í¯»Â¿Half Life 2 FAQ by Paraphrase for: GAMEFAQ's Game Revolution DLH.net (German) Gaming Freaks Cheat CC Cheat Planet Neoseeker http://www.gamefaqs.comHomehttp://www.dlh.net (German) http://gamingfreaks.cjb.netCheat Code Centralhttp://www.cheatplanet.com http://www.neoseeker.com Any other sites currently displaying this FAQ are probably doing so without my permission. Feel free to let me know. [Version 1.06] Half Life, Half Life 2, the Lambda symbol, and all related materials are copyrighted and accredited to VALVe Software and VU Games. New for [Version 0.6]: THE DISCLAIMER [DISCLAIMER] For the most part, I try to pull my punches when it comes to Spoilers. I won't repeat lines that characters say, and I won't give away key plot points. BUT. You have to bear with me. THIS IS A WALK THROUGH. That means I played this game a number of times all the way through, so that I could write this guide, which I wrote while playing. It WALKS you THROUGH the game, step by step. If that isn't your cup of tea, please don't use this guide. There are less comprehensive guides out there, ones that advertise their lack of spoilers. (And content, if you ask me) That's all I have to say on the subject. [Version 1.06] 12/8/04 2:33 PM PST - Version 1 complete Disclaimer: Complete Weapons: Complete (Expanded Grenade Entry) Rides: Complete Allies: Complete Enemies: Complete Walkthrough: Complete!!! SCIENCE: Work in Progress G-Man Sightings: Complete! [Special Thanks] Silvio for info on NPC's and the Tripod Sentry Guns, and also on how much time has really passed between Half Life 1 and Half Life 2. Darren Greenburg for being my angelic spell checker. SysTem-X for editing and fixing my grammatical errors. Jamie Cain, for spotting and fixing even more errors, and a prank played on me by my last editor. ( :P ) Brakman 18 for pointing out that the Zoom feature isn't useless, and for giving me some more information about the ubiquitous Combine Soldier. Drago for pointing out numerous additions and information placement. Kay Abendroth and Knut T. Oulie for suggesting that you can move turrets around in the Entanglement Chapter. Mark Trombino for suggesting an alternate solution to the second Entanglement Turret Puzzle. Pete Starr for suggesting even more solutions for BOTH Turret Puzzles. Jackson "Marcom" Dang for suggesting yet another permutation that may help you with the second Entanglement Turret Puzzle. Bertel for the amusing trick involving Dog's "Ball". Joshua Rodriguez for informing me of Drone #4's proper name - Shield Scanner Wietze Groenhof for reminding me about a LAMBDA symbol I missed in Water Hazard Robert Fremin for cluing me in to the machine gun's real name - H&K MP7 PDK The many people who have sent me G-Man sightings, including but not limited to: Radoslav Robert Espinosa Aaron Chong Ken Yeoh John Fogarty P 3 Joe Dillon And the five dozen or so people who kept badgering me about the missing G-Man sighting in Chapter Four. I heard you the first time, you freaks. And thank you to many, many people who have written with feed back and suggestions. Always appreciated. Please direct all problems and/or errors to paraphrase.mccormick@gmail.com *Note: Please put "HL2 FAQ" in the header. I didn't realize I would actually get comments and feed back, but I have been, and quite a bit. This will make it easier for me to find and reply to your stuff. [HALF LIFE 2] 1) Introduction 2) Getting to know Gordon 3) Your Arsenal 4) Your Rides 5) Allies 6) Enemies 7) Walkthrough (FINISHED!!) 8) SCIENCE: The Gravity Gun and You (Work in Progress) 9) G-Man Sightings (Finished) 10) The Console (Coming) -= HL2 =- 1) Introduction The sequel to what many call the greatest shooter ever, Half Life 2 again seats you in the pants of Gordon Freeman. Gordon, an M.I.T. graduate with a doctorate in Theoretical Physics, is not your typical action hero. He is, for all intents and purposes, a nerd. But what he lacks in sheer testosterone, YOU make up for. Half Life 2 begins a number of years after the ending of Half Life. Having been corrected on how long that has been, I'm not sure if revealing it would ruin the game or not. The only things that have remained the same are yourself, and the G-Man. The G-Man is an enigma. He can move in and out of your world with effortless ease, and always seems to be twelve steps ahead of you. If you recall from Half Life's finale, the G-Man had given you a choice. In a manner of speaking. You could either follow him through a teleportation ring and accept a job... or stay behind in the border world Xen to fight an endless stream of alien Grunts. The correct "choice" was to accept his proposal. This left you stranded in a limbo like dimension. Until now. From out of the void the G-Man's all too familiar, halting speech reaches you. It seems the time has come for your, as he puts it, limitless potential to be tapped. For some reason that is beyond your scope, you have been chosen to once again be the right man in the wrong place. -= HL2 =- 2) Getting to know Gordon This time around Gordon has a few new tricks to pull out of his miraculous HEV suit. An upgraded version of your suit, dubbed the Mark V, has a number of improvements over the old one. Lets go over them, as knowing when to use each ability has tremendous advantages. - The Zoom Function Contrary to the demos shown at E3, you CAN NOT fire while zoomed in. The only weapon in the game that allows for zoomed firing is the new Crossbow. The HEV suit's zoom is merely for scouting purposes. Don't overlook that. Just because you can't zoom in with your pistol doesn't mean the zoom is useless. To use the Zoom function, press and hold the "Z" key. *Note: Thanks to Brakman 18 for pointing out that the Zoom Function can be used with Vehicle weapons. -Speed Booster Drawing on your suits new Auxiliary Power unit, mechanics in your legs can boost your running speed CONSIDERABLY as long as you hold down the SHIFT key. The only drawback is that you can only run at top speed until your Auxiliary Power unit is drained. Keep this ability in mind in the later stages, particularly "Sandtraps", as you can outrun the Antlions long enough to get back on to rock and then proceed to take them out safely. It is also useful as it makes it much safer to run between cover while dodging machinegun emplacements. -Flashlight The only notable change to the flashlight is that it also draws power away from the Auxiliary Power unit. Don't forget that! It's generally best to turn your flashlight off before using other abilities, especially the oxygen tank. -Oxygen Tank In Half Life 2 there is actually a functional meter for your O2 levels while underwater. The downside is that your suit's re-breather runs off the Auxiliary Power unit. And thus, if used in conjunction with other suit abilities, cuts your time underwater in half, at least. -Charger Interface Dr. Kleiner has adapted the charger couplings of the HEV suit to work with Combine technology, allowing you the opportunity to run up the bad guy's electric bill whenever you find their chargers laying around. -= HL2 =- 3) Your Arsenal A few new weapons, a few old ones, but everything has changed, with the exception of the good old Crowbar. I've ordered the weapons in the manner that they appear on your HUD. [Crowbar] Ammo: N/A Effective Range: Melee Once again your first weapon is the Crowbar. Don't fret though, a few whacks from this will drop any Combine foot soldiers that are hassling you. And then you can take THEIR weapons. You'll mainly use the Crowbar for breaking planks, boxes, and grates. It's a tool more then a weapon. [Gravity Gun] Ammo: N/A Effective Range: Medium. I'm hoping to better detail the Gravity Gun in section 8 of this FAQ. Bear with me while I fine tune. [USP Match 9mm] Ammo: 18 Round Magazine, 150 Rounds in Reserve Effective Range: Medium The pistol this time around is surprisingly potent. While it's best to give it the shaft when you pick up the machine gun, it can drop Combine foot soldiers just fine. I would like to point out, however, that you generally have plenty of ammo for the pistol, and should use it for picking off Tripwire Bombs, Explosive Barrels, Headcrabs, etc. Things where you could conserve ammo from heavier weapons. (Thanks to Drago for prompting me about that.) *Note: The pistol is apparently packing a new trick. First, hold down secondary fire. Then, hold down primary fire. Count to about ten (or longer). When you see an enemy, aim at him and release secondary fire. You will unleash a large number of bullets simultainiously. I don't know why, but it does work. Just bear in mind that you can usualy only do this once, as a surprise attack. (Thank you to Zero for letting me in on this little trick) *Note: A recent patch to the HL2DM mod removed the bullet charging trick. I'm not sure if it affects single player at the moment. [.357 Magnum Revolver] Ammo: 6 rounds chambered, 12 in reserve Effective Range: Medium to Long The Python makes it's triumphant return. This thing packs even more punch then it did in Half Life, thanks to the physics system. Enemies will literally be blown back by the force of it's bullets. Keep in mind, however, that while this gun can drop Combine foot soldiers in one head shot, Zombies are not as susceptible. Use the Magnum primarily for picking off targets at medium to long range, as it's very accurate. At close range, other weapons do the job better. EXCEPT! Except for the "Leaper" Zombies in Ravenholm. When those bastards are climbing up the rain gutters to get you, stand on the ledges and fire into their headcrab head. This will drop them in one shot, before they can get to you. Very handy. Also bear in mind that the Magnum takes a bit longer to reload then most of your other weapons, and it's generally a good idea to switch to something else if you're still under fire, rather then wait for the reload. Granted, if you can find cover, it's not a problem. [H&K MP7 PDK - Machine Gun] Ammo: 45 round magazine, 225 rounds in reserve ; 3 contact grenades Effective Range: Medium The Machine gun has changed substantially. No longer the military issue MP5 from Half Life, this baby will keep you wanting for ammo. The secondary fire is still the contact grenade, however these new grenades have a much wider blast radius (Which is good). Remember that you have to "indirectly" fire the contact grenades, as they travel in a slight arc. The farther from you the target is, the more of an arc you need to land the grenade at his feet. Take the opportunity to practice - Quick save when you have some grenades and try lobbing them around. Then just load your game back up and keep moving. [Pulse Rifle] Ammo: 30 rounds in magazine, 60 rounds in reserve ; 3 energy cores Effective Range: Medium to just under Long This baby is truly kick ass. It can drop soldiers in just a few rounds. The real problem is you'll run out of ammo real quick. Thankfully, most Combine platoons have a few pulse rifles amongst them, so you can usually replenish your supply after a fire fight. BE CAREFUL WITH THE SECONDARY FIRE. Myself and most of my friends were not ready for the Energy Core, and sometimes accidentally took out allies with it. When you fire the secondary mode of the Pulse Rifle, a large pulsing ball of light will shoot out of the gun, and ricochet around the area for a few seconds. Try to fire it INTO groups of enemies, not at their feet, but INTO them. Laugh as they are disintegrated, but make sure it doesn't hit you on it's way around the room. [Shotgun] Ammo: 6 rounds loaded, 30 rounds in reserve Effective Range: Close to Medium The biggest change to the shotgun, aside from looks, is the reduced amount of ammo you can carry. In Half Life, you could hold up to 125 rounds of 12 gauge - This time around it's only 30. You get the Shotgun for the first time in Ravenholm, from Father Gregori. USE IT. You will need it. Ammo will be a bit short but Zombies go down fast in front of buckshot. Always aim for the head of your target, and wait until they are at CLOSE RANGE. You can still hit things that are farther away, but you won't do nearly as much damage. As before, the Shotgun's secondary fire mode is to unleash two shots at once. Always use that at CLOSE range, and only on the tougher "Leaper" zombies. Never on the standard ones. It's a waste of ammo. [Crossbow] Ammo: 1 round onboard, 10 rounds in reserve Effective Range: Very Long This crossbow is very different from the one in Half Life in two important ways. First off, it only fires a single shot before you have to reload it, but during the reload you WILL NOT lose your zoom. That's handy. Secondly, at extreme range the Crossbow "bolt" (which is actually superheated rebar) arcs down a bit. So make sure you aim just above the heads of distant enemies. That ensures a body shot, which is all you need to kill someone with the Crossbow. [Grenade] Ammo: 5 grenades in reserve Effective Range: Just beyond Medium Grenades are different! Very different. First of all, you throw them harder and straighter then you could in Half Life. Secondly, no matter what you do, the grenade will have a five second fuse as soon as it leaves your hand, and not a moment sooner. This means you may have to anticipate enemy movement to score a good hit. But For the most part, if you only use grenades for room clearing and for taking out snipers (That is detailed later), they work just fine. (Thank you to Rangerband for cluing me in to something I should have seen) Secondary fire on the grenade, if standing, is a gentle lob that sort of tosses the grenade onto the ground with no real finesse. If you crouch and hit secondary fire, however, you ROLL the grenade, in a fairly aimable line. This is a KEY manuver to use when dealing with pop up turrets late in the game. Crouch down outside the turret's laser sensor, and roll a grenade into the cavity it pops out of. Boom, no more turret. [RPG] Ammo: 3 rockets onboard Effective Range: Long Rockets have changed too. For starters, you don't have to reload the launcher, there's just a short pause in between shots. Secondly, you only have three rockets at any given time. Don't fret, though. Whenever you're faced with a Gunship, an enemy that can only be brought down by Rockets, there will always be an ammo crate SOMEWHERE that you can utilize. Now, the Rocket only has one firing mode - Laser Guided. And it will FOLLOW that laser. You can execute some pretty impressive acrobatics with the rocket. And you'll have to í¢â‚¬" Gunships can shoot down Rockets that fly directly at them. You'll need to weave the rocket around, and sometimes behind, the Gunship before bringing it in for the kill. It takes five to six rockets to destroy a gunship, so make sure you know where ammo is incase you miss. [Pheremone Gland; "Bug Bait"] Ammo: Unlimited Effective Range: Close to Long, Arcing Shot This isn't so much a weapon as it is chaos in the palm of your hand. When you get this, Drone Antlions will no longer attack you. Instead, they will follow and protect you! Keep in mind a few things, however. First being that Antlions can go places you can't. If there's an enemy shooting at you way up high, just toss a Pheremone Gland up to him and your Antlion army will FLY up there to eviscerate him. If you want to call them back, just use secondary fire to squeeze your Gland, and the Antlions will return chittering happily. The big warning, however, is that this will not work on Antlion Warriors. So don't even bother. Another note - The large ground pounders that keep Antlions away will confuse any Antlions following you. It's best to send them to a spot away from the pounder by chucking a Gland where you want them to go, and then returning to turn off the Pounder by yourself. The Antlions will quickly return to you once the pounder stops. -= HL2 =- 4) Your Rides Vehicles in Half Life. Mmm mmm. And these actually work, unlike the fantastic failures of many Half Life 1 mods. Now, you won't exactly have GTA freedom when it comes to the vehicles, you generally have them for a few levels and then the game moves on. But boy howdy, fun stuff. Doing them in order: [Air Boat] Controls E - Enter/Exit W - Forward S - Backward A - Left D - Right F - Headlight On/Off Mouse 1 - Machine Gun (When acquired) Mouse look - Aim Machine Gun (when acquired) *Note: Thanks to Brakman 18 for pointing out that you can use your HEV suit's Zoom Function to zoom in and fire the Machine Gun. The Air Boat is amphibious, moving on and off land with relative ease. However, bear in mind that the boat will have a harder time turning on dry land. When you hit the water after a jump, be careful about leaning on the controls, as the boat will instantly JERK in the direction you're holding. The boat will not flip, however, as you won't have the Gravity Gun at that point in the game and you'd never be able to right the boat on your own. You will have to dodge a number of obstacles, ranging from floating barrels of explosives to magnetic mines to Barnacle tendrils under bridges. If you touch a Barnacle tendril you will be taken out of the boat and dragged upward. Immediately shoot the damn thing so that it drops you, and then just hit your USE key to re-enter the boat. You can also exit the boat at any time (And you will need to) by simply pressing your USE key. Once you have made it through the "Water Hazard" chapter, you will come across a Resistance way station and a Vortigaunt. The helpful alien will attach a stolen Combine machinegun to your boat, giving you the power you need to take out the roving Hunter helicopters (more on this later). The machinegun has unlimited ammo, but operates on a "Charge" system. You need to let it rest once the ammo meter hits zero, and it will quickly be ready to fire again. [Scout Car] Controls E - Enter/Exit W - Accelerate S - Brake/Reverse A - Left D - Right Shift - Turbo Space - Handbrake Mouse 1 - Fire Tau Cannon Mouse 2 - Charge Tau Cannon (Release to fire a charged shot) Mouse Look - Aim Tau Cannon *Note: Thanks to Brakman 18 for pointing out that you can use your HEV suit's Zoom Function to zoom in and fire with the Tau Cannon. Spiffy. The Scout Car is a very jittery thing that can roll easily, but the levels in which you have it are perhaps my favorite out of the entire game. It's sort of like Mad Max from that point on, until you lose the car later. But I digress: *note: Don't forget that your car has a machinegun ammo crate on the back. If you need ammo for the machine gun, simply go to the back of the car and hit your USE key. You NEED the car. Like the boat, it is the only way you'll make it through. And if for some reason you chuck the car off a cliff or let it get blown up or crushed or any number of things that would destroy it (Which is hard) the game ends. You will be driving over rough terrain. Highway 17 is badly in need of repairs that it won't be getting, and sections of the road may be blocked - or may have been blown away altogether. Using the Gravity Gun you can clear a path for the Scout Car, and using your head you can find ways around gaps in the freeway. The car, while it looks fragile, can easily tear through wooden fences and run over Combine Foot Soldiers and Antlions with out trouble. The biggest obstacles to your car are Roller Mines and getting flipped on it's back. Roller mines will cling to the car and send jolts through it every few seconds, damaging you. The best way to remove them is not your crowbar, but the Gravity Gun. Use secondary fire to pry the Roller Mine(s) away from the car, and then use Primary fire to shoot them into the ocean, where they will explode. Yay. When your car is flipped, immediately get out and hit your "G" key to whip out the Gravity Gun. Use Primary fire to flip your car back upright, and then get in. Don't bother wasting time with Antlions, you can just run them over. If you have to leave your car for any reason, and you're in Antlion territory, try to park it inside the radius of a Pounder. You'll know them when you see them. Pounders will keep Antlions occupied while you do whatever you need to do. Well. For the most part. Sometimes they work their way around the Pounder and come after you, but at least your car will be safe. *note: At the urging of a Steam buyer of HL2, Aaron Sharpe, I will put a reference for the Crane here. [Crane] W - Swing arm out S - Pull arm back D - Swing Crane Right A - Swing Crane Left Mouse 1 - Drop Magnet Mouse 1 (When Carrying Object) - Drop Object -= HL2 =- 5) Allies A number of your associates and coworkers from Black Mesa have survived during your absence. Flying the Lambda symbol as their flag, these charismatic and brilliant individuals have rallied humanity to the cause of freedom. The Resistance will help you whenever, and where ever, they can. *Note: Thank you to Silvio for pointing out that Essential NPC's CAN die. That tip was much appreciated. [Barney Calhoun] We loved him. We hated him. We made him talk to his clones. Barney is back. You first encounter him in Chapter One, "Point Insertion". This is mostly story and I'll leave that for you to enjoy, but the gist is Barney has infiltrated "Civil Protection", the politically correct term for the Combine militia. He will help you escape capture a number of times, and you'll get the chance to save his ass later on. [Dr. Issac Kleiner] Quite possibly the same Kleiner that got Gordon his job at Black Mesa, the good doctor is a bit... absent minded. Though undeniably brilliant, he also keeps a de-beaked headcrab as a pet (Lamar). Vital to the story, and the one who gives you your upgraded HEV suit, the Mark V. [Lamar] Is a de-beaked Headcrab. She's harmless. Mostly. (Yes, she) [Dr. Eli Vance] A pioneer of the technology behind Teleportation, Dr. Vance has been a driving force behind the resistance. He's missing a leg, and is a bit grey on top, but this is the same Dr. Vance who asked you for help after you caused the resonance cascade at Black Mesa. Makes you wonder about just how long you've been gone. [Dr. Judith Mossman] One of the main contributors to the teleporter project, Dr. Mossman is a big fan of yours, or at least comes off that way. She doesn't get along too well with Alyx, something that will be readily apparent to you. She'll talk your ear off about science. Don't worry if you can't understand her. [Alyx Vance] Has the hots for you. Seriously. She's the daughter of Eli Vance, and is brilliant in her own right. She's responsible for the "growth" of her robotic companion, Dog, and will lead you through a number of tight spots in the game. Well. And she sends you to Ravenholm. Bitch. [Dog] This guy is fun. I know he seems goofy when you first meet him, but give him a chance to show you how much ass he can kick, and you will be impressed. Oh, uh. Alyx's fiercely loyal companion. [Father Gregori] Is insane. But that's ok. He gives you a Shotgun, and a bunch of traps you can play with. Lighting zombies on fire should always be this much fun. [Resistance Militia] An assortment of citizens armed and ready to give their lives to combat the Combine. They arm themselves with whatever is available, but you typically see them carrying Shotguns, Machineguns, and Pulse Rifles. Rarely you'll find one with an RPG, but that's usually a tell tale sign that a Strider is near by. There are also Medics mixed in with the regular Infantry, and you can easily spot them thanks to the bright Red Cross emblem. They will pass out medkits to both you and any other injured soldier in the squad. Try to keep them alive. These men and women will follow you everywhere, and obey your commands unquestioningly. To order them to a position, simply look at it with your reticule (crosshair), and press your "C" key. Tapping C twice will cause your squad to briefly stop following you. Pressing C again, or just waiting too long, will cause them to resume their following. [Vortigaunts] You will also encounter a number of friendly Vortigaunts, which you might know better as "Alien Slaves". Freed from their oppression by your triumph over Nihilanth in the first game, the Vortigaunt bear you no ill will for the lives of those you killed. But they also don't offer any forgiveness. As the one who tells you this says, "It is not mine to give". They will do a number of interesting things for you, cool things, that I'll leave you to be surprised by. -= HL2 =- 6) Enemies Where you meet 'em, how to beat 'em. *Please note that all descriptions are based on playing the game at the Normal difficulty setting. Toughness in Hard will undoubtedly be greater. [Combine Foot Soldier] These guys are omnipresent, literally everywhere. You will always have plenty of them to fight, and will have to adapt to their tactics. If you don't see any, you can usually bet that a Drop ship is on the way to dump some off for you. When it comes to beating the standard Foot Soldier, just shoot them. Be on the look out for grenade throwers, and be ESPECIALLY careful of Foot Soldiers with Pulse Rifles - They might use the Energy Core secondary attack, and if you're on the ball, you can catch it with your Gravity Gun and fling it back at them. The easiest way to tell that Foot Soldiers are around is their distinctive radio chatter. You'll know. *Note: Thanks to Brakman 18 for pointing out the "Ranks" of foot soldiers: [Metro Cops] These are the first Combine Soldiers you interact with. As Brakman pointed out to me, they're armed only with Pistols and Stun Wands. [Combine Soldier] Wearing black armor, these are the bulk of what you encounter for the rest of the game. Armed with Machine Guns and Pulse Rifles. [Elites / "Assassins"] Wearing white armor, with red glowing eyes, these soldiers are tougher then the black armored counterparts, and will always be wielding Pulse Rifles. They are also the only Soldiers that use the Energy Core secondary fire on the Pulse Rifle. [Combine Snipers] Easily noticed by the distinctive blue laser beams they use to target enemies, Snipers will be holed up in small, inaccessible rooms. Your only option in dealing with them is to use cover until you are close enough to their window to lob a grenade inside. If the grenade goes into the window, you have a kill. RPG rounds also work in a pinch. [Headcrabs] These little bastards come in three flavors this time. Your standard head crab, the "super leaper" headcrab, and the "Black Super Leaper" headcrab. The Combine have mortar rounds that don't explode, and instead open up to offload one of the three headcrab types. [Standard] Easy enough. They don't do much damage, but they can get annoying. Plus, even these little bastards have a new trick up their sleeves. When you kill a zombie now, it's Headcrab might not die, and will instead fall off, get up, and come after you. Make sure it's dead. [Super Leaper] Easily identifiable by the longer legs. They move like spiders, and are much faster then normal headcrabs. Again, not very dangerous, but they can surprise you. The biggest problem with these guys is the zombies they make. The "Leaper" Zombies are noisy, fast, and dangerous. Very unlike the standard Zombie. [Black Super Leaper] These guys are NOT fun. If they bite you, they inject a neurotoxin that instantly reduces your health to 1 point. You heard me. 1 point. Your suit will immediately administer an antidote, but that takes time. You need to kill these things before they hit you, or at least make sure that it's only them you have to worry about. Another enemy could just waltz up and smack you after you've been stung, and that would be it. The Zombies these guys make are almost worse then the "Leaper" Zombies. But that's next. [Zombies] Oh we hate them. Oh they're everywhere. Ravenholm is Zombie central, but it won't be the last you see of them. As with the headcrabs, there are now THREE types of Zombies, as follows. [Standard Zombie] They make a lot more noise now. Try lighting one on fire. You almost feel bad for it. But you won't. As stated above, make sure the headcrab is dead. If you shoot the Zombie in the chest, there's a good chance the Headcrab will just drop off and attack you. Go for headshots. Be elite. [Leaper Zombie] These things are just muscle and bones. No skin. And they MOVE. They can leap over obstacles, leap at you, climb walls, jump from rooftops, basically everything normal zombies can't do, these CAN. You'll know they're coming when you hear the telltale howling, almost like a monkey being run over very slowly by a steamroller. You want to make these things dead, and fast. Shotgun to the Headcrab is your best bet. Go double shot if you have to. And MAKE SURE THE HEADCRAB IS DEAD. [Piggy Back Zombie] This is what the Black Leapers do. There will never be more then two of these fighting you, and for good reason. The Black Super Leaper that controls the Zombie will be giving about three other Black Super Leapers a ride. The Zombie will, when it sees you, allow the Black Leapers on it's back to jump at you. This is bad news. And even if you manage to take out the carrier zombie, the Black Super Leapers just jump off and run at you. Don't forget about that, you want to have something to take out the passengers. Large objects like fan blades can sometimes kill a Piggy Back Zombie in one hit. Use your Gravity Gun to fling the objects. [Robot Drones] These are Combine drones, and they get annoying. And they all fly! [Scanners] These don't do much, but they will tell Guards where you are. You may or may not see results. If they get in your face, just use your crowbar on them, no need to waste ammo. On the upside, they sometimes drop batteries. [Man Hacks] Flying buzz saws. They whiz around, bouncing off walls, coming in through windows or pipes or air ducts, and then they zero in on you and try to cut you. Use your Crowbar or Gravity Gun. If you get them with the Gravity Gun, Shoot them INTO a wall, don't just chuck them. If you don't break them, they WILL come back. Soldiers will sometimes carry these things, and you can actually watch them being launched by hand. Shoot the guy before the Man Hack comes online. [Flash Bulbs] Think of an intelligent flashbang grenade. That's about what these things are. They blind you, so that Combine Soldiers can have an easy time of picking you off. SHOOT THESE. They stay at a distance, so your only option is to use a gun. You don't want to use the Gravity Gun because if you pull them in close and they go off, you'll be blind for a good while. [Shield Scanners] You encounter these in the Anticitizen One chapter, where they will continually pose a threat by dropping Hoppers on you. Their body consists of a cylindrical part, and then a long, stretching and expanding arm which they use to drop the Hoppers. (I was clued in to the name by Joshua Rodriguez) [Barnacles] They're back. They look different, but they're still the same deal. Just like before, Barnacles hang out on Ceilings. If you get caught by a Barnacle, it will pull you up into it's mouth. Don't let it. Look straight up and unload on the corpulent bastard. It shouldn't take much to kill one, and you're rewarded by it's death animation in which it vomits the remains of it's last meal on you. Yay. (Thanks to Drago for suggesting I place this earlier in the FAQ) You should also be aware that you can feed Barnacles just about anything. They will chew on bits of trash, barrels, even enemies - I've watched happily as a Barnacle has eaten a Headcrab that got caught in mid leap. But perhaps the most useful thing you can feed it is an Explosive Barrel. Give the Barrel to the Barnacle's tendril, then back up and shoot it until it lights on fire (The Barrel, stupid). The resulting explosion will kill the Barnacle and most likely any other Barnacles near by. [Antlions] There are two different types of Antlions, the Drones and the Warriors. The Warriors attack you at predetermined points along the story, but the Antlions show up during "Highway 17" and stick with you all the way through "Nova Prospekt" although by then they are on your side, thanks to the Pheremone Gland. [Antlion Drones] Are annoying. They are attracted to noise, and your little car makes a lot of it. Once they start coming, they won't stop. So keep moving. If you have to deal with them, use the Shotgun or machinegun. But your best bet is to keep moving! During the second half of "Sand Traps" you'll need to stick to the rocks to avoid stirring up angry Antlions. If you happen to fall on the sand, get to a rock before you start attacking the Antlions. That way, you can deal with the ones that pop up, and not an endless wave of them. [Antlion Warriors] These suckers are big. They will knock you around quite a bit if they manage to hit you. Don't stand still when facing a Warrior, keep moving. Circle strafe. And focus as much damage as you can on it. Unlike the Gargantuas from Half Life 1, these enemies seem to be susceptible to all types of weapon fire, though I strongly suggest you use your heaviest weapons first. A few rockets and clips of pulse rifle ammo would be well spent on taking one of these down. When attacking, the warrior will charge you, which is why you keep moving. You can even do a bull fighting maneuver and steer the Warrior into a wall. This will stun it for a few brief seconds, believe it or not, but then it will quickly turn to face you. Just keep up a steady stream of fire while dodging it's charges and you'll be fine. [Roller Mines] Usualy buried in the ground waiting to spring up at you, these annoying, magnetic enemies can also be dropped from passing Combine dropships. These are quite prolific along "Highway 17", but are surprisingly easy to deal with. Simply use your Gravity Gun's secondary fire to grab a hold of the Roller Mine, and then turn and throw them into the ocean or off a cliff. And trust me, there will be a cliff near by, or the ocean, or both. [Striders] Striders are literally gigantic. They tower over you, standing at least 3 stories in height, and it takes a lot of fire power to bring down one of these bastards. A Strider takes at least six rocket hits before going down, and this will require you to find an ammo crate so that you'll have enough rockets to do the job. Resistance rocket infantry can also help you, but you can't always count on having one near by. The best advice I can give you is to stay the hell away from Striders whenever possible. When you must fight them, try to do so from as far away as possible, or from an elevated position. I say this because Striders can not only shoot at you, but also step on you, resulting in instant death. Striders are also equipped with some kind of blue Combine energy beam that disintegrates anything caught in a direct blast. Normally you'll get hit by the splash damage, and it's damn hard to avoid, but that's just one more reason to take Striders down as quickly as possible. [Hunter Helicopters] One of the less alien vehicles used against you, the Hunter Helicopters are most prolific during your Air Boat ride. Most of them will do diving attacks at you, spraying machine gun fire all over the place. You have to simply avoid them as best you can until you acquire the Combine Machine Gun for your air boat. Once you have the gun, you'll be able to take out the Helicopters. You should also be wary of the mine laying helicopters - These helicopters will fly back and forth above you, dropping row after row of magnetic floater mines. Keep moving, and dodge the mines as best you can. If you do get hit, don't panic, just adjust your steering to compensate for the blast. [Armored Cars] You'll see a lot of these through out the game, but for the most part they'll be stationary. The only time you really have to worry about them is during "Water Hazard". They will be parked on the various docks along the canal and will fire barrages of rockets at you. At first, you can only dodge the rockets. But once you have acquired the Combine Machine Gun, you'll be able to blow them up. Do so. [Sentry Guns] There are a few varieties of Sentry guns, and different ways to deal with each of them. [Tripod Sentries] *Special thanks to Silvio for pointing out that the Gravity Gun is more proficient at knocking these things over then regular gunfire. These freestanding sentry guns are fairly annoying, and different then their Half Life 1 counterparts. In order to disable these guns you will either need to get on the side of them and knock them over with gun fire, or throw a well placed grenade and hope the blast knocks them over. Don't be too quick to run by them if you do manage to knock them over, as they will continue to fire erratically for a few moments. At a later point in the game you will have to set these guns up yourself and use them to defend key points in the "Entanglement" level. To do so, simply open the locker they are stored in, and then hit your USE key to pick them up. Carry them to a spot that offers them a good field of fire, and hit your USE key again to drop them. If they are knocked over by enemy fire, just run over and hit your USE key again to pick them up. You may have to shake your view around a bit to get the sentry gun up right, but once it is just drop it so it can resume firing. [Pop up Sentries] These guys are hidden beneath floor tiles, and will only pop up once you trip their laser sensor. When they do pop up, a second laser will begin sweeping the floor in front of them. If you trip this laser, they will open fire so do your best to avoid it. The only way to deal with these annoyances is to lob a grenade INTO their cavity. Once the grenade is inside the sentry gun, just get out of the way and wait for the boom. [Gunships] These bio-mechanical, aerial enemies are quite dangerous. Despite their large size they are incredibly maneuverable, and will perform all sorts of acrobatic tricks to keep you in sight of their machine gun nose. Gunships can only be taken out with RPGs, and it takes a total of five to six rockets to bring one down. You have to weave the rocket around the Gunship, however, as a direct attack will allow the Gunship to shoot the rocket down easily. Try firing away from the Gunship, and then bringing the rocket back towards the Gunship from a different direction. Don't forget that your Rockets are MUCH more responsive in this game, and any movement you make with the laser sight will be followed by the rocket, even barrel rolls and loops. If you miss with one of your rockets, don't fret - There WILL be a supply crate or ammo box near by to keep you loaded up during any of the Gunship fights. [Hoppers] Hoppers are semi intelligent land mines. They can distinguish between friend and foe. If you get too close to one, it will literally hop into the air and try to land on your head, where it will then explode. Regardless of whether it hits you or not, it will explode. The best way to deal with Hoppers is to use your Gravity Gun's secondary fire to yank them out of the ground. This will reset a Hopper, making it friendly to you. You can then either throw it at someone or drop it gently with secondary fire to make your own land mine. The best way to tell if a Hopper is around is to listen. They will click and chitter if anyone gets close enough to them. Whenever you hear that noise, freeze, and look around. You'll find it if you just use some observational skills. -= HL2 =- 7) Walkthrough The big one. Finally Finished! As requested, Chapter List: A) Point Insertion B) A Red Letter Day C) Route Kanal D) Water Hazard E) Black Mesa East F) "We don't go to Ravenholm..." G) Highway 17 H) Sandtraps I) Nova Prospekt J) Entanglement K) Anticitizen One L) "Follow Freeman!" M) Our Benefactors N) Dark Energy A) [Chapter One: Point Insertion] You will begin this chapter with a visit from the G-Man. That's for you to enjoy. Suffice it to say that the game doesn't really start yet, so take the time to orient yourself with your new surroundings. Talk to people, pick things up with your USE key (Yes, you can pick things up without the Gravity Gun). Take in the sights and sounds of the oppressed populace. But do so while working your way through the customs gate. *Note of Interest: As you first exit the train, follow the two gentlemen who are in front of you. When they turn left, you turn right. Go to the fence there and get your first look at a Vortigaunt that is still enslaved by the Combine. There's nothing you can do for him now, so give him a little wave and move on. After looking at the poor Vortigaunt, do a 180 and head past the baggage cart, and through the Turnstyle. Welcome to City 17. *Note of Interest: Try making a phone call with your USE key. You'll find that all communication with the outside has been cut off by Civil Protection. Continue moving through the train station, weaving through the fences erected around the guard checkpoint. The guards will wave through the people in front of you, but ask you to stop. They will direct you towards an ominous train marked "Nova Prospekt", but thankfully you won't make it that far. You will be trapped in a small enclosure, and a side door will open. A guard will step out and order you to follow him. Do so. Follow him down the corridor, past what appears to be an interrogation room (The guard inside will slam the eye slit on you if you try to look in), and will stop outside an empty interrogation room. You'll be ordered inside, and you have no choice but to obey. Don't get too excited though. The guard will put on a show like he's going to beat the crap out of you, but it's not really a guard... *Note of Interest: It's really Barney Calhoun, your security guard buddy from Black Mesa. After some more story chatter which I again leave for you to enjoy, a knock will come at the door. Barney will panic, and shove you into a back room. He tells you to pile up some boxes to escape out the window, and to make your way to the plaza. Use that USE key and get stacking. In case you didn't notice, the window is on the second floor loft, so climb the ladder first and THEN use a box to get out the upper window. Don't worry about the fall, the box outside will break it for you. Continue through the door to your right and up a flight of stairs. Use your USE key to open the door, and then turn left. You find yourself now in what must have been the ticket area of the Train Station. A guard will confront you here, knocking a can onto the floor and ordering you to pick it up. Do so, and then throw it into the trash can. The guard will get a hoot out of that and leave you alone. Feel free to throw some garbage at the Guard if you don't mind getting a few whacks from the Stun Baton. Continue forward past the guard, and through the opening on the far left. There will be a large double door. Open it with your USE key and behold the square. There's a lot going on out there, but don't neglect to view the large blue building in the distance - The Citadel. It is an ever present symbol of oppression, and the source of all Combine incursions into the city. After you're done looking around, head down the alley way to the right of the Train Station entrance. Any other way is blocked by force fields. Down this alley, you'll see a door to your left that is blocked by a Guard - Ignore it, you ain't going that way. Farther down the street is a roadblock - Not going that way. Instead, turn right again into a smaller alley, and use a dumpster to boost yourself up to a Fire Escape. Go up the ladder and then turn to your right and drop through the hole there, which will deposit you on the other side of the fence that was previously blocking your way. Down this alley you'll see a bust going down to your left - Avoid that. Go to your right instead and talk to the civilians that are watching a pair of Civil Protection soldiers break into an apartment. Things could get dicey. *Note of Interest: You can play with all the playground equipment. Use your body, and your USE key to flip X's and O's, spin the merry go round, and smack the swings. Fun. Head towards the pair of guards, but duck into a building to the left. Follow the hallway until you reach a spiral staircase going around an elevator. Take the stairs up. Work your way through the apartment building, it's not difficult, just avoid the guards. They will "Herd" you towards where you're supposed to go anyway. Things will get a bit heated as Civil Protection rushes the building, and all you really need to do is not go in the direction of the guards. Wherever there's an open path, go. Eventually, you meet a gentlemen holding a door open for you, who asks you to come inside. He'll slam the door shut and hold off the guards while you get to the roof. Once on the roof, MOVE. Combine Soldiers with pistols are now on your tail and they are going to shoot at you. Follow the roof up and then to the left. You'll drop down onto a ledge on your right, and hug the building until you reach a pair of open windows. Go down the stairs, and then you'll be cornered. Don't worry though, they will knock you out, but someone comes to your rescue. When you come to, all the guards are dead and the only one in sight is... a girl. That should tell you immediately how dangerous she is. Despite that, follow her through a series of secret passages... B) [Chapter Two: A Red Letter Day] Follow Alyx to Dr. Kleiner's lab. And then enjoy the show. *Notes of Interest: Take a look around the good doctor's lab, especially the far wall with the bulletin board. There are a few interesting pictures there. You'll see. I'll catch up with you after the lab. *Note of Interest: If you take a look at the monitor that Barney activates when he first enters the lab, you can change it's channel to get a good look at the G-Man. He only stands still briefly before noticing the camera on him and walking away. Hrm... Well, following those incidents, you will find yourself outside the lab, unarmed, and under the intrusive eyes of a pair of Scanners. Time to move. Jump down and move through the Transformers (The large power things) and under the overhang. You'll come out on the other side where your path will be blocked by a few planks across an opening. Don't worry, Barney to the rescue. He'll be behind and above you, and will toss you a Crowbar. Once you have it, move forward, bashing through those planks. Go forward into the somewhat dark passage ahead, and then you'll drop down into a train yard. Immediately turn left after you drop down, and use the plastic boxes on the ground to boost yourself into the open train car. Bash your way through the boxes and debris, and then kick open the doors on the other side of the car. When you drop down, immediately back up against the car and crouch down. A train will come blowing by, and if you're not out of the way it will crush you. When the train has passed, turn to the right and move along the parked train car that was across from you. When you reach the end of it, turn left and then left again. You'll see another car with open doors now, and you want to get inside it. Did I mention that combine soldiers are shooting at you the whole time? In any case, climb the ladder inside the train car, then turn to your left. Jump from the roof of that train car to the train car that should now be in front of you, then jump again over the fence in front of you, and hit the ground running. Break through the planks blocking your path, and then head down the dimly lit tunnel. After the map loads, you'll head down another hall way. C) [Chapter Three: Route Kanal] Take the opportunity to use the Medical Console on the left hand wall if you took some bad hits back in the train yard. As soon as you reach the end of the hallway, a woman will scream. Turn to your left, and you'll see her and a man being beaten by Combine Soldiers. Well, you've got a Crowbar, you know what to do. Smack 'em. *Note of Interest: This is where you get the USP Match 9mm. You'll only have the bullets in the clip for the moment, but now is definitely the time to start using a ranged weapon. It's also interesting to note that the Pistol and the Machinegun no longer share ammo. Feel free to go back and use the Medical Console again if the guards do too much damage to you. Better to use it while you have it. After that, head back to the women and go past her. Head up the stairs, but be watchful. Two guards are waiting for you, one at the top of the interior stairs, and one outside. Now's a good chance to work on your headshots. They actually work with the new hit system. Once you reach the top of the exterior stairs, pause for a moment and look around. There's a Hunter Helicopter in the distance, but it hasn't seen you yet, so don't worry about it. Head down to the train tracks below you instead. But make sure you don't go all the way down - you'll hear a train whistle coming, and that's your cue to stay off the tracks. The train will come to a stop, allowing you to use the roofs of the cars to make your way to a ladder that is near the mouth of the tunnel to your right. Immediately turn around to face where you just came from. You'll see two combine soldiers opening fire on you. Don't waste time shooting at them, instead focus your attack on the explosive barrels they are standing next to. This will take out both of them in a very satisfactory manner. Next, turn towards the skeletal house behind you and bash through the planks boarding up it's door. Take a moment to grab the ammo under the floor boards to your left, then head out of the house to the right of where you entered. Hit your USE key to open the fence door, then turn right and look up at two more soldiers firing at you. Again, aim at the explosive barrels they seem to be oblivious about. Boom. Continue through the small yard, turning left and using the bend in the fence to move through. Continue along the fence, turning right when you reach some shipping crates. There will be a spray painted LAMBDA symbol above a pried open grate. Go ahead and climb through it. You'll exit on the other side of the fence that was preventing you from continuing, and now you can follow that fence until it ends at the mouth of the next tunnel. You'll be able to get past the Force Field below, and continue down the railroad. You'll reach a stair on the right eventually, but watch out for soldiers there. They'll roll a flaming barrel of explosives down the stairs, get out of the way quickly and wait for it to blow. Then you can charge up the stairs and take out the jerk who did it. Continue along the path, being sure to watch out for the glass windows - as soon as a train has gone passed, soldiers will be down on the tracks firing at you through the windows. The point to all of this slinking around, if you haven't figured it out, is to get past those force fields. Once you break through the boxes blocking your path across the catwalk, you'll exit back on to the railroad. A few boxes of supplies and a Med Console are waiting for you across the track. Go for them, but be wary - You have Three soldiers coming at you in both directions, for a total of six, plus one more up on the path you just jumped down from. Take them out and use the small depression in the wall with the Med Console for cover. As soon as the coast is clear, Head left from the depression in the wall, and down onto another cat walk, this one above a canal. You'll want to jump down into the water, as the door in front of you is locked. Don't worry about the water - There are no Ichthyosaurs or blind worms in this area. Continue forward until you reach a train car stranded in the Canal. Climb up the ladder on it's left side, and then drop inside through the hole in the roof. Say hello to one of the first way stations on the underground railroad. *Note of interest: The Vortigaunt you meet here is actually powering the Television that both he and the Human Resistance member are watching. But that's not all these nifty guys can do. He'll also give your suit a small charge. After the Vortigaunt charges you up, head out of the train car and make your way through the Debris field. You'll have to destroy the wooden framework that seems to be holding up a tanker car. Don't worry, just crouch. The car will fall a bit once the support beams are gone, but it won't fall on you, and you'll be able to proceed. Just around the next debris mound, however, is your introduction to a new enemy. *Note of interest: This is where you'll meet the new Barnacle for the first time. Watch it eat the bird. Then kill it. Continue to thread your way through the debris field until you arrive at a battle in progress. You'll hear a resistance member pleading for help from a grated storm drain to your right. You can save him from the soldier sneaking up behind him, but he'll just run out of the side of the pipe and get mowed down by a machine gun nest. You should quickly scoot around to the exit the resistance member just used and get into the storm drain without being mowed down in a similar fashion. You'll enjoy the game more if you don't die. Inside the pipe you'll find what's left of an Underground Railroad Way Station. The radio there is alive with chatter, and I advise you to listen. Things are going to hell since you showed up. Once you're done listening to the doom falling down on everyone's heads, climb up the ladder and take out the Machine Gunner and his guard. Quickly man the Machine Gun and start mowing down the incoming soldiers. You'll only have a minute or so before an Armored car pulls up out of your firing arc and starts launching missiles. That's your cue to bolt. Drop the machine gun and follow the elevated path on the right hand wall. There are a number of barnacles beneath the bridge you travel under, so keep your eyes open and your flash light on. Once you reach the other side you can turn it off. A woman will call out to you from a small piece of pipe, telling you where to go next. She elects to remain there to help any one else who manages to make it through. Continue on through the flood channel, until you reach a room filled with water. Jump in, and get ready to hold your breath. A large explosion will blow the storm grate off the roof of the sewer room, and flaming barrels will begin to fall on you. Duck underwater and only surface for air between explosions. Once the barrels stop, the two Soldiers up above will begin to take pot shots at you. Do them a favor and end their lives with the pistol. Once you've dealt with those two, you can turn to the next pipe and "Jump" out of the water onto it's ledge, and continue down the flood channel. When you exit the pipe this time you'll be back in the canal. To your right are a bunch of soldiers, but don't go trigger happy on them just yet. Instead, juke around the debris obscuring your view of the bridge dead ahead, and shoot the explosive barrels beneath it. You'll kill all the Combine Foot Soldiers on the bridge and open up the next part of your route. Charge! Two more soldiers will drop down into the Canal when you pass under the bridge - Dispatch them. Once you've done that, head up the right most mound of debris and knock away the barrels blocking your path. Back into the sewers. The floor here is slippery, and you've got two Barnacles dead ahead. Take it slow, and try to avoid being snagged by them. If you do get caught, just aim straight up and blow them away. In fact, if you have the chance, blow them away period. Better to have them dead. The slippery ground continues around the corner and to the right, where a whole room full of Barnacles is waiting for you. But, there's something you can do. Behind you are a pair of explosive barrels. And, unlike the Barnacles in Half Life 1, these Barnacles will at least CHEW on anything they catch. So why not give them something spicy. If you catch my drift. (Boom). Just remember you have to wait for them to catch the barrel, then shoot it a few times to light it on fire. Don't blow it up! Just light it on fire. If you time it right, it should take out most of them, and give you the breathing room you need to shoot down the last one or two. As you emerge from the Barnacle sewer room, immediately dive into the water. Flaming barrels will rain down on you, but if you stay submerged you won't take the hits. As soon as you come up against the grating blocking your way underwater, turn to your right and you'll see a ladder. Quickly climb this and slide over the metal grating and back into the water on the other side. Swim to the far left end of this pool, then turn around. A partially submerged platform gives you the ramp you need to get up and out of the water. Follow the platforms around the pool, shooting soldiers as needed, until you reach the open sewer grate. Once inside, it's time for a bit of a puzzle. Fairly simple. You have a see saw, and you have a bunch of cinder blocks. All you need to do is scoop up the cinder blocks one by one with your USE key, and pile them on the side of the seesaw opposite the way out of the room. Then, you can just run and jump from the elevated side and on to freedom (Relative). *Note of Interest: This is your first encounter, up close, with a Hunter Helicopter. Don't be a hero. Leave it alone. Nothing in your arsenal right now could even put a dent in that thing. Immediately head to the left after the Helicopter makes it's inspection pass, and again make another left turn. You will take fire, but don't fret about it. As you head to the far left, there will be a Barnacle in sight that will be blocking your path in a few seconds. Take it out on the run, jump up on to the platform it was protecting, and run across it to the other side. There will be a pile of barrels blocking a door. Move them. Either with your crowbar or your USE key. But move them so that you can get at the door handle. Then quickly get inside and away from that Hunter Helicopter. Once inside, take a breather. Up ahead of you, you will see another LAMBDA symbol on the wall. This usually denotes a cache of Resistance supplies. This is no exception. Slide down the recessed ladder to your right and collect the medkits and ammo. Then return up top and continue past the LAMBDA symbol. You will reach a slightly elevated area. To your left is a corpse, to your right is another slippery hill that leads to some Barnacles. But, as luck would have it, there's another Explosive Barrel mixed in with some regular ones. Boom any one? Now, you might think, but wait, there's another row of Barnacles behind that, and I'm out of barrels! Wrong. Head back over to where the corpse is lying, follow the wall and duck down. You'll find another Explosive Barrel floating next to even more medkits. Just drag it on out of there, and repeat the trick. Now, once the second row of Barnacles has been cleared, slide down to the end of the chute, and then make a left. The path is a bit obscured, but if you follow the left wall back up you'll just walk right into it. When you get to the top of this side, there's another ramp with Barnacles again. Only this time there's just the one barrel. Do the trick anyway, to clear out the first row of Barnacles. Now, hug the left wall as you slide down, and jump the railing as soon as you can. That way you don't have to even deal with the second row of Barnacles. When you exit through the next door, turn to your left and follow the path. You'll go back into the sewer like rooms, and then down a short tunnel with piping up and to the right of you, then the map changes. You'll travel past a bunch of barricades and explosive barrels - You might as well shoot the barrels to blow up the barricades. You meet another Underground Railroad conductor, who tells you that he's getting ready to close everything off. The tunnels ahead, he says, are filling up with Man Hacks. He then looks through an eye slit in the door he's standing next to and curses. "Oh ****, too late!" He grabs a piece of pipe (And you should pull out your crowbar) as Man Hacks burst through the door. Don't panic. Just hit the damn things. You'll be fine. Once they're destroyed, take a moment to climb the ladder in the back of the room and collect the batteries and supply boxes near the man's bed. Once you've geared up, continue through the door the Man Hacks broke down. Around the next bend you run into a fence door, and another group of Man Hacks. Once more, let me remind you not to panic. Man Hacks are not as scary as they sound, and your crowbar will deal with them quite nicely. Once you've dealt with that group, there's yet another trio of Man Hacks around the next corner, but these bastards will set off a series of explosive barrels. Whack them away from you if you must, but back up and wait for the explosions to subside before you continue. Head down that corridor now, and make a right at the end. Don't take the first left, instead continue forward to the next opening in the wall. Duck into this small room to scoop up the ammo and Medkit, if you need them. Then return to the first door, and proceed outside. Be prepared for an ambush. Two soldiers will run along a ledge across from you, and about six Man Hacks will come flying in through the plank roof of the fence enclosure you're in. You may want to use your pistol on the Man Hacks here, just to get rid of them quickly. Once those are dealt with, continue on into the next room. Here, you'll have to watch out for a lone Man Hack flying through a vent. You'll hear him coming - the vent is ahead and to your left on the same level that you enter the room on. *Note of Interest: The Vent the Man Hack is in leads to a stash of health kits and a few batteries. After that last encounter with the horde of Man Hacks, you need it! Be careful though. When you exit the vent, a Soldier will be standing in the doorway ahead of you. That's ok, just shoot the Explosive Barrel to his left and you'll take him out. After the Man Hack is dealt with, drop down and keep moving! *Note of interest: This is your first encounter with Soldiers using the rappelling maneuver - He might surprise you. But don't fret, you also get the Machine Gun here too. Shoot the soldier that rappels down in front of you and scoop up his Machine Gun. Use it to blow away the other two soldiers that are farther down the sewer. *Note of Interest: If you look to your right after the soldier rapels down in front of you, you'll see an explosive barrel blocking a vent. Once you've dealt with the Soldiers, move that barrel (Or blow it up, just don't stand close) and crawl into the vent. At the end, you'll find a Medkit and a crate. Grab the medkit, but have a gun ready, as a torso Zombie will come bursting out from behind the crate. Shoot him, and then grab the Battery and Grenade (Earlier then you would have gotten it normally). Continue past their corpses to the Mixing Room. Dive into the water, and head for the left wall. Swim into the opening there. Just a little ways up, there will be a vertical tube. Shoot up that and break the surface so you can get your O2 back. You'll need it. Finish the swim through the submerged tunnel and come up for air at the end. You will be facing a dead end when you surface, but if you turn around you'll see the way to go. You'll immediately be accosted by a Scanner. Show him what you do to rude robots. (I mean kill it). Be careful moving along in this room. A Barnacle is waiting for you on the left right where the wall turns into a staircase. He may also surprise you. Soldiers will ambush you from the large pipe above and to your right. Also, at the end of that pipe is the room you just left before diving into the Mixer - the fence enclosure, remember? Well, two soldiers there will launch a pair of Man Hacks to come get you before opening fire on you themselves. Be careful here, you can get cut up pretty bad. once you've dealt with those enemies, jump up onto the big pipe yourself and follow it back through the previous room. Watch out for the steam that shoots up, it will hurt you. As soon as there is a break in the steam, hug the right wall and scoot through the gap. Don't let the Barnacle get you. Instead, feed him the Explosive Barrel that is now next to you. Wait for him to hoist it up a bit, then light it on fire. DUCK. When the Barrel explodes, it will take out all three Barnacles in the room. Fun. Grab the Medkit that is across from you, then continue on down the pipe. While avoiding the steam, don't miss the Man Hack that will come shooting through the metal grating ahead of you. Shoot this one down, the steam will make Melee difficult. Once you make it past the steam, turn to your right and whack away at a pair of planks that are next to another LAMBDA symbol. Drop down off the pipe, and then turn around and go back UNDER it. You'll find batteries, medkits, and a Contact Grenade for your Machine Gun. Once you've scooped up the gear, go back to where you dropped down and crawl into the opening in the wall. It is dark, so you may need to use your flashlight to find it, but make sure you turn it off and allow your Auxiliary Power Unit to recharge before going into the water. Oxygen is good for you. When you surface on the other side, immediately head for the left wall - A truck will start dumping explosive barrels into the flood channel and they're aimed at you. Quickly dispatch the soldiers that begin jumping down into the flood channel, and the ones hanging out on the bridges. Don't worry, they don't have Man Hacks. But, as soon as you move forward into the next tunnel, Man Hacks will appear. Life just isn't fair. And I don't mean a few Man Hacks, I mean like six. Remember to TIME your Crowbar swings, don't just hold the key down. Once that nightmare is over, continue into the next room. Don't jump straight into the vent, break open those supply crates and fill up on needed... supplies. Up ahead is worse. Lots of Man Hacks. Use your Crowbar or pistol at your discretion. Or whatever. Just don't die. You may want to try using the Explosive Barrels that litter the room to take out Man Hacks as they come in, but your hands will most likely be full. Climb the ladder in the main room once the Man Hacks are dealt with, and then turn around and step onto the large pipe suspended from the roof. Follow this over to the Elevated area. Walk over to the far wall, along the catwalk, and then slowly lower yourself down, landing on the exposed pipes as you go. You'll notice a wheel valve below you. That is your target. Turn this valve to raise the water level. Return to the main room and climb down the ladder this time. Now you will be able to swim through the large openings in the basin. You remember how to swim right? Don't forget to come up for air on the other side of the first opening. After you get some air, swim back down to the bottom of this basin and whack through the planks to release the boxes. These will float to the surface and allow you to cross the Basin. Yay again. Or so you think! What you really want are the cable spool wheels. The big things that look like two tables glued together. Anyway, use those. You'll get across just fine. Once you come out of the tunnel, and the map has finished loading, climb the ladder near by and use the planks to climb over the fence and drop down into the canal. Think fast - Man Hacks from both directions, and a Combine Soldier. You know what to do by now. Deal with it. At the end of the canal is a broken ladder. Use a barrel to climb up to the ledge and then DUCK. Four Man Hacks will come flying out of the tunnel at you, along with a Scanner that will act cute and use it's camera flash on you. Deal with 'em. Follow the tunnel forward and don't take the opening on the right just yet. Instead, use your flashlight and take out the two Barnacles that are in the room at the end of the tunnel. Take advantage of the supplies there before returning to the opening and climbing the ladder. Follow the planks - Don't drop down yet. There are more supplies waiting for you in a small alcove at the end of the plank path. After you avail yourself of them, THEN drop down and continue through the next passage. Don't get too excited when you exit the passage - Your suit's geiger counter will start to go off. And yes, the orangeish goo beneath you is bad for your health. Radioactive sludge. Try not to step in it, K? Make your way past the pools of sludge to the next way station. The Resistance member there will be fighting off Headcrabs. Say hello to your new enemy. Radio Chatter will quickly come in over the, well, Radio, and inform all Resistance members that you are on your way. They're gonna lend you the Air Boat, so that's one more reason not to die. Up ahead a Mortar round will impact, killing the Resistance Infantry near by. The Round will open up to allow headcrabs out. But don't think that horrifying little fact is all. Headcrabs will also start to dig their way out of the dirt. Bad times. Try not to dwell on how horrific it is to use Headcrabs as bio weapons. Don't make my mistake. Another mortar, a guy with a headcrab on his head, and more Headcrabs coming out of the woodwork. Ugh. Gets worse! Zombies are right around the corner. And watch out, these guys are strong now. The first one you see is gonna fling a Barrel at you. Now, just remember what I kept repeating in the Enemies chapter. MAKE SURE THE HEADCRAB IS DEAD. Now, careful up ahead, you'll have to get by a live wire, and an electrified container. Don't touch the walls, just crawl through it. And watch the mortar dead ahead! No real puzzles here, just common sense. I'll catch up with you in a moment. Have fun. -= Some time Later =- Ok, you got the Air Boat. Time to move out. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with it's handling. Drive around, do some jumps. But when you're ready to move on, head for the flood gate on the far side of the radioactive lake. Hop out on dry land and head for the wheel that controls the gate. Start turning it, but then turn around quickly! A headcrab will be sneaking up on you. Once he's dealt with, raise the gate and jet outta there. D) [Chapter Four: Water Hazard] So! You made it. Through hell. Well welcome to Hell's olympic sized pool. *Note of Interest: Just as you see the barn up ahead, stop. You should see a LAMBDA symbol on the canal wall to your right. Hop out of the boat and climb the ladder that will be behind you. You'll find two boxes of 9mm ammo. Not much, but every little bit helps. Also, if you use your Zoom function to scope out the barn, you can see the G-Man standing out side. I know you're asking "What the hell" so let me just save you some time. Try not to think about how he does that. He will keep doing it. Ok, first order of business - Head for Way Station 12. You can't miss it. It's the large Red Barn with a LAMBDA symbol painted on the docks. Unfortunately, Station 12 has been hit by a mortar round and the inhabitants changed to Zombies. You can grieve later. Kill now. Make your way to the top of the Barn, watch for headcrabs. All the way to the top, mind you. There will be a barrel jamming a Gear that will lower a large crate of supplies down to your boat. Go ahead and whack it with your crowbar and the crate will fall to the water below. Gather up the supplies (And avoid the Helicopters that will come by to check out the place), and then saddle up. Lives have been lost, but you've got work to do. One jump up the river you'll come to a bridge, where a resistance member will throw down some Supply boxes for you. Don't bother thanking him, he lives to serve. Now for your first real puzzle of the chapter. Gather up the blue containers and take them one by one beneath the large see-saw platform. You'll see it, it's right under the bridge. Once you've placed all four containers beneath the see saw, it will level out and make a jump. Use it. Keep moving through the flood channel. Don't flinch about the Drop ships, and just mow down the soldiers. *Note of Interest: Near where the soldiers are being dropped, you can see a LAMBDA symbol on the wall, near a sewer entry. If you use a barrel to boost yourself inside, you can swim through the flooded tunnel and collect some swag. Just watch out for the Zombie. (Thanks to Wietze Groenhof for the reminder) Keep moving! I'll check back in with you when something difficult pops up. Although I will mention that, if you want to have some fun, try taking out the support beams for any docks you see. Combine Soldiers can't swim too well. Hehe. Alright. When you arrive at the next Flood Gate, just backtrack a little bit to the docks on the right hand shore (If you're facing the flood gate). Time for some leg work. Don't whine you pansy. Make your way up the ladder and into the complex. You'll be treated to a brief broadcast by the Administrator, detailing how dangerous you are. Don't let it go to your head. You'll have to deal with a few soldiers and a quartet (that means four) of Man Hacks. Do your stuff. Once you've dispatched the enemies, move through the room where the Man Hacks came from, and go outside. You'll come under immediate fire from a Machine Gun nest, but this is the perfect opportunity to use your brand spanking new weapon - GRENADES. Once you make it across the open yard, lob a few grenades into the building behind the Machine Gun nest. You'll be happy you did. Once you've exhausted your supply, Barge on in and deal with the survivors. Don't worry, you can use those Grenade ammo crates you passed earlier to replenish your supply on the way out. There's also a crate inside the building. Also, don't forget, while you're in there, to climb the Turbines. There's a Contact Grenade on the one furthest from the door. Now, when you make it through this building you may be confused - The Wheel is damaged beyond use. Don't fret! Let the Physics system take care of this. To your right is a fence, behind which is a cluster of Explosive Barrels. Blow those up. A bundle of I-Beams will go flying through the air, swing on the line they're attached too, and smash through the Flood Gate. Sweet, sweet vindication. Well, not quite. You still have to fight your way back to the boat. Use those grenades, you have an unlimited supply - For now. Made it? Good. Now get motoring. And I mean MOTOR. You're gonna have Troops everywhere, Armored Cars firing barrages of missiles, the works. Avoid the Barnacles at all costs, you can't really spare the time it takes to unhook yourself. If you make it through that gauntlet, the map will load. Right after that happens, slow down a bit. You'll soon pass another LAMBDA symbol. Pull your boat over and take a look. There's a bunch of stuff in a hanging basket, linked to a pulley system. All you need to do to claim the swag is to take the Cinder Blocks out of the basket on the ground. This will cause the hanging basket to drop. Grab the goodies and then mount up. Still a long river to travel. Right up ahead is another Flood Gate, and these guys know you're coming. The alarm will sound and the gates will shut. Time for another incursion on dry land. Drive off to your right and pull up to the docks. Don't worry about the lock on the door. Just shoot it. Inside, you'll find supplies and the Colt Python, .357 Magnum Revolver. I make it sound so important cause I love that gun. Anyway, you'll have to fight your way past some Soldiers, Man Hacks, and a Hunter Helicopter that will be making strafing runs. Fight your way into the main building, where you'll have MORE Man Hacks and Soldiers to deal with. Don't worry, the Colt is an able gun. Drop those suckers. I trust your combat skills are up to snuff by now, so unless anything major comes up, I won't hold your hand. Have fun. When you do manage to make it to the Control Tower go ahead and man the Machine Guns there. Drive the Hunter Helicopter off of you so that you can get back to the boat without trouble. Once you get through the Flood Gate, things pick up a bit. *Note of interest: This will be your first encounter with the mine laying Hunter Helicopters. Avoid those mines genius. As you drive headlong through danger, you will come to a jump that will land you on a platform with a medium sized building on it. STOP HERE. Inside you will find a Medical Console and an Energy Charger. Something you could sorely use. After availing yourself of the chargers, park your boat on the large platform inside the building, and then use the wheel to lower it back to the water beneath. Then, exit the building through the door near the charger and climb down the ladder to get back to your boat. Up ahead Mortar fire will resume, and will blow away a Smoke Stack. Don't panic. Aim for the point closest to the shore and you'll make it through in one piece. Shortly after this you'll arrive at the next "Puzzle". Park your boat near the soon to be Jump, and back track. Climb the ladder on the wall behind you, and then take the somewhat precarious path back across the area to the Washing machine. Yes, the Washing machine. Use that as a weight in the box below to raise the Jump. Ta-Dah. After that, you can just cruise on down the channel to the next Way Station. This one, thankfully, hasn't been Zombiefied. You'll acquire the Combine Machine Gun for your Air Boat here, and you can take the time to ask the Vortigaunt a few questions. They're fun. When you reach the next Flood Gate, the Combine will wait until you are inside before dropping both gates. Don't worry. On the right side of the canal closest to the gate you just came through is a piece of fence. Drive up that piece of fence onto the dock and mow down the combine Soldiers. Then just keep moving, you're free! Now this is a little ways down the line, but when you reach the large open area with the Water Tower in the distance, it's time for you to go toe to toe with one of the Hunter Helicopters. The Helicopter will make alternating strafing runs, sometimes with the Machine Gun and sometimes with a tri-directional Mine Drop. Avoid the mines at all costs, a direct hit from one of them will do far more damage then the Machine Gun on the Chopper will. Once you've dealt with the Hunter Helicopter, drive around for a bit and round up any stray supply boxes and caches of batteries and medkits you can find. When you're fully loaded, head towards the Flood Gate at the far end of the area, near the Water Tower. The wheel for this one is on your side so it's a simple matter of just climbing up to it and spinning it. But now you have to work your way over to open up one of the overflow gates, which is the way you need to go if you're ever going to get to Dr. Vance's lab. Leg Work time. The Main building contains a plethora of ammo and Batteries and Medkits. Come back here if you happen to find yourself needing any of those while you're slogging to the Overflow Gate controls. Although, the odds of that happen are ... none. Anyway. Once the Overflow Gate is open, head back to your boat, jump the logs through the Overflow Gate and DOWN the dam. Welcome to Black Mesa East. E) [Chapter Five: Black Mesa East] Go ahead and pull your Air Boat up to the dock with the LAMBDA symbol painted near a ladder. This is Dr. Vance's hideout, Black Mesa East. This is a mostly story driven part, so I'll catch up with you in about... 15 minutes. *Note of Interest: Thanks to Bertel for this very amusing tip. You can actually take Dog's "Ball" with you to Ravenholm. You heard me. Just use the Gravity Gun to bring it along. It not only attacks Headcrabs, but it distracts the Zombies. It sounds crazy but you can't argue with results. Once you're done playing with Dog, the Combine will show up to ruin what was other wise a peaceful evening. Well, night is falling fast, and so are those mortar shells. Follow Alyx back inside and make sure you leave room for Dog in the Air Lock. Despite Dr. Vance's urgings that you not go through Ravenholm, Alyx decides to send you that way when a roof collapse cuts you off from her. Don't panic. Yet. Follow dog back to the Ravenholm tunnel entrance. He will lift the door for you, but will not follow you through. Say your goodbyes, and then move on. As you walk down the tunnel, trash will block your path - Use your brand spanking new Gravity Gun to shove that crap out of the way. When you reach the bottom of the first stairwell, a large cabinet will be blocking your way. Just use Primary Fire on the Gravity Gun and it will obey you. Don't get too startled, but a few things will fall down a large mineshaft ahead of you. Though your better judgment may say this is a bad way to go, it's your only option. Either Shoot, Whack, or Pry the lock off the ladder, and ascend up the shaft, into the heart of Ravenholm. Begin panicking now. F) [Chapter Six: "We Don't Go to Ravenholm..."] *Thanks to Drago for suggesting this: Ravenholm does not have a good deal of ammo for your weapons. When I have gone through it, I have relied mainly on the Gravity Gun to deal with Zombies and the like. There are all kinds of hazardous objects; saw blades, gas cans, gas cylinders, explosive barrels, etc. You can fling those at Zombies to great effect. Saw Blades will rip them in half, Gas Cans and Cylinders will light them on fire. Explosive Barrels explode. The point is, between the objects you can pick up and the traps Father Gregori has laid out for you, you really don't need to shoot all that often. When you do need to shoot, I generally will tell you. As you first exit the wooden structure you find yourself in, don't go charging ahead. There are Zombies here, in abundance, and in all three types that I have previously listed in the Enemies chapter. I suggest you review your Headcrab and Zombie literature before venturing forth. What you know or don't know will decide how far you can make it. Now, proceed down the soft incline, towards the tree where you can see a hanging pelvis. Keep checking your surroundings, the welcome wagon is on its way. There will be a Zombie in the shadows to your left, and a great deal more inside the building that still has light coming out of it. Break your way inside and remove the table blocking your path with the gravity gun. Now, Zombies will start to get up off the floor. Try chucking a few fuel canisters at them with the Gravity Gun, and Saw Blades too. Just be careful not to ignite a canister too close to yourself. Once the room is clear, continue to your right. A Zombie will be coming down the dark stairway, so use your flashlight and chuck another Saw blade at him. Be careful - Sometimes the Saw won't kill the Headcrab. In the hallway up the stairs there are a few explosive barrels. Try not to set them off, as in such a small enclosure you will be hurt as much as the Zombies are. Once you've dispatched them, continue outside. Note the spinning fan blade in the middle of the path to your right. A strange voice will filter down to you, ranting on about death and how these things have no true life in them. Then watch in amusement as a troop of zombies marches into the Fan Blade and is hacked to pieces. When you're sure it's safe to move on, crouch down under the blade and shut off the motor powering it. When you enter the building the Zombies just came from, go right for the Fan Blade motor and turn it on. Don't go anywhere, just sit tight. You'll know what I mean when you see the trio of Zombies that emerge from a previously unnoticeable passage and begin to stomp towards you. Just let the fan do the dirty work. There will also be another zombie outside, but whether you want to wait for him or just kill these three and move on is up to you. If you don't wait, don't be surprised by him when he comes. In the next building, don't freak out over the number of Zombies, just dive straight for the Fan Blade motor and let them get killed by it. It's much more satisfying then wasting your ammo. As you leave this room, shoot the Explosive Barrel the apparently dead Zombie is leaning on. Better to make sure it's dead then to be surprised by it's resurrection. Continue down the alley, to the Town Square, where a large number of Zombified bodies are on fire. A man will kick open the door of a second story balcony and begin shooting at Zombies that are shambling down the alley towards you. This is Father Gregori. A bit insane, but he is the one who left all those Fan Blades for you, and the various other traps you'll see along the way. He's your only hope of survival in this hellish place. More Zombies to your right, inside a boarded up building, and one lone Zombie to your left behind a large container of some sort. He'll come after you if you move next to the fuel tank that is keeping the fire burning. Once the Zombies in the boarded up building see you they'll bust right out and come after you. Mow them down. Inside the building you'll find a Zombie in a cage. Don't let him out, instead go to the right and turn the wheel on the fuel tank. This will start gas hissing out inside the Zombie's cage. Go over to the cage door and hit your USE key on the Red Dial. This will spark the gas and set the poor Zombie on fire. Remember this little tutorial, and use it wherever you see Gas Tanks and Red Dials. When you exit this building and continue up the pathway, you'll notice another Fuel tank set up that's already burning. Shut off the gas so that the flames go out, and then rush down the little alley way. You'll run smack into a bunch of Zombies. Don't shoot, just turn around and head back to the Fuel Tank. Turn the gas back on, and wait until the the first Zombie reaches the gas nozzle closest to you, then turn the Red Dial and BAM. All of them will catch on fire. Be sure to move back as the Zombies will keep walking until they actually die, and you don't want them touching you while they're on fire. Now, backtrack to the main bonfire and shut it off. This will open the way inside what you will realize is the Power Plant. Zombies inside, next to Explosive Barrels - Do your thing. As you make your way upstairs, shoot every "Dead" Zombie you see. They aren't really dead, and will get up to attack you as you begin to shoot them. Make 'em dead for good. *Note of interest: In the top of the building you will have your first encounter with the "Black Super Leaper" Headcrab variant. There will be a pair of them in the room with the power switch, so be careful. Just don't let them sting you and you'll be fine. If you do get stung, WAIT FOR YOUR SUIT TO HEAL YOU before you move on. With the Power off, you can now head back down to the fence where the corpse was being electrocuted, and climb the now safe ladder. On your way out of the power plant, however, a Black Super Leaper will be waiting for you on the stairs near the Turbines. Surprise him by taking the second floor Catwalk and blowing him away. Two more Black Leapers will be waiting for you in the exit - Don't get stung, just shoot the little punks. You hear them chitter even before you see them leap down from a small gap in the ceiling. Make your way back to the fence and climb up to the fire escape. I like to turn the bonfire in front of the Power Plant back on, but I'm a pansy. You do what you want. In any case, leap to the neighboring building (You can tell because it has a couple of planks tacked on the side for you to land on), and listen to Father Gregori. He will save you from a Leaper Headcrab, and remind you that it is best to be Vigilant in Ravenholm. Yea. That or don't come here in the first place. Anyway, after he's done talking to you, look towards where he was, then down and to the left. You'll notice a plank bridge. Jump on down there. There are Headcrabs in the house the planks lead you too, but nothing you can't handle. Once they're dead, hop on down (Inside the house). Now, in the house's garage you will find a motor with a lever attached, a large car floating off the ground, and a HORDE of Zombies closing in. Watch the shadow on the ground beneath the car. When a good number of Zombies have stepped on it PULL THE LEVER. SQUISH. Repeat as needed. When the Zombies are gone, you'll need to drop one of the cars, then hop ON TO it and ride it back up as the trap resets. This will take you to another plank bridge. Follow it towards the House with the Spot Light on it. Father Gregori will finally introduce himself, and clue you in to just how insane he is. His Congregation, as he calls it, are the Zombies of his former townsfolk. Shame. Continue into the building through the window. Take out the Leaper you will see immediately after opening the second door. On the right ahead of you, Father Gregori will be sniping zombies and one will smash through the window when he scores a kill shot on it. Don't get too comfy, two Black Leapers are patrolling a ledge in front of and below you, and a Zombie pretending to be dead is just to your left. Quickly dispatch all of them. On the ledge outside are three more Zombies. Father Gregori will take out one or two, but you'd best take them down yourself. Now, looking beneath you, you'll notice chaos. Show Chaos those Explosive Barrels littered about the place. But don't drop down just yet. Check on both sides of you and blow up all the barrels. Better to use them now. Once you're sure everything is dead, hop down and head right. You'll see some Steel Supports running overhead. These should lead you to a ladder. Climb it. Follow the steel beams to a house that will be on your right. Father Gregori will be ahead of you, blowing Zombies out through windows. Fun stuff. Watch out on your right, though, as a torso Zombie will come crawling out of a window to meet you. Take him out. Go through the window he came out of and take a look around. Nasty stuff. Pick up the Saw Blade with your Gravity Gun and head down the stairs at the far end of the room. You'll have a reason to use it right away - a whole crowd of Zombies. Try to cut as many as you can, and then blow the rest away with whatever weapon you still have ammo for. When you leave this building You'll get introduced to the Leaper Zombies. And one will quickly come charging up the path at you. Take him down, aim for the head. This area is Zombie Central, but the puzzles aren't really stopping you. I'll catch up with you when things get tricky. Ok, when you reach the top of the building, things get tricky. Father Gregori will appear to give you the Shotgun (Huh-zah). Quickly turn around and grab the box of shells, then get ready, because Leapers are coming. Don't worry about Father Gregori - He won't die. You need to be more concerned with yourself. Once you've dispatched the Leapers, make a running jump into the Water Tower across the way from you. Deal with the Two Leapers that climb up the rain gutters, but for the love of twinkies, don't fall down. You won't have much fun, trust me. Then, turn and head inside the building and take the lift. You'll have to call it up to you, but a Leaper may ride up with it. Be careful. Take it down. You'll have to deal with a Piggy Back Zombie (Those are the ones with Black Leapers that it throws at you), then you can hop up on the car with the plank and go over the fence. Duck into the first building you see to grab some ammo and medkits, and watch out for the lone headcrab inside. Then continue. Don't bother with the next fan machine you see, it will break. But be ready if you do, a Piggy Back Zombie will come lumbering out of the shadows after you. Deal with him first, then worry about the Normal Zombies. After they are killed, head down the alley where you can see two Explosive Barrels. Climb the stairs back there and up into a control tower. Throw the switch to send a platform out into the street. You'll need that in a moment, trust me. After throwing the switch, turn to your right and leap off the balcony. Continue forward and immediately make another right. Watch for Zombies. Quickly climb the stack of boxes in the alley and get ready - A leaper and TWO Piggy Back Zombies will attack you. The Piggy Backers from behind and below you, and the Leaper from dead ahead. Shotgun the Leaper, and then take out the Black Leapers as they are thrown at you. Then Turn so that the roof is on your left side, and then jump the gap ahead of you. Continue to follow the planks around the central building Don't bother trying to jump over to the items yet, you'll just fall! You can get to them in just a moment. Circle around the plank bridge, grab the shotguns and medkits, and then continue along the bridge. Now do you see why you needed that platform? Eh? Eh? You can trust me. As soon as you cross the floating platform, get ready for the thunder. Leapers will start coming, at least five, I lost count, and below you, should you happen to fall, are TWO MORE PIGGY BACK ZOMBIES. So don't fall. I know you'll be hurting for Shotgun ammo at this point, but use it if you have it. It's your best defense against the leaper Zombies. Unfortunately, what looks like safety up ahead is not. Father Gregori will greet you, but the catwalk you jump too will fall. That's ok. Just get back up. Hop into the window there and collect the Medkit. Get ready to mow through some zombies. Blast away at the first group, then use the fuel canisters on the ground to deal with the group that's ambling up the stairs. Fire is your friend. As soon as you move past them, climb the ladder dead ahead. There's a trio of headcrabs in this room, use your pistol on them. Once you take care of them and open the door, you'll have another Leaper Zombie on you. I've noticed that sometimes he will miss his leap and land in the small vacant lot behind and below you. If this happens, hit him with a Contact Grenade fast. That way he won't try to come back up after you. Or move ever again, for that matter. Dead ahead of you is the stairwell you need to climb. Stay on the roof for now, and deal with yet another leaper, and one more Piggy Back Zombie beneath you. Don't drop down until all the Black Leapers have been dealt with. You'll be happier that way. When you enter the building, you'll find some ammo that you're sorely in need of, but turn around! Another leaper is coming from behind you. Drop him like a bad habit! (Ha - HA! Classic.) Then continue your climb, reloading weapons as you find ammo for them. Climb the ladder to the roof, grab the box of shotgun shells and the Medkits, and get ready for a tense stand off. Father Gregori is across the way from you behind a very large fence. He will send a gondola for you, but you'll have to fend off Leapers while he does. Get ready. Best bet is, as the Leapers are climbing up the rain gutters, lean over the side just a bit and shoot them in the headcrab with the Magnum. That will drop them in one hit. Just keep your wits about you and don't let them make it up the rain pipes. When the Gondola arrives, get in it, then pull the Hand Brake. I usually have to stand on the lip of the Gondola to make it work, but once you've pulled the hand brake take a breather. You're in the clear for the moment. Once you're loaded up and Father Gregori has talked to you, it's time to follow him to the Mines, the only way out of Ravenholm. Stay alert, there will be Leapers, but you don't have to baby sit Father Gregori, just keep an eye on him. Use the Saw Blades in the Grave Yard when you find them, but for the most part you can just follow Father Gregori and you'll be fine. See you on the other side of the Grave Yard. Whistle. Ah, made it to the mine have you? Excellent. Now, when you reach the Mine Shaft inside the building, you'll have to lower yourself down, jumping from one support beam to the next lowest one, until you reach the bottom. Don't drop all the way down, there are Black Leapers and headcrabs all over the place down there. Stay up high and pick them off one by one before you drop down. Once it's clear, go ahead and drop down. Quickly work your way over to the stairs near a fenced off tunnel. Climb the stairs, and then jump onto the wooden supports to get over the fence. Take out the leaper crabs beneath you, then jump down yourself. Quickly move down the tunnel and jump into the water in the next Mine Shaft. Once in the water, swim forward until a cross brace prevents you from going any further. If you need ammo, there's a trick here - Let the Barnacle grab you. Let it hoist you up to where you can see the ammo, then when you're high enough to make the jump, shoot the Barnacle and land on the ammo. Free stuff. Then, drop back down into the water and jump over the cross brace. When you surface, there will be a mine cart with a Fan Blade motor in it. Pull the lever to send the Mine cart shooting up the ramp, only to fall back down a few seconds later. Don't let it chop you up, but that mine cart will protect you from a number of hidden Zombies that will try to stop you on your way up the hill. Hide in the depressions that the Zombies are using to avoid being hit by the mine cart, and reach the top of the hill. See that up ahead of you? Daylight. Freedom! Ravenholm is behind you. Once you leave the tunnel, heads up - There's a Black Leaper on the lip of the Tunnel's Frame. Kill him, then use the boxes to your right to climb up on to the lip of the tunnel to grab some ammo near the LAMBDA symbol. The Resistance works in mysterious ways, my friend. As you get to the train tracks, turn right, and get ready for a Leaper Zombie who will come bounding down the tops of a few train cars that are parked. Take him out. *Note of Interest: This is your first encounter with the Combine Sniper. Tactics for dealing with them are as follows. Take notes! First overhang you pass down the tracks (After the leaper) is your introduction to the Combine Sniper. You can see the blue laser beam they sweep the area with to find targets. Well, I got news for you. There's a supply crate full of grenades right underneath him. That should be a clue to you. You're gonna lob those grenades into the Sniper's window and take that sucker out. Boom he will go, out the window. Take notes, this tactic will be necessary all the way down the railroad tracks. Watch yourself with the next sniper, he's facing you, so you'll be under fire before you can get a grenade into his window. Watch the Explosive Barrels - He will set them off if you're close to one. I suggest trying to set them off yourself before you get there. In any case, use your SPRINT ability (Shift key) to move between cover and avoid his shots. When he shoots the Log Car, duck down and go to the left side. Just stay under the left side of the car until you reach the other side - Watch out for a Headcrab near the end - then quickly sprint To the left side of the Box Car in front of you. Jump up into the open door, and then take advantage of the hole in the roof to lob a grenade up into Mr. Sniper's little nest. Up ahead you'll find some Combine Soldiers dealing with a Zombie - Take advantage of their momentary distraction to unload a few rounds on them. When you finish mopping up the three soldiers, you'll be the proud owner of a slightly used Pulse Rifle. See the Arsenal chapter if you have any questions about it's operation. I will reiterate that this gun does go through ammo real quick. So be careful. Up ahead and to your left Combine Soldiers will begin firing at you from a junked car yard - Use your new pulse rifle, you'll have plenty of ammo for it during this fire fight. Remember to take advantage of the strategically placed Explosive Barrels - Fire is your ever present Friend. Break inside the building the Combine Soldiers were emerging from and assist the Resistance Infantry members inside. This is the Costal Way Station Alyx wanted you to reach, and the Resistance members here will give you ammo and the Scout Car. Get ready for some rough riding. G) [Chapter Seven: Highway 17] Immediately head for your Scout Car. Hop in, and get ready for an interesting ride. The Crane operator will drop the large magnet down on you, and then proceed to drop you on to the beach below. Unfortunately, the magnet will lose power before she can finish the task and your car will plummet towards the sand, landing upside down. Get out of the car with your USE key, press "G" to take out the Gravity Gun, and then use Primary Fire to flip your car back over. Quickly get back inside and floor it down the beach, away from the docks. Antlion Drones will be everywhere - That's ok, use your Tau Cannon or mow them down, both work equally as well. When you reach the beached Tug Boat, take the path to the right and up the hill. Follow the worn road there to a Jump. Hit your SHIFT key to activate the Scout Car's Turbo ability and shoot over the jump. Be careful about using the Turbo - You pretty much lose control of the car for a few seconds. Hang a left after the jump, and then take a right when you see the Road Block signs. Drive up the dirt path there onto the Highway itself. Hang another right and then come to a quick stop at a small, red shed on the left hand side of the Highway. Inside are Medkits, a Battery, and a Contact Grenade. All nice to have. Once you've stocked up, get back in the car and blow through the Road Block signs in front of the tunnel. Don't worry about the dark, just keep driving. Come to a stop as soon as the map loads and you exit the tunnel. The road ahead of you has collapsed. Instead of leaping to your doom, turn to the right and drive down onto the beach. Drive through the Antlion Drones, and up to your first Pounder, next to the House. *Note of Interest: Pounders, while active, will keep Antlion Drones at bay. For the most part. If you leave the immediate vicinity of a Pounder, your safety can't be guaranteed. So be careful when exploring the numerous beach houses. Antlion Drones may sneak up on you. [Beach House #1] If you want to explore this house, leave your car next to the Pounder and head towards the right side of the house (If you're facing the beach). Ignore the front door - it's locked - and instead use the Gravity Gun to clear away the door to the basement. Be careful once you're inside, there are Black Leapers in here - you can see where their mortar shell crashed through the roof. Take them out, and then use the boxes in the basement as a ladder to climb up to the first floor. On the first floor, there will be a Piggy Back Zombie near the Chimney. Back up, and take it out. You'll have to deal with all the Black Leapers that it is carrying, as well. Once those are dead, gather up the supplies and don't forget the Contact Grenade inside the ruined chimney. After you are loaded up, head towards the front of the house, on the first floor, and break the plank that is keeping the front door shut. Then head outside and back to your car. Don't forget to watch for Antlion Drones! Get back in your car, and drive straight through the fences in front of you, or shoot them with your Tau Cannon. Either way, continue down the beach. Stay to the left of the Beached Tug Boat, and head for the second Beach House. It's just past the rock pillar, and there will be another pounder out front. Park your car here. [Beach House #2] There are Combine Soldiers inside this house, so have your gun at the ready. Make sure you enter the house from the right side, or you'll fall into a trap. As you enter the house, one soldier will be to your right looking through a pair of electronic binoculars, one soldier will be to your left in an alcove, out of sight for the moment, and one soldier will be approaching from behind you. Take out the soldier at the Binoculars first, then the one in the alcove, and THEN turn around to face the third soldier barging in behind you. Grab the batteries from the Alcove, and the ammo from each Soldier's gun, then go ahead and look through the binoculars yourself. (Hit your USE key) *Note of Interest: Keep your eyes on the second story of the building you watch through the Binos. Notice anyone familiar? Hmm? Once you're done here, head back to your car and continue up the beach. That Resistance base you just saw through the Binos is your destination. As you're heading to the Resistance base, you'll pass a boat house being checked out by some Combine Soldiers. I usually just blow past those guys, but you could always stop and turn off the Pounder. That would give the Soldiers something else to worry about. (This is not necessary, I just enjoy doing it) Continue to follow the coast. Drive past the docks in front of the Resistance base, then make a slow left following the sea wall. You'll drive past another pounder, and into the relative safety of the Resistance base. A man there will tell you to head down to the basement - Do so. There's a gate blocking the road that won't lift until after you help the Resistance members here fend off a Gunship. So park your car somewhere and head on down to the basement. There, you will be instructed in the use of the RPG. Pay close attention, as these are the exact tactics you will need to use in order to bring down the approaching Gunship. As you fight it, if you run out of ammo, Resistance Infantry will continue to hand you single rockets. Keep up a stream of fire, and weave those rockets! Once the Gunship is down, head back to the basement. Aside from listening to the excuses of the man in the sailor's outfit, the friendly Vortigaunt will charge up your suit for you. So nice, those guys. Once that is finished, go ahead and sweep the area for ammo, medkits, and batteries. Then it's time to mount up. Drive out of the Base through the now open gate, and head for "Lighthouse Point". That's a little ways down the road from you, though. Once through the gate, take the first path to the right that you see. Weave through the rocks until you see the bridge. Head to the left, hugging the cliff until you see a sandbar leading across the water to the Docks. Quickly drive up to the inactive Pounder and TURN IT ON. That will give you some breathing room while you deal with the Combine Soldiers and work your way up to the Crane. I'll meet you there. Alright, you're in the Crane. Two things you want to do. You're going to want to lift your car up to the area with the Large Containers, but first you'll need to knock over the raised bridge, and then clear off the platform. I suggest using the Containers to kill the Combine Soldiers, and then chucking the Containers off onto the beach. Once the bridge is dropped and your car is safely up there, time to head into that building and clear it out. At the far end of it is a control booth that will open a side door, allowing you to drive through the building and out the other side. Unfortunately, there are a few Combine Soldiers between you and it. Get crackin'. Once you've cleared it out and the door is open, drive on through and up the dock on the other side. Drive through the Combine Soldiers blocking your path, into the small warehouse ahead of you, and out through it's window. Drive up the road, and Turbo boost over the bridge - Don't sweat the Gunship just yet. Keep going to the right, until you reach a large pile of burned out cars. Get out of the Scout Car, and begin firing at the Gunship with your RPG. If you run out of rockets (You will) there's a Rocket Ammo Crate in the White Van. Once the Gunship is down, use your Gravity Gun to clear the wrecked cars off of the road, and continue driving. A blue van on your left will have medkits if you're in need, but otherwise keep driving. Once you exit the next tunnel, you'll have your first encounter with Roller Mines. Remember, use your Gravity Gun's secondary fire to grab them, and then chuck them off the cliff. After making it past a few clusters of Roller Mines, you'll come upon a barn and a house. Combine soldiers have laid a trap for you here, so get ready for a fire fight. The Rock outcropping down the road from you will be blown apart, causing it to fall onto the road. Stop here, and begin sweeping the area for soldiers. Be careful, as if you go into the house, more soldiers will flank you and come inside after you. Not to mention the soldiers already in the house. Once you've dealt with them, sweep the area again for medkits and batteries, and then continue on up the road. Don't worry about the downed power lines, they're not live. Up the road just a little ways is another road block. Just sit in the Scout Car and use your Tau Cannon on the Explosive Barrels, and the soldiers. Then Use your Gravity Gun to again clear the cars off the road, and keep going. Stop at the next roadblock and walk over to the little hill. There you will find a dead Resistance member and the Crossbow. Use the Crossbow to take some snipe shots at the Combine Soldiers waiting for you across the way. Then, hop back in your car and drive it up to the shield blocking the road. Get out, and head towards the house the Combine Soldiers just fled to while you were sniping. Circle around the left side of the garage between you and the house, and shoot at the Gas Pumps. This will cause them to catch fire and will take out a number of hidden Combine Soldiers. Then, sweep the area and mop up the survivors. After that, head out behind the house. You will see a Combine Armored Car sitting on a bit of a slope, with two large blocks under it's rear wheels. Use the Gravity Gun to yank those blocks - The car will roll off the cliff, snapping the power line that was connected to the shield. Keep driving, my friend. Once you exit the next tunnel, you will see a number of houses, and a large Combine Drop ship leaving the area. Take this as a warning - That house is crawling with nasties. Aside from the Combine Soldiers there are also two Piggy Back Zombies in this area you need to watch out for. Proceed with caution. Deal with the soldiers as your experience dictates, but when you find the Piggy Back Zombies, try something new - There are Gas Cans littered around the house and in the sheds. Fling one of those at the Piggy Back Zombie and it will burst in to flames, including all the Black Leapers it is carrying. Then just get out of the way while they fry. Easy. Once you've dealt with the Piggy Back Zombie that is on the sea cliff behind the house, drop down onto the cliff yourself. There is a Door in the side of the Support Structure for the Rail Bridge. Go in there. You'll need to work your way to the other side, beneath the bridge, so that you can shut off the power to the Shield on the train tracks, which will then allow you to pass through. We'll start with the under bridge next. Ok. Proceed through the small alcove, pausing to pick up the batteries and Medkits. Exit through the door on your right. Cross the bridge, and exit out through the next alcove. Now, you will see the Bridge's support structure ahead of you, along with a piece of catwalk that has broken off and fallen onto the lattice work. I know you think I'm crazy, but run and jump onto that piece of catwalk. Now, CAREFULLY walk across the support beams. Make sure to watch out for the Barnacle to your left - Take him out. In the Guard House ahead of you are some medkits, rockets, and a Headcrab. You're going to need those rockets on your way back, as a Gunship will pop up, but we'll deal with him when we get there. In the meantime, continue across the frame work. The Bridge should start to shake about now, don't panic - It's just a train. If you're unsure of your footing, wait for it to pass before continuing. No need to rush yet. You'll have to make a little bit of a leap at the bottom of the support arch, but you can do it. Try to land on the Catwalk. Or you'll plummet to your squishy death. Anyway, climb up the ladder to the next Guard House. You'll be attacked here, by a pair of Combine soldiers to your right as you exit the Guard House. Take them out, along with the Barnacle above you. Then, and this may be difficult, jump to the next support beam from the Guard House platform. Two more Headcrabs are waiting for you in the next Guard House - Try tossing a grenade in there first. Anyway, as you continue along the support beams, it gets a little steep, so try jumping for the Ladder when it looks like you can't go any further. Then climb on up. Don't climb the stairs inside just yet, keep going across the walkway. Soldiers will be waiting for you, ahead of you in the room and also on catwalks to your right. Take 'em out. If you get corned by a grenade, you can use your Gravity Gun to fling it away (If you're quick). Make your way through the room, watching for the Soldiers on your left as you enter. Go around the fence, and outside again, this time on the catwalk the soldiers were using just a moment ago. Climb up the ladder, and have the Shotgun ready. There will be a soldier to your left as you enter, and several more to your right. After you dispatch them, take the door to your right and climb up the stairs. Take out the Soldiers - Yes, you can shoot through the Force Field - and then use your Gravity Gun to pull the large Plug on the left side of the force field. From there, quickly use the chargers on the wall. Once you're fully loaded, go to the far right corner of the room and press the button - this will deactivate the Shields on the railroad. Don't celebrate yet - Alarms will sound, and a Gunship will make a strafing run on the room you're standing in. MOVE. You need to retrace your steps, back to the Rocket Ammo crate at the middle of the support beams. This will give you enough ammo to take out that Gunship, but you have to get there first. As you work your way back, two more soldiers will be waiting for you. Take them out. Then run across the walkway. The Gunship will cause the left side of the room you're facing to collapse, which makes now a perfect time to take those stairs I told you to ignore earlier. Take the Catwalk on the left, making sure to jump the small gap in it and duck into the Guard house. Try firing a few Rockets at the Gunship when you have a chance. But carefully follow the broken pieces of the catwalk down to the middle platform. Climb your way back up to the Guard House - And here's the Ammo Crate. Take that Gunship out! Once it's down, you can easily work your way back across the bridge. Now, one word of warning - If you didn't take out that Piggy Back Zombie on the sea cliff like I told you, he'll be waiting for you. Once you make it back to the other side of the bridge, quickly exit through the door and get back to your car. There will be Zombies and Antlion Drones fighting each other on the path, and the Antlions will continue to come, so I suggest you fight on the run. Get back to your car, and drive up on to the train tracks. You will hear a train coming towards you - Hit the Turbo and get ready to steer left as ' soon as you have a gap in the Rail Cars. It will be close, but you can make it! Alternatively you can just back up when you hear the train coming and wait for it to pass, but where's the fun in that! PHEW! Ok. Continue down the sandy path once you get past the train tracks, drive up the concrete ramp and into the tunnel. H) [Chapter Eight: Sand traps] Drive into the dark tunnel. You'll notice a Zombie that walks out from behind an over turned truck. Mow him down with the Tau Cannon. Now. Get out, and get ready for a bit of a battle. Ahead of you is a giant pile of bombed out cars. And there are Zombies EVERYWHERE. Mostly standard Zombies, but a few Leapers in there as well. Proceed with caution. To your right is a vent leading into a locked room. A few Headcrabs are prowling around inside, but there's also a Medkit and a Battery so it's worth the trouble. Once you're done, use the Gravity Gun to move the large cabinet blocking the door, and get ready to fight! There are at least three Leapers that I was able to count, and a good number of Standard Zombies. Once they're dead (You should do a sweep to make sure), use the Gravity Gun to clear out the cars blocking your path. Then hop back in the Scout Car and keep moving. If you hadn't already guessed from the title of this chapter, you're going to have a lot more "Traps" to deal with. Once you exit the tunnel, there will be boxes and a Car blocking your path. Ignore them, and veer to the right, taking the dirt path instead. The house you find is not a good house. There are soldiers there burning the bodies of what you can only assume were innocent civilians. Take out the two Combine Foot Soldiers. My advice is to keep going, but if you HAVE to explore the house, I'll take you inside. You can climb inside the house through a hole in the rear, but I warn you. The only thing you're going to find at the top is a Crossbow and a whole mess of Roller Mines. Well. If you set off the trap, just use your Gravity Gun to deal with them. Get back in your car and keep moving. Just up the road is a real Combine Road Block. Get out and use your Crossbow to snipe the only visible soldier on the tower, then proceed on foot. Roller Mines and a few Combine Soldiers wait for you, but it's nothing major. A Medical Console is on the backside of the left tower, if you need the health. Once you're done, drive yourself through the roadblock SLOWLY - There are pop up ramps that could flip you if you're going too fast. Once you're through, continue up the road, making sure to veer left to avoid a gap in the road. Continue on up towards the Windmill. When you reach the two trucks blocking the road, get out. Head into the small encampment on foot, and get ready for Drop ships and Roller Mines. One of the Drop ships will be carrying Soldiers, while the other will weave it's way across the road and drop two Roller Mines. Use your Gravity Gun to deal with the mines, and duck inside the large red house to avoid the other Drop ship's machine gun fire. Once they both leave, you are free to engage the Soldiers. When the soldiers are dealt with, you'll need to gather up a few Car Batteries to power the Gate blocking the road. There's one battery already on the rack, and one more in the room. There are three more batteries scattered around. One is on top of the Windmill, one is under the hood of a blue car, and one is under the Bathtub. Grab them with your use key and drop them into the battery slots. Then, return to your Scout Car and drive over the Mossy Rock to bypass the trucks, then keep going on up the road. Up ahead is Lighthouse point. This is where you say goodbye to the car. Park it in the garage as the Resistance member instructs you, then get ready to help defend the Lighthouse from Drop ships and Gun ships. Deal with each Drop ship as it comes - Don't bother trying to shoot them down, just deal with the Soldiers they unload. When the drop ship lands at the Lighthouse, that's your cue to start heading in that direction. A Gunship will be coming next, and you'll need the Rocket Crate at the top of the Lighthouse to deal with it. As soon as the last soldier is down, the Gunship will come. Head for the Lighthouse - The door is on the right side. Climb up the spiral staircase, but be careful near the windows. The Gunship will fire in through the glass if it's facing the same window you're passing by. The Rocket Crate is on the landing just below the top of the Lighthouse. once you've filled up on rockets, climb to the roof, and circle around the "light" to fire at the Gunship. Retreat back down to the landing as needed for Rockets. Once the Gunship is down, the Medic who had spoken with you earlier will climb the Lighthouse to talk to you. Follow him down to the basement, where he will open the door to the hidden cliff path. It's a bit hairy out there, but if you hug the wall and make smart jumps you'll do fine. A soldier may pop up over the edge to shoot at you, but that only happened to me once. What will be guaranteed to happen is that a Drop ship will make a show of flying slowly past you - with the Scout Car firmly in it's claws. Bastards stole your wheels. Continue through the small rock alcove, and out the other side. Take it slow now. You're in Antlion territory once again. Up ahead you'll find a resistance member and someone named Laslo. Well, say goodbye to Laslo - He makes the mistake of moving while on the sand. Antlions pop up and rip him to shreds - Take them out before they notice you as well. Once that's over the man will lament over his fallen friend, and urge you to continue on to the Vortigaunt Camp. He elects to stay behind, to do something. I can only imagine what it is... Now, rule of the day is: Stay on the rocks, or boxes, or whatever you happen to be climbing on. If you fall onto the sand, the Antlion Drones will swarm up to attack you. If that does happen, getting back to solid ground should be priority number one. The longer you're on the sand, the more attention you'll attract. Once you're on solid ground, you can take out the Antlions and stop new ones from popping up. I will offer advice about how to get past certain points, but really, with the Gravity Gun and your brain, there's a multitude of solutions. For now, just keep on the rocks. You may pass supply crates sitting on the sand - Don't just go for them. Use your gravity gun to bring them in close, and then just drop them at your feet and use the Crowbar to open them. This ensures that the contents don't go flying back out on to the sand. Any free standing items can also be snagged with the Gravity Gun, it has a fairly long range for small objects. (Batteries, Medkits, etc.) You will have to start using trash to make jumps between rocks. Don't get too excited. All you have to do is pick up the pallets or boxes, or aluminum siding, and then use secondary fire on the Gravity Gun to GENTLY DROP IT. Don't use primary fire, that will send the item in question FLYING away from you. You may have to use multiple pieces of garbage to make a sort of moving bridge. Stand on one piece and move the other two, dropping them in front of you and then repeating the process. At one point you will jump from a Rock pillar to a smaller rock that is a little bit further then you might think you can make. Crouch Jump in order to ensure that you get the distance you need. When you reach the part with the ruined bridge, it's another seesaw puzzle. Grab the Box that is weighing down the end of the seesaw, and place it on the opposite end. This will give you the lift you need to reach the rock ledge and continue on. You'll have to run and jump, as the seesaw will dip despite the weight of the box, but you CAN make it. I know there are a lot of items to your right, after you clear the seesaw, but it's all there to tempt you. If you really want to go get them, just use the "Moving Bridge" suggestion I made earlier. It will take time, but you can either go to, or drag with the Gravity Gun, all the items lying around. I recommend the Gravity Gun... When you get past those temptations, you will find a very long wooden plank beneath some metal garbage. Move the metal garbage, and pick up the plank. It's long enough to be used as a bridge to many of the houses that you can currently see, it all depends on how you pick it up. Lay it flat on the ground, then go to either end of it and use the Gravity Gun. This will let you extend it out as far as it can go, and will make an excellent bridge. Use it. In fact, if used properly, the bridge plank will get you all the way to the portable Generator. It's the large orange thing on a trailer? Yea. You're going to want to turn that on. It will power a Pounder farther down the beach, something you'll need to make it on to the ridge. Well, you won't NEED it to make it to the ridge, but it makes things easier. That way, if you make a mistake near the ridge face, you have some breathing room. Now, you're probably maxed out on health, suit energy, and ammo right now, so do yourself a favor and don't risk it for the stack of Supply Crates near the Pounder. It is, once again, there to tempt you. But you don't need it. Again - If you can keep the Bridge Plank with you, seriously useful. But don't forget that you may need to do another moving bridge, and the Bridge Plank alone won't allow for that. You may want to drag some more trash with you. Once you reach the closest rock to the Ridge, use the plank to get yourself out a little ways and then grab the two Metal Doors and the Wooden Pallet off to your right. Use these three items (Leave the Bridge Plank behind) to build a moving bridge. Then just aim yourself for the lowest rock near the Ridge. Once you get on top of the Ridge, prepare for a battle. You'll have to drop into a small canyon on the other side, and this is where you will have your first battle with an Antlion Warrior. These guys are tough. Use the Explosive Barrels scattered around the ground to your advantage - Either shoot them when the Warrior is near them, or fling them at the Warrior with your Gravity Gun. Then use your RPG, Pulse Rifle, Magnum, Shotgun, Machine Gun, et. al. Just kill it. Remember to keep moving, and that you CAN lure the Warrior into a wall when it charges, just make sure you get out of the way and he'll smash in to it. You'll also have to deal with a number of Antlion Drones, but if you use your Shotgun on them, they'll be no trouble. Once the Warrior is dead, a Vortigaunt will appear. He will come to you, and then show you why he's there - He's come to harvest Pheremone Glands from the Warrior. You might also call it "Bug Bait" In any case, pick up the one he zaps out of the Warrior, and then follow him to the Vortigaunt camp. Here you will find a number of interesting folks - Just talk to them - and the Vortigaunt harvester will instruct you in the ways of commanding Antlion Drones. Don't worry about ammo for the Pheremone Glands - They're a tool, and thus you have an infinite supply of them. Learn these tactics well. The Antlions from here on in will be your helpers (Except for a few Warriors, but that's later). With these new allies, you will be able to breach the defenses of Nova Prospekt, and liberate Eli Vance. Once you have shown the Vortigaunt your mad Antlion Cowboy skills, he will allow you to take your new friends through the caves and on to Nova Prospekt. As you work your way out of the cave and down the beach, shut off each of the large Pounders you come across. This will alert the guards, but you want your new friends to have a trouble free journey. With the Pounders off, Antlion Drones will continue to follow you and attack the Combine Soldiers. After you pass the second Pounder you'll have your first opportunity to send your Antlion Drones into battle. Do so! If you run out of Drones, just chuck a Pheremone Gland (Pheropod, Bug Bait, etc) on the ground and new Drones will leap to your aid. At the Third pounder, don't go straight for it - Instead, hug the left wall and work your way up the hill to the Bunker. Have your Antlions kill the Nova Prospekt guards, then go into the bunker and shut off the alarm yourself. This will cause several soldiers to come out of hiding down by the Pounder on the beach. You can either try to mow them down with the Bunker's machine gun, or send your Antlions after them. Either way, as soon as they are dead, head down the beach and shut off the pounder. Once that Pounder is down, head up the beach. You'll need to run between rocks for cover now, as you won't be able to reach the Cliff Bunkers just yet. From behind the first rock you see, chuck a Pheremone Gland into the waiting group of Soldiers. Some of your Antlions won't make it, but enough should get through the machine gun fire to take out those soldiers. Then make a made dash (Use SHIFT) to the next rock. After you're under cover for a few seconds, and your Auxiliary power has recharged, make a Dash for the Log on the beach. Turn to face the way it's pointing, and head up the small hill there. This will get you to the Bunkers you just passed. Use your Antlions to clear the path of Soldiers for you - There's plenty more where they came from. Once that Bunker is cleared out, exit out of it and go into the fortified entry way in the mountain ahead of you. There will be a few Man Hacks, but your Antlion army will make short work of them. Soldiers will appear, but have your Antlions attack them. If the Drones go down, just throw more Pheremone Glands - New Drones will appear. Be mindful of the Explosive Barrels, however. Move through the enclosure, and out the other side. You will now have access to the Bunkers that were farther up the beach. Use your Antlions as cover, and rush in. Once the Soldiers have been dispatched, take a look with your Zoom function up the beach - There's a Drop ship hovering near what looks like a doorway. Push on to investigate. The Drop ship takes off - Wonder what that was about - And a swarm of Soldiers head your way. Take them out, you should know how by now. Once that's dealt with, continue along the ridge. You'll need to go out near the Ocean, along a narrow path. Climb up the log protruding from the ground and use that as your jumping point across the water. Your Antlions probably won't make it - They can't swim - so you're on your own for the moment. You'll see a camp fire and a few "Dead" zombies up ahead, along with a broken lift boat. Shoot the Gas Can in between the Zombies to light them on fire, and then wait for them to die. Then, break the two wooden beams holding up the awning they were sleeping under. It's actually a ramp, now. As soon as you climb the ramp and go around the bend, Soldiers will be shooting at you from up above. Well, you're close enough to the beach again, time to call in the Antlions. Lob a Pheremone Gland up to the bastards and watch as your own private Special Forces Unit descends on them from the night. Mwahahaha... Once your Antlions have secured the platforms, head towards a ladder on the other side of the Drain Pipes. Climb on up! You'll have to jump from the first platform to another path on the cliff face. You can make it. It's the one with the dead body and the two supply crates. Follow that to another jump, and then throw a Pheremone Gland at the Soldier above you. See how your Antlions are climbing up? Follow them. You'll get ambushed by a Leaper Zombie (Bet you thought you'd never see them again), use your shotgun. Then go into the Drainage Pipe he just came out of. Follow the winding pipe beneath the prison - Don't worry about the little bit of water, your Antlions can handle a puddle. Then when you get to the room with the ladder, well. You can call more. Climb up and QUICKLY throw a Pheremone Gland at the nearest Guard Tower. Swarms of Antlions will fly over the walls and attack the two Soldiers up there. Repeat as needed for the other towers. This is your finest hour! ... With the Antlions. Once you get past the guard towers, continue up the stairs and look to your left. A small lounge is filled with three soldiers. They're indoors, so you'll have to shoot through the windows to take them out. Inside are a Medical Console and Charger Station. Things you probably need right now, especially with that Gunship behind you. No, really. It's there. Quickly drain the chargers and then continue through the prison yard, you're gonna have to find a Rocket Crate. Fight your way up the terraces to the Rocket Crate, taking time to use your Antlions on the Soldiers. Once you take out the Gunship... another one appears! Repeat procedure! You'll probably be hurting by now, so take a chance to retrace your steps and pick up any Medkits and Batteries you can find. Ouch. Two in a row. There are a number of Medkits in the immediate area, including one in the dumpster. Once you've done that, look for the Hole in the prison wall. It's on the same terrace as the Rocket Crate. You'll need to find a barrel or a crate to stand on to get inside. Once inside, look for the large red Wheels - Those are gas valves, and will shut off the gas feeding the fires blocking your way. The wall will collapse behind you once you're a few meters in, cutting you off from your Antlions. For now. You'll see them again. I) [Chapter Nine: Nova Prospekt] You may notice the two chargers in the room across from you on the upper floor - Tough, you can't use them yet. Jump down to the lower level and enter the lit prison cell on your right. There's a hole in the wall you can crawl through, just watch out for the Headcrab. Once you're through, you'll hear a lot of radio chatter. Try to ignore it for a second, and instead walk out of the small office and check out the bars blocking your path. Use your Gravity Gun to knock over the Tripod Sentry turret on the other side, which will allow your Antlion buddies to continue to stream into the prison. It's nice to have friends on the inside. Keep moving. Repeat this procedure as needed, whenever you find a Sentry Turret. Your Antlion compadres will be appreciative. Once you've climbed the stairs and knocked over the next Sentry Turret, you can finally get at those chargers you saw earlier. Use 'em. *Note of Interest: If you use the video screen in the room with the chargers, you may notice it has many channels. If you switch to channel three, you can see the G-Man for a bit. Interesting. (Aaron Chong) You'll climb another flight of stairs, and then come into a hallway. At the end of which, you'll see a pair of Tripod Sentry turrets. Deal with them in a moment. First, use the Gravity Gun to shoot off the door of the room in front of you and grab the supplies inside. Now go knock over the turrets. Enter the door that they were protecting. Don't fret over the water, but do Be careful about the Barnacles down here. I trust you know how to deal with them by now. So do it. As you exit this area and climb up out of the pit, be careful. Some glass will fall down on you from a skylight up above. If you're inquisitive and decide to shoot out the glass, you'll be rewarded with four Super Leaper headcrabs. Enjoy. Once you dealt with the pests, keep moving. In the next area, drop down to the second floor, and move to take out the Sentry Gun. Use a grenade, they're plentiful. And then take out the second sentry, to your left, with another grenade. Simple. Take note that you can use your crowbar on the boarded up window to your right to get at some supplies. Nifty. After that, climb the stairs and take a right. Trust me, there's a hallway there. You'll get a Contact Grenade and a Headcrab in the next room. Bash through those crates and keep moving. You may notice the room to your right is pretty much trashed, with bodies strewn everywhere. Take that as a warning. There's no if's about it - Jump down into that room as soon as you can, and get ready to fight another Antlion Warrior. Use your tactics from the previous encounter. On a good note, the walls here are so close together that he will ram them quite often, giving you some breathing room. Go into the room the Warrior came out of, and locate the double doors at the far end of the room. Smash or move all the trash blocking the door, and then move on through. At this point, some of your Antlion buddies will rejoin you. Viva la Resistance! (Or something like that) Turrets, Soldiers, and Man Hacks are up ahead. Deal with them at your discretion. You won't be able to go through the far Barred Door - instead, head to your left. And keep using your Antlions! They're handy! At the far end of the hallway you end up facing, you'll find a Vortigaunt being tortured in a chair. Use one of your guns to shoot the plug powering the shield, and give some last words to the poor soul. After that, open the door inside the cell, shoot the Soldier, and pull the lever with the red light. It will turn green, and you can now proceed through the Barred Door just outside the office. Do so. At the top of the stairs is a control room. Have your Antlions go in first, then follow behind guns blazing. Once the Soldiers inside have had it, go to the window and press the Red Button. This will open the Barred Door that you can see through the window. Time to head that direction. Once you pass through, you'll see a force field up ahead. Have your Antlions distract the turrets and Soldiers. You, on the other hand, need to use the Gravity Gun to move a section of fence blocking a Grate. Crawl through this vent to get around the Shield. First, though, you'll have to get past a giant fan. Use the Gravity gun to pick up a piece of trash, like the Cinder Block, and then walk it into the fan - don't throw it. This will cause the fan to come to a violent halt. Crawl between the blades quickly and keep moving. Once through, shoot or use your Gravity Gun to pull the plug powering the Shield, which will allow your Antlions through. Don't forget to disable the Sentry Guns to your left! Your Antlions will get chewed up otherwise. After that, continue to your right. At the top of the stairs, use your Pheremone Glands to send the Antlion Drones out ahead of you. They will set off the Tripwire Bombs, but that's ok, better them then you. Just make sure they keep going, and have them take out the Soldiers attacking you. You have this disposable army for a reason. Continue to use the Pheremone Glands to clear Tripwire Bombs, and also to take out the Machine Gun nest ahead of you. Through the next hallway are a pair of sentry Turrets. Use your Antlions again as decoys, while you slip over to the right. Use one of the Radiators as a shield, then throw it at the guns once you're close enough. More Antlions will join you from behind the now disabled Sentry Guns. A pair of Man Hacks will ambush you as soon as you walk through the door the Tripods were guarding, so be ready. Your Drones will help out a little too. Continue to climb up the levels, until you reach the fourth floor. Again, continue to use your Antlions as a meat shield. Use 'em while you have 'em. If you don't want to use them to take out the Tripwire Bombs, a grenade or your pistol will sometimes work too. When you reach the next control room, you'll be rewarded with two Charging stations, but also an ambush. You'll see them out the window, coming up the way you just used. Have your Antlions go to meet them head on. Once you have dealt with those Soldiers, and flipped the switch, head back through the previously locked Barred Door - Now unlocked. The map will load. Up ahead will first be a group of Soldiers, and then two Tripod Sentry turrets. Use your Antlions as a distraction once more, while you slip unnoticed to the right. Get beside the sentry guns and knock them over. Be mindful of the Tripwire Bomb! It will be waiting for you at the Doorway that gives you the angle you need to knock the Sentries over. Just don't trip it. In the next room are large washing machines. Try not to get distracted. Use your Antlions as a first wave assault against the Soldiers in the room, and then try firing a few of your Energy Cores at the Sentry Gun and soldiers - you still have some left, right? It's ok if you don't, try using the Crossbow on the Soldiers farthest from you. Just a word of warning - If you jump over the railing to your right and head in to the back of the Laundry Room, you'll find a Piggy Back Zombie waiting for you. If you can take him out, there's ammo and a Health Console back there. Nifty. Watch the Trip mines as you continue, and KEEP USING YOUR ANTLIONS. These guys are vital to your success. In the kitchen up ahead, there will be three Sentry Turrets. Use a mixture of Grenades and your Antlions to knock them over. Be careful! One of your Antlions will knock down a wall that causes a gas leak. You'll be able to see it if you look for the "Wavy" pattern in the air. DON'T SHOOT THE PIPE. Unless you like being on fire, I mean. It will create a large explosion. Use grenades, the Gravity Gun, and your Antlions to clear out the next room, containing both Soldiers and Sentry Guns. Ah, but you're proficient now. You can do it. You should come across another control room up the stairs the Sentries are protecting and to the left. Use the Chargers in there, you probably need them again. After that, jump through the broken window to the room below. Be prepared for another battle with an Antlion Warrior. You'll have a few seconds of uncontested fire, as the Warrior's attention is focused completely on the Soldiers he is chasing. Nice to not be on the menu for once. But he will quickly come after you once the Soldiers have all fallen. Remember to take advantage of the Explosive Barrels scattered around the room, and try using your Shotgun and RPG in combination. That usually works well for me. After that, head out through the semi-blocked hallway near the Blue Metal structure that has broken into the room. You'll find yourself wedged between more of this Blue Metal very quickly. Keep moving. You're going to need some fast reflexes to get through this next part. There's a Zombie underneath the blown out stairs, so don't let him surprise you. Up ahead on your left will be a hole in a wall. Quickly grab a Crate, either with your Use key or your Gravity Gun, and stack it so that you can climb up into that hole. If you hesitate, or wait too long, you'll be crushed by the Blue Metal walls - They move and grow! The Citadel is constantly expanding itself, like some sort of living building. Watch out for the Headcrab, and then jump on down through the next hole. J) [Chapter Ten: Entanglement] As you continue through the rubble, you'll come to some train tracks and... by gosh, it's Alyx. Follow her for now. There's a lot of story involved in this chapter, so I'll only jump in when you find yourself alone - The rest of the time, just do what Alyx tells you to do and you'll be fine. Alright, Alyx has gone off to do her own thing. I've got your back. In the room to your left is some ammo for the Pulse Rifle and two Leaper Crabs. Deal with them, and then bash your way through the crates ahead of you. Alyx will come on the Monitor you see in the next room, and will give you more information. She'll also start unlocking doors for you. Just do as she says. There are a pair of Headcrabs in the vent she instructs you to climb through, so just be aware. Then one more Crab at the end of the vent. Alyx warns you about sensors up ahead - Those are the Tripwire Bombs again. Sit in the vent and take out the Leaper Crabs below you, then use the secondary fire on your Grenades to drop one just outside the vent. That should take care of the Tripwire Bomb. As soon as you drop down, turn to your right. You'll see a pair of sentry guns through a bullet proof window, but the top of the window is broken. Lob another grenade through the hole in the window and knock those guns over. You'll thank me later. Deal with the Combine Soldiers that Alyx warns you about in the next room, and the Sentry Turrets that are in the hall behind them. This is pretty straight forward, no puzzles as of yet. Ok, when you get to the next shield, take out the Soldiers, then go to the left side of the shield. Turn to face the office, and lob a grenade inside. That will destroy the plug and shut off the Shield. Now, just through the office is another Sentry Gun on your right, in a little corner. But further down the hall are the two Sentry Guns I had you knock over earlier. See? You can trust me. Now, you'll come up to another control room. Alyx will instruct you to deploy two Sentry Guns to defend it. You will need the help these things provide. Take them out of the locker they're in (You have to press the red button first) and set them up just outside the left and right entry ways. __________ _________ | { } | X X | | | | | | |_______________________| { } = Door you just came out of X = Sentry Gun Placement *Note: I've also received a suggestion that you can place the turrets near the windows, inside the control room, and that they will fire on the Combine Soldiers before they even make it to the stairs. (Thanks to Pete Starr) Now, you'll have to keep an eye on those turrets. The Soldiers will try to knock them over. If they do, kill the Soldiers that get through, then quickly pick up the Sentry Turret and stand it back up. You'll need the suppression fire these Turrets can deliver. After about the Third wave, start looking for Man Hacks. They'll come in through the windows. You'll also want to check the balcony across from you around this time, as a Pulse Rifle Soldier will start shooting at you from there. Alyx will show up fairly soon after. More story. Ok, now, head down the stairs, then make a left in the lobby below the control room. Continue down the hall, and clear all the crap away from the door. At the bottom of the stair well you'll find a number of Headcrabs. Just a warning. You deal with 'em. Careful in the next area, where it is flooded - The water is electrified. You'll need to use the blue air containers to make a bridge to the next area. Walk on the pipes that are just to your left as you enter the flood room. Watch out for a Headcrab, and a Barnacle that will be to your right. Once you get past the electrified water, be prepared for Zombies. One or two of them might throw things at you, but for the most part it's a shooting gallery. Once you're done, continue on up the next stairwell. *Note: A number of people have suggested to me that you can take turrets with you from the first control room, and use them to help you in this next area. Now, that will require you to make a few trips back and forth, but it's probably worth the effort to have the extra turrets. Really, people, it all comes down to experimentation. People are getting very creative with this puzzle, and I may have to give all the different suggestions their own section, just to prevent a huge break in my FAQ. Climb to the second level of the cell block you find yourself in, and jump over the railing on the second floor, making sure to take out the Soldiers. You're going to have to duck into the control room you find and set up the turrets quickly. I'm still working out which deployment of turrets is the best, but currently I have two turrets on the left side (If you're facing the lockers the turrets are in) and one turret on the right. You have to be especially vigilant about picking up the turrets or you'll get over run. There is a Medical Console, and a Charger Station in the control room, make good use of both of them. Man Hacks will begin showing up fairly quickly, try to balance fighting them with keeping an eye on your turrets. If it's a choice between whacking the Man Hack or picking up your fallen turret, go for the turret first. I've tried switching up the turret placement, but nothing really seems to give you complete protection. You may have to experiment a bit. *Note: Mark Trombino has suggested a different way to deal with this puzzle. He took all three turrets and barricaded himself inside one of the lit jail cells. He said that with two turrets in front, and one turret behind those two, all he had to worry about was using the Gravity Gun to move Grenades and Man Hacks away from the Turrets. And, of course, occasionally having to pick the Turrets up. You may want to give this a try if you're stuck. *Note: Another suggestion that I've received is that you leave the turrets in their lockers. First, block one side of the control room with crates and barrels, then pick up each Turret and put it back down, inside the locker. This turns them on. Then, Pete has told me, you hide in the empty locker, and use your Gravity gun to deal with Man Hacks. (Pete Starr) *Note: Yet ANOTHER suggestion that I have received is that you block three of the four entrances and use the Turrets to guard the fourth. Apparently, the AI is not willing to break objects it conceives of as cover, and so shouldn't even bother trying to bust through the shield doors you block with trash. (Jackson "M" Dang) ASCII Map is as follows: (S) (S) -------------------------------------------- | # | | # | | | | | | | | | |--- |---------------------| | | X | |ammo| | | |--- | | | | | | | | |---------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | /| |--- | | || | X | | || (Jackson "M" Dang) |--- |---------------------| | | | |* *| |* | $ | X | | |---| | | | | | + O | # | | -------------------------------------------- (S) (S) * = Turret Storage + = Health Box O = Shield Box X = Turret Placement $ = Hide here # = Block Point |ammo| = ammo box In any case, Alyx will show up eventually. Phew. Follow her. Make sure to use the Medical Console and the Charging Station that you pass - You definitely need them after that gauntlet of Soldiers. The next underground passage you come to will be plunged into darkness as Soldiers cut the power. They will then shoot flares into the room and ambush you. There will be several Soldiers ahead of you and one that sneaks around to the alcove to your right. You have guns, use them. After following Alyx through another Story encounter, you'll reach the Teleporter room. Get ready to Deploy turrets again. First, though, use the Charger and Med Station to your left as you enter the Teleporter room. You may need to use them again later, but mostly likely you'll drain the Charger. Turret Deployment - Don't worry about the door you came through, instead deploy a turret near the door across from where you entered, another turret near the Force Field that is to your right as you enter the room, and another opposite that turret on the other side of the platform. That should keep you relatively secure. Just remember to keep an eye on your turrets while the teleporter powers up. Once you're through, you'll be back in Kleiner's lab (That's not a spoiler, you'd know that anyway). Don't forget to use the Charger here - It's refilled now. Anyhow, team up with Dog and head on out to help Barney. K) [Chapter Eleven: Anticitizen One] First order of business? Let Dog get down to business. I told you he would show you how much ass he can kick. Just watch. Well, after you're amazed by Dog's sheer kick ass factor, time to keep moving. Turn to your right (Or left, depending) and head for the bent over fence. Work your way through the apartment building. *Note of Interest: When entering the first building, go straight ahead. You'll see an elevator to your left with a broken doll and a briefcase in it. Just past this elevator and to the right is a room filled with rubble and a television. On this television is the G-Man. You can only see him for a brief moment before the TV goes dead. If you pick up the television, you'll notice it's not plugged in. (If you have picked up other televisions you found in the game, you'll notice that they WERE plugged in). Very creepy, yes? Move on. Pickup your first Squad mate after you help him fight off some Shield Scanners, a new type of Drone. Head on out to the square. Look familiar? You've come full circle. You'll pick up three more Squad mates after they're done pulling down the video screen that Dr. Breen (The Administrator) is yaking on. After that, look up and to your right. You'll see a Resistance member on one of the Combine's look out towers. Go beneath him, and he'll toss down some supplies - Machine Gun ammo and a Contact Grenade. What a guy. After that, some Civil Protection flunkies will come barging out of a blocked alley way - the Combine Door will open to let them out, and will stay open once they're dead. Head that way. *Note of Interest: This will be your first encounter with "Hoppers", which are basically intelligent land mines. They can distinguish between friend and foe. Except for one thing - If you use the Gravity Gun to yank a Hopper out of the ground, it will reset, and become friendly to you. Then, you can just drop it (Don't fling it, it will explode) and you'll have your own land mine. Nifty, huh? Disarm the Hoppers that are underneath the metal sheet up ahead. Then drop down and work your way through the yard - Make sure you disarm any hoppers you come across. Don't want your buddies to set them off. Once you get back to the street, keep an eye on the skies - Shield Scanners will dive bomb you, dropping more Hoppers. Blow them away and then disarm the Hoppers. You can ignore the Strider for the moment, it's busy elsewhere. Continue, it's very straight forward here. Just remember to disarm those Hoppers! Your Squad mates will most likely set one off if you don't disarm it quickly. Morons. When you get into the back alley with the red shed, be alert for more Hoppers and the Combine Soldiers deploying them. Once you're finished killing them and disarming the Hoppers, the exit is by the red shed. You may have to turn around to see it. Once you're back on the street, Shield Scanners with Hoppers come flying down to greet you. Blow them away, and then disarm the Hoppers (I know this is getting old. But forget to do it just once, I dare you. Boom!). Once that's done with, head under the overpass. You'll see a fire up on the dirt mound there, and you'll pick up another Soldier for your squad. Yay. Continue down the small corridor to your left, if you're facing the fire. Work your way through the apartment building. Be careful, it's crawling with Soldiers. You'll pass through various observation, interrogation and torture chambers. When you get to the room that looks out onto the street, don't jump straight down. Instead, lean over the edge of the hole in the floor and shoot the explosive barrel. Just light it on fire! You don't want to be looking at it when it blows up. In any case, once it does, you'll hear the unmistakable sound of a Tripod Turret going haywire. See? You knocked it over. Trust me. NOW you can hop down through the hole. Your Squad will follow you, don't worry. The turret directly to your left as you land may not have been knocked over (This has happened to me twice) and if so, use your Gravity Gun to chuck it out a window. Now, head out onto the street. Up ahead of you is a roadblock and a number of Soldiers will come flooding out of an apartment behind it. Lead your Squad up the street - Don't forget to fling a few of the Hoppers behind you towards the Soldiers. Your Squad can't really climb out of the crater in the road ahead of you, so instead go crashing through the storefront windows to your right. This leads you AROUND the car blocking the way, and lets your Squad keep up. Quickly run out through the window on the other side of the car, and lead your Squad towards the building on fire. Shoot the Explosive Barrel while you are out of range - That way it won't go off when you are in range. Lead your Squad through the bombed out building. Be mindful of the Soldiers and Hoppers inside it, however. Climb the first set of stairs, off to your left, and then lead your guys and gals down through a series of holes. This will put you at the Apartment Building's front door, and on the other side of the Road Block. It will be to your right as you exit the building. Mow down the Soldiers, and fight your way up the Combine Blue Steel fire escape leading into the yellow apartment building. Don't forget to use the Medical Console if you need it! Be careful about charging into the room with the... Charger. There's a Soldier holed up in there, and another one in the adjoining room. Cowards! At the stairwell to your left don't go up. There's a turret and a locked door waiting for you if you do. Not exactly great prizes. Head down instead. When you reach the hallway at the bottom, check each room carefully. There are a number of Soldiers down here, and not all of them will just give away their position. You'll go down another flight of stairs at the end of the hallway, into... Another hallway. Ha. Same procedure, be careful. And watch out, the gents at the end of this hallway will launch Man Hacks. Three of them. Merry Christmas. Anyway, down the stairs and into the basement. Use the Medical Console if you need it, and make sure to toss a Grenade at the Turret you can see through the door way. Best to take it out before it sees you. Careful, don't run in just yet. There's one more turret, around the bend just as you enter and to your left. You may want to swoop on this one with the Gravity Gun. Once that's taken care of, proceed. When you reach the hole in the wall that the far turret was guarding, be ready. There's a Zombie down below you and behind that's waiting to greet you. Drop a grenade on him. (Secondary Fire) Then head up the stairs. This isn't the way to go, but there are some supply crates waiting for you, under the LAMBDA symbol. I don't know if there's a "Correct" way to grab the crates, but I used the Gravity Gun. I grabbed one with Secondary Fire, and then I sort of had to look "Up" and jump, and pull back all at the same time, to ease the crates over the top of the fence. For all I know, you could just bust the gate down, but I did it MY way damnit. And that's the way I like it. *Note of Interest: Or you can just break the crates and drag their contents to you with the Gravity Gun. That works just as well. Load up, and then head back down stairs, and down the hallway. You'll come out in a tunnel, or a parking garage, I can't really be sure of which. A new Squad Mate is waiting for you near a trashcan fire. Hobo Militia, yee haw. Ok, at this point, its time to run. There will be a never ending supply of Man Hacks coming from a hole in the parking garage/tunnel up ahead. Run past them. I hope your Squad Mates are smarter then mine, and follow you, but I can make no promises. I repeat: It is pointless to stay and fight the Man Hacks, they keep coming! Once you reach the other side of the tunnel/garage, make your way through the debris mounds and to the fenced in enclosure. You'll have to shoot off the Lock on the gate, Crowbar won't work since it's on the other side of the door. Once it's open, GO! Even MORE Man Hacks will bust through the windows up ahead, keep moving. Forget your Squad if you have to. (I know, I'm heartless) Be mindful of the Explosive Barrel to your left as you exit the next door. You might as well use the Gravity Gun and fling it at the Soldier down the way. Careful approaching this end of the tunnel, there is a Machine Gun Nest. You need to take out those Soldiers, however, and make it to the next collapsed wall. A Resistance Member on the other side will offer to plant charges to blow a hole for you and your squad, but you'll have to turn around and man the Machine Gun in the mean time, as more Soldiers are coming. You may want to use the Gravity Gun to push the cars back, so that the Soldiers don't have so much cover up close to you. (I recommend it) Then sit tight and wait for your buddy to blow that hole. Oh, and uh, defend yourself. As soon as the explosion is heard, MOVE. Retreat back through the new hole. A medic will be waiting inside to assist you and any of your injured comrades. A few Man Hacks will probably follow you, but deal with them once you're safely inside the collapsed room. You'll have to leave your squad for the moment, to find a way around the locked door. There's a hole you can crawl through on the wall to the right of and behind you if you're facing the door. Be prepared for nasty stuff. Your Geiger Counter will start going off. Bad news, usually. And this is no exception. Beneath that radioactive sludge are numerous Zombies waiting to get'cha. Ready to go out there? You'll have to move quickly over the car and crates that are your first stepping stones - they might sink. Don't bother going for the blue truck to your right - It's a trap. Instead, grab those crates with the Gravity Gun and build a bridge to the red truck ahead of you. Once there, jump to the white van, and then start shooting at any explosive barrels you can see. That will either kill or wake up a few of the Zombies in the ooze. Which then gives you the chance to kill them. *Note of Interest: On the right hand wall of this tunnel is a Spray painted logo that appears to have used stencils. Now, I've figured out what it means (And it does mean something) but I won't ruin it for you. Just keep it in mind. And no, I'm not talking about the graffiti with the bombs and fruit. That's just weird. In any case, if you try to use crates to get from the white van to the center island, you'll again be attacked by Zombies. And even if you get to the Center Island without using crates, you'll STILL get attacked by Zombies. On all sides, so stay alert. Remember what you learned in Ravenholm - Aim for the head. Jump from the middle island to the concrete just beneath the spray paint I pointed out. Deal with the Zombies that get up (And there will be a few). Then, jump from there to the Spool, and from there to the flaming truck. Then quickly get OFF the flaming truck, to a small piece of concrete on the other side. There's a medkit waiting for you there along with a corpse. Don't worry, this one won't get up. However, there are a few out in the ooze to your left that WILL get up. Take them out. (Unless they got up earlier, in which case... you're ok for the moment.) Use the blue barrels to work your way across the ooze to the side with the white car on it. From the white car, climb the three rusted pipes that run up the wall. You'll find a vent there. Go in! Then, drop down to the hallway below you. This will lead you back to your buddies at the locked door. You're a hero. Sort of. Lead them up the stairs behind you. As soon as you hit the surface, Mortars will begin to fall. one will hit near you, off loading some Leaper Headcrabs. You and your buddies can take care of these pipsqueaks. Work your way up into the apartment buildings and get ready for some rather odd battles. Apartment to apartment, as it were. Ignore the enemies you see through the barred windows, you just need to keep moving. You'll reach a room with a hole in the floor - Jump on down, your Squad will follow, if a bit slowly. Head outside. Chaos will be everywhere for a few moments. A bridge will drop between the roofs of two apartments, over you, but one of the last Resistance members over the bridge will get hit by a shell and plummet to their death. (I think he's dead before he hits the ground, personally) One of your Squad Mates will then bang on a door to your right and have the person inside open it. Head on in. Combine are coming down the stairs towards you, take 'em out. Continue up the stairs, taking out two more Soldiers, and then head into another room with a hole in the floor. Don't get too frustrated, it's the only way your Squad can follow you. There's a Soldier in the hole beneath you - take him out before dropping down. Next, you'll find a room with a Soldier trading fire with Resistance members across the span between apartment buildings. Take him out (Upside the head) and then the Resistance member will drop the bridge for you. Head across. As soon as your Squad makes it over, retract the bridge. You might lose some guys to a surprise ambush behind you as you cross, but try not to get too emotional. Continue through the building - Don't forget to pick up the Contact Grenade in the small room to your left. As soon as you step outside, there's Headcrabs everywhere, Standard and Leapers. And also a Leaper Zombie off to your right. Ick. After you've swept the area, head down the hole in the floor. A flaming Leaper Zombie will come up from the next hole, blow him away before he sets your buddies on fire. On the ground floor is a Standard Zombie and a few Headcrabs. Deal with them. Head around the corner, and open the door ahead of you. You'll get a few replacement Squad Members for any you have lost. Then, go back in the door, break open all the Supply crates, and head out through the other door. Hopper to your left, and a grenade will come whizzing down from the ledge above. Combine Soldiers. There's another Hopper on the landing above you, and two more combine Soldiers. And more Leaper Crabs are back in the building, in the flaming rubble. I'm sorry, you're not having a very good day. Anyway, climb the rubble, and at the top, you'll find medkits, a battery, a contact grenade, and three able bodied Resistance Militia members. Yee haw. Soldiers will be on all the buildings around you as you exit, throwing grenades and shooting. Drop the bridge to your right, and fight your way across. A few Contact Grenades might help thin out the cluster of Soldiers just across the bridge from you. Once inside, there will be a Soldier above and below you. The one above will drop down to shoot at you, the other will just sort of look stupid for a while. Take out both of them, then hop on down. More Soldiers are waiting for you! Deal with 'em. Continue to move through the ruins, but watch out for Barnacles after you climb the stairs, and a Leaper Zombie as well. Ah, I'm sorry. This is just... a lot of crap getting thrown at you. Slog on through it. Once you've dealt with the Leaper Zombie and the Barnacles, drop on down to the floor below. That metal bookcase that was blocking your path will be behind you. As you continue, you'll be attacked by Leaper Zombies on fire. Yea. I know. Geeze. Up ahead, down through the hole in the floor, are a lot of Leaper and Standard Zombies. Uh. Toss some grenades down there. Don't be stupid and jump down yourself. Once the dust has settled, jump on down yourself. Head down the stairs. You'll see a LAMBDA symbol ahead of you - Signs of a supply cache. Head through that door, and turn to your left. You'll see the crates stacked up behind a gate. Use your Gravity Gun to draw the crates to you, then break them. Then use your Gravity Gun to grab the contents of those supply crates. Then continue. Up ahead, you'll come to another hole in the floor. Don't be too quick to knock over the Sentry Turrets below, as they're busy killing Zombies. When they stop firing, lob a few grenades down there to take out the Turrets. Then hop down. Use the Chargers on the wall and then... BAM! It's Alyx. Heh. You should be used to this by now. Down the next hallway, you'll see two more Chargers. Don't get too excited, there's a bunch of Soldiers in the rooms around you. I don't have to hold your hand while you dispense indiscriminate justice. You're a big Gordon now. Ok. Once you get through there, you'll head down stairs, into a control room. Take out the Soldiers inside, and Alyx will take a look at the security monitors. There's a Generator outside that she's gonna have you assist her with. Gonna take it down. You're going to have to defend her while she's hacking the Generator. There are a few Hoppers in the courtyard you can use, but not many. You'll have to be vigilant to keep her safe. You'll want to grab the ammo crates stacked up, and deploy the Hoppers as you see fit. Also take a moment, once you've dealt with the Man Hack, to snipe the Soldier that is on a watch tower - the tower is above and to your right, as you exit the building. You'll also want to watch the Balcony of the building you leave. Several Soldiers will take the time to snipe at you from there, and launch more Man Hacks. If you need Health or Energy, there are two chargers in the generator control station that Alyx will be hacking. As soon as Alyx tells you the core is exposed, switch to your Gravity Gun and use Primary fire on the core. The orb will go flying off in odd directions, so you may have to duck. Next, head through the now open Combine Road Block that is just behind the Generator. The Bridge up ahead will be blown out, but Alyx, after shutting the roadblock, will climb a building to scout out a new path for you to take. She'll instruct you to go through the Canals (Joy). As much as you may not want to, jump down in to the canal, and follow it to the left. The door you're looking for is on the right hand wall. You'll come to a gate, and a small pit. Jump down on to the boxes below. The next gate you come to will be jammed. Use your Gravity Gun to pick up the plank and fire it away from the gate, thus opening it. Up ahead you'll come into another corridor, and there will be Man Hacks to your left. I know, it's getting late, and you're sick and tired of Man Hacks. I feel your pain, friend. I really do. Once you've dealt with the Man Hacks, turn around. There's an odd construction behind you. First, pull out one of the barrels to knock the ramp down. Then Climb it, and jump up to the large pipes running overhead. That is how you'll get past the gate at the other end of the room. As you climb along the pipes, more Man Hacks will bust in through the windows to your left. Beat them or use the Gravity Gun on them, and continue to the vent at the end of the pipes. Get ready for A LOT of Man Hacks. Some through the windows, and more down the corridor to your left as you drop down from the pipe. I suggest using the Gravity Gun to quickly grab them and throw them into the wall. If you do this properly, it's faster then your crowbar. Then continue. You'll enter a cavernous room, with platforms running around the room at various heights. You'll have Soldiers above and below you. You want to move down. When you reach the lowest level, go to the locked double door. Take the door just to the right of it and go inside. Use your Gravity Gun to pull the board locking the Double Doors off. Yes, your Gravity Gun works through the glass. Then, head out and bust through those doors! Down the stairs there will be Black Leapers in the shadows ahead of you, and a bunch of Zombies and Soldiers fighting in the canal to your left. Deal with the Black Leapers first - The guys in the Canal will soften themselves up for you to deal with in a minute. If you follow the path past the Black Leaper, and past the Barnacles, and up a short stair case, you'll be presented with something a problem. There are two medkits and a battery behind the large wooden beam to your left, as you reach the top of the stairs. However, if you break that beam to get at the items, a panel above will come crashing down with SIX Black Leapers. Now, the way I usually handle this is to break the beam, but then quickly back down the stairs. Then, I lob a grenade up into the little alcove and kill all six Black Leapers in one swoop. Or you can just totally ignore that. *Note of interest: There's a possibility the Black Leapers may already be dead. I'm usualy pretty skitish around them. In any case, you'll want to backtrack from there and jump down into the Canal. Head for the passage way that is visible below and ahead of you, from where the fence is broken down. Watch out for the Headcrabs here. Down the tunnel a little ways are a ladder to your right, and Medkits dead ahead. However, if you go for the Medkits, there's a Piggy Back Zombie waiting for you. Joy. If you deal with him, you can continue down the tunnel, past the LAMBDA symbol, to another cache of supplies and another LAMBDA symbol. Not too shabby, eh? Now, on your way back, stop at the first LAMBDA symbol again. See that hole in the wall? Use your Gravity Gun to pull out a bunch of ammo. Maybe things are looking up for you after all. Retrace your steps to the Ladder I mentioned earlier and climb it. You'll now be on the opposite side of the Canal from where you jumped down. There's a Black Leaper waiting for you - You'll hear it hiss and chitter as you reach the top of the ladder. Deal with it. Now, around the corner from you are two more Black Leapers. You may have killed them earlier, from the other side of the Canal, but you may not have. Just be aware. Continue down the Canal and then take a left. Cross the rubble bridge. Climb up the hill and use the white pipes to get you up to the next level. I know it got very quiet all of a sudden, and yes that is a bad sign, but don't chicken out now. I mean, you got through Ravenholm. What could be worse then that? Make your way over to the Red Shed, but be careful. As you cross the catwalk, a grenade will drop from above - Right as you're next to some Explosive Barrels. Get out of the way, the catwalk will explode. That's ok, keep going. Soldiers are above you, but you need to get to that Red Shed. There's a lever inside to call down a freight lift. Watch out for the Barnacle that is sitting just above the opening in the Fence. Then get to the shed. Throw the lever and wait for the lift to come down. There is some crossbow ammo in the shed, you may want to use it. There's also a hole in the roof - Soldiers may take shots at you through it. Try to snipe them out of that hole. Oh, and, as if I have to remind you, use the Chargers on the wall if need be. I also recommend shooting the Explosive Barrel that is on the freight lift, as this will open a hole in the railing for you to pass through. Once it arrives, throw the lever again, and hop on. Keep checking your surroundings as the lift ascends, more Soldiers will pop up. Exit the lift to the front, and go left. Climb the ladder on the container/tower there. Combine Assassins (The white clad Soldiers) will drop from the ceiling and land on the level above you. Take them out, then run across the white pipes to your left. Cross to the rails that the freight lift was using, and walk across the right hand rail. You'll have to duck under the catwalk ahead, but you can get up on it when the rail angles up. Follow the catwalk, and watch for more Assassins above you. Yes, I know the Soldiers below you have called the freight lift back down, but you'll be long gone by the time they get up here. I think. In any case, climb the ladder on the catwalk. At the top, deal with the Soldiers and Assassin, and then jump to the lower catwalk to your right. Trust me, it's not the same one you just climbed up from. When you make it across this catwalk, take a detour to your left. Hug the red container thing, and work your way around it, along the narrow ledge. Behind it you will find a LAMBDA symbol, and some ammo, including an Energy Core. Nice. Backtrack, and jump down to the platform below you. The one that has the Hopper on it? (Or had, depending) Yea, that one. Disarm the Hopper below you, and then another at the bottom of the stairs you come to. Then proceed. L) [Chapter 12: "Follow Freeman!"] You'll encounter some Resistance members just around the corner. He'll tell you that Barney is pinned down up ahead. Uh oh! Gather up your Squad Mates, and get ready for some intense fighting. There are snipers, just outside the door! Remember to use your SHIFT key when running between cover. This Sniper is too far away for you to hit with a grenade, and standing out in the open to shoot at him will only get you shot. You're going to have to work your way up the street to get close enough. *Note of Interest: If you have any RPG rounds, you can use them on the Sniper. Just try not to stand still. It would be prudent to have your Squad Mates wait in some cover, or else you won't have any for very long. Just keep moving back and forth across the street, taking cover to let your Auxiliary Power recharge. At the T-Intersection up ahead, there will be a NEW Sniper to your right. Head for the little V shaped depression in the building that is ahead and to your right. You may take a shot from the Sniper on the right, but that should let you rest for a moment. Then, go to your left, and take cover behind the crashed Truck. From here (Believe it or not) you can lob a grenade at the first Sniper. Boom! Ha ha. Just make sure to pop up AFTER you hear him fire a shot. That way there's a short pause in which you can safely throw the grenade. If you need a few grenades, there are some in the street next to you, near the body of a Resistance member who has a huge hole in his head. ... Don't become him. Once the Sniper is down, go around the truck and smash open the Supply Crates underneath what was the Sniper's window. They all have medkits in them. Next, head back to the intersection. Run through the broken window of the store front that should be ahead and to your left. Inside is another Resistance member. She'll give you some more info about Barney. Try not to let these guys get killed, they do come in handy. As you exit the building through the front door, whip out the Gravity Gun and grab the wooden Pallet down the street. It won't protect you for long, but you only need it to ward off ONE shot, before you reach the rubble blocking the road, which provides you good cover. From here, you can lob a grenade into the other Sniper's window. Once he is down, call your Squad Mates back and keep moving. Yee haw. In the next building are a number of Headcrabs. Your buddies will help you take them out, but the real danger is from a Leaper Zombie up ahead. You'll hear it before you see it. Well, about a split second before you see it. Whatever. Kill it. Then lead your troop down the ramp he just ran up, and into a flooded lower level. Again, don't worry too much about the water. No Ichthyosaurs in this game. Keep going until you hear the Resistance member calling for help. He'll tell you that everyone else went topside to take their chances with the Snipers. Why? THE PLACE IS CRAWLING WITH ZOMBIES. They'll suddenly spring up out of the water. Keep your Squad, and yourself, inside the wooden barricade that the wounded man is in. You can easily take out the Zombies as they approach. Once the Zombies are dealt with, face the "entrance" of the barricade (from inside it). Now, go left. Take the stairs there out of the basement. Two Leaper Zombies will come tearing down the stairs as you approach. Use your Shotgun. Now, climb the stairwell up to the second floor. You'll notice most of the third and forth floors have been blown away. Zombies will suddenly come crawling out of the rubble. Have your troops take 'em out. Except... You may notice the blue laser. The Zombies won't. Apparently the Combine doesn't like Zombies any more then you do. Or, at least, this particular Sniper has some kind of beef with them. Whatever. You should have a good idea of where the Sniper is after watching him shoot all five of those Zombies. Now, if you're out of grenades, there's a crate up here, but you'll have to run by the Sniper in order to get to them. Yea. Fun. Just remember to use your SHIFT key to sprint. Once you've dealt with that, keep moving. Barney is just up ahead. He'll tell you that he's pinned down, but you probably won't be able to see any blue lasers from down below. You'll have to head up top to bait the Snipers so you can see where they are. YAY. When you first get to the top floor, a flock of Ravens will take off. That gives you a second or so of cover, as the sadistic Snipers will waste their time shooting the poor birds. Try to take advantage of it and look at which windows the two Snipers are in. Then, uh. You know. Take them out. Once you rescue Barney, follow him! He'll let you through the Combine road block up ahead. Then it's your turn to lead. Make sure you don't let Barney die. He's sort of, you know, VITAL to the game. There are two Black Leapers in the building ahead of you. One just as you enter, and one just around the corner from that one. As you exit the building, a Gunship will make two passes overhead, then leave. Don't attract attention. Just ahead of you and up the stairs you'll see two Soldiers and a Turret. Well, they'll see you first. Take 'em out! Barney will inform you of your goal once you get past those Soldiers. Some sort of stronghold up ahead. And a weapon that is keeping the local populace oppressed. That's about par for the course, in your case. Make your way up the stairwell, and then you'll see it, as soon as you reach the floor with windows. Ominous is a good word to use. Once Barney opens up the door for you, RUN. The "Suppression" device will start raining down fiery death in your general vicinity. And, while I'm no doctor, I believe fiery death is unhealthy. (Ha ha... kill me.) At the bottom of the next stairwell, you'll find a Hopper, and a Turret that is just out of sight to your left. Well... pick up the Hopper with your Gravity Gun, and, uh, throw it at the Turret. Problem solved. Disarm the next Hopper, and then head outside. You'll be shot at by the "Suppression" device almost right away. You can tell where the shots are going to land by watching the pretty golden beams of light. Just don't touch them, or be anywhere near them. You're going to want to Sprint (SHIFT key) for the overturned dumpster. That will offer you some cover for a moment. Now, exit the Dumpster to the left (if you were standing outside the dumpster looking at it, that left) and run around the burning debris. Your goal is a house at the end of the fence. Quickly open the door, and run inside with guns blazing, as two Soldiers are waiting for you. You may lose some troops to the "Suppression" device, but don't fret. Fill up at the Medical Console (You'll need it) and then open the door and RUN! Head straight for the Bunker ahead of you (You'll see it). There's a lone Soldier inside, take him down. When you feel ready, run out the other side of the Bunker and head for the next building. The door will open before you get there, and Soldiers will come out. Take them down, and the other Soldiers waiting inside. Then, release the prisoner (The other one is dead) and let him arm himself before you continue. Run outside, and head to your right. The main doors to the Bank/Stronghold will open briefly to allow Assassin(s) and a Soldier(s) out, but then blue Combine steel doors will slam shut, blocking that method of entry. Take out the Soldiers, and then keep running, towards the end of the Bank/Stronghold. There's a force field there, but you can use your Gravity Gun to pull the plug on it. You're in. Head through the double doors up the stairs, and then get ready for some 'nade work. *Note of Interest: This is your first encounter with "Pop Up" turrets. I will restate the method for dealing with them. First, trip the blue laser beams (Yes, on purpose) and then get back. The Pop Up Turret will shine another laser beam that sweeps the floor. Avoid that. Instead, go to the side of the turret and lob a grenade INTO the turret. By which I mean, inside the hole it popped up out of. This will destroy it, and allow Barney access to the Combine control console. A drop ship will come whizzing overhead when you're in the lobby, and troops will be coming through the force field across the lobby from you. You'll have to deal with them, and then negotiate two Pop Up turrets that are to the right of the force field. I'm not sure if there's a trick to dealing with the turrets yet - I usually get through by the skin of my teeth. Just lob the grenade at them and TRY not to get shot to pieces. You'll make me look bad. Once both turrets are down, go through the room and up the stairs. There are more turrets to your right, but instead go to the room across the hall from you. Inside are more imprisoned Resistance members. Barney will let them out and they'll grab guns off the wall. Try to get them to hang back while you deal with the Turrets. Dealing with these turrets is easy. All you have to do is trip the first set of lasers, and then quickly go to either the left or right of the turrets. Their lasers will only sweep the area in front of them, not to the side, so you're free to lob grenades into their holes. In the room you'll find the exposed generator, a Medical Console, Charging Station, grenades, and shotgun shells. Use your Gravity Gun's primary fire to knock the Energy Core out of the generator. Then load up and keep moving. Head out through the door to the left of the generator, then hang a left in the hall, and a right across the bridge. Don't charge straight into the blue lasers, instead take a right. Watch your back, Combine Soldiers and an Assassin will be coming up behind you. Once you've taken them out, order your squad to wait while you go into the room with the Combine blue steel door. You need to avoid the trip wires in this room, or you'll get locked in with some angry Sentry Turrets. I'll try my best to describe my path through the room, because without screenshots all I have to give you is my description. I hope it helps. As you enter the room, walk straight forward and jump up on to the grey machinery. Don't go to far forward! You'll trip the wires. Instead, stay on the edge of the machinery and turn left, moving past the wires below you. Next, jump across to the raised machine box thing across from you, then turn right and jump over the lasers. Now, to your right should be a rounded bit of Machinery. Jump onto this. Walk on it, to the left. Now, looking left from here you should see a white pipe against the wall. Jump to it, then climb up that pipe to get on top of the machinery shelves. From there, jump across the shelves, towards the pipes on the other side of the room. Climb on the large one that travels over the last shelf and you're there. (Make sure you disarm and replant the Hoppers - You'll need them later) Press the button on the raised metal thing next to the ammo and Medical Console. This will disarm the security system in the room. *Note of Interest: As you leave the room, take a look at the wall in front of you. Another of those spray paint things. This one I haven't deciphered yet. I'm pretty sure I know who the man in the picture is, but I can't quite figure out the significance of it. In any case, turn to your right, and head down the hallway to the next generator. Take it out, and then get ready for Soldiers. Once you've dealt with them, time to back track. A few more Soldiers will come as you head back through the room where the laser beams were. If you Disarmed those Hoppers, however, they can help you out here. Move back through the laser beam room. When you exit the room, head left. Go down across the stairs, and up the other side towards the next Generator. You'll feel the building shake as another Drop ship touches down. More Soldiers are on the way. Continue going straight at the top of the stairs, and turn right. You'll see a hole in the wall. Continue forward - ignore the bridge to your right, and instead go left up ahead. Then make another left into the room. This is a trap! But you need to get through that door ahead of you, and the only way to do it is to fall right in to the trap. Quickly start shooting back at the Soldiers that will be peaking in through the holes in the room. There are supply crates on top of the metal shelves to the right side of the room, and two Hoppers to on low counter top things to the left. Place the hoppers in front of the far door after it locks. They'll cut through it to come after you, and having a few hoppers there can slow them down. You'll want to hide behind the Shelves as much as possible. Grenades will be flying into the room, and neither you nor Barney can really afford to take that amount of damage. There are medkits on the lower portion of the shelves, and more medkits in the supply crates. Once the far door is blown open, a number of Soldiers and Assassins (Elites) will come flooding in. Be careful of the Assassin/Elite Soldiers, they will use their Plasma Rifle's secondary attack. You need to deal with these enemies quickly, as more Soldiers will be cutting down the first door to break in as well. Do whatever seems prudent. I've found that a well placed RPG round into the thick of the Soldier's cluster will generally take them out with room to spare. That's provided, of course, that you still have any. If not, try lobbing a grenade (Secondary Fire) at their feet. They may not run away fast enough. Once you dealt with the Soldiers, exit through the far door. There are two more Pop Up Turrets waiting for you. You'll have to take them out. There's a radiator (Water Heater) on the right hand wall. You might try using that to ward off the bullets. I'm not too good with it, but a few of my friends swear by the bullet shields. If you're like me, you'll have to go back into the trap room to get those medkits. Once those turrets are down, head into the room to the left of the Pop Up Turrets. Take out the third and final Generator with your Gravity Gun, and then load up on supplies. More Soldiers will be waiting for you as you head back down the stairs. Take them out! Once you do, Barney will lead the way to the roof. Take a moment to disarm the Hoppers in the hallway he leads you through, and don't pass up the Charger and Medical Console on the wall, either! Also be sure to break open the supply crates at the end of the hallway, before you turn. Barney will leave you for now (Which means you don't have to worry about him dying), and three more Resistance Militia members will join you. Yee haw. Barney will send you up to the roof to lower the Sky bridge, which is a walk way between the surrounding building's rooftops. This will allow Resistance members to bypass the Combine shields. More friends means more bullets on your side. Hop to! One of your soldiers will pick up an RPG laying on the ground. Uh oh. As you climb the stairs, there is a Turret a few steps up. Try to lob a grenade into the corner next to it, to flip it over. If not, you'll have to charge past it and flip it with the Gravity Gun. Two Combine Soldiers will be waiting for you at the top of the stairwell. Just do what you usually do. As you emerge onto the rooftop, there will be Soldiers ahead of you, behind the cargo containers, and a crate of rocket ammo to your right. Don't forget where that is! When you reach the middle of the roof, a Gunship will appear (Complete with some kick ass music). Use your rockets to take it down! Once that's done, continue along the rooftop. You'll come to a Combine door, and a pair of chargers. Use those, and wait for Soldiers to open the door to come after you. That's your only way in. There are a pair of hoppers to your left. You may want to deploy them to stop any advancing troops. Just a thought. A Drop ship will land shortly after you avail yourself of the chargers. Stay out of sight or it will mow you down with it's machine guns. There will be Soldiers across the gap in the roof from you now. You may want to snipe a few, especially the one in the look out tower. As soon as you get past those troops, head for the far side of the roof. You'll find a drawbridge there. Press the button to lower it. I know there are Soldiers over there but you need to go that way, and back up is right behind you. Four more Resistance Militia. Once across the bridge, take a right inside the building and start dropping down. Your Resistance friends will follow you. Make your way to the bottom of the stairs, where another Resistance member will tell you that they dropped a crate of rockets crossing the square. You'll need to get to that crate if you want to have any chance of taking out the Striders up ahead. Now, this is a pretty intense battle sequence, so all I can really give you is rough directions. You're going to have to head straight from the door you exit, across the grounds. Keep the bank to your right for now. And for pity's sake, keep your head down! Once you make it past the armored cars, a second Strider will pop up, to your left. You're gonna want to head towards that monster and drop down into a crater. Head through the narrow pipe that is exposed inside the crater. But don't be too quick to exit it on the other side - that Strider you just saw might step on you. When the coast seems clear, head out of the pipe and make a sharp left. Climb up the dirt mound, onto the undamaged portion of the square, and then make a quick right. Head for the Bunker! You'll find some spare rocket ammo there, so it might be a good time to start shooting. Make sure you've used up all your ammo BEFORE you pick up the spare launchers. This will get tight in there, as the Striders are quick to notice where you are, and their machine guns pack a punch. Use cover until you're SURE it's safe, and then pop up and fire an RPG round at them. You should have enough rockets on the ground inside the Bunker to take out both Striders. But if for some reason you don't have enough, or don't think you do, make sure you take out the Strider that is blocking your path forward first. You'll get a chance at the other one later. As soon as those two are down, make a dash out the Bunker. Turn right at your first opportunity - you want to head behind the large pile of rubble dead ahead of you now. That's where the rocket crate is, and you'll need it too. Another Strider shows up right about now. Supplies will drop from above. Use 'em. And then take out that Strider! Another Strider will come from the opposite end of the area - You'll see it. Take him down too. If you need health at any time, follow the building you're taking shelter under to a hole in the wall. There's a Medical Console inside, along with a battery. Continue down the street, heading in the direction that the third strider came from (same direction as the Medical Console I just mentioned). Head for the Combine road block. Take out anything in your path. Head for the stairs at the rear of the roadblock. Break open the supply crates at the bottom, and continue. You'll come out into a collapsed tunnel. Don't worry, the other end is still open. Unfortunately a Soldier spots you and opens fire. Return the favor. Keep moving though. As soon as you're a good distance towards the opening, the rubble behind you will explode and a Strider will come crawling out. Run to the end of the tunnel and go left. You'll see a hole in a building ahead of you. Go in there. Don't feel relieved yet. There are Soldiers and a Flash Bulb down here. Use the Explosive Barrels to your advantage. Once you're clear, head up the stairs. On the next floor, more Soldiers and more Flash Bulbs. Do your stuff. There are supplies somewhat hidden in the bathroom. Work your way to the upper floor of the building, and run across the rubble. Down the stairs ahead of you, with the big blood stain, you'll find a pair of medkits. When you turn around to go back to the previous floor, the Strider will open fire with it's blue disintegration beam, and will knock down a girder that you can use to climb to the next level. How thoughtful. You may want to wait for it to get distracted by something, or it will mow you down. And be mindful of the Flash Bulbs, they just keep popping up. If you can keep yourself on the girders, using the Sprint ability right now would be a good idea. If you can make it across the support beams, you'll arrive at the stairwell again, only one floor up this time. There's a crate of rockets there but don't bother with the Strider. Just continue through the building. You'll eventually come to a door that is boarded up. You can see a Resistance member on the other side, so break those boards down. Your ultimate goal, for the moment, is the Horse statue towards the middle of the area you're in. Now, head outside. You'll drop down into what's left of a parking garage. There are a number of Soldiers behind the burned out cars. You can use your Gravity Gun to shove the cars around, or you can just kick ass with whatever you're holding. Regardless, work your way around the cars, and pick up the ammo waiting for you. Once you do, three Assassins will come down the rubble to your right. The Strider is still out there! Try to take out the Assassins as fast as you can, so as not to expose yourself to the tripod any more then you have to. When the Assassins are dead, you'll need to run up to the street using the same path they just did, and dodge the Strider. There's a depression in the road covered by rubble, making a small tunnel that you can hide in. Most likely, your team will die on the way here. The Shop straight ahead of you has medkits and batteries in it. Wait for the Strider to leave you alone and go the opposite direction, then head into the shop. Stock up. Next, head out of the shop and continue down the street - Another Strider will come bursting out of the pile of rubble. Retreat to the shop, and wait for some reinforcements to distract it. Head for the hole that the second Strider popped out of. *Note of interest: It's a trap! ... But you have no choice. The floor will get blown out from under you as you advance into this car garage. Don't panic. Just make sure none of the cars fall on you. Take out the quartet of Soldiers, and then climb out of the pit. Keep moving. New Squad mates will be coming behind you, and this next place is crawling - CRAWLING - with Soldiers. As you exit the car garage, they will be everywhere. Try to navigate the ruins as best you can - there's only one way through, you won't get lost. When you arrive at the building with the three chargers in it, it's time to face the Striders. Climb to the roof - There's a rocket crate there waiting for you, along with two Soldiers. Don't hesitate to climb back down and use the chargers during the fight. You'll probably need them. Just keep throwing rockets at the Striders. Once both of the Striders are down, grab whatever ammo and health is left over, if any, and head back to the roof. During the battle, one of the Striders will have blown away the wall on the right side of the roof. That opened up a path you can now take, across a series of i-beams. Do so. Once across, jump down to the street below. There will be a fire fight going on between Resistance and Soldiers, so help them out. Then... Dog will appear out of nowhere. You'll notice he's arrived by the flying corpses. And then a car will come flying by and knock over the Horse statue. That's Dog... He'll let you down into a hole beneath the Citadel's ever expanding walls. Say farewell to Barney and Dog. You won't be seeing them again any time soon. M) [Chapter Thirteen: Our Benefactors] When you reach the mouth of the tunnel you're walking through, you'll find yourself at the base of the Citadel. It towers above you, a monolithic reminder of just how powerful your enemies are. Don't get shaken. Instead, turn to the left, and begin hopping down the stones that jut out from the walls beneath you. Continue along the ledges, jumping from rock to rock as need be. You'll eventually come to a broken pipe that is sticking out of the rock. You'll need to carefully go out to the end of this pipe and then drop to another pipe below you. From here, you can leap to the large piston like object that keeps pounding the ground ahead of you. Wait for it to drop all the way, and then leap. Once it reaches the top of it's arc, you'll need to jump to a small ledge on your right, that is part of the Citadel itself. Crawl through the small hole here. Now, I admit it's a bit easy to get turned around. Just be sure not to get crushed by any of the Citadel's machinery. That would suck. You'll have to work your way through the outer edge of the Citadel and dodge the expanding machinery. Don't fall. You'll eventually come to a small trench. Hop down, and head to the right. You'll see bright "light" panels leading the way. Follow them. Next you will come to a framework type construction. Over your head will pass the containers the Combine uses to store prisoners. Head in the general direction that they are going until you are across the narrow ledges. When it looks safe, drop down to the left. Or which ever direction you hear the "Zapper" in. That's the way you want to go. Just make sure there's ground where you are jumping to! When you can actually see the "Zapper", look down. You should notice another ledge below you. Jump down to that. Follow it to a bridge where the harnesses stop for a moment and open up to allow you in. TAKE THE HARNESS THAT DOES NOT LEAD TO THE ZAPPER. Don't make me call you *******. If you have trouble understanding, it's the harness that stops farthest from you. On the other side of the bridge. Get it? Enjoy the ride. -= Some time later =- Oh? Lost all your weapons have you? Don't fret. The Gravity Gun has just undergone some strange infusion of Dark Energy, the Combine's main source of power. The Gravity Gun can now do all those things you saw it do in the E3 demo. Bodies, computer consoles, Energy Cores. They are all your play things. *Note of Interest: Old toys are new again. Pay attention and read! [Weapon Change] - Gravity Gun (Dark Energy Version) Range: Long Ammo: N/A Primary fire now shoots a beam of Dark Energy. This will utterly destroy anyone caught in the blast. Your Secondary fire now grabs bodies. And Energy Cores. Don't forget this, you will need to use Energy Cores to defeat larger enemies, like Striders and Gunships. Just grab a Core with Secondary fire and shoot it with Primary. [Equipment Change] - HEV Suit Mk 5 (Dark Energy Version) Your suit, through some strange happenstance involving the Gravity Gun, can now convert Dark Energy (from Combine Chargers) into both Health AND suit power. As an added bonus, the suit can hold twice the normal charge, upping your armor to 200. All other suit functions are normal. You're confronted with Soldiers immediately. Grab a hold of one of them and shoot his body at the other Soldiers. They will be exposed to Dark Energy, and their bodies will disintegrate. Good fun! Don't forget the Charger. It's to the left of the consoles that Dr. Breen talks to you on. Essentially, this is where you kick ass and take names. I'll offer advice as needed, but you're the BMC for now. When you reach the first shield for which there is no alternative path, simply use the Gravity Gun to pull the Energy Core out of the blue beam. The shield will shut off. Move through it quickly, I've had it turn back on before I've gone through on at least one occasion. You'll find another charger just down the hall to your right. Keep moving, the big showdown is fast approaching. Polish those Gravity Gun skills, boy! (Or girl!) Again, make with the ass kicking. You'll arrive at an elevator shaft. This is the part where Dr. Breen mentions something about how you may have had no choice in the actions you took. That part. You'll need to call the elevator and then wait for it to arrive. Don't forget that you can use just about anything as a weapon. Yes, even Man Hacks. (Which show up, by the way) If you need health, there's a charger on the opposite side of the elevator shaft from where you entered the room. Now kick ass! Ride the elevator up, defending yourself as needed. Remember that you can use the Energy Cores in the power beams as weapons. Just don't hold them for too long. They explode. When you reach the top, a Generator will be preventing you from exiting the elevator platform. Use your Gravity Gun to yank out the Energy Core. Duh. Kick ass some more, ok? When you come to the very large room with all the containers, you're about ready to face a Strider. Don't worry. All you need to do is use the Energy Cores to blow it away. Just don't stand still while you are fighting it. Use whatever containers are left as cover, and pop up to fire Energy Cores at the Strider. Once you've blown him apart (Literally), keep moving. You'll find another charger right after the map loads. Then it's time for another ride! Enjoy. N) [Chapter Fourteen: Dark Energy] This chapter begins with story. I'll catch up with you in a minute. -= Some time later =- Ah. Breen is getting away. Can't have that, can we? Follow Alyx. Make sure you scoop up the Gravity Gun when Breen runs from you. I won't beat around the bush - This is it. If you hadn't already figured out that this is the final showdown, well, it is. Ride the elevator down as Alyx instructs you. I'll do my best to guide you through this, but for the most part it's pretty obvious what you're supposed to do, and where you're supposed to go. Up. Once the elevator hits the lower floor, exit and head to the right. Dr. Breen will taunt you from inside the safety of the teleportation shield bubble. As soon as he finishes, the reactor comes to life, and your way through opens up. As the piston to your right starts to move, the gates blocking access to the small ledge around it will retract. Carefully move past the piston when it's up, and get ready for Soldiers. Deal with them, and climb up the ramp. As you circle around, you will see three generators, each with three Energy Cores inside them. Disarm the first generator by grabbing the cores and shooting them away. Now, disarm the second generator, but don't walk out onto the ledge just yet. Once the second generator is disabled, then move out onto the ledge. Turn around, as soldiers will be coming up behind you. An Assassin WILL fire an Energy Core at you. Either take cover behind the generator's shield plating, or grab the core with the Gravity Gun and fire it right back at the Assassin. Once the Soldiers are dead, disarm the third generator. Now, as you reach the end of this ledge, there will be Soldiers above you, and a piston in front of you. Wait for the piston to reach the bottom of it's stroke, then jump on. Ride it up to the platform the Soldiers are on. Once there, head past the doorway they came out of. Ignore the next piston, for now, and instead get on to the rotating platforms that are near the center of the room. There's a small walkway just past the next piston where you can board one. Ride this platform until it raises up for the first (and only) time, and then jump onto the platform with the visible Charger station. Soldiers will be below and behind you, but once you're on the platform you can deal with them easily. Once that's taken care of, cautiously walk around the platform until you find the piston. Wait for it to drop (starting to see a pattern here?) and then ride it up to the next level. Once you reach the top, circle around this platform until you find the bridge connecting you back to the main wall of the Citadel. Soldiers will block your path, but they are insects to you! Swat them! Now, face the doorway they just came out of and turn left. That piston you now see is the one you want to ride next. You should know how to do it by now. Once you reach the top, get ready. Things are about to get dicey. The portal will activate, giving you a blurry glimpse into the Combine's universe. Two Gunships will fly out of the portal, and those are your immediate concerns. Use the Energy Cores to either side of you to attack the Gunships. You need to score a few hits on each of them to bring them down, and it will be harder then the Strider, since the Gunships are more maneuverable. It's not hard, just do it. Once they are down, move along the platform to the left. You need a clear shot at the Dark Energy Reaction at the very top of the tower that Breen's shield bubble is climbing. Throw Energy Cores at it. After the first one hits, causing a flash, a ring of metallic shields will pop up around the Energy Reaction. Keep throwing Energy Cores at it. You'll destroy the shields and upset whatever delicate balance was keeping the Energy Reaction from going to hell. You want it to go to hell. Trust me. Continue to attack it, and the screen will flash brightly! Then... Well. I'll leave you to reap what you have sown. [End] -= HL2 =- 8) SCIENCE: The Gravity Gun and You The Gravity Gun, or Zero Point Energy Manipulator, is arguably the single most valuable "weapon" in your arsenal. With the Gravity Gun in hand and an inquisitive approach to playing Half Life 2, there is very nearly no limit to the weird ass crap you can pull off. In this section, I hope to give you a better understanding of just how far you can push the Source engine's physics, and what sorts of trouble you can cause with it. First, lets list the numerous items you can pick up with the Gravity Gun. -Boxes -Chairs -Tables -Doors -Bottles -Cans -Paint Cans -Tires -Weapons -Ammo -Medkits -Batteries -Planks -Metal Sheets -Buckets -Wreckage -Man Hacks -Scanners -Flashbulbs -Turrets -Barrels -Grenades (Live) -Grenades (Inert) -Energy Cores -Saw Blades -Gas Cans -Propane Tanks (They don't explode, however) -Car Batteries -Water Heaters -Pad Locks Pretty much anything that isn't nailed down. (Almost) What you have to realize is that almost anything can become a weapon. And, conversely, almost anything can become a tool. Boxes and planks, if used correctly, can make stairs, bridges, ramps, see saws, forts (If you're patient), barricades, comfy seating for six adults, etc. Bottles and Cans are instant projectiles. Barrels make excellent missiles. Saw Blades are meant to be used as weapons. Gas Cans, Explosive Barrels, Fuel Cylinders, and the like are great incendiary weapons. You can generally set Zombies ablaze with any of those items, if the explosion doesn't kill them outright. Items that are meant to be thrown, like the three I just listed, have a more defined use. But things like boxes and planks, as mentioned, can be both weapon and tool. The thing is, I've never really gathered up a good number of boxes and just tried building with them. I don't know how high I could go, or what sorts of crazy domino chain reactions I could cause. But that shouldn't stop you from trying to reach the Sky Box. Go where you weren't meant to go! See what you weren't meant to see! ... I'm rambling. In any case, let us give more definition to the role of the Gravity Gun. In nearly every situation you find yourself in, there will be loose clutter. A door off it's hinges, the ubiquitous wooden crates, whatever. It's all fodder for your Gravity Gun. Many of the game's puzzles revolve around the Gravity Gun, or at least around your USE key, for picking up things. But some of the more subtle hidden areas are only accessible by careful manipulation of the objects at hand. The Sandtraps Chapter is an EXCELLENT example of what you can do with the Gravity Gun. There's a lot of debris and trash once you encounter the Antlions, and if you take the time to gather some of it up, you could probably do all sorts of odd things. The real goal of that part is to force you to use the Gravity Gun as a bridge builder, having you step on and rearrange multiple pieces of garbage to make a moving bridge across the sand. But that level rewards the inquisitive. If you find the very large plank, and figure out how to maneuver it around correctly, it becomes a bridge to previously untouchable areas. But if you're just blazing through the level you'll probably miss it. (Work in Progress!!) 9) G-Man Sightings Now, while other mysteries of Half Life 2 are sort of hinted at through out the game, in various hidden images and snippets of conversation you can pick up on, the G-Man is again a puzzle. Why is he still here, and what possible reason could he have for putting you in this situation? Well, by now you probably have a pretty good idea of what your purpose was, but what IS the G-Man's ultimate goal? What is he? Certainly not human, as we know humans anyway. He can pass between realities, it seems, or at the very least can travel vast distances in the blink of an eye - Such as between Earth and the border world Xen. But the fact stands that the G-Man is neither on our side nor the Combine's. Though he may have put you in the right place to disrupt their plans, humanity does not seem to be the power to whom he ultimately reports. Nor does he seem to be employed by the ones Dr. Breen refers to as "Our Benefactors". Who does that leave? What does that leave? Current Breakdown: Chapter Two - If you look at the monitor that Barney activates when he first enters Dr. Kliener's lab, you can change the channel to get a good look at the G-Man for a few brief seconds. Once he realizes he's being watched, he walks away. Hrm... Chapter Three - In the first box car you come to where the Vortigaunt is powering the television, you can see the G-Man smiling at you for a brief seconds on the television. (Use your suit's Zoom) Chapter Four - Standing on the Barn that is way station 12. You can only see him from a distance before he runs away and does his disappearing act. Chapter Four - In one of the areas where you go beneath a bridge, the G-Man can be seen on a catwalk on the upper left of the bridge, before you pass beneath it. Chapter Four - At the very end of the chapter, after you have defeated the Hunter Helecopter, you can see the G-Man walking along the dam towards the switch you need to pull to open your path down to Black Mesa East. Chapter Six - At the very end of this level when you are on the train tracks. If you go up to a pair of train cars that are wedged in a V shape, and look through the crack on the left of them by crouching, you can see the G-Man walking away. Chapter Seven - Through binoculars in Beach House #2. It's interesting to note that in this sighting he appears to be having a conversation with another person. *Thank you to numerous people who pointed out that the person he is talking to is in fact the Colonel who gives you the RPG launcher. Thank you guys. Chapter Nine - In the room with the first two chargers that you see. If you change the video screen in there to the third "Channel" you can see the G-Man for a few seconds. Chapter Eleven - On a television in the first building after you get separated from Dog. It is a brief image of him before the television goes dead. Plus, if you check, it was never plugged in. Creepy. Extra special thanks to Revolution contributor Paraphrase!
Kindred Fates is an open world monster battling RPG, and a love letter to the monster battle genre. Our goal is to evolve the genre, and finally bring fans what they've been asking for.
