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Half Life 2 FAQ
Half Life 2 FAQ by Paraphrase for:
GAMEFAQ's
Game Revolution
DLH.net (German)
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[Version 1.03]
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 1.03]
12/8/04 2:33 PM PST
Disclaimer: Complete
Weapons: Complete(ish) Updated Pistol again
Rides: Complete - Added the Airboat Flashlight
Allies: Complete
Enemies: Complete (D#4 is now Shield Scanner)
Walkthrough: Complete!!! (Plus some refinements)
SCIENCE: Work in Progress
G-Man Sightings: Work in Progress
[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
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 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 (Work in Progress)
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 "Sand traps", 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 Cobra 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.
[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 for this beauty 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. Secondary fire is a very gentle lob, as opposed to the
stronger throw you make with Primary fire. Still a five second fuse though.
[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 – Gun ships 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
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 reenter 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 WILL have a kill.
[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. BE WARNED.
[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 the
then "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, THROW each Black Super Leaper, one at a time, 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.
... Good luck.
[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 annoyances,
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" levels. 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. This is a work in progress!
As requested, Chapter List:
Point Insertion
A Red Letter Day
Route Kanal
Water Hazard
Black Mesa East
"We don't go to Ravenholm..."
Highway 17
Sand traps
Nova Prospekt
Entanglement
Anticitizen One
"Follow Freeman!"
Our Benefactors
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 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 shit, 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 their 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 with 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 paste 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
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 bumble 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 size 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. (Jason "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.
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.
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 dumbass. 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 Gun ships will fly out of the portal, and those are your
immediate concerns. Use the Energy Cores to either side of you to attack
the Gun ships. 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 Gun ships 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 Sand traps 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 second 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 - 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 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.
(Work in Progress!!)
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