SOCOM: US NAVY SEALS  - WALKTHROUGH

Copyright (c) 2006 Gideon W Glass <[email protected]>
All rights reserved.

version 20060719

GENERAL BACKGROUND INFO:

This walkthrough is for the original Socom.  Released in 2002, Socom
is now about four years old, and as of this writing has two successors
for PS2 and one for PSP, and surely more planned with Sony having
acquired the developer, Zipper Interactive, earlier this year.  I got
a PS2 only a few months ago so I'm enjoying taking my time playing
through the whole series.

This walkthrough only deals with the single-player campaign, not online.

OTHER INFO:

Other FAQs/walkthroughs can be found here:

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/socomusnavyseals/hints.html?mode=faqs

There are also some other walkthroughs, tips, discussion threads, etc
that you can find through google.

Although incomplete, by far the best of the existing Socom1 FAQs/Walkthroughs
for single player is the Admiral-Level Walkthrough by David G Mundschau.
It is available from the link above.  Below, I refer to this walkthrough as
[DM].

If you want to skip over the general information immediately below, search
forward for "MISSION <n>".


NOTES ON WEAPONS:

The weapon stats in most of the faqs and the in-game info in the
armory selection lists things like range, fire rate, volume, etc.  If
you're new to the game, these stats are misleading because they omit
important considerations such as power and recoil.  Knowing a weapon's
power is important because it implies the number of non-headshots
required to incapacitate an enemy.  (This is important because it
usually doesn't make sense to go for head shots -- a burst to the
torso can usually be done faster than a head shot, with the obvious
exception of sniper shots where you have time to line it up.)

For most assault rifles and sniper rifles the number of
shots required to drop somebody is in the range of 2-3, with the
notable exceptions of the M87ELR, M82A1, and DE-50, which require
only a single shot.

Here are my rough estimates of the number of shots required
to drop an enemy.

AKS-74: 2.  Never seems to be more than 2, even at long range; this
       combined with basically no kickback in single shot mode, good
       magazine capacity, and available ammo from dead enemies, makes
       this the single best weapon in the game.

side note: the number of shots required for an AKS-74 equipped enemy to
down *you* always seems to be 4.  Also, it seems to be two M82A1 shots.
This suggests that fireteam has double the hit points of random enemies
(except a few identified leaders in some levels, who also have double).

M4A1-SD: about 3 (slightly more than M4A1)
M14: usually 2
M16A1: between 2 and 3 (there is a quick 3-shot burst,
      but be careful, if you miss, it costs you a bit of time)
SR25: 2
SR24-SD: usually 2
M87ELR: 1
M82A1: 1

I've omitted the machine guns, submachine guns, and grenade launchers
since I haven't used them much.  For pistols, I don't think it matters
much.  The DE-50 can kill with one shot, but the Mark 25 carries
more ammo and fires faster, so getting two shots costs about the
same.

NOTES ON EQUIPMENT, GRENADES, and TEAM AI:

You get three equipment slots.  A minor defect of the game is that
while you are allowed one slot for double ammo, you cannot choose two
slots (triple ammo) or even three slots (quad ammo).  Having more ammo
available would allow you to play out some missions in more ways, for
example Mission 12 with the M87ELR all the way through (at least on
Ensign difficulty).

As it is, in the second half of most of the levels 6 and higher, the
standard strategy is usually to take a weapon (typically an AKS-74)
off a dead enemy.

A good reason for carrying more ammo is that unless your rifle
accuracy is horrible, two magazines will commonly convert into far
more kills (5 - 20 per magazine, depending on weapon and
circumstances) than 6 non-replenishable HE or flashbang.
So, one of your slots should always be double ammo.

A second slot should usually be frag grenades, which you can
replenish them off dead enemies.  Also, 6 grenades is a pretty
generous allotment (it seems to have dropped to 3 in Socom II), so you
might as well take advantage of it.

The third slot is sometimes a required item (C4 or satchel).
Otherwise, I find I don't use this slot much.  If you need to use
flashbangs or smoke, you usually have time to tell Able or Bravo to
deploy it for you -- unlike with frags, where sometimes you need to
deploy them with precision and/or under time pressure.

With grenades it's important to get familiar with the *actual*
trajectory that the thrown grenade will take, rather than the one that
the game draws for you.  Note that the trajectory varies based on
whether you're prone, crouched, or standing (you have to stand to get
good distance).  I'm not sure why the game doesn't just draw the path
that you will throw it -- surely if you were throwing the grenade
yourself you would know pretty close to what trajectory it would take,
or anyway you would avoid doing unlikely things like hitting a door
frame at 10 meters, when you meant to throw it through the door.

I follow one additional simple rule: *never* order Bravo to deploy a
frag.  (When pointing at a door, "frag and clear" mostly works, but
then I don't use it much, and anyway, you can just use "bang and
clear".)  They are liable to do something extremely risky, like move
up way too close to the target and then get shot.  Or, they will not
throw it far enough, and will frag themselves.  (There should be an
option where you can tell Able or Bravo to *stay where they are* and
deploy a <frag/whatever> to the target specified by Kahuna's
cross-hairs.  If the target is out of range, or if the throw cannot be
made due to an obstacle, Bravo can just tell you and not make a highly
risky bad throw.)

Additionally, when deploying frags yourself in close quarters, it's
best to have Bravo holding at some location you think is safe.  Of
course you have no such control over Boomer, so you have to take your
chances deploying frags around him.

One other element of team AI that is specifically lacking is that,
while the teammates have the ability to tell you where some bad guys
are, you don't have the ability to tell them.  If you know where bad
guys are going to come from, but they don't, all you can do is
indirect stuff like position them sanely and tell them to cover area.
Of course it's especially bad with Boomer because you can't even
position him.  (I think Socom II at least lets you position him,
within reasonable proximity.)

So follow the simple rules:

1) never order Bravo to deploy frag
2) ensure Bravo is holding position before deploying frag in close
  quarters.  Needless to say you can't do anything about Boomer
  and you'll just have to take your chances, e.g. throw hard.


NOTES ON STEALTH:

Naturally one of the main concerns of the game is avoiding detection.
Enemies that don't detect you don't shoot back, dramatically
increasing your chances of survival.  There are two components of this
- staying unseen, and staying undetected entirely (i.e. remaining
unseen, unheard, and not letting injured enemies go around yelling,
and not leaving enemy bodies scattered around, etc).  In general
staying unseen is almost always sufficient.  This means using walls,
rocks, and especially darkness for cover.

In the night missions, if you leave the NVG on all the time, you will
not easily be able to detect what areas give you the best shadow
cover.  So, get in the habit of frequently switching among the view
options.


NOTES ON LEVELS:

The difficulty of the levels varies widely.  It does
not seem uncommon to get stuck on a level for a couple of weeks or
something (depending on how much you play), while other levels can be
finished in one sitting.

Missions 1-4 are substantially easier than the rest.  (Mission 3 can
take a number of tries, but due to its short length you don't end up
spending a lot of time on it, unless you really like to play it
over and over.)  For mission 5 I used the [DM] writeup before I started
writing this walkthrough.  Consequently, the bulk of my comments
are on missions 6-12.

I have followed the procedures below mostly on Lieutenant Junior Grade.
On all missions I've played through these several times at least, so the
strategies should be reliable, not one-time flukes.  Whether these work
at higher level remains to be seen, but generally I think they should,
mostly depending on your skill level.  I know from playing online that
my skill level is nothing special.


MISSION 1:

Armory:
team: M4A1-SD

If it's your first time playing, don't bother moving dead enemies out of
the way like the game suggests you do.  Do get comfortable with
switching between 3rd person, 1st person, and NVG.  Don't leave the
NVG on permanently or you'll tend to miss which areas have good shadow
cover (NVG obscures this).

There are four guys on the barge.  The first two are obviously
immediately in front of you; just take them out with a head shot (one is
sufficient, just line it up).  The second two usually appear after the
cut scene, provided you haven't alerted the sentries on the freighter
itself.  The second two show up in the barge in the middle, south of the
ramp.  After they talk, one goes southeast to the edge of the barge to
puke, and the other goes southwest to the other edge of the barge and
parks himself behind a shipping container.

There are three sentries on the freighter itself.  One is up a flight
of stairs on the south side, visible left of the bridge.  One is on
the main level of the freighter, roughly west of where you are.  The
last is up on a roof-type area on the north end of the freighter.

You can sometimes take these guys out before the second pair of barge
guards spawn, or anyway before the cut scene with the second pair.  Do
this by moving to the east side of the barge (after shooting the first
pair), then south past one set of crates, then up to a second set of
crates.  This puts you about halfway between north and south - about
level with the ramp.  Climb up one level of boxes and target the three
sentries.  I am not sure if this strategy always works.  Possibly you
are in position to be spotted, but at least a good fraction of the
time you can eliminate the sentries prior to getting the second pair
of barge guys, thus not having to worry about the sentries when going
after the last barge guy.

If bad guys start shooting or yelling, or you otherwise make a lot of
noise or commotion, additional enemies will come out of bunk rooms in
the main exterior level under the bridge.  In addition to initial 3
sentries, I believe there are a total of 5 guys out there (Captain,
Iron Leader, two Iron Brothers, and a Black Marketeer).  If you do get
the Eavesdrop objective, eventually the Iron Leader and the Captain
will complain about the weather and go back to their respective rooms.
At this point you can have Able and/or Bravo start to clear the rooms,
or just do it yourself.  When you're clearing rooms on one side, watch
on the other side - they will hear your frags/flashbangs and come
running from the other side.

Finally there are the two guys in the bridge itself.  It's tempting to
toss frag or flashbang up the stairs through the door, but one of the
guys goes out the door on patrol very quickly after the cut scene, and
you're liable to be in the middle of a toss when the guy comes out, so
probably it's best to just shoot these guys.  Then shoot or walk up to
the radio and disable it, and you're done above deck.

There are roughly 8 enemies below deck - one or two in the rear cargo
hold, two or three near the intel, two in the machine room, and two in
the front cargo hold.  It's pretty easy to take these guys out all
yourself, or you can shoot out lights to make it even easier.  Since
you just disabled the radio at the bridge, it's simplest to start at
the back of the ship and work forwards.  Clear the guys in the cargo
hold before going for the intel.  Be sure around corners - the enemy
are quicker with their rifle butts than they are at shooting you.
After you get the intel, work forward, clearing the guys in the
red/machine room.  You can immediately place charges, or clear the
enemies in the front cargo hold as well if they haven't already come
running.

MISSION 2:

Armory:
Kahuna: M4A1-SD
team: defaults

I haven't spent much time on this level.  Generally I follow the
tac-map.  Brief tips:

- Disable the generator before going into the dredge, to spare
yourself the annoying alarm.

- Don't walk in front of cabin windows (duh).

- After enough of the level is clear, deploy the C4 (on the stacked
crates out in front of buildings - should be obvious) -- before having
Pincushin follow you.

Be sure to clear all outlying cabins/outhouses/etc.  But, even if you
think you've taken out all the enemies, be on guard for late spawners
or campers who later rush Pincushin when you're moving him to the
extraction zone.

Note that in general the game does like to place enemies into the
level after you meet various objectives -- such as picking up a
mission-critical detainee ("mission critical" here means the mission
fails if the detainee dies; the bad guys always try to shoot the
detainees).  This is particularly bad in Mission 4.


MISSION 3:

Armory:
defaults

Once you learn your way around, this mission isn't too hard.  Refer to
[DM] or other walkthroughs for suggested orders.

Brief tips:

- One of the nice things about this level is that it (mostly) avoids
the highly linear ordering of some of the other levels.

- You get a reset of the 5:00 countdown if you take out the enemy
leader.  It is possible to defuse one of the bombs, then go for the
enemy leader, take care of the hostages, then come back and get the
remaining two bombs, then get the oil workers, and then mop up and
unsecured areas.

- Use Able and/or Bravo to defuse in parallel as necessary.

- Don't go through the front door of Building C (the door next to
the big "BUILDING C" sign).  The bad guys expect you there and are
liable to shoot you and/or the hostages.  Use the back door (opens
into a hallway/lounge) or the side door instead.  The Iron Leader
hangs out in the lounge by the back door.  I don't remember
specifically, but it's probably the case that the Iron Leader is one
of the double hit point type enemies, so shoot him to excess.


MISSION 4:

Armory:
Kahuna: M4A1-SD
defaults:

At least on the easier difficulty levels, this mission is insanely
easy compared to the next two, and I have spent hardly any time on it.
I think I actually got all the way through the very first time I
played in on Lieutenant Junior Grade level.

Basically just go through in tac-map order.  Be ready to shoot enemies
quickly on the dock if your C4 doesn't blow in time.  Watch out for
the last batch of bad guys.  Use grenades through the windows of the
shacks (which should be pretty obvious).  Refer to [DM] for some
additional useful specifics.


MISSION 5:

Armory:
Kahuna: SR-25 SD, double ammo, frag, Claymore
team: M4A1-SD, default equipment

I basically follow [DM] on this one, including the Claymore to take
care of enemies that spawn after you order Morgan to Follow.

Just a few additional notes to add to the detailed walkthrough in
[DM]:

1) in the second discrete part of the level (i.e. just after the
Insertion area), when I'm crawling up the small hill trying to take
out the snipers (who are often facing the opposite direction and thus
don't immediately come into range) -- all the while simultaneously
trying to avoid being seen by the guy off the right of the path -- I
find it helpful to order Bravo to Attack to Echo (I believe Echo --
the spot to the left side of the path midway between the first
wall/door and the second wall/door).

2) After rescuing Morgan, per [DM] an insane number of enemies get
beamed into the map.  In addition to the ones you take out near the
Morgan extraction area, there will be others.  You might find them in
the Southwest nook of the main Temple building.  Or, they might be
huddling in the Northwest corner in the interior hallway (maybe they
saw their buddies get clobbered by the Claymores, and then retreated).
If you see them there, take them out, otherwise they're liable to
catch up with you later on in the level.  (One time when I was
targeting the sniper and the two guys just North of the main Temple
area, and Able/Bravo all of a sudden engaged about 4 enemies coming
after us from the Temple.)

3) Near Foxtrot, be sure to clear the enemy in the rectangular
elevated building to the right side of the path.  One time my grenades
through the window didn't do the job, but I didn't bother to check,
and as I moved up the path I started taking fire from bizarre angles.
At first I couldn't figure out where it was coming from but then I
started seeing enemy conversation (on the screen).  He was saying
things like "Help, help, enemies are attacking us!".  Eventually I
figured out where he was.  Anyway, the moral is, even if you deploy a
bunch of grenades through the window, go in there with DE-50 and be
ready to cap him (probably climb up the outside on the side, then work
around to the entrance and rush him).  (This is like clearing the
campfire in Mission 6 - soften them up with grenades, but ultimately
be ready for a shootout.)

4) Near Juliet, the sniper on the walkway above the path (where there
are three parallel doors) is not hard to target.  I believe there are
two guards patrolling on the ground on the other side of the walkway.
You can take them out by going through the doors prone and working
slowly towards the base of the stairs.  Simultaneously, you can target
the guards on the roof of the last building.  I am pretty sure there
are always two - if you don't see both from the walkway at Juliet,
just be prepared to win a shootout with the last one after you enter
the building to secure the Ambassador.

5) In the building with the Ambassador, just wait at the door and the
guard will rush out.  Per the previous note, you may have one
remaining enemy on the room to deal with, so watch for him.


NOTE: walkthroughs below here are more detailed


MISSION 6 (City of the Forgotten):

Armory:
Kahuna: SR-25SD, DE-50, double ammo, frag, C4 (locked)
Team: M4A1-SD, otherwise defaults

A.  Insertion area:

There are seven enemies in this area.  If you don't see them all it's
because they saw or heard you, and they ran up the path to the
riverbank area.  You'll encounter them shortly.

General strategy is simple: walk along the cliff on the right side.
Have team follow.  Bravo will commonly get stuck on trees.  You can
unstick them remotely by giving different commands, for example point
to a safe location and have Bravo run to crosshairs.

Locations of bad guys:

1,2 - first hut (shoot the one on the left when the one on the right
 turns away to look out the window)
3 - on path coming towards you
4 - moving perpendicular to cliff/path
5 - moving parallel to cliff/path on other side of river
   note: let this guy move away from the second hut a safe distance
   before shooting him
6 - in second hut
7 - comes back from patrol from near Charlie back to second hut

If you don't attain the secondary objective about recon patrols with
NVG, it's because one of them ran up the path.  Later on, in the
middle of the fight are riverbank, you might all of a sudden finish
this objective -- it's because the patrol retreated and now you just
saw him.

You can pretty easily get the secondary objective about eliminate
patrols silently.  Just make sure for the last few guys that they
aren't looking at each other when you shoot them.  Wait for #7
to move in front of the hut and face you, then shoot the guy in
the hut, then #7.

2.  Riverbank:

General strategy: again, stick to the shadows next to the cliff on
your right.  Move forward slowly (crouch is sufficient) until you can
see all the poles.  There will be a spot where you squeeze between a
tree (to your left) and the wall (to your right).  Just after this is
a good vantage point to see some guards.  Initially at least two of
them will be standing.  After shooting them the remaining guards might
get alarmed and either run back, or crouch down.

Enemies from insertion area not previously eliminated will be
crouching behind bushes waiting to toss grenades at you.  Otherwise,
there are about 4 regular guards in this area, centered around the
water area.

From your spot next to the wall you typically cannot see all enemies
in this area.  Sometimes Aim Assist shows an enemy behind a bush on
the other side of the dock.  Sometimes he seems to walk all the way
towards you until he reaches some water, and he's highly visible.

Anyway, either before or after eliminating the initial visible guards,
have Bravo Run to Crosshairs to a spot at the left back corner of the
dock (note: this is the strategy in [DM] as well).  You can get the
guard in the third hut to come out by moving back toward Charlie,
ordering Team Fire at Will, and firing a shot with the DE-50.
Commonly the enemy will immediately move and Bravo will immediately
eliminate them, and the game will immediately tell you that the
Riverbank is now secure.

If not, there are probably remaining guys over by the poles/swamp
area, or maybe farther along the riverbank on the other side of the
dock.  Crouch and move at modest speed along the wall.  Look for them
behind bushes and so on.  Go up to and pass the rock outcropping that
you have to climb over (this is closer to Delta from the stone ruins
along the cliff).  Sometimes an alerted guard will be watching from
just behind the stone outcropping and you have to shoot him from under
20 meters, which appears alarmingly close with the NVG.  Don't panic;
chances are that he's not looking your way.

If you still haven't cleared the Riverbank, have team Fire at Will and
move along the wall to the rock area.  Be comfortable that you can see
in all directions and get ready to shoot guys running towards you.
Fire off a shot with the DE-50.

Be prepared to deal with guys running in from the campfire area up
ahead near Delta.  Actually, sometimes you see them running up the
path (towards the Riverbank) even without having fired a shot - maybe
they got word on their radios or something.

3.  Compound:

A.  Campfire area:

There is a guard standing roughly in the corner of the compound to the
left of Delta.  He's just to the left of a small stone structure (the
size of a shack, except it has no windows or doors and serves no
apparent purpose except to give this guy cover if he gets injured).
Anyway, from the wall to the right of Delta, not too close to the
campground, shoot this guy.  He can be shot with M4A1-SD as well, if
you know where to look and have Aim Assist.

The campground guards may or may not be present.  Sometimes you'll see
them run down the stairs and up the path towards the riverbank.  If
you're by the wall as I've been saying to be, they'll run past you.
Look for them on the stairs as well; sometimes they camp out there.

Anyway, you have to assume the worst, that there are still 2-3 guys
around the campfire.  The basic approach is to throw a bunch of
grenades over the wall.  I like 4.  Often that is sufficient to
eliminate them, but you can't assume this will be sufficient.  The
grenades bounce around and the last guy may be hiding out behind the
wall.  Anyway, you have several options here.  The simplest is to
equip the DE-50, rush the stairs, and win a shootout with any
survivors.  Sometimes they'll be still on the ground from the blast
and it's easy.  Other times they'll be hiding behind the wall on the
other side of the fire and you have to move quickly.  Often though
there will be nobody left.

The lowest risk way to eliminate the campfire guys is to come from the
main part of the compound, i.e. completely bypass the stairs at Delta.
You can take the long way around - follow the river to the stairs at
the far left corner (facing the compound), sneak up, eliminate the
guard standing in that area, and go around the back of the main
compound building.  This strategy takes a little longer from the
travel and from the need to sneak up the side stairs and shoot the
guard.  The one time I tried it, the game didn't let me fire from the
stairs and I lost the shootout.

B.  Main compound area.

As far as I can tell there are 5 enemies in this area.  Imagine
yourself at the riverbank facing the main stairs up.  (You can take
this approach into the area if you want, but you run the risk of
running into one of the guards on patrol between the compound and the
river.  My suggested approach is below.)  #1 will be right out in
front in the well-lit area in front of the stairs to the main
building.  #2 will be off to the left.  #3 and #4 will be near the
door of the main compound building.  #5 will be at the side or back of
the compound building.  Usually you have to go in after him.

Suggested approach from the campfire area is to go around the back of
the main compound building (sort of towards Echo, but don't get too
close to it).  Head along the wall of the compound and target enemy
#2.  Note his position.  If he's visible to #1, you may want to drop
#1 as well with the SR-25 SD.  Or, just pick up the AK-47 from #2 and
get ready to use it.  (Note: this may be the only time in the game
where using an AK-47 is the best choice available, so I suggest taking
this opportunity to use this weapon and enjoy its loud ass sound and
major kickback.  You may be able to scavenge an M16A2 from some dead
enemy out in the swamp but it's not worth the time to go get one,
and anyway you can get one from the back of the compound very
shortly.)

Get ready to shoot #3 and #4 coming down the stairs.  If they don't
come down, keep a good distance (using NVG of course) and work your
way around to the front so you can face into the main building.  Fire
a few shots in and shoot them if they come out.  Also shoot out the
candles at either side of the main door.  If nobody appears in the
door, you'll have to go after them.

In front of the main compound building, on either side of the steps
down to the swamp, are two little ceremonial buildings with steps on
several sides.  Use the one on the South side.  Position Bravo at the
foot of the steps on the north side of this building.  They can fire
into the right side of the door in case anybody comes from that
direction.  Meanwhile, go up the right steps.  Get ready to shoot
anybody in the left side of the room.  If nobody is visible, toss in a
frag or fire a few shots.  If that doesn't turn up anybody, go back
down the stairs and toss a grenade so that it will hit the stone thing
inside the door and bounce to the right.  This might force #5 around
to the left side of the building.

If you still haven't forced him out or incapacitated him, move down
the stairs to the left side, and then move back up so you can see
inside to the right side of the door.  You want to basically win a
shootout with this guy.  If you still don't see him, he may be around
in the far back end of the building, or he may be running from one
side to the other.  At some point you may just have to rush in and gun
him down.

In any case, once he's down, get his M16A2 and grenades.

You are basically halfway through the level now.

4.  Capture Bad Dog

At this point you have to completely disregard the tac-map.  The way
to get Bad Dog, at least as far as I've played, is to set up an ambush
outside Echo and get as many enemies to come your way as you can.  I
like to position Bravo between the two walls just opposite the door
into Echo.  There is good shade in there and they rarely take fire
from enemies from the doorway.  Have them run to crosshairs between the
walls, just before the left-side wall ends.  Put the crosshairs in
front of the door to Echo and order Bravo to Cover Area.

You and Bravo get to dance around as bait while Bravo rack up the
kills.  To get the action started, equip the DE-50, move to the
doorway, and move slowly in until an enemy is visible (he will be
facing away from you, talking to the other enemy; if you want, listen
to their conversation [telepathically conveyed from them to Specter,
then back to you in English, and printed on the screen]).  Shoot the
first guy then move back out and to the left of the doorway, so as not
to obstruct Bravo's line of fire.  Re-equip the M16A2.  I like to move
to a spot so that I can fire into the doorway and then move left
sideways to be out of view/aim of the bad guys.  Anyway, the guard who
you didn't shoot will start yelling to other guys, presumably
positioned all over the Temple courtyard.  After a short time they
will start appearing in the doorway.  Eliminate about 10 in total.  I
like to let Bravo get most of the kills, to keep the Teamwork score
from getting too bad, and to limit risk to Kahuna here.  Be prepared
to shoot anybody who gets too close to getting out of the doorway
though.

At some point you will probably see the text of Bad Dog saying that
he's moving towards the boats.  This is what you want to hear.  Maybe
40% of the time Bad Dog will stay put and you'll have to go into the
temple area and force him to move out.  If this happens, keep Bravo in
position.  (As HQ notes, if you lose Specter, hearing Bad Dog's
remarks is impossible.  However, losing Bravo is usually not a problem
up to this point, but if it does happen, you might just want to force
Bad Dog's hand by moving into the Temple area, taking out a guy near
the Temple, and then moving back into position - see below.)

[begin procedure to force Bad Dog out - not always required]

When in the temple area, stay around the outside walls at all times
until the whole area is clear.

For the most part the outside walls provide good shade and the bad
guys will not see you.  Even if they don't provide shade, they cut
down on the range of directions from which threads can materialize.
Anyway, if Bad Dog hasn't run yet, then go in, take a right at the
door, work your way south along the wall.  Face West and move
sideways, watching for threats.  Usually there won't be any but
sometimes surviving guards will be crouched near corners of the
rubble.  At some point the wall forces you to move West, towards the
front of the temple.  As long as you stay in the shade near the wall,
you should be OK, but look for guards just to be sure.  Position
yourself with a clear view of the front of the temple.  Do not move
away from the wall.  Do not attempt to deploy a frag towards the
temple.

Commonly, remaining guards will be on the temple steps.  If you see
one (Aim Assist can help here) just shoot him.  Otherwise, fire a few
shots through the main front temple door and Bad Dog will move out.

Order Team to Hold Fire and retrace your steps back out the door at
Echo.

[end procedure to force Bad Dog out - not always required]

Order Team to Hold Fire.  This is just to keep them from shooting Bad Dog.

Bad Dog may appear at the door first, or sometimes one of his guards
(shoot the guards dead).  When Bad Dog appears, shoot him in the leg
and he'll surrender.  Although tempting, you should refrain from
rushing up and restraining him.  Instead move into Echo and watch for
guards to come through the door.  They will attempt to shoot Bad Dog.
As soon as possible, point crosshairs outside the door and to the left
a little.  Order Bravo to Run to Crosshairs.  When they're in place,
go restrain Bad Dog and take his AKS-74, which is the weapon of choice
for the rest of the level.

Bravo should be outside the door to Echo, to the left, near the arch.
Have them Cover Area ahead of them.  Alternatively, move them just
past the arch and have them Cover Area in the direction of the temple.
I am not sure what is preferable.  On the one hand, you don't want an
enemy to run past Bravo and take out Bad Dog.  On the other hand, you
don't want an enemy to shoot Bravo from a distance.  In any case, most
of the time Bravo does a good job taking out enemies that come from
the direction of the temple.

After positioning Bravo, move along the East wall, the same route you
took before if you had to come into the Temple area to force Bad Dog
out.  What we need to do is work counter-clockwise around the outside
perimeter of the Temple area, eliminating any remaining guards.

Watch for a guard in the Temple area crouching near some rubble, to
the left of the front of the Temple if you are facing it from the
East.  Usually he won't be there.  Also watch along the main Temple
stairs for enemies.  Shoot them from the East wall if present.  Keep
moving North along the East wall.  Turn the corner to the West when
necessary.  Sometimes an enemy will be to the right of the front of
the steps, facing the steps.  Keep going along the North wall, facing
in towards the rubble.  The last guard will be positioned facing the
Temple, on its North side, midway to the back (West) wall.

Retrace your steps and make sure the Temple stairs are clear.
Sometimes I move back to where Bravo is, and move West along the South
wall.  Only rarely will any enemies be left in this area.

In any case, when you're confident that the outside Temple area has
been cleared, order Bravo to Follow and move into the temple.  I have
never encountered an enemy in the Temple itself.  Get the binder on
the top floor.

5.  Lower Temple Area

Move to the lower level.  I will refer to the rooms in this area as
follows:

room 0: the one where you place the C4 on the door
room 1: the room just past room 0
room 2: the room just past room 1, i.e via the door to the right when looking
       in from just inside room 1
room 3: 2-level room past room 1.  There is a mezzanine level around
       the top on three sides and stairs accessible from the South
       side, going down to the North into the lower level of the
       room.
room 4: accessible down a short flight of stairs from room 3.  Zulu
       and the biodata are in this room.
room 5: South of room 4.  Contains a Buddha statue with an
       indistinguishable light source.

Side note on clearing this area: you want to keep Bravo behind you to
avoid them becoming incapacitated.  They don't do very well down here.
In my experience, basically the worst thing you can do is order Bravo
to {Stealth to/Attack to/Run to} Zulu.  They may take out one enemy
but chances are at least one will be incapacitated, quite possibly
both, and you may lose the mission if Boomer is already lost or if he
subsequently is lost.

Prior to deploying C4, I like to have Bravo positioned just below the
stairs into the lowest level.  This keeps them out of blast range.
After they are in position, have them Cover Area just in front of the
(soon to be blown open) door.  This handles any enemies that somehow
get past you in the next little bit.

After deploying C4, equip frag (I keep it on L2) and move just in
front of Bravo.  Get a toss ready.  Aim for the lower area of the
wood.  You don't want to throw too hard and hit the remaining wood at
the top of the door.  From room 0, I like to toss two frags into room
1 and then one into room 2.  Do this without moving through the door
into room 1.  I'm not sure that there are actually any enemies in room
1, but even if there aren't, the sight of the frags will force them to
move back into room 2.

Also, at this point in the level the end is so close that you're
liable to get over-excited and make a mistake.  Be sure not to forget
about frags you've already thrown.  Also, visually confirm that they
actually go through the door (it's easy to hit the wood rubble on the
top part of the door).

Move down the steps into room 1.  Move back to the right of the steps.
You want to be flush with the wall that the room-2 doorway is in.  Set
AKS-74 to full auto.  Get ready to shoot four enemies as they come
through the door.  The enemies will be running for the stairs.  (I'm
not sure if they're just going for a general escape, or if they are
specifically going to shoot Bad Dog, having been informed by telepathy
that he surrendered.)

After shooting all the guys who come through the door into room 1, the
objective Clear Temple Lower Level will be attained.  At this point,
move down into room 2.  Do not move Bravo.  Move opposite the door,
maybe just to the left so you can strafe right as necessary.  Shoot
two guards who come in from room 3.  After they're down, peek around
the door just to make sure that none are following.  Usually the last
two (or possibly more) are way down in room 5 and may not even be
alerted yet.  Once you've checked that the mezzanine level is clear,
move through the door and turn right.  Point up ahead to the end of
the hallway and order Bravo to Run to Crosshairs.  While they're
traveling, move along the mezzanine so you can toss frags into room 4.
When Bravo is in position, point to the hallway in front of the door
from room 2 and order them to Cover Area.  Now temporarily unequip NVG
(I have had it on since blowing the door in room 0) so you can
carefully toss some frags off the mezzanine into the lower part of
room 3, and into room 4.  Part of the goal here is to blow the candles
at the bottom of the stairs, and maybe take out any enemies that might
be there.  You can also deploy smoke (or have Boomer do it if he's
still around) in the direction of the steps from room 3 into room 4.
Re-equip NVG and run down the steps into the lower level of room 3 and
wait for remaining guards to enter from room 4.  I'm not sure what the
best position is.  You could go to the right of the stairs which
offers good shade and a clear line of fire (the enemies are moving
towards you so they won't move too much left or right, so you don't
have to aim much).  On the other hand, they're coming in your
direction and might see you.  Or, you can move to the other side (to
the right of the door, facing the steps down into room 4) and get them
from behind.  The risk there is that the columns will block your fire
if you strafe too much.  In any case, be prepared to shoot two enemies
coming up the stairs.  If somehow they get past you, Bravo should have
a good bead on them, but I haven't actually tested that.

In any case, be prepared to shoot two guards coming from room 4 into
room 3.  After taking them out, you should attain the secondary
objective Prevent Enemy Escape.  If the guards don't show up, toss
some grenades into room 4, or shoot around.

One time I hadn't got the "Prevent Enemy Escape" secondary objective
and just tried to make a run for the biodata.  They shot me in the
back from the hall between room 4 and room 5.  So, it's best to have
them come to you and dispatch them in room 3.  (I'm not sure how far
they'll walk towards the Temple proper but for sure they'll walk up
the stairs in room 3.)

Once you attain the "Prevent Enemy Escape" objective you are free to
move around the lower level.

The back door boat dock turns out to be a very short distance from
your insertion area, which begs the question of why the game doesn't
let you optionally go in via the back dock.  It would make it easier
to get familiar with the later parts of the level, and would change
the dynamic - now we would actually have to chase down Bad Dog,
instead of just letting him come to us.


MISSION 7 (Mercenary Staging Area):

1.  General comments:

This mission differs drastically from the previous two.  For one, you
don't get NVG.  For me, the lack of NVG was seriously disorienting,
having spent time playing Missions 5, 6, 1, and 3 for a while
(and some Socom II levels that require NVG).

Another difference is that unlike missions 5 and 6, which are highly
linear, this mission -- after you attain the first objective [Disable
Communications], you can go around the map in whatever direction you
want.  Being able to move around more or less freely is much
preferred, of course, because you can work out strategies for various
groups of enemies without having first to play repetitively through 20
minutes of level you've already got down.  Also, it allows you to work
out strategies involving attacking a given group of enemies from
different angles.

As an aside, it would be very helpful if the game would let you define
your own locations for the nav points.  Thus you can position Bravo,
then run off to some out of sight location, and then (at the right
time) tell Bravo to attack/stealth/run-to some pre-defined location.
Right now you can only do this if the third spot is either visible
from the second spot (allowing you to order run/stealth/attack to
crosshairs) or is already defined on the map, which means it's just
lucky coincidence (or a highly linear map).

Finally, the best difference with the previous levels is that in this
level, once you eliminate all the enemies, you immediately trigger the
[Prevent Enemy Escape] primary objective -- regardless of where you
are with the (nominally listed earlier) Site One and Site Two Satchel
objectives.  It's tremendously satisfying to know that the game is not
going to beam down more guys to hassle you.

2.  Specific comments:

After disabling the enemy comms tower, you have to eliminate groups of
enemies in camps clustered around three guard towers (the small orange
squares on the tacmap), and a couple of enemies embedded in the ammo
dumps.  I will number the towers in order of proximity to Insertion
Area:

tower 1: just south of the shack with the Intel, near Delta
tower 2: near weapons dump Site 1, near Echo
tower 3: north of tower 2

Generally I have had poor success when trying to creep around the rock
area in the middle of the three towers.  It doesn't seem to prevent
the enemy from seeing you much.  Climbing on top of it is basically
suicide.  Your boots make noise (unless, possibly, you are way more
patient than me and crawl the whole way -- but then you can't shoot
very well).

The number of enemies on this level is approximately as follows.

- dock (guys immediately visible): 2
- camp along river: 2
- in the woods near the camp and along the path up to Delta: about 4
 (note: you will contact these guys immediately upon eliminating the
 first two by the dock)
- behind the comms tower: 1
- around and inside intel shack: 2
- tower 1 and vicinity (including Cook): 4
- tower 2 (near Echo) and immediate vicinity, but excluding ammo dumps: 5
- within Site 1: 2 (note: 1 might run out and attack you; 1 always seems
 to stay in among the boxes)
- within site 2: 1
- tower 3 and vicinity: 7

approximate total: 30.

I may have missed one or two between the insertion area and the comms
tower and I may be overestimating the last tower by 1.  If you are
using loud weapons, enemies may run over from other areas.  (One time
I took out the guy in Site 2 with an M82A1 and 2 or 3 guys from in
front of tower 3 ran in and clobbered Boomer right inside Site 1.)

Note that, as with other levels, the enemies do not seem to be
actually placed in an area until you get inside the area.  You may
have to sneak in to get the game to beam in the enemies, then back
right out to avoid being seen.  This is true for all of the areas
around the towers, for example (at least if coming at them from the
west).

On this level, Able and Bravo can easily end up taking out half or
more of these guys, often before you even see the enemy.  It can be
disconcerting; just get used to it.

The key to the combat on this level is pretty simple: keep your
distance.  Except for the snipers in the towers, the bad guys do not
have weapons with sights and generally cannot see as far as you can,
presumably due to the way the game cuts down visibility past about
medium range.  Most of the enemy carry M14's or machine guns; a few
carry M87's, and the snipers carry M40.  The enemy do not seem to use
binoculars (maybe on higher difficulty levels they do); they prefer to
run into range and then open fire.  The essence of playing this level,
as I play it, is being able to take out the charging enemy before they
get into range.  (The guys that don't charge, such as Site 1, Site 2,
Intel shack, are not challenging.)

The corollary of keeping your distance is figuring out the right
direction to approach a given bunch of enemies.  You want to be able
to see them from a distance so that you can either shoot them without
having them detecting you, or to give you a time buffer in which your
team can shoot time while they run towards you and take up positions
to fire from.

A second corollary is to avoid being surprised by an enemy in close
range because you happened not to notice he was there, because he
happened to be obscured by a tree, bush, hill, or whatever.  You want
to get used to moving a short distance (say 10 meters or less),
quickly panning around with your weapon site or binoculars, and moving
on.  It's also important to keep the team in pretty close proximity,
so they can spot enemies that you happen to miss.

Note on weapons: I usually just go with the defaults from the armory.
Having the team carry at least two SR-25 SD lets them get the snipers
or other enemies that you cannot see in a distance (like the guys in
towers).  The scope on the M4A1-SD is more suited to panning around on
this level, and in case an enemy gets too close, the burst mode is
useful for quickly eliminating enemies before they can open fire (or
if they are already firing).

I have not experimented with other weapons loadouts much, apart from
(for kicks) giving the team the defaults and Kahuna M82A2.  I don't
suggest using that until you are familiar with the positioning of
the enemies.  In some situations you have limited time to make
some shots.

Footnote on equipment: why the game locks in the C4 is unclear. In
limited experimentation I have not been able to find anything that the
game lets you deploy it on.  Having to carry the C4 isn't a problem in
practice because you can immediately pick up M67 (off one of the first
two guys, with regular refills thereafter), and run around with
Satchel, C4, Double Ammo, and M67 -- apparently in violation of the
3-item loadout restriction.

The mission is basically in two parts: disable the comms, and then
eliminate all the remaining enemies, which is about two thirds of
them.  The first part you have to do under time pressure.  The second
part you can take your time and move around the map, at least insofar
as you've previously cleared the areas you want to move to.

3. Walkthrough in detail

A.  Disable Communications

You have to deal with two guards by the dock (immediately visible on
startup), two or three up the path and in the woods to the west and
north, and two at the enemy camp west of the insertion point.  The
guys in the woods are the closest.  I don't find that it makes much of
a difference how you deal with the first two guys.  You can even run
up then order Team Fire at Will and let the team get the kills.

Minor note: from the tall grass, don't try to get the guy on the right
with a head shot.  He is protected by the mystical aura of the
boxes/barrels, which to the game physics extend perhaps 10 inches
higher than they appear to.  In any case, immediately order Team Fire
at Will so they can engage the guys in the woods, up the path, and at
the camp.

Work your way towards the comm tower, in the woods to the left of the
path.  Needless to say, avoid the (mysteriously well-lit) paths.  At
one point after encountering an enemy in the woods to the left of the
path (about halfway between the path and the western boundary wall),
there will be a hill you walk up, and some tall grass just past it.
Go into crouch and use the scope to look for an enemy or two standing
in an open area down below.  Take them out (or let the team do it) and
more forward.

My preferred way of dealing with the radio is to have obtained M67
from enemies earlier and throw two through the door of the comms
shack.  As you approach the shack there is a tree not far from the
west wall with a good view of the door.  From the left side of the
tree, you can make a throw with about 3/4 power to get the grenade
through the door.  I usually throw two or three.

Note that in this situation, you are liable to be in a race with the
enemy.  Depending on your stealthiness earlier, they may be running to
the tower to alert their buddies elsewhere.  One or two of them may
already be in the shack when you get there.  If you can see them just
behind the door in the shack, shoot them, or they'll shoot you while
you toss the grenade.  If they're not immediately visible in the
shack, proceed with tossing the grenades - you want to take out the
radio pretty quickly.  The team will engage the guard positioned
behind (roughly north) of the shack.

Other alternatives to taking out the comms are to shoot the radio (you
are exposed when you run up there) or to place a Satchel on the tower.
Either is risky because of the M14 guy stationed behind the shack.
Using the Satchel is risky because the enemy may sneak into the shack
before it blows, or because Boomer may not clear the area before it
satchel blows.

B.  Obtain Intel

Approach from the hill northwest of the shack.  Unless he ran to the
radio earlier (and probably was taken out by Bravo), one guard should
be walking around to the east or northeast of the shack.

Another guard will be inside (he will have a leather mask over his
head, gimp style).  Rarely, he will also have run off towards the
radio.  Target the outside guy first (or let fireteam take care of
him).  I prefer to shoot the inside guy through the window on the
north side of the shack, from a distance (naturally he will fire out
the window if he sees you).  If you can't see the enemy in the shack
even after approaching from behind trees from the north/northeast,
stealth around the west side, up the stairs, and shoot him through the
door, or behind the door.  Anyway, take him out and grab the map off
the table.

C.  Prevent Enemy Escape, by clearing rest of map

Disregard the tacmap objectives of placing the satchels.  Do this at</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
your leisure after you eliminate the rest of the enemies.

C1.  Tower 1 and vicinity

For tower 1, you have at least three choices -- approach from the
north, from the west, or from the rocks along the southwest.  I like
the approach from the west.  Don't take the path itself.  There are
some bushes just west of the path that runs north/south. You should
have a clear view (from the scope) up to the tower and around its
base.  If you line up so that the tower is in a line with you and the
shack (you can't see the shack; use the tacmap to line yourself up).

If the enemy is not visible near the base of the tower, you'll have to
creep up, then creep back.  (If you creep up but fail to move back,
they will sight you and rain down M87 frags.)  Anyway, there should be
at least one guard (carrying M60) walking around the base.  Target him
and another should come running.  Fireteam can take out the sniper in
the tower.  He usually is armed with M40 but sometimes (maybe
depending on your distance) he will use M87.  When three guards are
down, approach the tower.  I like to have Bravo hold and then come
from the southeast, so I can double-check that fireteam got the guy in
the tower (from the rocks, you can see over into the tower).  If you
need to, clear off the guy in the tower.  Once clear, go up the tower
and target the Cook.  He should be standing over by a fire a short
distance from the shack to the east.  Sometimes he runs back and
forth.  Boomer may already be shooting at him (I have Team Fire at
Will on all the time).

A risk of approaching tower 1 from the North is that the enemies on
the ground may have attracted the Cook's attention.  He'll grab an M14
and come over and join the battle.  For some reason it seems like he
has extra stealth or extra hit points or something, and he can take
out the whole team with the M14 if he gets close while the team is
targeting the sniper.  Also, coming from the north generally brings
you closer to the enemy than coming from the west, so your weapons
lose their comparative scope/distance advantage.

The main risk of coming from the southwest over the rocks is that
you'll make too much noise.  The M60 guy, whenever he's alive, always
seems to hear, and he rushes up and fires pretty much in your face.
(If you are prone, you may not even be able to aim high enough to
target his chest/head.  If you keep shooting him in the ankles/shins
he'll go down, but there's a good chance you will take some damage.)

When coming from the west, I find the main risk is that somehow the
M87 guy will see you and basically just unload his whole magazine.  As
noted, I think the only way to avoid this is, if the enemies aren't on
the map for some reason, just creep in very slowly until the game
beams them in.  When you are doing this, have Bravo hold position west
of the path, so they are in position to sight and engage the enemies
as soon as they appear.  When they call out the enemies, immediately
run back out of sight.

C2.  Tower 2 and vicinity

I have had success approaching from either the northeast (having
cleared tower 3) or the southwest (having cleared tower 1).  The
southwest approach is more reliable; in this approach you have more
space between you and the enemy, enabling you and your team to take
advantage of your superior ranged weapons.

If you use the the southwest approach, move reasonably slowly (in
crouch, not prone) along the wall, panning the area to the
east-northeast.  At some point the enemy figures out you're coming,
and they all run down the hill from near Echo.  As long as your team
is intact it's usually no problem to beat them in the ensuing
shooting.  If you want (say if you're carrying an SR-25 or larger),
have Bravo go first, by gradually moving them along the wall, until
enemies start to approach.  (In several times doing this, I have had
Jester [carrying default M4A1SD] call out 4 enemies and get them all
himself.  I only got the last guy - the sniper.)

If you go in too far or too fast, you're liable to have ~4 enemies
charging at once.  If this happens, take your time and target the ones
that have stopped running first, because a) they're probably going to
immediately start shooting at you, and b) they're easier to hit.  Just
don't panic, and focus on one enemy at a time.

The sniper from the tower seems to abandon the tower, so that saves
you the trouble of otherwise having to clear it.  You can tell he's
firing because he carries an M40 (i.e., unlike other enemies, he will
fire one shot, pause while reloading, and fire another).  The M40 guy
is usually the fifth to come down the hill attacking you.  Sometimes
an M60 guy from Site 1 will run out and attack as well; if so, he is
#6.

Once you work far enough along the wall the camp will come into view.
If you've only taken out 5 guys, look out for two guys, one near the
tents and one near the crates.  Keep a good distance and Boomer will
probably engage one or both.  Of course, if you see them, immediately
engage them yourself as well.

Once site 1 is clear, there is one enemy camped out in Site 2.  He
carries an M60, so again the key is to keep your distance.  Crawl
along the path (just to the right of it, out of the light) from the
southeast corner of Site 1.  You may see him run from left to right
among the crates at Site 2.  Crawl forward and you should be able to
see him soon enough (you should be closer to Site 1 than Site 2 by the
time you see him).  Boomer/Bravo may see him sooner (due to SR-25SD
scope strength) and take him out.  Once he's out, Jester should
announce "Area clear, sir" or similar.  If don't see the Site 2 guy
and are close enough to frag the area, do so.  If that still doesn't
get the "Area Clear" secondary objective, go back and check the tents
in Site 1 (you may have crept past one of the Site 1 guys).

Once the Site 1 and Site 2 areas are cleared, deploy a satchel at Site
2 (on the TNT pile).  For Site 1, wait until the rest of the level is
cleared prior to deploying the satchel.  (One of the other
walkthroughs suggests deploying the satchel but then having Bravo hold
position near Site 1, so that you and Boomer can go clear the rest of
the level.  This works because the satchels don't blow until the whole
team is safely outside the Site 1 and Site 2 boundaries.  However,
this is a poor strategy because you want Bravo to help you clear tower
3 and vicinity.)

C3.  Tower 3 and vicinity.

You have at least three options here.  1) approach from the west; 2)
approach along the wall from the southeast and work your way around
counterclockwise; 3) go up tower 2, have Bravo lure the enemy into
range, and then shoot a bunch of them from the tower (and then clean
up stragglers via approaches #1 or #2).  I like #1 or #3.  The problem
with #2 is that there are enemies just over a hill north of Echo,
south of the camp building.  If they detect you, they will either open
fire at pretty close range, or will go fetch even more enemies, then
come back and open fire.  I am not sure if it's possible to win this
way other than by luck (i.e. you see the enemy before they see you,
because they happen to be looking the other way).  (I have not tried
going prone all the way along the wall.)

For #1 (approach from west) start at the intel shack.  Run up the hill
to the northeast, to the top of the small ridge.  Pass a couple trees,
then go prone and advance slowly.  You will crawl through some tall
grass.  There is an area where level wall (generally to your north)
squeezes south a bit.  You want to be prone well before reaching this
point.  You want to be able to see the tower (so that the team can
take out the sniper) and you need to be able to target guys running in
from points east/southeast of the tower.  Most of them seem to come
along a path just to the right of the tower, but it's possible they
can come from the left (north) side of the tower as well.  One enemy
(carrying M87) gets beamed into the map just west of the tower itself
(I have seen him materialize out of thin air) and you have to take him
out before he unloads on you.

For approach #3 (i.e use tower 2), go up the tower and face the wide
hill to the north.  Position Bravo in the shadow along the wall to
your right, on your side of the hill.  Don't move them over the ridge
or the enemy might do substantial damage to them.  I like to have them
deploy a flashbang near the middle of the ridge (there is a tree
there).  They can make the toss from pretty close to where they are
holding.  This should bring a bunch of enemies running.  Get ready to
take them out quickly.  Fortunately they'll crowd around in one place
and are pretty easy to take out one after another.  The team will chip
in as well.  One or two of them may shoot at you, and I suspect this
approach lowers your Stealth score (presumably they see you up in the
tower), but I have not been killed via this approach in the times I've
played it (carrying M4A1-SD), except when I grabbed the M60 from the
Site 2 guy (I was not able to aim in time and a charging M60 guy got
me).

This approach usually seems to eliminate 4 or 5 enemies, so you have a
couple more to clean up.  You can order Bravo to Ambush, but they seem
to take damage.  Alternatively, leave the tower, run around back
towards the intel shack, and approach tower 3 from the west.  As
above, take out the M87 guy who gets beamed in, and the 1 or 2
remaining enemies, who should run towards you.  You should get the
[Prevent Enemy Escape] objective at this point.  (If it doesn't,
you've somehow left an enemy alive somewhere, so go scour the level.)
Once you get the last enemy, go back to Site 1 and have somebody plant
a Satchel at the TNT pile.  Leave the area to trigger a cut scene of
the satchels blowing, followed by a cascade of messages from HQ, and
successful completion of the level.


MISSION 8 (POW Camp):

1.  Comments:

The graphics in this level are among the best in the game.  The
gameplay is mostly linear, so you get a lot of repeat action.  There
are a variety of different types of firefights, and the enemies can
usually see you from far off if you're out of position.  In general I
find this level has a lot of replay value.

As with other missions, they key to this one is knowing where the
enemy will come from and positioning yourself.  I have followed [DM]
pretty closely on this level, but differ in several of the approaches.
Differences and approaches that I have borrowed are both noted below.

Enemies are located in the following locations/counts.  I believe
these are accurate.  These are listed in the order I play the level.
The last 10 enemies can be engaged in different order, but other than
that, I think you pretty much have to do the level in the order listed
here.  The groupings are in terms of essentially distinct firefights,
where you have plenty of time to walk around and get in position
(within limits) between battles.

- perimeter/entry area: 5
- sentry on rock, and buddies: 3
- first sniper and buddies (Area Two): 3
- second sniper and buddies: 3
- sniper pair near river: 2
- POW camp and Juliet: 5
- Romeo and vicinity: 3
- tents near Foxtrot, last sniper pair, and buddies: 6
- extraction point: 1
- north cave entrance: 2
- south save entrance (will run to north): 2
- cave interior: 3
- outside south cave entrance: 1
- rock north of Whiskey: 1

total: 40

Note: at least one additional guard can appear near Delta if you run
around the area, e.g. go on the rock where you shot the sentry.  I am
not sure if he runs in from one of the later areas and won't show up
later if you eliminate him early, or if he is completely separate and
is specially beamed in to hassle you if you fail to follow the tac-map
closely enough.  I suspect the latter.

Note: an additional guard guard can materialize on the extraction
area.  I suspect this happens if you park a POW in, close to, or
visible from the extraction zone and then move out of the area
yourself.  This can happen when bringing the cave POW out; if you
leave him too close to the extraction zone (including in some parts of
the river), the extra enemy may appear.


2. Walkthrough

NOTE: a number of these steps may require playing through a number of
times to get the exact timing and positioning down.

Armory: team M63 or M60; Kahuna M82A1 or M87ELR (SR-25 if playing on
Ensign).  Probably other weapons for the team will work also.

A. Entry area

In this area, you need to shoot 5 enemies.  You want the team behind
you so they don't get too close and draw fire.  Run more or less
straight ahead (ignore the path) until you hit the level wall, then
take a hard left and run between two giant trees, stopping just past
the trees, behind some plants with leaves that look like lily pads
(they are off the path on the right side).  With the scope, zoom to
the path ahead and you should a large (~2-story) rock to the left of
the path, and two enemies to the right of the rock, and finally some
lower rocks which the path disappears behind off to the right.
Anyway, shoot the enemies, and three more will come from farther up
the path; shoot them all.

Note: you may get a [perimeter area clear] or similar objective after
only shooting 4 guards.  Just wait for the 5th to come along the path
and eliminate him before advancing further.

B. Sentry and buddies

Note: this strategy is basically from [DM]

Run way up the path to the point where the 3 enemies first came
visible (it curves around to the right a little).  Their bodies should
be nearby.  Up ahead to the left of the path is a large tree with an
enormous base.  Don't move too close to it yet (stay a little bit up
the path from where it turns to the right, enough to see the big tree
and the ground in front of it, and move to the right to let Bravo pass
you).  Position Bravo at the base of the tree, maybe a little to the
left side of the base (actually only Jester will go there; Specter
will be farther to the left).  You want them in position to shoot a
couple guys who will come running down the path.  Order them to Cover
Area on the path.  They will refuse to cover too far ahead (possibly
because Specter's line of fire goes through Jester), so just have them
Cover on the path, or to the right of it, as far up as they will let
you order them.  Once Bravo are in position, run up the path.  Just
past the giant tree on the right side is a smaller tree, after which
is a tiny hill that goes up on the right side of the path.  Move
sideways up the hill, watching up the path.  Ahead of you is a large
tree with a Y-shaped fork.  Visible between the branches of the Y is a
well-lit rock area with a guard on it.  The guard is visible in the
distance without using the scope, if you look carefully.  Zoom in to
target the guard.  Take him out quickly.  If he's not visible, you may
have gone too far to the right of the path.  In any case he'll target
you shortly and after a try or two you'll pretty quickly figure out
where he spawns.

Meanwhile, two enemies come from the rock areas on the left side
towards you.  They aren't immediately in your area, but it's hard to
take them out without them getting closer.  (You can wait and try to
ambush them by the rocks to your left, but usually Boomer engages them
first, sometimes winning, but sometimes losing, and causing the enemy
to be on guard when they come into your view, making it risky for you.
So I don't recommend that approach, except maybe on Ensign level.)

So, turn around and run back down the path, passing Bravo.  Where the
path bends to your left (at the point where you shot the guys
earlier), just keep going straight.  You want to make a
counterclockwise loop around the giant rock.  Boomer will be
following.  When he's near/behind the large rock, go back to the
corner of the rock so that the level boundary is on your left and you
can look somewhat up the path.  You want to be pretty far back so that
the enemy can't target you without first running up into Bravo.  You
shouldn't be able to see the tree that Bravo is near, but you should
be able to see the right side of the path near where it passes the
tree.

Anyway, about this time Bravo will be calling out the first of two
enemies.  They may take out the enemies unassisted, but you may be
able to see the enemies running towards you on the path, or to the
right of the path, so shoot at them if you see them.  Or maybe just
shoot along the path anyway - your gunfire may distract the enemies
and give Bravo a better chance of taking them out without taking enemy
fire in return.  Also, of course, if you take out one or both of these
enemies yourself, then they won't be able to do Bravo any damage.
They key to this approach is staying as far back as possible - if you
get too close to the turn in the path, the enemy will see you and will
quickly open fire and you and/or Boomer will take damage.

I usually use the first scope setting (8X) here.

C.  Area Two (near Delta)

Note: this strategy is basically from [DM]

Note: if you end up engaging 4 enemies in this area, it's probably
because you're moving too far away from the level wall.  (Maybe you
can come up with a strategy to reliably take out all 4 enemies.)  The
following strategy deals with just the 3, basically in a low risk
approach, so that you can get on with the rest of the level.

After you attain the objective for clearing the sentry area, run back
up the path towards Bravo, and move to the level wall on the right
side as soon as you can.  At one point you run over a mostly
horizontal rock slab along the way (if you run to the left of the slab
the sniper may spawn before you're in position).

Run along the level wall and sidestep right when you come into view of
the sniper tower.  Take a step back to move up a little bit so as to
be able to spot the sniper in the tower when he spawns.  Order Bravo
to run to Delta.  Zoom in with the rifle.  A sniper will spawn on the
right side of the tower.  He will target you or Bravo.  Anyway, shoot
him immediately.  Since you're in position already this is basically
easy.

Two enemies will be in the area ahead of you, on the other side of the
rock "wall" which is between you and the sniper tower, and which
extends west down a hill.  The general approach here is to bomb them
with M67's as they come around the rock barrier towards your position.
Order Team Fire at Will if you have not already (this is to get Boomer
ready to fire).  Go into crouch.  Move to the left side of the area
between the level wall and the rock barrier to your left.  Move
forward so you are slightly behind the spot where the ground slopes
down.  You can see the tops of some fern-like bushes farther down the
slop.  Equip M67 and aim for a spot on the far wall (the level wall) a
bit to the right of the edge of the rock barrier on your left.  (I
like to have the targeting reticle just to the right of the screen
center, and the closest edge of the rock just to the left of the
screen center.  The rock reflects sunlight in a kind of flat triangle
that appears to point at the crosshairs.)  When you hear the enemies
approach (they will be yelling "aaaaarrrgh", like pirates) throw the
grenade.  Move back and to the right and equip another one, and throw
to the right if you saw the enemy move that way.  Boomer will probably
be moving in and may shoot one or both of the enemies, if the grenade
doesn't get them.  I like to keep fragging them until the game tells
you Area Two is clear.  Move back and to the right and throw another
one (full strength) a little to the left of the first one (this is to
get the second guy, if the first one didn't get him), or over the top
of the rock barrier, against the far wall.  Boomer may be moving in
and shooting the stunned enemies.

Once they're down, refill M67 from the enemies.

D. Second sniper and buddies

[This strategy is based on [DM] but differs slightly]

Move along the level wall counterclockwise in the direction of Echo.
At some point the wall forces you to the left, and there is a large
boulder a short distance from the wall.  (There is a dirt path to the
left/east of the boulder, running back towards the sniper tower you
just cleared.)

Stand at the wall a little northwest of the boulder.  If you look
east, the texture map of the ground looks like a plus sign with a
circle at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal arms of the
plus sign.  To the right of it is an oblong dark area.  Put Bravo
(actually just Jester) on the left portion of the dark area.  (Point
to the spot and order Bravo Run to Crosshairs.)  To the right of where
you are pointing is a kind of path, with the boulder on the left
(east) and the rock and then level wall on the right.  Stand in front
of Jester (being sure not to cause him to move out of your way) and
point down the hill to the south, in the direction of the tree,
and order Bravo to Cover Area.  A guard will come running up
from near the tree (another will hang back by the tree).
Move back onto the rock and go prone.

Get ready to crawl along the wall and onto the rock ledge south of
you.  On the tac-map, locate the sniper tower that you will shortly be
targeting.  When you go prone Boomer may have to run up and get close,
so give him a few seconds.  I like to use 3rd person here.  Crawl
along the level wall.  Try to avoid having the game force you out of
prone, e.g. don't aim too high or move around abruptly.

After you creep upwards a bit, the rock ledge levels off and you come
up to some lily pad type bushes.  Continue moving south and west.
Target the sniper in the tower (you can do this from behind the
bushes).  An enemy should come running up the path; Bravo should take
him out.  Sometimes you can take out the sniper first, other times the
enemy runs up the path first.

Once the sniper and the enemy on the path are out, there is one
additional enemy in this area.  He crouches just to the west (your
right)of the large tree just ahead.  If you stand up he will see you,
and then will stand up himself, and then will see Bravo and attack
them.

[DM] suggests using a grenade (tossed at 7/8 strength, to the right of
the tree).  I like to continue crawling to the right of the ledge,
along the back edge, and then over the right (west) side.  At some
point you drop down, with the bottom of the ledge to your left and a
pretty large tree to your right.  The enemy should be crouching behind
the tree still.  If you target him from here, the game usually blocks
your shot due to your proximity to the rock, so creep behind the tree
and then target him.  Typically (at least on Lt Jr grade) the guard
turns and faces the river, completely away from you, so just take your
time.  If he's standing up, he's either getting ready to target Bravo
(perhaps they were positioned too close, or moved out of position when
engaging the previous enemy), so target him quickly.  Otherwise you
have plenty of time.

Once he's out, move to take out two snipers in the tower to your east,
up the river a bit.  Run towards the river (just north of the third
enemy is fine).  Up the river is a rock outcropping on the right side,
where the river turns to the right.  Move towards the rock
outcropping, but not past it.  Don't let it block your fire.  When you
are close enough forward, an enemy will materialize in the right side
of the tower, and will run up to the front right corner near you.
Shoot him (don't worry about the post).  Then quickly move back a
short distance back down the river, up on land (on the left/north
side), and around the boulder.  Target another sniper in the same
tower who should be running towards you, but on the north side of the
tower (left as you face it).  You usually should be able to see him
running into position towards you.  If you see only his head, take a
few steps back.

Once the snipers are out, get the AKS-74 from the guard that Bravo
shot (it's usually near the edge of the path along the rock).  Get the
ammo from the enemy who was crouched near the tree.

An alternative is to hold onto the sniper rifle for a little while
longer.  The next three areas can be played with either.

E.  POW camp and Juliet

Order Team Follow and follow the tacmap to the southwest corner.  Wait
till the team is caught up.  Once you start up the rock stairs (you
will hear Kahuna warning the team about stray shots near the POW's),
an enemy will basically charge, so don't start up the steps until
you've decided on your strategy here, and once you do start up the
steps, don't stop halfway up.

You have basically two choices - engage the enemy from the base of the
steps, or from the top.  I prefer the approach from the top because
there is a lot of tall grass you can hide behind and you can watch the
enemy charge and shoot them whenever you want.  So, crouch in 1st
person, climb up the stairs, and when you get to the top, you barely
have to move, maybe just sidestep to the left a little to get a little
lower down.  Just be sure to be crouched.

An enemy should be charging, or about to charge.  Use the binoculars
or sniper scope to watch for charging enemies through the
grass/plants.  I like to give the first guy a little time to run
before shooting him.  This lets him get some yells out, which I think
might help in attracting the other enemies (you want them all to
charge if at all possible, since eliminating them this way takes the
least amount of time and is the safest approach for you).  So, as long
as he's still running, let me him make some noise, then shoot him.  If
he stops running, he may be targeting you, so take him out.  Generally
enemies don't seem to fire while they're running (at least not on
easier levels of difficulty). In general, just don't panic here - you
probably have a little more time than you might initially think.
The binoculars make the enemy look much closer than they really.
Take your time and aim properly, aiming up a little to compensate
for your position, and to avoid shooting the ground in front of you.

In total there are 5 enemies in this area, including Magnus, who you
heard the enemy complaining about on the radio earlier.  Magnus has
roughly double hit points so shoot him 4 times (or more) with the AKS,
twice with M82A1 or M87ELR, or some appropriate other number of times
if you're using another weapon.

Be sure to count the number of enemies you shoot here.

If Magnus fails to charge, he will probably be in the POW camp
patrolling around.  You can target him from the back entrance to the
camp, around the 6-sided rock that shows up on the tac-map.  He may be
standing in the east side of the camp (near a POW) looking in your
direction, so be careful.  Alternatively, you can work your way along
the cliff and target him through the front gate or over the fence;
just keep your distance and don't let him see you.  Before using this
approach though, make sure the 5th regular Merc is taken out.

The 5th guard may also fail to charge.  If he doesn't, he will usually
camp out under the guard tower near Juliet.  Target him using
binoculars from the west or southwest, not from the south (he will be
covering the path along the POW camp wall).  For an easy shot, run
down the stairs, along the west wall, and then to use the sniper tower
if you want, or just fire from the ground.  Alternatively, from the
spot at the top of the steps, move left (north) towards the river.  If
you shoot him but you're not sure he's dead, go back down the steps and
check from the west side.

Once 5 enemies are confirmed kills, order Bravo to run to Juliet and
move to the entrance of the POW camp.  Note: don't bother restraining
the POW's till later.  All you have to do is look into the camp to get
the [Verify POW location] objective.

F. Guards around Romeo

Note: this strategy differs from [DM].  I am not sure if it works on
higher levels of difficulty.  I suppose it depends if the game gives
the enemies a greater distance of vision.  This strategy works with
a sniper rifle, or with AKS/machine gun aimed with binoculars.

Bravo should be holding at Juliet.  Order Able to hold fire.  Go to
the entrance to the POW camp and face Juliet (roughly southeast).  The
general idea here is simply to crawl to the edge and target 3 enemies
through the binoculars.  At some point you should crawl over a plant
that looks like a fern, and another one should be up ahead at a kind
of shallow "V" shape in the cliff edge.  I like to crawl in 1st
person.  Just be sure you are clear of the ground when you fire.  Two
guards will run from the ground up to the porch of the shack (they may
already be there, depending when you saw them and how fast you were
moving).  Target the one on the right side first, then the one on the
left.  Finally a third will be near some trees to the right, further
back.

If you are in the right position (at least on Lt JG level), the guards
will look around but will not see you and will not fire their weapons.
If you are farther towards the southeast, but still at the top of the
cliff, they can see you and will return fire.

On Lt JG level, this strategy is 100% foolproof.  I am curious to see
if the approach works on higher levels of difficulty.

G. Tents, last sniper tower, and vicinity

This strategy follows [DM] pretty closely.

From the front of the POW camp, there is a path down the cliff towards
some tents marked on the tac-map (they should be visible with the
naked eye, certainly with the binoculars).  The game spawns the
enemies when your (or somebody on your team) moves a certain distance
down the hill (maybe halfway, I'm not sure).  Two enemies will spawn
in the camp just down the hill (near the tents); two more in the
sniper tower just to the east of the tents; and a final two further
east, who will approach on foot.

So, don't move down the main path.  The basic strategy is to position
Bravo at the top of the path so they can fire down into the camp to
take out the first two guys, while you move around the side, down the
cliff facing Romeo, and around the side through the gap in the rock at
the bottom (the gap is visible in the tac-map).

To position Bravo, find the small ridge that runs perpendicular to the
main path.  The ridge intersects the main path near where a side path
runs behind a large rock on right side of the main path.  Position
Bravo behind the ridge, on the right side of the path.  Point to the
area in front of the tents and order Bravo to Cover Area.

Move back towards where you targeted the enemies at Romeo (the
quickest way is through the short path between the rock), and move to
the corner left/north of where you fired.  You can slide down the rock
here unharmed.  At the bottom, follow the cliff on the left side to
where the gap opens up.  Move to the right side of the gap.  Bravo
should call out an enemy.  He'll be in the wide open area in front of
the tents.  If you're quick you may see him fall over from being shot
by Bravo.  The second enemy will be a little behind him, initially out
of your vision on the other side of the first tent.  From the gap you
may see his AKS-74 sticking out past the left edge of the closer of
the two tents.  If he's visible, move forward in the rock gap and
shoot him, being careful not to come into range of snipers in the
tower.  Or, just let Bravo take care of him.  He may do some damage to
Bravo.

Note: In all of this, Boomer may have decided not to follow you down
the rock face and may be coming down the main path, in plain view of
the enemy.  If the latter, he may or may not survive, depending on the
game difficulty level you're playing on.

Immediately after the second tent-area enemy is out, order Bravo to
run to Juliet.  This is for their protection; if you don't move them
they will be shot up by the snipers in the tower just east of the
tents, or by the guys approaching on foot.  In any case, move toward
the opening in the gap, and use the binoculars to target the first
sniper (he is usually on the right side, and may be facing away from
you).  When he's out, usually a second sniper appears, often on the
left side.  You can leave the second sniper for later, if you think
the next two guys may be bearing down on you.

The last two enemies move in from the east.  You have a little time
before they show up, but don't take too long eliminating at least the
first sniper.  Depending on where you have fired from (if you've fired
at all yet), at least one of the last two enemies may approach along
the south side of the rock/cliff on your east.  This is problematic.
So, try not to fire too far south.  The simplest thing is probably to
just take out the first sniper, then move back against the right side
of the rock (protected from the second sniper); wait for the two
enemies to approach on the ground (target them as they walk into view
at the north edge of the rock gap), and then take out the second
sniper.

An alternative is to quickly take out the second sniper and then run
into one of the tents.  If Boomer is still around, he will linger near
the entrance and may take out the enemy for you.  However, if they
kill him, they are liable to continue up the path and do damage to
Bravo as well, so this isn't the best strategy.  If Boomer is not
around (either incapacitated earlier, or stuck on the rock where you
slid down), and you do take out both snipers quickly, then this may be
a feasible strategy.  If the enemies haven't seen you go into the
tent, they will casually approach (making their usual noises) and you
can target them very easily just standing in the back of the tent
(either one works, but the south one requires slightly less exposure
while you run into it).

When done, refill ammo from dead enemies or from the tents.

Note: if you climb up the sniper tower, or up the rock on the east
side of the gap that you hid in at the beginning of the firefight, the
enemy at the extraction zone can target you, so be careful.  (The rock
on the east side of the gap can be climbed starting from the southwest
corner.)

H. Extraction area, Caves, and area around Whiskey

Note: this strategy is mostly different from [DM].  It may not work on
higher difficulty levels, but seems fine so far.

First, run over the bridge near Foxtrot.  Turn left on the path, and
then run up the cliff (you can climb it, no need to go around on the
path) overlooking the river and extraction area.  Spot an enemy
standing in the middle of the extraction area.  Take him out and run
back down to the river.

Run up the river, staying on the right side.  Once you get close
enough to the cave entrance (don't run all the way up to it or through
it just yet), two enemies stationed just inside will come out and
engage you.  Take them out from the river and then move into the cave.
(I believe you cannot shoot out the lights in here.)  Up ahead, the
cave drops into a water area.  Two more guards will be moving in your
direction.  Target them from the dry ground above where the water
intersects the north part of the cave.  They will run in the water and
then come into view at pretty close range (the rock on the south side
of the path you're on prevents them from seeing you).

Finally, there are three enemies in the interior part of the cave.
They spawn (or anyway, they start making their "yaarrrrrrr" charging
noise) when you get in the water, close enough to them.  I like to
target them from the north.  Move into the water area and stay close
to the left side of the wall.  There is an opening that they'll come
through in the east side of the water area; target them as they come
through the opening, but don't get too close.  Usually one guy comes
through by himself, then maybe 5 seconds later, two more come through.
Just be sure to remember to reload after engaging the first enemy.

Using grenades against the last 3 cave enemies can be done, but you
have to do it quickly.  Also, you have to avoid hitting the cave roof
with your throw(s).  I have had success deploying smoke in/near the
opening that the enemies have to move through, or anyway I was able to
shoot the first guy without even seeing him, or being shot at
(although usually they don't get any shots off, so maybe it's not
really necessary to use smoke).  It might work to deploy several
there.  Note: I have *not* had success having Boomer deploy the smoke.
As usual he runs up too close and gets shot.  (Actually the one time I
tried it, the enemies shot at him and hit me too since I was in the
line of fire.  So that's two mistakes - having Boomer deploy the item,
and being in the wrong place.)

Once the 7 cave enemies are out, go up the northeast arm of the cave
and restrain the POW.  You should get the [Clear Caves] objective
right after restraining him.  Have him follow you down to the opening
in the water area where you shot the last 3 cave guards, and have him
hold there.  Then run down the south section of the cave (no need to
be stealthy, there are no more enemies in the cave).  The south cave
entrance opens into a rock ramp that runs downwards further to the
south, and then a path at ground level curves around back north
towards the shack at Whiskey.  A guard patrols in this area.  He never
seems to be near the cave entrance when I show up (presumably he
spawns on the lower ground only when you get close enough to the
area).  Run out the cave entrance onto the rock, then run back in and
target him from within the cave.

When he's eliminated, run back north through the cave, pick up the
POW, and continue out the north entrance along the river.  Near the
bridge, order the POW to hold position in the river.  Then run around
the other side of the extraction area, and up the ramp to the top,
being ready to target a newly beamed-in merc on the other side of the
extraction zone, in case the game puts on in.

From the top of the extraction zone, target the remaining enemy near
Whiskey.  This strategy is straight out of [DM].  From the top of the
extraction zone, move to the sloped area near the guard tower.  Use
the binoculars to examine the rocks in the direction of the shack.
Faintly visible should be the head/shoulders of an enemy on the other
side of a large rock.  You can take him out with a head shot (as [DM]
points out, he jumps up if you shoot at him), or with several shots if
the first doesn't do it.  (I have taken him out with AKS-74, obviously,
but also with M63, so range doesn't seem to be a problem.)

This should be the last enemy you need to take out, but be aware of
additional enemies being beamed into the extraction zone.  Anyway, at
this point go retrieve the two from the camp.  I like to order Bravo
to run to Zulu at this point, just so they don't get in the way of the
POW's when they come down the path. Guide the two from the camp down
to the area between the tents, then order them to hold position, and
go fetch the 3rd from the river.  When they're all together, guide
them along the path and then up to the extraction zone.

Use some care to avoid getting the POWs stuck permanently on objects.
One time I ran out ahead to double check that the extraction zone was
clear (I think Bravo had been incapacitated), and I must have made a
steep climb from the path up to the flat part on the top of the
extraction zone.  One of the POWs got stuck on the rock there just
below the extraction zone and couldn't be moved with any combination
of ordering him to hold position, moving around, ordering him to
follow, or even going up to him and crowding him.  So just guide the
POWs up the main part of the path, avoiding steep inclines, and you
should be fine.

Note: as I understand it, if a POW is shot, the mission fails.  (I
assume the enemy will shoot at restrained POW's, but not unrestrained
POW's.)  Oddly enough, in playing this level many, many times, I don't
think I have ever actually had a POW get shot, since you're really
only moving them around after all the hard parts are already over.

MISSION 9 (Mountain Assault):

1.  General comments

Unlike mission 7, this one is nominally set in the daytime, yet it's
bona fide jungle and the NVG comes in handy outside.  About 80% of
this level occurs outside, with the remaining 20% inside the bunker
entered from Zulu.  Unlike some other levels, this one tends to get
easier as you go along, with the possible exception of some
hard-to-see snipers.

The number of enemies in this level is quite a bit higher than
previous levels, something like 56 by my count.  On the other hand, a
lot of them are indistinguishable from each other because at a number
of spots, you basically just camp in one place and shoot one after
another as they charge.  This all takes time, so this seems to be one
of the longer missions (lately I have been taking about 35 minutes to
play through).

Enemies are located in roughly the following counts and locations.

- bridge and river area just northwest of insertion area: 5
- charging from bushes area towards (into, if you let them) river: 4
- other side of bushes and along path leading through rocks north: 6
- sniper towers: 2
- near Delta: 6
- near Foxtrot: 8-10
- on path between lasing bunker 1 and bunker 2: 2
- near bunker 2: 4
- sniper near Zulu: 1
- coming over the hill from direction of bunker 3: 2
- around Zulu: 6
- bunker, upper level: 2
- bunker, stairs to second level: 2 (but see below)
- bunker, second level, fusebox room: 3-4
- bunker, beyond locked door, guarding Norris: 3

total: 56-59

2.  Walkthrough

note: this mostly follows [DM], with a few exceptions.

Armory: Able: M4A1-SD, double ammo, smoke, flashbang (note: you augment
       this with frags immediately, from dead enemies)
      Bravo: AKS or 552, double ammo, smoke, flashbang

A.  Bridge and enemies in immediate vicinity, and second wave of
oncoming enemies

This may be the hairiest battle of the level, but you get a lot of
easy replay on it, so it's hard to say.

Turn on NVG and head to your right, and back.  At some point you
should be able to identify a guard on the bridge.  Shoot him.  (I
don't use the scope because of the kickback.)  Immediately order Team
Fire at Will and Bravo Hold Position.  Move around to the right side
of the tree, being careful not to move too far right.  If you can,
shoot the second bridge guard, who should be running towards the
staircase on the far side of the rock ridge.  Another two guards will
be (now or shortly) on the right, on the far side of the river.  One
other guard will be running.  The guy in the second tower is
practically impossible to see from the ground.  I rely on Aim Assist,
but I don't know if that works in higher levels.  toward your general
position from the left side.

Once the guards are down, move towards the left side of the river.  In
the midst of the bushes and grass on your side of the river
(south/east), there is green spot a few feet in diameter.  Point to it
and order Bravo run to crosshairs.  Continue moving yourself up to the
last bunch of grass on the south (left) side of the river.  You'll be
under the bridge (or close to it) with rock behind you and the tall
grass and then river in front of you.  You should be able to see the
rope/wood ladder up to the bridge over you.  Shortly enemies will
start coming around or through the bushes.  Able and Bravo do a good
job taking them out.  If an enemy tries to climb the stairs, take him
out.

To get things going, throw a frag (or flashbang, if you haven't
managed to pick up M67 yet) towards the bush.

You can wait for 4 enemies to rush, or stay in position and get a few
more of the other ones as well.

B. Path leading north (south of towers)

At some point (with Bravo still holding), run across the river, along
the wall, and into the bushes near the base of the ladder.  Use NVG to
see through the bushes.  Don't move too far north or west.  You may
want to order Able to hold fire.  There are two enemies patrolling
around to your west.  You may see them walk from the west to the north
(left to right) on or around the trees on the west side of the path
that leads north.  Another couple of enemies are farther north up the
path.  Depending on the number of enemies you eliminated from your
position across the river, from one to three enemies may come towards
the bushes to investigate, so you have to sort of watch west,
northwest, and your immediate north.

Once all but one enemies are left, move a little north, still along
the wall.  You will be near some smaller bushes (which the enemies can
see past), just north of the main really bushy bush you were just
hiding in.  Throw one or two M67's over the rock wall to the north.
Creep to the west to see if the last enemy is dead.  If not either
shoot him or move back to the wall and throw another grenade.  (Boomer
may also take him out.)

Before moving on, refill M67.

C. Sniper towers

Order Bravo to run to a spot near the concrete barriers, south of
where the path narrows.

Per [DM], before coming into view of the first tower, deploy a couple
AN-M8 rounds on the path up ahead, especially in the middle areas
where the sniper has the best view.  You come into view pretty quickly
(maybe quicker than you'll think), so be careful.

Run along the wall.  To target the second tower, you want to be
west/southwest of the first tower.  Use aim assist to find the second
sniper.  He will be a in the bushes, lower down than you might think.
(It's possible that you're shooting diagonally upwards through the
staircase opening here.)  When aim assist finds him, just shoot off a
few rounds until it doesn't find him anymore.

I like to to target the first sniper with M67.  Just south of the
tower, on the sloped ground that comes north from the main path, aim
with full strength up over the left side.  You may end up hitting the
bottom of the netting on the top of the tower.  Be careful not to
throw too weakly, or you may take out Boomer and/or hurt yourself.  A
second or third throw may be necessary.  When he's out, the game
should give you the [Clear Towers] objective.

The other obvious approach is to climb the staircase and club the guy.
I find he sometimes gets off a shot with this pistol, so I prefer the
M67.  Be careful though; he can shoot you through the staircase
opening if you get too close to the tower.  If you do take the stairs,
the second tower guard may do you damage once you're up there, so it's
risky.  It's possible to pick up the first guy's M82A1 and take out
the second guy, but again, if the second guy sees you, it's risky.


D. Enemies near Delta

After the snipers are down, order Team Follow and move up the path.
Once you get on the north side of the first tower, where the path
heads west, 3 enemies will begin moving towards you.  I like to go
around through the bushes on the left of the path, then crouch down in
the middle, maybe 1/4 or 1/3 of the way from the east end of the path
to the west end.  At some point it gets quite dark down near the
ground and you can safely take out the three guys (although here I
like to go full auto in case any get too close).  Following them, one
will come around the rock from the southwest, and two more will come
from down the path.  The key here is just to let them come into view
while you're well east on the path.  At some point, on the main path,
there is some grass.  I like to crawl up to that, but not past it.

If you really love this level you might try playing all the way
through with the weapon you started with (not starting with M63A or
AK-47), i.e. completely forgoing ammo refills.  Otherwise, now is a
good time to pick up an enemy weapon and load up on ammo.  Whatever
you pick up, just be sure not to pick up a pistol unintentionally -
this will cause you to drop the laser designator, which may disappear
before you realize you need it.  (You can have Bravo lase for you but
they sometimes refuse to do so if your positioning is not to their
liking.)

E. Enemies near Foxtrot

Continue up the path north from Delta, skipping the side path that
leads towards the second sniper tower.  At some point the path
northwards is blocked by a rock cliff, with an opening to the east.
Just south of this is a rise with some bushes.  Position Bravo behind
the bushes.  If you go through the opening to the east, fairly
shorting enemies will materialize.  Go through and fire a few shots,
or toss a grenade.  Move back to through the opening and get in
position to fire on enemies rushing through the rock narrowing.  There
are something like 8-10 in this area that you want to take out.  At
least one M82A1-armed sniper is in the area; often (or maybe always)
he is on top of the rock just east of Foxtrot.  You may need to dash
through the opening to draw out the remaining enemies.  If they're
approaching from the distance you can target them.  Otherwise,
withdraw all the way out - don't try to hide behind the grass bunches
in the opening itself.

Once you're comfortable the area is reasonable clear, order Team
Follow and move to Foxtrot.  Go into prone.  Move just to the west of
the middle of foxtrot.  Some short bushes should be to your north,
then a ridge, then a large tree, and finally in the distance, bunker
one.  Equip NVG and the designator and try to spot bunker one just on
the left side of the large tree.  Try to stay as far south as
possible, due to snipers in the bunker.  You can probe around with the
designator (the game doesn't let it "fire" on an invalid target).

F. Enemies near second and third bunkers

After bunker one is out, you want to follow the path around as it goes
east, then northeast, the north.  Use NVG to increase your distance of
vision.  Just as the path curves to the northeast will be on guard
standing in the path.  You can shoot him or toss an M67 over the rock.
Some distance north, before the path starts to go upwards, will be a
second enemy.  He sometimes moves between the main path and a small
opening in the rock on the left side of the path.  Other times he
stays in the opening.  The easiest way to target him is with an M67
from roughly the south, over the rock on the left side of the opening.

Farther north the path starts to slope upwards.  At some point a rock
or tree extends like a narrow ramp down onto the path in front of you.</pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
Wait on the left side behind the obstruction for the next few enemies.
Use NVG to see them.  They should come from the left, charging down.
If you stand too far to the right, they can see you from a longer
distance (I think), and may injure the team.  I believe three enemies
will charge.  The third may hold back and you have to move into the
brush at the top of the hill before engaging him.

Once three charging enemies are out, crouch and move forward
cautiously.  There is a sniper on a ledge up ahead in the direction of
Zulu.  He can reach you in the bushes if you stand up, so be very
careful.

Take out the second bunker, and shortly two enemies will approach from
the path to the west.  They will be coming down the wide hill and
should be pretty visible as they approach.  When these enemies are
down, move up the path towards bunker 3.  At some point the path
branches north/northwest towards Zulu.  Park Bravo there and continue
on the path towards bunker three, taking it out from a comfortable
distance.

Once bunker three is out, you can swap the designator for a pistol if
you want.  You shouldn't need it for combat (if you're using M63A you
should have plenty of ammo left still), but if you're superstitious it
might make less noise when shooting lights inside the bunker.

On the approach the entrance to the bunker at Zulu, you have to go
through a fairly narrow path in the rock, moving from west to east.
There are a bunch of enemies near the entrance, or just inside the
bunker.  You want to draw them out and through the path.  I like to
keep Bravo a fair distance away, otherwise it gets too tight and
you're liable to lose somebody.  You can target the enemies
approaching from either behind the bushes along the path, facing east,
or from the south of the path, with the wall to your right as you face
north.  Maybe toss a grenade or two over the rock from west to east to
ensure that the enemies keep coming.

If the sniper from before is still around, he will be in a pretty
close position to where it was before, over on the hill/ledge
overlooking the bunker opening.  If you stay along the north wall you
may be able to come around him from the north then northeast without
him seeing you.

G. Bunker

If you eliminated all the enemies prior to entering the bunker, there
are just two on the top level.  Otherwise, once you're in the bunker,
watch for a charging enemy after you get past the immediate staircase
and down into the first stretch of tunnel.

Shoot out the lights as you go.

On the top level, continue forward (passing stairs down, on your
left).  There is a room with some tables and a metal box or two on
them.  The path continues out this room (it jogs to the left) then
around a corner to the left.  Shoot the light just past the room and
very shortly two enemies will come around the corner.  They should be
easy kills in the dark.  Continue down the path and make the left
turn.  In a room just ahead is one battery.  There is a second battery
on the right side of the path (as you continue down it) farther ahead.
At the end of the path is a big set of metal doors, that you might
have noticed outside, northeast of Foxtrot.

Once the two batteries are disabled, move towards the stairs down to
the second level.  Position Bravo off to the side (from the direction
you came from is fine).  When you get far enough down the stairs, two
enemies will spawn and come up the stairs at you.  You can toss an M67
down the staircase at them, but be careful, the distances are much
shorter than you're used to outside.

Once the two charging enemies are down, leave Bravo holding and move
down the staircase.  A light comes into view as you near the bottom of
the staircase.  Take it out.  A second is off to the left.  Take it
out, or engage the enemy up ahead if they are coming into view.  One
enemy initially runs out from the room, and two more may be visible
moving around in the darkness.  You can usually shoot them from a good
distance.  There is a third battery on the left side of the path here.
I like to disable it.  I'm not sure if it's necessary to disable the
fusebox *and* the third battery, or if either by itself is sufficient.
Once you get close enough to the room that the enemies were (and may
still be) in, through an M67 through the door just to see if they're
around.  [DM] reports that they hide behind boxes, but in my
experience (easier levels only), they crouch down and move around, but
are still easily visible from a good distance.

From this last room, the fusebox is just ahead.  There should be an
open door in a diagonal wall off to the left.  Look through it and see
if there is an enemy at the entrance of the last door, to the room
with Norris.  If so, take him out.  Either way, position Bravo so that
when you disable the fusebox, they can see through the door forward to
the door of the last room.  Open the fusebox door and cut the wires.
Either point to the last door and order Bravo to Bang and Clear, or
just go in and shoot the last two mercs yourself.  The darkness gives
you good cover, but Bravo hasn't let me down here either.

----

Additional note on this level: One time, I believe just after taking
out the second bunker, I got a message to the effect of "Major Norris
is dead", and the mission failed.  I'm not sure what caused this.  I
can think of three possibilities.  One, I deployed some M67's in the
vicinity of the impenetrable bunker door near foxtrot (this was
probably just for good measure, throwing over the rock just east of
Foxtrot, to take out the sniper(s) on the rock near Foxtrot).  It may
be the case that if you attack the front door, or the area near it,
the enemy becomes alerted and they initiate the execution of Norris
(presumably it takes a while for them to run to his position and do
it).  A second possibility, less likely it seems to me, is that for
unrelated reasons I happened to lose Boomer near Foxtrot (this happens
often, I guess I'm too impatient to get the enemy through the rock and
I end up going and getting them, and Boomer ends up lingering near the
entrance and engaging them at close range) and one of Bravo near the
spot to engage the second bunker.  Maybe the sniper at Zulu (who I am
not sure I hit, or maybe he ran away) spotted the enemy and somehow
sent word to his buddies.  Finally, a third possibility is that for
whatever reason I simply took too long to progress through the level,
and the enemies somehow worked their way back into the Bunker (instead
of being engaged by me, I guess) and decided to kill Norris.


MISSION 10 (Prison Break)

1. General Comments

There are several choices you can make when playing this mission - to
use stealth or not at the start; where inside the prison to base your
assault; and whether to take on the Hind (or to beat it out of there).

Personally I get tired of having to replay the early parts of this
mission, so I opt to just get it over with as quickly as possible.
Hence, I make little attempt to avoid detection early on.  Also, I
usually attempt to avoid taking on the chopper.  (Realistically, if
SOCOM HQ can airdrop in 4 guys, they ought to be able to spare a
Stinger missile or two for the chopper.)

I have not attempted a close count of enemies.  Also, I am writing
this about a month after having played it, so the description here may
have some gaps.

2.  Walkthrough

Armory: team: M4A1-SD, double ammo, frag

A. South side of canyon

Just practice running up and rifle-butting the two guys on the other
side of the rock.  (Run right, then go along the rock, then go for the
guy on the right, then turn and get the guy on the left.)

Note: at any time after this, the alarm may sound - if enemies see one
of their own being attacked, or if you fire a loud weapon.  Ignore the
alarm.

Follow the rock wall along to the right.  There should be an enemy
along the path either on the south (your current) side of the canyon,
near where the path opens up at the top.  Or, he may be farther down
the path, or on the other side.  Take him out.  Another enemy will be
on the north side, along the rocks on the top, moving from the
right/east wall to the left, but not as far as the bridge.  You may
need to use the scope to see him.  A third enemy will walk across the
bridge.

B. Remaining enemies outside, on south side

When these guys are out, get the AKS-74 from the first or second guy.
Go onto the bridge, part way up, watching for enemies, using NVG.  You
want to move close enough that the game beams them in, but not close
enough for them to see you.  You can shoot out a few lights to assist
not being seen.

An enemy should be on the far side, down near the bridge support.  You
may have to back up to target him.  Another several should materialize
on the north cliff side, varying distances from the cliff edge.
Another enemy will run in from the east.  One or two should be visible
on top of the wall/stairs area just inside the gate, to one side or
the other.

C. Remaining enemies to be targeted from outside prison wall

When the front gate and west front areas are clear, go back across the
bridge, down the path, across the canyon, and up the path on the north
side.  This is all to avoid the guard in the southeast tower.  Move
north along the east rock level boundary.  Shoot the guard in the
southeast tower when he comes into range.

Move north along the east edge.  When you get close enough a guard
will materialize in the northeast tower; take him out and move to the
prison wall, south of the northeast corner.  An enemy on foot outside
the prison should advance from the north side of the wall.  You may
have to move past the north edge of the prison wall to instantiate
him.

Move to Delta.  Here we want to take out the generator, which is
inside the wall, southwest of your position.  Enemies may be inside
the wall, immediately south of your position.  Stand (if you have been
crouching) and equip M67.  Climb the wall where it offers and throw an
M67 to the base of the generator.  If enemies are visible, move back
down the wall immediately after throwing the grenade (don't watch it
land and especially don't wait for it to blow).  This should take care
of the generator.  If it didn't, you can risk a second throw, or try a
long-range toss from over the wall.  More commonly, you'll probably
just figure out how to get the throw right the first time, from
accrued practice.

Have Bravo hold at Delta.  Move west to the corner, then south to the
next corner.  You have to target the remaining guard tower, while also
avoiding a sniper that materializes on the roof of the armory (the
armory is the large building on the west end of the prison).  Once
you're at the concave wall corner, move west along the wall, and
target the enemy in the tower.  If he's looking out to the west, his
head will be immediately visible.  Other times, you'll have to wait
for him to come into view.  Once he's out, move back to the wall on
the east, look towards the armory, and move north, targeting the
armory sniper.  The ground here is uneven so you may have to move
around a bit to bring him into view.

D. Diversion/prison insertion

To get Pickle out of the prison, you need at some point to blow a hole
in the prison wall by way of satchel applied to a wall crack near
Charlie.  You have a choice - you can assault the prison from this
hole, or you can come in over the wall from Delta.  Personally I
prefer Delta.  [DM] recommends Charlie, followed by a risky assault on
the Armory, followed by a low-risk in-place mow-down of the remaining
enemies from the armory stairs.  Personally I find the armory assault
too risky, and to subject to random screw-ups and game annoyances
(guys materializing out of thin air; inability to fire properly in the
vicinity of doors, etc).

Anyway, what I do is probably what the game wants you to do, which is
to apply the satchel, run back to Delta, and go over the wall as the
enemies turn to run towards the armory.  Generally you want to move in
the opposite direction of the enemies, i.e. to the northeast corner.

I like to hide out in/around the building at the northeast corner.
However, be careful about enemies getting beamed practically on top of
you, triggered by your moving around the area.  Just move around the
outside of the building gradually.  Enemies that materialize tend to
run toward the armory, making them easy targets.  It's possible an
enemy can be beamed into the guard tower (this may have happened, I
can't remember for sure), so just be careful.  If no enemies are
around, move around the building, slowly expanding a radius of
"cleared area".  Have Bravo hold inside the northeast building,
watching the door.

Eventually you need to get into the armory (prefer the door on the
west side).  Have Boomer deploy a frag inside, or use one yourself.
Once inside, take out the enemy on the stairs (or upstairs), then move
to the level area halfway up the stairs and wait for remaining enemies
to approach, and take them out.  Once enough time passes and you think
they're all out, get Pickle's map from either the upstairs or
downstairs of the armory.  This makes a lot of work later optional.

Once you have the map, run around the rest of the inside of the
prison, just to mop up any remaining enemies, e.g. near the entrance
gate.  But, be careful around the jail cell area; two remaining guards
are inside.

E. Pickle rescue proper

Position Bravo in the middle of the camp, just to watch out for any
stragglers you may have failed to take out earlier.

Be careful around the entrance to the jail.  Use M67's to bomb the two
guards inside.  You may have to shoot them through the door; as usual
firing through doors exposes you to game bugs, so move around and/or
apply overkill.  You may be able to coax one guard out the door.

Once the two guards are out, find Pickle and restrain him.
Immediately after restraining him, order him to follow.

Here you have a choice.  You can run for the extraction zone, or you
can park Pickle in a safe place, then stick around and fight it out
with the returning Hind, and then fight your way past the remaining
enemies on the ground.

If you run for the extraction zone, the enemies in that area will not
be present, and you can make it out in time (i.e. before the Hind
arrives).  Just order team to follow and follow the tacmap path,
generally staying clear of structures and not taking any too-sharp
turns.  Don't stop too often and wait for everyone to catch up; if you
keep running, they will too (but don't get too far ahead that they run
into a wall or something).  Stick to the middle of the path and you
should reach the extraction zone without a problem.  You may hear the
Hind approaching as you get there.

F. Shoot down the Hind (optional)

Park Pickle somewhere safe (the Hind will target him if he's visible
to them), e.g. the jail cell inside the building in the northeast
corner.

The best and probably most obvious way to take out the Hind is to use
an AKS-74 on full auto.  [DM] says it takes two clips, but it may be a
bit less in easier levels.

To avoid being shot, you just have to keep moving.  Some of the
buildings have doors with little awnings that offer modest
concealment, but not much protection.  I'm not sure if it's better to
run in a straight line between buildings, or to run out a door, shoot
for a bit, then run back into the door you ran out.  In any case, keep
moving, and don't get stock on obstacles (or on Boomer, if he's still
around).  Also, it helps a lot (obviously) to start with full health.

Per [DM], when you're shooting the Hind, watch for a burst of smoke to
come out once you've fatally disabled it.  It may not stop shooting at
you, however, until it's out of range.

Once you shoot down the Hind you have to clear 8-10 enemies outside
the prison, on the approach to the extraction zone.  Keep Pickle
guarded by Bravo and go clear the whole area yourself, them come back
and get him.  Clear the area slowly, and be sure to climb the wall on
the right side (if you are facing the path towards the extraction
zone) to get the last enemy or two on the walkway that you have to go
under to get to the extraction zone.  Refer to [DM] for specifics if
any of this part gives you trouble.


MISSION 11 (Mouth of the Beast)

1.  General comments

Even though the hard part is near the end, necessitating a pretty
decent amount of fairly repetitive replay, for some reason I have
special fondness for this mission.  There is a pretty good variety of
enemies and terrain to deal with.  The graphics are decent.  Racing
against the clock always makes it interesting.

The story line here is rather improbable (I suppose they all are --
this one is just more so).  If any group like the Sadikahu actually
acquired nuclear weapons, the last thing they would do is waste them
blowing up their own base.  The existing gameplay dynamics, which work
pretty well, could be obtained with a more realistic storyline: a 1:00
race to secure the nukes before, say, the enemy can extract them via
chopper (so stick a back door on the last part of the cave, no
problem).  Have the chopper flee if you shoot all the enemies before
the chopper arrives.  Or, have the game make you fight through the
enemies to reach a convenient (and not unrealistic) cache of Stinger
missiles, which you can then use to easily shoot down the chopper.
(If you beat the enemies in 1:00, the rest should be easy, this late
in the game.) For the subsequent race against the clock to the
extraction zone, have several hundred local sympathizers (Taliban
types) arrive on foot if you're not out by 7:00.


2.  Walkthrough

Armory:  team: 2x ammo, frag, flashbang, Mark-23SD
        Able: SR-25SD
        Bravo: 552

note: the Mark-23SD is to be able to quietly shoot out one important
light just before reaching the nukes.  The SR-25SD is for just the
initial assault before entering the caves, and is replaced by AKS-74
after the radio is out.  The choice of 552 for Bravo comes from [DM].
They seem to do tolerably well with it, and the distinctive firing
sound makes it clear who's shooting.  (I tend to freak out if I hear
an AKS-74 being fired by somebody else.)


A. Outside

I stick with the default of "team follow" here, i.e. no special
commands to move Bravo.  "Team Fire at Will" will be ordered at some
point; that's pretty much the only order we need to give until we're
well inside.

There are about 8 enemies total in this area, including the two
(pretty sure two) from the cave entrance who will run out and run down
the stairs.

Run up and either club the first guy, or shoot him from behind the
bushes.  If you're going to club him, wait for the second guy to walk
towards the center of the open area, so he doesn't see you.

Go prone and crawl up the path on the right side cliff wall, saying
close to the right side.  The team will call out about 3 enemies you
haven't seen; they'll take out most of them once you order Team Fire
at Will in a bit.  Once you get to the top, you want to target one,
maybe two, enemies standing or crouched near the wall/laundry cover at
the base of the cliff, up ahead.  These guys are close enough that
they can target you when you get ready to toss the grenades, so you
want to take them out first.  Once they're you, maybe target the #2
guy if he's in the middle.  Maybe also target the guy up near the cave
entrance.  Once the close guys are out, or if Boomer informs you that
you've been seen, order Team Fire at Will.  Bravo should take out the
guy across the open area from the radio, and also will engage the
enemy or two on the steps.

Meanwhile, equip M67, then (still from the grass) stand (don't crouch)
and toss towards the rock slab behind the radio.  If you bounce it off
that rock it'll go down into the dirt at the base of the radio and
take it out.

I'm not exactly sure what happens, if anything, if the enemy succeeds
in making a radio warning.  Maybe the inside guys get a performance
boost, or maybe more of them prepare to engage you at the cave
entrance, or something.

After making a few tosses - either you take out the radio, or they get
the message out - shoot any remaining visible guys, then run to your
right, i.e. off the end of the path (it's not vertical and you slide
down without taking damage).  Work your way along base of the cliff,
looking for stragglers (watch for one hiding behind the metal wall
junk, or one near the radio, or one in the far corner where the stairs
intersect the cliff wall).  An enemy may be on the stairs.

If you can, get an AKS-74 (or AK-47) off a dead enemy, before the
weapons disappear.  If not, equip your Mark23-SD.

B. Cave entrance

Several options, but stay back (top of the stairs area) to avoid being
shot outright through the door.  If the enemy is close, you'll have to
shoot them.  Or, you can stand and throw M67's through the door or
over the junk wall.  Or, you can have Bravo bang + clear or frag +
clear.

Once inside, watch for an enemy on the left side of the room, or
another in the small room off to the right (throw a grenade to the
door there to clear it, don't run up to it).  Shoot out the light when
the room is clear, and turn on NVG if it's not on already.

C. First generator and vicinity

When the first room is clear, stand a throw an M-67 through the far
door.  This is to take out a light bulb on the other side (you can
shoot it, but enemies might show up at the same time).  Go back to
crouch and approach the door, but don't go through it.  4-5 enemies
should approach from the second doorway/opening visible through the
first one (they're coming from your right).  One or two of them may
run from right to left, presumably to warn the other enemies farther
in.

At some point move through the doorway.  Take out one or two enemies
immediately visible from the left side.  Don't move up to the left,
but shoot out the light bulbs visible near the banners on the left
side.  Then go through the doorway to the right where the first bunch
of enemies came through.  Up ahead is the generator.  Check for an
enemy on the path a little past the generator (to the left a bit).
Then take out the generator with an M-67.  When it's out, I like to
position Bravo near the defunct generator.  This is just to guard this
part of the cave while you're elsewhere.  I'm not sure what conditions
cause this, but an enemy can materialize out of thin air in the
chamber where this generator is, and having Bravo here gives you a
decent chance of taking this guy out before he does any damage (such
as shooting you in the back).

Once Bravo is in position, move back to the left arm of the cave.
Enemies may be approaching.  Otherwise, approach slowly.  One enemy
will get beamed in behind the metal wall, to the right of the large
rock that obstructs the path, before the open water area on the other
side.  If you toss grenades into the area to the right of this
boulder, you may end up blowing up nothing, only to have the guy get
beamed in a few seconds later once you get close enough.

Anyway, you'll have to take out about 6 enemies in the area under the
banners.  Once you're passed the boulder and can see the water area
(avoid the water, it makes a ton of noise when you walk through it),
watch for one or two enemies running in from the cave from the left
side.  Also watch for one enemy lingering back by the side rooms.  You
can go clear those rooms to be sure, but I've never encountered
anybody inside them.

At this point you have a choice - you can continue up this side of the
cave, or go back and clear the other side, then come back.  I like to
go back and clear the other arm first, then come back to this spot.

D. Right side cave and open area, and second generator

Run back to Bravo's location, and keep going.  Pretty soon the cave
opens up.  A safe distance before the opening, go into 1st person view
(i.e. turn off NVG), stand, equip M67.  Before you get to the opening,
you should see a big rock in the distance.  An enemy is crouching on
top/behind it.  Throw an M67 full strength to the left side of the
rock, then immediately equip AKS-74 and shoot him as he jumps down.
Subsequently another enemy will run in from farther down the path, so
shoot him too.

Run through the open area, past the enemies, to where the path curves
to the left and you can see the large open area in front of the last
part of the cave.  Take out an enemy up on the cliff opening way
across the open area (at Juliet, I think).

Then run all the way back, past Bravo, and continue down the left arm
of the cave.  When you're in the large room with the banners and
water, stick to the left side to avoid making noise.  One remaining
enemy may run out from the cave.  There are two lights in that arm of
the cave that you should shoot as soon as possible.  (I have not
encountered enemies near the second light, but shoot it as
precaution.)  After the second light, shoot the radio visible on the
table, and bomb the generator.

At this point I think the outside area is mostly secure, with one
enemy possibly left to come out and harass you, if you get too close
to the remaining cave areas.  What I do here is run up the ramp to
Juliet (Romeo? can't recall), where the enemy who you shot earlier had
been, just to see if any enemies are visible.  Then run back down and
go into the open area, sticking to the right (i.e. away from the cliff
wall with the other openings - I think if you get close to this, an
enemy comes out, possibly jumping down, and comes after you, and may
end up shooting you from behind later on).

E. Entrance to last cave area

Run through the cave opening with the wood around it.  Order Bravo
Follow, but don't bother waiting for them.  A cut-scene will play
(just press X to get through).  Halfway through the first entrance
area, put the AKS on full fire and go prone.  Three enemies should
walk through from the left turn just ahead.  When they're out, crouch
and move forward.  Shoot a light out just past the first left turn,
then another in the first room.  This is just on general principle,
and may help later.  When you get to the first room, go disable the
generator in the side room off to the back right.  At this point Bravo
should be back.

Move into the second room.  There shouldn't be an enemies here.  I
position Bravo near the post just inside the room.  Then go check the
side rooms on the left side, and the ramp up to the middle of the
three cliff wall openings, and the bedroom off to the side.  I don't
think any enemies will be here, but it seems like a good idea to just
check.

F. Room and hallway prior to Vault

Once you've checked out the second room to your satisfaction, prepare
to assault the third room.  When you get close enough, an enemy will
materialize in this room on the left side, hiding behind some crates.
You cannot eliminate him from a distance, I don't think, because he
only comes into the game once you get close.  Therefore, from a
distance, shoot out the gasoline barrel, to avoid having it blow up
when you get close to it.

Bravo should still be in place from before.  Point to the doorway an
order them to Cover Area.

Then go prone, put the AKS-74 in full auto (ensure full clip), and
approach the opening.  The enemy should start making noise as soon as
he gets beamed in, and will walk towards you, so just shoot him.
Shortly thereafter, two more enemies will approach from farther along
the cave.  You can go into crouch and walk closer to get a better
shot, or just stay prone and wait for them.

Finally, one last guy in this area will be further up the path, maybe
hiding behind some boxes on the right side, or walking around.  Make
sure he's out or he'll run back to the Vault area (farther up ahead)
and interfere with the next firefight.

G. Vault and nukes

If at all possible take out the 4th enemy before moving too far up the
path.  Once you go far enough up the path, you trigger a cut scene
showing the enemy acting silly.

The key to success in this section is to disable the generator before
being noticed.  This gives you cover to quickly take out the enemies
in the main room (the ones dubiously celebrating in the cut scene),
and gives you a leg up on finding the armed nuke, eliminating the
remaining enemies, and finally disabling it.  The clock is 1:00, but
given the time it takes to disarm the thing, it's more like 42 seconds
or something.  Also, if you fail to eliminate all the enemies before
attempting to disarm the nuke, in my experience your teammates 100% of
the time fail to prevent the remaining enemy/enemies from running up
and shooting you while you fiddle with the nuke.  So really you have
to spend the time to eliminate all the enemies in the last little bit,
before starting to disarm the nuke.

So, order Team Hold Fire.  Equip Mark-23SD.  Walk up the path until
the light in the middle of the room is visible; shoot it with the
pistol, then stand and equip M67.

What you want to do is take out the generator by bouncing the M67 off
the rock wall just on the other side of the junk "door" separating the
two parts of the Vault area.  So, move up the path so you're clear of
the wire for the light you shot earlier; grenades will bounce off it
in unpredictable directions.  Make a high-strength (75% or more, I
guess) toss towards the rocks in the doorway.  Make a second toss
before the first M67 blows.  If the first doesn't get the generator,
the second might.  If the second doesn't, run closer to the door and
make a third toss.  Also, order Team Fire at Will.

At this point the generator should be out, but if somehow it isn't,
just keep bouncing M67's off the wall through the door.

When the generator is out, order Team Fire at Will if you haven't
already.  Run into the room and take out ~5-6 enemies.  These guys
seem to have slow reaction time, or maybe it's just the darkness.
Eliminate them quickly and move toward the last little T-intersection.
One of them may have run off and armed a nuke.  If you're quick, it's
possible to prevent them from arming a nuke, and you just have to go
find and shoot the remaining enemies, without worrying about disarming
the nuke in time.

If you do get the 1:00 countdown, some caution is required.  You
should get the "Nukes Secure" objective once all the relevant enemies
are cleared, so be cautious until you get this objective.  If you
don't get the countdown, you just have to clear the area until all the
original enemies (as opposed to subsequent ones the game beams in) are
out, so just use caution when moving forward, to avoid being surprised
by newly spawned enemies.

If you get the countdown, from the main room, enemies tend not to hide
in the little side room, so just move to the T intersection pronto.
Once here, if you see the enemy, by all means take them out.
Simultaneously, attempt to find out which nuke is armed (it beeps and
flashes).  The one thing to avoid is running past doors (or generally,
blind areas) before the "Secure Nukes" objective is met - you are
liable to be ambushed.  Use an M67/flashbang, and/or have Bravo go
first.  You really want to take out all the enemies before disarming
the nuke, otherwise the enemy will probably get you.  I have tried
positioning Bravo in various places to guard my back, but it doesn't
seem to work - you just have to take them all out before starting on
the nuke.  This is why taking out the generator prior to getting the
countdown is important - if you waste time shutting that thing off
and/or having a tougher than need be firefight up front, you are
liable to run out of time here.

If you don't get the countdown, due to having eliminated the enemy
before they could reach one of the nukes, then *don't* bother going
and arming a nuke prior to the game telling you to do so.  Do make
your way (not too quickly) from the nuke area back up toward the
Vault, watching for 6-8 newly spawned enemies, standing in groups of
two or three here or there, possibly mixed with one or more surviving
enemies that somehow survived from before.  Once you shoot enough of
these guys (or the right one(s)), you get the "Nukes Secure"
objective.

H. Move to extraction zone

After getting the "Nukes Secure" objective (and having disarmed the
nuke, if necessary), optionally you can delay arming the nuke and move
forward and clear out some of the 10-15 or so newly-spawned enemies.
The 7:00 is generally plenty of time to get back to the extraction
zone, but if it's your first time getting this far, you might want to
get a head start and go clear some enemies before starting the
countdown.

Most of the enemies seem to be in the last section of cave.  They seem
generally easy to take out, due presumably to the darkness, but if you
get close they can be dangerous, so generally attempt to take them out
from a distance.  One tight spot can be in the room on the other end
of the long hallway (the same room where you probably shot out the
gasoline barrel).  This is due to the reduced distance - you have to
change direction in this room, and you might run into enemies in the
next room, or even out of view behind the junk in this room.

Probably the biggest mistake you can make here is running through the
big open area without first clearing it.  I like to position Bravo at
the back of the first room, watching the entrance (where you shot
three guys prone, earlier).  Then go up the ramp to the middle of the
three cliff openings, and target an enemy (once again) on the right
side cliff opening.  Of course, keep an eye out for other enemies in
the open area.

I always take the arm of the cave that goes past the second generator,
just to minimize the amount of time spent out in the open.  There is
one other enemy usually camped out to the left of the cave entrance
(as you approach) by Juliet/Romeo.  From the middle opening of the
cliff wall, he may not be visible, but you can have Bravo run to a
spot where they may engage him.  Or, you can try bombing him with an
M67 (I haven't tried this - I'm not sure if the range here is
sufficient), or just shoot him when you get close enough (which is
what I've done when he's been there).

Once you've crossed the open area and are back in the caves, it should
be pretty safe.  There may be one or two remaining enemies to take
out.  The last one seems usually to be crouched by the doorway you
shot through in part C above.  Once you get past this door, I have
never encountered any remaining enemies, and you can just run right to
the middle to reach the extraction zone.  The team takes a few seconds
to catch up.  Unlike other levels, they do not seem to get stuck on
the furniture (trees, doors, etc), thankfully.

On the timing, of the 7 minutes, I would say, spend 3:00 - 3:30
clearing the cave where you start, then maybe 1:00 to 1:30 clearing
and crossing the open area, and then 1:00 - 1:30 running back through
to the extraction zone.  The temptation when you're still in the first
cave area is probably to rush, but as I noted, crossing the open area
is probably the riskiest part.  The cave portion closer to the
extraction zone doesn't really take that long, since there are hardly
any enemies left.


MISSION 12 (Deathblow):

With my modest skill level, this mission is a lot of fun on Ensign
level, where there are lots of approaches that work.  One level of
difficulty higher, and it gets a lot harder to survive N shootouts
with these guys.

One of the great things about this level is the wide open scenery -
you can go around any which way you want, and (unusual for Socom), you
can do the objectives in whichever order you like.

The number of enemies on this level is hard to estimate.  As usual,
they only spawn in certain conditions - you move close enough to their
sector, or (perhaps) you make enough noise to be heard from their
sector.  (Firing louder weapons seems to bring in guys running from
farther away.)  I'd guess there are about 50 in total, but it could be
somewhat higher.

I describe two wildly different approaches to this level.  The first
works reliably for me only on Ensign and not on any higher level.  The
second works through Lieutenant level and probably higher.

I.  Strategy 1: shoot from a distance

In this approach you use an assault rifle or sniper rifle.  I've done
this starting with M16A2, M14, SR-25, and my personal favorite for
this mission on Ensign, M87ELR.  Give Bravo any of these except the
M87ELR.  I'd say they do best with the M16A2, but the M14 and SR-25
are close.  I like to give Boomer the M14 to make it obvious who's
firing, and since the burst might come in handy in a pinch.

At some point you run out of ammo and have to grab a weapon off an
enemy.  If you're close to Fat Kat or Kitten, you can grab an F90 from
one of their bodyguards and satisfyingly pump the respective leader
full of lead.  Alternatively, if you need to engage enemies at a
distance, just grab an AKS-74.

A.  Insertion area

From the insertion point, move to the fields in the southwest so that
you can engage the first two guys, and also target enemies moving from
the Kitten building, and enemies come from around Echo.

From near the insertion area, also shoot a few enemies on the building
across the main street (near Foxtrot).  It's awesome to be able to see
(and fire) clear across town.

B.  Kitten building: approach from East

Once the enemies stop showing up and you've cleared all you can see in
the Kitten building, move to the extreme East side of the map.  Get a
warning from HQ.  You want to move north, but on the east side.  This
way you can target enemies running into the area before they get in
range to fire.

When you get to the main east/west road, look up the road for guys
running in.  Also beware for the first of about 3 enemies who come
along the inside of the north wall.  Once you get north of the main
road, target the Kitten building from the East.  Position Bravo on one
of the small slopes along the wall, facing through the building.  You
will see enemies run in from the west side of the building, especially
if using M87ELR (they are attracted by the noise).

C.  Approach building and take out Kitten

Once the coast is clear (making sure you eliminated the guys coming in
along the north wall), advance towards the building.  Just east of the
building is a crater.  From here you can lob some grenades into the
second floor.  I'm not sure if there is any actual benefit to doing
this, however.  The enemies may only spawn once you get closer.

You can run into the building from either the East or the North.  If
coming from the east, go just north of another crater (this one,
inside the walls), turn south at the hallway, then run up the steps.
You can lob grenades over the wall or through the door, or just run
through.  The spawning location for Kitten is just inside the door (at
the top of the stairs), on the left side, in the corner.  I can't
remember if he'll be there, or if he'll have spawned earlier and moved
around.  In any case if he's not in the first room inside the stairs,
he'll be in the next room to the south.

Once he's out, just jump down the wall and run West to Bravo's
position.  You might want to turn around and see if any enemies are
running in, but if you were thorough earlier, there shouldn't be many.

D.  Sweep South and West

Once back to Bravo, order them to Follow.  For thoroughness, eliminate
any enemies that are advancing towards the Kitten building from the
west - just look through the building and see if there are any.  Then
move a little south to Main Street and check the front of the building
and farther up the street.  Once it's all clear, you then just
basically run back to the insertion area, then proceed west, watching
north for enemies in buildings and on foot.

Once you get directly south of the Fat Cat building, enemies should
start running in.  I like to position Bravo on the little hill in
front of one of those shacks out there, then range to the west and
north a little to be able to fire on the Fat Cat building from the
southwest.  Watch out for enemy patrols coming along the inside of the
perimeter wall (from the north) and from the exterior of the perimeter
wall.  Periodically enemies should come forth from the main Fat Cat
building and from between that building and the side building south of
it.  You just have to shoot them before they get into range, including
one or two MGL guys.

F.  Assault Fat Cat Building

Once the number of enemies seems reduced, make a run for the south
side of the adjacent building.  You'll want to have cleared the area
east of here, since that's the direction you're vulnerable from while
you run in.

From this position Bravo can engage enemies running in from the north.
If you're using M87ELR, equip your pistol here.

You'll know you're in position when you get a "climb" option in the
middle of the south wall of the smaller building.

I like to camp out for a bit and let a few enemies run around the
corner and take them out.  If you're thorough you can pretty much
eliminate all the enemies except Fat Cat.

You may want to run around the west side of the small building and
take out any stragglers still inside the small building.  This is
mostly just for thoroughness.

At some point either run around and climb the stairs inside the small
building, or climb the wall at the west side.  Run to the second set
of stairs, then across the plank connecting the buildings.  Invariably
Fat Cat will be in the small room west of the room where the plank
comes in, but he'll break for the stairs in the main room, along the
north side of the building.  Intercept him and mow him down or rifle
butt him.

COMMENTS ON THIS STRATEGY:

Note that you can play this in reverse order if you want.  Do steps A,
D, E, B, and C.

Another alternative is, before making the assault on the Fat Cat
building, you can work your way through town.  Enemies generally start
out inside buildings and come out after you've been in their area for
a little while.  I don't usually take this route.  The main risk is
getting shot in the side or back from some random enemy you just
didn't happen to notice.

In your score, if you play this strategy right you should get 0% for
stealth and 100% for teamwork, due to the (certainly less than you,
but non-trivial) number of enemies that Bravo took out.  That's
basically the goal -- engage as much of the enemy force as you can,
knock them all off, and then mostly as an afterthought, run up and
clobber the leaders.

II.  Strategy 2: run like the wind

In this strategy it doesn't matter what weapon you choose since you
don't actually fire any shots.  In this strategy you literally never
stop running, except to rifle-butt (or throat-knife) the two main
targets.

Immediately on start, point into the shack to your left and order
Bravo Run to Crosshairs.  This is for their protection.  Then follow
the path roughly as per part B above - run to the northeast, cross the
road, move past the first row of rubble north of the road, and then
turn and run east towards the Kitten building.  There are a couple
enemies at the front of the building that you want to try to stay out
of.  Approach from the direction of the crater, run through that (or
between it and the mostly-not-present-anymore building to the left.
Run into the Kitten building on the east side, run along the crater
there, being careful not to fall in.  Make a left, then a right to get
to the stairs.  Halfway up the stairs hear the enemy say "No harm will
come to the Mullah" or some such.  Kitten will be just inside, on the
left, Depending on whether you were seen earlier, he may be with
another enemy, in which case you have to rifle butt them both quick,
or shoot them.  If you play this right, the other enemy will not be
there.  If you quickly move to the left, inside the door, you can come
up behind Kitten and get a X-button knife option, but usually I just
get the X-button rifle-butt option.

Once Kitten is down, run back out the door.  Jump off the wall facing
west.  Run a little bit north, then make a left turn into the alley.
Follow this all the way west.  It jogs to the left a little at points
- I like to stay against the wall to prevent enemies behind me from
seeing me.  At some point you run under some sheets or some such
hanging between two buildings.  Make a hard left when the main Fat Cat
building comes into view.  I like to run all the way to the smaller
building south of the one Fat Cat is in, go in the door and up the
steps and around, then over the plank, and intercept him in the middle
of the top floor as he makes his break for the stairs.

Boomer may or may not survive.  Mostly, he doesn't.  (Maybe there are
some side missions you can give him (deploy such and such at certain
spots) to keep him out of trouble, but I haven't explored this.)

Bravo are more important to keep alive, for obvious reasons.  Hence,
the shack.  Otherwise, the two enemies coming from the west might take
both of them out.  Usually I order Bravo Fire at Will once Kitten is
out.


III.  Other strategies

This would presumably work on Ensign and might work on higher levels,
but I haven't tried it.  From the insertion point, position yourself
to the east a little, to be able to handle the two enemies (and one a
bit later) coming from the west, and also enemies coming from the
North.  Move Bravo up to behind the L-shaped wall barrier just south
of Echo.  Take out the enemies that walk around that - if you run
there yourself, those enemies will damage Bravo.  Also make sure the
MGL guy on the roof or wherever across the road is out.  Get up to
where Bravo is against the wall, and use 3rd person to check the other
side of the wall.  When it looks clear have Bravo attack to Echo
(hopefully they encounter no one).  Go after them and continue into
the sewer.  Order Bravo to Follow as you pass them.  Wait for the
enemy to come into the sewer near Foxtrot.  Position Bravo to guard
this entrance, or position them at the intersection.  Then go to the
north wing and fire a shot into the air near the hole.  Shoot a few
enemies that decide to drop in.  Maybe toss some frags out just to see
if you can get lucky.

Then go over to Foxtrot.  Make sure you go the enemies on the roof of
the building to the southwest.  Deploy smoke along your path so you
can run up into this building without getting shot from the
east/northeast/north.

Make your way through this building, then over to the next.  Run up
the stairs and get the guys there.  Park Bravo upstairs, covering
towards Fat Cat's building if possible, and get ready to shoot enemies
that run up after you.  When clear, drop down and run into the back
building and use the same approach as before.  Maybe hang out just
inside the door and clobber enemies as they come through.

[end of Mission 12]

[end of mission walkthroughs]

In closing, I hope this document has been helpful.  If you find any
errors or have better approaches or any other suggestions, I would be
happy to hear about them (email [email protected]).

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