt notice the orange panel right in front of you. Click the button to lower an engine in front of the window. You can then turn right and follow this path to a lift. Ride it down so you can rejoin Viper Squad. Ask the Medic and Tech to heal you if you're hurt. Look behind the engine and you'll see a small panel. Click it to fire the engine, and the glass will literally melt away. Success! ----[ Circumvent Glass ]--------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- Morris will contact Mahler and inform him that the demolitions guy is ready. Alright, so walk in the room behind the melted glass to find two MACHINEGUNS, a CLIP, SHELLS and three ARMOR SHARDS. Walk into the next room to face a Berserker and two Strogg Marines on the platform above. Your teammates will then get into position, and wait for you to do something. Huh? Well, look for a green panel near the edge of the room and click it. This will start extending another bridge, but as it happens eight Strogg Marines will walk into the room. Piece of cake with your Machinegun. Once the bridge is fully extended, a Berserker and two more Marines will walk onto it. Now you can cross the bridge until you reach a door. Before you take it, drop onto a lower platform on either side. Someone apparently forgot some stuff down there, such as a LARGE ARMOR VEST, two CLIPS and SHELLS. Climb back up using the ladder, and enter the next room. You'll first face three Strogg Marines coming up from the left, and then a Gunner will walk through a door straight ahead. If you go down where the Marines were you can find more SHELLS and a SMALL HEALTH PACK tucked away in a corner. Go back up and through the door the Gunner came from to discover another elevator. This one will take you deeper into the hangar. Once everyone is on board, click the panel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : I N T E R I O R H A N G A R : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x04]---- You now have to wait through a rather long elevator ride, so check out the somewhat impressive Strogg hangar while you do. Follow the squad into the next room once you reach the top, and you'll receive new orders from Morris. ----[ Clear Area of Enemies ]-------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Prepare this floor for the demolition team by sweeping the area and clearing it of all hostiles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well your objective's clear enough, so start sweeping already. Walk around this room and through a door to reach a small hallway. As soon as you enter an alarm will go off, so it appears the stroggs know you're coming. Grab the two CLIPS in front of the locked door, and ready your Machinegun and flashlight. Once Mahler gives the go, charge into the next room to find... no one? A few seconds later, Strogg Marines start showing up, as well as four defense Turrets (two on each sides of the hallway). You should concentrate on destroying the turrets first (they can hurt you a bit if you let them, but they have low health), then start shooting down the Strogg. I suggest you simply stay at the far end of the hallway and take them out as they appear. You'll have to take out about a half-dozen Strogg Marines and the four turrets to complete the objective. This is obviously quite a bit easier if Li and Hayes are still alive at this point. You are then ordered to return to the elevator. ----[ Clear Area of Enemies ]---------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Meet Rhodes ]-----------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Return to the elevator and meet Rhodes, the Rhino Squad Engineer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So backtrack all the way to the elevator which, well, consists of traveling through one short hallway. Whew, that was hard. You might wanna have Hayes and Li patch you up before you return, though. ----[ Meet Rhodes ]-------------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Protect Rhodes ]--------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Lead Rhodes to the hangars and protect him as he sets to the demolition charges. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morris will recall Viper Squad back to him, so you can no longer count on their support now. But two questions immediately cross my mind. First, Rhodes is the demolition team? As in, he forms a team by himself? He must be pretty damn good then. Second, did he haul up all those heavy-looking crates up there by himself? That'd be even more impressive. There's a lot of loot in those crates, such as two MACHINEGUNS, four CLIPS, two SHOTGUNS, two SHELLS, two LARGE HEALTH PACKS and one LARGE ARMOR VEST. If that doesn't get you back into shape, nothing will. So follow Rhodes back to the room where you cleared out all the Strogg, and he'll lead you to a door. Go through this door to find a very large room with many doors, but first things first. Pick up the two CLIPS and SMALL HEALTH PACK to your right if you need them (you shouldn't), then go through the unlocked door to the right. Take out the three Strogg Marines in this hangar (remember, if Rhodes die you die), and don't get too startled if the Strogg Flyer um, flies off. Once all the Marines are dead, Rhodes will go place his first demolition charge. Nothing else to do here but pickup a CLIP and SMALL HEALTH PACK if you need 'em, then head back in the large room. Run around this room to find and destroy two Gunners and about seven Strogg Marines. Your life is more expendable than Rhode's at this point (in a sense), so keep an eye on him at all times. Sometimes he has the bad habit of running off on his own. Then search around to find a door on the opposite side of the first hangar you went to. This would be left from where you first entered. This hangar is very similar to the other one, except it contains a Gunner in addition to three Strogg Marines. Clear 'em all out, and Rhodes will place the second and final charge. ----[ Protect Rhodes ]----------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- Sweet, you no longer have to protect him! Being a Rhino Squad member, you know he can take care of himself (when he's not carrying several pounds of explosives on his back). Follow Rhodes back into the large room, then into another room. He'll unlock the door leading you into some sort of control room. Look through the window to witness the cool explosion. Ka-blam-o! Now that's a job well done. Morris now wants you to head back down and regroup, but Rhodes will stay up here. What else could he possibly need to do? No matter. ----[ Destroy Strogg Aircraft Hangars ]-----------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Regroup with Voss ]-----------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Return to the Air Defense Cannon and regroup with Lt. Voss and the members of Rhino Squad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yeah, so all the doors are locked in this room, leaving you no choice to ride down the elevator. This also marks the end of this level. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : M C C L A N D I N G S I T E : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x05]---- After a boring elevator ride, you'll meet up with Raven Squad. Looks like they've taken over the area and started cleaning up a little. You'll also meet with Tech Marine Strauss for the first time, probably the most arrogant member of Rhino Squad. Get him to fix your armor while you're there. You can pick up the MACHINEGUN, SHOTGUN and SHELLS nearby if you want, then exit this room through the door. Back outside, you'll see more members of Raven doing stuff (and a MACHINEGUN on a crate). Go around this familiar area to find more guys analyzing one of those Strogg Flyer engines. Apparently their technology is impressive. Funnily enough, you can steal those marines' MACHINEGUNS if you want, and help yourself to SMALL HEALTH PACKS in the crate. Exit this area, and you'll see Private Salmon getting yelled at by Strauss. He also has a MACHINEGUN. *cough* Meet Morris again in the next room, and follow him back to the trenches. Open the door to finally meet up with Voss and Sledge. ----[ Regroup with Voss ]-------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Capture the Air Defense Cannon ]----------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Fight your way to the cannon's controls and take it offline to clear the skies for the Mobile Command Center. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Voss will start by awarding you a GRENADE LAUNCHER. I suppose he's been pleased with your work so far. And with the Strogg Flyers out of commission, you now have to disable that Air Defense Cannon, ----[ W E A P O N ]------------------------------------[ Default Key: 5 ]---- GRENADE LAUNCHER ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clip Size .................... 8 : Power ............... [|||||||:::] Max Ammo ..................... 50 : Speed ............... [||||::::::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- While the Grenade Launcher is among the most powerful weapons in the game, it's far from being the most useful. This mainly comes form the fact that it's a little hard to use. Grenades will travel along the arc in which you fired and bounce around once they hit obstacles, exploding after about 3 seconds (or coming into contact with an enemy). The explosions are quite powerful, and have a very large blast radius. Problems can arise when grenades don't bounce the way you wanted them to (such as bouncing back at your feet), or when you get caught in the blast radius. Which, by the way, can happen often in the small rooms and narrow corridors of the various Strogg facilities. Plus, you have many foes who just love running towards you, such as the Grunt and Berserker. For all these reasons, you'll find that the Grenade Launcher is rather limited in its usefulness, but that doesn't mean it's completely useless either. It's a wonderful tool for clearing up a room of enemies from above. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : AMMO : Grenades (10) - Grenade Launcher (10) : --------------------------------------------------------------------[w04]---- Pick up the CLIPS and GRENADES from the nearby crates, then follow your squad around the trenches. Since your teammates are invincible for the time being, and Voss is armed with a powerful Hyperblaster, you'll probably find this part rather easy. Simply follow the trio, taking down Strogg Marines and Gunners along the way. Find cover when the going gets tough and you'll be fine. Soon enough you'll reach a locked door, and Voss will order you to find a way to open it. Well, you're the boss, Voss. You'll find many goodies around here, such as two CLIPS, a MACHINEGUN, a SMALL ARMOR VEST and two LARGE HEALTH PACKS. To continue, you need to climb on the stacked crates just right of the locked door. You can then jump on top of the door frame and on higher ground. Take a few steps and a Grunt will come out of a hole to assault you. Take him out with the Shotgun and drop down this hole, grabbing the SMALL HEALTH PACK nearby if you got hurt. You'll be in a small hallway with three doors, two SMALL HEALTH PACKS, one LARGE HEALTH PACK and a SMALL ARMOR VEST. Why are they giving you all this stuff for? It's not like the single Grunt was such a menace. Now find the door with a green panel besides it, and unlock it by clicking said panel. You're now back with your squad, sans Morris who must stay behind. Once Voss and Sledge are inside, a Strogg Marine will drop down from the hole in the ceiling, followed by two more coming from a door. Go through this door to enter a large room with many doors from which Strogg Marines will come. Make your way through this room, killing about ten Marines along the way. With Voss and Sledge at your back this is a walk in the park. Enter the next room and kill the lone Strogg Marine ahead. Then focus your attention to the right side. Strogg Marines will start pouring out of four doors up and down there, as well as one Gunner. Stay to the far side of the room and safely take out the dozen or so Strogg with your Machinegun. Jump down into this room and exit through the only door you can access to find another hallway. Hey this is Quake. It's mostly made up of hallways and rooms. So follow this hallway and turn right to find the Air Defense Cannon controls. You'll first have to kill the two Strogg Marines and the Gunner protecting it, then run up to the controls to claim the cannon. Score another victory for the marines! Voss will then want you to use the cannon to blow some sh--tuff up yourself. Sweetness. ----[ Capture the Air Defense Cannon ]------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Fire Away ]-------------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Use the commandeered cannon to make your own path to the Hannibal's landing site. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Approach the seat until your cursor changes to "Enter", and click the left mouse button to use it. Now this couldn't be easier. Simply aim the cannon at the large structure in front of you, and fire once to blow open the doors. I like things that go boom. So uh, press the Jump key to exit. ----[ Fire Away ]---------------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Locate the MCC Landing Zone ]-------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Go to the Mobile Command Center's landing zone and rendezvous with the Hannibal as it lands. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So you must now run to the landing zone and help secure it for the MCC's arrival. Can't they have someone else do it? Why does it always have to be you? Alright, so run back through the hallway, and just as you get near the door you'll hear an elevator. A single Strogg Marine is riding it, so welcome him with your Shotgun in hand. Get on that elevator and ride it to the upper level. As you go through the door, you'll see Rhodes running in the room below as he's on his way to rejoin Voss. Turn left and go through that door, into a hallway containing a Berserker, Gunner and Strogg Marine. You'll certainly want to shoot down the Berserker first. Grab a SMALL HEALTH PACK near the door if you need it, and run to the other end of this hallway (the room on the left side contains nothing of interest). Unlock this door by using the green panel, and walk through it to find yourself back near the trenches. Grab any stuff you might have missed earlier, and run through the trenches until you reach a large platform marked "SMC". Can't really miss it. Climb it up onto the ground level and meet up with two Raven Squad members. Turn around now if you want, and witness the destruction of the Air Defense Cannon, thanks to Rhodes' handiwork. Now run into the Strogg building ahead, the one where you so elegantly blew open the front door. Just, you know, don't run into any fires. Turn right at the end to find a door, and go through it to find a small hallway. Private Law should be waiting for you there, so ready your Machinegun and go into the next room. You'll face off with four Strogg Marines in this large, mostly busted-up tunnel, which is almost an insult to your skills. Go through the large doors at the end of this tunnel to continue along, this time facing a Grunt and one Marine. Exit this tunnel by going through the large doors at the end. You're now back outside, but you'll notice some stroggs are shooting at the road ahead from some towers on the right. Law will promptly show you what NOT to do and get shot down by the Strogg. What you SHOULD do, is run behind the crates on the right side of the road for some cover. Now run besides the next crate up ahead and CROUCH behind it to stay in cover. Repeat this two more times, until you meet up with more Raven Squad members hiding behind a truck. Just as you get there, the awesome-looking Hannibal will arrive and destroy the Strogg towers and turrets. Did I mention this ship looks awesome? It acts as a Mobile Command Center, and this is where you need to be headed next. ----[ Locate the MCC Landing Zone ]---------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Board the Hannibal ]----------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Board the Hannibal via the main lift, then report to mission briefing for your next deployment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pick up the MACHINEGUN of Private Nicholson if you want - he's wounded anyway. Then start running towards the Hannibal as it makes its slow decent. Under it and towards the back is where you'll find the lift. Step on it to complete this level, and your first mission. ----[ Board the Hannibal ]------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : O P E R A T I O N : A D V A N T A G E : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x06]---- Sounds like a rather cheesy name to me, for a big operation. You'll immediately notice you have no HUD and you can't use any weapons aboard the Hannibal. Once you ride up the lift, you'll get told you can look around the ship for a while, but you need to go through decontamination first. I wonder if the Strogg blood splattered all over your armor has anything to do with it. ----[ Report to Briefing ]----------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Make your way through the Hannibal and find Rhino Squad's briefing room for your next mission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Look around the hangar bay to see some marines working on Walkers. Look for the door called "D.4 Decontamination", and naturally go through it. After you're done here, you're free to enter the ship. As you walk around you'll see plenty of marines just doing their jobs and gossiping like little school girls. Turn right here and go through another door. From this hallway you can turn right where it says "Drop Pod Command", or keep going straight. Both path will eventually take you to the same place, just through different section. I suggest explore both paths anyway, just to see the sights and listen to the different conversations. You'll know you're on the right path once you see "Sector D.4 Medical Bay". Look through the different windows to see what kind of research the world's most brilliant (no doubt) doctors are currently working on. Proceed into a hallway with three doors and enter the one marked "D.4 Briefing | Armory". Go through this noisy room and you'll see a "D.4 Rhino Briefing Room" sign. This is obviously where you want to be. Not only that, but also the fact that pretty much every other door on the ship are locked, except the ones you need to use. Strangely enough, Viper Squad members are guarding your briefing room. ----[ Report to Briefing ]------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- You will be briefed by General Harper and Lieutenant Voss. The General will actually take the time to explain why they named this operation "Advantage", because it's so crucial to the success of the mission. Thanks General. Voss will then tell you about the Strogg communication network called the Nexus, and the importance of disabling it. You will do so by bringing an EMP bomb inside the Hub which houses the Nexus. ----[ Gear Up ]---------------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Find the armory and resupply. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And now the fun part, in which you get new stuff. Talk to your fellow squad members if you want, or head directly to the Armory. If you can't find it, you need to look at the big green signs. Walk through the locker room (notice how the lockers retract neatly into the floor to form benches) and find the armory in the back. As you approach Sergeant Swekel, he'll give you the EXTENDED CLIP MOD for your Machinegun. Very nice! ----[ Gear Up ]-----------------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Locate Ride to Death Convoy ]-------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Meet up with CPL Spencer and get a ride to Rhino Squad's convoy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To get there, exit the locker room through the other door (the one you came in from is conveniently locked, as if the ship's computer is tracking your every movements). You see "D.4 Walker Hangar"? Well, enter it. Straight ahead you'll meet General Harper again, who kindly informs you that your transport is ready. What's he doing here anyway? Step on the lift in the hangar to exit the Hannibal and complete the game's hardest level! Ahem. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : C A N Y O N : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x07]---- As you're riding down, select your Machinegun to confirm the new clip size. Sexy. Step off the lift, then do as Corporal Pitman says and "haul ass in that direction" to catch your ride. Run along the whole length of the Hannibal to find your truck waiting on the road. Now that I think about it, the Hannibal ship model is totally not up to scale. Anyway, enter the front truck. ----[ Locate Ride to Death Convoy ]---------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- Enjoy the ride as you follow the road and proceed through a somewhat long tunnel. Once you get out, an explosion will make everyone panic and the convoy will start going twice as fast. I suppose they want to avoid getting bombarded by Strogg Flyers, which is a good enough reason. After some hi-speed tunnel action, the trucks will stop so you can help out squads on both sides of the road. Just use your Machinegun to snipe Strogg Marines until they're all dead. The trucks will then ride outside as some crazy stuff goes on all around you. Watch as a pair of Hovertanks take out a Strogg Flyer. After going into another tunnel the trucks will finally come to a stop and you'll get off automatically. ----[ Locate Bidwell ]--------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Find Bidwell in the corridors ahead to receive your next mission objective. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So run to the end of this tunnel and through the small corridor on the left. You'll see a couple Wolf Squad members guarding a truck. Run past them, then past Sledge into another corridor. You'll find Cortez here, which you can talk to a few times to learn about one of Sledge's past exploit. Impressive. Enter the large tunnel ahead and run past Morris to find Bidwell. Happy to see you as always, he'll just order you to get on the front truck. Looks like you're in charge of protecting Death Convoy on its long trek towards the Nexus Hub. Grab the two MACHINEGUNS nearby, then click on the truck to man the only turret. Seems like they didn't think protecting the convoys was all that important. ----[ Locate Bidwell ]----------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Protect the Convoy ]----------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Use the mounted weaponry on the truck to protect the convoy from Strogg attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I should note that the mounted machine gun on this truck cannot run out of ammo nor will it overheat. The truck is also equipped with a shield to protect it from attacks (thankfully), as indicated on the lower left corner of the screen. While the shield will deplete rapidly as the truck sustains damage, it will also regenerate whenever you're not under attack (think Halo/Halo 2). Off you go then. At first you'll only encounter Strogg Marines, which can do very little against the truck's shield. This is good target practice for your machine gun. There are also many explosive containers along the way which you can use to your advantage. You'll emerge outside after riding through a long Strogg-filled tunnel. A Flying Turret will soon drop from above on your right and start shooting you with its machine guns. These guns can cause serious damage over time, so you want to shoot it down quickly. While Flying Turrets are also equipped with a shield, they're very easy to destroy. Soon after, the convoy will be forced to stop because four mines are blocking the road ahead. Rhodes will be sent out by himself to disarm the mines, with only you to protect him (as always). You'll have to defend him from oncoming Grunts and Berserkers. They'll come at him from both sides of the road, so just keep looking in both directions. Thankfully, Rhodes is a pretty tough guy and can take quite a bit of punishment. He can still die though, so always focus on the stroggs closest to him first, especially Berserkers. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed and let a steady stream of hot lead flying. After disarming all four mines, Rhodes will run back and the convoy can resume its course. In the next area, a Flying Turret will drop on the left side, then right side. You'll ride through a long tunnel with nothing but a few Strogg Marines, so relax and listen to the radio chatter. The convoy will stop again once you exit the tunnel. This time your truck is sent out alone to take out the defenses ahead. This next part can actually be pretty tough. ----[ Clear Area of Turrets ]-------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Clear out the emplaced turrets surrounding the building ahead of you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You'll be facing a lot of Gun Turrets along the walls of the area, Rocket Turrets in the middle, and Flying Turrets dropping all over the place. First, you should take care of the two Gun Turrets on your left, as well as two Rocket Turrets on the right. A Flying Turret will also drop in front of you along the way. The truck will run into a dead end and be forced to turn around, giving you plenty of time to take care of all those turrets. Next you'll encounter two more Gun Turrets along the right wall and a Rocket Turret on the left. Destroy those as quickly as possible, though be warned a Flying Turret will also drop in front of you. As you keep going, you'll soon spot the last of the Rocket Turrets on the left, but as you try to destroy it three more Flying Turrets will drop behind you. You eventually stop near a red barrier, but it's apparently impossible to destroy it from here. You'll have to go inside the nearby building and disable it from there. When the truck starts moving again, Flying Turrets will immediately drop to your left and right. Take care of them, as well as the last two Gun Turrets in the right wall. You'll face one more Flying Turret ahead, and if you destroyed all the other turrets so far your objective will be complete. If not, you'll still head over to the building and the objectives will be completed anyway. ----[ Clear Area of Turrets ]---------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Protect the Convoy ]------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Locate Voss ]-----------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Locate Voss for your next mission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, enough of this silly shooting gallery thing. Time for some on-foot action again. Once you get off the truck, simply run into the building ahead. There's nothing to be found in this hangar-type room, so just head through the door on the left side to find this level's exit panel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : P E R I M E T E R D E F E N S E S T A T I O N : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x08]---- You will enter a small room, already occupied by several marines. You'll find a CLIP, some SHELLS and a LARGE HEALTH PACK nearby, and you should also ask Tech Newquist to repair your armor if needed. You must then approach Corporal Schilder, who holds a gift to you from Voss: a Strogg NAILGUN. Awesome. ----[ W E A P O N ]------------------------------------[ Default Key: 6 ]---- NAILGUN ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clip Size .................... 50 : Power ............... [|||||:::::] Max Ammo ..................... 300 : Speed ............... [|||||||:::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This fine piece of Strogg engineering shoots oversized nails at an alarming rate. Presumably, the Strogg realized the Nailgun's offensive capabilities after dozens of construction workers got nailed to a wall. Regardless, it's a great all-around weapon for use against most enemies in the game. As long as you can find ammo for it that is, which is pretty rare initially. As good as the Nailgun is, it only gets better once you acquire one or two upgrade mods. The first one will increase the rate of fire, as well as allow you to load up two clips at once. While this means double the clip size, it also means double the reload time, so be careful and reload often. The second upgrade will even take care of the Nailgun's biggest problem: accuracy. Simply hold down the Special key to look through the scope and lock-on to the nearest target. All the nails you fire will automatically seek your target! Perfect against quick enemies. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : UPGRADE : [ Firepower Mod ] Increases Rate of Fire by 25%. Also : : : increases Clip Size to 100. Obtained in "Aqueducts". : : : [ Nail Seeker Mod ] Hold Special key to look through : : : scope and lock-on to target. Nails will seek target : : : automatically. Obtained in "Recomposition Center". : ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : AMMO : Nails (40) - Nailgun (50) : --------------------------------------------------------------------[w05]---- Get on the elevator where Schilder was standing and ride it down. Steal the MACHINEGUN from the dead marine if you want, then go into the next room. You'll meet with Sledge, who reminds you to meet up with Voss. As if you have anything better to do. Head through the next door to find a SHOTGUN and MACHINEGUN in this small hallway. Finally head through the unlocked door at the end to rejoin Voss. Strauss is working on taking over control of the facility, but first you need to find and rescue a team of engineers who are trapped down below. Hrm. At least you get a couple of marines to help you out. ----[ Locate Voss ]-------------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Retrieve Engineer ]-----------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Enter the basement of this building and locate the convoy that is pinned down there. Locate the engineer that is attached to the squad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loot the control room to find Strauss' MACHINEGUN, a CLIP, SHELLS, NAILS and a LARGE HEALTH PACK. Exit the room and head through the left door to rejoin your new buddies (steal the SHOTGUN if you're heartless). After Strauss unlocks the door, rush in the next room and help Singer and Rodriguez take out about seven Strogg Marines. AS the Nailgun would be overkill against such puny opponents, just use your Machinegun. Go to the far end of this room (don't fall into the pit) and locate the "Call Lift" panel, written in Stroggese or whatever you call their crazy moon language. So call it up, and ride it down, if that makes sense. You'll find three SMALL HEALTH PACKS and one ARMOR SHARD in the room below, as well as a couple locked doors. Strauss will unlock the left door, so follow your squadmates through it. You need to open the large blast door in this room, and obviously you're the only one qualified enough to do so. So do so. The panel is somewhere around the room, obviously. Once the door opens, you'll have to gun down a Grunt and two Strogg Marines. There's another blast door in this room, so climb up the right side to find the required panel, as well as a LARGE HEALTH PACK and four ARMOR SHARDS. With the final blast door open, you'll be able to meet up with the engineer, Tech Marine Newberry. His truck will flatten a few Strogg Marines before he and Sergeant Shaw climb out, but you'll still have to defeat about ten of them to clear out the area. Won't be a problem with so many marines helping you out. You can find two SMALL HEALTH PACKS near the truck and two CLIPS near a door on the right side of this tunnel. When you're ready, approach Newberry to begin the second part of this mission. ----[ Retrieve Engineer ]-------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Escort Newberry ]-------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Guide Newberry back up the elevator and locate the locked door that he needs to open. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you should know by now, if you let Newberry die you'll fail the mission. Of course, you killed all the Strogg on your way down, so he can't actually die. Easiest escort mission ever? I think so. So head back through the two blast doors and backtrack to the elevator. Ride it up, exit the room and follow Newberry outside the control room. A new door will be unlocked on the left, so head through it. Go down this hallway, paying no mind to the Grunt. Head through the right door, and run past the jumpy marines. Follow the hallway into the next room, where Private First Class Pupino will show you where you need to head next. ----[ Shut Down the Defense Grid ]--------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Find a way to the Perimeter Control Room and shut down the laser grid to allow the convoy to proceed to the Nexus Hub. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow this hallway into another room and meet up with three fine members of Warthog Squad. Power goes out briefly, but it looks like another false alarm. Or is it? Head into the next room and the lights turn red. Uh oh. Still, this is where you'll find the door Newberry needs to open, so let him to his thing. Meanwhile, grab the CLIP, SHELLS and LARGE HEALTH PACK on your right. ----[ Escort Newberry ]---------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- After the door opens, Jones will bravely scout whatever lies beyond. Which is to say, a Grunt. Seems Jones failed his Grunt 101 training, so quickly rush in and take it down with the Shotgun. If you're not quick enough, the Grunt will also kill Newberry. You don't want his death on your conscience do you? I mean, after you've "escorted" him all this way. So look in the back of the room to find a "Call Lift" panel and use it. Ride the lift to the upper level, while everyone else stays to protect the already cleared out lower level. Follow this path through two doors to reach the coveted control room. Drop down on the lower level to find two LARGE HEALTH PACKS and a panel. Click the button to make the real laser grid control panel appear in a rather elaborate way. You see a map and a blue button, so you automatically assume this will shut down the correct laser grid. Click it. ----[ Shut Down the Defense Grid ]----------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- Well as it turns out, this disabled all of the laser grids. The marine behind the window will try to attract your attention, so approach him. Another Grunt 101 drop-out. How sad. Though this time the Grunt will come running at you, so face the door and get ready. Well, your job is done here, and your orders are to return to the convoy. ----[ Regroup with Rhino Squad ]----------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Find a way out of the building and regroup with Rhino Squad at the Nexus Hub. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exit this room through the door the Grunt came from, and turn left into another door. You'll find SHELLS and a CLIP in this small room. Exit this room, turn left and you'll get to see some cool machinery in action. Don't stare at it too long though, and kill the three Strogg Marines with your Machinegun or Shotgun. Find the elevator in this room and ride it to the upper level, where you'll face two more Marines. Make your way around the room and you'll encounter a Gunner next. Now's a good time to try out the Nailgun! Go through the door the Gunner came from, and follow the hallway through another door. Now if you would kindly direct your attention to the level below, you will get an EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK at a fantastical specimen known as the Gladiator. No hands-on for you I'm afraid, though the unlucky marine below might disagree with this sentiment. Never fear, something tells me you might get to meet one soon enough. In the meantime, follow the path around this room, making sure to pick up the two boxes of NAILS behind some barrels. Go through the next unlocked door and follow the hallway to an elevator, finding SHELLS, a LARGE HEALTH PACK and one more dead marine on the way. Ride it down and face off with five Strogg Marines, in a room with plenty of cover for everyone. Exit the room into a hallway to witness another marine getting killed by a Grunt. You'll have to take care of this Grunt yourself, since someone around here obviously didn't think of others before they went and got themselves killed. Follow the hallway and leave it through the only unlocked door. Ready your Nailgun, run through this new hallway until you reach a larger room and-- HOLY CRAP A GLADIATOR. Since you don't have much room here, your best bet is probably to shoot it in the head with your Nailgun while strafing. Besides, you should have plenty of health and armor at this point. ----[ E N E M Y ]------------------------------------------------------------ GLADIATOR ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power ............... [||||||::::] : Toughness ........... [|||||||:::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This massive Strogg is certainly more machine than man. Well at least in appearance. Gladiators are equipped with an imposing shoulder-mounted railgun, as well as a blaster and an energy shield (hence the name, I suppose). So as you can see, this guy is not only equipped to dish out the pain, but absorb it as well. The Gladiator's biggest threat obviously comes from its railgun. A direct hit from this puppy will likely rearrange some of your internal organs in ways you may not completely agree with, or at the very least punch a big hole in your armor. The good news is that the Gladiator is not terribly accurate with the Railgun, and shots can often be dodged simply by strafing. In addition, you can destroy the Railgun if you shoot it enough, denying the Gladiator his strongest weapon. When not busy firing his Railgun, or if you destroyed it already, the Gladiator will use his arm blaster. As expected, these blaster shots are fairly weak and easily avoided. Just don't soak up too many of those and you'll be fine. But the biggest problem when facing a Gladiator is the shield. When it's up, it can absorb and deflect pretty much everything you throw at it. You can still aim at any exposed body parts (including the head), but it's not always easy. The Nailgun and Hyperblaster both work well, or something even bigger if you can spare it. A Gladiator will lower his shield every time he fires his railgun, and sometimes for no apparent reason, making it an ideal time to strike. Note that you can fire your Lightning Gun at the shield to temporarily disrupt it, leaving the Gladiator completely defenseless for a while. Sort of. --------------------------------------------------------------------[e05]---- Before you proceed through the hallway the Gladiator came from, run into the other room on the right side to find a CLIP. Head back and run through the door at the end of this short hallway to find another Grunt happily munching on an ex-marine. Happily shoot it down. You'll notice that things aren't going so well around here anymore, as it looks like the marines have lost control of the building. Grab the two MACHINEGUNS around here if you need them, then start backtracking towards the exit (this area should be quite familiar). You'll see a lot more dead marines along the way, and hear some worrying radio chatter. Once you reach the elevator, ride it to the surface level. Finish this level by clicking the exit panel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : A Q U E D U C T S : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x09]---- Before you can even do anything, Tech Holtz from Raven Squad will come over to you and upgrade your Nailgun with the FIREPOWER MOD. This mod will give it a nice boost through an increased rate of fire and doubled clip size. Very nice indeed. While he's in such a generous mood, why don't you ask Holtz to repair your armor as well? You can then head downstairs and ask Medic Morte to fix you up. There, all better. Exit this building through the large orange door, and board the HOVERTANK just ahead. Time for some vehicular combat action! ----[ V E H I C L E ]-------------------------------------------------------- HOVERTANK ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Armor ............... [|||||:::::] : Shield .............. [||||||||||] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Marine Hovertank is powerful, yet surprisingly quick and agile. Its armor is relatively weak, but it uses a powerful shield to compensate. Both the armor and shield will regenerate over time, as long as you don't get hit for six seconds. The Hovertank can move forward, backward and strafe using the movement keys, while you aim the turret with your mouse. It's equipped with two weapons, which you can switch using the mousewheel. ----[ Main Cannon ]------------------------------------------------------- This cannon fires powerful shells that can destroy most of your enemies in a single hit. Its main drawback is the rather long reload time. The shells can be difficult to aim, especially against fast-moving or flying enemies. But you can hold down the Special key at any time to use the Zoom function for more precise aiming. ----[ Machine Gun ]------------------------------------------------------- The machine gun not only packs quite a punch, but it'll never run out of ammo either. Ideal for mowing down Strogg infantry and quick enemies. Because of its inherent inaccuracy, the machine gun shouldn't be used at extremely long range. --------------------------------------------------------------------[v01]---- As soon as you get out, you'll have to destroy three Strogg Flyers around the area. Or Hornets rather, since they sort of look like insects. Hornets can attack you with machine guns, rockets and even by dropping bombs, but none of those cause serious damage. One direct hit from your cannon should take care of them. Simply wait until they stop moving (usually to attack you) before you take your shot. Or you can use your machine gun if you're having trouble hitting them. After the first three Hornets are destroyed, one more will come from the now-disabled laser grid. Take it out and enter the tunnel behind. After emerging outside, you'll face up to six Flying Turrets on the road ahead. You should remember these from before, which you can easily blow up with your main cannon. Go through the next tunnel, running over some Strogg Marines in the process. Three Hornets are waiting for you in the next area, as well as one rather large Strogg known as a Heavy Hovertank. You'll see more of these on foot, though this one is a bigger, badder version. You can try to avoid the rockets by moving from side to side, or by destroying them with your machine gun. Once you're close enough, either finish him off with the machine gun or shoot him twice with the cannon. Go through the tunnel and into a rather large area where you'll encounter some Rolling Turrets. They're turrets that... roll. They can ram you if you get close, or shoot you with their machine gun from a distance. Just wait until they stop moving and shoot them once with the cannon, though the machine gun works equally well. You'll face two of those turrets and the two Hornets that dropped them, followed by four more. Finally, one more Rolling Turret and two Heavy Hovertanks will show up. Remember that if your tank gets badly damaged, you can just wait until it's fully regenerated before moving on. So head through the next tunnel and into another, longish area (starting to see a pattern here?). You'll be attacked by about four Rolling Turrets at first, while some Strogg Flyers try to pointlessly bombard you. Further ahead are four Gun Turrets (you can pretty much ignore them) and a bunch of Strogg Marines. I always find that running them over is more fun than gunning them down. You'll then see a small tunnel on the right side where the stroggs were. Head through it to complete this short and easy level. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : A Q U E D U C T S A N N E X : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x10]---- Head outside to witness a cutscene featuring the awesome looking Harvester. I love this model. You'll of course have to defeat it yourself, which isn't as hard as it sounds. The Harvester has a variety of attacks, including a powerful nailgun and devastating homing rockets. It can also try to impale you or whip you with its tentacles at close range. Kinky. Your best option is to always keep moving, especially to avoid those rockets. When a rocket is close enough you can try to shoot it down with your machine gun or even the cannon, though beware of their very large explosion radius. An easy way to defeat the Harvester is to get as far away from it as possible (drive to the other end of this area), and use the Zoom function to shoot it down. About a dozen hits from your cannon should suffice (usually less) to destroy this spider-like robot. Oh, and try not to fall down the huge pit in the middle. With the Harvester defeated, you can now head through another tunnel (opposite from the one you arrived from). You'll be facing some Strogg infantry and Flying Turrets on the way, none of which pose much of a threat to you. Once back outside, you'll find four Hornets waiting for you... to destroy them. Go through another tunnel and another area, killing Strogg infantry, a Flying Turret and a Hornet. Go through a couple more tunnels, again filled with Strogg and Flying Turrets. Though honestly, I don't know why they're even trying. Do they not know you can just regenerate at any time? Soon enough, you'll emerge outside again and the Nexus Hub will be in plain view. At last! Oh but wait, two Harvesters stand between you and your goal. Two?! Yes, two. They won't be much harder than the first one you faced, if you just concentrate on one at a time. You'll certainly have to dodge more rockets, so keep that machine gun hot and ready. You can even run behind cover if your Hovertank gets too damaged. With those out of your way, you can then ride inside the building ahead and exit your Hovertank. ----[ Regroup with Rhino Squad ]------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- Walk forward to meet up with your squadmates and proceed to the next level. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : N E X U S H U B T U N N E L S : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x11]---- You're gonna ride this elevator a looooong way down with Morris and Strauss. Listen up and learn about latest happenings. As it turns out, you're the last hope for this mission to succeed. Figures. ----[ Destroy the Tetranode ]-------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Escort the EMP to directly under the Tetranode and destroy it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your mission sounds simple enough, at least. Once you're at the bottom, pilfer the crates to obtain plenty of ammo for all your guns, as well as health and armor. Take out your Machinegun and flashlight, and follow Morris, Strauss and Voss in the hallway. You'll be attacked by several Strogg Marines and a Grunt, all of which are no challenge for the might of Rhino Squad. Once you reach the control room, Strauss will find out that the temperature in the tunnels is too cold for the convoy to proceed. And of course he's the only one who can fix that. And of course, you're the only one who can protect him. ----[ Protect Strauss ]-------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Escort Strauss to the temperature controls. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wait until Strauss unlocks a door, and go through it. Don't mind the creepy men hooked up to creepy machines, and go through the next door. This large room is dark at first, but a few steps in a Gladiator will come down the center. Whoa, take out your Nailgun and make sure to direct his attention away from Strauss. After you kill it, two Strogg Marines will show up. Have Strauss repair your armor after all this. Go to the opposite end of the room and leave through the door. Follow this hallway through another door, in which you'll face Strogg Marines and a Grunt. Then go around this room to find the temperature controls, as well as SHELLS and a SMALL HEALTH PACK. Just don't let your guard down yet, because as Strauss starts messing with the controls, you will have to protect him from Strogg SENTRIES. ----[ E N E M Y ]------------------------------------------------------------ SENTRY ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power ............... [||::::::::] : Toughness ........... [|||:::::::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Strogg Sentries are pretty easy to recognize. They have machine guns instead of arms, they hover, and have a tank of bright green liquid at their base. Compared to most other stroggs you've faced to far, Sentries are rather simple foes to defeat. They have very low endurance, and their machine guns don't cause much damage at all. Still, even low damage will add up, especially when they attack you in groups (which they often will). Because Sentries have such low health, pretty much any weapon works well against them. I'd recommend the Machinegun, Shotgun or, if you have it, the Lightning Gun. The latter will destroy a Sentry in less than a second. Unlike other enemies, Sentries take extra damage if you aim for the tank at their base, rather than the head. Note that they also have this annoying tendency to circle strafe around you if they get close enough, so try to kill them from a distance. --------------------------------------------------------------------[e06]---- Kill the five Sentries before they can kill Strauss (or you). Use the nearby cover to your advantage, since their machine gun fire is hard to avoid. Use your Machinegun or Shotgun to get through this part. ----[ Protect Strauss ]---------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Return to Rhino Squad ]-------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Return to Rhino Squad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Return" is a nicer word than "backtrack", I suppose. Get Strauss to repair your armor one last time, then exit this room. You'll face a Strogg Marine and a Berserker in the hallway, against which the Shotgun or Nailgun would be a good idea. Head to the next room, where you'll face about six Strogg Marines and a Grunt. I like using the Shotgun here, and stay behind the pillars for over. Dunno about you, but my computer takes a pretty big framerate hit in that room. Run back through the room with the creepy men, and face one more Berserker. Finally exit this room to rejoin Voss and Morris, and help them take out any remaining Strogg Marines. ----[ Return to Rhino Squad ]---------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- You'll also find two CLIPS and two LARGE HEALTH PACKS in a nearby crate (how did that crate get there?). Follow your squadmates around the room, facing a Grunt and more Marines, then through another hallway and even more Marines. Exit this hallway into a large tunnel, in which two Berserkers will immediately attack. Be sure to stand back and let Voss and Morris help. Follow them into the tunnel until you encounter Strogg Marines, as well as a Gladiator. Kill as many Marines as you can before the Gladiator shows up, then take it down with your Nailgun while Rhino Squad handles the rest. You'll find a couple SMALL HEALTH PACKS just past the bridge on the left side of the tunnel. Now follow the tunnel until you reach a forcefield. You'll find two much-needed CLIPS and a SMALL ARMOR VEST close-by. Voss wants you to go ahead and disable the forcefield by yourself, because there's obviously no good reason the three of you should go. ----[ Deactivate the Forcefield ]---------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Find the console that will deactivate the forcefield and allow the convoy to pull forward. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So go through the door next to that jerk Voss. Run through an empty hallway to reach another room, which contains two Sentries. Use the door frame as cover to take them down. Now before you move forward, you can jump down on the very large pipes on the right side. Follow these pipes to a small niche in which rest two SMALL HEALTH PACKS and a SMALL ARMOR VEST. Head back, climb back up using the pipes and exit this room. Two more Sentries await you in the next room, as well as a console. Jump on the pipes on the left and walk up to it so you can deactivate the forcefield. ----[ Deactivate the Forcefield ]-----------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Return to the Convoy ]--------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Return to the convoy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As soon as the forcefield is down, two Strogg Marines will walk into the room from the upper door. Shoot them down and run through the door they came from. A Berserker will come at you from the opposite end of the room, giving you plenty of time to kill him. Head through the other door to find a secret room containing NAILS, SHELLS and two SMALL HEALTH PACKS. Exit this room, jump down on the lower level and backtrack into the large tunnel to find the convoy. ----[ Return to the Convoy ]----------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Destroy the Tetranode ]---------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- Well the EMP's in place, so it looks like everything's going according to plan. HAHA. Yeah no. Before the EMP can be detonated, a Harvester will walk into the room and destroy it. Talk about bad luck. Obviously, your puny guns cannot take down a Harvester, so just wait for it to pass through the tunnel. Things are looking pretty grim however... as Sergeant Bidwell didn't survive the encounter. Whoops. Anyways Strauss has a new plan, but you'll need to rejoin him first. Wait for Voss to kick down a floor panel and jump through it. Crawl through this small tunnel for a while and climb the ladder at the end. You'll see a Harvester and marines fighting above you, but there's nothing you can do to help. Crawl through this new tunnel to claim a new weapon for yourself, the HYPERBLASTER. I'm sure the marine it belonged to won't mind. ----[ W E A P O N ]------------------------------------[ Default Key: 4 ]---- HYPERBLASTER ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clip Size .................... 60 : Power ............... [||||::::::] Max Ammo ..................... 400 : Speed ............... [|||||||||:] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't let the "blaster" part fool you - the Hyperblaster is a great weapon. It can fire hot plasma projectiles at an insanely high rate, perfect for dealing with all but the toughest stroggs. Think of it as an upgrade to the Machinegun, minus the scope. The downside to having such a high rate of fire is that you can burn through ammo without even realizing it, so always keep an eye out for more batteries. Even though the Hyperblaster is an extremely accurate weapon, the shots can easily be dodged by a moving enemy. Always be sure to lead your enemies. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : UPGRADE : [ Bounce Shot Mod ] Hyperblaster shots can bounce from : : : walls and other obstacles. Obtained in "Data Storage : : : Terminal (Revisited)". : ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : AMMO : Batteries (60) - Hyperblaster (60) : --------------------------------------------------------------------[w06]---- With your new toy in hand, crawl through the rest of the tunnel and drop down one level. Run forward and take care of the Sentry ahead. Climb up the pipes into another tunnel, taking you to a small room. Climb up the ladder here and quickly take care of the two Sentries above. You'll find four ARMOR SHARDS here near the health station. You should then follow the large blue pipes on the right side into another room. Pick up two BATTERIES here and a SMALL HEALTH PACK. There's also a SMALL HEALTH PACK and LARGE HEALTH PACK near the only door in this room. Go through the door to find yourself on that bridge you saw before in the tunnel. Take out the three Sentries here and cross the bridge into another hallway. You'll certainly notice the two Sentries here, as well as two SMALL HEALTH PACKS, three ARMOR SHARDS, SHELLS and two CLIPS. Go through the next door and enter a large room in which you'll immediately face a Berserker and two Strogg Marines. I suggest retreating into the hallway behind you to take them down. You'll also see a Gunner on a bridge above you in this room. Just take him out from either sides with the Nailgun or Hyperblaster. On the left side of this room is a crate with three SMALL HEALTH PACKS, BATTERIES, a SMALL ARMOR VEST and NAILS. Good good. Exit this room by going up on the bridge the Gunner was on, at which point a Strogg Marine and one Sentry will show up. At the end of this bridge is an elevator and a LARGE HEALTH PACK. Click the exit panel to complete this rather long level. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : N E X U S H U B : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x12]---- Looks like you're getting close to your ultimate goal. Can Operation: Advantage truly succeed? Only you and Strauss remain to answer that. ----[ Destroy the Tetranode with Strauss ]------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Take the crawlspace to meet up with Strauss and destroy the Tetranode by hand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, you'll find another elevator in this room, as well as a LARGE HEALTH PACK and a CLIP. Ride it down and you'll get your first look at the Tetranode. Exit the elevator and take a right to rejoin Strauss. It seems you can't destroy the Tetranode from here, unfortunately. Couldn't you just shoot the crap out of it? ----[ Activate the Power Plant ]----------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Escort and protect Strauss to the Tetranode's power plant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before you go anywhere else, ask Strauss to repair your armor. It's time for another escort mission, so be sure to always keep an eye on him. Go through the nearby door to enter a short hallway. You can go down a ladder on the left side here to the floor below. All you're gonna find there are four ARMOR SHARDS, though. Go through the next door and across a bridge, fighting the two Sentries that show up. This is a kinda neat looking place, because it appears to be so huge. Through the next door is a hallway in which you'll meet three Strogg Marines and two Grunts, for your killing pleasure. There's also two BATTERIES and a LARGE HEALTH PACK in a corner. Run past the bodies hooked up to machinery and into another hallway, in which you'll find lots of ammo including SHELLS, CLIPS and BATTERIES. Exit this hallway through the door to find the power plant, although two Sentries, Strogg Marines and a Gunner await within. Be sure you don't let the Gunner throw a grenade too close to Strauss. Find some SHELLS in a corner of the room, as well as a LARGE HEALTH PACK, SMALL ARMOR VEST, BATTERIES and two CLIPS near the control panel. After messing with the controls, Strauss will realize you have to find some other controls. Great. ----[ Activate the Power Plant ]------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Find the Emergency Shutoff Controls ]-----------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Escort and protect Strauss to the Emergency Shutoff Controls. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before you can even leave the room, a Gladiator will walk in. While Strauss stays safely behind cover, go ahead and take it out with the Nailgun or Hyperblaster. You must now backtrack all the way to the Tetranode. You'll encounter a couple Strogg Marines, a Berserker and a Sentry along the way. In other words, nothing you can't handle. Once in the Tetranode room, you'll notice the door at the opposite end has been unlocked. Run towards it, but do take care of the two Strogg Marines who come out of it. Through this door is a short hallway, leading to another, much longer hallway. Run through it, and fight it out with a Strogg Marine, a Grunt and a Gunner. You'll find a CLIP, SHELLS and a SMALL/LARGE HEALTH PACK on the right near a window. Then enter the large room ahead to face a Strogg Marine, Grunt and a Gladiator. Quickly take out the first two, then take care of the Gladiator with your Hyperblaster if you can. You'll find SHELLS and two LARGE HEALTH PACKS in a corner of the room, should you get badly hurt. Climb up the stairs, turn left and head through the door to find a LARGE HEALTH PACK and SMALL ARMOR VEST. Otherwise, head right and follow the hallway. You'll encounter a Grunt, followed by two Strogg Marines and another Grunt. I find that the Shotgun works pretty well in such close quarters. Run to the end of this hallway to find three CLIPS on the right side, then take a left and follow this path until you reach another hallway on the right (there's a LARGE HEALTH PACK and some SHELLS near the barrels here). Anyways, if you took the right path you'll soon reach a lift. Ride it up (man that's a fast lift) and enter a pretty cool-looking control room. Strauss can do his thing here and initiate the emergency shutoff. ----[ Find the Emergency Shutoff Controls ]-------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Shut Down the Coolant Pumps ]-------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Find the coolant pumps used to keep the Tetranode from overheating and shut them down. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You've got one final task to do, but it looks like Strauss isn't coming along this time. Hmm why not? Look on the right side of this room (well, right of the computers), to get... holy crap! Enough ammo and health to fully replenish yourself and your guns. Pretty awesome. Exit this room through the only door and follow the hallway. When you reach a fork, keep going straight to find some SMALL HEALTH PACKS, ARMOR SHARDS and even a LARGE ARMOR VEST. Head back and follow the other path until you reach the coolant pumps. I dunno about you, but there's something odd about this room. Save your game - um, just in case - and activate the panel in the middle of the room. ----[ Shut Down the Coolant Pumps ]---------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- Okay, so it seems you've just made yourself some new enemies among the Strogg. As if you needed that. The two spider-like monsters you see now are called STREAM PROTECTORS. One must assume they can protect streams, but not rivers or oceans. I guess technically this could sort of be considered a boss fight, but they're not even bosses. Or hard. My advice? Get out your Grenade Launcher and throw grenades at the nearest one, while always strafing from side to side. As long as you don't stop moving or don't let them get close to you, you shouldn't get hurt. It'll take about ten grenades per Stream Protector. Alternatives include the Nailgun and Hyperblaster. If the Protectors are really giving you trouble, you can always duck behind the large pipes for cover. ----[ E N E M Y ]------------------------------------------------------------ STREAM PROTECTOR ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power ............... [|||||||:::] : Toughness ........... [||||||||||] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This spider-like cyborg certainly isn't kidding around, judging by the impressive arsenal it's packing. Quadruple homing rocket launcher? Check. Twin heavy blasters? Check. Normal blaster? Yup, why not. Flamethrower? Oh yeah. And if all this wasn't enough, it's got a few nasty melee attacks and a whole lot of armor. Fortunately, most of the Protector's attacks are easily dodged. Simply strafe to avoid any blaster and heavy blaster shots (don't get caught by the latter - they hurt). The rockets, while having small homing capabilities, can also be avoided in the same way. The flamethrower can kill you very quickly and will even leave small fires on the ground, but has a rather short range. The Stream Protector moves slowly and will rarely advance towards you. Coupled with the fact that it can't move when firing, you'll find it easy enough to stay out of range of the dreaded flamethrower. Attack with the Nailgun, Hyperblaster or Rocket Launcher and you shouldn't have too much trouble taking it down. The Lightning Gun is also an interesting option, as it will leave the Stream Protector shocked and unable to strike back. You'll waste quite a bit of ammo doing so however. It's up to you to decide if it's worth it at the time. --------------------------------------------------------------------[e07]---- Alright, so you managed to defeat the spiders, but this isn't over yet. It seems something else is coming for you, and it's BIG. It's noisy. It's the Makron! What a shocking plot twist! Yeah, anyway. You're still too weak to defeat the Makron just yet. I mean, the lone marine from Quake 2 had to go through the whole game before beating him at the end, and you're just, what, halfway through? Not even that. So yeah. No need to go into details now, but suffice to say his attacks are fairly hard to dodge. Let's hope you did well against the Stream Protectors and are still in decent shape. I suggest using your Hyperblaster or Nailgun (whichever has enough ammo) and shoot the Makron in the head for a little while. After you've inflicted enough damage, the Makron will shoot a huge and unavoidable lightning beam at you. Uh oh, is this the end of Matthew Kane? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : S T R O G G M E D I C A L F A C I L I T I E S : ----------------------------------------------------------------------[x13]---- Okay. You're still alive, in your undies, and about to experience a whole new level of pain. You're also solidly tied down with no means of escape. So I suppose there's nothing else to do but relax and enjoy the ride. Well, not "enjoy" enjoy, but, more li-- OH MY GOD WHAT DID THEY JUST DO TO THE GUY IN FRONT? See, kinda like that. Honestly, I don't understand how a human being can survive that long with a large hole in his chest, let alone live through various mutilations and torture. Then again, I suppose that when only the strong survive, you automatically end up with stronger warriors. Ah, the miracles of modern science. Thankfully, before the Strogg manage to mess with your brain too much, Rhino Squad comes in and rescues you! Why are they here? How did they find you? Who knows. Perhaps all marines have some sort of beacon chip implanted for such eventualities. Regardless, you are now a Strogg Tactical Transfer, minus the activated Neurocyte chip in your brain. This means you gain several enhanced abilities without going crazy. Here are the benefits of being a Strogg: * Maximum Health is raised to 125 * Maximum Armor is raised to 125 * Run Speed is increased by about 40% * You can now understand Strogg language (and read some panels) * You can now use Stroyent Health Stations I'd say this is a pretty sweet deal, all for only a few minutes of suffering. Unfortunately you've lost all your weapons, but this won't be a problem for too long. Alright, time to get out of here. ----[ Follow Anderson ]-------------------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Follow the marine escort to safety. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You're usually the one doing the escorting, so this is nice for a change. Move forward to exit this room, and pick up the BLASTER, SHOTGUN and GRENADE LAUNCHER. See? That didn't take long. You can also check out your new sexy look in the mirror ahead. Follow your squad around, until you come up to locked doors. Notice how Morris got promoted to Sergeant after Bidwell's death. Heh. Looks like the squad has to split up here, and they'll send the guy least likely to be a good escort along with you: Medic Anderson. You can tell this is gonna go really well. Follow Anderson in the other room, and stare in horror as your ride out of here gets shot down. Off to a good start. Take the SHELLS in the nearby crate as a consolation prize. ----[ Follow Anderson ]---------------------------------[ C O M P L E T E ]---- ----[ Regroup with Rhino Squad ]----------------------[ O B J E C T I V E ]---- Regroup with Voss and the rest of the Rhino Squad somewhere deeper in the medical laboratories facility. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So much for Plan A. Follow Anderson outside this room and into a hallway. Stay on the right side and follow it to the end to find two CLIPS. Backtrack a little and take the left path instead, which leads to an unlocked door. Run through it to trigger a cutscene. Watch as Anderson's curiosity predictably gets him ambushed by a Strogg Scientist. Anderson! NOOOOOOO! Ahem. Are they gonna turn him into a Strogg Tactical Transfer too? Poor guy, he was so young. So ready your Shotgun and shoot down the three STROGG SCIENTISTS that will show up around the room. Just run close and shoot them twice. You might notice that your improved run speed is great for closing in with the Shotgun. ----[ E N E M Y ]------------------------------------------------------------ SCIENTIST ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power ............... [|||:::::::] : Toughness ........... [||||::::::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fat and ugly, Strogg Scientists prefer to hover around rather than use the legs they don't have. They are equipped to perform delicate surgery, what with the rusty saws and needles. Scientists will mainly try to poison you, either at close range or from a distance. Poison damage will slowly drain your health and even ignores armor. Still, the damage is pretty weak and the effect will quickly wear off as long as you don't just stand in a poison cloud. Scientists aren't very tough, so most weapons are effective against them. I like to simply get close with the Shotgun. --------------------------------------------------------------------[e08]---- Along the left wall in this room you should notice a Strogg Health Station, which is actually named "Stroyent Health Station". What... is stroyent? Do you even want to know? What you do need to know is that each of these stations can restore about 80 health points before they run out of "stroyent". To leave this room, you need to go pick up Anderson's MACHINEGUN, and click the green panel nearby to unlock the doors. Go through either of the unlocked doors and follow the hallway into a larger room. Navigate this room to find a NAILGUN and some NAILS. As soon as you pick it up, two Strogg Marines and a Gunner will attack, so make good use of it. You can then find a SMALL HEALTH PACK behind the door on the left, and/or go through the other door ahead to continue. You'll be in a small room with no other exits but a conveyor belt. Get on it and let it ride you into the next room. Get off the conveyor belt here and take care of the three Strogg Marines with your Shotgun or Machinegun. You'll find a LARGE HEALTH PACK in a corner and a lift panel in the center of the room. Call the lift, and ready your Shotgun or Nailgun since a Gunner is riding down with it. Then step on the lift and ride it back up. Step outside and kill the two Strogg Marines. You'll immediately notice a dead marine here, who happened to be carrying a most excellent weapon: the ROCKET LAUNCHER. Pick it up! Oh, and the nearby CLIP and SMALL HEALTH PACK. Though be warned that a Berserker will run in... berserking. ----[ W E A P O N ]------------------------------------[ Default Key: 7 ]---- ROCKET LAUNCHER ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clip Size .................... 1 : Power ............... [|||||||||:] Max Ammo ..................... 40 : Speed ............... [||||||::::] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- When all else fails, you sometimes have to look into a more explosive solution. This is where the Rocket Launcher comes in. It can fire powerful rockets that are bound to make even your strongest foes beg for mercy. Just be careful where you point this thing at, and don't get caught in the blast radius. You could lose a limb, or worse. The upgrade mod not only allows you to load up to three rockets at once, but also gives them homing capabilities. Simply target an enemy and hold down the Special key. As long as you keep your crosshair over that enemy, any rockets you fire will automatically seek him out (even behind cover). Now you have no excuse to ever waste a rocket again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : UPGRADE : [ Rocket Homing Mod ] Increases the Clip Size to 3. : : : Rockets will seek target enemy as long as you hold down : : : the Special key. Found in "Waste Processing Facility". : ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : AMMO : Rockets (6) - Rocket Launcher (10) : --------------------------------------------------------------------[w07]---- Run into the next area to come across a Gladiator and two Strogg Marines. This is as good a place as any to try out your new weapon. Just be sure to only fire rockets at the Gladiator when his shield is down, otherwise you're just wasting them. Grab a LARGE HEALTH PACK or two here, then run inside through the large door. A Strogg Scientist will come at you from the left, so be careful. Go up the stairs on the right, though back off a little once the Berserker comes charging at you. Shotgun, Nailgun... whatever. Your choice. Once upstairs, you should face two more Strogg Marines and a Gunner further ahead. You might want to use the Nailgun on the Gunner or simply snipe him with the Machinegun. You'll notice a HEALTH STATION in this room, so use it if you're hurt. Head for the path leading out of this room, though a Berserker and two more Strogg Marines will try blocking it. But they won't, because that's how good you are. Keep following this path, and run past the door in the right wall. Go up to where the Gunner was to find a MACHINEGUN, ROCKETS and a SMALL ARMOR VEST. Doing so wi