A guided tour through the game from start to finish and much more
Jak 3 is a game that mixes many genres in one: third view shooter, action,
adventure, racing, and puzzle. It is the direct sequel to Jak II which is the
direct sequel to Jak & Daxter. This walkthrough will get you through the game
from start to finish, offer a lot of finer detail on various game play aspects,
and even includes a decent assortment of glitches and other oddities. Jak 3 is
fairly easy for the most part, but there are times, especially toward the end,
where a lot of trial and error is involved. While there are times where you
can choose between multiple missions, I will set the order based on the rewards
given.
Tip: use control+F to use your browser's find feature to jump to the specific
sections. The string you search for is in the "search" column - note how it
relates to the section number in the **AABBCD** format where A is a major
section (using 2 digits, with a leading zero if needed), B is a section (using
2 digits, with a leading zero if needed), C is a subsection (using 1 digit),
and D is a sub-subsection (using 1 digit). Do note that the table of contents
completely leaves out all level 4 headers (the D) and low-importance level 3
headers (the C) to better compact it.
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| Section | Title | Search |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 0 | Table of Contents | **000000** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 1 | My history and using the guide | **010000** |
| 1.1 | My Jak history | **010100** |
| 1.2 | Using this guide | **010200** |
| 1.2.1 | The concepts | **010210** |
| 1.2.2 | The method of organization | **010220** |
| 1.2.3 | Understanding directions | **010230** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 2 | The basic controls | **020000** |
| 2.1 | While on foot | **020100** |
| 2.1.1 | On solid ground | **020110** |
| 2.1.2 | In deep water | **020120** |
| 2.1.3 | As Dark Jak | **020130** |
| 2.1.4 | As Light Jak | **020140** |
| 2.1.5 | As Daxter | **020150** |
| 2.2 | Vehicle operation | **020200** |
| 2.2.1 | ATVs (aka vehicles) | **020210** |
| 2.2.2 | Zoomers | **020220** |
| 2.3 | Other transporation | **020300** |
| 2.3.1 | On the jet board | **020310** |
| 2.3.2 | Leaper lizard | **020320** |
| 2.4 | Other controls | **020400** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 3 | Gameplay basics, objects, and info | **030000** |
| 3.1 | Game objects | **030100** |
| 3.2 | On screen info | **030200** |
| 3.3 | ATVs | **030300** |
| 3.3.1 | Meaning of and determing the ratings | **030310** |
| 3.3.2 | In-depth ATV details | **030320** |
| 3.4 | In-depth zoomer details | **030400** |
| 3.5 | Enemies | **030500** |
| 3.6 | The wheel menu | **030600** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 4 | The list of secrets | **040000** |
| 4.1 | About secrets | **040100** |
| 4.2 | Weapon upgrades | **040200** |
| 4.3 | Vehicle upgrades | **040300** |
| 4.4 | Crazy stuff | **040400** |
| 4.5 | Expert options | **040500** |
| 4.6 | Cheats | **040600** |
| 4.7 | Art gallery | **040700** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 5 | Walkthrough for act 1 | **050000** |
| 5.1 | Starting a new game | **050100** |
| 5.2 | Complete arena training course | **050200** |
| 5.3 | Earn 1st war amulet | **050300** |
| 5.4 | Catch kanga-rats | **050400** |
| 5.5 | Explore Spargus City | **050500** |
| 5.6 | Ring challenge 1 | **050600** |
| 5.7 | Unlock satellite | **050700** |
| 5.8 | Orb hunt 1 | **050800** |
| 5.9 | Learn to drive a vehicle | **050900** |
| 5.10 | Beat Kleiver in desert race | **051000** |
| 5.11 | Race for artifacts | **051100** |
| 5.12 | Beat Monks in leaper race | **051200** |
| 5.13 | Destroy metal head beasts | **051300** |
| 5.14 | The hang time challenges | **051400** |
| 5.15 | The distance challenges | **051500** |
| 5.16 | The roll-a-derby challenge | **051600** |
| 5.17 | The satellite game | **051700** |
| 5.18 | Orb hunt 2 | **051800** |
| 5.19 | Orb hunt 3 | **051900** |
| 5.20 | Orb hunt 4 | **052000** |
| 5.21 | Orb hunt 5 | **052100** |
| 5.22 | Orb hunt 6 | **052200** |
| 5.23 | Orb hunt 7 | **052300** |
| 5.24 | Earn 2nd war amulet | **052400** |
| 5.25 | Corral wild leapers | **052500** |
| 5.26 | Orb hunt 8 | **052600** |
| 5.27 | Orb hunt 9 | **052700** |
| 5.28 | Orb hunt 10 | **052800** |
| 5.29 | Orb hunt 11 | **052900** |
| 5.30 | Climb Monk Temple tower | **053000** |
| 5.31 | Glide to volcano | **053100** |
| 5.32 | Find satellite in volcano | **053200** |
| 5.33 | Find oracle in Monk Temple | **053300** |
| 5.34 | Orb hunt 12 | **053400** |
| 5.35 | Rescue wastelanders | **053500** |
| 5.36 | Beat turret challenge | **053600** |
| 5.37 | Turret challenge for orbs | **053700** |
| 5.38 | Ring challenge 2 | **053800** |
| 5.39 | Defeat marauders in arena | **053900** |
| 5.40 | Destroy eggs in nest | **054000** |
| 5.41 | Orb hunt 13 | **054100** |
| 5.42 | Defend Ashelin at oasis | **054200** |
| 5.43 | Orb hunt 14 | **054300** |
| 5.44 | Ring challenge 3 | **054400** |
| 5.45 | Follow me 1 | **054500** |
| 5.46 | Rescue more wastelanders | **054600** |
| 5.47 | Time stopper 1 | **054700** |
| 5.48 | Orb hunt 15 | **054800** |
| 5.49 | Follow me 2 | **054900** |
| 5.50 | Complete Monk Temple Tests | **055000** |
| 5.51 | Travel through Catacomb subrails | **055100** |
| 5.52 | Explore eco mine | **055200** |
| 5.53 | Escort bomb train | **055300** |
| 5.54 | Defeat Veger's precursor robot | **055400** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 6 | Walkthrough for act 2 | **060000** |
| 6.1 | Scorpions for skull gems | **060100** |
| 6.2 | Orb hunt 16 | **060200** |
| 6.3 | Orb hunt 17 | **060300** |
| 6.4 | Reach port via sewer | **060400** |
| 6.5 | Orb hunt 18 | **060500** |
| 6.6 | Explore the Haven City port | **060600** |
| 6.7 | Destroy incoming blast bots | **060700** |
| 6.8 | Orb hunt 19 | **060800** |
| 6.9 | Destroy barrier with missile | **060900** |
| 6.10 | Missile reload practice run | **061000** |
| 6.11 | Jet board scoring challenge | **061100** |
| 6.12 | Orb hunt 20 | **061200** |
| 6.13 | Beat gun course 1 | **061300** |
| 6.14 | Orb hunt 21 | **061400** |
| 6.15 | Destroy sniper cannons | **061500** |
| 6.16 | Orb hunt 22 | **061600** |
| 6.17 | Reach metal head area via sewer | **061700** |
| 6.18 | Destroy dark eco tanks | **061800** |
| 6.19 | Kill dark plants in forest | **061900** |
| 6.20 | Destroy eco grid with Jinx | **062000** |
| 6.21 | Orb hunt 23 | **062100** |
| 6.22 | Orb hunt 24 | **062200** |
| 6.23 | Hijack eco vehicle | **062300** |
| 6.24 | Orb hunt 25 | **062400** |
| 6.25 | Ring challenge 4 | **062500** |
| 6.26 | Orb hunt 26 | **062600** |
| 6.27 | Defend port from attack | **062700** |
| 6.28 | Beat gun course 2 | **062800** |
| 6.29 | Break barrier with blast bot | **062900** |
| 6.30 | Follow me 3 | **063000** |
| 6.31 | Orb hunt 27 | **063100** |
| 6.32 | Ring challenge 5 | **063200** |
| 6.33 | Orb hunt 28 | **063300** |
| 6.34 | Defend HQ from attack | **063400** |
| 6.35 | Orb hunt 29 | **063500** |
| 6.36 | Find switch in sewers | **063600** |
| 6.37 | Find cypher in eco grid | **063700** |
| 6.38 | Eco grid game for orbs | **063800** |
| 6.39 | Unlimited skull gem grinding | **063900** |
| 6.40 | Race for more artifacts | **064000** |
| 6.41 | Orb hunt 30 | **064100** |
| 6.42 | Time stopper 2 | **064200** |
| 6.43 | Orb hunt 31 | **064300** |
| 6.44 | Defend Spargus' front gate | **064400** |
| 6.45 | Take out marauder stronghold | **064500** |
| 6.46 | Orb hunt 32 | **064600** |
| 6.47 | Orb hunt 33 | **064700** |
| 6.48 | Metal head mass destruction | **064800** |
| 6.49 | Orb hunt 34 | **064900** |
| 6.50 | Orb hunt 35 | **065000** |
| 6.51 | Destroy metal-pedes in nest | **065100** |
| 6.52 | Chase down metal head beasts | **065200** |
| 6.53 | Marauder mass destruction | **065300** |
| 6.54 | Orb hunt 36 | **065400** |
| 6.55 | Ring challenge 6 | **065500** |
| 6.56 | Orb hunt 37 | **065600** |
| 6.57 | Beat pillar ring challenges | **065700** |
| 6.58 | Orb hunt 38 | **065800** |
| 6.59 | Destroy war factory defenses | **065900** |
| 6.60 | Explore war factory | **066000** |
| 6.61 | Beat Cyber-Errol boss | **066100** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 7 | Walkthrough for act 3 | **070000** |
| 7.1 | Time trial of first race for orbs | **070100** |
| 7.2 | Marauder race | **070200** |
| 7.3 | Finishing the hang time and distance challenges | **070300** |
| 7.4 | Rescue Seem at temple | **070400** |
| 7.5 | Defend Spargus from attack | **070500** |
| 7.6 | Activate astro-viewer in forest | **070600** |
| 7.7 | Destroy Dark Ship shield | **070700** |
| 7.8 | Orb hunt 39 | **070800** |
| 7.9 | Blow open tower door | **070900** |
| 7.10 | Destroy metal head tower | **071000** |
| 7.11 | Orb hunt 40 | **071100** |
| 7.12 | Orb hunt 41 | **071200** |
| 7.13 | Reach Catacombs via palace ruins | **071300** |
| 7.14 | Break through ruins | **071400** |
| 7.15 | Reach Precursor Core | **071500** |
| 7.16 | Destroy Dark Ship | **071600** |
| 7.17 | Destroy final boss | **071700** |
| 7.18 | Finishing up - orbs in Spargus City | **071800** |
| 7.19 | Finishing up - orbs in nest | **071900** |
| 7.20 | Finishing up - orbs in Haven City | **072000** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 8 | Summary reference and hero mode differences | **080000** |
| 8.1 | Story missions | **080100** |
| 8.1.1 | Act 1 story missions | **080110** |
| 8.1.2 | Act 2 story missions | **080120** |
| 8.1.3 | Act 3 story missions | **080130** |
| 8.2 | Orb hunts | **080200** |
| 8.3 | Ring challenges | **080300** |
| 8.4 | Vehicle stunts | **080400** |
| 8.5 | Follow me challenges | **080500** |
| 8.6 | Races | **080600** |
| 8.7 | Time stopper challenges | **080700** |
| 8.8 | Minigames | **080800** |
| 8.9 | Gun courses | **080900** |
| 8.10 | Other side missions | **081000** |
| 8.11 | Other stuff | **081100** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 9 | Tips and other fun stuff | **090000** |
| 9.1 | Rapid fire spin attack | **090100** |
| 9.2 | Over 1 kilometer distance jump | **090200** |
| 9.3 | Fly up with vehicle | **090300** |
| 9.4 | Slide or fly up a slidable slope | **090400** |
| 9.5 | Quickly collect items from smashables | **090500** |
| 9.6 | High speed travel on foot | **090600** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 10 | Bugs and glitches | **100000** |
| 10.1 | Format and organization | **100100** |
| 10.2 | Infinite orbs | **100200** |
| 10.3 | Light Flight infinite jumping | **100300** |
| 10.4 | Jet board infinite jumping | **100400** |
| 10.5 | Fall in water to a bottomless pit | **100500** |
| 10.6 | High jump without holding R1 | **100600** |
| 10.7 | Extend time for hijack eco vehicle | **100700** |
| 10.8 | Spargus City's vanishing act | **100800** |
| 10.9 | Super jump with an ATV | **100900** |
| 10.10 | Invulnerable doesn't make everything invulnerable | **101000** |
| 10.11 | Flash freeze in desert means big frame rate loss | **101100** |
| 10.12 | Aspect ratio setting is not saved | **101200** |
| 10.13 | Missile short jump bug | **101300** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 11 | Frequently Asked Questions | **110000** |
| 11.1 | The walkthrough itself | **110100** |
| 11.2 | About the guide in general | **110200** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
| 12 | Copyright, credits, and other legal stuff | **120000** |
| 12.1 | How to contact me | **120100** |
| 12.2 | Copyright | **120200** |
| 12.3 | Credits | **120300** |
| 12.4 | Version history | **120400** |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------+------------+
############################
############# #############
######## ########
##### 1 My history and using the guide **010000** #####
######## ########
############# #############
############################
================================.
# 1.1 My Jak history **010100** #
`================================`
I've grown up loving platformers. I used to be so good at them that I rarely
had any difficulty completing them. However, after the 4th generation systems
(e.g. SNES, Genesis), platformers seemed to have vanished and I lost my touch.
Having been recommended Jak & Daxter a few times, being a platformer, I've
wanted the game and it took several years to finally get it. I got the entire
trilogy for the PS2 as a gift. I played Jak & Daxter and fairly easily
completed it 100%, getting all 101 power cells and close to 1900 precursor orbs
(I haven't gotten all 2000 in the game though).
I went at Jak II (always referred to as Jak 2) and found it much more
difficult, to the point I sort of gave up on it. Little did I know, I was
missing out on a lot, from not knowing about the kiosks and not really liking
the need of the guns. From checking GameFAQs, I wanted to give Jak 2 another
go. Invulnerability and swimming in Dead Town's mud were quite attractive to
me. It took a few years to return and I returned to Jak & Daxter again for
another full play. I went at Jak 2 next and completed it, seeing the vulcan
fury and peace maker for the first time. It was also fun grinding orbs while
causing all sorts of chaos, using the infinite orb glitch to get over 2000 orbs
(when only 286 exist in that game). After having completed Jak 2, including
hero mode which was entertaining from being invulnerable with infinite ammo and
Dark Jak most of the way through, finding numerous bugs and oddities along with
it, I was ready for Jak 3.
Jak 3, from having lots of experience with Jak 2, was noticably easier and
generally more enjoyable. There was a lot less trial and error - no more need
to spend 30 to even 200 minutes repeatedly doing the same mission over and over
- I only needed 40 minutes at the longest end, rarely more than 20. The
infinite orb glitch had to be done differently and it wasn't as enjoyable as
Jak 2, so it wasn't fun to grind to 2000 though there is one area that at least
has great action to it. I've since completed it and in hero mode as well.
Realizing GameFAQs didn't have much in the way of detailed, in-depth
walkthroughs for Jak 3, I decided to write a walkthrough, my first one.
==================================.
# 1.2 Using this guide **010200** #
`==================================`
``````````````````````````````
1.2.1 The concepts **010210**
.............................
This guide focuses on Jak 3, a PS2 game with a PS3 HD remake (I'll, for the
sake of clarity, only refer to the PS2 version, the only version I have). The
first section explains the basic controls. Surely those buttons on the
controller have some good use to them. The next section explains what the
information showing on screen is all about. All those odd-looking dots and
numbers, and various other 3D objects must have some purpose. After that, I
explain the wheel menu's options, brought up by pressing start at almost any
time. I detail the secrets in its own section as there's a lot of detail with
them. The next 3 sections cover the walkthrough itself, one major section per
act. Side stuff will be included in with the main walkthrough - those orbs
have great value to them as they, in a way, help make you stronger. I
summarize and categorize the lists next, detailing differences with hero mode
for the story missions. The next 2 sections cover tips, tricks, and other fun
stuff followed by various glitches. The last 2 sections are the usual FAQ and
legal stuff. I will try my best to keep story-related spoilers to a bare
minimum.
````````````````````````````````````````````
1.2.2 The method of organization **010220**
...........................................
Because this guide has several sections (note the section 12 or 6.61 on the
table contents), keeping things organized is essential. Just before each major
section, you'll find centered text in large, thick letters representing the
basic idea covered. Each major section has a wide, extra large, and bold
border around it directly below the giant text. A large gap is present between
the ends of each major section to make them stand out better.
Each section within a major section also has a bold border, but it's not as
large or stand out as well. There is a smaller gap between such sections.
Subsections within a section still stand out, but only lightly. The gap is no
longer present. Sub-subsections, the deepest level I go into (and rarely) have
no borders or decorations with no gaps.
If you're observant, you might notice the Fibonacci Sequence in the styling in
many areas. The Fibonacci Sequence is one of my favorites. Basically, start
with two ones. Take the current number then add the previous and you'll build
it up: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21.... How many places can you find where the
Fibonacci Sequence appears in the styling or formatting?
To better explain what direction to go from a known direction currently being
faced, I use straight, slight right, right, hard right, backwards, hard left,
left, and slight left for how much of a turn is needed. Straight means an
angular change less than 20° - the object in question is pretty much straight
ahead and visible on screen (being obscured by foreground objects aside).
Slight left and slight right mean an angular change is about 10 to 45° where
the object is generally on screen or slightly off. Left and right mean an
angular change of about 30 to 120°. Hard left and hard right means an angular
change of about 105 to 170°. Backward means an angular change greater than
160°, basically directly behind. There is overlap in the angles to account for
some uncertainty and imprecision. I generally assume you are directly facing
the object upon reaching it from the previous point or turn to get to the next
one. Don't understand the angles? Here's a visual representation of each to
help, where the ^ is the initial direction of travel:
To play any video game, you need to know how to control it. Video games aren't
exactly movies where you just sit and watch. Nope, they're interactive so
there has to be some sort of input. Now, just what does that button on the
controller do again? This section details the controls for every aspect of the
game except cases where something is only done once for a single mission. I
will refer to the buttons as L1, L2, LS or LJ (left stick), L3 (press the left
stick down), R1, R2, RS or RJ (right stick), R3 (press the right stick down),
<, ^, >, v, St, Se, X, O, /\, and [].
===============================.
# 2.1 While on foot **020100** #
`===============================`
Travel on foot is the most common form of travel used. Master this and you
master about 60% of the game. There are several different sets of controls.
The basic set is given here, used for solid ground or shallow water. When Jak
immerses himself in deep water, another control set is used. When he
transforms into Dark Jak, another control set is used. Also, in addition, when
he transforms into Light Jak, there's yet another control set.
`````````````````````````````````
2.1.1 On solid ground **020110**
................................
Ah, Mother Earth! Nice and solid! I will list the basic controls first then
list any modifications or differences in the subsections. When no buttons are
pressed and the sticks are centered, Jak will either stand, or, if you wait
long enough, do something to entertain himself, such as playing with and doing
tricks with Daxter.
LS - move in that direction with a small tilt, run at full speed with a large
tilt. The more the stick is away from the center, the greater the speed,
though there's only 2 different movement speeds available.
RS - move the camera. Left rotates the camera clockwise (from north to east),
right rotates the camera counterclockwise (from north to west). Up moves the
camera closer in and angles it upwards slightly. Down moves the camera farther
away and angles it downward slightly. The more the stick is moved away from
the center, the faster the movement. The up and down orientations have a limit
on how far they'll go. The configuration settings can change how this behaves.
X - a basic jump. Somehow, there's got to be a way to cross that gap to get on
that platform over there. There aren't any invisible lines you can just walk
across.
X then X while in mid-air near the top of a jump - double jump. Okay, so maybe
there are invisible lines after all! How else can one jump in mid-air, jumping
even higher? Or maybe land appears directly below for an instant too short to
see but just enough to allow for a jump? Flash freeze doesn't show anything
else. Hmm. Quite the puzzle we have!
[] - punch. Look out! That scorpion metal head is about to sting Jak! Punch
that skull gem out of it! Be careful with this move though - never use it near
the edge of a cliff, unless you feel like falling forever. Use it in open
areas against a single enemy. It's also the stronger of the basic attacks, but
only on certain things such as vehicles (yes, you can punch marauder vehicles
to destroy them, and more quickly).
X then [] near the top of a jump - smashing dive. Glass barrier on the floor?
Just break it! This can also be used to smash enemies and destroy vehicles, or
take a leap of faith in the water below for a heroic 200-foot dive into the
lake below!
O - spin attack. I'm getting dizzy doing this! This is the best of the normal
attacks to use as it defeats multiple things at once. For maximum effect, this
works best in mid-air as it's easier to get the hits in without being hit.
X, X, then O - a guided long jump. This is the long, guided jump, the
second-longest jump there is. To maximize the jump distance, do a normal jump
as usual then, upon falling for about 100 to 250 milliseconds, jump again with
another X. Now, about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way down from the top of this jump,
use the spin attack. The falling abruptly stops and another fall begins but
you're still moving forward so gives that slight bit of extra distance. This,
when each button is pressed at the top of the jump, allows for a slightly
higher jump than a regular double jump.
L1 - duck. Whew! That robot hoverbot shot just passed right above me and I
wasn't hit by it! That was close!
L1 then X while still ducking - high jump. How does one jump 15 feet high?
This is useful for getting up those really high ledges. Under the right
conditions, it's easier to use this than it is the launch jump with the jet
board. Use this method whenever possible.
L1 then X while still ducking then O at the top of the jump - highest jump. It
may not seem like it, but by using the spin attack at the top of the high jump,
you actually gain a slight bit of extra height. There are times where this
slight extra boost is all that's really needed.
L1 then [] - uppercut. Aerial robot above? Just give it the ol' uppercut and
put a good dent in it.
L1 while moving - roll. Rolling has almost no use by itself. So, then, why
roll? I guess maybe to roll down that slope for some crazy speed where the
camera can't keep up any more... or maybe not.
L1 while moving then X - rolling long jump. This is the longest of all the
jumps. Start the roll about 2 Jak heights away from the edge of the gap you're
trying to cross, and you'll make the big, long jump, starting a little before
the edge of the gap is reached. When used in open areas, this is the fastest
way to travel on foot, roughly 30% faster. Vehicles, including the jet board,
are still faster (the jet board only slightly so, but more risky to use in
towns).
/\ - enter a vehicle or get on a leaper lizard. Don't want to be on foot or in
water and would rather take a form of transportation of sorts? Go for it!
It's tiring being on foot!
L2 - transform. See the Dark Jak and Light Jak controls for more details.
^ - bring out and cycle through the red guns. Bang, bang! Red guns tend to
have short range, but have a wide area of coverage to compensate for the short
range. They are best used when those blasted metal heads are in front, in
large numbers, and close. Pressing ^ once brings out the scatter gun.
Pressing it again brings out the wave concussor. Pressing it yet again brings
out the plasmite RPG. One more press and it's back to the scatter gun.
v - bring out and cycle through the yellow guns. Zzzzeeewwwwww! Yellow guns
tend have long range and also have greater ammo but go through ammo more
quickly. Pressing v once brings out the blaster. Pressing it again brings out
the beam reflexor. Pressing it a third time brings out the gyro burster.
Another press and it's back to the blaster.
< - bring out and cycle through the blue guns. Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow! Blue guns
tend have a rapid firing rate, eating up ammo very quickly by their nature
making them great for taking out large quantities of metal heads. Pressing <
once brings out the vulcan fury. Pressing it again brings out the arc welder.
Pressing < yet again brings out the needle lazer. Press it once more to return
to the vulcan fury.
> - bring out and cycle through the dark guns. Kaboom! Dark guns, having a
dark magenta color, have little in the way of ammo capacity (just 20 shots at
the most), but they are immensely powerful to compensate, able to destroy most
metal heads in a single blow with surrounding metal heads also going down for
the count. Pressing > once brings out the peace maker. Pressing it again
brings out the mass inverter. Pressing it yet again brings out the supernova.
Press it again and it's back to the peace maker where it all began.
Hold ^, v, <, or > for 2 seconds - holsters the gun. At last the metal heads
are gone and the mission is done, so I don't need the gun any more... or do I?
There are some places that are forever in combat.
R1 - fire a single shot from the current gun. If no gun is out, fires the most
recently used gun.
R1 held - charge or repeatedly fire the current gun, if applicable. Some guns
require charging to use effectively, others can be shot repeatedly.
St - bring up the wheel menu. Say, what sort of fancy customization options do
I get? See section 3.6 for details on the options and section 4 for the
secrts.
Se - pause the game. Wai- (game paused)! Need to run to the bathroom or grab
a quick drink... or need to bypass something especially difficult requiring
fine timing and control? Pausing the game has plenty of uses, both directly
and indirectly.
```````````````````````````````
2.1.2 In deep water **020120**
..............................
When in a place that's blue, wet, and deep, the controls change slightly. If
you move the camera in close, you can see that the water is quite wavy (there
are some areas where the water is not at all wavy) and, if Jak isn't moving,
you'll see him bobbing up and down with the waves as he treads. With a large
enough wave, it's possible to see very clearly underwater. Ain't swimming fun?
Danger! Don't swim too far out or fall into certain pools or a giant snake
will turn Jak into an easy lunch!
[] - dive. Get a big breath and explore the world below the waves. Surely
there's some sunken orbs down there! Hold to sink down deeper or swim at the
bottom. Jak will only go so far under then level off, something like 8 meters.
Press repeatedly to control depth.
O - dive. Okay, 2 buttons do the same thing. Now, pressing both buttons at
once....
R1 - does nothing. Sorry, when in deep water, guns cannot be used. Consider
jumping at the surface of the water and using the spin attack for the time
being.
L2 - does nothing. Sorry, when in deep water, Jak cannot transform. Find
somewhere solid to transform.
L1 - does nothing. Need to duck? Just dive instead! You've got all that
water below you to get out of the way - use it to your advantage! You don't
get 3 axes of movement for nothing ya know!
`````````````````````````````
2.1.3 As Dark Jak **020130**
............................
Jak turns into quite the monster, but only if he has some dark eco. To get
dark eco, defeat certain enemies, usually metal heads and monsters, and dark
eco will drop. Dark eco can also be found in containers. With a full dark eco
meter, Dark Jak has a lot of potential. What hideous acts do you have against
those pesky metal heads? The controls are the same as being on solid ground
with these exceptions:
L2 - transform into Dark Jak and return to normal. Jak turns into quite the
monster, but only if he has some dark eco. What hideous acts do you have
against those pesky metal heads?
X then [] while in mid-air - Dark Bomb. Unleash a massive shock wave that
deals big damage to all around him in a modest radius of about 50 meters.
[] then X while on the ground - Dark Blast. Unleash an energy wave that deals
big damage to all around him in a modest radius of about 50 meters.
L1 held then [] - Dark Blast. Another button combination that does the same
thing? This is different!
/\ - Dark invisibility. When next to certain idols, for which is only needed
in a certain area of the story for one mission, Jak turns invisible. No metal
head, security device, etc. will ever know he was there. Jak turns into a
transparent outline so you can at least see where you're going. It is possible
to unlock invisibility in any location though, even in the middle of the desert
with marauders bearing down at full speed.
R1 - Dark Charge. Send a big blast of dark eco at something. It's really only
needed to advance the story, hardly of use elsewhere. See that broken glass?
Shatter it with Dark Charge and now you have easy passage into the next room.
``````````````````````````````
2.1.4 As Light Jak **020140**
.............................
Jak turns into a glowing blue-white being, but only if he has some light eco.
To get light eco, defeat enemies of most any kind or smash containers. Until
unlimited Light Jak is available, this serves little use outside healing. Keep
your light eco strictly for healing unless forced upon by the story. With a
full light eco meter, it's potentially 16 more units of health.
L2 (held) with /\ - Light Regenerate. Who needs a medic when you can heal
yourself? Each pack of light eco offers the potential to heal 2 units of
health. This is useful throughout pretty much the entire game. Sometimes,
however, it's actually better, when health is really low and you pass certain
points, to just go swimming in the lava or jump down that bottomless pit. It
may seem bad, but you fully restore your health.
L2 (held) with [] - Light Flash Freeze. Time's runnin' short! Let's make it
flow 5% as fast and get that extra time needed. It takes 4 packs of light eco
to use this and it lasts roughly 20 seconds... or was it one second? This
cannot be used with any form of transportation as using such transportation
cancels the effect. Ain't it nice seeing the world go by so slowly? This is
great fun to play around with once unlimited Light Jak is unlocked. Flash
freeze is critical if you want to do a 1000-meter distance jump with an ATV.
L2 (held) with O - Light Shield. Too many metal heads and other monsters on
the rampage? Bring out the Light Shield and deflect those attacks! It's a
great way to get past certain parts in the game, especially during act 3, but
it's otherwise of little use.
L2 (held) with X - Light Flight. Free as a bird... almost. You can't fly
forever... or can you? It just so happens that it is possible to fly forever,
but how exactly to do it, see the glitches section, in section 10.
```````````````````````````
2.1.5 As Daxter **020150**
..........................
Always riding on Jak's shoulder is the little ottsel friend of his, Daxter.
Well, almost always. There are a few odd cases where only Daxter can do
something. While a bit limited compared to Jak, a lot of the on-solid-ground
controls are still the same. Again, I'll list the differences from normal Jak.
/\ - does nothing. Daxter's vehicle is Jak himelf. Sorry, he can't board a
vehicle... but at least there aren't any situations in which Daxter can board a
vehicle.
R1 - does nothing. Daxter cannot use guns. He does, at least, have the same
basic physical attacks.
R2 - does nothing. Daxter cannot use the hoverboard on his own. However, if
Jak uses it, Daxter does as well.
O - defensive stance. If Daxter is hanging from an overhead fence, he will get
up and avoid being hit by things below. This is rarely, if ever, of use.
X - drop off of a fence. This will make Daxter drop off of an overhead fence,
no longer hanging from it. Simply going past the end of the fence will do the
same. Better check to make sure it's safe to drop! Over a lava pit isn't
exactly the safest place to let go.
Vroom, vroooooom! Vehicles come in multiple flavors and varieties, each with
pros and cons. This refers to the ATV-like vehicles and the zoomers (hover
cars found only in Haven City). The following subsections explain the basic
controls for each, with the first being the most common controls.
The game calls them vehicles, but, by definition, even a zoomer is a vehicle.
I will often refer to them as ATVs for the sake of clarity since they are, in a
way, all terrain vehicles. They are the most commonly used vehicles, mainly in
the desert area. They take a fair while to get used to controlling but have
very poor versatility that sometimes make them not a good choice. They are
generally always faster than being on foot, but when there's a lot of really
rough terrain, sometimes, it's best to be on foot, but the game doesn't always
allow that. Each ATV has all sorts of various pros and cons. Some are super
fast, but others are slow. Some are designed for battle, some are not. Some
are great at jumping, others can barely leave the ground. I've detailed the
specs for each in section 3.3 below. Never put ATV in deep water - it's
instant death. They can go in shallow water though, but not more than about
neck deep. This just lists the controls, since all ATV are the same.
LS - turn ATV. Going the wrong direction or need to make a turn? Just tilt
the left stick left or right to turn in that direction.
RS - move camera. This is rarely needed with ATVs as the camera is much better
behaved with ATVs than it is on foot. Still, when caught up in a tough or
tight area, there is some use in this.
X - accelerate. Put the pedal to the metal and zoom along! Full speed
ahead... but watch out for that cliff!
[] when moving forward - brake. Don't be crashing into those trees and rocks
like the marauders seem to love doing! This isn't a crash course!
[] when stopped or going backward - reverse. Still crashed into that tree?
Shift into the gear labeled "R" and back up. Reverse is slower to use so use
wisely.
O - brake. Regardless of the direction, slamming on the brakes when in need is
wise. Speed isn't always the name of the game, even in races.
R1 - fire gun. Except for the Tough Puppy, this will fire the gun that's
mounted on the ATV. All ATVs have unlimited ammo so feel free to get those
guns blazing! There's always a marauder or two around!
R2 - use a turbo. Turbos make the ATV go much faster for a short period of
time, usually 2 seconds. Hold the button to continue using turbos as soon as
they recharge.
L1 - jump. Contrary to what the game says for the Dune Hopper, L1 does not
need to be held for it to do its high jumps. However, holding it does add a
small bit to its hang time.
L2 (held) - rear view. Those pesky marauders sure love to cause trouble!
Being tailed or need to back up? Hold R2 to see what's going on behind you.
With the Gila Stomper or Slam Dozer, this allows for the gun to be fired
behind, to destroy any tailing marauders. Now, when you do a big jump, using
R2 can be a great way to get some really weird and crazy views, especially if
the jump doesn't go quite right where you're on the side.
/\ - exit ATV. Need to go on foot? Leave the ATV, but do so wisely. This is
required to get upwards of 20 seconds of total hang time. You cannot leave an
ATV if it is in the water, even shallow water that it can handle.
St - bring up the wheel menu. Say, what sort of fancy customization options do
I get? See sections 3.6 and 4 for details on the options.
Se - pause the game. Wai- (game paused)! Need to run to the bathroom or grab
a quick drink... or need to bypass something especially difficult requiring
fine timing and control? Pausing the game has plenty of uses, both directly
and indirectly.
Zoomers are only found in Haven City. These are much more flexible vehicles.
While they have multiple varieties, the controls are still the same for each.
They are very similar to the ATVs, with just a few differences.
R1 - fire one of Jak's guns. Zoomers never have guns. Never, ever use the
wave concussor, plasmite RPG, peace maker, or supernova with a zoomer or
there's a high risk of destroying the zoomer and if this happens while Jak is
in or near it, it'll cost him 2 health points. If you need to use a gun, which
is generally not necessary, use either the blaster or, the better option, the
vulcan fury.
R2 - change hover zones. Zoomers have 2 hover zones. The lower one is the
ground one - you'll be crashing into the civilians, guards, and monsters quite
often, but at least you won't have to worry about other zoomer traffic. The
upper one avoids all ground hazards, but you'll then have to deal with zoomer
traffic. For most missions that actively involve zoomers, the upper hover zone
is best used, but do decide wisely. Sometimes, dropping down to the lower
hover zone then back up again to avoid traffic can be very handy.
=====================================.
# 2.3 Other transporation **020300** #
`=====================================`
The jet board, leaper lizard, glider, etc. all have other controls that are
different. For things used just once in a single mission, see the appropriate
mission for the controls. This area is used for things that can be used
multiple times.
``````````````````````````````````
2.3.1 On the jet board **020310**
.................................
Surprisingly, the jet board has little use in the main story. Its primary use
is in grinding, riding on small pipes or narrow rails and this isn't
particularly common either. The jet board has fairly complicated controls,
most of which only needed for the jet board challenge. Water, for the jet
board, functions the same as solid land. Getting off the jet board while over
water will make Jak go in the water. Getting on the jet board while in the
water will make him hover above it. Also, the use of the jet board will
instantly cancel any active Dark Jak or Light Jak effects.
LS - steer. Turn left or right with the stick being left or right, or
accelerate when the stick is forward. When the stick is backward, it results
in either a rapid turn when not grinding or slowing down when grinding.
RS - camera. For the most part, controlling the camera is unnecessary as the
camera is well-done with the use of the jet board. You turn right, it
automatically turns right so you can see where you're going. In a big fall?
The camera follows along.
X - jump. Jumping, it's so basic, but it's what makes a platformer a
platformer. Somehow, there's got to be a way to get from one platform to
another, even if it's by jet board.
X then X shortly after landing - high jump. A higher jump has use, but this
isn't necessary for the most part as the launch jump is slightly more reliable.
L1 held then X - launch jump. This is fairly tricky to pull off. I tend to
miss it quite often. It takes a lot of time to get used to it. Fortunately,
it's really only needed twice in the entire game as the standard high jump is
good enough and much easier to pull off.
R1 held with LS and X - flips and spins. Up on the stick does a front flip.
Down on the stick does a back flip. Left does a counterclockwise 360° spin and
right does a clockwise 360° spin. After any spin, the jet board gets a speed
boost, useful to get going quickly from a near-stop.
L2 held with LS and X - perform tricks. These have absolutely no use outside
the jet board challenge. Diagonals on the stick can also be used, for 8 total
tricks.
R2 - put the jet board back and return to normal on foot mode, depending on
what type of environment you're in.
[] - grind. See a rail or small pipe of sorts, like a small pipe or the top of
a caution sign? Hold [] while in mid-air until Jak lands on the grindable
surface. He will remain on the grindable surface until he goes over the edge,
he jumps, or crashes into something like a wall. Upon jumping, be sure to hold
[] again to grind on the rail or even a different rail. This aspect takes a
lot of time and effort to master and it often costs me a lot of redos.
Leaper lizards are exclusive to Spargus City. They are the main transport to
get around the city more quickly, much like zoomers are to get around Haven
City. However, control is a bit different.
RS - camera. Unlike the jet board, camera control is needed with the leaper
lizards much more as they can go from a sudden stop to full speed ahead and
back to a sudden stop only to turn hard left.
X - jump. Leaper lizards can jump quite high and far due to their higher
speeds. Use this knowledge to get to some of those hard to reach areas for
extra orbs.
X then X while in mid-air near the top of a jump - double jump. Unlike Jak,
leaper lizards hardly get any extra height, but it does stop the falling,
making it easier to make longer jumps as needed, what rare case this is needed.
[] - dashing strike. Use this to bash a rat for some eco refilling or to catch
a kanga-rat.
================================.
# 2.4 Other controls **020400** #
`================================`
There are some other common controls as well. These are the last of them:
/\ - skip scene. Don't want to bother with the story and just want to focus on
the missions? Just get the /\ button ready and you'll instantly skip story
scenes whenever they occur. It makes the game faster, a must for speed
runners.
L3 - display game stats. How many orbs or skull gems did I have again? What's
my health like, so I can regenerate if I really need to? I forgot. Just press
down the left stick to bring up this information. The health and eco meters do
not show, however, when guidance text shows up or, strangely, when Light Flight
is in active use.
R3 - look around. The only way to look directly up or directly down is to use
the look around mode, which requires Jak to be standing still on the ground.
It cannot be done when in deep water, in a vehicle, on a leaper lizard, using
the jet board, or when transformed. Use the right stick to move the camera.
Down moves the camera to look up, up makes the camera look down, left pans the
camera to the left, and right pans the camera to the right. Press R3 again to
return to normal.
################################
############# #############
######## ########
##### 3 Gameplay basics, objects, and info **030000** #####
######## ########
############# #############
################################
It's a staple of video games - plenty of things to collect, plenty of
information showing on screen, and plenty of monsters to fight. Here's what
each of them are, in detail.
==============================.
# 3.1 Game objects **030100** #
`==============================`
Scattered throughout the game world are countless game objects. All such game
objects have a function or use. This section will explain what these objects
are. Vehicles and enemies are in other sections below.
Skull gems. These are mostly obtained by defeating metal heads. Look for an
unusually bright forehead area on a metal head - if the metal head has a bright
area, it has a skull gem. Defeat it to get the skull gem to pop out of it.
Skull gems can also be found in crates and vases. Smash stuff, basically, to
have a smashing success! They are traded at precursor statues and kiosks to
get side missions for precursor orbs. Beyond 344 total skull gems collected is
of no use for a first play, another 344 for hero mode. Use all that you can.
Skull gems are plentiful and there's even places where it's easy to grind a few
hundred... or a few thousand if you so choose. Unlimited skull gem grinding
isn't available until about 3/4 of the way through the game. Be sure to grab
every skull gem you can, provided it's safe to do so.
Precursor orb. These objects are used to purchase secrets. Purchase wisely as
orbs aren't easy to get... unless you use the infinite orb glitch. Orbs, as I
often call them, are egg-shaped objects with strange writing on them. They
come in 2 flavors. Red ones are your basic ones and there are plenty scattered
around, waiting to be collected. They may even be in the water, on top of
buildings, or along rails so search both high and low, wet and dry dry alike.
Gold ones are exclusive to the orb hunt side missions and are worth 3 orbs in
one. Certain side missions give 3, 6, 9, 10, 12, or even 18 orbs in one go so
it's well worth spending the skull gems as it's generally better than a 1:1
ratio. The more skull gems needed, the higher the return rate. One side
mission may require 16 skull gems, but you can net up to 45 orbs from it,
fairly easy orbs with the right setups. Then again, there is the infinite orb
glitch where a single mission can net thousands upon thousands of orbs with
minimal effort and all you need is just 4 skull gems in the entire game to get
all the orbs you'll ever need to unlock every secret.
Dark eco blobs. These are found in crates or left behind by defeated enemies
that are not robots. They are used to fill the dark eco meter for Dark Jak.
It takes about 50 of these to completely fill the dark eco meter from empty.
Unless you use Dark Jak a lot (I don't), avoid collecting dark eco as it's a
waste of time.
Light eco blobs. These are found in crates or left behind on occasion by
defeated enemies. They are used to fill the light eco meter for Light Jak. It
takes about 8 of these to completely fill the light eco meter from empty.
Smashables. Krimzon Guard crates, urns, vases, and sacks are all over the
place. These tend to contain ammo, but a few contain orbs, skull gems, or even
dark or light eco. Smash 'em all! To automatically collect everything in the
crate, run into them with the jet board. It's much easier collecting skull
gems that way as skull gems go flying all over the place. Until the jet board
is obtained, you'd have to collect them the old fashioned way which means
chasing after them.
Red frisbee. These are red ammo restocks and they come in packs of 5 or 10.
Defeating robots or smashing stuff reveals such ammo.
Yellow thermos. These are yellow ammo restocks and come in packs of 5 or 10.
Defeating robots or smashing crates reveals such ammo. This is the most common
ammo drop and if ammo is to be dropped based on the gun that is missing ammo
(chosen at random) but all ammo is full, this is the default drop.
Blue curve. These are blue ammo restocks and come in packs of 5 or 10.
Defeating robots or smashing creates reveals such ammo. This ammo isn't
particularly common, but it's still plentiful enough.
Dark ball. These are dark-magenta-colored ammo restocks that come in packs of
1 or 5. Defeating robots or smashing crates reveals such ammo. This is the
rarest of the ammo and minly only drops if the ammo drop condition is toward
the one where some ammo is missing. That is, if you're missing some red, blue,
and dark ammo, such crates and defeated robots will randomly drop one of those
3 types until full where the variety reduces. If all ammo is full, then the
yellow ammo is dropped by default.
Black box with green +. These are health packs and restore either 1 or 2
health units (usually the former from enemy drops, the latter from crates).
Red light pulse. These blobs of red light are turbos. In an ATV, collect them
to gain the ability to use a turbo. Grab all that you can during races until
you can unlock unlimited turbos. Outside of races, destroying a marauder
vehicle will always drop a turbo.
Blur or red circle with faint concentric circles going to the center. These
are accelerator rings and used for certain missions, especially the game's 6
ring challenge side missions, the leaper lizard race, and a few others. They
serve as race check points (not progress check points where you return to them
upon a death) and there's almost always a time limit to reach each one and they
often have to be reached in a certain order.
================================.
# 3.2 On screen info **030200** #
`================================`
Timer. This appears in the top center of the screen whenever a timer is
present which is solely dependent on the mission, usually side missions. When
the timer runs out, the outcome varies, depending on the mission. Usually,
it's "mission failed" and you need to restart it. However, some cases have the
"test" simply end if the timer runs out, as is the case with the jet board
scoring challenge. When flash freeze is used, the timer is also affected by
it, counting down 5% as fast. The timer does not flow while the wheel menu is
up or the game is paused.
Guns. The top right corner of the screen shows the active gun by shape, color,
and grade as noted by the colored arrows that light up. It also shows how much
ammo you have of that color. This information only shows when you've taken a
gun out. When there is insufficient ammo of that color, the ammo counter will
be displayed in red. Attempting to fire a shot without adequate ammo will
cause a different gun to be fired instead, with the blaster being the primary
default. When unlimited ammo is unlocked, ammo may appear to still count down,
but even when 0 remains, you still fire ammo of that type. If a mission
displays a counter or something in that area, such as the ATV stunt challenges,
then bringing out a gun, if possible, will not display this. However, there is
a glitch where, if you display the map, the gun info shows, overlaid on top of
it, causing it to look weird and confusing.
Map. The bottom right corner of the screen shows a broad view map of the area
you're in, but only in Spargus City, the big desert, or Haven City. Its range
varies, but it's typically 450 meters in all directions and it's oriented so
that the top is the exact direction the camera is facing. There are a few
times where the map displays outside these means as a mission destination (e.g.
Haven Forest). Marked on the map are various icons and dots. Light gray dots
indicate transportation sources, such as ATVs, unoccupied zoomers (as opposed
to the ones going by overhead), and leaper lizards. Dark blue dots represent
Freedom League Guards (exclusive to Haven City) with the medium-light blue cone
representing their field of view. Dark violet dots represent metal heads.
Dark red dots represent Krimzon Guard robots. Small, yellow down-pointing
arrows indicate locations where active side missions are available, either in
the form of precursor statues or kiosks, depending on the location. At any
time, the map can be viewed via the "map" option, but it lacks the display of
all dots except for the currently active ATV and Jak's destination noted a
light blue arrow that repeatedly grows and shrinks.
Health meter. The bottom left corner of the screen shows Jak's health. It
comes in the form of 8 to 16 green or red dots going around the outer edge.
Green dots indicate available health points. Red dots indicate missing health
points. Grabbing health packs or using Light Regeneration will change some or
all red dots into green ones. Health packs recover 1 or 2 health points.
Light Regeneration recovers 1 health point per 1/16 of the light eco meter.
Obtaining precursor armor increases the total number of available health points
by 2 for each, to up to 8 extra.
Light eco meter. This is on the left side of the health meter area. It takes
8 pieces of light eco to completely fill it from empty. Light eco is needed
for the use of Light Jak powers. I'd recommend sticking strictly to Light
Regeneration though, unless required by the story.
Dark eco meter. This is on the right side of the health meter area. It takes
about 50 pieces of dark eco to completely fill it from empty. Dark Jak is of
little use beyond the story-required stuff, but if ammo is running short or
there's a ton of enemies in a small space, consider using dark bomb or dark
blast to bulk-eradicate enemies.
Skull gems. This is how many skull gems are currently in possession. Find
them in crates, or from certain defeated metal heads (noted by an oddly bright
glowing area). There is no known limit to how many you can have; I have over
3300 and counting. The limit is either 9999, 32,767 (signed 16-bit integer
limit), 65,535 (unsigned 16-bit integer limit), or something phenomenally
higher.
Precursor orbs. Precursor orbs look like eggs and are used to purchase
secrets, such as increased ammo, unlimited turbos, invulnerability, and various
other things. See section 4 for details.
In total, there are 8 vehicles, of which I always call ATVs for distinction
purposes because zoomers and perhaps even the jet board could be considered
vehicles. 5 of which require story progress to obtain, 3 of which can be
purchased with orbs. Each ATV has its strengths and weaknesses. I've given a
rating for many of the vehicles and did in-depth analysis to determine how
strong they are using frame by frame analysis in videos. So, before I get
started, I'll explain what each of the fields mean.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````
3.3.1 Meaning of and determing the ratings **030310**
.....................................................
Name, top speed, turbo, handling, jumping, durability, and weapon, are the 6
key attributes to each ATV.
Name is self-explanatory - the name of the ATV as stated by the game.
Top speed is how fast the vehicle goes at its full speed (driving straight
after a few seconds). A high top speed also makes it more prone to skidding,
making it difficult to control. Since there's no speedometer in the game and
the distance challenge depends on the slopes and requires air time which are
not dependable, I have to use alternative methods to determine this while still
being as definitive as possible, as opposed to subjective. I used the lost
city area (in the southeast part of the desert), where you go to catch wild
leapers. I used an area 2 "blocks" west from the eastern edge and passed under
2 arches eventually crashing into the far edge of a third arch that's almost
parallel with the direction of travel. I started the timer on the last frame
when a part of the northern arch that sticks out on the left side under it was
still fully visible. I ended the timer when I crashed into the arch on the
other side or got to the point where I would've crashed. For precise timing, I
recorded a video of my game play and analyzed it frame by frame. For example,
if I got, for the Desert Screamer, 120 frames, 124 frames, 120 frames, then 123
frames, where the frame rate is 30,000/1001 (the NTSC standard), I average out
the 4.06 seconds indicated. The standard deviation is about 0.6%, around 2
game frames for 6 seconds (probably from slight variations in the angle of
approach). Because this is a measured time, the lower the value, the faster
the vehicle. The winner is the Desert Screamer at 4.06 seconds. The loser is
the Gila Stomper at 8.64 seconds.
Turbo is how effective the turbo is. Duration and speed boost are how I
determine it. The greater the speed boost and the longer the duration the
speed boost occurs, the better the turbo. I'm using exactly the same process
for determining top speed, except I start the turbo very shortly after crossing
the start line and I only use 1 turbo in all cases for consistency reasons.
Again, because a time is involved, the lower, the better. In addition to the
time, I state the duration the rocket engine fires and also the factor of the
top speed time divided by the turbo time where a higher value is better. The
winner is the Tough Puppy with a 1.31x factor and 3.5 seconds of turbo, the
loser is the Slam Dozer with 1.07x factor and just 0.25 seconds of turbo.
Handling is how easily the ATV keeps traction. Some ATVs, especially the fast
ones don't need much to skid or roll while others take a lot of effort.
Handling is difficult to measure definitively so this one is highly subjective.
I'm rating it from 1 to 5 where 5 is the most stable and 1 is the least stable.
The Tough Puppy wins here along with the Slam Dozer. I have such a hard time
getting these to skid, even with turbos, and if I do get it skidding, it's so
easily corrected. The Heat Seeker is the main loser here because, at full
speed, even without turbo, the slightest of turning gets it to skid.
Jumping. The more hang time, the better the jumping. Most ATVs have a total
hang time of 0.9 seconds. Testing this is easy. I get the ATV as still as I
can possibly get on as flat of a surface as I can get and I jump. To get the
duration of the jump to high precision, I recorded a video of it, averaging the
3 jumps. The area I used was the area where the vehicles are stored. The
winner is the Dune Hopper at 2.17 seconds (when fully charged, 1.93 seconds
with a quick press). The Sand Shark and Dust Demon are tied for last, at 0.6
seconds.
Durability. Eventually, all ATVs will take so much damage that they get
destroyed. Because ATVs become vulnerable and the toughness upgrade is lost
once they are exited, even with invulnerability, I had to make sure that only
the spin attack could ever damage the vehicle. The spin attack is the weaker
of the normal attacks so it results in more hits being needed, giving a more
accurate reflection on how tolerant vehicles are. Because vehicles are
invincible in the area where they are stored, I had to take the vehicle outside
the gate. I hardly had to cover any distance for it though. I got outside and
started using the spin attack, counting how many whacks were needed. I counted
twice to verify the number of hits needed. If I got a mismatch (which happened
once), I counted 5 times, taking the most common case. The 15 needed for the
marauders is a comparison point (yep, I tested it on the marauders - flash
freeze and having a single marauder that spawns in an open, smooth arrea (so as
to avoid them shooting each other, crashing, or rolling, which is all but
inevitable) helps with that). The winner is both the Gila Stomper and the Slam
Dozer at 40 hits. The loser is the Tough Puppy at just 15, tied with the
marauders.
Weapon. This one is sort of subjective. All ATVs except the Tough Puppy have
weapons. Twin-mounted, front-facing, machine guns are the most common, which
fire 15 shots per second when combined (7.5 shots per second each). These guns
are weak but the high firing rate makes up for it and they are fixed in place,
always facing directly in the front of the ATV. Large cannons fire 10 shots
per second and are either 50% or 100% stronger and they also automatically
point toward their target. With such guns, holding L2 allows for the gun to
fire behind the ATV, to get rid of the marauder tail you might have. Grenade
launchers are the other type, firing just one shot per second, which deal huge
damage, instantly destroying the marauders in one hit, but they have poor
firing rate and are not easy to aim. They only fire in the direction the
vehicle is going.
Name: Tough Puppy
Top speed: 7.3 seconds
Turbo: 5.59 seconds for 3.5 seconds with a 1.31x factor
Handling: *****
Jumping: 0.9 seconds
Durability: 15 hits
Weapon: * None
While the Tough Puppy lacks any weapons and has the lowest durability of all,
it's a fair quality all-around early game vehicle for beginner racing or just
getting from point A to point B. You'll hardly need to bother with marauders
during the story missions that use it but one mission has heavy marauder
involvement. However, it's easily superceded by other vehicles on multiple
fronts. However, the lack of skidding from its superior handling is amazing.
I just can't get this thing to skid, short of being on awkward slopes or
running over a lot of buried rocks. With unlimited turbos unlocked, it's
possible to get gold in both of the key races though this isn't the best option
for racing.
Name: Sand Shark
Top speed: 5.52 seconds
Turbo: 4.61 seconds for 2 seconds with a 1.2x factor
Handling: 3.5
Jumping: 0.6 seconds
Durability: 20 hits
Weapon: *** Machine guns
The Sand Shark is one of the most commonly used ATVs in the story. One side
challenge even requires it. Although lacking in the jumping front, it's got a
decent top speed and modest handling making it a great choice for racing.
Name: Dune Hopper
Top speed: 5.76 seconds
Turbo: 4.58 seconds for 2 seconds with a 1.26x factor
Handling: **
Jumping: 1.93 to 2.17 seconds
Durability: 25 hits
Weapon: **** Grenade launchers
When it comes to jumping, nothing beats the Dune Hopper! Too bad it cannot be
used for the hang time or distance challenges. Then again, there's a far, far
better way to smash the 4.5-second gold requirement (and it takes so little
effort as well to triple the gold requirement) or the 220-meter gold distance
(it doesn't take much effort to get 500 meters, but I've gotten over 1000
meters, well off the map (literally)). Although slightly slower than the Sand
Shark, and having worse handling, it serves an okay role for racing, especially
if you put shortcuts to use made possible only by this thing's insane jumping
ability. This ATV is required to get to the Monk Temple, but it is actually
possible to use any vehicle to get to the Monk Temple with the right setup.
See the "hang time", "distance", and "roll" side challenges in sections 5.14,
5.15, and 5.16 for details.
Name: Gila Stomper
Top speed: 8.64 seconds
Turbo: 7.57 seconds for 2 seconds with a 1.14x factor
Handling: ****
Jumping: 0.9 seconds
Durability: 40 hits
Weapon: ***** Cannons
The Gila Stomper is the first ATV you'll have access to that's designed for
combat and, if purely for combat only, the best vehicle. Although it is the
slowest vehicle of them all, who needs speed when its gun can target anything
in a full 360° circle (use L2 to shoot stuff behind)? Unfortunately, the
autolock only works when near a target, not when one is far away.
Name: Slam Dozer
Top speed: 8.06 seconds
Turbo: 7.54 seconds for 0.25 seconds with a 1.07x factor
Handling: *****
Jumping: 0.9 seconds
Durability: 40 hits
Weapon: ***** Cannons
This vehicle is slightly better than the Gila Stomper on the speed front, but
the turbo is really horrible, the worst of all. Although it is very short, it
does result in a massive speed boost. To make the most out of it, use the
turbo then jump about 100 milliseconds later. This will provide a modest speed
boost. The ratings are based being purely on the ground, for consistency
reasons. Unfortunately, the guns only cover a 270° arc so it cannot get stuff
directly behind it. I'd say that, for purely combat purposes, this vehicle is
second place.
Name: Heat Seeker
Top speed: 4.37 seconds
Turbo: 3.58 seconds for 2 seconds with a 1.22x factor
Handling: *
Jumping: 0.9 seconds
Durability: 17 hits
Weapon: *** Machine guns
The Heat Seeker is purchased with 15 orbs. It's a very fast vehicle, but it's
not very durable and it has the worst handling of all. It's so bad that, at
its full speed, it takes very little to get this thing skidding, even on flat
terrain with nothing rough. It was a challenge to log the top speed and even
more of a challenge to log the turbo speed as I had to line up and go full
speed without any turning. It's, however, best used for getting the silver and
gold for the hang time and distance jumps until the real big stuff becomes
available. It's also not very durable, only slightly better than the Tough
Puppy or the marauders. I would not recommend it much.
Name: Dust Demon
Top speed: 4.77 seconds
Turbo: 3.94 seconds for 2 seconds with a 1.21x factor
Handling: *`
Jumping: 0.6 seconds
Durability: 24 hits
Weapon: **** Grenade launchers
This is obtained for 15 orbs. While it has a great speed and slightly better
handling than the Heat Seeker, it's not a decent vehicle overall and it can
barely jump at all. Pass up on this one.
Name: Desert Screamer
Top speed: 4.06 seconds
Turbo: 3.41 seconds for 2 seconds with a 1.19x factor
Handling: **
Jumping: 0.95 seconds
Durability: 20 hits
Weapon: *** Machine guns
This the ultimate ATV. It's so good, it screams, hence the name! Not only is
it the fastest of all, making getting the gold look easy, it's also got a fair
handling ability and a slightly better jumping ability than the norm. It has
moderately low durability though, but it's, overall, a great all-around choice
for almost everything. It does cost 20 orbs to obtain though, but it's well
worth it for use in hero mode. I mainly only recommend unlocking it if you
have 270 or more orbs.
Zoomers mainly come in 3 flavors. The single seaters are fast, but don't have
much durability. The double-seaters are slower but are much more durable. For
most needs, the single seaters are the best choice. When zoomers take too much
damage, they explode which deal 2 units of damage. However, if you use this
explosion wisely, you can be used as a makeshift weapon with certain missions.
Top speed is measured by the time it takes to get from point A to point B at
full speed. To avoid combat and crashing into stuff, I used the port area, in
the far back area (the southernmost part). I used the wall as a reference
point.
Durability is measured the same way as that of the ATVs - I just use the spin
attack repeatedly until it explodes. Unfortunately, even with invulnerability,
zoomers can take damage and will eventually blow up, regardless on whether or
not Jak is using it. It seems like a big oversight by the developers, one
present in Jak 2 as well. Thus, I had to be more careful with it. Flash
freeze, to eliminate most variables, was the best way to test it.
Type: single-seater
Top Speed: seconds
Durability: 8 hits
Type: double-seater
Top Speed: seconds
Durability: 12 hits
Monsters, metal heads, Krimzon Guard robots, marauders, and dark creatures are
Jak's primary enemies. However, Freedom League Guards and Spargus's civilians
can also become enemies if attacked. Running into them with the jet board
counts as being attacked making it not recommended to use the jet board in city
walk ways (but feel free over water). Defeating them via the peace maker does
not count as being attacked. While the list is not complete, here's the rough
idea on the enemies, how they behave, and strategies on dealing with them. I
do not know any of their official names, so I'll reference them based on what
they look like or how they behave. Bosses are left out as they are specific to
individual missions.
Monsters are things like the lurkers in the original Jak & Daxter. They never
drop ammo, health packs, or skull gems, but do drop dark and light eco.
Rat - these are harmless and prefer to run away. They are only found in
Spargus City. Either run into them with the jet board, dash attack them with
the leaper lizard, or shoot them.
Small lizard - these are harmless and will rarely move. They are only found in
Spargus City. Just attack as you see fit, but they don't drop anything so it's
best to just ignore them unless you're the type that loves destruction.
Hedgehog - these roll and tend to be in groups. They are an orangish color and
have small spikes lining their backs. Hedgehogs are found in the volcano.
Shooting them is the best way to deal with them, though the spin attack and
punch can also be used. They deal 2 units of damage but don't drop anything.
Death guard - these are found in the central area of the Monk Temple and will
cause instant death when they attack. Use a fully charged wave concussor
attack or the supernova (hero mode only) to destroy them with, all together at
once.
Frogs - found frequently in the sewers and eco mine, they are an easy target
that deal 2 units of damage. Shoot or spin attack them.
Flier - a blue-green- and teal-colored monster exclusive to the eco mine. They
do diving swoops when close. Shoot them down.
Wall lizard - these shoot beams of dark eco that do 2 units of damage and crawl
along the wall. Shoot them down so they fall to the ground then shoot until
destroyed.
Red rat - these cannot be killed outside sending them down a bottomless pit but
their use is in getting wheels spinning. They'll chase after you and deal 2
units of damage. However, once one in the set is in the wheel, they'll
generally stop chasing.
Kanga-rat - these are exclusive to a single mission and prefer to run away and
not attack. They serve as leaper lizard food though.
`````````````````````````````
3.5.2 Metal heads **030520**
............................
Metal heads tend to have skull gems and come in an assortment of varieties.
They never drop ammo or health packs but do drop dark and light eco.
Scorpion - these make random movements and very quickly strike when close to
one. They tend to sneak up on you as they're quite small and tend to be in
large numbers. Shooting them with the scatter gun is the easiest way, but
mid-air spin attacks are just as easy as the striker will hit spinning Jak and
Jak's attacks take priority, so their strike is a weak point. They deal 1 unit
of damage.
Pouncer - these run like gorillas and will pounce (jump on) you when they get
close. They take 2 hits to defeat but are easy targets. Shoot 'em or spin
attack them. They tend to have skull gems as well and drop 3 to 5 dark eco.
Their attacks deal 2 units of damage.
Leech - these are in huge numbers and only found in the metal head cave, Haven
Forest on the first visit, or in the metal head destruction side challenge.
They gang up on you in large numbers and constantly attack. For this, just get
those guns blazing, especially the arc welder, or use jumping spin attacks.
They deal 1 unit of damage. They don't always drop something, but when they
do, they drop a single dark eco and rarely light eco. They never have skull
gems.
Dragonfly - these fly in the air and fire dark eco projectiles. They are
primarily at the Monk volcano and Monk Temple. They take 2 hits to defeat and
are best defeated by shooting them, especially with the blaster as they like to
keep distance. Their attacks deal 2 units of damage.
Shooter spider - these move very slowly and, when close to one, shoot beams of
dark eco light repeatedly. Just shoot them from a distance.
Ninja mantis - these are the most difficult to attack, but are only found in
one mission. They deal 2 damage, but only take 1 hit to defeat. I find that
either the scatter gun or the beam reflexor are the best options, the peace
maker only when there's more than 5 of them in a small area.
Croc - these are exclusive to the sewers and can handle deep water. They deal
2 units of damage and take 2 hits to defeat.
Dinosaur - these giant metal heads are only dealt with during certain missions.
They are huge and run at incredible speed, often firing projectiles in the form
of magenta-colored balls. They are exclusive to the desert.
Giant bat - these metal heads are exclusive mainly to large-scale combat
missions involving the ATVs. They shoot missiles.
These robots tend to drop ammo instead of eco, but they still drop eco. They
do not drop skull gems but can drop health packs.
Rollbot - these robots roll on the guard then get up, aim, and shoot at their
selected target. They deal 2 units of damage and take 4 spin attack hits to
defeat. The arc welder, especially with the upgrade, works best for these.
Crawlbot - these small robots constantly move toward their target then pounce
when close. They deal 2 units of damage and are best defeated with the spin
attack as they're so simple and easy to get though they can sneak up on you.
Fortunately, they're quite noisy so if their familiar sound gets fairly loud,
look around. They tend to drop ammo and health packs though.
Hoverbot - these small aerial robots randomly move about, tending to stay near
the edges of walls, and shoot. They're easy targets, but they drop large ammo
drops for the peace maker, packs of 5 in one. Just shoot them, for the most
part, or, if one is close, spin attack. They only do 1 unit of damage and take
only 1 hit, however.
Jetbot - these are much like the rollbots, except they're aerial and more
fragile taking 2 hits instead of 4. They're also quite annoying as I get hit
by them frequently. For the most part, shoot them with the blaster or beam
reflexor.
Blastbot - these are the most dangerous of the robots. Although all attacks
they do deal 2 units of damage, they are incredibly resistant, taking upwards
of 50 hits to destroy. When they take too many hits, they stop attacking and
moving and get ready to explode. Fortunately, there are only a limited
quantity of these present.
Frogbot - these are the same as the monster frogs, just red and robotic in
nature instead. They are exclusive to one part of the sewers.
Marauders are only found in the desert and they only appear to drop dark eco.
They come in only 5 flavors. All but one type are found in only certain
events.
Sword marauder - these are the most basic of marauders. They deal 2 units of
damage and take 2 hits to defeat. These types are limited to only certain
events.
Gun marauder - these are the worst marauders as they have incredible range and
tend to sneak up on you. They deal 2 units of damage and take 2 hits to
defeat.
Car marauder - these are found at any time in the desert. They spawn in the
direction of travel about 300 meters away with some angular varation on either
side, unless an obstacle is present at that distance such as water or a
mountain. These are quite annoying and they constantly have their guns going
off. Fortunately, they're not very smart as it's easy enough to lure them into
a tree or even into deep water to drown. They take 15 hits to defeat but those
hits come very fast with the right vehicles.
Flaming car marauder - these are the same as the above, but exclusive to a
single mission and deal small damage. See the main walkthrough for details.
Catapult car marauder - these marauder vehicles are exclusive to the a single
mission and deal huge damage. See the main walkthrough for details.
````````````````````````````````
3.5.5 Dark creatures **030550**
...............................
The most hideous and dangerous of all the enemies in the game don't start
appearing until the very end of act 2. They tend to appear out of nowhere and
they are frightfully strong! It's a good thing the good guns are available for
handling these. They often drop a lot of dark eco when defeated.
Dark demon - these creatures put up shields which easily break with a spin
attack or punch but not so with guns then fire a projectile that does 4 units
of damage (yow!) and is somewhat difficult to avoid. If close to one, they
will attack with a different action that deals 2 damage. I find it best to use
the peace maker on these as, even with the shield up, they are instantly
defeated and in bulk. Otherwise, they take 4 hits to defeat.
Dark bat - these large flying bats constantly shoot, dealing 2 units of damage,
and are quite strong. In large numbers, use the peace maker. Otherwise, the
beam reflexor works nicely.
Dark spider - these spiders are very simple but they come in large numbers,
even splitting into multiple smaller ones. They come in 3 sizes - large,
medium, and small. Yep, one spider and you might as well have a total of 7 to
deal with. The large and medium ones take 2 hits to defeat, the small ones
take just one. I find it easier to use spin attacks and punches for the larger
ones, but when there's more than 4, either the [[first red gun]], arc welder,
or peace maker work best to do some much-needed cleanup. What they drop
depends on what mission they're encountered in - either ammo, eco, or both.
================================.
# 3.6 The wheel menu **030600** #
`================================`
Jak 3 offers a little more customizability and options than any of the previous
games. The wheel menu is a somewhat updated version of what Jak 2 has. There
are, in total, 10 options. Here's what each of them are and what they do.
Map - view the current, full map, regardless of the destination. There are
only a few, special cases where no map is available but they don't really need
a map. This is the same as the minimap shown in the bottom right, but it lacks
all of the indicators except where side missions are, where Jak is, and, if in
the desert, where the currently active ATV is. It also shows where mission
icons are along with other key locations as flashing green or red dots.
Missions - view the current missions in progress and the ones you have cleared.
If you don't know what you're supposed to do, or what's going on, check here
then check the name of that mission in the walkthrough section itself (sections
5, 6, and 7).
High scores - view your current best scores and times for various actions.
This shows you what is needed to get the bronze (3rd place), silver (2nd place)
and gold (1st place) rankings to get those extra orbs.
Inventory - view your current inventory and what you've picked up. Vehicles,
guns, key items like the eco crystals and gate pass, the Dark Jak skills, the
Light Jak skills, and a few others.
Controls - review the controls for the game. It's a quick reference on how to
control things, but you cannot configure anything. Section 2 above goes into
more detail.
Options - configure 5 different types of configuration settings.
• Game options. Set the vibration function, use of subtitles (the text of the
scenes that play), and the the language for the subtitles, game itself, and
voice acting.
• Graphic options. Center the screen (use ^, >, v, or < to move it, or [] to
reset to where it was), set the aspect ratio, or the use of progressive scan.
I strongly recommend using the 4:3 aspect ratio instead of the 16:9 default
because you can see more of the game scene, including enemies you couldn't
otherwise see with the 16:9. I've had that happen a few times. The reasoning
is simple: the 16:9 is actually just a cropped version of the 4:3. Due to a
bug in the game where the aspect ratio is not saved (also present in Jak 2),
you'll need to reset this every time you load the game. So, use 4:3 and take
the added advantage. You can see more of the game world that way!
• Sound options. Adjust the volume of the sound effects, music, and speech.
Also, adjust the sound mode to either surround (default), mono, or stereo. The
"mono" seems to be a bit louder than the other 2. Surround, at least, gives an
extra advantage where you can get audio cues of things going on the sides (and
specifically which side), but it requires compatible speakers.
• Picture options. Adjust the contrast and brightness. Contrast is the
difference between the dark and the light. Jak 3 tends to be fairly dark where
it's difficult to see. When it's hard to see, consider reducing the contrast
to 40% instead of the default 50% and brightness to 60% instead of the default
50%. It's much easier to see dark stuff.
• Camera control. Adjust how the movement of the camera works. It is split
into horizontal and vertical. For each, you have "default" and "flipped". The
latter simply reverses how the camera moves. That is, instead of up moving the
camera closer, it moves it farther away.
Load game - not liking hero mode or want to go with hero mode instead of normal
mode? Load your applicable save and go from there.
Save game - sometimes, the automatic save is unfriendly. It comes when you
don't want it to and you can't disable it. Thus, by saving to a backup file
first then saving to your main file, you can undo what autosave does. If you
load your backup file, be sure to replace your autosave-destroyed main file
right away so you still have your backup. Also, when you collect orbs or
complete side missions, the results do not get automatically saved so this
comes in handy to perform a manual save, so you don't lose that progress.
Secrets - use your orbs to purchase various upgrades at almost any time. See
the "secrets" section below, in section 4, to learn more.
Restart/quit - off to a horrible start on a difficult mission? Instead of
waiting to die or for a timer to run out, just choose to restart it to save
time. If you've unlocked a secret that requires it to be accessed from the
game start menu, you can choose to quit your current game. This part on the
wheel menu is critical to the infinite orbs glitch. See the "glitches" section
for more details.
#################
############# #############
######## ########
##### 4 The list of secrets **040000** #####
######## ########
############# #############
#################
===============================.
# 4.1 About secrets **040100** #
`===============================`
On the wheel menu, noted by 3 question marks, you can spend orbs to purchase
various secrets. Most of the secrets are of little worth or use and should be
avoided until all the important stuff is obtained first. You "only" need 565
orbs to obtain every secret, out of the 600. If you get all 600... or over 600
via the infinite orbs glitch, Jak's looks change but the change isn't really
worth it as it's just a bit of palette-swapping. At first, very few secrets
are available. However, as certain missions complete, new secrets become
accessible. The really good stuff, like unlimited ammo and invulnerability,
don't become available until the final boss is defeated. Most secrets take
only a few orbs to unlock. Interestingly enough, even if you only get 400 orbs
on your first play, you can choose to go with hero mode and obtain more orbs to
finish unlocking stuff, though it's easier to just use the infinite orbs glitch
as soon as possible. Here's what all of the secrets are and what effects they
have. The timing is given in the walkthrough itself.
Name - the name of the secret as it appears on the list.
Orbs - the number of orbs required to obtain the secret.
Recommendation - a rating from 1 to 5 stars (where ` is a half star) on how
much I recommend obtaining that secret. The walkthrough itself will explain
the optimal timing for it.
Details - in-depth description on what the secret does and why I rated the
recommendation the way I did, to the best of my knowledge.
These secrets involve the guns Jak uses such as increasing the ammo limit,
efficiency, or damage. Most of these are worth obtaining as soon as they
become available. Once these are purchased, they cannot be undone.
Name: Increased red ammo capacity
Orbs: 4
Recommendation: **`
Details: Increases the max ammo capacity for the red guns by 50. This makes
the maximum 150. Since the red guns are rarely of use, this is not a
necessity. Skip it until further notice. It's not needed until a fair ways
into the game.
Name: Increased yellow ammo capacity
Orbs: 4
Recommendation: *****
Details: Increases the max ammo capacity for the yellow guns by 100. This
makes the maximum 300. Yellow ammo is among the most common and with the beam
reflexor or spinning rapid fire trick, it's a very effective choice having a
significant increase in capacity.
Name: Increased blue ammo capacity
Orbs: 4
Recommendation: ****`
Details: Increases the max ammo capacity for the blue guns by 100. This makes
the maximum 300. These guns go through ammo like there's no tomorrow so having
the higher capacity makes them last longer, especially the ever-so-useful arc
welder.
Name: Increased dark ammo capacity
Orbs: 4
Recommendation: *****
Details: Increases the max ammo capacity for the dark guns by 5. This makes
the maximum 20. Because this ammo is so limited and so powerful, this is a
must as soon as the peace maker is obtained.
Name: Blaster damage upgrade
Orbs: 6
Recommendation: ****
Details: Damage with the blaster gun is increased by 50%. What used to take
40 hits to destroy the Gila Stomper now takes 27 hits for the same thing
(actually 26 2/3). However, other yellow guns are not affected, just
specifically the blaster. If you use the spinning rapid fire trick a lot, this
is a really worthwhile method.
Name: Scatter gun rate-of-fire upgrade
Orbs: 6
Recommendation: **
Details: The rate of fire for the scatter gun increases by about 80% (I logged
136 frames before, going to 77 frames after, for 5 total shots, 4 full ones).
The scatter gun has a fairly low rate of fire, taking a while to reload (around
1 1/8 seconds it seems). There are better guns than the scatter gun so this
isn't particularly favorable. Pass it up for a fair while. There's hardly any
good use in the scatter gun beyond the second mission in the game (section
5.3).
Name: Vulcan fury damage upgrade
Orbs: 6
Recommendation: ****
Details: Increases the damage with the vulcan fury by 25%. What used to take
40 hits to destroy the Gila Stomper now takes 32 for the same thing.
Name: Peace maker increased radius
Orbs: 6
Recommendation: *****
Details: Doubles the area of effect radius to about 20 meters instead of 10
making it cover 8 times more volume or 4 times more area. Make those few shots
this gun comes with count to its fullest!
Name: Reflexor increased reflections
Orbs: 8
Recommendation: *****
Details: With the reflexor being so useful, why not make it even more useful!?
With this one upgrade, it'll be easy to get the gold for the gun course mission
that involves it. Instead of a maximum of 3 deflections, it increases to 6,
but I'm not entirely sure on the exact effect this has as I haven't figured out
a way to test it as the bullets tend to go off screen or above where I can't
possibly see it.
Name: Concussor damage upgrade
Orbs: 8
Recommendation: *
Details: Although of little use, like most red guns, this increases the damage
done with the wave concussor gun by a mere 10%. The worst part about this is
that you have to get the near-useless rate of fire upgrade first in order to
even get it which basically means 14 orbs. It knocks the recommendation down
by a whole star because of that, and with the damage upgrade being so minimal,
it's totally not worth it. A better upgrade would be an increased radius
and/or ammo efficiency.
Name: Arc wielder robot shock
Orbs: 8
Recommendation: *****
Details: Deals double the damage to robots and vehicles. One of the best guns
in the game can be upgraded to quickly eradicate robots with great efficiency
and there's tons of robots around! It also affects vehicles, including the
ATVs and zoomers, but this generally isn't needed - be careful where you aim
when around ATVs and critically important zoomers.
Name: Mass inverter duration upgrade
Orbs: 8
Recommendation: *
Details: Increases the duration from about 6 seconds to 7. Unless you're
after a 23-second hang time or a 1000-meter distance, well beyond what is
required for the gold, it's best to avoid this.
Name: Gyro burster duration upgrade
Orbs: 10
Recommendation: *`
Details: The Gryo burster itself has little use so this is not recommended.
It still eats up just as much ammo though - 51. The duration is 50% longer
because, instead of using the equivalent of 1 1/2 shots (starting with 2 then
going to one and alternating from there), a single shot is always used but
still uses the same 51 shots. It's hardly worth it outside blast bots.
There's a more controlled way to get such rapid fire and one that's more
dependable over all. There's the blue guns and there's the trick with the
blaster (which gets a 50% damage increase, more so than the vulcan fury). To
get the rapid fire with the blaster, jump, spin, then press R1 while spinning.
Not only do you get the distance, you don't have to aim and you get a better
damage upgrade boost. The rapid fire doesn't last as long, but the lack of the
need to aim more than makes up for that, on top of the damage boost. Turn to
other rapid fire methods instead.
Name: Plasmite RPG ammo efficiency
Orbs: 10
Recommendation: *`
Details: One of the better red gun options will use 8 red ammo instead of 10,
a 20% reduction. The bonus takes effect the next time the gun is used. It's
not much though, but since this red gun ammo has a great area of effect and
does a lot of damage, it's quite useful. The only catch is that you have to
get the other 2 junk red gun upgrades to get it so it's effectively 24 orbs,
making it not worth it for a while, severely hurting my recommendation score
because of that, knocking it down 2 1/2 whole stars.
Name: Needle lazer ammo efficiency
Orbs: 10
Recommendation: ****
Details: One of the better guns in the game will use 1 1/2 ammo shots (in the
form of alternating between using 2 and 1 shots) instead of the 2 shots it
would otherwise use. If you make a shot that uses 2, change to another gun,
even the vulcan fury which uses the same type of ammo, then make another shot
with the needle lazer, it'll still use 2. It has to be from the same gun and
consecutive for the benefit to occur.
Name: Supernova ammo efficiency
Orbs: 10
Recommendation: *`
Details: The supernova destroys everything within a roughly 100-meter radius
of where the mushroom cloud is. It uses 10 of the most limiting ammo of all,
but this upgrade reduces that to just 8. It's not worth it so pass it up.
Name: Ratchet and Clank gun courses
Orbs: 5
Recommendation: *
Details: Adds 2 new gun courses to the list, styled after how Ratchet and
Clank are. Unfortunately, you cannot get any more orbs from it so it is not
worth obtaining until all the good stuff is obtained first. So, pass on it.
These 5 secrets, 2 of which toggleable, improve on the ATVs in general or
unlock new ones.
Name: Upgrade vehicle toughness
Orbs: 15
Recommendation: *****
Details: Doubles vehicle durability, withstanding twice as much damage as
before. This, however, only takes effect while it is in operation (that is,
can drive it around). That is, the Sand Shark will still take 20 spin attacks
to destroy it, before and after this, but after this, when operating it, it
takes the equivalent of 40 spin attacks. This is essential for some of the
challenges the game has that requires vehicles. It significantly reduces the
amount of redos needed. Get it as soon as it becomes available. You'll thank
yourself later!
Name: Unlock the Heat Seeker
Orbs: 15
Recommendation: ***
Details: Add the Heat Seeker ATV to the list of vehicles you can choose. This
is a cheap, fast vehicle with the worst handling of all. It's great for early
access to the gold records for hang time and distance jumping. It's the best
vehicle for the roll challenge though.
Name: Unlock the Dust Demon
Orbs: 15
Recommendation: **
Details: Add the Dust Demon ATV to the list of vehicles you can choose. A
durable, fast vehicle. It's hardly worthwhile.
Name: Unlock the Desert Screamer
Orbs: 20
Recommendation: ****
Details: Add the Desert Screamer ATV to the list of vehicles you can choose.
This is the ultimate ATV which goes nicely for any of the races and still does
well for the getting the gold records for hang time and distance jumping. Then
again, there is that trick for making the gold records for hang time and
distance look like child's play, even with something like the Gila Stomper (if
only you could use it)!
Name: Unlimited vehicle turbos
Orbs: 30
Recommendation: ****`
Details: There's no better way to win races than to always fire off turbos
whenever optimal setups become available for them. It's also great for saving
time and dealing with the final boss. Get it about as soon as it becomes
available, especially if you have at least 280 total orbs by then.
These secrets have no use whatsoever. Do not bother obtaining any of them
until you've obtained everything else of higher priority. Save your orbs for
the much more important stuff. Basically, wait for hero mode to be unlocked
first.
Name: Toggle Jak's Goatee
Orbs: 2
Recommendation: *
Details: This removes Jak's facial hair. You rarely see his face and you have
to get in close to see it. Useless - skip it.
Name: Big head mode
Orbs: 3
Recommendation: *
Details: Makes Jak's head become 8 times bigger (twice the size on each axis).
This is completely useless and only good for the comic relief. Skip it.
Name: Small head mode
Orbs: 3
Recommendation: *
Details: Makes Jak's head become 8 times smaller (half the size on each axi).
This is completely useless and only good for the comic relief. Skip it.
Name: Kleiver's diaper
Orbs: 4
Recommendation: *
Details: I have no clue what this does.
Name: Bad weather
Orbs: 5
Recommendation: *
Details: Talk about weather control! Love thunderstorms and sand storms?
Unless they're forced by the story or mission, or the randomization says
otherwise, this will allow you to control the weather so that it's always the
worst possible weather. It's only something for fun and serves absolutely no
use so don't bother getting it.
Name: Mirror world
Orbs: 5
Recommendation: *
Details: What's on the left is now on the right and what's on the right is now
on the left. Controls feel the same, but it's quite confusing when it comes to
figuring out where to go. It's useless trash so skip it unless you've got orbs
to spare, as from the infinite orbs glitch or using hero mode to obtain more.
Name: Fast movies
Orbs: 5
Recommendation: *
Details: Movies, the game's scenes, play back twice as fast. It's useless
junk as, if you don't want to watch the story unfold, just press /\ and it's
done in an instant! Skip this.
Name: Slow movies
Orbs: 5
Recommendation: *
Details: Movies, the game's scenes, play back half as fast. This is only
useful to see the finer details in what goes on. Again, skip it as it's
useless.
These have little use. The exception is hero mode. Want to play the game from
the beginning again with all of the guns, the hoverboard, among others to go
with it? While it seems like a bad idea, it's so much more entertaining
playing with unlimited ammo, the peace maker, and invulnerability. There's
some other crazy things you could do. They don't unlock until the right
requirements have been obtained, usually reaching certain parts in the story.
Name: Level select act 1
Orbs: 5
Recommendation: **
Details: Replay any of the story missions from act 1. See the act 1
walkthrough for details on which missions these are. For the most part, this
isn't of much use.
Name: Level select act 2
Orbs: 5
Recommendation: **
Details: This is the same as before, except involving act 2 instead. See the
act 2 walkthrough for details on which missions these are.
Name: Level select act 3
Orbs: 5
Recommendation: **
Details: Again, it's the same as the previous 2, except involving the few
missions that comprise act 3.
Name: Hero mode
Orbs: 5
Recommendation: *****
Details: Replay the game from the beginning with all 12 guns, all 8 ATVs, Dark
Bomb, Dark Blast, Light Regenerate, Light Flash Freeze, Light Shield, the
hoverboard, all armor for the full 16 health points, and all secrets unlocked
at the point this begins. I would strongly suggest unlocking invulnerability,
unlimited ammo, unlimited Light Jak, and, perhaps, unlimited Dark Jak before
starting hero mode. That's when the greatest fun begins. It is best if you've
completed all of the side missions and found a fair bit of the loose orbs.
Come on, admit it, you just want to cheat. Sorry, most of these are
unavailable until the final boss is defeated. Some do become available early
on though, but not the good stuff. However, if you decide to replay the game
in hero mode, having the really good stuff only available after defeating the
final boss will have it available throughout hero mode, adding immensely to the
fun. After all, you've played the game through normally (or close to it if you
exploited glitches), so what better way to add replay value than to cheat?
Name: Turbo jet board in the desert
Orbs: 5
Recommendation: ****`
Details: Normally, in the desert, you'd be using the ATVs. However, they
aren't exactly flexible for maneuverability. The jet board excels on the
flexibility and maneuverability front. The only catch is that it's normally
quite slow, barely 50% faster than running. With this, it becomes very fast,
but only in the desert, with speeds along the lines of Heat Seeker (untested).
For some of the side challenges in the desert, such as ring challenges and
follow mes, the poor flexibility and maneuverability with vehicles makes them
so much more difficult. Crash into a wall, get an unexpected roll or skid in
which are hard to avoid when you need to go fast, and it's back to the
beginning. With this, that is no longer an issue making this strongly
recommended for those specific side missions. Unfortunately, the jet board
doesn't count as a vehicle - it cannot be used with races.
Name: Dark Jak homing attacks
Orbs: 3
Recommendation: ***
Details: Unless you use Dark Jak a lot beyond what's required for the story,
this allows Dark Jak to automatically go to the nearest enemy and attack it, if
it's reasonably close to him. For the most part, it's a quick way to get
through some missions that are very heavy in enemies. Then again, guns do the
same, just in a different way. The best part about Dark Jak, however, is that
he takes less damage from enemy attacks, half the damage.
Name: Dark Jak invisibility on /\
Orbs: 25
Recommendation: *
Details: This is pretty much useless as, by the time this is available, you
can have invulnerability if you planned for it accordingly. However, at least,
any time you use Dark Jak, you can just press /\ to turn invisible without the
need of those statues that are pretty much exclusive to the monk temple and one
time only.
Name: Unlimited ammo
Orbs: 50
Recommendation: *****
Details: Although it appears that the the ammo is still limited, you can still
fire shots with inadequate ammo with that gun. You won't have to bother with
any ammo pick ups, saving time. Get those guns blazin' all you want!
Name: Invulnerability
Orbs: 100
Recommendation: *****
Details: Makes Jak, Daxter, ATVs only when Jak is operating one, and the dark
suit invincible except to bottomless pits, lava, acid, and long falls without
proper cancelation. This is what makes the game the most fun! Too bad
swimming in the acid and lava aren't possible. Some tools, like special
turrets or some key character's health will still take damage as normal.
Name: Unlimited Dark Jak
Orbs: 50
Recommendation: ***`
Details: Allows the use of Dark Jak indefinitely, keeping the dark eco meter
always full, regardless on how much it's used. Unless you love using Dark Bomb
or Dark Blast, this isn't particularly useful.
Name: Unlimited Light Jak
Orbs: 50
Recommendation: *****
Details: Oh the joy of going through things like ring challenges and fiddling
around with flash freeze and the infinite flight glitch. This, indirectly,
makes for a good alternative to invulnerability as you can use regenerate
infinitely. However, it's not complete as vehicles cannot be recovered.
=============================.
# 4.7 Art gallery **040700** #
`=============================`
These are of no use for the main game. Short of using the infinite orb glitch
or running through again in hero mode, it's best to put these in the back seat
until nothing else of worth is available.
Name: Scrap book
Orbs: 2
Recommendation: *
Details: View various artwork that the game designers made for concept art.
How many of the scenes and characters do you recognize?
Name: Mega scrap book
Orbs: 2
Recommendation: *
Details: This is the same as the above, except it covers different content.
How many of these scenes and characters do you recognize?
Name: Jak and Daxter model viewer
Orbs: 2
Recommendation: *
Details: If you've played the original Jak & Daxter, the first in the series,
you'll definitely recognize several of these characters. Press /\ to exit the
model viewer, < or > to change between the models, R1 to raise the camera, L1
to lower the camera, and the right stick to rotate the camera around.
Name: Jak II model viewer
Orbs: 2
Recommendation: *
Details: This is the same as the above, but focuses on characters from Jak II,
the sequel to Jak & Daxter and the prequel to Jak 3.
Name: Jak 3 model viewer
Orbs: 2
Recommendation: *
Details: This is the same as the above, but for Jak 3 instead.
Name: Scene player act 1
Orbs: 2
Recommendation: *
Details: Love the game's story? Watch all the scenes unfold with the scene
player. This one focuses only on act 1.
Name: Scene player act 2
Orbs: 2
Recommendation: *
Details: This is the same as the above, only for act 2.
Name: Scene player act 3
Orbs: 2
Recommendation: *
Details: This is the same as the above 2, only for act 3 instead.
Name: Commentary
Orbs: 2
Recommendation: *
Details: Listen to what the game designers have to say about the making of the
game. This is played with the scene players. (There's a few glitches in Jak 2
and 3 that allow you to see level design details.)
It's now time for the walkthrough, the 61 total missions in the game. This
section covers the 25 missions with act 1. But first, just having the game
disk itself won't make the game playable. The names are based on the names of
the missions that appear under the "missions" section of the wheel menu. Any
"Talk to %s" missions are ignored as they are actually part of the main mission
- you'll never see any "Talk to %s" missions in the "completed missions"
section, only in the "missions in progress" section.
Each mission has a difficulty rating from 1 to 5 stars where the ` is a half
star and 1 is very easy and 5 is very hard. The harder, the more likely redos
are needed and the more total redos are needed, along with increased
frustration to go with it. Difficulty is usually split into 2 variations.
Normal mode is based on a first play of the game. Hero mode assumes you have
all of the major secrets unlocked and active such as invulnerability, unlimited
ammo, etc. Certain challenges have a bronze, silver, and gold threshold where
each have their own separate difficulty rating. Side missions, as they become
available, are listed as soon as they become available. Side missions are the
key to getting orbs to unlocking secrets. Get all that you can as you'll need
a lot of orbs for the really good secrets.
=====================================.
# 5.1 Starting a new game **050100** #
`=====================================`
Of course, just having the game disk itself doesn't make the game playable.
You can't just read all the microscopic bumps on the disk. Nope, you need the
game system and its key accessories to play it. So, pop in the game disk, make
sure it's secured, attach the to-TV cable as needed so you can see what you're
doing, hook up the power cable and plug it in to an outlet, connect the
controller for that system, and insert a memory card with at least 1200 MB of
free space on it. Now press the little button on the system that turns it on.
Great! That part is done. You've made a great first step!
Now, you'll have to wait for the game to load while various logos display. To
eliminate or reduce loading times to as near to zero as possible, it is crucial
to have all the commonly-used textures and objects fully available in system
memory. Then the intro movie begins playing with a desert scene zipping by and
some medium- and low-pitched instruments playing. Press [] to toggle the
subtitles (the text that states what the speech is), or just press /\ to skip
the intro movie. The intro movie is a great way to learn how the game's story
starts, after Jak 2's completion. You'll be brought to the Jak 3 title screen
if you watch the entire movie or pressed /\ to skip it. Wait about a second,
then you'll see "press start button" flashing below the large "Jak 3" title.
Once pressed, you'll see 4 options. New game starts a new game from scratch.
If you haven't played Jak 3 before, choose this option. Load game starts a
game from a save file for where you last saved or left off. Options allows you
to set the basic configuration options as explained in section 3.6 above. The
last option is secrets, for things only accessible from the title screen.
For now, choose "options" then "graphic options" and go to aspect ratio. Set
it to 4:3 by pressing X, pressing <, then pressing X again. Why? You'll give
yourself an advantage by seeing more of the game scene. Regardless of whether
you're starting a new game or resuming an older one, you'll always have to set
the aspect ratio due to a bug where this setting does not get saved (a bug also
present in Jak 2). Feel free to adjust any other settings though. I will
assume you leave everything at their defaults for the purpose of this
walkthrough though most of it is irrelevant to the walkthrough.
================================================.
# 5.2 Complete arena training course **050200** #
`================================================`
Normal difficulty: *`
Hero difficulty: *
A staple of modern video games is that they have a tutorial level of sorts
first thing in the game or very close to it. The game very nicely explains the
controls, though section 2 above expands on them in much more detail. The task
is very simple: collect the 35 white light pulses seen. The game calls them
tokens. To collect them, simply make contact with them.
To start, go into the light. There is a speaker or transmitter device here.
It brings out the voice. Now, go to the part that leads upwards and jump up.
Touch the light to collect it. Continue up the path. You will reach a larger
ledge with 4 lights on it. Grab all 4 then cross the narrow bridge. It will
not collapse. The game will instruct you to roll though - do so. Across the
bridge, there are 4 other lights on it, and a dummy manequin for a monster.
The game instructs you to use the spin attack. Do so. You should have 24
lights remaining.
A ladder is present. Either walk up to it or, for a head start, jump toward
it. Once contact is made, simply press up and down to move up and down the
ladder. Climb to the top and grab the 3 lights. You will find a higher ledge
straight ahead. Use the double jump to get up it as the game instructs you to
do. Another dummy manequin is present. Use the punch to get it, as the game
instructs you to.
A very tall ledge is next. While the high jump could be used to reach it, turn
left instead and jump across the gaps. If you fall, it's the lava which pretty
much means instant death. Don't worry though - you have infinite lives though
will need to start this over again. At the end of the path, you will need to
use the high jump, as the game instructs. You should have 11 lights left after
grabbing the lights at the top of this.
Turn right. You will see a moving platform. It's large and it's slow. Plan
your jump so that, when you land, the platform will be in the center of where
you would land instead of where it is at the start. If you need to, remember
to use a spin attack about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way down from the top of a double
jump to get that extra bit of distance. Turn right. You will find a platform
that moves up and down instead. To make the jump easier, time it so that the
platform will be at its lowest point by the time you land on it. Jump off it
when its at the highest point to more easily get to the other side.
You will find what appears to be a dead end. The game instructs you to do a
dive, a smashing dive that breaks things and gets buttons on the ground
pressed. Break through the odd-looking area. Follow the path until the end.
You should have all 35 lights collected. If not, you missed something
somewhere and you'll have to go back and collect it. When you do have all 35
lights collected, a platform will raise from the ground. Simply jump or walk
onto it to get the next scene. After standing on it for about 2 seconds, it
will automatically start rising. Wait for it to reach the top and you will
find an area where a light beam is present. Jump into it. Congratulations!
You have completed the game's first mission!
Item received:
• Scatter gun (first red gun)
=====================================.
# 5.3 Earn 1st war amulet **050300** #
`=====================================`
Normal difficulty: ***
Hero difficulty: *
The scatter gun. It's, perhaps, the least useful gun of all, or the second
least useful. It comes with 20 shots out of the 50 maximum capacity it has
which, for the most part, is sufficient enough if used wisely.
For this mission, you need to defeat 20 sword marauders, as indicated by the
counter on the far right side of the screen. It's not as straight forward as
that though. You also have the lava to deal with. Listen for the buzzing
sound. When it occurs, immediately get on a higher ledge to avoid being
cooked. The lava deals 4 units of damage. The marauders deal 2 units of
damage. Pan the camera around frequently and look for any marauders closing
in. When the lava goes back down again, as from the platform going back up,
return to the platform. You may find ammo coming out of some of the crates.
The game instructs you to press R1 to fire. Wait until a sword marauder is in
front then press R1 to fire a shot at it. Sword marauders will repeatedly come
out and will close in. Use the scatter gun to shoot them with. They'll will
drop dark eco when defeated which take 2 hits to defeat - stand near it to pick
it up - it will be drawn into Jak unless full where it can be ignored.
If Jak happens to die in this, you'll have to restart the mission from the
beginning. Again, you have infinite lives so try as many times as you need.
In fact, if you have 2 health units left and more than 10 left to get, consider
deliberately dying or choosing to restart the mission so you have a better
start - attempt to collect any ammo you can beforehand. If you run out of
ammo, use aerial spin attacks. You will want to learn to master the aerial
spin attack as there are a ton of uses for it, far more so than the punch.
When 5 marauders remain, Jak will automatically transform into Dark Jak. You
won't be able to use your gun, but Dark Jak is fiesty and fierce. Dark Jak
also takes half the damage as well. Instead of the marauders doing 2 units,
they only do 1. Instead of the lava doing 4 units, it only does 2. Use this
to your advantage. Finish off the last of the marauders. The spin attack with
Dark Jak has a slightly greater range which makes it more effective.
Once all 20 marauders are defeated, a platform will appear and the platform
will no longer sink into the lava. Jump into the light for another scene.
That's 2 missions down!
Items received:
• First war amulet
• Spargus gate pass
• Blaster (first yellow gun)
You now have free reign throughout Spargus City. But first, you need to get
out of the arena. Simply hop on the platform then to the eastern (leftmost)
ledge. The door will automatically open up. You fill find Krimzon Guard
grates and Kleiver leaning against the wall a little beyond. Approach Kleiver
first for another scene.
You are instructed to use the leaper lizard to catch kanga-rats and there are 6
to catch. Before starting, go back to where the door is and smash those
Krimzon Guard crates to get a nice restock of ammo for the scatter gun.
Stand near the leaper lizard and press /\ to hop on it. The game instructs you
to press [] to do a charge. Do so so you can see how it is. One of the game's
better songs begins playing during this as well.
Once you reach the bottom of the stairs, the minimap will display in the bottom
right corner of the screen. There are 6 red dots that repeatedly grow and
shrink. They mark the locations of where the 6 kanga rats are. These are very
fast, but the leaper lizard is slightly faster. The trick to this is to simply
chase the kanga-rat until very close to it. When close and pointed in the
direction the kanga-rat is, charge at it. If close enough, the leaper lizard
will devour it whole. Such a fierce and fiesty little thing, isn't it!? Upon
getting the first one, the game instructs you to press /\ to dismount. This
isn't entirely necessary, but do remember that. Check the minimap to find
another one and repeat for the remaining 5 kanga-rats. The tan-colored rats
only drop eco and are not part of this mission - ignore them for now. You're
after the orange-looking ones.
======================================.
# 5.5 Explore Spargus City **050500** #
`======================================`
Normal difficulty: *
Hero difficulty: *
Ready for some fun? Let's spend some time exploring Spargus City. There are
plenty of orbs and skull gems to be obtained. If you plan on using the
infinite orb glitch (in section 10.2), then feel free to skip this section. I
will assume, in this walkthrough, that that glitch does not exist in the game.
Plus, if you check the main map from the menu wheel, you will find a yellow
arrow pointing don on the eastern side of the narrow pathway along the western
wall. This is a side mission, but you can't use it yet. Ignore it for now but
we will be coming back to it. You will also find an icon, someone's head, in
the far western area near a strange-looking device. Avoid this area for now.
Instead, hop around on the buildings and smash stuff. You'll find a few orbs
in this and you'll find plenty of skull gems, essential for doing the side
missions and getting more orbs from them. Dismount the leaper lizard and
explore on foot. You can swim in the ocean if you want, but do not go too far
out. See the faded area on the map? That's the limit on how far you can go
out. What happens if you go farther out? A giant snake will suddenly come out
and eat Jak for a small snack! Yum!
Whatever orbs you do get, do not spend any of them as none of the worthwhile
secrets stuff are available. Save them up for the good stuff. Once you
collect the third orb, the game will state "you can now afford to purchase new
secrets" - do not do so as none of what's available is worth it.
For a guide on where some of the orbs are, I will assume you start just south
of where the icon is, the area I instructed you to avoid for now. Follow the
western edge going north. You will find an orb on one of the awnings. Jumping
on the awnings gives a high jump and you can jump in mid-air from that.
Continue north to the ocean, following the wall and you'll find another orb in
these rocks. Follow the coast to the very tall central area. Go to the small
island to the east to find an orb there. Turn right and there's another orb on
the rocks right by the shore. Just south of the eastern shore, you will find a
market area. 3 orbs are hidden here, 2 in containers, one up in the trees
where you need to use an awning or leaper lizard to reach. Although it'll take
a bit of climbing around on stuff, the building south of the large dark-colored
blob in the western part of the map has another orb on the top. In the area in
the corner southeast of there, there are about 10 skull gems and another orb,
quite the haul. Continue north from there and you'll find 2 other massive
hauls of skull gems. Grab a leaper lizard (or do a tricky jump) and go to the
area farther north on this high ledge. You will find another orb up here.
Southeast of there, in the area just south of the eastern edge of the shore, is
another modest haul of skull gems and another orb. This is a good time to save
your game - you'll have to do so manually though.
Into the narrow pathway, near the center, an orb is found on the ledge. This
requires a jump across a gap, a skilled series of jumps to get around a part
sticking out. Be sure to use the spin attack to make it easier. This is the
13th one. Upon getting it, the game brings up a notice stating that secrets
are still available for purchase. Again, do not get anything because what's
currently available is useless. Along the northern wall southeast of the door
with the crown symbol on it is another orb. This orb requires a high jump or a
leaper lizard to get to. Along the southeastern wall in the eastern section,
SSE of the arena entrance, there is another orb and a modest skull gem stash.
On the east side just north of the southern most part, an orb is far out and
requires a leaper lizard to to obtain it. That should be 15 orbs and 82 skull
gems. In a gap between 2 buildings on the eastern side of the eastern area,
just north of a dark-colored circle on the map has another orb, hidden in all
those breakables. Climb up the ladder to find one on an easy-to-reach roof top
and another on a pipe. The one on the pipe is reachable, but it's very
difficult. A leaper lizard cannot get up here. You may have to wait for the
hoverboard to get it though. But, if you do manage to get it without the
hoverboard, you've got excellent jumping skills! If you're like me, you'd have
90 skull gems and 20 orbs. This is a great time to do another manual save.
Items received:
• 20x orb
• 90x skull gem (about)
==================================.
# 5.6 Ring challenge 1 **050600** #
`==================================`
Normal difficulty: **`
Hero difficulty: **`
Now is the time to go to that yellow down arrow on the map for your first side
mission. If you plan on using the infinite orbs glitch, skip this task. You
will need 8 skull gems for it, for which you should easily have if you focused
on exploring Spargus. A precursor statue has eyes that are lit in a blue-cyan
color. Stand next to it and press /\ to trade the 8 skull gems. A ghostly
voice will sound, instructing you what to do. Quickly get on the provided
leaper lizard and go through each ring. It is unnecessary to go through the
center of each. Contacting it where the center of the leaper lizard must touch
some part of the ring is all that's needed. The next one will appear right
after. The rings show up as green dots that repeatedly grow and abruptly
shrink on the minimap. Go through every ring before the timer runs out. When
1 second remains and changes to 0, you actually still have 1 more second yet as
it's actually 00:00.99, for example. The last one is in red. Here is the
order of the rings - in short, they just follow around in a circle:
[[update to match new standards]]
1. 8 seconds - slightly left (use stairs to reach)
2. 7 seconds - straight
3. 8 seconds - straight (use stairs to reach)
4. 5 seconds - straight
5. 5 seconds - straight (use stairs to reach)
6. 7 seconds - left (use stairs to reach)
7. 6 seconds - slight left (use stairs to reach)
8. 5 seconds - slight left
9. 5 seconds - straight
10. 5 seconds - slight left (behind rock on left)
11. 6 seconds - slight left (use stairs to reach)
12. 8 seconds - slight right (initially hidden behind building)
13. 7 seconds - right (on top of stairs to arena)
14. 6 seconds - slight left (tricky; reach top of stairs then jump left to
roof top, doing a double jump as needed)
15. 6 seconds - slight left (on higher roof top)
16. 8 seconds - slight left (just at edge of roof top - walk over the edge)
Normal difficulty: *** (* with pausing)
Hero difficulty: *** (* with pausing)
Remember that one icon I told you to avoid? Now is the time to go to it. You
will find a strange-looking object and someone there. When close, a scene will
occur. You will then play a minigame. See those blue circles that repeatedly
go in and out? Press the corresponding button for the symbol that is inside
the blue circle. At least some part of that symbol must be inside the
cyan-colored inner ring for it to count. For example, if the [] is just into
the center of the left blue circle, press the [] button. The symbols come in
from all 4 directions and move from the outside to the inside. If you press a
button when that symbol isn't in the corresponding blue circle, it counts as a
miss. If the symbols coming from the edges reach the center, it counts as a
miss. You are limited to 5 misses. If only a single symbol is present in the
circle, and the corresponding button is pressed, it counts as 1 point and that
symbol is removed. If more than one symbol is present simultaneously in the
target area, it counts as either 6 points for 2, or 10 (?) points for 3, the
most possible. For this case, you will only deal with the singles. Your goal
is to get 75 points. When 75 points are obtained, the mission is complete. If
you don't get 75, you will need to restart from the beginning.
Not fast enough? Press the select button to pause the game and identify the
situation. If you're not ready to press a button other than select, press
select to unpause the game then press it again to pause without doing anything
else. If a symbol is present, unpause the game with select, press that button,
then press select again. This way, it becomes more of a strategy game instead
of one requiring fast reflexes and good controller knowledge.
You will now find a fist icon on the map, and another down arrow icon as well.
Go to the down arrow icon and trade the 4 skull gems. This is the earliest
possible point in which you can use the infinite orb glitch (see section 10.2
for details). I will write this walkthrough as if the infinite orb glitch
didn't exist but I will still explain how to use the infinite orb glitch in
case you do want to use it.
The speech the statue has is sort of randomized, but the general saying is to
get to that spot before time runs out. The scene changes to where the orb is,
so you have some clues on where it is. You will have a varying amount of time
to reach it. The time limit gives you a sense on how far away it is at the
most. It's much easier with the jet board, but if needed, park a leaper lizard
near the statue then use it to get there quickly. If the time runs out, the
mission fails. You can choose whether or not to retry. You can try as many
times as needed. Because this guide is a walkthrough, I will explain how to
get to every orb.
For this orb, you have 24 seconds to reach it. This orb is located on the
rocks in the narrow area in the eastern part of the coast. From facing the
statue, go to the left of it and follow the wall on to the rocks. It's not
hard to miss.
Items received:
• 3x orb
==========================================.
# 5.9 Learn to drive a vehicle **050900** #
`==========================================`
Normal difficulty: *
Hero difficulty: *
Go to the fist icon, in the southernmost part of Spargus City. This is the
icon for Kleiver. Simply go into the room, past the door for a scene. You
will appear next to the Tough Puppy. Press /\ to board it. The game states to
follow the green dots on the map. Press and hold X to accelerate. Go to where
the beam of light highlights something and crash into it. Don't worry, it
won't do any damage to the ATV or even cause a loss in speed - you'll go
through it as if nothing was there but you'll still get it. When you get to
the next one, the game instructs you to brake using []. Do so. Then you're
instructed to press L2 for a rear view. Do so as well. At the next light
beam, the game instructs you to press [] to reverse. At the next one, you
learn how to jump with L1. Jump over the blocks to grab the item then jump
over them again to continue. Crashing into the blocks deals damage to the ATV
- more damage with higher speeds and instant death with very high speeds. For
the most part, it's not something to be concerned about. The next area has you
learning how to do a skid turn. This is the fastest way to make a sudden turn,
but you pretty much come to a complete stop. The next beam has you jumping and
turning in place. This is useful if you happen to crash into a wall or tree
and get into a rather tight spot, but it's very rarely of use. The next beam
completes the mission.
You will instantly be at the starting line, in last place. This race involves
3 laps and you must win the race. If you don't, you must repeat the race from
the beginning until you do. If the vehicle goes too far out of bounds (with
the exception of a jump - the bounds are noted by small reddish rocks in the
ground and are only checked if any collision is detected), takes too much
damage and gets destroyed, or falls in the water (which is instant death to the
ATVs, though shallow water no more than neck deep is fine), the mission will
also fail, making you restart the race from the beginning. It may take a few
tries. If you manage to get the time under 3:30, you will obtain 3 orbs.
However, I'd recommend waiting until you obtain the Sand Shark or unlocking
unlimited turbos before going for the orbs for this. So, just focus on winning
the race for now.
Be on the lookout for turbos, the red lights you see. You often have to jump
for them. Use them wisely. There are a few key places where they are of great
use.
Right away, turn slightly to the right so you don't crash into the vehicle
right in front of you, giving a great head start. The race starts with a
fairly straight path that leads to a turbo, then a left turn to cross a bridge,
a modest right turn to cross another bridge, then a slight right turn to cross
another bridge. A hard right turn is next, a good place to use a skid turn.
This is also a good time to use a turbo but do line up to make the jump to get
the turbo above. Rough terrain is present that leads to a cave. Go into the
cave. Avoid using a turbo here. At the end of the cave, a small jump ramp is
present that leads to a turbo. Grab it as it'll come in very handy for the
next part where mud puddles are. Mud puddles significantly slow down the speed
of the vehicle so it is best to fire the turbo just before reaching them then
jumping over them. With the right positioning, you should only need to jump
over 2 of them, from the far right edge of the track which is marked by rocks.
Past the mud is another jump ramp that leads to a turbo. Grab it, make the
gradual right turn, then use the turbo on the straight but rough path. A
somewhat sharp right turn concludes the lap. Repeat 2 more times. Once the
race is done, beware of marauders - they will come. The Tough Puppy has no way
to defend itself so just avoid them the best you can. Return to Spargus City.
=====================================.
# 5.11 Race for artifacts **051100** #
`=====================================`
Normal difficulty: ***
Hero difficulty: **
Remember those light pillars that highlight key locations or objects? Get to
each one before the time runs out. When 10 seconds remain, a dust devil shows
up over the item. Grab the items in the order given by the game. During this,
you will have to deal with the marauder vehicles - just avoid them the best you
can and concentrate on getting the artifacts. I often have more than 10
seconds left on the clock by the time I reach each of these, without the use of
turbos. Here's the order of the items, starting from the city gate:
1. 40 seconds - left
2. 27 seconds - slight left
3. 32 seconds - right
4. 28 seconds - straight
5. 30 seconds - slight right (jump to cross the gap in the bridge)
6. 32 seconds - right
7. 30 seconds - slight left
8. 28 seconds - straight
9. 32 seconds - hard right (jump to avoid time-costly water)
10. 27 seconds - left
11. 28 seconds - right
12. 29 seconds - straight
13. 63 seconds - hard left
Item received:
• Bracers (armor; +2 max health points)
Go to where Seem is, in the middle of the road due north of the vehicle storage
room. Yet another race, and a tough one at that. Fortunately, it's the last
"real" race forced upon by the story. Unfortunately, it's a tough one that
will take several tries because of sudden turns and sneaky requirements to
obtaining some of the rings. For this, you're racing leaper lizards, and
faster ones at that. Go through each of the rings as before, explained in
section 5.6 above.
For the most part, this one is best done with course memorization in mind. As
you get to know the course, it's easier to win the race. The other racers will
often knock you back so do try to get ahead as soon as possible and stay ahead.
Do a few trial runs where you know you're going to lose just to get course
memorization done then go for the real thing. However, if you're off to a bad
start or take more than 3 seconds to back track to get a ring that's suddenly
off the side or you took a wrong turn, consider restarting as it's all but
inevitable you won't win and you must win to complete this mission. Rings 11,
12, 23, and 39 give me the most trouble. I often always have to back track to
get number 23 as it's suddenly off the side with almost no time to react to get
it and the leaper just won't jump up the ledge. For your guidance, here is the
order of the rings:
1. Straight
2. Straight
3. Right
4. Straight
5. Right
6. Straight (jump up the rocks)
7. Straight (jump up the short ledge)
8. Slight left
9. Slight left
10. Left (jump up the rocks and avoid the stairs)
11. Slight left (tricky; go straight to the edge, then jump over to it)
12. Straight (tricky; on the ramp)
13. Straight
14. Straight (on the ramp - jump to get it)
15. Slight left
16. Straight
17. Straight
18. Slight right
19. Straight
20. Slight left (initially hidden behind building)
21. Slight left
22. Slight right
23. Slight right (very tricky; on the ramp needing a jump)
24. Straight
25. Straight
26. Left
27. Right
28. Straight
29. Straight
30. Straight
31. Slight left (initially hidden behind building)
32. Slight left
33. Straight
34. Straight
35. Straight
36. Straight
37. Left
38. Left
39. Straight (tricky; on ramp)
40. Straight (jump to get it)
41. Slight right (jump to get it)
42. Straight
Item received:
• Light eco crystal
============================================.
# 5.13 Destroy metal head beasts **051300** #
`============================================`
Normal difficulty: **
Hero difficulty: *`
Go to the vehicle room and approach Kleiver. You will get a scene. Board the
Sand Shark, the first vehicle with guns on it. Hold R1 to fire the guns. All
ATVs have unlimited ammo so feel free to always hold down R1. This mission may
seem quite difficult as well but it's easier than it first appears. Those
giant metal head dinosaur things are very fast and if contacted, will send the
vehicle flying at high speed which carries a high risk of instant vehicle
destruction. To make this easier, keep your distance. Use the terrain to your
advantage. The monsters follow exactly the same path every time so watch
closely. Learn their paths, keep your distance, and keep the guns blazing and
this mission is very easy.
For the first of the four, hug the eastern wall around the bend to the west.
Wait for the giant monster, a dinosaur as I call it to walk by and shoot at it
when near. Follow for a short bit, about 3 to 5 seconds, not straying far, and
return to where you were. Wait for it to come by again to get it. Repeat
until it goes down. These monsters will not drop skull gems.
Continue west and follow the area to the top of a dune north of the sharp,
narrow curve of the mountains and southeast of the small alcove of water. Go
down this and stay near where a rock and a few trees are. It's a safe distance
from the metal head but close enough to get some good shots in. Shoot when it
passes by. You'll notice that it fires projectiles as well. This spot here
keeps a safe distance from them and the monster. Although it's a lot of
distance, it is possible to hit this metal head. You will need to use the
slopes to aim the gun up and down. Defeating this one marks a check point. If
the vehicle explodes, you will restart with the last 2 remaining to get... with
full health. If done right, you shouldn't have any damage at this point,
outside perhaps a small bit from crashing into walls from skidding or the like.
Slightly west of the second area is the best area for the third monster. The
top of the steep-looking sand dune with the rock on it is the best area to use.
Use the brakes and reverse and use a slow speed to keep control of your aim.
Again, slightly west of the third area is where the last one is best attacked.
It'll make some fairly wide circles and sudden turns, and a short sand dune is
sort of in the way, but there's plenty of space to get a clear shot and still
keep a good distance.
Items received:
• Sand Shark
• Dark eco crystal
===========================================.
# 5.14 The hang time challenges **051400** #
`===========================================`
Single best hang time difficulty:
Bronze difficulty: ***` for 2.5 seconds
Silver difficulty: ***** for 3.5 seconds
Gold difficulty: impossible for 4.5 seconds (wait for later)
Total hang time difficulty:
Bronze difficulty: ** for 10 seconds
Silver difficulty: ***` for 12.5 seconds
Gold difficulty: ***** for 15 seconds
Hero difficulty: * (for all)
Now that you have a halfway decent vehicle, it's time to put it to good use.
Numerous side challenges are available, enough to get a good 50+ orbs. We'll
start with the best one where 21 to 30 orbs are waiting (the other 15 to 24
will have to wait). See the river in the western part of the map? See the
sharp 90° turn for the dark area on the map and the down arrow there? This
kiosk takes 16 skull gems, but you can get potentially 45 orbs out of it. Once
the skull gems are traded, the kiosk can be used indefinitely. For now, you'll
only be able to get about 27 orbs, depending on skill and somewhat luck.
This section covers the two hang time challenges. Hang time is based on how
long the vehicle is not making any contact with anything, even walls. Yep,
suspended in mid-air as long as possible. For now, aim for the bronze on the
single hang time challenge. The 2.5 seconds is fairly easy to get but may
still take a few tries. The silver is almost impossible and the gold is
completely impossible for the time being. Just get the bronze, have the
vehicle survive, then return to this kiosk. For this, use the area to the
right from facing the kiosk. There is a bridge jump ramp here. Use a turbo
about one second before jumping off and be sure to jump at the edge. With the
proper aim, you'll easily get the 2.5 seconds for bronze. Once you get the 2.5
seconds, just focus on returning to the kiosk instead of attempting for a
longer hang time. You'll get the 3 orbs if the vehicle survives in tact
(hasn't exploded).
The total hang time counts all hang times greater than about 3/4 second and
sums them up to a grand total. You have one minute to get all of the required
time. The 10 seconds is easy. Use the same starting point for the single hang
time for a roughly 2.5-second start. In the landing area, there is a dune that
goes quite vertical - use your boosts to go up it and jump repeatedly. The
more vertical the slope, the longer the hang time can be. Blast the marauders
for extra turbos as needed, but with the 3 to begin with, you're already close
to the bronze goal with plenty of time left. I would suggest going for the
silver on this as that's 6 orbs. If you only get the bronze, you'll get 3 orbs
and need to select the total hang time challenge option again. The gold is
doable, even with the sand shark, but I strongly don't recommend it for now.
If you're playing in hero mode or just returning to this to get the rest of the
orbs from it, get in the vehicle to start the clock, quickly get out of it, use
the mass inverter, especially with the duration upgrade (not necessary), and
just wait. 4.5 seconds of hang time for gold is really nothing more than
waiting, literally. I've gotten over 23 seconds in a single from this method.
For the total, just do the same thing. I've gotten close to 50 seconds total
hang time with this method. Seeing why it's 1 star for all?
==========================================.
# 5.15 The distance challenges **051500** #
`==========================================`
Single best distance difficulty:
Bronze difficulty: **** for 180 meters
Silver difficulty: ***** for 200 meters
Gold difficulty: impossible for 220 meters
Total hang time difficulty:
Bronze difficulty: *** for 500 meters
Silver difficulty: **** for 650 meters
Gold difficulty: ***** for 800 meters
Hero difficulty:
Single distance: *` (for all)
Total distance:
Bronze: *`
Silver: **
Gold: ***
The jump distance challenges are the next 2. They use the same kiosk as the
hang time ones. The distance is in meters. For the first time of using it, I
would only recommend going for the bronze. The silver is very difficult to get
- I've gotten silver with the sand shark, but I end up with a drowned vehicle
to do it - I have to land just right. Total distance is easier to get silver.
At least 3/4 second of hang time is needed in a single jump for it to count.
When returning or playing as hero mode, things are a bit different. For the
single distance, just use the mass inverter then a fully boosted wave
concussor. It seems dangerous, shooting your own vehicle, but 220 meters for
the gold is pretty much effortless. It's so easy to get 400 this way. For the
total distance, it takes a bit more effort and a few more tries and some luck
to do it. First, get the vehicle to the edge of a ramp, about 1 to 2 vehicle
lengths away from it. Get out of the vehicle, quickly use flash freeze, bring
out the mass inverter, fire it once, change to the wave concussor, fully charge
where Jak is directly behind the vehicle in the direction you want to "launch"
it, then unleash it. Now unleash about 3 to 5 half-charged shots (until the
vehicle is just going over the edge). Quickly bring out the mass inverter then
fire it off again. With luck, you could push 900 meters this way, even 1000
(my highest is 1048 meters). Yep, that 800 needed for gold obtained all in a
single jump! However, there is a fair risk the vehicle will get destroyed upon
the landing so be careful. Also be careful where you aim the vehicle - do not
aim for the mountains, the ocean, or straight toward a sand dune. You will
have to jet board or walk over to your vehicle though when the challenge is
done but do wait for the clock to run out, whether you make it or not.
=============================================.
# 5.16 The roll-a-derby challenge **051600** #
`=============================================`
Normal difficulty:
Bronze difficulty: *` for 3 rolls
Silver difficulty: **` for 6 rolls
Gold difficulty: ***` for 9 rolls
Hero difficulty:
Bronze difficulty: *` for 3 rolls
Silver difficulty: ** for 6 rolls
Gold difficulty: **` for 9 rolls
The last challenge from that kiosk is rolling. You have one minute to get the
vehicle to roll as many times as possible. The vehicle has to be rotated from
level to halfway to upside-down for the roll declaration to start (not
cartwheeling, unless it goes upside-down - Jak's head must be pointed downward
instead of up)), and return past the 90° threshold for it to count. I find
this one the most difficult to do, though it gains a slight advantage when
invulnerability is obtained. The trick to getting the vehicle to roll is to
have a high speed while impacting a sudden object that sticks out on the side
on a sideways slope. Very rough rocky terrain near mountains, a steep pile of
sand by the mountains with an odd rock sticking out to crash into, or just a
skidding jump on a steep slope. Here's the key concept, in diagram form as a
front-facing view:
__
________| | <- an object suddenly poking out, hit on one side at high speed
_
\
\
\
\ <- the terrain ahead - note the very steep and sideways slope
\_
__ __
/ \_/ \ <- vehicle, as viewed from behind it
O O <- wheels
I would suggest getting at least the silver, but I would recommend going for
the gold. If you're starting the challenge with the vehicle in bad shape,
deliberately destroy it so you can start fresh, highly recommended for this
side mission.
Items received:
• 6x orb for starting
• 3x orb with extra dedication
=====================================.
# 5.17 The satellite game **051700** #
`=====================================`
Without pausing difficulty:
Bronze difficulty: *** for 100 points
Silver difficulty: ****` for 500 points
Gold difficulty: ***** for 1000 points
With pausing difficulty:
Bronze difficulty: * for 100 points
Silver difficulty: ** for 500 points
Gold difficulty: **` for 1000 points
Remember that "unlock the satelite mission" where you had to get 75 points?
Well, the actual thing is now available, at the odd area in the southwest
corner of the desert. You can score 9 orbs from it and it starts off harder.
For getting the orbs, I strongly recommend the pausing method, especially if
you're not fast or have a hard time concentrating (the latter is my main
issue). See section 5.7 above for details on how this minigame is played. I
would suggest going after the gold now, since you're at it.
By about 100 points, the symbols come in large quantities where it's possible
to score the 6 and 10 points quite frequently which helps speed things up but
also makes it much harder to get all those points needed for the orbs. Just
focus on doubles only and only when they're close together - avoid going after
triples as it's very risky and not worth the risk. With the pausing trick, I
can easily get over 2000 points but going beyond 1000 serves no use. Just
deliberately start missing at the 1000 points threshold to stop the game and
claim your prize.
Go WSW of the Spargus entrance to the western part of where the mountains form
a T shape. Trade the 4 skull gems for the mission and, like the first orb
hunt, you will be shown where the orb is. It is located in an open spot and it
kind of blends in with the sand making it difficult to see. You have 28
seconds to get there so it's quite far. Quickly return to the vehicle and,
from facing the statue, turn left and cut through the trees in the narrow
opening by the rock and go straight through there. You will drop off an edge,
but remember the direction you were facing. Return to going in that direction
and continue. You will go down a slope, up a slope which levels off then up
another slope. The orb is right there near the pair of rocks on the right and
pair of trees on the left, look carefully and it should be there.
Go to the north central part of the desert, due west of the vehicle storage
room of Spargus. You will find the next orb hunt mission. Trade the 4 skull
gems for it. This orb is located on a rock. You have 15 seconds to get it.
From facing the statue, turn right and follow the jagged edge. You will come
across a steep sand dune. The orb is on the lower rock.
In the area just east of the vehicle room in Spargus, near the shore as opposed
to due east (that one is a race, for which you don't stand much of a chance at
getting the gold just yet - it's slightly northeast of this, in the form of a
statue). Trade the 4 skull gems to get the mission. You get 18 seconds to
reach the orb which is sort of in the middle of nowhere. To reach it, face the
statue and turn left. You will see a stack of 3 rocks, that familiar race
track of red rocks, an odd but short rock, and a series of rocks in a long
line. Aim for the short rock then turn left once past it, following the long
rocks outside the track. The orb is right along the wall of rocks, near the
center of them.
The rest of the side missions in the desert are all races for which you don't
stand much of a chance at for the gold (or even the bronze), or something
that's difficult to do right now. We will return to these later. For now,
return to Spargus. Just inside and on the right wall is another statue, for
another orb hunt. Trade the 4 skull gems to get the side mission. You have 19
seconds to reach the orb. To reach it, go backward from facing the statue then
turn right, hugging the wall on the right. Ignore the first 2 sets of stairs,
and you'll go by a flowering cactus, to the right of it. Make a sharp turn
here then go right. Use the closer set of stairs and reach it by jumping over
the gap.
Go to where the arena stairs are and go to the right side of them. The statue
is here. Trade the 4 skull gems for the mission. You are given 25 seconds to
reach the orb. From the statue, go back, jumping over the rocks jutting out,
then turn slightly left. Continue straight and the orb is found on the ledge
straight ahead. For speed, though not necessary, use the rolling jump.
This statue is on the right west side of Spargus, in the southeast corner of
the western half. Trade the 4 skull gems for the mission. You have 20 seconds
to reach this spot. From the statue, go backward, to the northwest. Look at
the house-shaped pentagon dark brown blob on the map. Go up the ramp on the
right, the shortest one, then get into the area between the buildings. The orb
is located in the center of this near that ladder shown.
Items received:
• 3x orb
======================================.
# 5.24 Earn 2nd war amulet **052400** #
`======================================`
Normal difficulty: ***`
Hero difficulty: *`
At last, all of the worthwhile side missions are done for now. See that crown
icon on the map? Go to it. The door has a crown icon on it - it will open
when close to it. Get in the lift that's present. Go forward when the lift
reaches the top for a scene. You will receive the wave concussor. The game
instructs you to press ^ twice to access the gun, then to press and hold R1 to
charge it up and fire it.
Before going back down, seek the 4 orbs present here. From facing the throne,
turn hard left and you will find the first orb on top of rocks. Directly
behind the throne, where a water wheel is, there are 2 orbs present here. One
is in a container directly behind the throne, the other is directly behind the
water wheel nearest to the outer edge. Be careful not to fall in the gaps
though. From facing the throne, again, turn slightly right and go to the edge.
You will find a vase that contains the fourth orb.
Return to the lift and wait for it to bring you back down. Go to the sword
icon on the map. Once there, pick a side, it doesn't matter which side. If
you really need an ammo restock, choose both sides. Regardless, hop on the
platform with the criss crossing pattern on it and let it take you down into
the arena. Notice how it looks different now.
A ray of light highlights 3 Krimzon Guard boxes. Smash them and you get...
dark eco? The game instructs you to press L2 to transform then to press X + []
to perform the dark bomb. Do so as a sword marauder is bearing down on you and
it offers a great start. Luring your enemy into a trap is a good battle
tactic.
You will now need to defeat 30 marauders and the use of dark bomb helped
eradicate a few of them. When the alarm sounds, immediately get off of that
platform and go to another one as the one you're on is about to sink.
Use whichever weapon you so desire for this. For the rest, consider practicing
the use of the spinning rapid fire trick, with the blaster. Mastering the
technique will help a lot in the future. Otherwise, use the wave concussor.
The wave concussor has a devastating effect covers a wide range, but it eats up
ammo quite fast. For the best use with it, charge it up and let a bunch of the
marauders group together then unleash. You can get several of them at once,
typically 4 to 6 so the higher ammo usage is usually justified.
Once all 30 are defeated, get back on the platform that appears then jump into
the spot where the light is.
Items received:
• Wave concussor (second red gun)
• +25 max red ammo capacity
• Second war amulet
• Beam reflexor (second yellow gun)
• +50 max yellow ammo capacity
Finally some more worthwhile secrets became available, so now it's time to put
a few of those several dozen orbs you likely have to good use. Under the
weapon upgrades section, you will find "blaster damage upgrade" and "scatter
gun rate-of-fire upgrade". I would only recommend the blaster damage upgrade
at the moment, increasing its damage by 50% (what used to take 3 hits now takes
2). However, the rest of the secrets available are not worth it. To buy an
upgrade, select it with X, then confirm by pressing < to "buy" then press "X".
Once obtained, weapon upgrades are permanent.
Now, go to the fist icon on the map, and approach Kleiver for a scene. The
first part is simple enough - board the Sand Shark and go the dark grayish
symbol on the map. This is where the lost city is, as I like to call it. It
resembles an abandoned city from a couple millennia ago.
The task involves 2 steps being repeated 3 times. The first step is easy -
using the Sand Shark, chase a leaper lizard until you get close to it. When
close, Daxter will jump off and land on it. That's the easy part. The hard
part is getting those leaper lizards into the kennel. You cannot run into a
wall, touch a cactus, or any of that. These wild ones can only jump and steer
left and right. They run at tremendous speed making it very hard to control
them. These combined yield the high difficulty rating. Hero mode with
invulnerability offers no extra advantage. Even for me, having played through
the game multiple times, I still have a hard time with this mission, needing
close to a dozen attempts in total to get the 3 on the first attempt and still
a good 6 attempts by the third playthrough.
Luckily, for each one you corral, you don't have to corral it again so you
don't have to get all 3 in one go. If you get the first one on your first try
but fail on the second, you will still only need to get 2 more leaper lizards.
If you manage to get the second one, you will only need to get the third one.
Simply put, 3 successes and you're done. If you manage to get all 3 in one go,
you have some serious skill and/or luck!
Four new side missions in the desert are now available. One is very close by.
Board the Dune Hopper and hold L1 for about 1 second then release it to do the
highest jump possible. A quick tap of L1 does only a slightly lower jump that
isn't much different. Now, go to the statue that's very nearby, to the north.
You will have 15 seconds to obtain this orb. From the statue, turn left then
turn slightly right. The orb is just past a bunch of cacti in easy reach.
Another orb hunt mission is due south of there, right by where a chain of
islands are. You have 28 seconds to reach this spot and it requires a vehicle
such as the Dune Hopper to reach it with sufficient time left. From the
statue, go directly behind it and follow the edge on the left. The orb is in
the center of the piece of peninsula just directly due west of there.
Go to the NNW and jump across the river. This statue is located at the bottom
of the T shape of the central mountains, on the northeast corner of the center
volcano. Trade the 4 skull gems to get the mission. You have 14 seconds to
collect the orb. From the statue, turn left then turn slightly right to go on
that island. The orb is located there nearest to the waterfall on the right.
Go to the ENE to the statue on the southeast side of the easternmost mountains
in the northern half. There are 18 seconds to reach this orb. From facing the
statue, turn right, then hug the wall, turning left. The orb is mixed in with
the rocks.
You now have 2 icons to go to. You could go to a crown or you can go to a red
cactus. Which one you do is up to you. However, for the most reward possible,
I will go to the red cactus. To reach it, you have to use the Dune Hopper. Go
to the southernmost part of the desert island. From the mountains in the
southeast corner, the smaller one where you got the orb in section 5.27, jump
to the island to the SSW of there. It's quite the gap, but the Dune Hopper can
easily jump it. Turn slightly left and jump to the island to the southeast.
Turn slightly left again and jump up the island there. This island is higher
so you'll need to launch a little earlier. Cross the bridge (it's stable),
then follow the path. One you get on that southeasternmost island, you will
run across a waterfall that's actually another gap. Jump over it.
Once across, the minimap disappears - you have reached the monk temple. Once
past the support structures, turn left and climb up the rocks. You will need
to use a high jump and maybe a spin attack (it helps) to get up the first rock.
Once there, make some skilled weaving outside jumps, using the spin attack for
better control to grab the 3 orbs here. Go into the monk temple - the door
will open. Continue forward and a scene will occur. Instead of going up the
platforms shown, Be sure to go around smashing things to get more skull gems
and some ammo reloads as well, if needed. See that large eye-like thing? If
you get too close, it will cause spikes to come up, blocking the path.
Instead, once done smashing things, go up the platforms.
It's now time for some real platforming action! An awning is present to take
you to the first main platform. Note the poles sticking out. Jump up onto
them. Jak will automatically grab on and begin spinning around. Time your
jump, press X to jump, when Jak is at the top to launch upward to another pole.
Always remember to time the jump so that Jak is at the top of the pole, for the
maximum jump height and simplicity. If Jak is at the bottom of the pole, he
will go forward at high speed, but have little jumping height, something of
almost no use.
Land on the upper platforms then just jump across the gaps. You will encounter
2 more poles. Again, time the jump when Jak is at the top of the pole.
Transfer to the other pole then onto a platform. The next platform is fragile
and will break in about 2/3 of a second. Quickly jump off of it to the next
platform. The next one after this is unstable - quickly get to the next one.
The next platform is also unstable so quickly cross those to the next one. The
next one is stable, but leads to a room with an urn - smash it for some ammo
then turn right to go up some stairs and smash a vase for skull gems.
Turn right to do some more platforming. The first 3 platforms are stable, but
the next 2 aren't so quickly jump across. Climb up the higher platform, jump
to the pole, and do the usual top-of-jump timing to get on the next pole above.
Repeat for the next pole then get on the platform to the left. The one on the
right is a dead end with nothing present. Jump across the 2 platforms then an
unstable one is encountered. Climb up the higher platform, jump up onto the
pole and do the usual with both poles. Land on the platform to the left and
jump across the unstable platform and onto a stable one. The next platform is
unstable so quickly jump across. The next 2 are stable and lead to 2 poles
going up. Do the usual jump timing and land on that ledge to the left. At the
top, you'll see a hang glider. Approach it for a scene.
===================================.
# 5.31 Glide to volcano **053100** #
`===================================`
Normal difficulty: ***`
Hero difficulty: ***`
This is a fun one, with a great view! The only catch is that's somewhat
difficult. Turn left or right with the glider using the left stick left or
right. Pitch up by pressing down on the stick and pitch down by pressing up on
the stick. The meter at the bottom is your speed. When the speed gets too
low, you will crash and have to start the mission over again from the
beginning. To keep the speed up, use the accelerator rings. However, some of
them are closed. Use the blaster to shoot them to get them to open. It only
takes 1 hit, but if you're a bad shot, it may take multiple firings. While it
is unnecessary to hit every accelerator ring, it helps. I've missed a few on
occasion, but you can only miss one at a time. Miss twice in a row and it's
down you go! On occasion, you will see blue vents showing. These function as
accelerator rings and height boosts at the same time. Fly through them. Some
of the rings move left and right repeatedly, noted by trails, others move up
and down. If speed is running low and you're close to a ring, consider
remaining a little lower then pitching up at the last second. Usually, it
works. The path goes as follows:
1. Activated automatically
2. Straight
3. Straight - shoot to open it
4. Straight - moves left and right
5. Straight
6. Slight left - moves up and down
7. Straight - shoot to open it
8. Slight left
9. Slight right - moves left and right
10. Straight
11. Slight right
12. Moves up and down
13. Left
14. Slight left
15. Straight - vent for speed and height boost
16. Straight
17. Straight
18. Straight - moves left and right
19. Straight - moves left and right
20. Straight
21. Straight - moves up and down
22. Straight - vent for speed and height boost
23. Straight
24. Slight left - moves up and down
25. Slight right
26. Right
27. Slight right
28. Slight left
29. Slight left
30. Slight right - shoot to open it
31. Slight right - vent for speed and height boost and a checkpoint
32. Straight
33. Slight left - shoot to open it
34. Straight - shoot to open it
35. Slight right
36. Slight right - shoot to open it
37. Straight - shoot to open it and moves left and right
38. Slight left - shoot to open it and moves up and down
39. Straight - goes around in circles
40. Straight - vent for speed and height boost
41. Straight - moves left and right
42. Slight right - moves left and right
43. Right - shoot to open it and moves left and right
44. Straight - shoot to open it and moves left and right
45. Straight
46. Slight left - shoot to open it and moves up and down
47. Straight
48. Straight - vent for speed and height boost
49. Straight - shoot to open it
50. Right
51. Slight right - vent for speed and height boost
52. Straight - moves left and right
53. Slight right - moves left and right
54. Slight left - shoot to open
55. Straight - shoot to open
56. Straight
57. Straight - the goal - go into the cave
I don't know if it works or can be used or not, but if you go into a vent,
pitch up while doing so then turn around and go back into the vent, pitching
up. Repeat as necessary. If it works, you might be able to just take a
shortcut all the way to the volcano or focus only on the vents.
============================================.
# 5.32 Find satellite in volcano **053200** #
`============================================`
Normal difficulty: ***`
Hero difficulty: **
There's a lot of combat involved with this. For the most part, I would suggest
using the blaster and spin attacks. Follow the path leading downward, then,
when the path begins leading upward, you will find scorpion metal heads popping
out of the ground. This is a good use for the scatter gun, aerial spin
attacks, or even Dark Jak for aerial spin attacks. To use the latter, jump
toward them in a spin, when quickly get back. Be sure to get the 3 skull gems.
Up a small ledge, you will find 2 more of these scorpion metal heads. Repeat
what you did earlier, though this case is easier to use the jumping spin
attacks on. 2 more scorpions will appear. Grab those skull gems! Across
that, there are 3 scorpions. Deal with them, but then 5 more come out. Get
them as well then get the 8 skull gems. As you attempt to continue, 2 more
scorpions come out, single ones spaced close together. Just use aerial spin
attacks to effectively jump on them to destroy them. Grab the skull gems too.
Climb the ledges leading upward to the next zone.
Approach the leaper lizard and a very brief scene will occur. Smash the
Krimzon Guard crates for an ammo reload. Before continuing, get out the
blaster. As you're walking, the land will crumble and fall - quickly jump
across and onto another unstable ledge. Jump while continuing to avoid being
fried. On safe ground, you will run into a dragonfly metal head, and 2 ninja
mantises. Just shoot them all. This is another good time to use the spinning
rapid fire trick. I found it easier to get rid of the monsters this way.
Jump, spin, then shoot the gun while the blaster is the weapon in use to do it.
More unstable land follows so be ready to jump. Across it, 4 more ninja mantis
metal heads come out. Just shoot them, preferably with the spinning rapid fire
attack to get rid of most of them. There is a chance in which the skull gems
will fall into the lava, making them impossible to obtain. You could, if
desperate, deliberately go swimming in the lava to respawn them, but you'll
have to start over from where the entrance to the volcano occurred. If you
have less than 5 units of health left, it's suggested anyway, to indirectly
restore it. You'll have to deal with those scorpions again... but this time,
they don't have the skull gems.
Across to the next zone, you will run into some hedgehogs. Just shoot or spin
attack them as you see fit. They're simple enough, though they are a bit fast
and tend to be in large groups. Destroy them, then chase down that leaper
lizard. When you get close to it, press /\ to hop on. This one functions the
same as those in Spargus. It may seem like a bad idea, but once you get to the
ledge, found at the end western part of the U-shaped area you're in, jump in
the lava past here - you will restart where you were with full health.
Some somewhat difficult platforming action is next, using the leaper lizard.
Jump across the gap to that ledge just as the fireball starts going down. You
will have another gap that leads to a platform that rises and lowers repeatedly
but is always out of the lava - land on it, jumping when the fireball starts
going down and that platform is at the highest point. Jump onto the next
ledge. You will now see 3 platforms like the one you were just on. Jump onto
them when they are at the highest as the the jumps are the easiest then. Upon
being at the highest upon arriving, wait for them to go down then begin making
the jumps when they're halfway to the top. Keep full speed ahead and carefully
make the jumps. There is a fireball present, but that's only leading to the
first platform. Be sure to avoid it as before. A modest gap is present
beyond, but it's easily jumped with the leaper lizard, fireball aside. Smash
the Krimzon Guard crate for an ammo reload. Turn left and follow the path.
Another rising platform is found a short distance out. Time this jump so that
the platform is at its lowest to make it easier. On the other side, some
hedgehogs are present. An unstable ledge is present so be ready to jump again
upon landing. Quickly rush to the end of the passage, turning right, and Jak
will get off the leaper lizard. Attack the hedgehogs as you see fit or just
ignore them and go up the ladder. At the top, be ready to jump across an
unstable ledge where the gap is, unstable being the closer one. You will reach
what appears to be a dead end.
You will now need to control Daxter and get him across the fence hanging on the
wall. For this, just stay along the edge nearest to the wall to reduce the
chance of impact by those fireballs, but do try to avoid them. Note how Daxter
takes about a half of a second to actually get moving at full speed. Be sure
to account for that. Pan the camera to a side view so you can better judge the
distances to the fireballs, going when close to one and just as the fireball
starts going back down. Past the fence, just press X to jump down when there
is ground below. A series of gaps, complete with lava river flows gushing out
to avoid, are next. Time your jump so that the lava is not present. The
second gap leads to a swinging platform. Time your jump so you land on it as
well as avoiding the gushing lava. Across the gap are 2 ninja mantis metal
heads. Just spin attack them, and grab the skull gems if they don't fall in
the lava. Past that is another gap to cross with yet another ninja mantis.
Jump across with the spin attack for best results. A swining platform is next
which leads to a fence. Jump up into the fence to grab it and dodge the single
fireball in the same way as before. At the end, continue straight and a scene
will occur. Go to where Jak is waiting, jumping across the gap first.
Now, continue across that new platform. Before continuing, get the blaster gun
ready. Do a high jump to get up that ledge and prepare to shoot 4 ninja
mantises, grabbing their skull gems while at it. Around a bend is a pair of
hedgehogs and a pair of ninja mantises - just shoot 'em while they're far
enough away. A dragonfly is next - shoot it while avoiding its shots.
A rock is present where a vent is. Just punch or spin attack the rock to where
the vent is. You just need to get it close. Use it as a platform to get up
that high ledge. 2 ninja mantises are waiting at the top of this ledge. Aim
and fire! Continue on for a nice health pickup. Jump across the gap for an
ammo reload. You'll likely want to do a rolling jump for this long gap but a
double jump with a spin attack also works. 3 hedgehogs wait, followed by a
pair of ninja mantis. Bang, bang, bang! Shoot them and grab the skull gems if
possible. Another big gap follows, which leads to an unstable ledge on the
other side - quickly get off and be ready to shoot a ninja mantis. Another
ninja mantis follows then another with a dragonfly. Shoot 'em all! Jump
across the gap and continue on, turning right.
Now here's a vent that doesn't have a rock to use. There is a small pipe
slightly left though - simply approach it. Daxter will now need to ride on a
chute. Simply press X to jump at the gaps and left and right to move left and
right. Stay in the pipe and jump very close to the edge. The first jump is
easy. The next 3 are tricky. The last one is easy enough - jump onto that
ledge there. The chute curves left a little, then makes a 90° right turn which
has a gap at that point but continues turning right. After about 45° more
right, another gap is present, slightly right. After sliding about 120° around
to the left, another gap is present, continuing the left curve. About 150°
more right, another gap is present that leads to going straight. After a short
bit, jump across the final gap. Now on solid ground, climb up the rocks then
use the trampoline to jump to a higher ledge. The trampolines alternate left
to right and there are 4 in total. At the top, a pair of hedgehogs wait. Just
spin attack them. Climb up the rock again and use both trampolines. Spin
attack the 2 hedgehogs, climb up the rocks, and bounce up both trampolines. At
the top, continue straight for a scene.
With the rock now available for that geyser, knock it into the steam to get up
that ledge and use it as a platform to get up there. Get the blaster out as
well as a hedgehog and dragonfly are waiting. 5 ninja mantises are waiting
just beyond - shoot them at first sight, using the spinning rapid trick if they
get close. This time, you need to get 2 rocks onto the geysers, one each.
This will get the middle rock to lift, the one you need that's already on the
geyser. Use it to get up the ledge and climb up it. At the top, and across a
small gap, are a pair of hedgehogs. Just shoot them while they're unable to
reach Jak. Continue climbing and you'll turn left to encounter another
hedgehog with 2 more waiting around the corner, up the ramp. Around this
corner a series of floating rocks over a river of lava. Jump on one of these
rocks and quickly and carefully get on that ladder. At the top, a scene will
occur. Finally this long-lasting mission is done!
This is a direct continuation of the previous mission. The game labels it
under a new mission though. Carefully jump back down onto those floating rocks
and get to a platform on the left. Do not let the rocks go over the edge or
it's one well-cooked Jak and Daxter you'll have. Get out the blaster again and
follow the path. Be ready to shoot a pair of ninja mantises and grab their
skull gems. Continue on and drop down the edge you come across.
Straight ahead is a glowing dark magenta-colored thing. Approach it then press
/\ to become invisible. Turn left and go through the gate. Being invisible,
the eye will not put up the spears that are present when close. You have to be
reasonably fast to reach the portal in time though you typically have plenty of
time to do so. Go to the portal and press /\ to enter it.
Back at the Monk Temple itself, remember that one eye you saw that brought up
spikes when close to it? Remember that one odd-looking statue? You can go
around smashing the stuff in the bottom area, but you'll only get ammo reloads.
From the portal, however, just go straight and you'll see the statue. Activate
invisibility then make a hard right turn to go where the eye is. You can pass
through that area safely now but reach it quickly.
Once you reach the door, which automatically opens and makes the eye disappear,
get out the scatter gun. 6 giant spiders are waiting right on the other side!
Yikes! Jumping spin attacks work nicely as well though the scatter gun should
get them all in one go. Follow the stairs downward and you'll encounter 4 more
spiders. Repeat the shooting or jumping spin attacks as needed. Continue down
the stairs to find a dark eco vent. Step into it to instantly fully recharge
your dark eco meter. Vases are also in this room - smash them for ammo
reloads.
At the end of the hallway, you will reach an open room. Do not shoot those
robots. They will cause instant death, even with invulnerability. Attacking
one will cause all the others to attack. For now, avoid the interior area.
Instead, stay on the outside. Go to the left to find some vases for ammo.
Continue around until you reach another one of those statues that makes Jak
invisible. Activate it and quickly get into the center of the room where the
highlight is. Do a smashing dive to get the button to press. But, uh oh, Jak
is no longer invisible. Now what? Stand in the center of the room here, get
out the wave concussor, fully charge it and unleash it. This will destroy all
of those guard robots at once allowing for safe passage and roam throughout
this room.
Spin the camera around and look for the room that does not have the dark eco
vent present. Go into that room. As you approach it, spiders come out.
Quickly get out the beam reflexor and shoot them. They will keep coming
forever until you reach the end of the room so quickly make your way through.
On the other side, gates will come up, blocking the path. There are vases and
urns present though - smash them for a health pack, skull gems and dark eco.
If you approach the poles that repeatedly go up and down, they'll be
electrified. Use the invisibility to stop that but quickly make your way
across. Regardless of the pole's position, always do a jump at the top of the
high jump (usually remaining on the pole about a 1/2 to 1 second is all that's
needed). Don't use the spin attack unless going from a pole that's very low to
a pole that's very high. Avoid the extra jump if going from a pole near the
top to one near the bottom. It should be easy enough to get across with this
strategy. When you reach the end, the eye is removed and Jak is no longer
invisible. Do this 3 more times as you zigzag around the path.
Once around, smash the crate for a health pack then get out the beam reflexor.
Go through the doorway to be greeted by infinite spiders again. Quickly make
your way through this to the other end. You make take a hit or two though.
See the oracle straight ahead? Walk into the room for a scene. Now, smash the
urn nearby for an orb. Walk into the light straight by the oracle for a scene.
You have now completed this long series of contiguous missions. You will
obtain one of the most helpful abilities of all and you will be using it until
invulnerability is unlocked. Remember the holding of L2 while pressing /\
combination. You're going to need it, and quite often. It, in a way, means 16
more health points. Also, notice how the light eco vent is now open. Stepping
into it will fully restore all light eco. Also, enemies will now start
dropping light eco. Think of the light eco as health packs that restore 2
units of health.
Go through the portal then exit the Monk Temple. Board the Dune Hopper and
make those jumps again, only in reverse. Remember to jump across the waterfall
gap and take note of the map to locate the jumps. Return to Spargus City -
follow the crown icon to get there.
Once there, a new side mission is available, another orb hunt. Go to the far
eastern edge in the northern part of it to find the statue. Trade the 4 skull
gems to get the mission. You have 23 seconds to reach the orb. The orb is
located southwest of the statue. To get it, go backward then make a slight
left toward the random rocks by the building. Get up the ramp and go into the
narrow gap between the two buildings on the left. At the end, turn right and
there's the orb.
Go to the crown icon and into the familiar lift. At the top, go straight ahead
to get a scene. Now, return to the city exit. The highlight marks the Sand
Shark. Board it and go out to find... a clear sky? It'll get worse over time,
but ignore the weather for now. You have a time limit to reach the wastelander
and bring them to safety. In short, just follow where the green dot is. Do
attempt to pick up some turbos from the busted marauder vehicles though.
They'll help some, but they're not entirely necessary. When you get around the
mountains, you will see a very tall pillar of light, a highlight in a way. Get
to that spot before the time runs out. To pick someone up, have them on the
left side of the vehicle and brake close to them, but don't crash into them.
Wait for them to get on. A pillar of light will then appear where you need to
go to to drop off the wastelander - just stop in the light and wait for him to
get out.
You'll have 100 seconds to reach the first wastelander. From the gate, turn
slightly right and stick close to but not too close to the mountains. Once
past them, turn right. Once past these mountains, turn left and you'll see the
pillar of light. Stop where the light is on the left side to let the
wastelander quickly board. Wait for him to board. Once onboard, turn left and
you'll see the pillar of light. Simply stop in the pillar of light and the
wastelander will get off. That's one down.
You'll now have 90 seconds to reach the second wastelander. Turn hard right to
find the pillar of light. Continue toward it until you see the terrain going
up very high. Turn slightly right here then slightly left to go under the
bridge and keep to the less rough lower area. Reach the pillar of light with
the light on the left side and stop. Let the wastelander board then turn hard
left to find the pillar of light. Stick to the lower area, quickly cross the
river and follow it, paralleling it. Once past the rocks, continue past and go
straight to the pillar, using a turbo when past the rock if time is running
short. Stop at the pillar and wait for the wastelander to get out.
You now have 90 seconds to reach the third wastelander. Turn hard left to see
the pillar of light. Turn left, get across the river, and keep to the upper
terrain. Again, stop with the wastelander on the left and wait for him to
board. Turn hard right to find the pillar of light. Jump across the bridge
gap there and to the left side of the next bridge. Continue straight toward
the pillar of light and stop. Wait for the wastelander to get out.
This time, it's 260 seconds to reach the fourth wastelander. Wow! What a
long, long time! Something is suspicious about that. Anyway, turn to go
backwards but you don't see the pillar of light. Yep, it's so far away that
it's beyond the draw distance. Continue in a straight line toward where the
green dot is. Shortly after the river is in view, the pillar of light finally
shows, albeit fairly faint. Get past the river, follow it, then turn left when
the passage is clear of the mountains, and the dot is there but something is
different.
Upon reaching the fourth wastelander, a checkpoint is reached. Jak will jump
out of the vehicle. Approach the wastelander and a scene will occur.
The clock is reset to 259 seconds and you'll have a boss fight to deal with, a
fairly easy one. Quickly get out the blaster then get under the boss before
the lasers start showing up. The lasers do one unit of damage. Just stay with
and follow the boss, staying below it. Do not shoot it as it has a shield
present. When the lasers stop, immediately get away from the boss and prepare
to jump because shockwaves will appear that do 2 units (?) of damage when
touched. A tentacle will come out of it. This is the time to shoot the boss.
Aim and fire, keep firing but do jump over the tentacles as they do 1 unit of
damage when touched. When damaged enough, the boss will explode and repeat the
process, with a somewhat narrower area for the circle. The ground impact
yields 2 shockwaves to jump over and there will be 2 tentacles. Shoot it again
when the tentacles are out until an explosion occurs as usual. Again, the boss
will fire lasers, now even tighter. Once they disappear, 3 shockwaves will
come out then 3 tentacles. Shoot at the boss with the blaster until the
tentacles disappear and it jumps up. When that happens, keep away from it as
it's about to explode.
Quickly return to the vehicle. If it's in bad shape, with less than half the
health remaining, deliberately destroy it (just punch it repeatedly), to get it
back to new as you'll only have to repeat the run to the vehicle. Quickly get
to Spargus and into the light to complete the mission.
Go to the fist icon by the shore. Approach Kleiver to get a scene. Climb up
that very tall tower and get to the top where the giant gun is. Get ready for
one of my favorite minigames. Because of the awkward use of the sticks (if
only the directional buttons could be used instead, it would be easier), the
pausing trick isn't particularly effective with this, but it can still be used
to plan a strategy.
Your goal is to score 7000 points. It seems like a ton, especially compared to
that one satellie game, but objects tend to score a lot as well. This run is
also of an easier difficulty but it also misses some of the bigger scoring
potential where you can get over 2000 points in a single target. The object is
to shoot the targets that come out of the ocean, using R1 to shoot them with.
If the shot misses the target, it does not count as a miss. It only counts as
a miss when the target goes back in the water. The sooner the target is
destroyed, the more points you get. Red ones have a base score of 100. 1
point is lost from that base every 30 or so milliseconds it shows up. Blue
ones have a base of 200 and green ones have a base of 300. Do note that
targets do appear from the sides as well. Arrows display when there are
targets that are off screen on that side. Don't worry too much about a shot
missing, just focus on at least hitting the target.
Item received:
• Light eco crystal
============================================.
# 5.37 Turret challenge for orbs **053700** #
`============================================`
Return to the cannon and get the orbs. This time, the targets come and go much
faster. Also, shot accuracy makes a big difference. If the shot misses, the
consecutive bonus is reset. If the shot hits, you get the base score
multiplied by the number of consecutive hits, to up to 8x. Yep, over 2000
points is indeed possible! I would suggest going for the gold, silver at the
very least.
Items received:
• 9x orb
===================================.
# 5.38 Ring challenge 2 **053800** #
`===================================`
Normal difficulty: ***
Hero difficulty: ***
Go due south of the cannon in the western part of the southern wall, to find
another challenge. Trade 8 skull gems to activate it. You will be given a
leaper lizard very nearby for this. Go to it, get on, and go through the
rings. Rings 15 through 19 and 21 are the most difficult ones to me,
especially 18. Here is the order they are in:
1. 9 seconds - straight
2. 4 seconds - slight right (jump up the rocks)
3. 4 seconds - straight
4. 3 seconds - slight left (go straight, up the rocks, then turn left)
5. 3 seconds - straight but on left (tricky; jump at ring 4 to reach it)
6. 6 seconds - slight left (on the top of the rock ledge
7. 3 seconds - slight left (partially obscured by the building)
8. 4 seconds - straight (jump over the edge of the cliff to reach it)
9. 5 seconds - straight
10. 7 seconds - slight right
11. 5 seconds - straight
12. 4 seconds - right
13. 6 seconds - slight left (jump over the rocks)
14. 3 seconds - slight right
15. 4 seconds - straight (either jump to it or go around and drop to it)
16. 6 seconds - straight (tricky; double jump across the gap then up the
rocks)
17. 3 seconds - straight (tricky; jump upon getting ring 16)
18. 5 seconds - straight (tricky; go around on the upper part or jump to it)
19. 4 seconds - hard right (jump up the rocks to get it
20. 4 seconds - slight right
21. 9 seconds - slight right (tricky; use the awning to jump up to it)
22. 5 seconds - slight right
23. 9 seconds - straight (jump up the rocks to reach it)
Items received:
• 10x orb
============================================.
# 5.39 Defeat marauders in arena **053900** #
`============================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: **
Go to the sword icon, the arena. Pick a side, or visit both if you're really
short on ammo. Jump into the highlighted area for a scene. Press < to access
the vulcan fury as the game instructs you to. For now, pick a platform to jump
onto and let it carry you down to the arena.
This arena challenge is the most difficult of them all under normal mode. This
is because some of the marauders have guns that shoot that are hard to avoid
and there isn't much maneuvering space either. If a shooter marauder is
present, make it the highest priority. Use the the vulcan fury to its fullest
potential. Hold R1 to repeatedly fire shots at an ever faster rate, up to a
certain point. It eats up ammo like there's no tomorrow so be careful. What I
prefer, instead, is to use the spinning rapid fire trick with the blaster.
When the vulcan fury runs out of ammo, you'll revert to the blaster anyway and
it's the best gun for this otherwise. If health drops to 4 or 6 units out of
the 10, use light regenerate to heal. You're going to need it.
When the alarm sounds, quickly get onto one of the four platforms that rise out
of the lava as the entire platform you're on will sink after a few seconds.
Wait for that main platform to return then resume blasting the marauders. When
you need to use light regenerate, be sure to pick up any light eco drops if
available and safe to get to. If any light eco is missing, Jak will suck in it
when close.
Item received:
• Vulcan fury (first blue gun)
=======================================.
# 5.40 Destroy eggs in nest **054000** #
`=======================================`
Normal difficulty: ***`
Hero difficulty: *`
Finally some new secrets are available, all weapon-related ones. The red and
yellow ammo can now get 50 and 100 additional shots respectively to the
capacity. For a total of 8 orbs, it's well worth it. Red ammo capacity can
wait though as that gun is hardly used. The yellow gun, however, is much more
useful and used more often so definitely obtain that one as it goes nicely with
the spinning rapid fire attack. The vulcan fury is quite useful as well so why
not get a nice damage upgrade to go with it? It's only 6 orbs... but it's also
only a somewhat small 25% increase in damage which isn't very much. What used
to take 5 hits now takes 4. Reflexor increased deflections will make one of
the most useful guns even more useful. Is it worth the 8 orbs? Indeed! You
will find that the concussor damage upgrade is available, but cannot be
selected. This is because the first upgrade to the red guns is needed. The
wave concussor, however, has pretty much no use right now so it's not worth it.
Pass up on it and save the orbs for the bigger stuff. Sure you may have over
100 available, even over 120 if you've done everything in this walkthrough as
I've explained, it's best to wait until you start exceeding 250 orbs and a
purchase will not drop it under 250, unless it's very useful.
For this mission, simply go to where the vehicles are, that familiar place in
the southernmost part of Spargus's eastern half. There is a highlight on the
Gila Stomper and there's a great reason for that. What's to occur is a highly
combat-oriented mission so you'll need a very tough vehicle for it, one that's
also designed for combat. Get on it and exit the city, going to where the
mountain cave icon is. You won't be able to get out of the vehicle until the
mission is done. Go due south, around the mountains slightly east, cross the
river, to the start of the lost town, then turn right to go to where a
strange-looking wall is. Simply approach it and a scene will occur.
Continue into the cave and you'll have a handy minimap to use to get around it.
Just follow the path into the cave. When far enough in, leeches will start
showing up, in huge numbers. Just run over them - the vehicle will destroy
them without any damage to it. Do not stop though as the leeches will latch on
and begin doing damage. It appears that jumping will detach the leech. While
there are 8 orbs in here to collect, you won't be able to get them at the
moment. When you get to a more open area with a spiraling curve, drop off the
edge to the left and get on that ledge there, turning right. It's a shortcut,
saving about 20 seconds.
When the leeches stop showing up, get ready for combat. You will enter a room
that has 5 green orb things, indicated as 5 dots on the map. These are the
eggs you need to destroy. The first one is slightly to the right. Shoot them
with the Gila Stomper's cannon to destroy them. They will fire shots at the
vehicle - they're hard to avoid, so concentrate more on just destroying the
eggs. They can be destroyed in any order. I would suggest going
counterclockwise around the wall to get them.
Along the way, past the second egg, you will encounter giant bat-like monsters.
Shoot them to get rid of them. Once those 5 eggs are eggs are destroyed,
several bats will be going after you - shoot them all. Don't forget you can
hold L2 to shoot the bats if they're behind. You will find another mark on the
map in the southern part. Shoot at it to knock the bridge down. Just beyond,
more bats are present. At the end of the hallway, more bats are present. Get
those guns blazing and shoot 'em down!
Next, you'll have a room full of eggs, 5 more of them. One is straight ahead.
The other 4 are close together in the northern section of this. Get on the
path to the left of the first egg in this area and follow it. That bridge is
unstable so get across it quickly. Go full speed ahead to cross it and do not
jump. The second egg in this area is here but beware of bats as well. Focus
on the egg. The continuation of the path is fairly hidden. Just follow along
the area.
You will have to get all 10 in one go and it's not particularly easy to do.
When all 10 eggs are destroyed though, you will have 3 minutes to get out of
the cave as the green gas is toxic. Just continue straight and shoot the
bridge's bottom part to knock it down to get a way to cross it. You will
encounter deep mud next - just drive right through it and turn left. Ignore
the metal heads here and focus on the escape, but do have the guns blazing
(just hold R1) at all times while doing this. It helps as there are more bats
present. Chug through the mud and quickly get out of it, turning left then
right onto the high overpass, continuing straight to get into where a tunnel
is. Follow the tunnel. When you reach the end of the path, the curling
tunnel, turn left after this part of the ground gets near the main ground and
go to the center to get on the curling path, for a shortcut. Follow the path
there to exit the cave. You should easily have well more than a minute left
unless you crashed a lot, got a roll or two in that was unexpected, or just got
stuck. Regardless, out in the open air, return to Spargus.
Although the Heat Seeker can be unlocked right now, don't bother with it as
it's not necessary at the moment although it could be used to get the gold the
old fashioned way for the hang time and distance challenges, for the other 18
orbs (see sections 5.14 through 5.16).
Remember that one kiosk where you had the hang time, distance, and roll
challenges? Well, one NNW of that, hidden in the sand dunes where the curve in
the river almost points to it for the part leading north. Go to the statue and
trade the 4 skull gems for it. You get 21 seconds to reach the orb and it's
best to use a vehicle for it. Notice how it's at the edge of a broken bridge.
It's due south of the statue. To reach it, from facing the statue, go hard
right and follow the lower part of the terrain that isn't by the river. When
you reach a bridge sticking out, turn right and go to that bridge. You will
find the orb there at the edge of the bridge on the highest point.
Item received:
• 3x orb
==========================================.
# 5.42 Defend Ashelin at oasis **054200** #
`==========================================`
Normal difficulty: ***`
Hero difficulty: *`
Choose any of the 3 highlighted vehicles, except the Gila Stomper which cannot
be used. I would recommend the Sand Shark for this only because of a side
mission that becomes available afterward that requires it, to save time. Go to
the oasis in the southwest corner of the desert using that vehicle. Once
close, you will automatically leave the vehicle. Simply approach Ashelin who
is standing there.
You will now have a tough fight of defeating about 56 marauders, including
their vehicles. Bring out the blaster and use the spinning rapid fire trick
(press X, O, then R1 in that order, the latter 2 while in mid-air) to make this
easy. Use the vulcan fury if you run out of yellow ammo. Get those guns
blazing! When health drops to 4 units or less, use light regenerate. The
marauders will drop ammo, health packs, and light eco. Don't worry about
shooting Ashelin - Jak's shots don't even exist to her. Ashelin does very well
defending herself so focus more not on her but on the marauders around you.
The sword and shooter ones are both present.
A single new secret and 4 new side missions have showed up. The new secret is
the turbo jet board in desert, costing just 5 orbs. This will make the jet
board insanely fast, and it's needed for some of the side missions, including
one that was rejected earlier due to being very difficult from the very poor
maneuverability the ATVs have. Obtain it.
You already are next to the first of the statues, needing 4 skull gems, so
trade them. You get 18 seconds to find the orb. From facing the statue, turn
right and go between the pair of trees. Turn slightly right once past them,
going directly toward the right edge of the trees and rocks ahead. The orb is
there, clearly visible.
Items received:
• 3x orb
===================================.
# 5.44 Ring challenge 3 **054400** #
`===================================`
Go to the kiosk northwest of the oasis. Trade 8 skull gems for the side
mission. For this, I would recommend using the jet board with the turbo active
for the significantly enhanced control - if you do lose control, get off the
jet board and get back on again right away. It'll cost a bit of time, but
losing control means a high risk of missing the ring from not getting it in
time. If you do use the jetboard, you will eventually wind up facing the
vehicle. The order of the rings is as follows:
1. 11 seconds - right (from the statue)
2. 5 seconds - slight right
3. 6 seconds - straight (go around the trees)
4. 6 seconds - slight left
5. 5 seconds - left
6. 5 seconds - straight
7. 5 seconds - straight
8. 5 seconds - right
9. 8 seconds - slight left (turbo given)
10. 5 seconds - straight
11. 5 seconds - slight left (partially obscured by the sand dune it's on)
12. 7 seconds - left
13. 9 seconds - straight (turbo given, avoid the rocks with vehicle)
14. 8 seconds - straight (turbo given)
15. 4 seconds - slight left
16. 4 seconds - straight
17. 5 seconds - slight left
18. 10 seconds - straight (turbo given)
19. 11 seconds - slight left (turbo given)
20. 10 seconds - slight left
Items received:
• 10x orb
==============================.
# 5.45 Follow me 1 **054500** #
`==============================`
Vehicle difficulty: ****`
Jet board with turbo difficulty: **`
This mission was available earlier, but with the vehicles prone to rolling,
crashing, and a ton of other obstacles, it is best done with the turbo jet
board. Now that you have it, it is time to do this side challenge. If you
attempted it before, trading the 8 skull gems, you won't have to trade any more
skull gems for it. The statue is located southeast of the northwesternmost
island.
The core concept of this type of mission is very simple - just touch the large
light and follow the trail it leaves, but don't get too far behind or close to
it. Being too far (about 200 meters) causes the mission to fail. Being too
close makes it hard to know where the light is going to go. If you're getting
too close, make some S curves or slow down a bit. S curves increase the net
distance to travel, covering the would-be distance in more time. (Airlines do
it to bleed off speed without a steeper descent (which means more speed) if
they're getting too close to the runway with too high height.) At the end, the
light will stop and turn into a large light like the starting point. Touch it
to complete the mission.
The following, however, isn't exactly easy as there are all sorts of twists and
turns, including sudden turns, which is why you need to keep some distance from
it. This, coupled with obstacles and the tendency of the vehicles skidding and
rolling is what makes this so difficult early on. The jet board doesn't have
those issues, but it's touchy in other parts and you can't slow it down without
a lot of jumping or, the indirect method, using S curves. For the most part,
full speed is what's needed.
From facing the statue, go to the left to find the light very close by. Get
out the jet board and touch it. The light will go forward for a fair while.
It will go down then up. At the top of a small sand dune, it will make a
sudden left turn then it will curve gradually left. A series of rocks are
present that will give vehicles trouble but the jetboard has no trouble.
Follow the sand dune, curving slightly left then gradually right. Pass by the
trees and up a sand dune. This is where you will lose sight of the light beam
because of the camera and even the 4:3 aspect doesn't help. The light curves
to the right though then far around left around the trees and rocks. This is a
key place where vehicles struggle, but not the jet board. At the pile of
large, flat rocks, the light curves slightly right then left to go around it
and up a sand dune. It goes straight for a fair bit then makes a right turn at
the top of the high sand dune. Near the shore, the light turns left to go into
a valley then straight toward where a line of trees are. It curves left and
drops down a cliff of rocks, another area where vehicles struggle but not the
jet board. The end is shortly beyond. Touch the light to complete the mission
- you can get off the jet board before touching it and simply run to it and
jump up into it. You pretty much arrive right where you started - how
convenient!
Items received:
• 10x orb
===========================================.
# 5.46 Rescue more wastelanders **054600** #
`===========================================`
Normal difficulty: ****`
Toughened vehicle difficulty: ***`
Hero difficulty: ***
You will need to have the Sand Shark in order to do this mission which is why I
suggested choosing it for section 5.43. Go due east and get past the sand
dunes and trees. You will have mountains on the right. Follow these mountains
to the eastern side of the T of the central mountains to find the statue for
the mission. It takes a massive 12 skull gems to get the mission, but for 18
orbs, that's a huge return and a good investment! The only catch is that it's
also a particularly difficult mission, harder and different than the story one.
While the mission is pretty much exactly the same as the story one, the
positions are different, the marauders are in greater force (care for 4 cars),
and you have to cut through a cave for which the map does not offer any real
guidance on where the turns are and what leads where.
First, trade the skull gems. If your vehicle does not have full health,
destroy it after activating the mission - go where it's blue, wet, and very
deep or use a turbo to full speed into a rock or wall. You're going to need a
healthy vehicle if you don't have invulnerability. If you do this with the
vehicle toughness upgrade, then you'd need at least 3/4 of the health, but a
full health bar is still recommended, to make this easier.
The first wastelander is directly to the left from facing the statue and is the
easiest one. You have 90 seconds to reach him. The pillar of light is clearly
visible. As with the story mission, have him on the left side once you reach
him. The pillar of light is to the left, following the river. At the
highlighted area, stop and wait for him to get off.
There are 100 seconds to reach the next one, to the left. However, you cannot
go that way because the water is too deep. Instead, go back the way you came
until an island is reached. Cross the river from the island. Once across,
just head directly to where the pillar of light is, remembering to have the
wastelander on the left side to pick him up quickly. Go back the way you came.
Cross the river where the islands are and stop where the pillar of light is to
let him off. That was another easy one.
The third one is a fair bit tricker. You have 120 seconds for this
wastelander. It's a lot of time, but this wastelander happens to be quite far
so far that it's outside the draw distance for the pillar of light. Turn right
to go to the right side of the mountains. Continue in that direction to get
around the lost city, all in a straight line over easy terrain. You won't have
marauders around here, fortunately. It's also a good place to use any turbos
you might have, since it's generally a straight path. Once past the lost city,
turn slightly left and go through that narrow passage in the mountains but
remember to stay clear of the rocks - this isn't the roll-a-derby. Turn
slightly left and the wastelander is waiting. Pick him up with him on the left
side. Go backward and follow the same path in reverse. Turn slightly right to
go into the narrow pathway, then turn slightly left once past it, staying clear
of the rocks. Make the slight right turn once past the lost city, then a
slight left turn to go directly to the pillar, stopping where it is to let the
wastelander off.
The last wastelander is the hardest one. You get 140 seconds to reach him,
which seems like a lot, but it's not. Turn hard left and follow the river
toward where the green dot is. Straight ahead is a cave - go into it - it's
the only way to get this last wastelander in time. At least you won't have to
deal with marauders for it. The cave curves slightly left then splits into 2
paths. Take the right path. It curves around to the right, then to the left
at the end. Stay to the right side of the river, near it, but avoid it and
other obstacles along the way for now. The very tall cliffs show up and you'll
see the wastelander on an island. Stop by, with the fisherman wastelander on
the left side. Once he boards, go back the way you came, with the river on the
right. Go back to the cave and enter it. It will curve slightly to the right
then somewhat sharply to the left. The path will split in 2 again. Take the
left path. The cave curves around gently to the right. The pillar of light is
straight ahead. If you have any turbos, fire one off right as the cave
finishes curving around to shave off a bit of time. Follow the river until
close to the pillar of light where islands are. Cross the river here and go to
the pillar of light.
There are now 60 seconds to get to the finish line. Turn left to go around the
rocks, then slightly right once past them. There is a rock in the way on the
direct route to the light - go around it then go directly to the light. Once
you reach it, you will obtain the massive 18 orbs. And just like that, the
weather quickly improves. Ya gotta wonder how that could happen?
Items received:
• 18x orb
=================================.
# 5.47 Time stopper 1 **054700** #
`=================================`
Go due east to the small group of mountains east of the T-shaped part. The
southwest side has another statue present. Trade 8 skull gems to get the
mission. This is one of my favorites and it serves as my proof of flash freeze
slowing time down to 5% that of normal.
These types of missions are exclusive to side missions. Once the mission is
activated, you will have a white light appear. Touch it and you have 11
seconds to get to the end... but the end is so, so far away that, even with
flash freeze and all the fastest stuff you have, it's unreachable.
Fortunately, along the path, there are clock-like cymbols with 1 to 3 balls
inside of them. Blue ones give you one extra second and are the most common,
with one sphere inside. Yellow clocks have 2 spheres and give 2 extra seconds.
Rare red clocks have 3 spheres and give 3 extra seconds. It is unnecessary to
keep to where the red light is, but it is essential to stay close or you'll get
lost. The key to this mission is to grab all the time extensions you can in a
wise and efficient manner. If you run out of extra time, the main clock will
resume. The mission fails when the main clock is exactly 0:00.000 (remember,
00:00 from 00:01 still means 0.99 seconds).
To complete this mission, here is what I recommend to do. First and foremost,
don't use a vehicle. They're not reliable. The course, at least, is easy
enough with a decent vehicle like the Sand Shark. However, the jet board with
turbo is far easier to use for this.
So, turn hard left from facing the statue, get out the jet board, and touch the
light to start the mission. Turn slightly left to see a series of colored
circles. Just touch them to collect them to add to the "extra time". Go
straight, curving slightly left to follow the line but be a little on the left
side of it. You will see some yellow and red clocks off to the right from the
line, with a blue one just before. If you're on the left side, you can get the
blue one while also getting the yellow, red, yellow, then red one leading up.
At the top, turn left, go over the rock, and return to where the line is, going
on the left side of it, turning right to collect the clocks. At the yellow
one, turn right to get the red one, then turn left to go to the bridge. Jump
across the bridge (a basic jump is good enough).
The light curves to the left to a red clock. It'll then curve to the right -
stay on the right side of it for 2 blues, a yellow, then a red. Stay near the
line and turn left with it at the top of the dune to get another clock. Cross
the line to the left side and follow it as it curves left, staying on the left
side, collecting clocks. Stay to the left side until you pass by a rock with
several icons going over to the right - go to them, jump over the low rocks
here, and follow them back to the line, staying on the right side. It'll curve
around to the right - simply follow it. A sudden left turn then right turn to
go around mountains leads to 3 more blue clocks. Follow the line gradually to
the right then the left. After a left turn, the end is reached - simply touch
the light to receive the reward.
Unfortunately, now, you're far from your vehicle, and the marauders come out.
You have 2 choices. Deliberately jump over the edge and get eaten by the giant
snake to instantly appear in a vehicle again (and fully restore the vehicle
while at it), choose "restart mission" (which has the same effect, only
faster), or go directly back to the vehicle via the jet board. If you choose
the last option, the slower option, I'll explain how to return.
Note where the small gray dot is, representing the vehicle. Turn hard left,
get back on the jet board, and avoid the marauders. Don't bother shooting
them, just ignore them but don't run into them. The jet board is far, far more
maneuverable than the marauders. Go slightly right to go around mountains but
avoid the rocks as they can toss you up very high with a sudden loss of
horizontal speed, giving time for the marauders to group up, leaving you at a
disadvantage. You will reach the lost city again where the marauders stop.
Avoid the cacti while here - they hurt (for 2 units of damage)! Follow along
the lost city, sticking to the outer edge of it where it's open. Past the
mountains, turn left, to go away from the lost city but directly toward where
the vehicle is. Cross the river and carefully dodge the marauders. Make
sudden turns to avoid them. You've got good skill if you make it all the way
back to the vehicle without taking a hit.
If you want to do this challenge the most interesting way, though it'll take a
while and requires unlimited Light Jak, activate flash freeze. Touch the light
and quickly get to pretty much all of the time extention tokens there are.
When the blue-faded view of flash freeze fades away, stop, hold L2, and
repeatedly press [] to activate it again. As a warning, the game seems to have
a lot of problems with flash freeze in the desert, with frame rates dropping
down to just 2 fps at times, 5 to 10 fps being the most common. See the
glitches section for more details, section 10.11 to be exact. While flash
freeze is taking full effect and you have extra time available, notice how it
counts down not 1 second for every real second, but 0.05 second for every real
second. With constant use of flash freeze, it's entirely possible to push
nearly 50 extra seconds on the "extra time".
Return to Spargus City and go to the western side. The very far westernmost
side has a statue needing 4 skull gems. Trade them to get the mission. You
have 15 seconds to get the orb. The orb is located on the opposite side of the
place where the cannon is, near the center of the east-west shore. To reach
it, go in the opposite direction from facing the statue and quickly get out the
jet board, aiming straight for it on the right side. Get of the jet board when
right next to the rightmost rocks that barely stick out. Quickly climb up and
you will find the orb there. This one is hard because you pretty much don't
have enough time to reach it.
Items received:
• 3x orb
==============================.
# 5.49 Follow me 2 **054900** #
`==============================`
Go to the southwest and grab a leaper lizard as you will need one. In the
southwest corner of the dark-colored area on the map, there is a statue
requiring 8 skull gems. Trade them. Get on the leaper lizard, turn hard left
from facing the statue, then touch the light. Now, simply follow the light as
explained in section 5.46 above. Because of all the civilians in the road,
which get in the way frequently, the use of the jet board for this is strongly
not recommended. Hitting someone with the jetboard will cause them to start
shooting at you and it also really slows you down, almost guaranteeing a fail.
Use the leaper, it's the only practical way. Here is what it does:
The light will go straight but make some sudden kinks. It turns a gradual hard
right with the path. An odd kink will follow. After following the path a
little bit, it'll curve off of it to the left to parallel the coast. Be sure
to jump up the rocks along the way. At the end of the rocks sticking out, it
will turn right and return to the path.
Follow it along the path. The stone path will abruptly end. Straight ahead is
the door with the crown on it. When it goes off the path to the next section
of Spargus, it will turn right at the start of these paths. Continue following
it along the path. At the split in the road, turn right. At the
T-intersection, turn left. It will stop just short of where the light eco vent
is. Touch the light in any way to complete the mission.
Don't forget to step into that light eco vent this leads to if you're missing
any light eco, essential for healing. With nonstop use of flash freeze, this
challenge is a little harder, but can be easier if you fully memorize the path
the light takes (or reference the steps above). To do it, get ahead of the
light while in flash freeze mode and wait. When the blue haze starts fading
away, hold L2 and repeatedly press [] again. The light will catch up and get
back ahead of you again, but you can now catch up and pass it.
With all available, and worthwhile, side missions done, it's back to the main
story. And just in time too as those skull gems are really starting to run
short. Go to where the vehicles are and grab the Dune Hopper, required for the
mission. Remember the Monk Temple? That's where you need to go, in the
southeast corner of the map. Hop the islands the same way as before and enter.
Unlike the previous visit, do not go up the platforms. Instead, go into that
one door that the eye was blocking, straight ahead. You do not need
invisibility for this as the eye was destroyed on your first visit. Just
continue across - no spikes will appear.
Past the door, you won't see any spiders, but get the blaster out as you will
need it. A pair of dragonfly metal heads will come out as soon as you make the
right turn. Shoot them and grab their skull gems. Continue down the stairs.
Just after the second flat area, another dragonfly will come out - just shoot
it. At the next flat area, 3 more dragonflies will come out. Get that blaster
blazin! Grab the ammo reloads in the room with the dark eco vent. Continue
farther in. If you see stairs going up, you went the wrong way.
In the room where you had those guard bots, turn right (or go to the left and
smash stuff then go directly behind). See that door with the symbol that looks
much like the health meter's center where the dark and light eco are? Approach
it for a scene.
Just a bit inside are 3 dragonflies. Shoot them down and grab the skull gems.
While grabbing them, another one will come. You know what to do with that
blaster gun, right? Another blaster-demanding dragonfly metal head is just a
short bit beyond that. Around a slight left turn, you will find a more open
room. Smash the pair of urns right by the entrance to this room for 8 easy
skull gems.
See that one symbol that has the white and magenta colors, spinning around?
Touch it to get a scene. You will have 17 more of these to collect. The game
will guide you on how to use the jet board. The jet board has poor control and
it's easier to just go swimming in that water below and grag the nearest one on
the right. Swim to the one on the left, turning left to get to it then do a
basic double jump. The next one is also easy to get without the jet board.
The game instructs you to do a flip to get it, but unlike the "learn to drive a
vehicle" mission, there are no restrictions other than simply touching the
symbols. So, do it the easy way. Turn slightly left to get the last of them
over the water. This one is a high one, where the game instructs you to do a
launch jump. It's actually easier just doing a double from from in the water.
For the next part, you'll need the jet board. Turn around to go back but hug
the wall on the right. Point Jak, while in the water, toward the ramp and get
out the jet board. It's the only way to climb up that steep slope. Once at
the top, get off of the jet board. Ignore what the game says and just follow
the stairs down, grabbing the symbols while at it. At the end of this, you
will find what appears to be a very narrow rail. You will have to get out the
jetboard for this one. Get about 2 or 3 Jak heights away from the edge, point
toward the rail, get out the jet board, jump, then hold [] until landed on the
rail. This will do a grind. On the other side, get off the jet board. You
should have 9 symbols left to get. Go around the holes. Falling in one means
instant death and with something like that, control is critical which is why I
suggest avoiding the use of the jet board - it's simply easier. A bigger gap
will follow after the symbol. Just do a normal double jump with spin to cross
it with ease. It's much easier than the jet board. Another, bigger hole is
present right after ward. Do the usual jumping to get across it.
Another rail follows at the end. Get the jet board out and grind across it as
I explained before. However, you will have to jump to get the symbol. Simply
press X when just short of the symbol so you contact it, but remember to press
and hold [] until landed on it. On the other side, get off the jet board again
and follow the path. At the end, you will now have 4 symbols left to get.
The jet board is needed to get up the ramp straight ahead. Once at the top,
get off of the jet board, as usual. You will have 3 large holes to jump across
and the game's nagging text to get on the jet board to make otherwise easy
jumps a bit more difficult. At end end of this, you should have just one
symbol left. Jump down into the water, turn to the left at the wall then stick
near the wall for a fair ways. You will find the last symbol in the far right.
Just jump up the ledge there and grab it. A scene will occur.
Go back out and turn to the right. This jump is the trickiest, but it is
possible without the use of the jet board though it takes a few tries. It's
slightly easier to use the launch jump, but it's still not easy. To do it
without the jet board, see that steep-looking rock on the left? You need to do
a double jump toward it and a spin attack right at the top of this, but also
have a turn to the right at this so that Jak can "glide" up the steep slope and
land on something solid. If you prefer the launch jump route, get some
distance then hold L1 while approaching the jump. Press X while still holding
L1 when near the edge. It's a tricky jump, but it is doable in both ways.
Once at the top, get off the jet board. Inside the room, a vase and urn are
waiting. As a tip, run into them with the jet board to quickly and
effortlessly collect whatever is inside. That's 8 skull gems without the need
of chasing them around. Turn toward the room with the left curve in it.
Follow it and you will enter a room with another light by the statue. Doesn't
this room look familiar? It's just another section of the room! First though,
smash those vases and urns for 2 orbs and 10 skull gems. Use the jet board to
smash them with for very quick grabbing. Ain't it so much more convenient not
having to chase after skull gems any more? Walk into the light now for a
scene.
Let's try out the most fun skill the game has to offer - flash freeze. Just
hold L2 while pressing [] to use it. Those platforms that spin so impossibly
fast are now easy to cross. Wait for the one ahead to make a spin first then
go for it. Follow the platforms using double jumps (avoid the spin unless you
feel you're coming well short) then get on that ledge. Continue into the room
and follow it.
Another rail is present. Get on the jet board and grind across. Falling now
will mean a long back track so be careful! You need to go into that room
straight across. Once across, get off the jet board. Avoid the holes, but
then a big one with a rail is present. This rail is difficult to get onto.
You will need to combine a front flip jump with a grind to get onto it. From a
greater distance, about 6 Jak heights (or near the hole), get on the jet board,
go forward while holding R1 and up on the left stick, then press X when near
the edge. Quickly press and hold [] to secure the grind to get across. Once
across, get off the jet board again.
A simple hole is next - just do a simple jump across, though it is possible
(but risky) to walk across on the side. Jump across the next hole and continue
folling the path. Another pesky rail is present. The problem is, this one has
a gap in it. A regular jump is fine, but if you're good with flip jumps, it'll
be a little easier. The game's camera tilts downward so you can see where the
jump is. Jump when near the end of the rail, remembering to hold [] until you
land again. Follow the path straight ahead. A door is there that will open up
on its own.
Inside, don't those spinning blades look so familar, from the electrified pole
jumping with invisibility? You now have to cross those, and there's there's
only one way: flash freeze. Even then, it's not as easy as it looks. Step
into the light eco fountain to restore your light eco - you will need it. The
trick to this is to jump frequently. Do not touch the blades or it's instant
death and you have to restart from the last successful crossing you made, or
the beginning of this room if you haven't crossed any. It'll take a few tries
to get used to it though. Use normal jumps, but if you jump too early, do a
double jump to give yourself extra time so you can land on the platform while
it's more level. You will need to cross these 3 times. Continue across the
room but do not step on that bridge. It will instantly collapse. Time for the
last forced use of flash freeze. Activate it while in the light eco vent to
make sure you have a full supply of light eco after this. Quickly jump across
the bridge to the other side.
You'll now have to wait until you unlock unlimited Light Jak to really have fun
with flash freeze as you will no longer be needing it. Healing is much more
important. Get on the platform in the room on the other side for a scene and
to complete the mission. What a long one that was!
Item received:
• Light flash freeze
====================================================.
# 5.51 Travel through Catacomb subrails **055100** #
`====================================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: ****
But, you're not done yet. In the next area, there's a yellow car present in a
weird-looking room. Simply approach it for a scene. Before getting on the
vehicle, if you're curious, check the in-game map. What a surprise! "Map Data
Unavailable" It seems like you've stumbled into unknown territory.
Anyway, get on the vehicle with /\. Unlike all other vehicles, this one has
minimal control. You can rotate around the chute and shoot with R1, with
unlimited ammo), but that's all that's can be done. Lining the route are
several transmitter things, solid wall connectors, dangerous red robots that
move with the vehicle, plenty of holes that have rapidly blinking lights around
them to serve as a warning, and even parts of the tube missing. This will take
several tires to do. Also, don't run into things or the vehicle will take
damage, even with invulnerability (bug!). Holes mean instant death so avoid
them. Unfortunately, this thing goes so fast that it's hard to see them and
with so much trash around, it's hard to avoid them. The general rule: stay
near the bottom, avoid hitting anything, get that gun blazing at all times by
repeatedly pressing R1 all the way through, and be sure to blast that robot
that moves with you as it, after time, will do some big damage. It's the only
way to make this at least reasonably easy enough. This may barely take a
minute and there are no check points, but it's quite difficult where the
numerous redos can make it take upwards of 5 minutes, even 15 minutes.
Here's what's along the path, in finer detail, and places to go and avoid. I
will split the path into several distinct sections. If, at any time, you crash
or the vehicle takes too much damage, you will have to start over from the
beginning. Notice the panel-like design, where there are 10 total panels. I
will refer to the panels as 0 for the lowest one, then increasing from 1 to 4
for the left and right, with 5 being the very top. Thus, L2 means 2 panels to
the left from the bottom center one, which is almost entirely on the far left
side.
A hole is on panel L3 during the first curve. After the curve is done, a hole
is in panel R2. A red robot comes out after this - it will come around to you
so shoot it when it gets near the bottom.
Shortly past it is a hole for panel L1 with a support column in panel R1. Use
panel 0 to avoid both. Another support column is in panel 0 - go to the left
side to avoid it. At the same time, another red robot comes out. It will come
to the lower part on its own - shoot it when you can. A hole is in panel R2
right afterward with another support in panel 0. A hole is present in panel 0
just beyond so pick either side to avoid both of these. A hole in panel L3
follows shortly after.
Stay in the area from L1 to R1 as the sides and ceiling disappear. Stay in the
center as near to panel 0 as you can without any left or right movement because
the whole floor then disappears. You will only make it safely across if you
don't move. Otherwise, you'll veer into the left and right sides and crash
into the side of the chute.
The car will suddenly speed up by about 50%. A hole for panels L4 and 5 is
present side by side. Another one follows for panel L1. An empty-looking area
with a different floor texture arrives, with a red robot to go with it. Get on
the ceiling and shoot it - it's not an easy one to hit.
The next section has an area where large electric arcs spark and rotate around
- avoid the spark. Another one follows shortly after, leading to a red robot
and a hole for panel L1. The entire upper half (L3 to R3) of the chute is
missing after the right curve with a whole in panel 0 then, very shortly after,
panel R1 to make things harder. You're home free after some transmitter
things.
At the end, you will receive a new ability, one that doesn't have use for some
time (not until act 3). The best use for light eco is still healing - save it
for now.
From where you land, turn right (left if facing the blue barrier) and go out
that door. Upon approaching the elevator in that room, a scene will occur. Go
straight and turn around the corners. A light eco vent is present there. Turn
right and go up the rocks. At the top, go straight for a scene. Smash the 2
Krimzon Guard crates for ammo reloads and get out the blaster as you're going
to need it.
The game instructs you to shoot the bridge to knock it down. You're going to
learn to hate those bridges. Don't cross it just yet as 2 flier monsters are
present - shoot them while they're still plenty far away. Once on the bridge,
take note of the lizards crawling on the wall. Shoot them as well - one shot
will knock them down, another will defeat it. This is one area where the 4:3
aspect gives you an advantage as, with the 16:9, those lizards are harder to
see as you can't look upwards as much to see them so you can get ambushed by
them.
At the end of the path, another one of those bridges is present. Shoot it and
get ready to shoot the pair of flies on that island. Now cross the bridge and
shoot the next one... and the 3 flier monsters on the other side. Smash the
crate for a health pack. Go over the track, get the crate for an ammo reload,
then go down the path on the left. The crate has more ammo in it. Ahead is an
elevator, an unstable one. Get on it and wait for it to go down. Shoot the
bridge while the elevator is still going down. When the elevator is at the
bottom, you have 2 seconds to get off of it or it'll collapse. On the other
side are 3 metal heads. 2 jumpers and a flier. Just shoot them. Another
flier and some lizards are on the wall in the background. As you approach the
wall with the lizards on them, 2 more fliers will come out. Shoot the jumpers
then get the fliers then lizards while still far enough away. Be sure to grab
the skull gems as you pass by them. Upon nearing the narrow pathway, 2 more
fliers come out - shoot 'em!
If you're missing any health in this and white eco drops, get a fair distance
from the white eco and use light regenerate, grabbing the light eco when done.
It's the most efficient way to use light eco. Of course, when you heal, the
gun is put away, so you'll need to bring out the blaster again.
Continue following the path around a tight corner. 3 total jumper metal heads
are up ahead - shoot them. At the end of the path is one of those bridges that
you have to shoot. It leads to one of those unstable elevators. Get on it and
when it reaches the top, quickly get off. A jumper metal head is waiting - do
a double jump with a spin attack and land right on it. Whack it again while
it's near the wall to defeat it and be sure to grab the skull gem. Another
jumper metal head is waiting off to the left so listen closely and be ready for
a spinning jump attack again. Another one is at the top of the ledge above -
this one you can simply shoot... or spin attack if you so choose. Around the
corner are 3 fliers - shoot them all down. Turn right to find 3 more fliers.
The blaster sure is getting a work out, isn't it? A health pack and an ammo
reload is in the crates ahead.
Turn right to find a series of platforms. Before crossing, note the lizards on
the wall. Shoot the closer one while you have a nice distance. Jump onto the
first platform (don't walk to it - there are gaps present). Shoot the next
lizard. Jump to the next platform then shoot the next lizard. Jump across
again to find solid ground. Crates are on the left for a red ammo reload and a
health pack. Continue up that then turn left into the side area. A jumper
metal head is waiting around the corner. Get back and be ready to shoot it.
Around the corner, 2 more jumpers are present. Shoot them just as well. An
ammo reload is at the end, of both types of ammo.
An unstable elevator leading down is next - be ready to shoot the bridge on the
other side and get off the elevator when it reaches the bottom. A lone flier
is present along with a trio of jumper metal heads. That blaster has more work
to do! Another flier is around the corner as well, but hidden. Watch out for
it!
At the end, you will find an elevator. Get on it. This one is stable so no
worries. Go into the passage, turning left. Use the light eco vent to heal in
full as needed. The crates have a health pickup, kind of pointless with the
light eco vent there. There is an ammo reload, at least.
Get onto the center block and it will go down at a diagonal. It's an elevator.
While on it, get out the vulcan fury as you'll have a lot of monsters to deal
with. You will be greated with about 6 frogs and 3 fliers (I didn't get a full
count). Unleash the fury! See that one giant, red, rat-like monster ahead?
You will need these for the next few sections. Just whack it into that wheel
to get the platforms to the right available. Do not walk up to it as it will
do 2 units of damage. Killing it by sending it over the edge of the cliff will
cause a new one to come out of the pipe on the right. The gun gets put back
automatically by the game - bring it back out again. The blaster will do just
fine as you've got lots of distance to shoot the roughly 13 frogs over there.
Shoot the ones you can see now while it's still easy to get them, to clear a
path. Go down the platforms now and, at the bottom, wait for the rest of the
frogs to come and shoot them.
A health pack is at the bottom, which, if you've been following along or took a
hit from that one monster you had to whack into the wheel, is unnecessary.
Continue on to find 5 more frogs. Shoot them while they can't get to you as a
gap is in the way. Jump across the first gap and wait for the 4 other frogs to
come in range and shoot them while they are helpless. Once cleared, get across
the gap and watch one of those red monsters come out of the pipe to the right
of the wheel. Knock a monster into the wheel. This time, you'll have to lure
them over. Whack them with spin attacks or shoot them to stun them for about 5
seconds. You'll have 2 to deal with - only one is needed in the wheel. Once
both are stunned, you can safely walk up to them to touch them. Use the spin
attack to move them around and get one of them in the wheel. Ignore but stay
away from the other one. A scene occurs and the gun is automatically put back.
When the scene is over, get the gun back out. Starting to get annoyed by that?
Climb up the platforms using double jumps and, at the top, it's ribbit, ribbit,
ribbit! Shoot the 6 frogs here while still on the top platform. Beware of the
pair of fliers as well that sneak up from behind. Them them first as they can
still attack. Finish the frogs off then get on that ledge. A health pack and
ammo reloads are in the crates just to the right. Follow the path up. Near
the top, you will find several more frogs. Where's the swamp when you need
one? Guns blazin' to get rid of them. There are about 7 frogs in total. More
of those giant red rats come out, 2 of them. Get the crate for an ammo reload.
Stun the rats by jumping spin attacks then get one of them in the wheel on the
right like before. Go past the wheel and on the right to find the area that
was shown. These are moving platforms. Jump so that, when you're right at
them that you're slightly to the side in the direction they're going. Use a
spin attack to help as needed. Repeat for these platforms that move left and
right repeatedly. You will often have to fight the camera to better prepare
the jump.
Ribbit, ribbit! Yep, you guessed what 9 things were going be waiting across
the gap. Yep, those ever-so-common frogs. Surely there's got to be a swamp
around here somewhere! Where are they all coming from? Just shoot them.
Straight ahead another wheel, with a pipe on the right. This time, 3 of those
red rats come out. Lure them over to the wheel then spin attack them all.
Pick whichever one is closest and/or easiest to get to the wheel and send it
into it.
Platforms that go around a wheel now rotating. Get on one of them and be
prepared for... frogs. Shoot the 4 frogs there while the platform is on the
upper 1/3 part of the wheel. Get on the next wheel of platforms and, again, be
ready to go ribbiting on shooting frogs, again from the upper 1/3 of the wheel.
There are a lot of them here so you'll need to go around probably twice.
Beware of 5 fliers being mixed in with this as well - shoot them first, then
get the frogs later. Another pipe, some ramps, and... I think I'm getting
ribbititis now... 8 more frogs are waiting at the top of this. Shoot them, as
usual. The crates at the top have ammo reloads and a health pack. To
continue, jump back down and lure the 3 red rat monsters over to the wheel.
Spin attack them all, as before, then get one of them into the wheel, as
before. The gun gets put a way during the scene showing the new platforms.
This time, don't bring the gun back out. Go straight to that weird clock-like
thing and you'll get a scene. You now have 12 health points! Go to the right.
There is a highlight on a switch. Just spin attack it to turn it on for a
scene. Which will complete this mission as well. What a long mission!
Item received:
• Greaves (armor; +2 max health points)
Quickly get out the blaster, smash the crates for a big ammo reload, then shoot
the red switch where the track is pointed up. You have to be close enough to
shoot it. Each one along the path gives you extra time on the clock. Beware
the 2 fliers that will come diving down after you. Shoot them quickly. Turn
right and quickly get across the path. Use a rolling jump to go faster. Cross
the track and go to the right. Shoot the nearby switch on the right then shoot
the farther one from near the corner. The crates are ammo reloads.
Go down the narrow path, get out the jet board, then grind on the rail on the
right. The left one has a gap in it so avoid it. Once across, get off the jet
board and quickly get out the blaster again. Ignore the lizard on the wall and
go to the left corner to shoot the switch there. Go to the right and go down
the path, smashing the crates for ammo and a health pack. Continue forward
then shoot the switch. Turn right and get on the platform that goes in and out
of the wall. Time your jump so that it's just starting to come out of the
wall. If it's already out, don't jump. Continue straight across.
Optionally shoot the lizard on the wall, but ignore it for the most part.
Cross the track and turn right. Jump across the platforms that don't move but
have gaps present. On the other side are a lot of fliers. Shoot them quickly.
Go to the right to find 2 switches - shoot them. Turn left and follow the
path. You'll now have a pair of platforms going in and out. One will always
be in - jump toward that one then jump toward the ledge. Shoot the switch
straight ahead.
Cross the track, get out the jet board, and pick any of those 3 rails to grind
on. The center one is easier. Just past it, you'll have 2 more of those
platforms going in and out. This one is trickier as you have to wait for the
closer one to be going out then jump to the next one as the one you're on
starts going back in again. Quickly get to the left edge and shoot the 2
switches here, one on the left, the other on the right and a bit more distant.
Jump down the ledge, then shoot the bridge to get it to come down. Beware the
2 fliers waiting on the other side. Once across the bridge, shoot the switch
on the left. Go to the right and around to get an easy shot on the other
switch, the last one. A scene will occur regardless of how much time is left
on the clock. That will complete this mission.
Go to the right, shoot the bridge, the 2 fliers, the next bridge, the 3 fliers,
smash the crate for a health pack, then jump across to that new opening. Get
on that large, circular, central platform and wait for the elevator to go down.
Go in the only direction there is and you'll get a scene.
Now it's time for a big boss fight! If you're missing any health, suicide to
restore it instead of using regenerate. Now, get out the vulcan barrel or
blaster (whichever you prefer) but don't shoot the boss - you'll just waste
ammo. Instead, right away, it will cause shock waves, a pair of them. Just
jump over it. After some time, it'll use a laser that sweeps across the floor
- jump over it. Timing the jump is easy - note when the boss is twisted. Do a
double jump with a spin attack at that time. It'll do it again - jump over it
the same way. Then it'll fire off a giant dark spider. Use the spin attack on
the single one then begin shooting the doubles. They will drop ammo here.
There are crates on the right side to get more ammo as needed. Once the
spiders are defeated, the boss will fire energy beams into 5 places in the
ground. Take note of which one is the fourth one but avoid touching them until
they stop glowing. The center one is the fourth one. When they stop glowing,
quickly get to the fourth tallest one with a high jump and a spin attack at the
top of that. Pick a bomb car and shoot at it until it breaks free.
Now the boss will fire off 3 shockwaves that are quicker. It'll do the laser
sweep 3 times as well, and faster - jump over it each time. 2 giant spiders
will be fired next. Either use the vulcan barrel or the beam reflexor and
shoot them down. After defeating them, note the fourth spot where the laser
is. This is the one closest to the boss in the center. Wait for the pillars
to rise and cool then do a high jump with a spin attack at the end to get on.
Shoot a bomb car (pick one) until it comes loose.
This time, you'll have 4 shockwaves to avoid touching and they come so quick
that you're bound to take a hit. 3 runs of the laser follows... except that
there are 2 of them, one slightly higher. Use the same timing as before and
just do a simple high jump with a spin attack near the top to avoid being hit.
Afterward, it's 3 giant spiders. The beam reflexor works very nicely for that.
For the beams, the right-most pillar is the one you use, closest to the boss.
Shoot at the final bomb car until it goes down. Congratuations! You have just
completed act 1!
Items received:
• Arc wielder (second blue gun)
• +50 max blue ammo capacity
During this act, you will eventually cross a key threshold for the orb count,
if you've been doing the side missions and searching around. That threshold is
250. This is for invulnerability, unlimited ammo, unlimited Light Jak, and
unlimited Dark Jak. If you exceed this, feel free to spend orbs on stuff,
especially weapon upgrades at first. Just don't drop below 250, regardless.
==========================================.
# 6.1 Scorpions for skull gems **060100** #
`==========================================`
Normal difficulty: **
Hero difficulty: *
New secrets have become available, plenty of worthwhile ones at that. First,
buy the "increased blue ammo capacity" for 4 orbs. For a gun that goes through
ammo like there's no tomorrow, what can go wrong with an extra 100 shots to
keep at it more, or use the other blue guns that also go through ammo like
crazy? Get the "arc wielder robot shock" for 8 orbs as well. You'll be
encountering a lot of robots so this will damage them severely, making it fast
and easy to destroy them. Ignore the "level select act 1" under "expert
options". It's not worth it. Under art gallery, ignore everything there -
those can wait for hero mode.
Anyway, go through the only door you can get to and continue. If you've played
Jak 2, you'll recognize the second door. It's Haven City! Go inside to the
elevator for a scene. Once at the top, go straight... but be careful! There
are a lot of scorpion metal heads here, a never ending supply. Fortunately,
they have a modest spacing, but be watchful and listen to their
rattling/hissing. When it gets loud, one is nearby. It's also a great
opportunity to gather some more skull gems. Avoid the kiosks for now. Focus
on the skull gems. Either shoot the scorpions or use jumping spin attacks.
Their strike while you're in mid-air is their weak point as they're actually
coming straight for you and as long as you're spinning, you deal the damage to
the enemy. They deal one unit of damage though which isn't much. If you fall
in the water, there is a ramp in the central area, where the big bulge is to
get out of it.
If you want, consider using Dark Jak and just endlessly using spin attacks.
There's a lot of dark eco being dropped - might as well put it to use and make
it even easier, given the slightly extended range. Don't use the Dark Bomb or
Dark Blast though. Over about 10 minutes, the scorpions stop having skull gems
in them. You've already gained close to around 60 of them from this alone,
enough to last a fair while. By now, you probably have over 140. Look around
the area as well as there are a few hidden orbs. If you fall in the water,
there is a ramp in the central area, where the big bulge is to get out of it.
There are 4 orbs to be obtained. One is hidden in a corner and plainly
visible. Another is in a lone Krimzon Guard crate. A third is on top of a
pile of trash leading a fair ways up. Don't bother grinding to reach it - a
simple jump is sufficient enough. The fourth one is in the water in an area
past the junk - there is a small opening in the junk to allow passage through
to the other side - jump in the water here, then use the nearby ramp to get
out. Note how there aren't any monsters over here. When you return, and go
back, you'll find that the scorpions won't go past a certain point. Hmm. What
a clue that is!
With the skull gem gathering out of the way, it's time to put those two
available kiosks to use. Go to the one in the southwest corner of this room
and trade 4 skull gems for the mission. You have 15 seconds to reach it. Go
backward from facing the kiosk to the tall pile of junk where you got that one
high orb. Grind on the pipe then jump using a flip jump (hold R1 while
pressing up on the left stick, then pressing X when near the edge of the pipe)
over to the other pipe, grinding to reach it. It'll take a few tries as this
one is a bit tricky.
Return to the area and trade 4 skull gems at the eastern kiosk for the mission.
You have 23 seconds to reach the orb... and scorpions to deal with along the
way just ignore them this time - if you have low health, consider deliberately
failing the mission instead of using regenerate to heal with - you'll be fully
restored If needed, smack a few scorpions to attempt to get some white eco to
help. The orb is almost due east of the kiosk. From fading it, turn right,
turn left, then turn left again. Turn right then turn slightly right and the
orb is there near the support column pillar.
Items received:
• 3x orb
======================================.
# 6.4 Reach port via sewer **060400** #
`======================================`
Normal difficulty: ***
Hero difficulty: **
Continue east and you'll find a white gate with some familiar characters on the
other side of it (familiar if you've played the earlier Jak games). A scene
plays when when you get close. The manhole icon shows where the sewer entrance
is. Go to it - it's on the northern side of this area, on the western part.
Use the icon to tell which door it is. When you reach the elevator, a scene
will occur. Get out the blaster while you wait for the door to open. One of
my favorite songs in the game plays during this. A pair of flying metal heads
are waiting. Their skull gems will automatically come to you upon defeat,
along with any eco. Turn left and go around the path. About halfway around, 2
more flying metal heads will come out - shoot them down into the bottomless pit
below! Continue following the path.
A series of platforms leads downward to a half pipe. Get out the jet board and
get on the half pipe. See that lower part on the left? That's where you need
to go. Go up it and, at the top, get off the jet board. Turn right. Follow
the path to the door. Wait for it to open and get the blaster out while
waiting. On the other side, there's that really familar monster - 6 frogs.
Well, I guess it's a little more appropriate of a location for them, but sewers
are not it.
The next area is a large pipe. You're forced to use the jet board for this and
you cannot get off of it until past it. See that hole there though? Go around
it. Another one is ahead - avoid it too. A supposed dead end is reached - see
that area to the side? Go in there. Turn right and note the other side chute.
Go into it, but don't go too far out while attempting as it's a bottomless pit
down there!
At the bottom of this are a bunch of monsters. A mix of about 8 frogs and 4
crocodile-like things. Quickly switch to the arc wielder or just use spinning
aerial attacks to get them. Don't worry about the water - it's harmless, other
than slowing down movement and pushing you around. Don't go up that chute just
yet. If you took damage during that fight, don't heal as there is a pair of
health packs on the left side of the chute.
Now, go up the chute - you'll want the jet board for this, so that the water
doesn't push you back. It's doable without the jet board though - just use
repeated double jumps with spin attacks. At the top, get off the jet board and
you'll see 2 monsters. Do not spin attack these as they'll be destroyed but
damage Jak 2 units. Shoot the monsters instead. Go straight. The water will
push fast and hard, but that can be avoided by using double jumps with spin
attacks. Get on that ledge there then do a high jump up there. On the right,
you will see 3 crates. There are 2 orbs and an ammo reload in them.
Return then go left. A rail - time for the jet board! Grind across it,
getting off the jet board on the other side. You will find 3 fans here and an
exploder monster. Just shoot the monster first then destroy the fans with the
any of the yellow or blue guns (the red one doesn't have the range). The fans
take 3 hits to destroy (assuming you got the blaster damage upgrade). An
exploder fish is right after - shoot it. Get on the jet board and go up the
ramp of water. Another exploder fish is present here at the top - get off the
jet board and shoot it or just ignore it and go up the water fall to the left,
avoiding the exploder fish.
At the top of this, get off the jet board. See that whirlpool? Stay away from
it. It's instant death if you fall in as it's actually just a hole. There are
firm platforms on the right though - jump on them. Jump across the chute of
water to the other side and smash the crates for an ammo reload. Now, jump in
the chute of water and go with the flow - it's faster that way.
At the bottom, jump on the side where there's a whole lotta frogs just waiting
for the blaster to make them croak. Shoot all 10 of them. There are also for
metal head crocs. Jump in the water below, avoiding the whirlpools, then wait
for them to come. Shoot these 4 then a rail will come down for grinding. Heal
if needed and collect any light eco you may have gotten. Keep the greatest
distance you can from the whirlpools. If Jak is being moved toward a
whirlpool, jump and correct it while in mid-air while also continuing generally
in the direction you want to go. On the right side, from where the chute
ended, you will find 2 crates - a health pack and an ammo reload. Go to that
rail and grind it to the other side, getting off the jet board at the end.
On the right, there is a flow of water. Walk or jump over to it then get the
jet board out to climb up it. Get off the jetboard at the left side and get
out either of the yellow or blue guns and destroy those fans! There is a rail
just past it, but don't bother with it as it leads nowhere. Jump over it.
Now, you'll need go stright to where the ramp of water is, using the jet board
to get up it.
At the top, get off the jetboard and quickly get out either gun of your choice
that isn't red. Shoot the zapper metal heads, the ones with the red lights at
the end of a stick. They will, when close to them, zap Jak for 2 units of
damage. They take 3 hits with the blaster. There is another one just to the
right - shoot it out, but be careful of the flame dancers that are higher up.
They'll start throwing those slow-moving projectiles out that do 2 units of
damage if they hit Jak. Quickly cross the zigzagging narrow passage and shoot
the next zapper metal head. At the end is another ramp of water - the jet
board is eager to help you get up that! Get off at the top.
Of course, ribbititis is setting in hard! With the rushing water making things
harder, it's easier to just use the ol' fashioned aerial spin attacks to get
the 10 frogs there! Um, did Jak just contract ribbititis now? Nah, just make
sure the frogs don't jump on him as they do 2 units of damage. Turn left from
the water ramp to see those zapper metal heads together with the flame dancers
that were firing projectiles at you a short bit ago. Give them a taste of
their own medicine and just shoot them back, especially that flame dancer.
Just keep your distance from it (it won't go in water) and when it fires, just
move off the side to avoid it. Straight ahead are 2 more of those flame
dancers. Just shoot them from a distance and avoid their shots. Rushing water
is ahead. I just jump out with a roll jump then quickly get a double jump with
a spin at the end to get the rest of the way across. Jump in the water on the
far right side though. 2 more zapper metal heads, together with a flame
dancer, are just beyond - shoot them while you still have good distance. Jump
or jet board across the water.
Turn right at the end of the path here. 2 crates are on the left side,
containing an ammo restock. Go to the door and wait for it to open. Go
straight, but get out a gun as 5 flying metal heads are coming out - shoot them
all down into oblivion! Turn left at the center, jump up the parts sticking
out, and go into the door. Approach the elevator for a scene. Finally this
mission is done!
There are no enemies to fight here so there's no need to get out any guns.
Unlike Jak 2, attacking guards does not get the alarm going off, but it will
cause that guard to start attacking so still avoid doing so. Avoid using the
jet board as well, unless it's over water.
From the start, jump in the water straight across and get the jet board out.
See the second circular island on the east (left)? There is a kiosk here.
Trade 4 skull gems for the mission. You have a puny 4 seconds to get the orb.
It's easy to get too. Jump up on the kiosk (you can go through the blue
panel), do a high jump up the wall, then use a spin attack going forward.
Nothing to it, huh?
Items received:
• 3x orb
=============================================.
# 6.6 Explore the Haven City port **060600** #
`=============================================`
Normal difficulty: **`
Hero difficulty: **`
Although not an actual mission, there's more than a dozen orbs just sitting
around in the port area. 5 are easy to get to. The other roughly 12 to 15 I
have no clue how to get to - I haven't figured it out yet, without using a
glitch. Turn to go backward from the kiosk, jump in the water, bring out the
jetboard, and go straight to where the pipes are. Right past the big pipe
where a smaller pipe goes under, deep in the water, is an orb. Dive under to
get it. Off to the right, around the easternmost part of the port area is a
Krimzon Guard crate with an orb in it, hidden in the corner.
Follow the path around. It dips down, then goes up with a bridge going over a
pipe. Remember this spot as you'll likely have to return to a few times for
this. Just past it is one of those vent things with a blue glow in it. Using
the jet board over these does a very high jump. When no one is around this
vent thing, run toward it at high speed, hugging the right wall, and be ready
to grind on a pipe. An orb is waiting but you have to jump to get it. Jump
the gap (a basic jump is fine) and grind the pipe to another orb. Jump the
next gap and grind the pipe to get to the next part. Another orb is waiting
here.
Resume following the path around, avoiding going into the building where the
cup icon is for now. See the odd dead end with all the fires? On the left
side of this is an orb. Go back out, turn right, then go into the little
alcove with an orb in it. Just on the west side of this, in the alcove, is an
orb.
I currently do not know how to get the orbs suspended on the wires without
using a glitch in the game that isn't available at the moment.
Regardless, continue to the cup icon and go in the building. The crates have
ammo reloads and a health pack. Go inside for a scene. You will be shown
where one of the blast bots is. If you haven't gotten it yet, get the "arc
wielder robot shock" for 8 orbs. It will help immensely for what's coming up
next.
From facing the entrance to the Naughty Ottsel, go to the right to find a
zoomer. Press /\ to use it. The game will instruct you to press R2 to switch
hover zones. Ignore this for now as you've got more important things to do.
Turn right to go to the westernmost circular island where a blast bot is there.
Dismount the vehicle, quickly get out the arc wielder, and watch the laser.
When the laser turns red, get out of the sight. Beware of other robots around
the area as well. Blast bots have a ton of health so it'll take a while and a
lot of ammo to destroy them. The other robots tend to drop ammo as well - let
the guards do the dirty work while you get the blast bots, unless one is
sneaking up on you. Watch the blast bot as, if it starts to kink inward or act
funny, the blast bot is about to explode - get away from it, or the explosion
will do 2 units of damage. When destroyed, heal if you're missing more than 4
units of health.
Return to the vehicle... or snatch one that's overhead if that one is
destroyed. To snatch one overhead, note the "press /\ to use" that appears -
press it once to hang on the side (not what you want), press it again to get
inside (and if this was Jak 2, possibly send someone in the wet waves below for
endless treading (or instant death if it was guard)). Anyway, go to the east
where another blast bot is. Put the arc wielder to use. You can use the
zoomer as a weapon to do a bit of extra damage to it - go full speed into it
then get out with /\ right as you're about to hit it but a little before. Once
destroyed, grab the ammo it drops, then use rolling long jumps to get to a
nearby zoomer as quickly as possible, or snatch another one from above (sorry
folks, gotta save the world!). Again, if more than 4 units of health are
missing, heal with light regenerate.
Follow the path west and go for that blast bot, destroying it the same way.
This time, finish off whatever other robots there are and grab all the ammo you
can to restock as much as possible, prioritizing light eco.
Go the far westernmost part of the port circle where a kiosk is. Trade 4 skull
gems for the mission. You have 5 seconds to reach that orb, but looks are very
deceptive! That orb is not on the edge by the wall as it is appears to be.
It's suspended fairly high in mid-air. From facing the kiosk, turn right and
use the vents to jump up to reach it.
Items received:
• 3x orb
==============================================.
# 6.9 Destroy barrier with missile **060900** #
`==============================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: ****
Return to the cup icon and go in the building for a scene. Leave the building,
and now you have one of the hardest story missions in the game. Daxter will
ride on a missile, but this thing goes so fast and with the added fact you
can't run into anything significant (guards and zoomers are fine, but not
walls, boats, or barriers). Use the left stick to steer left and right only
and use X to jump. To complete the mission, you will need to get 27 total red
pulses of light. While the lights are in a fixed path, this is no easy game.
I often need about a dozen total retries to finally make it. Fortunately,
there's a check point after number 15 to make things easier. If you die upon
getting the 16th light pulse, you will restart already facing the 15th one for
easy reach. This is the path you should take:
1. Straight
2. Slight left
3. Slight left - jump on pathway to get it; stay on it
4. Straight - turn left to get it
5. Left - on the bridge over the pipe
6. Straight
7. Left - over the water
8. Straight - on the circular island; jump a bit early to get it
9. Slight left - over the water
10. Left
11. Left - on the pathway - jump a bit early to get
12. Left - tricky; on the port circle - go straight then left to get it
13. Slight left - over the water
14. Slight right - over the water
15. Left - on the bridge going over the pipe (check point reached)
16. Left - just past the pathway (go straight then turn left to get it)
17. Left - on the circular island's left side
18. Slight left - on the pathway
19. Straight - on the left side of the circular island
20. Slight left - over the water
21. Slight left - jump over the pipe
22. Slight left - on the port circle
23. Slight left - over the water
24. Left - jump over the pathway
25. Left - go around the circular island; over the water
26. Straight - go left a little then turn right to go through the barriers
27. Straight - jump into and past the port circle
28. Follow the path left - nothing to collect
==============================================.
# 6.10 Missile reload practice run **061000** #
`==============================================`
Normal difficulty: *****
Hero difficulty: *****
You will now start in the middle of a big battle with robots and my most
favorite song in the game plays, fitting for endless battles. Quickly go to
the south from where you start, picking up ammo along the way, and hug the
eastern wall to find the kiosk for this mission. Trade the 12 skull gems for
it. It's a lot, but the reward is 18 orbs (which seems to be rather low
actually, given the sheer difficulty). This is the hardest side mission in the
game and I often need a half hour of retrying to finally get it. Numbers 12
and especially 18 give me the most trouble, especially more so as there's an
unexplained bug in the game where jumps only go half as high as they should be
which often causes you to miss some of the light pulses and have to redo it.
It's the same as section 6.9 above, except you have to get all 23 light pulses
in one go. Get 22 then crash and it's back to having to get the very first one
again. What's more is that there's a time limit of 140 seconds, but that is
not an issue. You typically end with about half that time left. Basically,
pretend it's not even timed at all. If you miss one, it takes so much effort
to go back and reestablish the path that it's easier to just deliberately crash
and start over. Be prepared to be frustrated. It took me nearly 40 minutes
and about 50 attempts on my first play of this to finally get it. Here's the
order of the light pulses:
1. Straight
2. Slight left - stay on the path and go around the center
3. Right - keep on the path but jump over the gap to align easier
4. Straight - over the water
5. Right - approach port circle then jump while turning to line up easier
6. Straight - on top of the bridge going over the pipe
7. Slight right - initially obscured; over the water
8. Slight right
9. Straight - jump over the boat
10. Slight left - jump to get it
11. Left - jump over the pathway to get it
12. Left - tricky; jump when near it as it's slightly above
13. Left
14. Slight left - steer around the boats but jump over the pathway to get it
15. Slight right
16. Slight right - on the port circle
17. Straight - just before the bridge crossing the pipe
18. Slight right - very tricky; initially obscured; go straight, turn right,
jump and turn left while in mid-air - land on port circle
19. Straight
20. Slight right - over the water near pipes; watch the barriers
21. Slight right - jump over the pathway
22. Right - jump on the circular island and follow the path
23. Straight - jump on the port circle
Go back into the area where the robots are, the eastern side of the port. Use
the arc wielder, for the most part. Just spin attack the small crawler robots
and use the arc wielder to get the rollerbots and aerial shooterbots. In the
odd dead end area to the northwest, there is an orb present - grab that easy
orb! Go backward, pass the first turn off but look into the narrow area here
for another orb. Return, then turn right to find the kiosk. It takes 12 skull
gems. Is it worth it? It is only if you're willing to go after the silver for
12 orbs, even more so if you're after the gold for another 6 on top of that for
a grand total of 18. In short, you have 90 seconds to perform the greatest
variety of stunts and tricks you can to score as many points as you can. This
kiosk will remain forever available. Interestingly enough, all of the robots
and stuff will vanish as this is going on. Thus, use this kiosk and
deliberately avoid scoring anything significant to safely pass through the area
if you need to. Just remember to choose "no" when asked to restart the
mission. You may be reset to where the kiosk is though, but I don't know if
that's the case or not.
The key to scoring big is variety. Don't keep using the same trick again and
again. Don't keep alternating between the same 2 tricks again and again either
(though that does score a little faster, a little faster yet with the same 3,
and faster yet with 4). Randomize it. Have something unique. Remember to use
the vents, now red, if you want to get into the upper areas quickly (which
isn't necessary; and the game camera sometimes doesn't help and gets stuck and
there's nothing you can do about it other than dropping down and trying again).
What I do is randomly move the left stick about while I repeatedly but also
randomly press R1 and L2, attempting to time L2 while in the air. I've seen
some big scores of 5000 in some of it, but I get a wide mix of stuff. I would
recommend going for at least the silver. It's not as easy as it seems. If you
do manage to get gold, save your game!
Items received:
• 12x orb
• 6x orb with heavy dedication and great skill
From facing the kiosk for the challenge above, turn left. It is on the left
wall. Trade the 4 skull gems to get the mission. There are 11 seconds to get
the orb. Turn left from facing the kiosk and grind up that rail. Turn
slightly left and grind on that rail to get the orb.
There are now 2 different missions you could choose to do. For the purpose of
this guide, I will choose the one offering the best rewards. What can go wrong
with 50 more yellow ammo, 9 orbs, and a new gun... a gun that's something worth
passing up on.
Go to the west and into the narrow passage. Follow it, destroying whatever
robots you find and make sure you have a full stock of yellow ammo as you'll
need it if you want to get the gold. Be sure to obtain both the "increased
yellow ammo capacity" for 4 orbs and "reflexor increased deflections" for 8
orbs. With that, you will easily get the gold. At the port circle, turn
right. See that green wheel icon on the map? Go there. However, along the
way, in the area going WSW, near the center, there is a Krimzon Guard crate
containing an orb - grab it. Once in the room, turn slightly left to get a
scene. You are forced to use yellow guns only, and the beam reflexor is one of
the best guns in the game.
Gun courses are a bit different from Jak 2, but the mechanics are very similar.
As soon as a target appears, there is a base score of 100 points. For every 33
milliseconds the target shows, 1 point is deducted. If a friendly target is
hit, a town resident, you will lose 100 points, regardless of how long it shows
up. There are multiple targets present, coming in in a generally fixed order.
Move through the course slowly as targets will appear along those bands. It is
possible to use the spin attack or punch attack to hit targets, but for this
course, that is unnecessary. Here's what they do:
• Small red robot - these will shoot back at you, doing 2 units of damage.
Unfair! They take 1 hit to defeat though. They are the third highest
priority.
• Medium red robot - just your basic target and harmless. It takes one hit to
destroy it.
• Large red robot - another basic target and harmless. It takes two hits to
destroy it though.
• Spider - these will explode if not destroyed in 5 seconds. If they explode,
you lose 50 points and if close to one, take 2 units of damage. How unfair!
These are the second highest priority.
• Gold robot - these appear when certain conditions are met and give a lot of
points. The base is 400 points and you lose 2 points every game frame (17
milliseconds) that they remain. These are top priority!
This gun course, if you've done what I said to do, is so easy to get the gold
on the first try, it's crazy. Every time I go through, I regularly get near
18,000 points, well above what's needed for gold and that's with nearly every
citizen target being shot as well. How can I score so big? With the
"increased deflections", the beam reflexor just has the bullets bounce around
like crazy. With bullets already out, lots of them, targets are destroyed
almost as soon as they appear, even those that take muliple hits. While it
includes just about every citizen target, who cares about that when the targets
are all being destroyed with little effort and so quickly that the points come
so crazy fast! Just shoot regularly and keep a healthy supply of bullets
flying around. They will not harm Jak at all. Do make sure you pick up every
ammo drop there is from the crates in the area. You'll probably end the course
with around 20 to 60 shots left out of the 250, even with the extra ammo. Hey,
for 9 easy orbs, who cares! Shoot like there's no tomorrow! Seeing why it's
only 2 stars for difficulty?
Items received:
• 9x orb
• Gyro burster (third yellow gun)
• +50 max yellow ammo capacity
Slightly right, upon leaving the gun course room, you will find another kiosk.
Trade 4 skull gems for the mission. This orb has 13 seconds to reach it.
Notice how it's very high up as well. If you're really low on health,
deliberately let the mission fail - you'll restore it. From facing the kiosk,
turn right. Turn right at the corner. Skip the first vent and use the second.
The orb is high up in the air.
Go backwards, to the west, and to the cup icon. Smash the crates along the way
for a much-needed ammo reload. Enter the Naughty Ottsel and you'll get a
scene. Leave, turn left, then follow the route far to the east. Remember all
those robots where you did the jet board scoring challenge and orb hunt number
21? That's the key area. Get out the arc wielder, since it's very effective
on robots. Remember, for the crawlerbots, just spin attack them - they're
simple enough. For the hoverbots, I find that a jump helps reach them easier.
Since all of these cannons are in the higher area, go up the ramp straight
ahead where the path splits in 2. Turn right at the top of the ramp.
See those buttons? Approach them but watch out! The camera changes to that of
the view as perceived by the cannon. Note the symbol on the ground with the
arcs of 3 concurring circles. It starts off green but then turns blue and will
begin to beep when it's ready to shoot - get out of the way the best you can.
While trying to get a lock on, it will move in whatever direction you're going.
Going forward, it will be in front. Stopped? It will go to where Jak is and
stop there. To press the buttons, you must do a smashing dive to press the
buttons but you must press the later ones quickly (you have about 15 seconds).
If you're not fast enough, you will have to go back to the previous buttons and
repress them. With all of them pressed and active, the core will be revealed -
use the arc wielder to destroy the core which will destroy the cannon. Stay
away from it though - it will explode and do 2 units of damage.
Just follow the upper path, staying near the middle to avoid potentially being
knocked off by surprise attacks from the crawlerbots sneaking up on you. Turn
left from where the first cannon was then turn left again. Straight ahead is
the second cannon and it requires 3 buttons to be pressed. The timer only
starts when the first button is pressed so quickly get to the others. The
first 2 buttons are close together, the third is a fair bit out. The core
appears in the odd gap.
Continue along the path and the third cannon is straight ahead. There are four
buttons on this one, all close together. The core is just past the buttons.
Continuing on are 3 crates, for more ammo and a health pack. If you're missing
4 or more health units, use light regenerate.
The fourth cannon has 3 buttons. The first is very close by, the other 2 are a
fair distance away. Because the core is near the first, lone button, skip it
and go to the other 2 that are close together, getting the far one first and
working back.
Once destroyed, heal as necessary then go back, using the map to get to the
last gun, near the power station. There are 3 buttons for this one. There's
one button that's alone, the other 2 are together. Again, get the other 2 and
return to the third one. The core appears right next to it - destroy it and
the mission is complete.
Return to the Naughty Ottsel by following the cup icon. Upon entering, you get
a scene. Turn left and return to the area where you just were. Except, this
time, things are a bit different. A new kiosk is available. Trade the 4 skull
gems. You have 11 seconds to collect the orb. It is located on those pipes to
the northwest. From facing the kiosk, turn hard left and go straight, around
obstacles as needed and avoiding the robots. If you're missing any health,
deliberately fail the mission first but attempt to, if needed, get some ammo
and light eco reloads.
Items received:
• 3x orb
==================================================.
# 6.17 Reach metal head area via sewer **061700** #
`==================================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: *`
From facing the wall, turn left and go down the ramp. The entrance to the
sewer is present. Doesn't this look familiar to you, if you've played Jak 2?
Upon approaching the elevator, a scene will occur. When it's done, get out the
arc wielder - lots of robots! Did you remember to get the "arc wielder robot
shock" for 8 orbs yet?
At the bottom, go straight then turn right. If you're missing any health, jump
down the bottomless pit to fully heal for free and only need to back track a
few seconds. A dead end is to the left is a dead end. Those 3 vents spewing
out the green gas need to be crossed, but not when the green gas is present.
The gas deals 2 units of damage and you're bound to fall into a bottomless pit
from that hit. Wait for it to go away first then quickly cross. Avoid using
the spin attack unless you know you're not quite going to make it - single
jumps are adequate so use the double jump instead if needed. At the top of
this, there's a wall in the way with another one of those green-gas-venting
pipes. You will need a double jump to reach this one and a double jump to the
left to get off to safety.
At the other end are some crates for ammo reloads. Get the arc wielder out as,
beyond the door to the left, runnerbots await. Unlike that area in Haven City,
these robots don't always drop something. Around the corner are more
runnerbots, including some across a ledge. The arc wielder has a huge range
and can easily destroy them. Go to the right to find 3 more of those gas
vents. Cross them using a double jump to get on the first one then normal
jumps for the other 2 and onto the ledge beyond.
Turn left and a fan is present in the water on the right. Destroy the
runnerbots if you haven't yet then destroy the fan. The arc wielder isn't
particularly effective against it, but to avoid getting unwanted yellow ammo
drops when the blue is more important for this, use the arc wielder to destroy
it. It will push you off otherwise - run toward it, but it is possible to
destroy it before it turns on. The runnerbots straight ahead cannot do
anything and will not go in the water (it's instant death to them if they get
knocked in).
Around the left turn are 2 more of those gas vents. Cross them as usual using
single jumps and turning slightly right. On the ledge is another runnerbot -
arc it to its destruction. Around the right corner are jetbots which are very
annoying. There are 3 of them. Stand on the third-lowest ledge and use the
arc wielder to short them out. You may take a hit though but don't worry about
it.
Get on that platform there and it will move on it's on to the left. Note the
laser that moves back and forth. Touching it will do 2 units of damage and
possibly knock you off the platform. Also be prepared for an jetbot to come
out in the area ahead. Another one is just off to the left as you get past the
second laser. 2 runnerbots are on the other side. The arc wielder has some
zapping to do. Smash the crates for an ammo reload and a health pack then turn
left.
Once you pass through those pillars, you will suddenly be locked in. Lots of
jetbots will come. The arc wielder has lots of arcing to wield on those
jetbots - destroy them all and the gate to the right will open up but it's
still a dead end. Part of the problem with this part is that it's hard to aim
upward. If health drops to 4 units or less, heal. If you die now, it'll be
right back to that one platform and jumping over lasers.
Afterward, a seemingly endless supply of crawlerbots will come out. The arc
wielder has a lot of work to do. Quickly get to the right and right around the
corner for 3 crates. Go slightly left to leave then in one of the areas on the
side, there is a health pack with more ammo. Destroy the crawlerbots until the
electric arcs for a gate opens.
Get on the platform ahead when the laser is halfway to moving toward the back.
It'll be easier to jump over it. However, a gun ahead will spray a large
stream of bullets. Simply do single or double jumps to avoid them but continue
moving with the platform. At the other side, jump across and the gun will stop
firing. You cannot destroy this gun.
Turn left and you'll see 3 crates for a massive ammo reload. On the other
side, it's a big drop. Turn left to get some crates. Upon landing, croc metal
heads will come out - shoot, punch, or spin attack them as you please. Destroy
them all for skull gems. There are about 10 in total. Turn to the right - a
gate is present. Look down in the water. There's an opening. Dive in the
water, holding [], swim under it, then surface. Quickly get on the land to the
right, from a distance as the crocs will dive in after you. On land, get out
your gun of choice for more croc metal heads. Shoot them all and get the
crates for a health pack and an ammo reload. A button is also present - smash
dive onto it to open a gate. 2 more croc metal heads come out - shoot them
when they get on land. Go through the gate, either by swimming or a skilled
jump, and follow the path.
This area is a check point, thankfully. Going around the perimeter are not
only platforms, but a spinning blade robot that cannot be destroyed. It's much
easier jumping and staying in the water and swimming instead of using the
platforms. Just hug the wall to the right. Those spinning things will never
get you in the water so just focus on getting to where the opening is and jump
through when the coast is clear. Pick a direction for this area as you need to
get to the other side. A button is present. Smash it. Now, go back in the
water when it's clear, pick a direction to turn, jump when it's clear, then
turn left. To get up that ledge, just do a double jump. Turn right to find a
door after a curve. Get the arc wielder ready as a jetbot is present. Destroy
it then turn left following the path that curves to the right. About halfway
around, another jetbot will come out - short it out. The end of the path has a
door - go through to the elevator for a scene, and another mission in the done
bin.
=========================================.
# 6.18 Destroy dark eco tanks **061800** #
`=========================================`
Normal difficulty: ***`
Hero difficulty: **`
Welcome to the scariest-looking area in the Jak series. While that land may
look like it has hard-to avoid spikes, it's harmless. Be ready to shoot or
aerial spin attack a never-ending supply of pouncer and scorpion metal heads
though. They do not drop skull gems. The acid in the middle is instant death,
even with invulnerability (too bad, it'd be interesting going swimming in
that). Focus on defeating the metal heads.
Turn left and you will find some really bizarre terrain. If you remember this
area from Jak 2, it was a pretty garden. Those green vent things with the
steam coming out are harmless - you can walk over them without any issues. As
you follow the path, you will find a weird violet-colored branch that looks
like a rail. Grind it. Once you get to the other side, get off the jet board
and jump over to where that thing causing the sparks is. That's the dark eco
tank. Swat it to destroy it.
Although the game intends on you grinding the rails that are coming up, those
electrified knots make it so much harder, to the point it's easier to just go
back the way you came, grinding that rail you just used to get, then following
the path to the right. Avoid healing with light regenerate. Sure you may take
a few hits, but you'll know why when the time comes. Plus, if you fail to make
the jump, it's back to where the first dark eco tank was anyway... with full
health to go with it.
Any odd stray plants you see sticking out can the spin attacked for some dark
eco. The creepy-looking door sticking out with the branches can be spin
attacked for dark eco and easier passage. They're all harmless, despite the
looks. If you manage to get 3 of those branches on the door at once, the game
will get a massive frame rate drop, to about 8 fps at the low end. How fun!
Continue until you reach the closest point to the center islands there. When
the coast is clear of metal heads (check the map), do a rolling long jump to
reach it. It's a tough jump, but it's a lot easier than grinding with those
electric knots. If you make it across, see that one flower venting gas? Jump
into it while it's venting gas to get thrown up. Destroy the tank at the top
(you may need a high jump to reach it). You've now reached a checkpoint. If
any health is missing, go swimming in the acid to restore the health without
back tracking anything or wasting light eco. Now you know why I told you to
avoid healing, right?
See the flower sticking out in the center of the platform a little farther
ahead? Jump toward it with a spinning long jump. Jump into it when the flower
vents gas. You will be transported to a platform that has another vine with an
electric knot. Instead of going to it, turn to the right and do a basic double
jump to get back on land, an easy jump. Destroy the branches on the door and
continue. Destroy metal heads along the way. You will reach a gas-venting
flower, a large one. Jump into the gas to get thrown to the other side.
Another large flower is here - don't use it as you'll just go back to the other
side which is not needed. Instead, get to where the dark eco tank is and jump
across with a basic spinning double jump. The flower on the left is needed to
get to the top. Destroy the dark eco tank (you may need to use a high jump).
That's another check point. Dive into the acid to heal.
Use the flower to return to the left side. Turn right and follow the path,
destroying any metal heads you run across. You will also find some really
weird weeds with a light green spot on them. Spin attack them for dark eco
drops. They're harmless otherwise. You will encounter a flower to transfer to
the other side. Optionally jump into it as it vents gas. The flower on the
other side will get you to the other side again. Which side you use ultimately
doesn't matter as both sides are about equal. Either do a spinning double jump
to reach the platform or do a rolling long jump. If you make it across, use
the flower to reach the tank (you may need to do a high jump). That's another
check point, but this next part is easy. Play in the acid if you have 4 units
of health or less.
Otherwise, jump into the flower as it vents to be transported to... mushrooms
right in the acid? You also get hurt as well from this, one unit of damage.
Just jump across the muchsrooms - they're stable, even the small ones. The
only ones that aren't are those that are budding, that look like points. At
the end is a flower that vents gas - jump into it as it vents to get to the
platform with the last dark eco tank. Jump in to the flower around the corner
as it vents to get to it (you may need a high jump). Jump into the venting
flower at the top to reach the other side. Turn right and... another dark eco
tank? Spin attack it for a scene. Contrary to what the game says, you do not
need to hold R1 to charge it. Just a simple tap is good enough. Press it and
destroy that shattered wall. You will also be fully healed as well,
conveniently.
Item received:
• Dark Charge
=============================================.
# 6.19 Kill dark plants in forest **061900** #
`=============================================`
Normal difficulty: **`
Hero difficulty: *`
A new secret is available. Dark Jak Homing Attacks, for 3 orbs under the
cheats section. Unless you use Dark Jak a lot or have 253 orbs available,
avoid it.
Go backward and take the left path. Follow it to where a ramp is to go to
Haven Forest. If you remember from Jak 2, this was about where Mountain Temple
is. There are a lot of leeches present here. However, Krimzon Guard crates
are just off to the right. Spin attack the leaches - running into them with
the jet board will do 1 unit of damage. Once cleared of leeches, find a green
eco vent (to the right) and get on the jet board while in it. With the green
eco, the leeches get destroyed with contact with the jet board so feel free to
run into them while green eco is available. Do not get off the jet board or
you will have to go visit another green eco vent. Unlike Jak & Daxter, these
will not fully restore Jak's health.
I cannot offer any real guidance for this as there is no one way to do it. I
can offer some general guidance, just not directions on where to go. You will
need to cover pretty much every single square inch there is over land. The
plants (flowers as I often call them) tend to be in groups of 6 to 9, sometimes
a little smaller or larger. When you reach a group, clean it out entirely
before going to the next one. It's a little easier. Use the map as a guide.
The green dots represent where green eco vents are. The flashing dark magenta
dots are locations where a group of plants are, flowers as I tend to call them.
There are a grand total of 280 (with some slight uncertainty). If you run into
ledges that need to be jumped up and you're having difficulty with no plants
around, consider getting off the jet board and jumping up the easy way. The
water is harmless, despite the nature of the setting so if you need to get off
the jet board, do so over water.
When fewer than 10 flowers remain, the bar will display a number indicating how
many are left. When you're done, a series of circles will rise out of the lake
in the middle. A large circlular platform twice the size is in the middle with
5 smaller ones around the outside. A pillar of light is in the middle of the
large one. Jump into it for a scene. Jump away from it, going to the east and
another scene occurs, completing the mission.
Items received:
• Shoulder guards (armor; +2 max health points)
Now, it's time to leave Haven Forest. Hop in the lake and go east. Because
the leeches are still present, avoid going on the land - the water is much
safer. Because the minimap disappears, you'll need to check the main map to
get your bearings. From the east side of the lake, follow the river and take
the right path when it splits. Take the left path at the next split. Around
the corner, you will find a small water fall. Jump on the rock that's just out
of the water on the left side and use it for a high jump to get over the rest
of the rocks. Follow the water to the edge, go left onto land, around the
corner, then through the door.
Note the health bar in the top left corner. This is the health bar for Jinx.
The zoomer does not have a visible health bar, but it does have a visible
indicator. No smoke means at least 75%. Occasional puffs of smoke means 50%
<= x < 75% health. Constant smoking means 25% <= x < 50% health. Seeing fire
means less than 25% health. Losing the vehicle or Jinx fails the mission. You
must get all 4 in one go - there are no check points.
On the other side of the door, walk over the edge to the left and will you find
Jinx in a zoomer. Get into it, quickly go to the upper hover zone, then curve
around to the right and through where that pathway was busted open with Dark
Charge. The first key location is there, highlighted by the pillar of light.
Drop to the lower hover zone and brake when near it. Do not bother to orient
the zoomer - keep it in the same direction so you know which direction to go.
Position the zoomer in a way so that it can serve as a barricade. I would
recommend having it slightly ahead of the key destination. This will force any
metal heads to have to go around if they want to get Jinx, giving you more time
to destroy them. Get out of the vehicle and bring out the arc wielder.
Destroy every metal head that comes close, staying close to Jinx. If Jinx
takes a hit, it will take longer at the stay. Don't worry about shooting Jinx
- oddly, it's as if he's not there at all. Do avoid using the spin attack or
punch near Jinx though - those will hurt him. It takes about 15 seconds for
the charge to get set - watch him closely. When he gets up, quickly get back
in the vehicle, go to the upper hover zone, and continue straight. There are
about 5 seconds before it'll explode, which does 2 units of damage and damages
the zoomer.
In the zoomer, turn left to continue following the route, then turn left at the
port circle. Follow it around. It's easier over the water so you avoid
traffic and it's wide open. There is no time limit so that helps. The next
target is on the right side in that odd alcove halfway around the port circle.
When you see the location, drop down to the lower hover zone and brake when
about 2 zoomer lengths away from the destination, stopping near it. Get out
and fight off the metal heads. Position the zoomer so that it serves as a
barricade, forcing any metal heads to have to go around or get stuck, making it
easier to fight off whatever comes over as it gives you more time to destroy
them, protecting Jinx, the most important of all.
If Jinx has less than 3/4 of his health or the zoomer is already on fire by
now, restart the mission as you won't easily make it the rest of the way. If
you're short on ammo, continue ahead to the third one as you'll be able to get
ammo restocks there, but don't worry about Jinx or healing. The robots will
provide an ammo reload. Use punches and spin attacks instead of ammo to get
them (though do use the arc wielder on the rollbots as they take 4 hits to
destroy and the arc wielder destroys them 5 times faster). Restart the mission
when you're ready.
When ready, get back in the zoomer, rise to the upper hover zone, turn around
to go backward, then turn left to continue, following the port circle. Turn
into the area on the left when a left turn is possible. Follow it, avoiding
crashing into anything. Turn left into that dead end area. Have the vehicle
stop just short of the destination, to have it serve as a barricade to force
the robots here to take a detour around it or get stuck. I tend to struggle a
lot here because of the aerial robots being so hard to hit.
This take, upon getting back in the zoomer, go backwards (press []) and rise to
the upper hover zone. Turn around to go backward and deeper into the robot
territory. Continue straight then curve around to the left, right, then left
to reach it. Park the zoomer in front for the barricade. The left side will
make it harder because of the game camera getting stuck. Once this one is
done, the mission is complete.
Items received:
• Needle laser (third blue gun)
• +50 max blue ammo capacity
One new secret is available. The needle lazer can get an ammo efficiency
boost. It's not a particularly decent weapon though but it does have
heat-seeking capabilities, where the shots turn toward enemies to help you hit,
so I would suggest passing it up for now. I find the arc wielder more a bit
more dependable, especially given the sheer number of robots you need to deal
with.
Although 3 new side missions have become available, there are also 3 new
missions, via 3 different icons. For efficiency reasons, let's go to the
nearest of the new kiosks, to the northwest. Just south of there, in a very
narrow area, is a Krimzon Guard crate containing an orb - get it if you haven't
already (if you have gotten the orb, it'll just be eco instead). The kiosk
you're after is on the left side. Trade the 4 skull gems to get 11 seconds to
find the orb. It's on the upper pathways to the SSE of the kiosk. From facing
the kiosk, turn left, going away from the wall and a short bit out. Turn right
then get out the jet board. Go full speed ahead toward the vent to get up to
the upper pathways. If not near full speed, you will not reach the top and you
will not make it. Straight ahead is the orb - full speed ahead and you should
easily get it.
If you need an ammo reload or to restore health, consider deliberately failing
the mission by focusing not on the orb, but on the robots. Grab the ammo they
almost always drop, and light eco if needed. Do not use light regenerate, even
if 2 units of health remain. Failing the mission will fully restore it for
free so save your light eco.
Go back north and follow the path. Ignore the highlight for now - stay away
from it. Instead, focus on the kiosk. It's another orb hunt taking 4 skull
gems with 12 seconds to get it. From facing the kiosk, go directly behind.
Get out the jet board and grind on that rail to the top. The orb is straight
ahead after a small turn right then left to keep on the pathway.
Now go to the highlighted cargo zoomer and press /\ to get in. What about the
other available side mission? Doing this mission will ultimately take you
there so it's for efficiency reasons. Just as you do, missiles fire. Whatever
you do, always hold X to keep full speed and do not crash into anything.
Failing this means the missiles will destroy the zoomer. Never drop to the
lower hover zone until I say so as hitting something on the ground, such as a
guard or robot, will slow the zoomer down and allow the missiles to destroy it.
This zoomer also turns around very quickly, slow at first, but accelerating.
It may take a bit to get used to the nonstandard turning. Along the way, red
arrows will point in the direction you need to turn, and roughly when to turn.
Start out by going straight. A pair of rapid right turns are first, a full
180° turn to go around a wall. Turn left and follow the narrow pathway. Turn
left again at the end then turn right after a short bit being careful to avoid
the supports. Turn right, avoiding the supports again, then turn left after a
short bit. Follow the widening path, turning slightly right, and it will open
up.
Once you reach the port area, a checkpoint will be set and there's a 90-second
time limit... and a bug unique to this mission. Want to extend the time? Just
deliberately crash. Each time you do, you get 15 extra seconds added on, to up
to 360 seconds and the game autosaves again every time you crash during this.
Because of the check point, you will only return to this point and not have to
go all the way back, following the turns to get to the port. For the most
part, the timer is not much of an issue, but if it is, consider using that
glitch.
The goal now is to shoot the decoys, the blue-lighted things sticking a short
bit out of the water. The blaster will automatically be taken out for this and
you will have a full ammo load. To hit the decoys, drop down to the lower
hover zone. This is a safe area to do so as the only obstacles are ships, the
pathways, and the decoys themselves. Each decoy will lure one missile to it.
If you miss one or a missile doesn't go to it, you can always try again later
in another loop. Not crashing into anything or slowing down is the highest
priority - always keep going at full speed. The 5 decoys can be hit in any
order. The recommended route to use, the easiest, is as follows:
1. Straight
2. Slightly left - go over the walkway and follow around the circular island
3. Straight - go to the left wall then continue going around for a clear shot
4. Slightly right - go over the walkway
5. Slightly right - just before the large pipe
6. Slightly right - under the pump building
7. Behind - where the Naughy Ottsel is (no shooting necessary)
Already right next to the last kiosk at the time, go to it... but 2 more have
opened up. Let's get these out of the way. Trade the 4 skull gems and you'll
have 21 seconds to find the orb. This orb is on a rail. From facing the
kiosk, turn left and quickly get on the jet board. Continue past the first
vent and use the next one to get on a pipe, grinding it. You will have to jump
over a gap just before a right turn, then, after the right turn, jump over
another gap. The orb is straight across in easy reach now.
Items received:
• 3x orb
===================================.
# 6.25 Ring challenge 4 **062500** #
`===================================`
Normal difficulty: ***
Hero difficulty: ***
Follow the port circle going to the east and follow the path after the left
turn. You will now find roller bots mixed in with the other robots in this
area, but only in the first part. Turn right at the split then turn slightly
left to find the kiosk on the wall. It takes 8 skull gems. You will need the
jet board for this so quickly get it out. Fortunately, the robots in the area
instantly all vanish. Here is the order of the rings:
1. 11 seconds - right
2. 6 seconds - straight (use the vent and jump down while turning right)
3. 5 seconds - right (continue the right turn)
4. 7 seconds - straight (be ready to line up for going up the ramp)
5. 8 seconds - backward (go up the ramp)
6. 4 seconds - slightly right (follow the pathway and grind on the rail)
7. 3 seconds - straight (continue grinding the rail)
8. 4 seconds - straight (jump over the edge)
9. 5 seconds - slightly right (go to the ramp on the right)
10. 5 seconds - straight (turn left at the top of the ramp)
11. 5 seconds - left (stay on the right side and avoid the parked zoomer)
12. 5 seconds - straight (follow the path right then left)
13. 5 seconds - slightly left (follow the path, turning left and jump down)
14. 6 seconds - slightly left
15. 5 seconds - slightly left (follow the path and turn left)
16. 7 seconds - slightly left
17. 7 seconds - straight
18. 4 seconds - slightly right
19. 5 seconds - straight (use the vent to go up)
20. 5 seconds - straight (follow the path then turn right at the end)
21. 6 seconds - right (just continue straight along the path)
22. 7 seconds - straight
23. 4 seconds - slightly left (turn left along the path)
24. 4 seconds - hard left (follow the path then turn left at the end)
25. 7 seconds - straight (continue following the path)
26. 5 seconds - slightly right (go straight then turn right)
27. 5 seconds - straight (go straight then turn right)
28. 5 seconds - right (continue straight then turn right)
29. 4 seconds - right (continue straight)
30. 4 seconds - slightly left (go straight then turn left)
31. 7 seconds - slightly right (go straight then turn right)
32. 5 seconds - right (go straight then turn right)
33. 7 seconds - straight
34. 7 seconds - straight (turn left at the end)
35. 7 seconds - left (continue straight and jump down)
36. 7 seconds - straight (initially obscured; go straight then slightly left)
37. 4 seconds - slightly left (stay more left then turn right to line up)
38. 7 seconds - right (use the vent to go up and continue straight)
Continue north and turn left into the path, following it. Trade the 4 skull
gems. There are 8 seconds to reach that high-up orb that's almost straight up.
From the kiosk, get on the jet board turning left. Use the vent to get to the
upper area. Get off the jet board once at the top of the vent launch jump,
turn the camera around quickly, then, from the edge, do a spinning double jump
to reach the orb - there's no need to grind on that rail. In fact, if done
right, you'll actually jump over that rail.
Items received:
• 3x orb
==========================================.
# 6.27 Defend port from attack **062700** #
`==========================================`
Normal difficulty: **
Hero difficulty: **
Go back to the port area and go into the Naughty Ottsel. A scene will occur.
You will be transported to a bizarre minigame. You only get the blaster for a
gun, but unlike before, you have infinite ammo. On occasion, guns will appear
at random. However, I suggest avoiding them as much as possible. There's a
good reason for it. Did you know that the blaster can almost have the same
firing rate as that of the vulcan fury, for a limited time? It's so simple to
do and it will get you through this, so long as you avoid the other guns (which
is sometimes hard to do because they often appear right where you are). The
guns you get appear to be fixed but the ammo they have is very limited, far
more so than usual. Ammo limit increases do not apply, but damage boosts do.
To make this look like a cake walk, simply jump, do a spin attack, and press
R1. Lots of bullets fired, often toward enemies so even aiming is left out of
the equation. Just simply repeatedly press X, O, then R1 in that order.
That's it! Do that throughout the entire thing, wasting the ammo of the other
guns you accidentally get to get back to the easy routine. With good skill,
you can even go around collecting the skull gems and health packs (which
shouldn't be necessary with this trick (which also works outside of this event,
available as soon as you obtain the blaster and remaining throughout the
game)).
There are 4 stages to this. Completing each stage is another check point. If
you reach stage 2 and die, you will restart from stage 2. If you make it to
stage 3 and fail, you restart from stage 3.
The first stage has a lot of robots, mainly the crawlbots but later some
rollbots. Just use that shooting trick endlessly, avoiding any guns (stay away
from the center). Some Freedom League guards will come in - just ignore them.
The second stage has a lot of scorpion and pouncer metal heads which drop a lot
of skull gems. This is where you want to use that trick with movement to go
around collecting stuff. Plus, if you're on top of a metal head, the spin
attack will do damage to them. You're almost invincible and unstoppable, to
the point that the Freedom League guards are of pretty much no use and just
unnecessary clutter. If you want to grind skull gems, consider deliberately
choosing to restart the mission after a fair bit - rapid fire skull gems.
However, it only goes so far so you can't grind skull gems forever.
The third stage has a mix of both of these and making matters worse is that of
the need to protect the 3 civilians. With the trick I explained, the enemies
won't even get near, unless you grab one of those guns that tends to appear on
top of the civilians. At least one of the civilians needs to survive. If all
3 die, the mission fails and you have to restart from stage 3 again, regardless
on how Jak's status is.
The fourth stage has a pair of blast bots to deal with, one at a time with
lesser bots mixed in after the first one goes down. Just use the trick, avoid
the extra guns, and keep moving to stay out of the way of the blast bots, using
rolling long jumps as needed. They may launch bombs - just ignore them and
focus on using the rapid fire trick. Once done, the camera will return to
normal.
Remember how I stated of avoiding the ammo increase for the red guns? Now's
the time you'll need them. Get "increased red ammo capacity" for 4 orbs, to
add 50 more red ammo to the stock. The other 2 for the red guns are
unnecessary. The rate of fire increase is only for the scatter gun, which will
not be needed for this. The concussor damage upgrade requires the unwanted
scatter gun rate of fire upgrade to get it and the damage upgrade is useless
for shooting gallery so ignore it anyway. It's not worth 14 orbs.
Now, the ammo needs to be reloaded, big time. Because of a bug in the game
where the ammo limit is significantly reduced, even from a full stock, you will
need to reload it all, and for future missions as well. So, go to the area in
the eastern part of the part where all the robots are. Destroy the robots as
usual, using the arc wielder. Do not use red ammo though. Let the Freedom
League guards help. They will never collect the stuff, they will still destroy
the robots that still drop stuff. However, you may prefer not to get involved
with them, going at it on your own. This is because sometimes, they get in the
way and actually cause harm through friendly fire, or an accidental attack on
them, which is all but inevitable, and they'll start attacking you. If you
want to go at it alone, go farther into the area. If you want to reload your
light eco and not bother healing, go to where the jet board scoring challenge
kiosk and use it. If you've already traded the skull gems for it, you won't
need to trade any more. Now, deliberately fail the mission and choose to
restart it. Fail it again and choose not to restart. You'll have full health
without using a drop of light eco. It does cost time, however. Either that,
or just choose "restart mission". It's less predictable on where you'll wind
up though but you'll keep any light eco and ammo pickups so put it to use.
Once you have a full restock of everything you can, go to the gun room, noted
by the green target symbol icon on the map. It's just to the right in the
north central part of the port circle. Once inside, turn left for a scene.
You will only be able to use red guns in this. This is why I suggested getting
the ammo boost. The only red gun you'll need is the wave concussor. That's
why you don't need the one for the scatter gun - it's not the same gun. You
can use the scatter gun, but it's not recommended.
This gun course is much harder than the first one. The trick to it is to hold
R1 to charge the gun and keep it charged. When targets appear, which are often
in groups, release R1, but press and hold it again to get another charge ready.
You'll be needing it, a lot. You need to get at least 11,000 points. Some of
the robots have shields around them so it takes more than one hit for things
that would take one hit otherwise.
I have never been able to get the gold on this one, even with infinite ammo,
invulnerability, etc. I have gotten silver at best, but only barely.
Items received:
• Plasmite RPG (third red gun)
• +25 max red ammo capacity
New secrets are now available, but they're all junk. Although the plasmite RPG
is the only worthwhile red gun there is, it eats up ammo like crazy and getting
the mere 20% ammo reduction (from 10 ammo to 8) means spending 24 total orbs
because you have to get the unwanted junk to even be able get it at all, taking
10 orbs for the main thing. It's not justified. Still, with the arc wielder
around, that's the main thing you need, for now. The "Ratchet and Clank gun
courses" for 5 orbs is completely useless - there's no reward or extra orbs for
it. Save it for your run through hero mode when you've got nothing else left
to get beyond things of pretty much no use.
Leave the shooting gallery and turn right, following the port circle. If you
need an ammo reload, not necessary with the red guns, go blast some robots on
the left side. There are Krimzon Guard crates along the way to the Naughty
Ottsel to get that will restock close to about 80 red ammo shots for a quick
reload which should be mostly what's needed. Go to the desk in the back for a
scene. Now for a fun one. You'll get to control a blast bot. It cannot jump,
but it can move and it can shoot with R1. Even with invulnerability, it's
still vulnerable, a bug, so be careful. Fortunately, it's not all that
difficult. Just destroy all the enemies along the way, including the Freedom
League guards as they will attack it. The other bots generally won't, but
still get them anyway - less risk of "friendly fire". Just keep on pressing R1
as you move about - there's infinite ammo with this. You won't be able to
collect anything so ignore all the stuff dropped.
For the most part, just keep moving and attacking, following the path given.
At the intersection, a blast bot is present - destroy it then turn right. When
the path splits in two, turn left. Another blast bot is waiting. Destroy it,
guns blazing. After a left turn then a right turn, another blast bot is
waiting in the more open room. Destroy it and turn right. Follow the narrow,
winding path. At the final turn is another blast bot, the last one. See that
red gate up ahead, just get close to it for a scene to complete the mission.
Item received:
• Peace maker (first dark gun)
==============================.
# 6.30 Follow me 3 **063000** #
`==============================`
Normal difficulty: **`
Hero difficulty: **`
The peace maker is perhaps the best gun in the game. It pretty much destroys
everything in one shot. What's more is that it has an awesome area of effect
that will destroy everything within a 10-meter radius. However, it has really
limited ammo, starting with a puny 5. New secrets are now available, but this
time, there's something worthwhile. 5 ammo? Is that all? Let's spend 4 orbs
for "increased dark ammo capacity" and make it... 10 shots? For the most part,
that goes a surprisingly long way. What's more is the "peace maker increased
radius" for 8 orbs (?). When you hit something with a peace maker shot,
anything in the vicinity takes the full hit as well. That upgrade doubles the
radius to 20 meters, meaning potentially 8 times more volume or 4 times more
area of coverage, huge! I strongly recommend it, to make this amazing gun even
more valuable.
Take the same path you followed using the blast bot and continue beyond it.
Along the way, use not the arc wielder, but the peace maker. Sure the ammo may
be limited, but every ammo drop, which is common, will be peace maker ammo,
unless another gun is not fully loaded or the peace maker ammo is full where
the default is always yellow ammo. From the port circle's eastern side (have
the water on the right), turn left into the familiar area. Rollerbots will be
quite common now. Follow the path then turn right. Where the path splits in
two, turn left. The path splits in 2 again - go straight. Follow the winding
path. The second block area near the northern part of the straight-looking
parts will have a ton of robots, so many that the peace maker will frequently
destroy 4 to even 7 robots, dropping a lot of health packs, light eco, and
ammo, so much so that the game starts suffering minor frame rate problems (it
can drop to 20 fps at the worst case, especially if you avoid collecting stuff.
For the most part, it rarely drops below about 40 fps which is a non issue.
Where the path splits in two, go left into what used to be the slums in Jak 2.
Doesn't this look familiar to you, if you've played Jak 2? The path splits in
two, again. Go straight. On the right side, you will find an orb along the
wall. At the crack in the ground, turn left and follow it. A statue is
present. Trade the 8 skull gems for the mission. A zoomer will appear to the
left - you will need it for this. From facing the statue turn left and get in
the zoomer. Touch the light and quickly go to the upper hover zone so you
don't have to deal with the robot war below. Here is what the light does.
Right from the start, the light turns to the left. It will make some weird
turns but generally go straight then turn left with a slight right afterward.
Past the odd, lone building, the light turns left, goes straight, goes straight
again, then turns slightly right at the wall, following it. Follow the path
then turn left when it opens up again. The light will continue straight into a
corner where a very narrow opening is, turning into it on the left at the wall.
It will go straight but gradually curve to the left, making a slight left turn
in the open area. Another slight left turn to finish going around the building
follows. A slight right turn is made then it goes straight. It will curve
gradually to the right. At the tent, light will stop - get out of the zoomer
(there's no need to go to the lower hover zone first before leaving - it will
automatically do so) and touch the pulse of light to complete the mission.
From facing the entrance to the tent (don't bother going in - it's
unnecessary), turn right and continue straight. At the second turn, after the
open one, a kiosk is present. Trade the 4 skull gems to get 18 seconds to
obtain the orb. Remember that tent? From facing the kiosk, go backward and
get on the jet board. Don't worry about hitting any guards - they're the least
of your concerns for now. Turn slightly left at the first left turn then go
straight. The orb is right next to that tent, on the left side of it.
Items received:
• 3x orb
===================================.
# 6.32 Ring challenge 5 **063200** #
`===================================`
Normal difficulty: **`
Hero difficulty: **`
Again, from facing the entrance to the tent turn right and continue straight.
At the first left turn, turn hard left to go around the wall and continue
straight through the path. When the path splits in 2, pick a direction as it
ultimately leads to the same place. You will reach what used to be the water
slums in Jak 2. Boy has this changed a lot! And wow does that water get
really blue during the night! It's harmless though (except to enemies and
Freedom League guards) so feel free to jump in if you want though it's not
necessary. Anyway, follow the path. When it splits, go slightly left to the
fountain. Jump on top of it and jump from there to grab the orb in the tree.
From the fountain, face the path again and turn slightly left. Go around the
corner and where the tree is is a dead end. Go back the way you came, go
straight at the next two splits, and the kiosk is found on the right. Trade
the 8 skull gems for the mission. You are given a zoomer to the hard left -
get in, rise to the upper hover zone right away, and follow the course. Here's
where all the rings are:
1. 11 seconds - slightly left (turn the zoomer left)
2. 5 seconds - slightly left
3. 4 seconds - straight
4. 5 seconds - left
5. 5 seconds - left
6. 5 seconds - slightly left
7. 5 seconds - slightly right
8. 6 seconds - right
9. 6 seconds - right
10. 6 seconds - straight (diagonally relative to the paths)
11. 5 seconds - left
12. 6 seconds - straight
13. 6 seconds - straight
14. 5 seconds - left
15. 6 seconds - slightly left
16. 6 seconds - left
17. 6 seconds - straight
18. 4 seconds - slightly right
19. 6 seconds - right
20. 7 seconds - right
21. 5 seconds - slightly right
22. 5 seconds - slightly left
23. 7 seconds - left
24. 6 seconds - left
25. 6 seconds - slightly right
26. 5 seconds - slightly right
27. 5 seconds - right
28. 4 seconds - straight
From previous kiosk, go backward (east) then turn left at the split. Turn left
at the next split, then right. The kiosk is on the left. Trade the 4 skull
gems for the mission. You have 16 seconds to get the orb and it happens to be
on a pipe that serves as a rail. From facing the kiosk, go slightly left and
get out the jet board. Along the building, there is a rail - grind it. There
is a jump present, a curve to the right, then easy access to the orb. If you
jump across the gap, you will obtain 2 more orbs - jump with a normal jump at
the end to get the one in the air.
Items received:
• 3x orb
========================================.
# 6.34 Defend HQ from attack **063400** #
`========================================`
Normal difficulty: **
Hero difficulty: **
The side stuff is now out of the way. Get off the jet board, splashing in the
water below, and turn backward to go back north. Turn left at the split,
right, go straight past the splits, right where you have to turn, left when you
can turn left. At the fountain, climb up it for an easy orb - you'll have to
use the spin attack to get it. Go toward the building where the shield icon
is. The doors will open automatically. Go on the elevator to the top then go
straight for a scene. You will automatically appear outside. Get out the
peace maker and start making peace... err, war, and destroy those giant
cube-shaped robots with the 4 flames. Use the smaller robots and Krimzon Guard
crates to restore ammo. Focus on the giant, hovering robots - there's only 3,
but they take several hits, even with the peace maker but it's the fastest and
easiest way to destroy them. Focus on one of them at a time, letting the
spreading effect of the peace maker destroy the other robots, collecting their
ammo drops as needed.
Go back to the south again. Another kiosk is available. Trade the 4 skull
gems. There are 21 seconds to get it. The game states that you'll need a
vehicle. The jet board and good jumping is all you actually need. From facing
the kiosk, go backward and follow the path on the left side over the water to
avoid hitting things. Turn left remaining over the water until you see a tree.
An orb is up there. Stop where the violet-colored flowers are and do a high
jump. Vehicle needed? Nah! Just good skill. It's even possible without the
jet board, 100% vehicle-free (unless those 2 feet count as a vehicle, for which
they don't under anyone's terms) - you'll have to use repeated rolling long
jumps and stick to the path though. No flash freeze is required either. The
jet board is just easier.
Items received:
• 3x orb
========================================.
# 6.36 Find switch in sewers **063600** #
`========================================`
Normal difficulty: ***
Hero difficulty: ***
Return to the shield icon like before. Go up the elevator then go straight for
a scene. Go back to the elevator and wait for it go down. From here, go
straight, turn left at the fountain, turn right at the split and go straight
until you're forced to turn twice. At the split, turn left, the right, then
the other right. The sewer entrance is on the left. A scene will occur upon
approaching the elevator.
After the scene, get the arc wielder out. Lots of robots are in store! 3
runnerbots are first followed by 3 jetbots a little beyond. Smash the crates
on the right after dealing with the runnerbots for ammo as necessary. Turn
left and follow the path. Remember those green gas vents? Time your jump so
that you cross them as the gas just stops. Just use single jumps and keep
moving to get across easily. 4 Krimzon Guard crates are a short bit beyond -
smash them for a health pack and lots of ammo. The door on the left will open
to reveal runnerbots - short them out with the arc wielder. Around the corner
to the right are a lot more robots. The arc wielder will take care of them
with ease.
Straight ahead are a pair of lasers, with runnerbots beyond. Wait for the
lasers to be going to the right then use the arc wielder to quickly eradicate
the robots on the right. Quickly go back to avoid the lasers. Repeat as
needed to get the robots. Now, wait for the lasers to go back again and get in
the center of the area where the lasers are. When they start going back left,
do a high jump while going forward to get over them. Another pair of lasers is
just ahead, with different spacing. Go when the lower laser starts going to
the left, following it to the center of the area the lasers cover. Wait for
the lower laser to return, with a high jump ready, then use the high jump while
going forward to get over both lasers. Use a spin attack upon just starting to
descend for a little more hang time to help.
Robot frogs are just beyond with robots on a ledge farther out. Put the
frogbots to their demise with the arc wielder. Turn right and put those basic
robots to their demise as well with the arc wielder. Turn left, jumping across
the flowing water (there's no need for the jet board) and smash those crates
for more ammo. A basic rolling long jump can get across easily. Turn left and
go up the platforms. Weld those runnerbots with the arc wielder, the ones on
the ledge farther out. Just before the right turn, 4 aerial robots will come
out. Short them out. Just around the corner to the right are more runnerbots.
Give 'em more electricity than they can handle!
A triplet of lasers are next. Around that corner are runnerbots. Ignore the
top laser and go out a short bit to give the runnerbots their shocking
destruction. To get past these lasers, wait for the 2 lower ones to start
going to the right - follow it to about the halfway point, ignoring the top
laser for now. Once there, wait for the top laser to go by while getting a
high jump ready then jump over the lower 2 lasers. If you didn't get hit,
you're good!
Follow the path to the left and there's 4 frogbots ahead. Obliterate them from
the lower platform where they cannot reach you because water is in the way.
Jump over that and continue straight and up the ledges. At the high ledge near
a pair of pipes, more runnerbots are present. Arc them out. Continue
straight. To the left is another runnerbot. Arc it. Another one will come
around the corner. The arc wielder is just dyin' to destroy it.
Turn left at the path split. See those red rings coming out of that device,
and the big red button just beyond it? That red button is your target.
However, don't just run out - touch those red rings and you'll be getting shot
at by that device. Instead, carefully jump over the rings. At the switch,
spin attack the button. A door will open and a pair of jetbots will come out.
The device also stops so it's safe to go in the water and stay in it without
having to jump. Go to that door. Flowing water is present - keep continuing
and you'll get a scene.
Quickly make your way to the land straight ahead on the right and dig out the
arc wielder. Say, wait a minute! Those are normal frogs, not frogbots! There
are 4 in the water and one on the land straight ahead from the start. The
water where the frogs are is shallow. From that land that's out of the water,
turn right to see flowing water and some platforms going in and out. Since
there are 10 frogs around the corner here, it's easier to just use the
platforms - get the peace maker ready though. At the top platform, jump onto
the land and immediately fire a shot. Quickly switch to the arc wielder to
finish off any that survive. Yep, all those frogs gone in just that one shot.
What an effective gun that peace maker!
Jump in the flowing water and dive under to get under the gate. The game
states of using O, but a mid-air smashing dive works just as well. There's no
need to hold the button either. Turn left and get in the shallow water so you
can put the arc wielder to use of the 3 runnerbots. Continue straight then
turn hard right, more right then the water wheel. Get a little more distance
then get the jetbots on the ledge - you'll need to jump to get to them.
With the coast clear, jump on the platforms of the water wheel. Use a double
jump to get on the first platform then a high jump with a spin attack to easily
get to the next higher platform. Jump from there to the left and smash those 2
crates for an ammo reload and a health pack. Turn to the right to see
platforms going in and out of the water. Jump across the platforms, timing
your jump just as the platform begins rising up. Another water wheel is
present. Get on it, using either a double jump or a high jump from the
platform that repeatedly goes up and down. At the top, 2 runnerbots are
waiting. Another is waiting just past the fence on the right, but it's
inaccessible. You can still hit it though, but it requires effectively wasting
a peace maker shot. Turn left to go to the end of the path then turn left
again to see more platforms. Across this river are runnerbots. Arc wielder,
you have a job to do! From there, it's easier to use the jet board to get
across than to use the platforms so bring it out and go across. Approach the
object with the red-orange light for a scene.
Turn to the right to find a door. Turn left and go up the platforms. At the
top, turn right and go in the central structure. Approach the elevator for a
scene and another bagged completed mission.
Get the peace maker out as there's a lot of robots around here, ones that drop
peace maker ammo (among others if it's missing). Go straight, up the ramp,
then turn slightly left. You will find a rail here. Grind up it - it's faster
that way, but difficult to line up and get on if grinding is not your thing.
The southeast corner of this section has a ramp leading up that you can use as
an alternative. Regardless, the door where the power room is will open on its
own when close to it. Go inside for a scene.
A Pac-man-like minigame will occur. X makes the movement about 3 times faster,
the left stick, where an opening is, allows you to change between zones. The
goal is to "eat" all the dots while avoiding the securitybot and getting rid of
the repairbot. You can know where the security bot roughly is by the red
square highlight. Always keep your distance from it. If you have to cross
that red line, which is guaranteed to happen, note the location of the bot.
Quickly cross if it's safe to do so. It's generally safe if you can't see the
bot. For the most part, put the fast speed to good use - it's easier that way.
At random times, a high-pitched sound will occur and another robot will appear.
This robot will replace some of the eaten dots. Simply touch this one to get
rid of it. At first, you can mostly ignore it, but when the dots get low in
quantity, it's a higher priority. When no dots remain, a light will appear
just south of the center - collect it to complete the mission.
If you're having difficulty, pause the game to plan strategies, act
accordingly, and pause the game again.
Item received:
• Cypher glyph
=========================================.
# 6.38 Eco grid game for orbs **063800** #
`=========================================`
Loved that minigame? How'd like to get up to 9 orbs from it? Return back the
way you came to go at it again. This time, things are a little different.
Each dot gives 1 point. The score is shown in the center of the area. When
the repairbot comes, each dot added back causes you to lose a point. When you
get 1000, there is no point in continuing any further, as you'll get all 9
orbs. Each time you clear a map of all the dots, the whole thing will refresh
with new ones to continue. By the fourth map, there are now 2 guardbots. This
will make things much harder, but if you can manage this, the gold is waiting.
There are 252 dots in total per map. When you pass 200 points, you'll gain 3
orbs. When you pass 500 points, you'll gain another 3 orbs. Pass 1000 and it's
another 3. I would recommend going at least for the bronze as it should be a
quick 3 orbs, the silver is also recommended. The gold is not really
recommended because of the pair of security bots. You'll need to have good
skill and/or serious dedication if you want to go for the gold. Fortunately,
it takes zero skull gems so go at it and score those orbs.
Items received:
• 6x orb
• 3x orb with extra dedication and good skill
This is not any actual mission in the game, but it's important enough to have
its own section. It's also available throughout the remainder of the game.
Also, if you're really short on skull gems, there is no better time than now to
get them... an infinite number of them at that. Collect to your heart's
desire! You actually really only need about 400 total skull gems for the
entire game though, so it's uneccessary to go at it a lot. But, if you missed
a lot of them, now's the time to get them. If you need to practice combat,
this is also a good time to do so.
From the power station, get the peace maker out, jump down and start getting
those guns blazing, well, the peace maker at least. Sure you may only have up
to 10 shots, there's a ton of ammo drops. If you destroy one of those small
aerial hoverbots that shoot, you can get 5 more shots. Grab the health packs
and put light regeneration to good use, mainly using it when at least 4 health
points are missing or light eco was dropped. To use it with a light eco drop,
get some distance so it doesn't get sucked in upon transforming. When done
healing, quickly get out the peace maker again then go to the light eco. If
you're really good at this, you can even play around with flash freeze for the
fun of it. Both robots and metal heads alike are all together, everything
you've seen in the city is present here, except the shooter metal heads. Feel
free to shoot the Freedom League guards. When defeated, they open up more
slots to spawn potential metal heads with skull gems. You can also watch how
much they struggle with some of the more basic things.
This is my favorite thing to do in Jak 3. So many things flying around. So
much litter all over the place! So much activity. I'm not kidding - it's
crazy active! You'll often encounter frame rate drops to 15 fps at times and
note how flawed the AI is. The AI only takes into account horizontal span, not
the vertical. You'll find that guards will go directly under a bridge and
shoot up for nothing. Enemies directly below will attempt to do a jump or
shoot attack even though the pathways above are inaccessible via that method.
If you shoot one of the parked zoomers with the peace maker, you'll find it
flying off at insane speed. Too bad you can't ride it straight up and get an
awesome view out of the deal as well... assuming the camera will even point
down at all.
Items received:
• Unlimited skull gems (limited only by how much time and effort you put in)
==========================================.
# 6.40 Race for more artifacts **064000** #
`==========================================`
Normal difficulty: ***`
Hero difficulty: ***
Remember that blue vehicle you saw during the missile riding on the southeast
part of the eastern circular island? That's where you need to go. This
vehicle is how you get to and from the desert and Haven City. Go to Spargus
City, on the right. See the odd vehicle sticking out? Approach it for a
scene. Now it's a quest for a lot of artifacts. Here's where they are, and
the order they are in, starting from just leaving Spargus City going straight
out the gate:
1. 24 seconds - slightly right
2. 33 seconds - right (on top of the sand dune)
3. 25 seconds - slightly left
4. 26 seconds - left
5. 28 seconds - hard right
6. 24 seconds - straight
7. 27 seconds - hard left
8. 23 seconds - right (go around the mountains)
9. 22 seconds - slightly right
10. 25 seconds - backward
11. 25 seconds - right
12. 23 seconds - right
13. 16 seconds - straight (jump across the bridge)
14. 33 seconds - hard right (in the lower section, below the bridge)
15. 24 seconds - straight
16. 26 seconds - left
17. 29 seconds - right
18. 25 seconds - left
19. 23 seconds - hard left
20. 33 seconds - straight
21. 24 seconds - straight (jump across the bridge)
22. 22 seconds - slightly right (go straight then turn right toward bridge)
23. 21 seconds - right (jump across both gaps, using the higher left side)
24. 22 seconds - left
25. 28 seconds - straight
26. 23 seconds - hard left
27. 28 seconds - right (go around the mountains)
28. 28 seconds - right
29. 23 seconds - straight (go around the mountains)
Go into Spargus City. There are now 3 statues waiting. The first one is
surprisingly close and just off the left. Ignore it for now, for efficiency
reasons. Instead, go to the statue to the northeast. Trade 4 skull gems to
get 24 seconds to find an orb that's on a bridge. It is located to the
northwest from the statue - go backward and get out the jet board. Go slightly
left to dodge the stuff in the way and line up better, then go slightly right
to line up to where that ramp in the far distance is, being careful not to hit
anyone.
Items received:
• 3x orb
=================================.
# 6.42 Time stopper 2 **064200** #
`=================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: ****
Remember that statue you were to avoid? This time, go to it. It's due south
from where that orb was on the bridge. Trade 8 skull gems for the mission.
This is identical to section 5.48 for the basic concept. However, this one is
much harder. The residents in the pathway tend to cause problems as well,
abruptly stopping you because they get in the way. From facing the statue,
turn right but don't touch the light just yet. You'll need that leaper lizard.
Get it and go back to where the statue is. This will line you up for the
light. Run for it and go forward. While this may not be the optimal route to
take, it should be close.
Go straight, collecting the 3 blue clocks. Go directly to the blue clock
ahead. I do not know if the area with the red clock is any better or worse,
but I got the blue and yellow clocks right after. Continue slightly left of
the line and go for the red clock on the top of the ramp. Quickly turn right
and grab the 2 blue clocks and the yellow clock. Follow the line staying a
fair bit left of it to directly go to the nearest clock (the shortest path).
Grab the 4 blue clocks but ignore the yellow one. Around the corner, go
directly to the blue clock and get the yellow then blue ones shortly after.
Turn right, going quite a ways from the line and go up the ramp for a red clock
- jump over to the left for a blue clock. Follow the line and get the 2 blue
clocks. Abruptly turn to the red clock on the right then turn left back toward
the line for a blue and yellow clock. Follow the line straight toward the blue
clock ahead, ignoring those way off to the right. A yellow clock is just
beyond. Grab the 3 blue clocks slightly right of the line, then get the red
one on the other side of the line. Back on the other side, get the 2 blue
clocks, then touch the light at the end - there's no need to get off the leaper
lizard for it.
Since you're already in the western side, where the last statue is, go into the
narrow area east of the "crack" on the map to the far south. Trade 4 skull
gems for the 21 seconds to get this orb. This orb is very far away to the
northwest. See that large blob of dark brown? The orb is on the northeast
side of it. From facing the statue, go backward then turn slightly left a
little before the pathway - do not crash into anyone or you'll likely run out
of time... and get shot at once you get the orb.
Items received:
• 3x orb
=============================================.
# 6.44 Defend Spargus' front gate **064400** #
`=============================================`
Normal difficulty: **
Hero difficulty: *`
New secrets have been revealed - new vehicles. To prepare for races, get the
desert screamer. It may be rather expensive at 20 orbs, but it's the best
vehicle of all for most things. Why? Go to section 3.3 for details - it's the
fastest vehicle of them all and it has decent handling.
Go east into the narrow pathway and follow it. Remember the door with the
crown symbol on it? Go in there and get on the lift. At the top, go straight
for a scene. Once done, go back on the lift and go to where the vehicles are.
Choose a vehicle, especially one with good durability as you'll need it. Do
not use the Tough Puppy as it cannot shoot, a requirement for this mission.
The Gila Stomper would be the best, but it's missing. The Sand Shark is
probably the best contender. The Dune Hopper has great durability, but kind of
lacking on dependable weapons. If you're willing to spend some orbs, the Dust
Demon, at 15 orbs, is a slight upgrade from the Dune Hopper in regards to
weapons, having a faster firing rate but I don't really recommend it. Speed is
not at all important. Choose a vehicle wisely. I chose the Sand Shark.
Once chosen, leave the city and be ready to attack. Just hold R1 at all times
and focus on the giant vehicles that are catapults. They take several hits to
destroy, but they are the highest priority. Notice the dark red dots on the
map - those are the catapults. The flaming marauder vehicles are the next
priority, the light red dots on the map. As long as you hold R1 and focus on
the 13 catapult vehicles, this mission is easy - check the map often to help.
Notice the gauge in the top left corner. That's the health of the Spargus City
gate.
===============================================.
# 6.45 Take out marauder stronghold **064500** #
`===============================================`
Normal difficulty: ***
Hero difficulty: **
You will have to use the Dune Hopper for this mission. Regardless, hop on
board and leave Spargus again. Turn slightly left and go around the mountains.
Cross the river, and reach the lost city. Once there, turn right then left
when past the buildings. Turn right to go into the narrow passage then turn
left. You will find a pair of bridges - you need the first one - turn right
get on it. Unfortunately, there are two holes in the bridge - jump over them,
the reason why you needed the Dune Hopper. Continue around the bridge and a
scene will occur. Continue on and another scene will occur.
Now you have to get 60 marauders of varying types at once. On top of that, you
have catapults to deal with. Choose a gun wisely - the arc wielder and beam
reflexor are 2 good options. Or, you can put the spinning rapid blaster fire
trick to use. The choice is yours. The marauders will drop ammo based on the
type you have something missing for. If health drops to 4 units or less, heal.
When all 60 marauders are defeated, a scene will occur. Get in the Dune Hopper
and quickly leave. You will need to chase after the marauders. The first 3
have a time limit. The last one does not but if it strays too far, about 500
meters, it will still escape. If the time runs out or the marauders get too
far away, the mission will fail. You'll have 45 seconds to reach the first
one. Destroy it by then. You'll have 60 seconds to reach the next 2. There
is no time limit for the last one, but if you get too far away from it, the
mission will still fail. You will start with 3 turbos right away. Do not use
them on the bridge. Once you turn left off the bridge to chase them, use a
turbo to catch up while the other marauders are very far away. If a junk
marauder gets in the way and the path is clear, jump over the marauder. With
skill, and some luck, you can get all of the marauders by the time they are
just past the lost city. You must get all 4 in one go though - there are no
check points.
Return to the lost city area. In the southernmost part of it, there is a
statue requesting 4 skull gems. The orb is located due north. To get it, for
which 15 seconds are available, bring out the jet board and continue straight
past the statue from facing it. Go under the arch and carefully avoid the
cacti as they do 2 units of damage. On the left side, there is an odd area
that's raised slightly. That is where you need to go.
Go north of the lost city and follow the east coast. You will need to cross
the river to get to it. Trade 4 skull gems to get the mission. 16 seconds is
what you get to obtain the orb. The orb is on the island to the SSE a bit
beyond the peak. Get out the jet board and go to it. This is such a basic,
effortless orb search.
Items received:
• 3x orb
==============================================.
# 6.48 Metal head mass destruction **064800** #
`==============================================`
Normal difficulty: **
Hero difficulty: **
Return to the lost city area to the southwest, pass through the narrow passage
on the right, cross the short bridge slightly to the right, then turn left to
follow the lake. Turn right into the narrow gap, then turn slightly left to
find this statue. It takes a massive 12 skull gems to get the mission. You
have 1 minute to destroy 180 metal heads, all in the form of leeches. With a
massive quantity, just use the arc wielder for this. Some strays may make it
past - just spin attack them. I typically get the 180 with nearly 30 seconds
still left on the clock.
To the northwest along the coast is the next statue for another orb hunt.
There are 22 seconds. The orb is on the island to the south. Get on the jet
board and go to it. The orb is a little to the left of center.
Go to the northeast to reach this statue. Go around the T-shaped mountains
where the oasis is, turning right. Parallel the river until past it, then turn
left. Skip the kiosk as that's a race. Instead, go a little farther north.
Trade 4 skull gems for 11 seconds to get an orb near the river. From facing
the statue, turn hard right. The orb is straight ahead on the rocks right by
the river.
Items received:
• 3x orb
==============================================.
# 6.51 Destroy metal-pedes in nest **065100** #
`==============================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: *
Go south and, on the left, cross the small bridge. Continue straight until the
lost city - turn left and you will find the Gila Stomper there - approach it
for a scene. Go into the cave. Follow the path and, when in the open area,
drop off to the left for a shortcut. Upon reaching the pathway leading out of
there, you will see an icon of a millipede with a 5 near it and a green bar
below it. The green bar is the health of the currently-active millipede. The
leeches will gradually stop showing up - slow down and be ready to stop. The
millipede will randomly jump around. I don't really have any effective
strategies for dealing with these. The Gila Stomper is too slow-moving, and
not agile. It's hard to avoid being hit by the centipedes but it is possible
to avoid the leeches. You have to shoot them while they're out. It does
appear that, for every millipede destroyed, it's a check point.
For the first one, stay on the upper area and shoot at the millipede as it
comes out. Keep your distance from the leeches so the gun has a lower chance
at aiming for them instead of the millipedes. I've had cases where the camera
gets stuck and all I see is a rock.
The second one is fairly deep into the cave. Go straight from the ledge, just
to the side of the raised area, then turn left. Turn hard right and go into
the mud. Follow it until you can make a left turn. Follow that path. Stay to
the upper area and get the gun blazing. There are long delays before it shows
up though.
The third one is directly back the way you just were, near the arch. Go
backwards then follow the path. Once a left turn is possible, make it, and
continue. To the left side of the arch, you will find the millipede. A bunch
of leeches will come out, but they will not come over.
The fourth one is the same as the second one - go back the way you came. Like
before, use the land as cover, which helps, though not always, to block the
shots the millipede makes.
The fifth one is the same as the third one - go back the way you came. Like
before, the leeches that appear will not go to the vehicle. Once defeated, a
pillar of light appears. Go to it to get the key item.
Leave the area. Turn right and go into that passage. Follow it and go around
the swirl area until it reaches the lowest point. Turn left to get onto the
part leading up, turning right to go up it. Follow the path until you've left
the cave. A scene will occur that will complete the mission.
Item received:
• Light eco crystal
===============================================.
# 6.52 Chase down metal head beasts **065200** #
`===============================================`
Normal difficulty: ****`
Hero difficulty: *
A new secret is available, costing 15 orbs. It's upgrade vehicle toughness.
Obtain it as it's very useful. Vehicles can now withstand twice as much damage
before they get destroyed, but it only takes effect when operating the vehicle.
You will find that the Gila Stomper will still need 40 spin attacks to destroy
it. But, try letting the marauders destroy the vehicle with their shots. You
will find that they will need twice as many shots to destroy it. With a slow
vehicle like the Gila Stomper, consider going into the lost city and
deliberately crashing into things at full speed without turbos. You will find
that it takes several more crashes to destroy it.
Return to Spargus City. Cross the river ahead, turn slightly left and go
straight. Upon entering the vehicle storage room, a scene will occur. It's
right back out again. This time, you control the gun with left stick. Point
the crosshairs on a metal head and shoot their projectiles. Arrows will appear
on the sides to indicate if something is off screen in that direction. In
short, note the green dots on the map. They are in the center of the green if
the green dot is up from the center on the map. In short, focus on the
projectiles until right by Spargus again after a tour. Shooting the metal
heads to defeat them can still be done, but the projectiles are much more
important. The exception is when you finally return to the area by Spargus -
that one must be destroyed and it takes about 3 times as many hits to bring it
down. Here's what all happens (positions are based on the direction the
vehicle is pointed in at the time of spawning):
A dinosaur metal head appears on the left. Another appears around the
mountains to the right. Hard left of the ATV is another dinosaur around the
mountains. A pair of dinosaurs will spawn slightly left next. Another pair of
dinosaurs spawn on the left side. Just before crossing the river, another
dinosaur spawns slightly right.
Across the river, a missile-shooting green bat metal head spawns on the right,
of which shoot missiles instead of large balls. At the start of the lost city
area, a dinosaur spawns on the left in the city itself. A dinosaur spawns in
the buildings straight ahead halfway past the lost city on the first side.
Halfway into the gap between the mountains past the lost city, a pair of
dinosaurs spawn simultaneously on the left. On the hard left is another green
bat spawning in the lost city.
Upon entering the cave, a dinosaur spawns directly behind and chases. A pair
of dinosaurs spawn on the hard left, right as the first left turn in the cave
is made and are not visible until clear out of the cave. A little before the
start of the river, a dinosaur spawns straight ahead. A green bat spawns on
the left shortly after the vehicle turns to go away from the river. As the
green bat leaves, a dinosaur spawns hard left. At the top of a sand dune, a
dinosaur spawns on the left. Several seconds pass, then a pair of dinosaurs
spawn on the hard left.
Another dinosaur spawns very close by to the left, adjacent to the mountains.
This is the dinosaur you must destroy. Once destroyed, you will now be able to
drive the ATV instead - drive to the object (there's no need to get out).
You are now 3/4 finished with the game's story.
Item received:
• Quantum reflector
============================================.
# 6.53 Marauder mass destruction **065300** #
`============================================`
You will definitely want the "upgrade vehicle toughness" for this side mission.
The vehicle you use is up to you. I find it easier using the Dune Hopper or
Dust Demon (the latter requires 15 orbs to get and isn't much better). Sure
the grenade launcher seems like a waste, because it's so slow, it offers the
ability to instantly destroy multiple marauder vehicles at once and since they
almost always come from the front, often in groups, this is especially handy.
I've gotten almost 70 kills this way and you only need 60 for the gold. The
Dune Hopper has a very slightly higher durability than the Dust Demon (the
latter is quite a bit faster, but speed is not needed for this). Something
like the Sand Shark has great range, but it requires remaining on very flat
terrain and always turning the vehicle around slightly to get them. The trash
left behind from just-exploded marauder vehicles also blocks bullets, but
doesn't block grenades. If it's too much for you to even survive long enough,
come back once invulnerabilty is unlocked. Then it's about as effortless as
you can get.
Upon leaving Spargus City, go straight ahead (due south). This kiosk requires
8 skull gems. Trade them for a fun minigame that involves a lot of explosions
and a lot of combat. Tired of all those pesky marauders? Want to vent? This
minigame is for you! Trade the skull gems and you're given the task of
destroying as many marauder vehicles as possible within the 2-minute time
limit. I've done it with the Sand Shark but it's harder. I've done it with
the Dune Hopper and find it the easiest.
The trick to this isn't so much the aim (which does help a lot), it's more
along the lines of getting the marauders to spawn. To get them to spawn, you
have to be at least 300 meters away from the lost city area in any direction
(not applicable to this challenge) and at least 50 meters away from Spargus
City's gate. The center of the map to the edge is 450 meters, for reference.
They spawn about 300 meters out and always in the direction of travel with an
angular variation of about 15° on either side. If water or some sort of
obstacle is present 300 meters out, marauders will not spawn. For this, a low
speed is a must. It may seem like it'll save time going faster, to catch up
with them, it won't because the marauders will stop spawning and you'll have to
go backwards, and during all this, you won't be able to get any more marauders,
resulting in a net slow speed. For this to work well, you need to keep a very
slow speed and try to keep as straight as possible. When too far forward, back
up quickly then resume going forward slowly. Regardless, at all times, hold R1
to keep the gun blazing. If a marauder goes behind, hold R2 to get them when
they go behind.
I would suggest going for the silver, at least. If you're serious about it, go
for the gold. I typically get the gold in about 5 attempts, though my first
try on gold took me nearly 20 attempts, often getting around 53. It wasn't
until I kept a very slow speed that I managed to get almost 70 kills.
Items received:
• 6x orb
• 3x orb with extra dedication
Return to Spargus City and get the Sand Shark, needed for the next side
mission. From facing the Spargus City gate, turn right and follow the coast.
Skip the kiosk as that's a race we're still not set up for easy obtainment of
the gold (you can try, but I don't recommend it). On the far northeastern
side, a statue is present needing 4 skull gems. 19 seconds are given to find
that orb on the island due north of there. From facing the statue, turn right,
get out the jet board, and go for it.
Items received:
• 3x orb
===================================.
# 6.55 Ring challenge 6 **065500** #
`===================================`
Normal difficulty: ****`
Hero difficulty: ****`
Go SSW from there, to the northern part of the lost city. Don't confuse the
statue on the far north by a bunch of rocks - it's the one on the other side of
that. Trade the 8 skull gems for the mission. This is a difficult mission and
it pretty much requires a vehicle. The Sand Shark is a good option for this as
it's got a modest speed and especially good handing. The Tough Puppy could
also be used for this, since handling is important and speed isn't too
critical. Making this ring challenge much more difficult, however, is the fact
you lose the minimap as it goes into the metal head cave and unlike the
previous visits, the minimap does not show. You will only have leeches to deal
with at least - just keep a modest speed and they're not an issue... except
seeing where you're going. For the most part, don't go full speed. Keep a
modest speed - pace. Not only do you maintain better control, you don't need
to go full speed ahead. To help, I'm listing the order of the rings and things
to watch out for:
1. 11 seconds - left (from facing the statue; under the arch)
2. 9 seconds - left (under the arch)
3. 9 seconds - straight (under the arch)
4. 8 seconds - straight
5. 7 seconds - slightly right
6. 11 seconds - slightly right (turbo provided - unnecessary)
7. 8 seconds - right
8. 8 seconds - right (over the rocks; skid/roll warning - go slow over them)
9. 10 seconds - left
10. 8 seconds - slightly left (turbo provided - unnecessary)
11. 12 seconds - slightly left (use of a turbo okay; skid warning from rocks)
12. 9 seconds - straight
13. 10 seconds - slightly right (minimap lost)
14. 9 seconds - slightly left (follow the path)
15. 10 seconds - slightly right (follow the path)
16. 13 seconds - straight (turbo provided - unnecessary but use as a guide)
17. 11 seconds - straight (follow the path)
18. 12 seconds - straight (follow the raised path around - no shortcut)
19. 10 seconds - right (follow the raised path; under overpass)
20. 10 seconds - right (follow the raised path)
21. 10 seconds - right (follow the path around)
22. 10 seconds - straight (use of a turbo okay)
23. 8 seconds - left
24. 9 seconds - slightly right (keep to the path)
25. 13 seconds - slightly left (keep to the path)
26. 10 seconds - right (under the overpass)
27. 12 seconds - right
28. 10 seconds - straight
29. 6 seconds - slightly right (don't be fooled by the ring's hint to turn)
30. 8 seconds - slightly left (go into the cave)
31. 9 seconds - right (follow the path)
32. 11 seconds - slightly right (follow the path; skid warning with ledge)
33. 10 seconds - slightly left (follow the raised path)
34. 11 seconds - left (follow the raised path; just past underpass)
35. 10 seconds - left (turbo provided - unnecessary)
36. 11 seconds - left (follow the raised path to top)
37. 15 seconds - slightly right (follow the path)
38. 14 seconds - straight (follow the path)
39. 9 seconds - slightly left (follow the path)
40. 15 seconds - straight (follow the path)
41. 10 seconds - right (follow the path)
42. 13 seconds - slightly right (minimap reappears; use of turbo okay)
43. 9 seconds - straight (skid/roll warning - go slow over rocks)
44. 13 seconds - slightly right
45. 8 seconds - straight
46. 7 seconds - slight left
Remember that blue vehicle just east of Spargus City? Go to it and get in. A
scene will occur. At Haven City's port, go to where HQ is in the water slums
area. Along the way, you will find that battles are going on nonstop. Even
the water slums area has nothing but robots and fighting. That blue water...
being contaminated by dead guards, blown up robots, and trash from destroyed
zoomers. It's still safe to go in, but you can't do any fighting in it so it's
not as safe. The peace maker goes so nicely here - they drop so much ammo. If
you're running low, focus on the hoverbots that shoot - they'll drop 5 peace
maker ammo shots. If health drops to where you're missing 4 or more, heal.
There's plenty of health packs and especially white eco.
A little to the WSW of the is another kiosk, on the right when going to HQ. 16
seconds are given after trading 4 skull gems to find the orb to the northeast
around the northwest corner of HQ. Get on the jet board to go faster and help
avoid the trouble from the robot war going on. From facing the kiosk, turn
slightly left and zig zag with the path. Jump in the water to cross diagonally
quickly. The orb is right around that corner - you may want to get off the jet
board right before reaching land, to make the jump easier.
Items received:
• 3x orb
==============================================.
# 6.57 Beat pillar ring challenges **065700** #
`==============================================`
Normal difficulty: ***`
Hero difficulty: **`
Go back to the port circle and take the western path. At the area with the
acid in the center, take the left path and follow it to a ramp leading up to
Haven Forest. These metal heads now have skull gems. Only metal heads are
here in the pouncer and scorpion variety, and there's no ammo drops so it's not
the best area to use. It is the fastest though, especially if you want to
grind skull gems in hero mode.
Once in Haven Forest, you do not need to get the guns out for this. The jet
board is needed more though. Go to where you see the highlight. A statue will
come out of the ground. Spin attack the nose to activate it - these don't take
skull gems. Various rings will appear, with a light much like the follow mes.
There are 5 total statues and each must be done in order. Each statue has its
own ring course. Each time you complete one, a check point is set. If you
make the first one but fail on the second, you won't have to do the first one
again. Don't be afraid to get off the jet board if you're losing control. As
long as you're going forward, you'd only lose about a half to 1 second which,
for the most part, is not an issue as there's a decent amount of time. The
biggest problem comes from the areas where you need to grind - it's sometimes
difficult to see the areas where grinding is needed. If you miss, there is
still a chance you could use a high jump with a spin attack at the top of the
jump to attempt to continue, but it's no guarantee. Here is the order of the
rings:
Statue 1:
1. 10 seconds - backwards
2. 8 seconds - hard right (over water)
3. 7 seconds - straight
4. 9 seconds - straight (tricky; go right, around the island, then up the
ramp; grind the log)
5. 8 seconds - slightly right (between the trees)
6. 7 seconds - right (go around the rocks)
7. 6 seconds - slightly right
8. 6 seconds - straight
Statue 2 (backward, behind the rocks from the first statue, across the river):
1. 10 seconds - backwards
2. 7 seconds - straight
3. 6 seconds - right (under the overpass)
4. 5 seconds - slightly right
5. 8 seconds - slightly right
6. 7 seconds - straight
7. 6 seconds - right
8. 6 seconds - slightly right
9. 5 seconds - straight
Statue 3 (backward, across the lake from second statue):
1. 10 seconds - hard left (grind the log)
2. 7 seconds - slightly left
3. 7 seconds - right (consider getting off the jet board to jump the ledge)
4. 6 seconds - left
5. 9 seconds - slightly left
6. 9 seconds - hard left
7. 8 seconds - straight
8. 10 seconds - right (go slightly right, grind the log, then turn right)
9. 10 seconds - straight
10. 10 seconds - straight
11. 8 seconds - hard left (turn hard left to go up the ramp)
12. 7 seconds - straight (grind the bridge edge)
13. 7 seconds - straight (grind the bridge edge)
14. 9 seconds - slightly left (grind the log)
15. 7 seconds - left (stay on the path)
16. 7 seconds - left (grind the bridge edge)
Statue 4 (hard left from third statue, on a rock in the river):
1. 10 seconds - hard right (over the water)
2. 8 seconds - slight right (over the water)
3. 6 seconds - right (over the water, around the central columns)
4. 7 seconds - left (follow the river)
5. 7 seconds - right (follow the river)
6. 6 seconds - slightly left (follow the river)
7. 7 seconds - right (follow the river; on the rocks)
8. 6 seconds - right (follow the river; between the rocks and trees)
9. 5 seconds - left (follow the river)
10. 7 seconds - right (follow the river on the right side)
11. 7 seconds - straight (follow the river around on the left side)
12. 6 seconds - straight (back on land again)
13. 5 seconds - left (go up the ramp)
14. 6 seconds - hard right (go up the ramp on the right then around left)
15. 6 seconds - slightly right (follow the river)
16. 6 seconds - left (go over the rocks)
Statue 5 (left from fourth statue - go around the slippery rocks by going to
the left, then climb up the ledges - ignore the game's reference for a launch
jump - the high jump is much easier - do a high jump to the left ledge):
1. 10 seconds - left (immediately close - just walk through it)
2. 7 seconds - straight (between the trees)
3. 6 seconds - slightly left
4. 6 seconds - straight (grind the log)
5. 7 seconds - straight
6. 7 seconds - left (immediately turn to go up the ramp)
7. 7 seconds - straight (grind the bridge edge)
8. 7 seconds - straight (grind the bridge edge)
9. 7 seconds - slightly left (grind the log)
10. 6 seconds - left (jump over the gap)
11. 7 seconds - straight (jump over the gap)
12. 7 seconds - left (jump over the gap)
13. 6 seconds - straight (on an island across the river)
14. 6 seconds - slightly left
15. 6 seconds - slightly right (get off the jet board, do a high jump up the
ledge, then quickly get back on again - it's much easier)
16. 5 seconds - slightly left (go around the curve)
17. 5 seconds - slightly left (go around the curve)
18. 7 seconds - hard left (go around the curve)
Once all 5 statues are destroyed, go to the lake in the middle (go backward to
get to it) and climb up. The platforms you step on will rise upon landing on
them to make it easier to go up. Use double jumps to cross the gaps. It is
unnecessary to go on the last pillar - just jump the short distance up to the
right and go to the beam of light for a scene.
This challenge is fun to do with flash freeze via hero mode. It's entirely
possible to do it without the use of the jet board. Just remember that you
cannot use flash freeze where you cannot touch bottom in water, but you can in
the water when it's shallow.
From facing the key object, go backward and jump over the edge. Yes, it's a
great height that potentially lead to fall damage, just make sure you fall in
the lake. Doubtful? Use the jet board to fall with as no fall damage is taken
with it. Follow the river going straight, left, right, then around the bend.
Jump on the rock just sticking out of the water and do a high jump with a spin
attack to get up the rocks. Continue to the end of the river, get on the land
then turn right to leave.
In the creepy area, take the right side and follow it back. In the port
circle, turn left and follow it, turning left on the east side. This is where
the peace maker is needed. Follow it to the slums area then turn left when
you'd normally go straight. You have 9 seconds to find the orb due east of
there, where you just were. From facing the kiosk, turn right and get on the
jet board avoiding running into anything.
Items received:
• 3x orb
===============================================.
# 6.59 Destroy war factory defenses **065900** #
`===============================================`
Normal difficulty: **`
Hero difficulty: **`
Continue your way to the water slums area and make your way to HQ, destroying
the countless robots along the way, remembering to heal when at least 4 units
of health are missing. Once at HQ, where the shield icon is, go up the
elevator then go straight for a scene. Go back down the elevator and go around
the building. Be sure to have a full load of ammo for this. Go into the
building for a scene.
Now, if you've played games like World War II airplane fighters where you fly a
plane and shoot down enemy planes, this mission is very similar, just
simplified and confined to a fairly small area. Working with speed loss and
stalling are not involved and the speeds are fairly low. Left and right on the
left stick are used to steer it (and it turns fast), down makes it go higher,
up makes it go lower. R1 is used to shoot but there's no autofire so you have
to repeatedly press R1 to fire. There's infinite ammo though, so always
repeatedly press R1. L1 is used to fire off a bomb (which is more like a
missile). Save your bombs for later - you'll need at least 4. X is used to
speed up a little which isn't really necessary. If you haven't gotten "upgrade
vehicle toughness", do so as it will help a lot with this. If you're curious,
bring up the map to see "no map data available" - okay, why is there a minimap
then? Seems like a bug.
There are various red planebots around, lots of them, but they're simple
one-shot defeats. As long as you constantly press R1, you'll inevitably blow
up several of them. It is unnecessary to go after them though. On tracks in
the rotating building are tanks.
There are 3 stages. The first one has 16 yellow lights, 4 each in the 4
corners. Destroy them all by simply shooting them (you're repeatedly pressing
R1, right, getting that gun constantly blazing?). Upon destroying some, a gun
will replace them - shoot it as well to destroy it.
Once those are destroyed, another 16 lights show up, in randomish locations.
Because you'll be all over the place during this, often going back to get those
that you missed, I cannot offer any direct guidance. Use the minimap as a
guide to locate where things are. If you're really close to something and need
more distance, simply turn away from it for about 2 to 5 seconds (depending on
skill - 3 seconds is a good balance), then quickly turn around to get it. You
just need to destroy the 32 total lights.
Once those 32 lights are destroyed, you will find that the odd towers in the
corners become guns that shoot, after a bit. There's also a gap in there
directly above. Face toward it and fire a bomb at it to instantly destroy it.
If you're out of bombs, you'll have to use R1 to shoot into that hole and it
will take several dozen shots to destroy it. Once all 4 are destroyed, the
mission is complete and a scene will occur.
======================================.
# 6.60 Explore war factory **066000** #
`======================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: **
Get on the elevator and wait for it to go down. While waiting, get out the arc
wielder as there's tons of robots around. Straight ahead are 6 runnerbots -
short 'em out! Turn right then slightly right around the corner. A conveyer
belt is present with a runnerbot on top. Go up the conveyer belt once the
runnerbot is destroyed. At the top, 5 crawlerbots and 3 runnerbots are
waiting. An ammo reload is on the right. A gate is in the way straight ahead.
Instead, turn right. It seems like a dead end, but do a smashing dive in the
center of that area to get down to the next area.
Turn right to find the opening with 2 crates on the right for a health pack and
ammo reload. To the left is a fan going at high speed. Flash freeze will not
allow you to get past it. Instead, note the pipe slightly right of it.
Approach it for a scene and a checkpoint. See that red switch straight ahead?
Follow to the overhanging gate to it, jump down at the end (press X), go to the
switch and spin attack it. That will stop the fan. Jump over the blade and
turn left to return to the waiting Jak for another check point.
Get out the arc wielder again and pass through the fan. Go slightly left, up
the ledges. A high jump is needed to get up the high ledge. At the top are
jetbots. If you destroy them, more will come, an infinite number of them. 3
crawlerbots are also waiting. It's a dead end to the right. Instead, go
slightly right into the opening where crawlerbots are. Turn left and there's a
conveyer, going in the wrong direction. Use double jumps with spin attacks to
more quickly cross it. You need to get on that platform. You're bound to get
hit by the jetbots while doing so - it's almost unavoidable.
On the other side, there are 3 crawlerbots and 2 runnerbots. You'll likely
have a jetbot on you as well, causing a lot of damage. They're very annoying.
Don't bother healing though. Smash the crates on the left for ammo and a
health pack you'll likely need. Go up the conveyer straight ahead. At the top
is are 2 runnerbots and 3 crawlerbots. Shock them. On the right are more
crates in the odd corner. Another health pack. Turn left and go up the ramp.
Ignore the robots past the gate. Turn right. A platform is there but it isn't
moving. To the left of that is a pipe - approach it for a scene and a
checkpoint.
This time, you'll need to avoid stuff while following the fence. Turn left and
watch out for the arcing. Remember Daxter's 1/2-second delay before going full
speed? Get close, noted by the red line, and at about the time it disappears,
go past. Do the same for the next one. Turn left at the end. Go straight
until the camera turns around. Drop down and whack that switch with a spin
attack. The platforms now move. Have Daxter carefully jump on them. Time
your jump so that the platform is approaching and about one platform width away
so you land, with a double jump, where the platform will stop. The next
platform is a bit harder - get on the right edge of the current platform and
wait for it to almost stop. Run toward the edge and jump across then. Wait
for this platform to reach the other side where Jak is waiting.
Another checkpoint is reached and Jak is also fully healed as well. (How did
that happen? He must've found a big medipack or something while waiting!) Get
on the platform in the same way as before. The jump to transfer to the other
platform is a bit tricky. Get on the far front side of the platform and a bit
back from the left edge. Keep panning the camera so you see the platform
you're after. On the first cycle of the platforms, don't make the jump.
Instead, note how they are positioned. Wait for the platform to go back then
return. When the platform you're on is about to reach the end point, make your
jump toward it. Once across, wait for the platform to reach the other side
then it's a very simple jump from there.
A gate is in the way. Press L2 to get Dark Jak then press R1 to use Dark
Charge to destroy it. Quickly revert back then get out the arc wielder. A
never-ending supply of jetbots will come out of the dome on the left. See
those lasers? Destroy enough of the jetbots for the lasers to go down. You're
bound to lose half of your health because of the jetbots. Another dome is
ahead, but it doesn't release any robots until just passing it - more very
annoying jetbots. Go past it. On the right are crates. Consider ignoring the
crates as they seem to have unwanted red ammo. A health pack is present, but
it's kind of useless with the jetbots as they'll inevitably do a hit that will
undo it. Instead, go slightly left and smash that area at the dead end.
At the bottom are 3 runnerbots - send them "free" electricity. A slow moving
platform is ahead. Jump on it when it gets very near the edge. Get on the
still platform ahead, jumping over the short gap, then turn left. Wait for
that platform to arrive and jump on it. A conveyor going up is on the left -
go up it. Follow the path. Turn slightly right, then turn right at the top.
Jetbots will come out, but there those gates on the left in the way to block
them (whew!). Ignore them. Instead, turn right. Get the jet board out and go
up that conveyor. It's faster and easier. Running while doing double jumps
with spins also works. Just past it is a pipe - approach it for a scene and a
much-needed checkpoint.
As Daxter, there are 2 jet engines that go left to right - go to the right side
of the fence and get close to those flames but not too close. When the flame
is just about out of the way, go. Remember that 1/2-second delay to full
speed? Go slightly early. Repeat for the second one, going to the end then
turning right. Red electric arcs are present, at a diagonal. Get on the far
left side and stop just before the red glow. Just as it disappears, go at a
diagonal to get past it. You will need to cross these diagonals 3 more times.
Zigzag back and forth, staying near the center of where the arcing part is.
Once past, turn left to reach the end of the fence. Drop down. A switch is
present, waiting to be whacked with the spin attack. Jump down over the edge
to the right of the switch to return to Jak and get a much-needed check point.
Get the arc wielder out. Turn right to where the fans were spinning and go
past them. A gate is on the right, blocking the robots - ignore them.
Instead, turn left. Follow the path to the end. Smash that gate in the
center. A pipe is straight ahead. However, slightly left is a runnerbot -
destroy it. Now, go to the pipe for another scene and a checkpoint. Boy, that
was quick!
More diagonal electric arcs are present, 2 of them. Cross them like before.
Turn right and more of those flaming jet things are present. Stay to the left
side and wait until those flaming jets just start going past to the right.
Quickly turn left and follow the fence. Turn left into the alcove when you
can. Wait for the flame throwers to go back then go backward into the area
where those flame throwers would be, waiting on far left side. When the flame
throwers on the left start to go by, quickly turn right and quickly cross.
Turn right as soon as you can. Go straight, drop off, and there's a switch.
Spin attack it for a scene. Go straight to find Jak waiting at the edge
slightly right and below. Jump down to get another check point.
From facing that wall, turn left and go past the pipe. On the left is another
runnerbot just around the corner - destroy it. On the right is another
runnerbot - destroy it. A vehicle is straight ahead, much like those you've
used around the desert area.
Get on the vehicle. Do not go over the or destroy the vehicle. It comes with
3 turbos, but they're not necessary at the moment - only one spot could
actually use one. There's no time limit so you don't need to go fast. Turn
right to go up the ramp and onto the conveyer. Follow the conveyer around.
The vehicle does not have guns, but it can destroy things by simply running
over them. Nothin' beats having a 5-ton battering ram! 4 runnerbots are
across the platforms. If you need ammo reloads, pick them up after the
runnerbots are destroyed. Go up the conveyor ramp. Remember those gates?
Just run into them with the vehicle with enough speed (a modest speed - full
speed is not necessary) to destroy them. The key to this part is to destroy
the gates. If any platforms are involved, you took a wrong turn - go back.
Turn left - it's a dead end to the right (a smashable gate, but that isn't what
you're after any more). There are 3 runnerbots ahead and a sneaky gap. Go
forward with moderate speed, braking only after the initial drop. Run over the
3 runnerbots, picking up ammo reloads as needed. Go slightly right for a
conveyor going down and gates ahead. Bash through those gates.
Remember those jetbots and that dome? Destroy the dome by running into it.
Ignore the jetbots and turn left. Another gate is there. Smash through it.
More gates follow. Smash through those. Turn slightly right and you see an
odd jump ramp. Approach it with moderate speed to get across the gap present.
Another ramp is ahead that leads to a gate. You will need a bit more speed for
this one. It's a great spot to use a turbo if you need to. Another dome is
just beyond, except this one is busted. Smash the gates ahead. Talk about
mass destruction of a factory! There are gaps present - be sure to either have
a modest speed, or jump across. Turn right and go up the conveyor. Smash
through the gates ahead. This will lead to an elevator. You will
automatically leave the vehicle and the vehicle will disappear. Be sure to get
out the arc wielder and destroy the runnerbots. Get on the elevator to
complete this long and difficult mission. Finally, it's done!
========================================.
# 6.61 Beat Cyber-Errol boss **066100** #
`========================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: **
Once the elevator is at the top, get out the arc wielder, again. Follow the
path then turn left for a scene. By the way, check the main map - "map data
unavailable".
For starters, use the arc wielder. You'll have a lot of robots to destroy,
dropping ammo most of the time.
There are 4 stages to this. Stage 1 has 4 fireballs being thrown - just
constantly keep moving to avoid them, which do 2 units of damage. You will
then have 11 total runnerbots to destroy with the arc wielder, a group of 4, a
group of 3, then another group of 4. A spinning, hovering robot, a spinbot as
I'll cover it will come out right under Errol - put the arc wielder to use
until it drops to the ground. When it's on the ground, use the spin attack to
aim it toward the platform Errol is on - the camera will automatically be
pointed toward that platform. If this misses, you will have to repeat stage 1.
The second stage has a new kind of fireball, one that, upon impact on the
ground, causes a shockwave that must be jumped over, a shockwave that does 2
units of damage. Like the other fireballs, just run around to avoid being hit.
There are 3 of these to dodge. After this, about 6 targets will appear in
random places along the floor. Simply stay away from these - holes will be
formed in the floor that mean instant death should you fall down one. 4 basic
fireballs, like those first thing in stage 1, will be thrown next - just run
around to avoid them, now avoiding the holes in the floor. A mix of
crawlerbots and runnerbots will come out of the holes, often in groups.
There's about 6 crawlerbots in the first batch, 3 crawlerbots and 3 runnerbots
in the second batch and 5 runnerbots in the third batch. Shock them to
destruction with the arc wielder. Another one of those spinbots will appear
with 2 others behind and on the sides - use arc wielder until it falls to the
ground then spin attack it toward the wall where Errol is (the camera points
toward it).
Stage 3 is similar to stage 2 - 4 shockwave fireballs to avoid and jump over, 7
random target spots for more holes in the floor, then 4 basic fireballs to
avoid by running around. A mix of about 5 crawlerbots, 5 runnerbots, and now 3
jetbots will be coming out, the latter the most annoying, as experienced in
section 6.60 a little bit ago. Again, more of those spinbots will come out,
this time 4 of them, 2 from the hole Errol is above. Use the arc wielder until
one drops then spin attack it to the wall right under where Errol is.
Stage 4 is similar to stage 3 - 4 shockwave fireballs, 7 random target spots
for even more holes in the floor, then 4 basic fireballs. This time, the
game's worst normal enemies come out, dark demons and dark bats. These are
very black demon-like monsters that bring up a white shield around them. Their
projectiles that are very hard to avoid short of a lot of distance do 4 units
of damage. You will want the peace maker for these, it's the only effective
way to get rid of them as it also cuts through their shields. Otherwise, they
take a lot of shots to get, almost too many to really be worth it (and their
shields absorb the shots making it still harder). Dark bats will also come
out, aerial monsters resembling the green metal head bats seen in section 6.52,
only black. They frequently fire dark eco shots that do 2 units of damage so
destroy these monsters quickly as well, best with the peace maker. There are 4
total dark demons and 2 total dark bats to get. The familiar spinbots used to
attack Errol with follow, all 3 from the same gate.
If, at any time, all of the spinbots are destroyed and/or don't hit Errol, you
will repeat the stage you are currently in. There are no check points so you
must get all 4 stages in one go.
Once the final hit is dealt to Cyber-Errol, a scene will occur.
Congratulations! You have now completed act 2.
Items received:
• Light eco crystal
• Mass inverter (second dark gun)
• +5 max dark ammo capacity
Like with act 2, once you exceed 250 orbs, you can start spending them on less
worthwhile stuff. Just don't drop under 250. Focus on the more important
weapon upgrades first such as ammo efficiency.
===================================================.
# 7.1 Time trial of first race for orbs **070100** #
`===================================================`
Normal difficulty (Sand Shark or Desert Screamer, assuming unlimited turbos):
Bronze difficulty: **` or ** (under 3:30)
Silver difficulty: ***` or *** (under 3:15)
Gold difficulty: ***** or ****` (under 3:00)
There are now 4 new secrets are available, all but one of which is junk. The
only good one, though very expensive at 30 orbs, is unlimited vehicle turbos
and it's the key to getting gold in the races. But, is it worth it? If you
have 280 or more orbs available, get it as. That's up to you. The races can
recover 18 orbs at least and with unlimited turbos, gold is easy to get. Plus,
when you start again with hero mode, you can get gold right off the bat on the
first race (I've done it). The other 3 secrets are junk and require something
that's also junk just to get it making it more worthless. Level select act 2
for 5 orbs is available, but cannot be selected because act 1 is needed first.
It's junk anyway. Ignore it. Jak II model viewer for 2 orbs is available, but
requires the first model viewer, both of which are junk for now. Scene player
act 2 is available, but you have to get the act 1 scene player first and both
of them are junk for now.
The mass inverter deals no damage, but it's the key to getting gold for hang
time with minimal effort and it works on any vehicle. The mass inverter is
also needed for easy gold on the distance jumping.
A lot of side missions have also become available. Might as well put them to
use. Nothing is available in Haven City though besides the jet board scoring
one that's always available (ignore it if you already got gold or went as far
as you could). For now, return to the port area and board that blue vehicle to
return to the desert.
If you want to race, get the desert screamer for 20 orbs. It's the best
vehicle there is. Otherwise, the Sand Shark will still do well. It has a
modest speed and excellent handling. Although the highlight is on the Dune
Hopper, it is not necessary. Regardless, if you do purchase stuff with orbs,
make sure you always have at least 250 for the really good stuff to come fairly
soon.
Regardless, it's now time for going for the races and other side stuff that
have been on hold for a long time to better prepare for it. Claim those orbs
while you still can! Use either the Sand Shark or the Desert Screamer for this
(the latter costs 20 orbs). From just leaving Spargus, turn left. The kiosk
here requires 8 skull gems and it's right by a tree. Trade them and you'll get
the race. See section 5.10 for details on this as it's the same thing minus
the other drivers. It's nothing but a time trial. I would suggest going for
at least the silver. Go for gold if you're dedicated and/or like racing. Just
remember - take it slow around any corners to keep skidding to a minimum. If
you got the gold, just press /\ to not repeat the race and return to the kiosk.
Difficulty (Sand Shark or Desert Screamer, assuming unlimited turbos):
Bronze difficulty: ** or *` (under 4:40)
Silver difficulty: **` or ** (under 4:30)
Gold difficulty: ****` or ***` (under 4:25)
The longest race has a lot of long, straight pathways so a very fast vehicle
will make this race look easy. Unfortunately, you're racing with others,
marauders. Fortunately, it's a fairly easy race, especially with unlimited
turbos. Go for the gold, or at least silver if racing isn't your thing. This
race is surprisingly easy. This race is unique. This kiosk is on the western
side of the central mountains. It takes 12 skull gems though, a really big
haul, but it's worth 18 total orbs.
Torches now lay out the path and the minimap doesn't show the shape of the
course so it's hard to make out what's coming up. You'll need course
memorization. The first step is to get past the other racers, the biggest
problem. Once past them, which is easy enough to do with a well-timed jump
after firing a turbo right away, just follow the course. To get the gold, you
need to be under 1:28.667 for each lap. It's easy enough to get 1:25 per lap
with the Desert Screamer.
Start by firing off a turbo then jumping over the car directly in front, easy
enough to do with the Desert Screamer. A short bit into the cave, a left turn
is made. Another turbo can be used to go straight after the skid turn and
lining up but it's only weakly recommended. A slight right turn is next,
leaving the cave. Go straight, slightly left of the cactus, then brake when
just going by the cactus. Turn left, point toward the bridge, fire off a
turbo, then jump. Jumping will avoid most of the water, saving a lot of time
and just landing in it will help regain stability.
Turn slightly left but aim for the right wall where the turbo light is. Make
the slight right turn then fire off a turbo. The path curves around slowly to
the left - fire off turbos the entire way (just hold R2). A long straight path
is next - just keep firing off turbos like there's no tomorrow and stick to the
left side as the path on the right narrows. Whether you go left or right where
the rock and trees are doesn't matter but avoid firing off a turbo here. I
prefer the right as it's easier. A slight left turn is present. Once aligned,
fire off another turbo.
The path significantly narrows and is tilted in the next area. Use of a turbo
is only recommended if going straight (no chance of hitting anything) and
stable. A slight left turn follows and the path widens again - another good
spot for a turbo. A slight right is next, with a turbo light on top of a sand
dune. If you can line up with that sand dune, aiming slightly left, fire off a
turbo and jump at the top. A left turn is at the end, which completes the lap
- fire off a turbo once aligned and stable, always doing so regardless of
stability if this is the last lap.
Repeat this twice more for the other 2 laps. If you got the gold, just press
/\ to avoid repeating the race and return to the kiosk.
Items received:
• 12x orb
• 6x orb with dedication
=================================================================.
# 7.3 Finishing the hang time and distance challenges **070300** #
`=================================================================`
Normal difficulty:
All but total distance: *
Total distance: ***
Hero difficulty:
All but total distance: *
Total distance: **
With the mass inverter now in your posession, it's time to put it to use and
get easy gold. See sections 5.14 and 5.15 for details on how to do it.
There's still a good 18 orbs left, depending on how far you went. From the
race kiosk above, go backwards to find the kiosk in the high area. You will
not need trade the 16 skull gems for it because, if you've done it before, it's
done for good. If you didn't bother with this before, you'll definitely want
to trade those skull gems because potentially 45 orbs are waiting. Save your
game before starting if you plan on doing it the easy way. If you plan on
doing it the old fashioned way, it's fairly easy with the Desert Screamer as
it's so fast with a crazy powerful turbo. For a quick summary:
For the hang time challenges, destroy the vehicle upon starting if the health
is less than 75% (you can see it smoking) so you can start fresh. With that
check done, get in the vehicle and right back out again. Quickly change to the
mass inverter and fire off a shot. That alone finishes the hang time
challenge. For the total, just fire enough shots to get the 10 seconds needed,
firing one off when the vehicle lands. Once you get the goal (or are very
close to it where driving over the edge can get the rest), don't do anything
else - let the time run out so you can spare the ammo for the distance jumps.
Once you complete these, it's a good time to save your game again.
The single distance is easy to do - flash freeze is not required. Get the
vehicle lined up as explained, use the mass inverter and quickly get a wave
concussor charged up so that it sends the vehicle off where you need it.
Without unlimited Light Jak and unlimited ammo, the total distance is much
harder with normal mode.
Items received:
• ?x orb (varies, depending on how many you got during 5.15, 5.16, and 5.17)
=======================================.
# 7.4 Rescue Seem at temple **070400** #
`=======================================`
Normal difficulty: ***`
Hero difficulty: **
If you need an ammo reload, return to Haven City via that blue vehicle just
east of Spargus City's gate and use the area where all the robots and metal
heads are.
Return to the vehicle storage room and get in the Dune Hopper, which is
highlighted. Leave the city going slightly left to get to the lost city. Go
around it or through it, continuing south to get on the chain of islands
leading to the Monk Temple. Make the familiar jumps and stop. Get the peace
maker out as you're going to need it because of what's present.
Go through the door into the temple and wait for the first 2 or 3 of those dark
demons to appear. Destroy them, especially when they're grouped, with the
peace maker. Remember the room that had the eye bringing up the spikes? Go
into there and turn right to find some of those dark monsters present. They
may be alone, the best time to use normal attacks as needed. Spin attack to
destroy the shield then punch them until they're down. Spin attacking the
shield will have a knockback effect and it sounds like Jak is injured, but he
takes no damage. However, you must be quick or the shield will go back up
again.
Continue down the stairs and go into the room where those guardbots were. More
of those dark demons appear. To make the most out of the peace maker's few
shots, consider taking cover behind a pillar on the outer edge of the room.
They will not attack or even have their shield up if taking cover. When ready,
get out of hiding and quickly fire off a peace maker shot and destroy them.
You'll often get 3 or more in one this way. They drop a ton of dark eco as
well, so you could even consider using Dark Jak, and either the dark bomb or
dark blast. Once they're defeated, find the room with the dark eco vent and
turn slightly left. You will need Dark Jak's Dark Charge to break that door.
Inside, more dark demons appear. Wait for 3 to show up then fire off the peace
maker. Turn left at the intersection then make the right turn. Turn left and
you'll find another door that's shattered - put Dark Jak to use to destroy it.
Go straight.
This room will have a never-ending supply of dark demons. There's also vases
with skull gems present. Because of the unlimited skull gem grinding being
available (see section 6.39), ignore them. Upon entering this room, however,
turn hard right to find a light eco vent. Go into it to heal, healing while in
the vent to keep a full supply of light eco. If you find this room difficult,
put Light Shield to use, one of the very few times where that skill has some
use. From entering the room, you need to go straight to the wall then turn
right, jumping over the gap. Keep going straight, jumping over every gap there
is. There are plenty of vases along the way that have ammo reloads and
occasional health packs. At the end, use Dark Charge on the cracked door to
destroy it.
Once inside, continue straight. A light eco vent is present just ahead. Just
to the right of it is an urn with 9 skull gems - hit it with the jet board to
quickly collect them all at once so do you don't have to go chasing them
around. Use the light eco vent to heal, healing while in the vent. Continue
straight. Before going into the pillar, there is a single vase on the left
side containing an orb. Smash it then go into the pillar of light for a scene.
Press X to jump, as usual, then press X at the top of the jump to make another,
really high jump, even higher than the high jump with the spin attack at the
top. To maximize flight duration - practice here while it's still easy - press
X while the wings are about level or slightly below level. If you need to
restore light eco, go to the light eco vent you just passed.
From facing the statue, go to the left side. It may be a dead end, but there's
a lot of vases and urns there, with 15 skull gems and 6 orbs. To make the
stuff quick and easy to grab so you don't have to go chasing stuff around, use
the jet board to smash them with, applicable mainly to the center ones. What a
haul! If you're short on ammo, consider deliberately jumping off the edge to
die. It'll respawn the ammo-restocking vases. It's also a bit quicker to
return. Regardless, you need to get to the other side. Assuming you didn't
jump down to respawn the smashables, hold L2 and press X to get Light Flight
again. Jump to the right side, slightly right. Jump straight across, then
jump slightly left. Remember to flap the wings (press X) as near to the level
position as possible for maximum flight duration. Continue straight and go in
that path. The door will automatically open upon being near it. It's faster
to use the jet board to get this distance covered.
To the right is a light eco vent. Just beyond it is an urn. Use the jet board
on it for 5 skull gems. Slightly to the right, you will see a pillar across a
large gap - fly to it. Fly to that ledge straight across. Turn right. There
are some smashables there - jet board time! It's just a single skull gem.
Reactivate Light Flight, go backward, then jump across that gap to get an orb.
Reactivate Light Flight, turn hard right, then jump to that pillar. Turn
slightly left and jump to that pillar. Do not go into that room on the left -
there's nothing there. Instead, turn right and go to that pillar. The room to
the right has nothing present so don't go there. Instead, turn left and go to
the top of that pillar. Turn hard right to go on that ledge. Go straight to
get a scene.
Items received:
• Light Flight
• Time map
============================================.
# 7.5 Defend Spargus from attack **070500** #
`============================================`
Normal difficulty: ****`
Hero difficulty: ****`
A new secret has become available, but it's of no use - 8 orbs for mass
inverter duration upgrade. Ignore it unless you have at least 258 orbs
available.
Jump through the portal to return. If you needed to restock ammo, go around
the area and smash the smashables. Turn left to leave - you don't need to get
the guns out. Return to the Dune Hopper and jump across the gaps as before,
returning to Spargus City.
At the gate, get the peace maker out. Those dark shield monsters are appearing
throughout the city. Don't worry about destroying the residents - they
actually drop ammo. Some residents will chicken out and run away, others will
attempt to attack, causing the dark demons' shields to turn red. Past a
certain point, the shields break and damage can be done to them. The peace
maker gets through those shields and instead of taking 4 shots, takes just that
one. Loving the peace maker yet? You need to get to the turret as quickly as
possible but there is no time limit. From the entrance, go straight then turn
left into the narrow passage. Follow it, turning left as the path splits.
Turn right as the path splits then turn left to follow the shore. Turn right
to get to the top of the turret and get in with /\.
Now for a difficult mission, one that invulnerability does not help with due to
a bug in the game. There's also no check points so you have to do this all in
one go. I spent a half hour retrying on my first attempt at this - it's not
easy. For the most part, just repeatedly press R1 (time it, pacing yourself,
for the maximum shooting rate). The top of the screen will have a health bar,
the cannon's health bar.
Each monster will have 5 points that need to be shot at - the head and the 4
for the legs. Note the gray target symbols. Focus on destroying the
projectiles. What I do is I alternate between targeting the monster and the
projectiles. Get it so that you destroy a projectile that has just launched
then focus on the monster. Quite often, you'll have 3 monsters at once, all
firing projectiles, making things more difficult. Focus on destroying one
monster at a time, but destroy all projectiles.
After the first monster is destroyed, another will appear with another shortly
after giving 2 at once. A batch of 3 on the left side of the island is next,
making things difficult. A group of 3 monsters will appear on the right side
of the island, also in short succession. Once those 3 are destroyed, the gun
will turn around automatically to face the city itself. There are 3 monsters
here, spaced farther apart, firing smaller projectiles in a magenta glow that
are hard to hit due to their size. If you've got at least half of the health
bar left, just ignore the projectiles and focus on destroying the monsters. A
good offense is a good defense. Once these 3 monsters are down, the mission is
complete. If you made it with a full health bar, you can call yourself a
master of the turret!
Items received:
• 3rd war amulet
• Breastplate (+2 max health points (now maxed at 16))
=================================================.
# 7.6 Activate astro-viewer in forest **070600** #
`=================================================`
Normal difficulty: *****
Hero difficulty: **
Return to Haven City. There is no longer any need for the guns as the dark
monsters have stopped appearing. Exit Spargus City, turn left, and board the
blue vehicle. There is no need for a vehicle to get here - just use the jet
board and don't stray too far out - hug the edge so that the marauders don't
spawn.
Be sure to get a full stock of light eco and ammo - you're going to need it.
Remember the eastern side of the port where all those robots are? Go there to
get the ammo restocked and, optionally, light eco. Go to the western side of
Haven City. At the creepy-looking area, take the left route and follow it to
Haven Forest. This time, Haven Forest is dangerous, really dangerous. Those
dark monsters have invaded and they're all over the place. The dark demons
will even steal the guns and use them against you. Taking cover is essential,
but fortunately, there are frequent check points. Even then, it's totally not
easy. On my first play, I needed a good 30 minutes to get past this part as it
was so frustratingly difficult. It's probably the hardest story mission in the
game. It's to the point where you definitely need Light Shield or even flash
freeze to quickly get to the guns with greater ease and get rid of the dark
demons operating it - avoid healing so you can at least use Light Shield to
help. This is the one and true place where Light Shield is of any real use.
The goal is to shoot and destroy the 9 flowers. Each gun gets 3. Each set of
3 is a check point. If Jak's health is getting low after each set of 3, choose
to restart the mission - you will restart from the last checkpoint and return
to the entrance.
The first gun is pretty much straight ahead. Off to the left are crates for
ammo. However, don't go straight to the gun - there's a good chance a dark
demon will take control over it and if you're in its sights, it will shoot.
The shots do 2 units of damage each and they're nonstop. Heat-seeking ammo
such as the needle lazer (spend the 10 orbs on the ammo efficiency to make it
more effective and useful) and luck with the beam reflexor are the key that I
can see for getting these monsters while they tend to a gun, though it takes a
bit of a distance and an odd angle shot to make it. Take cover behind the
trees and rocks but beware of the dark bats that will endlessly keep arriving,
which come from the flowers you need to destroy. Ignore them for now and focus
on getting rid of the dark demon behind the gun. If you need to, use Light
Shield to run over to the dark demon while it's shooting. A good example of a
setup, for a top down view with forward being on the right is like this (not to
scale but the rough distances and angles are the focus):
A
J O GD
A
J is where Jak stands, O is the tree or rocks you're using to take cover, G is
where the gun is, D is where the dark demon is, and A is roughly where you aim
to, on either side.
Once the dark demon is destroyed, quickly run to the gun and get in. Even with
invulnerability, the gun is vulnerable and the dark monsters will always be
attacking it. I find it easier to just ignore the never-ending supply of dark
monsters and focus on quickly destroying the flowers, your biggest priority.
Use the map to determine which direction the flowers are (if facing the flower,
the red dot is to the top of the map) then use the visual cues to find it. The
gun will take a modest amount of damage, but once the flowers are destroyed,
quickly get out of it before it gets destroyed. If the gun has a lot of health
left, you can even consider using it to destroy some of the monsters and spare
some of Jak's health to make things a little easier. The flowers take several
hits to destroy - a life bar appears upon one taking a hit. Once all 3 are
destroyed for the gun, get out of the gun and get the peace maker ready to
bulk-destroy the dark shield monsters.
The second gun is either straight ahead from the entrance or slightly left,
across the river. Both are by the lake. I will assume you take the one
straight across. If you a see dark demon just appearing by the gun, fire off
the peace maker straight to it and take cover before it can fire the gun. The
shot should, unless dark bats are around, destroy it. Otherwise, use the
needle lazer or even Light Shield to knock the dark demon away from the gun,
destroying it.
I would suggest, before going to the third gun, choosing "restart mission" so
you can restore your health and get an easier approach to the third gun. If
needed smash the crates for more ammo... of the wrong types. Instead of going
to the closest gun straight ahead from the entrance, go to the river and hop
in. Follow it around and turn hard left at the intersection, then turn right
go around the island and past it. You will need to get on that land to the
left but it's too high up there. Follow it around until a lower area is
revealed where a double jump with a spin attack from a slight distance will get
you up on it. You will slide down if you make contact with the ground so it
may take a few tries. It's located between the two light grayish-brown areas
on the map. From there, the gun is to the right. Get the needle lazer ready.
Once at the gun, focus on just the flowers again.
Once the flowers are destroyed, get out and a scene will occur shortly after.
The peace maker will finish off the dark demons. Man, all that trouble for no
reward either. Once the scene occurs, you can choose to restart the mission so
you don't have to fight the monsters.
Regardless, once all the flowers are destroyed, go to the center of the lake
and climb up the platforms which will rise like before. A highlight is at the
top - step into it for a scene to complete this frustratingly difficult
mission.
==========================================.
# 7.7 Destroy Dark Ship shield **070700** #
`==========================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: **
This time, you control a dark maker robot. The controls for movement are quite
awkward. Press X to jump. Double jump is not possible. Press [] to do a
punch attack and this thing is strong enough to destroy the dark demons in one
hit, even with their shields up. Press [] repeatedly do up to a 3-punch combo
in short succession. Press R1 to pick stuff up or place it back down. Press
[] while holding something to throw a held object. Press and hold O to use the
shield. However, the shield will break if it takes too many hits and cannot be
used again. Use it against a lone monster. Unlike Jak 2's Titan Suit,
invulnerability affects this dark maker suit making hero mode much easier.
It's only the awkward control and jumping that pose the biggest problem.
From the start, you will find 5 dark demons straight ahead. Destroy all 5 of
them. You won't be able to pick up anything they drop. Once all 5 dark demons
are destroyed, a door will open on the west side. Go into that door. A ball
bomb is straight ahead. Punch to knock it toward that door straight ahead to
destroy it. I love the sounds these bombs make when they blow up. Go to the
door and a target symbol shows up on it. Punch the door to smash it down.
A room with blue lasers is beyond. They rotate 45° clockwise 3 times then
pause for about 3 seconds. You need to go by the lasers without touching them.
When the laser is level, go straight 2 zones. When the laser is at a diagonal,
go on the wider side one zone. If the laser is vertical, don't go. It's the
easiest and fastest way to get past here. There are 10 total lasers. The end
is a door to be smashed. A pair of dark demons are beyond the door - punch
them out of existence. From the entrance to this room, turn hard right. A
ball bomb is here. Punch it toward that electrified thing to blow it up. A
hole is formed - jump down it.
Turn slightly right to find the opening. Dark demons are beyond. Punch them
into oblivion... or send them over the edge to fall forever. From entering
this area, turn slightly left and a ball bomb is there. See the electrified
thing straight ahead? That's where you need to aim. Platforms replace it -
use them to get across, carefully timing your jump, a full jump, so that the
location you plan on landing is where the platform will be. A dark demon is
just across - use the shield to block its attack. Another ball bomb is present
with the electrified thing on the right to blow up slightly right. Like
before, platforms will replace it. A dark demon is beyond, use your shield to
protect yourself from its attacks while you wait for the platforms to get
across. It may attempt to attack as you're punching the ball bomb but you're
safely out of its range.
On this large platform, turn left. A box is there. Approach it and pick it up
with R1. Carry it to just a bit before the ledge its very close to then press
R1 to place it. Use it as a platform to get to the ball bombs. Punch a ball
bomb to the electrified thing to destroy it. A scene will occur where a door
will open on the other side. Jump down, pick up the box, and carry it to the
other side, placing it like before. Jump up the ledge using the box as a
platform. Use the ball bomb on top to destroy the electrified thing to get
more platforms. Go into the doorway and go straight to the dark demons
straight ahead. Destroy all 4 of them. There's too many to use the shield on
as the shield will break.
Turn left and go into the room ahead. A laser repeatedly sweeps across the
floor. Time your jump so you can jump clear over it. There are 3 spherical
things orbiting a central area, one slow, one medium, the other fast. Aim the
ball bombs to the central area so that they explode where one of the sphere is.
For the fast one, time the punch so that the sphere is closest to the ball bomb
- the ball bomb will explode as the sphere makes one full loop. Once
destroyed, you'll get a scene and the mission is complete.
You'll return to Haven Forest. From facing the astro viewer, go backward and
dive into the water below. There is no need to get out the guns as there are
no monsters present. Follow the river like before, turning right at the end to
get to the door. In the scary-looking area, take the right path. Follow the
port circle around to the east side and continue to where HQ is. Spend a
little time here recovering ammo as needed.
When at the fountain where HQ is, go straight then turn right. Turn left then
follow the left turn to the kiosk on the left. Trade the 4 skull gems for the
mission. You have 19 seconds to find that orb in the air along rails. From
facing the kiosk, go slightly left and get out the jet board. Go to the lower
part of the rail, from the circular part of the path and jump on it, grinding.
Jump across the gap to the higher rail, then jump across the gap to the rail
here. At the end of this, grabbing a red orb, jump at the top to grab the gold
orb.
Items received:
• 3x orb
======================================.
# 7.9 Blow open tower door **070900** #
`======================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: ****
Return to HQ, going up the elevator. Go straight to get a scene. This is yet
another difficult mission, but at least there's a checkpoint to help.
The driving is automatic - you control the gun. There's unlimited ammo with
this so hold R1 from start to finish. Use the left stick to move the targeting
symbol around. Left and right move it left and right. Up moves it down and
down moves it up. Unfortunately, invulnerability will not make you
invulnerable in this, due to a bug in the game. Fortunately, you don't have to
worry about avoiding shooting the other vehicle - your shots don't exist to it.
Focus on the numerous enemies instead.
Your task is to destroy the hoverbots (a different kind that can launch small
missiles), rollbots that just stand and shoot only, blast bots, pouncer metal
heads, explosive barrels, and large missiles. There's a ton of enemies around.
There are 2 health indicators. The top left one is for the vehicle in front.
The bottom left one is for Jak's vehicle.
Under the first tree are 2 rollbots. A rollbot and hoverbot are around the
turn on the right. After the left turn, 2 rollbots are on the ground with
another shortly after. The next area has a series of 6 rollbots in short
succession, one even in the water (surprising, as the water is normally instant
death to them).
Around a left turn then a right turn are 2 rollbots on top of buildings, one on
each side. Another pair are on the next building with a blast bot to the
right. A rollbot is on the wire above followed shortly after 2 on the ground.
A pouncer metal head is on the building to the left with another on top. After
a right turn, a pouncer is waiting on the building straight ahead with another
on the ground to the right. A pair of rollbots are on the left on the
building. 3 more and a pouncer are on the left with an explosive barrel
nearby.
After the left turn, a pair of rollbots are on the left with a single on the
left, a hoverbot very shortly after, then a pouncer. Next are 3 rollbots by an
explosive barrel.
After a right turn, the camera turns around. 6 missiles are going straight for
the other vehicle. A pouncer waits near the top of the ramp shortly after.
You will pass under an overpass where 2 pouncers wait above. After the left
turn, it's another pair of pouncers on top of the overpass. A right turn
follows where a blastbot is on the pathway above. Almost immediately, 6
missiles are fired but they're hard to see as you're looking straight at their
front. After a left turn, another blastbot is on the ground. A pouncer is
just a tiny bit ahead at the top of the ledge.
The camera will turn around to face the front again. A pair of blastbots one
after the other with a rollbot and a pair of pouncers are waiting at the edge.
3 rollbots are on the other side of the path at the edge. About 10 explosive
barrels and 3 rollbots follow a right turn - just shoot the closest barrel for
mass destruction. A left turn, a right turn, then another left turn are next.
About 22 missiles are headed for the other vehicle, one right after the other.
On the left, upon just entering the port, are a pair of pouncers that are
hidden until they've already jumped, an ambush of sorts.
You've reached a checkpoint, finally. Chances are, the vehicles will be almost
destroyed by this point. When you see the pouncer on the wire, consider
choosing to restart the mission, so you have full vehicle health to make the
next half easier.
Continuing on, a pouncer is on the wire. A pair of hoverbots are next. On
each ship, except the closest one, are a pair of rollbots, totalling 6 visible.
A pair of hoverbots will be mixed in. With a more rightward view, another 4
more rollbots are visible on the ships then a trio of hoverbots. After the
left turn, a blastbot is on the ground at the same time 2 hoverbots come up. 6
missiles will come mixed in with 4 rollbots lining the walkway. A pair of
hoverbots are next. 2 rollbots are in front of the pillar, then 3 pouncers are
on the right side of it, just around the corner. 3 missiles fire just as you
go under the pathway - focus on the 2 rollbots on the ship while under the
pathway.
The vehicles will then go above. 6 missiles will come then 2 rollbots are on
the ledge. On the higher ledge is a pouncer. The next ledge has a pouncer
followed by the next one and the next one. Something on the other pillar, the
next destination, fires grenades or bombs over - shoot them to destroy them.
There are 5 rollbots here though, with 3 hoverbots being added in after a fair
pause between them. More rollbots are on the pathway below, 5 in total, with a
blastbot mixed in.
Hoverbots come from over the building in the center after a slight right turn.
A series of 4 pouncers ambush from the top of the building, one after the
other. After a right turn, a rollbot, a pair of blast bots, and at least 15
explosive barrels are all together - destroy the closest barrel to destroy them
all.
A pouncer waits in the creepy room upon just entering. Another pouncer is on
the right side with another on the left in short succession. After a right
turn, a trio of pouncers will come around the left corner in an ambush with a
fourth one close by. A hoverbot instantly appears in the flower on the right.
A pair of pouncers are just beyond. Around the left turn are 4 rollbots across
the bridge. About 6 missiles follow after turning right for a fair bit. A
series of 3 pouncers follow, mostly on the right side, starting after a left
turn. Immediately after, 2 more come from the left side, the last you'll need
to deal with. After a pause, a scene will occur.
Items received:
• Super nova (third dark gun)
• +5 max dark ammo capacity
===========================================.
# 7.10 Destroy metal head tower **071000** #
`===========================================`
Normal difficulty: ***
Hero difficulty: *`
Another new secret is available - super nova ammo efficiency. It costs 10
orbs. The supernova instantly destroys everything in about a 100-meter radius.
It takes 10 of the dark ammo, half the maximum stock. The ammo efficiency
drops that down to just 8, still 40% of the stock. It's not worthwhile, but
get it only if you have at least 260 orbs available.
Go through that door that's now wide open. Smash the crates on the left for an
ammo restock. A light eco vent is on the right - use it to heal, standing in
it while doing so. Beyond are dark spiders, 4 of them. A bit beyond are dark
bats - put the peace maker to use on those. Return to the light eco vent to
heal as needed. Several (about 4) dark spiders will come out of the hole in
the wall.
As go around, a platform will lower and dark demons will appear on it and the
gun gets automatically put away. Bring the peace maker back out then wait for
3 of them to show up then fire off the peace maker at them. Jump on top of it
and another platform will lower. Wait for 2 of the dark demons to appear on it
then fire off the peace maker to destroy them. Get on the platform and to the
ledge straight across.
Go up the ramps. At the top, to the right, are a series of ledges with dark
spiders coming out of holes. This is a good spot to use Dark Blast from Dark
Jak, to get rid of the annoying dark bats. At the top, there are crates to get
an ammo reload. However, be fast because more monsters are coming, including
dark bats. Dark spiders will come out of the holes. Just spin attack these
easy things. The branches that go back and forth are harmless, but they do
push you around - jump over or go around them. Just continue straight. A
light eco vent is ahead - heal while standing in it, then use Light Flight
while standing in it. Fly across the large gap and quickly leave Light Flight
once across it.
Ignore the crates on the right for now. Destroy the 3 dark demons with the
peace maker. Now smash the crates for an ammo reload. Jump over the swaying
branches. A ramp is ahead with crates to the right just before it, for ammo.
Skip them unless you have 10 or fewer dark ammo shots left. Climb to the top
where a lot of dark spiders and dark bats are, even big dark spiders that split
into 2 or sometimes even 3 (yep, 4 spiders from one). This is another great
place to use Dark Blast or Dark Bomb. There will be so much dark eco dropped
from all this you're ready for another use. If you chose to use the peace
maker instead and didn't get the crates earlier, return to the crates for ammo.
If every monster is destroyed, a pathway made of magenta-colored light forms to
connect the 2 areas. Go up it.
At the top, crates are on the right, for more ammo. At the top, dark monsters
will appear, both the dark demons and the dark bats. The peace maker has work
to do. Wait for at least 2 dark demons to appear then put the peace maker to
use. Once destroyed, a platform will rise... and the gun annoyingly gets put
back. It is to the left upon entering this area from the ramp. Bring the gun
out again then jump on it. Turn slightly right and a high ledge is there - use
a high jump to get on it.
A crate is on the left for ammo - ignore it if you have a full ammo load. Turn
right and go up the ramp. 4 large dark spiders will come. Put the peace maker
to use again. At the top, dark demons will appear, 4 in total. Shoot them
with the peace maker, waiting for at least 2 to show up for maximum efficiency
of the peace maker. Another magenta-colored pathway of light appears on the
left. Collect the drops as needed then cross it.
A lot of dark spiders are just across - either use the peace maker or Dark
Blast to bulk destroy them. However, to the left of the light path, a long
chain of dark spiders are coming, single file. The peace maker has more work
to do. These spiders will split into multiple small ones as well which makes
the peace maker that much more effective. The game's frame rate will even drop
to about 6 to 10 fps, depending on how many are hit with the arcing. Go up
that ramp and dark demons are waiting. Hit them with the peace maker. Destroy
them all and a platform will rise... and the gun annoyingly gets put back
automatically. Bring it back out as soon as you can, collect the stuff, then
go to that platform for a scene and another completed mission in the bag.
Items received:
• Dark eco crystal
• Eco power sphere
That now completes everything in the items inventory. Get the peace maker out
again then leave the building you're in and leave the water slums area. From
the start, turn right and follow the path around, turning right twice. Turn
left after the short distance and continue straight, following the path. Turn
right at the insection, left, then right at the next intersections. Follow the
path. When the path opens up again where the cracks are, turn hard right and
continue straight to go to the tent. Go inside for a scene.
Return to the water slums area - go backward, turn hard left, then follow the
path. At the intersection, turn left, go straight, turn left, go straight,
then turn right. Here, you will find nothing but scorpion metal heads. You
remember this place right? First thing in act 2, upon arriving in Haven City,
you were in this area. Unlike before, there's now a never-ending supply of
skull gems from them as well. Grind skull gems if you desire, though it's not
really necessary.
On the right side near the water, there is a kiosk. Skip it for now, for
efficiency reasons. Go to the next one along the path. Trade 4 skull gems for
the mission. There are 16 seconds to find the orb on the high spot there.
From facing the kiosk, turn right and get out the jet board. Turn right to get
on the bridge, left once across it. Get off the jet board here and do a high
jump with a spin attack. The orb is on top here.
Go back to the kiosk I told you to skip which is straight ahead. Trade the 4
skull gems for the final side mission in the game. There are 20 seconds to
find the orb on the pipe. Say, doesn't that pipe look familiar? You were just
there from the previous orb hunt! From facing the kiosk, turn left. There is
a pile of junk over there but you slip through. Continue straight then turn
left at the bridge. Turn left once across it. Now, get on that long pipe and
grind it to the top. The orb is there at the top. This one is hard because I
take several tries and there just isn't really enough time to get it.
Congratulations, you completed every side mission in the game!
Go straight into that narrow passage. You will get a scene at the end of it.
Straight ahead are a bunch of ninja mantises (about 8) and spider metal heads
that shoot often (about 3). Use the blaster and pick them off while they're
not jumping around. If they are, just use the rapid fire spinning attack
approach to quickly eradicate them, but only when there's a large number. The
scatter gun works nice too, but it's not really recommended because of the
short range it has. Another good option is Dark Blast or Dark Bomb. They drop
a lot of dark eco.
From the entrance area, turn left to find an orb at the end of the very narrow
pathway. Go back then continue straight. More ninja mantises are present, and
more spider metal heads. Just off on the left side are very narrow platforms
with 2 orbs. Get the orbs using spin attacks to carefully position the
landing, doing so once you've cleared the area out of metal head monsters. You
can stand on the higher platform where the orb is and shoot the ninja mantises
from there - they won't get up there so it's a great spot for a quality ambush.
Continuing straight, go right where 3 more ninja mantises are waiting just
around the corner. The blaster does fine there - shoot them as they become
visible. 4 more ninja mantises wait around the corner on the left. Shoot
them. In the corner, to the right from the top of the stairs, are crates for
blue ammo and a health pack. Around the left, there is a cracked wall - use
Dark Jak's Dark Charge to destroy it. Consider remaining as Dark Jak so you
can ready Dark Blast just beyond because there's 5 ninja mantises present.
Return to the dark eco vent to recover as needed.
Jump up the bluish-colored object and continue straight. Poison flowers are
ahead. Do not punch or spin attack these. They can be shot though. If you've
got good health, you could spin attack them to get through more quickly - just
get to the white eco vents ahead and use Light Regenerate while standing in
them. Also, activate Light Flight while standing in the light eco vent as
well. From facing that wall, turn left and fly across.
Be ready to deal with 3 or 4 ninja mantises - you may need to use spin attacks
when they're really close. There are crates on the right for an ammo reload.
Hiding in the pile of rubble are 2 more ninja mantises - shoot them. Another
light eco vent is straight ahead, another opportunity to heal and another need
for Light Flight. Use it to get to the area on the right. The crates slightly
right have blue and red ammo reloads.
Turn left to find 2 shooter spiders and 5 ninja mantises - put the blaster or
Dark Blast to good use. A dark eco vent is straight ahead for a full recovery
- you need Dark Charge to destroy the shattered glass. You may remember this
area from Jak 2, the pathway around what used to be the stadium where you had
the 3 race classes. Continue around - there are no monsters.
When the camera starts tiling down, be careful. Those platforms are unstable.
Jump on and quickly jump back off again. At the bottom are 2 crates for a
health pack and an ammo reload. Straight ahead is an unstable platform - get
on it and quickly go to the right, which is stable. Just around the right
corner are 4 more ninja mantises. Are you loving these things yet? Another
pair of ninja mantises are ahead. Shoot or spin attack them, depending on
their distance.
A rail is straight ahead. Either use the jet board to grind across (it's an
easy one) or use Light Flight if you're really bad with griding. Another rail
is ahead, this time with a jump needed to the left. Grind the rails or use
Light Flight, whichever is easier for you. Several more lovely ninja mantises,
about 6, are straight ahead. Either get the spinning rapid fire ready, or Dark
Blast, and destroy them all. At the other side are unstable platforms -
quickly get on and jump off, continuing straight. On the other side is a dark
eco vent on the left and one of those pods where the poison flowers keep coming
out of and a cracked wall beyond it. Transform into Dark Jak and run straight
to the wall. If you're low on dark eco, use the dark eco vent instead. Avoid
the flowers, though it's very hard. Destroy the cracked wall and continue
until you go up a ledge where the flowers stop but about 5 ninja mantises are
waiting.
Turn left and get across the unstable platforms. About 7 ninja mantises wait.
Spinning rapid fire attacks are very helpful here. There are another 2 ninja
mantises just beyond. Turn slightly left and a rail is present that requires a
transfer to another rail then a jump across a gap. Grind across - flying isn't
really possible without the infinite flight glitch.
Quickly get off the jet board and get out the blaster or transform to Dark Jak
so you can use Dark Blast, assuming you have at least 50% of the dark eco
stock. Destroy the roughly 6 ninja mantises here. Crates contain an ammo
reload and a health pack. Turn left to find a pair of unstable platforms -
climb up them and quickly get across. More rails, with a weird diagonal gap to
the right. Grind or fly across.
Again, quickly get off the jet board and get out the blaster for another
spinning rapid fire run. Turn right and jump across the unstable platforms to
the ledge. Another roughly 8 more ninja mantises are waiting. Destroy them.
A dark eco vent is on the right - transform into Dark Jak, turn left and use
Dark Charge to destroy the cracked wall. Return to the dark eco vent to have a
full load of Dark Jak. Go through the gate for a scene and another completed
mission.
Item received:
• Slam Dozer
======================================.
# 7.14 Break through ruins **071400** #
`======================================`
Normal difficulty: **** with toughness upgrade (***** without)
Hero difficulty: *`
The Slam Dozer, horrible for turbos, but a really high endurance vehicle. If
you haven't obtained "upgrade vehicle toughness", get it now as it will help
significantly with this already difficult mission. From the entrance, go
straight then turn right. Upon turning right, a dark bat is present. Shoot
it. Dark shield monsters will appear - just run over them to destroy them.
You won't be able to leave the vehicle to pick things up. Also, you will find
that fireballs are repeatedly fired. A target symbol appears on the floor in
random positions, sometimes it doesn't even show up at all. Stay away from it
though it's often very hard to do because ATVs have such poor maneuverability.
After following the path, a gate will be present - smash into it from about a
vehicle length away using a turbo.
On the other side, you'll find a gate, a barrier. Notice the 2 bluish lights
as you enter. Ram into them (turbo not required) to destroy them. Destroy
both and the gate goes down. However, 4 dark demons and 3 dark bats are
present. Run over the dark demons with your 10-ton battering ram and shoot the
dark bats. When the gate is down, go through it. There is no need to use a
turbo for it.
Through the now-open gate, 3 dark demons will appear - run them over. A bridge
that is up is straight ahead - run into it with a modest speed - a turbo is not
needed. On the other side are more dark demons - run over those too! You can
mostly ignore them though, if you're fast. Turn left and follow the path. A
bridge is present at the end - run into it to create a pathway to the other
side. Dark bats will arrive. Just to the left is another one of those control
tower things - destroy it. Back up and turn around. Turn left and go into the
passage.
Follow the passage, running over every dark demon you can find. Ain't it fun
using your 10-ton vehicle to run over monsters with? The dark bats and the
endless barrage of fireballs are the next concern. Shoot the dark bats down.
If a target symbol appears over the vehicle, use a turbo to quickly get out of
the way. To get that control tower on the ledge to the right, go past it then
make a hard right turn to go up the ramp.
Go through the passage and follow it, running over the dark demons like a
battering ram. A control tower is conveniently along the way - run into it.
The next one is to the right in the corner. Ram it. The gate almost directly
behind will be down.
The hardest part of this mission follows. If you've got less than 1/3 the
health, this is going to be quite tricky but still doable. If you've got less
than 1/5 the health, you might consider restarting to try again so you get here
with more health. Unfortunately, there are no check points. Turn left to find
a control tower and estroy it. Turn right and follow the path to another
control tower straight ahead - ram that thing down. As you turn left, another
dark bat is present - shoot it down. This is the toughest area. If you've
still got 1/5 of your health by now, you're still doing okay.
From entering this room, you will find a control tower on the left... and about
4 dark bats, among several dark demons. Now for the hard part - skilled jumps.
The Slam Dozer has very poor jumping and poor speed. However, if you use a
turbo just before the jump then jump over the edge, you can actually make it
and still keep the high speed while in the air. Just make sure to brake once
you get to the other side. 4 dark demons are present on the other side - run
them over. On the left is a control tower and on the right is a bridge to
knock down. Ram the control tower. Another one is straight across on the
island over there. Beware of the part sticking out - avoid it or you'll fall
in the area below and it's not easy getting back (both are in the southern
corners of this large room - there are 2 gates that could be rammed. If you do
fall, take the southeast exit and follow it around. If you didn't fall, return
to where you were. Turn left and jump across this gap. Turn left to find a
control tower - destroy it. Turn around the way you came and knock the bridge
down. Knock the bridge down to the left if you haven't already. The last
control tower is here. The gate is now open. Go through it for a scene. Man,
what a tough mission, now finally finished! Even I had difficulty writing how
to do it. It's probably not the best way though, especially for this last
part.
Remember the Catacombs from section 5.52? You've got another one of those to
do, this one being different. Remember, like before, repeatedly press R1 to
fire and destroy stuff along the way. I will use the same terminology I used
in section 5.52 for how holes are located. This course is a lot messier and it
even rotates around so what's panel 0 doesn't always stay the same, gradually
becoming what was panel R1.
Panel L2 after a fair hit has the first hole. Panel R2 has the next hole
immediately after. Shortly after, panels L4 through R2 are all missing (no
ceiling or right wall).
Spinning electric arcs are to be avoided with the hole in L3 and another
spinning laser very shortly after. After a slight right turn, panel R2 has a
hole with an arc right after. Panel L1 has the next hole twice in a row, with
R2 having the next one and a red robot at the same time. Panel L2 has a hole
then R1 then L1 and L3 all while turning right. At the same time as the hole
in panel L3, a red robot comes. Panels L3 and L4, side by side, have holes.
Immediately after, panels L3, L4, and 5 are all a hole, side by side. R2 and
R3, side by side, are holes shortly after. Panel L4 has the next hole a fair
ways out. Next is another case of panels L4 through R2 being a large hole (no
ceiling or right wall.
Panel L2 has a hole at the same time a red robot comes. Another hole in L2 is
next followed shortly by L3 then R4. The entire upper part from L3 to R3 is
missing in the next section. Immediately after is a hole in L1 with a red
robot. A pillar in panel 0 comes a fair bit later with a hole in panel R2 - go
around the pillar to the left. Panels from L3 to R3 are missing again, for no
ceiling. Panel R1 has another hole, with a red robot at the same time. R3 has
a hole almost immediately after followed by panel L2.
A pillar in panel R1 is next then an electric arc spinning clockwise. Panel R3
has a hole immediately after followed by a gap, then R3 with R4 together. A
pillar is in panel 0 again with R1 having a hole right after - go around the
pillar on the left side. A red robot comes at the same time the pillar was.
Panels L4 and 5 have a hole immediately after then R2 with R4 immediately
after. Panel 0's first hole finally comes next. A clockwise-spinning electric
arc is immediately after then a hole in L1 then R2 immediately after. A
clockwise-spinning electric arc is next.
Panels R1 all around to L4 are missing (no right side or ceiling). This is
then flipped to L1 all around to R4 are all missing. L1 is added back shortly
after. The end of the course follows. This long area has nothing present.
You can stop firing.
====================================.
# 7.16 Destroy Dark Ship **071600** #
`====================================`
Normal difficulty: ****`
Hero difficulty: **`
Remember from before? This time, you don't have that machine. You're just
plain ol' Jak. There's also a 5-minute time limit, which shouldn't be too much
of a problem. Like before, destroy the 5 dark demons, using the peace maker,
and the other door will open, on the right from upon first entering. Go
through it and things are different, since it's a different side.
If you're low on ammo, or needing to restock from failed attempts, use only the
martial arts moves Jak has, the punch and spin attack to destroy the dark
shield monsters. Use Dark Blast with all 5 dark demons present to speed things
up a bit. Jump down the bottomless pit to respawn the 5 dark demons. Don't
worry if the monsters defeat Jak. The focus is restoring ammo.
2 dark bats will come - shoot them with the peace maker. A series of 7
platforms are to be crossed. Just go full speed ahead and jump with only
single jumps shortly before the platform makes a full rotation. Another pair
of dark bats will come as you're making the jumps - ignore them and keep
moving. Quickly climb up the ledges. 3 dark demons will be waiting - put the
peace maker to use on them. You will find an area that looks like ice - go
down it.
At the bottom, 2 dark bats are waiting, with 3 dark demons on the cliff
straight ahead. Shoot them all. Turn left and you will see poles going in and
out. Get on the first pole using a double jump, starting just as it comes out.
Jump when Jak is near the top of it and get to the ledge straight across. A
pair of these poles are present ahead - do the same thing, transferring and
always using double jumps. Follow the path and you will find a door that won't
open. Turn right and find 3 dark bats - shoot them all. The door will open.
A check point is reached.
Follow the path. 3 dark demons are present - a single use of the peace maker
should be all you need to take all 3 down at once.
Continue straight. A light eco vent is present, funny in this setting. It's
there because Light Jak's Light Flight is needed. However, just before
reaching it, you will find 4 dark bats approaching. Destroy them with the
peace maker. Use it to heal first, if needed, standing in the vent. Then,
while in the vent, activate Light Flight. Fly straight. Fly to the platform
slightly left. You have 2 options here. You can either go to the platform to
the right, or you can skip it and carefully fly your way around the platform.
Another option is present - you can either turn slightly left and go onto that
platform then make a slight left turn to get on the ledge. Or, you can skip
the small platform and go directly to the ledge, since it's quite a ways down.
Regardless of how many shortcuts you used, return to normal Jak and get out the
peace maker, continue straight. 5 dark bats will come out, 2 at first with the
other 3 about 5 seconds apart. Activate Light Flight and fly across that gap.
Quickly end Light Jak and get the peace maker out to shoot the 4 total dark
demons. The door will open - go through it to an elevator. A scene will occur
and the timer will vanish. At the bottom, go straight for another scene.
You must now quickly get to the portal to escape, but there's a massive blast
of wind coming, throwing junk around, and the land is unstable. Stay to the
darker-colored parts and avoid the junk. Use rolling long jumps as needed -
avoid using the jet board.
The first part will break immediately, go straight and avoid jumping, using
rolling long jumps when the trash gets near. Continue straight. When you
reach the dark platform, immediately go left to avoid the junk. Stay to the
left and let the junk pass then quickly jump onto the next platform. Once on
it, immediately go left then continue straight. As soon as it's possible to go
right, do so but don't go too far right. Get on the next platform and stay to
the right to the end where you need to jump to the left on the next platform.
Go straight, going to the right as soon as it's possible. Jump up the
platform. Continue going straight to the edge but wait for the junk on the
left to go by then continue, going around to the far left side. Go to the
right side to get on the sturdy platform and go straight to get a scene and
finish this mission.
=====================================.
# 7.17 Destroy final boss **071700** #
`=====================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: ***
The first part is quite difficult. Right from Spargus City's gate, you get the
Sand Shark, which doesn't help much in this first part because the guns cannot
be aimed beyond turning and using the terrain's slopes. I don't know if
there's a time limit for this boss, but I've gone on for 5 minutes and I still
haven't had any "mission fail", beyond the Sand Shark being destroyed.
The goal is to shoot the 14 symbols on the bottoms of the legs to disable the
boss. The legs move very fast. I cannot really specify as to which legs have
the symbols and where because it's always moving. There are 6 legs in total,
with a mix of either 2 or 3 symbols on them. The symbols are generally on the
sides and sometimes in the front. The ones in the front tend to be the most
troublesome, especially the front legs. I tend to spend the last 2 to 3
minutes just trying to get the last 2 symbols.
While under the giant insect, spiky balls will be randomly thrown about - shoot
them for turbos and to clear the path. Spinning blades will also be released
that move about randomly - shoot them to destroy them. Once you get all 14
symbols, a scene will occur.
A dark eco vent is just to the left - use it as needed, though it's not really
a must for this. There are 3 small spiders - consider using the dark eco vent
for a Dark Blast to make things easy. Get out the peace maker though. Destroy
the 3 small spiders then go to the right, from facing the wall. A platform
will take you to the next higher area. At the top, turn left to find 2
medium-sized dark spiders. Spin attack them - they're simple enough. Once
defeated, get on the platform for the next area. Go up the platform to find a
single, large spider. Spin attack it until it splits in two. Spin attack the
two together or just fire the peace maker. Climb the platform on the right.
Another platform is immediately straight ahead - no spiders to deal with.
At the top, the main final boss itself starts. There are 4 rounds to it. 3
crates are present for an ammo reload. Always use the peace maker in this as
there's a lot of slow-moving monsters, even tentacles. The enemies here always
drop ammo based on the gun that's missing ammo so the gun you use is your
choice. The peace maker is the best due to the massive area of effect it has
(plus plenty of ammo drops to gain more ammo than you use).
Shoot the tentacles right away to destroy them. Various dark spiders of random
sizes appear. Let them group up then fire the peace maker toward the center
for mass destruction. Because the spiders frequently split, you'll often need
more than one shot, even as many as 3. Spiders will continue coming for some
time - shoot them and collect the ammo.
While doing this, keep an eye on the boss's mouth. When it starts glowing red,
begin moving around at high speed (rolling long jumps and especially the jet
board are unnecessary). The laser will always follow. Collect ammo as needed.
Now, the dark eco vent (on the left) and the light eco vent (on the right) open
up. The dark one should be ignored. Instead, go to the light one and heal
while in the vent (so you can make sure you have the 16 extra health from
healing for effectively 32 maximum units). During this, the boss will do laser
sweeps - jump over the lazer to avoid it. When the boss exposes the
magenta-colored part on the side during the laser sweeps, shoot it with the
peace maker (or have fun and fire off the supernova as the boss is halfway down
the sweep.
Regardless on how you hit that magenta thing, round 2 follows. Very shortly
after the hit is scored, the boss's head will smack down on - just run to avoid
it. The vents will also fade away.
More tentacles will appear - shoot them right away, along with the countless
dark spiders. This time, during this, giant spinning blades will be added in
that do 4 units of damage. Shoot them to destroy it. Failing to do so will
cause it to chase after you and it's impossible to avoid it. There are 2 such
blades in total, mixed in with the barrage of dark spiders. Again, the laser
chase follows, this time mixed in with dark spiders. While the laser is going
off with the dark spiders around, you can actually get it so that the laser
deals damage to the dark spiders. Continue avoiding the laser while the peace
maker (and laser) destroy the dark spiders. After a bit, the vents open up
again and the laser sweeps begin again. Heal as needed then fire a shot at the
magenta thing like before.
Follow the same process you did with the second stage for the third stage -
destroy the spiders and avoid the chaser laser. When the vents open up, heal
again and shoot for that magenta-colored spot.
On the fourth stage, the boss will attempt to swat you with its head - just
move around constantly to avoid it. It will make 2 strikes. Repeat the
process as done with stages 2 and 3. After a while, the boss will attempt to
swat you with its head again, 3 times in total. The vents open up - heal as
needed then finish off the boss by shooting that magenta-colored area. Once
hit, a scene will occur.
Congratulations! You have now completed the game... well, sort of. You
completed the main story. There's still orb hunting to do, among others.
Items received:
• All the best secrets in the game (not really an item but well worth noting)
======================================================.
# 7.18 Finishing up - orbs in Spargus City **071800** #
`======================================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: ****
Now the best secrets in the game are available. If you've avoided dropping
below 250 orbs, you can get them all now. Otherwise, you'll have to focus on
the orb searches, the lone red ones or start hero mode. Do not go after hero
mode right away. You can still pick up orbs that will carry on into hero mode.
First up, get invulnerability, for a massive 100 orbs. With that, the rest of
what's needed, and replaying in hero mode will be very easy and quite fun.
Next, get unlimited ammo for 50 orbs. Now, unlimited Light Jak is the next
higher priority, for 50 orbs. Unlimited Dark Jak is the next higher priority.
Do try to spare 5 orbs so you can activate hero mode. Buy whatever else you
want, just don't drop below 5. Dark Jak Invisibility on /\ is pretty much junk
and it's crazy expensive. Everything in "art gallery" is 2 orbs, but you have
to get lesser stuff to get the others.
You start in Spargus City, on the eastern side. Let's go get some more orbs.
Remember that bridge spanning 2 buildings to the north? Remember all those
tempting orbs on the roof top? With Light Flight, they are reachable. From
the top of the bridge, activate it and fly away from the side with the orbs on
it. You will need to get on that roof top and it may take a few tries. It's
easier if you can get the top of the big jump, the second jump that starts the
flight, and aim it so that the flight is just over those things sticking out.
You can't land on them, but it stops the falling, giving you that last boost to
get on the roof top. From that roof top, however, you can then fly over to the
top of the building where the orbs are. There are 11 in total. Sure it looks
like 5, but there's another 6 on the higher area.
In the southeast corner of the eastern area, there are high pillars, one with
an orb on it. There is no other way to access them without using Light Flight.
Use it to fly to the orb to the southeast from the top of a ramp.
In the building in eastern area's eastern part, where a ladder goes up, fly to
the WNW to a building that has an orb on the top. From there (for which that
pipe behind it has no collection for, though the camera glitches as if it
does), get out the jet board and grind the pipe sticking out over the edge. To
get across the large gap, start as far away from the pipe as you can on the
high part and get out the jet board without moving. Once out, go straight,
grinding the pipe (just hold [] for that) then fall over the edge, holding []
to get on the pipe. Grind it to the top to pick up 2 orbs. At the very top of
this, there is another orb, but you get thrown up. Carefully land on the odd
pipe and go over the edge to get the last orb. Do not get off the jet board
until you firmly land - you will take fall damage otherwise (even with
invulnerability).
Go to the northern part of the eastern area, going up the stairs leading to the
arena. Activate Light Flight and fly to the right. Climb up the ledges and
there's an orb in a bag - smash it. Turn left from the top of the stairs and
fly to those roof tops. Another orb is found on top of a white-sided building.
Go the western side of Spargus City. Remember that large area of dark brown?
You will need to climb to the top of that building. There are a lot of vases,
urns, and bags here, often containing ammo. There are 2 easy to reach orbs at
the edges of the roof - approach them slowly. One last orb is stuck far out -
use either the jet board or, easier, Light Flight to get it.
The last orb is on top of a cylindrical tower on the western side of Spargus
City. I currently do not know how to get it without using glitches.
There may be more orbs, but I currently do not know of any others.
Items received:
• About 22x orb
==============================================.
# 7.19 Finishing up - orbs in nest **071900** #
`==============================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: *`
Leave Spargus City. With invulnerability, a vehicle is not necessary,
especially with jet board turbo. Remember those orbs you couldn't get out of
the vehicle to get at the entrance to the nest? Those orbs are now accessible.
Go to the northwest part of the lost city area to find the cave. Unlimited
Light Jak will make this easy - when the leeches start appearing, just use
flash freeze to make it easy.
Also, as you go into the metal head cave nest, note the odd areas on the left
and right sides in the narrow path. The map doesn't show the location so you
will have to use counting. Looking on the left side of the pathway, count 3
structures on the left. The third one has 3 orbs on it. Get to about the
middle, for the lower part, then jump up it with a double jump. Pass through
the narrow gap. Straight ahead is one orb. Another orb is to the left, and
the third is in the vicinity and very close.
At the other side (the side that would've been on the right), farther in,
there's another area with more orbs, easily visible from the ledge. There are
3 orbs on this ledge, all close together.
Continue deeper into the metal head cave. On the left side are 2 more orbs,
the last 2. Leave the metal head nest and do a manual save to save the 8 orbs
you obtained.
Items received:
• 8x orb
====================================================.
# 7.20 Finishing up - orbs in Haven City **072000** #
`====================================================`
Normal difficulty: ****
Hero difficulty: ****
Regardless on how you got to the metal head cave, you don't need to go in any
deeper. If you do, you can find a lot of collision-related flaws - walking
through walls, the mud being much shallower than it appears, among others.
With invulnerabilty, you're free to explore. Regardless, return to the blue
transport vehicle. [[figure out how to get the 12 or so orbs above]]
Even now, I still cannot figure out any possible way to get the orbs on the
wires in the ports without using glitches in the game. The area on the eastern
side where a vent is just beyond a bridge that leads to rails gets a start, but
the rails come well short. Flips, launch jumps, etc. don't seem to work. Even
"cheating" using infinite Light Flight to get on the eastern tower then
grinding the rails over does not yield any clues. If you can figure out how
it's done without the use of glitches, please let me know. I know the jet
board is behind it.
Although this is still only 520 orbs or so, I still have no clue where the
remaining 80 or so are. It could be in some of the mission areas, such as
Haven Forest or the Eco Mine.
Once you've obtained every orb you can, save your game (via manual save) then
spend the 5 orbs to unlock hero mode. You will have to save to an open save
slot first. Oddly, you cannot overwrite an existing save file, a bug in the
game. You will restart the game from section 5.2 in the walkthrough above.
See the next section for details on the differences.
To organize the above walkthrough into story missions and side missions sorted
by type, I've summarized them here. Differences with hero mode are also
explained and other weird things you can do with hero mode not possible in
normal mode. The section number is always stated first, for quick reference.
================================.
# 8.1 Story missions **080100** #
`================================`
To complete the game and get new secrets revealed to spend the orbs on, you
need to complete these missions. They are listed in the "missions" section in
the wheel menu. With hero mode, you will already have all 12 morph guns, all 8
vehicles (if you've unlocked them), all 4 pieces of armor for 16 max health,
Dark Bomb and Dark Blast, Light Regenerate, Light Flash Freeze, and Light
Shield. The item inventory is wiped clean (they're story items), except for
the jet board. You keep every secret obtained and all the orbs you collected
from the previous, but the orbs reset. That is, you can collect another
potentially 600 orbs. If, after purchasing hero mode, you have 7 orbs left,
you will start hero mode with those 7 orbs to spend. This is crucial to
unlocking the rest of the secrets. To focus on just the story missions, and
know what key differences there are with hero mode and the biggest secrets
unlocked, here is the list:
```````````````````````````
8.1.1 Act 1 story missions
..........................
Section 5.2 - This is done the same way as before.
Section 5.3 - Use any of the 12 guns of your choice. The marauders are
harmless now, but the lava, oddly, still does 2 units of damage so you will
still need to get on the higher ledges. You won't need to worry at all about
ammo - it's now unlimited. If you feel like it, put flash freeze to good fun
use.
Section 5.4 - This is done the same way as before.
Section 5.7 - There is no change here either.
Section 5.9 - I don't know if you can take a different vehicle for this. The
only change here is that the ATVs can no longer take damage, but only when in
operation. Crash and burn all you want, firing off turbos as you please. Even
crashes that would totally obliterate the vehicle would be 100% survivable.
Section 5.10 - Use turbos all you can. With good skill, you can even get the
gold first thing and I'd recommend it. You will get so far ahead of everyone,
it's as if they don't exist any more. If this race had 6 laps, you'd be
crossing the finish line before the others even start their 6th lap! Oh the
fun that would be!
Section 5.11 - This is almost the same, except you have unlimited turbos. I
don't know if it works or not, but you could use endlessly use flash freeze and
just go on foot all the way. Remember, when the bluish color starts fading
away, begin holding L2 and repeatedly pressing [] until it goes through again -
the game will have major frame rate problems.
Section 5.12 - This is the same as before. I don't know if you can dismount
and put flash freeze to use throughout the entire race though.
Section 5.13 - With invincible ATVs, you can just chase the beasts around and
get done faster. I don't know if it's possible to just dismount the ATV and
use the peace maker or the like to destroy the beasts that way.
Section 5.24 - Use the gun of your choice and destroy the 30 harmless marauders
in the way you see fit. Like before, you will need to avoid the lava.
Section 5.25 - This is done exactly the same as before and invulnerability will
not help, except with the operation of the vehicle which is hardly an issue.
Section 5.30 - Because Dark Invisibility is taken away, you will need to climb
the platforms to obtain it again. At least you won't have to worry about
taking damage from the torch flames.
Section 5.31 - There is no change with this mission.
Section 5.32 - This is now much easier, but the lava is still instant death
upon touching it. Oh the joy it would be going in it for a swim....
Section 5.33 - If you have the orbs, unlock the "Dark Invisibility on /\"
secret so you can save time. Just activate Dark Jak and press /\ instead of
using the statues. The guardbots will still cause instant death. Try using
the supernova once and see what happens with them, from a distance as usual.
Section 5.35 - This is the same except the vehicle is invincible with unlimited
so it's easier. The Sand Shark is still required for it though, as far as I'm
aware.
Section 5.36 - This is unchanged from before.
Section 5.39 - Use whichever gun you so desire to mass-erase the 30 marauders,
while avoiding the lava.
Section 5.40 - With an invincible vehicle, the only challenge is just getting
around the area, as if no monsters existed. Do destroy the eggs as usual and
escape within the easy time limit.
Section 5.42 - Use any gun you so desire, except the supernova, and unleash
your fury. This is now far easier.
Section 5.50 - This is about the same as before, just easier with using the
guns of your choice.
Section 5.51 - There is no change here, because the vehicle is still vulnerable
due to a glitch.
Section 5.52 - You will still need to make the jumps and destroy the enemies,
but it's overall easier.
Section 5.53 - This is only slightly easier with the invulnerability, but you
still need to be fast.
Section 5.54 - The peace maker goes nicely here. Instead of jumping on the
ledges at the end, use the supernova. It won't instantly destroy the boss
though. I don't know if just firing the supernova 3 times right from the start
is sufficient enough though.
```````````````````````````
8.1.2 Act 2 story missions
..........................
Section 6.4 - This is about the same as before, just slightly easier from
invulnerability and unlimited ammo.
Section 6.7 - While zoomers are not invulnerable due to a bug in the game, this
mission is much easier with the unlimited ammo. The supernova should instantly
destroy the blast bots... along with everything else in the area. With
infinite ammo, why not?
Section 6.9 - This is still just as difficult as before as crashing into
anything will make the missile blow up, failing the mission. The checkpoint,
at least, is unchanged.
Section 6.13 - This is the same as before, except the ammo drops can be ignored
as ammo is unlimited. Go for the easy gold!
Section 6.15 - The speed for smashing the buttons is still needed, but with the
invulnerability, this is much easier and faster as the target symbol can be
ignored. Consider even using flash freeze or attempting to use the cannons to
shoot the other robots with.
Section 6.17 - What was very difficult is now very easy.
Section 6.18 - The invulnerabilty helps with this, but the jumps to the areas
with the dark eco tanks are still a bit tricky, and the grinding is just as
difficult. The acid is still instant death though - oh the fun it would be
going swimming in there....
Section 6.19 - This mission is only slightly easier because of the
invulnerability. It's still otherwise done the same.
Section 6.20 - This is also much easier, but do not use the dark guns or the
plasmite RPG for this as they will instantly destroy the vehicle. Use any
other gun of your choice though and don't be afraid to shoot Jinx either if
needed - he's still vulnerable but Jak isn't.
Section 6.23 - The missiles will still cause instant death to this vehicle so
there is no change.
Section 6.27 - This is only slightly easier due to the invulnerability, but the
core process is still the same. However, the extra guns still have unlimited
ammo so it's more important to avoid them as you can't go back.
Section 6.28 - This is only slightly easier from the invulnerabilty and
unlimited ammo. Try to get at least the bronze, though try for the silver.
Section 6.29 - This is unchanged from before and the blast bot is still
vulnerable due to a bug in the game.
Section 6.34 - The mission is now easier and faster than before. Consider
using flash freeze or the supernova to keep the enemy robots altogether to make
this faster.
Section 6.36 - This is a bit easier, but still has some tricky jumping to do.
Section 6.37 - There is no change from earlier.
Section 6.40 - With unlimited turbos, this is faster. I don't know if it's
possible to get out of the vehicle and just endlessly use flash freeze though,
like the first case.
Section 6.44 - Although the ATVs are invulnerable, the gate still is
vulnerable. The concept is still the same though. I don't know if it's
possible to do it without the vehicle, but if it is, use flash freeze and the
peace maker or supernova to make this as effortless as possible.
Section 6.45 - It's fun to use flash freeze once at the destination. Seeing
the explosions on the ground is fun! Use whichever gun you prefer for this.
Section 6.51 - What used to be difficult is now very easy. The metal-pede
shots will still knock the vehicle back, but at least the ATV cannot be
destroyed.
Section 6.52 - I don't recall if invulnerability affects the vehicle for this
mission, but if invulnerable, this mission is a piece of cake - you ignore
everything except the final one which must be destroyed.
Section 6.57 - This mission is doable without the use of the jet board. You
will have to use flash freeze entirely. Try to figure out how, for an extra
challenge.
Section 6.59 - This mission is just as difficult as before because the vehicle
is vulnerable due to a bug in the game.
Section 6.60 - Thanks to invulnerability and unlimited ammo, this difficult
mission is now far easier, outside the jumps and the use of the vehicle.
Section 6.61 - The mission is easier now - stay clear of the holes though.
```````````````````````````
8.1.3 Act 3 story missions
..........................
Section 7.4 - What used to be frustrating due to the dark demons is now easy.
Just focus on getting from point A to point B.
Section 7.5 - Because the gun is still vulnerable, due to a bug in the game,
this is still just as challenging as before and uses the same strategy.
Section 7.6 - This frustratingly difficult mission is now much easier. The
guns are still vulnerable though, but shouldn't be much of an issue by focusing
solely on the flowers and destroying them quickly enough.
Section 7.7 - Unlike the Titan Suit in Jak 2, the robot is invulnerable, making
it easy beyond the awkward control and the jumps needed.
Section 7.9 - With both vehicles just as vulnerable as before, this is just as
difficult as before.
Section 7.10 - This is now much easier.
Section 7.13 - The unlimited ammo and invulnerability help significantly with
this, but the grinding and jumps are still just as tricky.
Section 7.14 - A difficult mission turns much easier due to invulnerability.
Just focus on getting through the area.
Section 7.15 - With the vehicle just as vulnerable, due to a bug in the game,
this is just as difficult.
Section 7.16 - There is no need to restock ammo, but you still have to be
fairly quick and make those jumps and flights.
Section 7.17 - The first stage of this boss is just as frustratingly difficult.
However, the second phase is much easier, almost effortless.
All 41 orb hunts require 4 skull gems to be traded to get the mission. A gold
orb that's worth 3 orbs in one, is then placed in some nearby, somewhat random
location. A scene will occur, lasting about 4 seconds, showing where the orb
is located. Take the visual clues as a reference. You are given a few
seconds, starting the moment the camera returns to where Jak is, to touch the
orb (to collect it) using any means necessary before the timer runs out. The
time limit is a good clue on how far away the orb is. More time typically
means the orb is farther away or requires more distance. Flash freeze can be
used to significantly slow down the clock, to 5%. Flash freeze is not always
available though. If the timer runs out, the mission fails, but you can try as
many times as necessary. If you choose not to restart the mission, as from
giving up, you can always return to the statue or kiosk later and resume trying
again, though you won't have to trade skull gems again. Once the orb is
collected, with one exception, it can never be collected again. See the
"glitches" section for details.
This section lists all 41 of the orb hunts in the game. The section number,
and flags are given. FW meand that the "fall in water" glitch can be used for
this. IO means the "infinite orb glitch" can be used for this. A ? at the end
of either flag means I'm not entirely sure if it's possible. They are ordered
by availability:
=================================.
# 8.3 Ring challenges **080300** #
`=================================`
Although some ring challenges are integrated in with the story, this strictly
refers to the side missions, from the statues and kiosks. All 6 ring
challenges require 8 skull gems to be traded to get the mission and the reward
is always 10 orbs, a decent return. You are always given an appropriate form
of transportation for these very close to the statue or kiosk. The timer
starts as soon as the mission starts. The task is to go through every blue
ring in the given sequence before the time runs out. Each ring has its own
time limit. Running out of time, dying, destroying the vehicle, etc. causes
the mission to fail. The last ring is always red - go through it before time
runs out to complete the mission.
Most of these are possible without a vehicle and just using flash freeze
nonstop. On a second play through, consider trying to do as many of these as
you can without the vehicle and just use flash freeze nonstop throughout. Here
is the list of each one, how many total rings there are, and the normal source
of transportation. They are ordered by availability.
1. Section 5.6. 16 rings using leaper lizard
2. Section 5.38. 23 rings using leaper lizard
3. Section 5.44. 20 rings using ATV or jet board
4. Section 6.25. 38 rings using jet board
5. Section 6.32. 28 rings using zoomer
6. Section 6.55. 46 rings using ATV
All of these are done through a single kiosk in the desert and there are 5 in
total, all requiring a single skull gem trade. Single hang time is getting the
longest single hang time. Total hang time is getting a sum of total hang times
above a certain threshold. Hang time is based on how long a vehicle is not
colliding with something, even a wall. The mass inverter is the cheap and easy
way to get the gold on this. Single distance is getting the longest distance
jump you can get. Total distance is the total distance covered from jumps
where the hang time is at least 3/4 second. The distance starts as soon as
collision is not detected and ends once collision is detected again by any
means. The distance is in meters and is based purely on the horizontal span
and not the vertical. Flash freeze, the mass inverter, and the wave concussor
are the easiest way to get distance, even more than a whole kilometer. Rolls
are based on the vehicle being more than 90° from level and returning to
upright. Rocks near mountains, hitting something odd sticking out, and very
sideways slopes are the key to rolls.
Each of the 5 challenges has a bronze, silver, and gold rating. If you make
just the bronze threshold, such as 2.53 seconds of single hang time or 594
meters of total distance, you will obtain 3 orbs. If you get 3.77 seconds or
658 meters, you will get the silver for 3 more orbs. If you get the silver on
the first try, you will receive 6 orbs instead of 3. With 4.61 seconds (or 23
seconds) and 1048 meters (or 1300 meters), you will get the gold for another 3.
If you got the bronze before and now got the gold, you will get 6 orbs instead
of 3. If you got the gold on the first try, that will yield 9 total orbs.
Thus, for the 5 total challenges here, that's 45 potential orbs.
Further details are in sections 5.14, 5.15, and 5.16.
Total skull gems: 16
Total orbs: 45
======================================.
# 8.5 Follow me challenges **080500** #
`======================================`
There are 3 follow mes, each costing 8 skull gems for a reward of 10 orbs each.
These side challenges involve following a light, staying close but not too
close around a preset path. By getting too far away from the light source,
about 150 meters it seems, the challenge will fail but you can retry
indefinitely, always from the start. In short, touch the light, follow it
around carefully, and at the end, touch the light to receive the 10 orbs.
Here's which sections they are covered in.
1. Section 5.45 (available after 5.13). Uses ATV or jet board with turbo.
2. Section 5.49. Uses leaper lizard.
3. Section 6.30. Uses zoomer.
There are 2 races, both in the desert. They cost varing numbers of orbs. The
area used during the story mission (section 5.10) is used for the first case,
only as a time trial. The other race becomes available later on. Races are
self-explanatory - reach the finish line first. However, for the orbs, you
need to reach the finish line in under a certain time limit. The Desert
Screamer works best with these for its very high speed and modest handling.
Having unlimited turbos helps significantly to get the gold, often the only
practical way to get the gold. Thus, it's best to wait until you can get the
desert screamer and unlimited turbos.
For more in-depth information, go to these respective sections (a brief summary
of the skull gems and orbs are given):
1. Sections 5.10 and 7.1. Trade 8 skull gems for 9 orbs.
2. Section 7.2 (available after 5.13). Trade 12 skull gems for 18 orbs.
Total skull gems: 20
Total orbs: 27
=========================================.
# 8.7 Time stopper challenges **080700** #
`=========================================`
There are only 2 time stopper challenges. Each cost 8 skull gems and reward
you with 10 orbs. A light appears very near by. Touching it starts the clock
- you have 11 seconds to reach the finish line typically more than a kilometer
away. To get there, you need to collect clock icons with spheres in them to
get extra time. Blue ones give one extra second, yellow ones give two extra
seconds, and red ones give three extra seconds. The key to these is to collect
the time bonuses in a wise manner. These are the most fun when flash freeze is
put to heavy use. It's possible to get almost 50 extra seconds on the clock
and it's my proof for flash freeze slowing time down to 5% that of normal.
For more in-depth information, go to these respective sections (the location
and transportation options used are given):
1. Section 5.47. Find in Spargus City using leaper.
2. Section 6.42. Find in desert using ATV or turbo jet board.
There are 4 total minigames. Most don't cost any skull gems at all, so use
them as soon as they're available. "Free" orbs are waiting with good skill
and/or strategy.
There are only 2 time stopper challenges. Each cost 8 skull gems and reward
you with 10 orbs. A light appears very near by. Touching it starts the clock
- you have 11 seconds to reach the finish line typically more than a kilometer
away. To get there, you need to collect clock icons with spheres in them to
get extra time. Blue ones give one extra second, yellow ones give two extra
seconds, and red ones give three extra seconds. The key to these is to collect
the time bonuses in a wise manner. These are the most fun when flash freeze is
put to heavy use. It's possible to get almost 50 extra seconds on the clock
and it's my proof for flash freeze slowing time down to 5% that of normal.
For more in-depth information, go to these respective sections (the location
and transportation options used are given):
1. Section 5.17. Satellite game - initial details are in section 5.7.
2. Section 5.37. Turret shooting gallery - initial details are in section
5.36.
3. Section 6.38. Eco grid game - initial details are in section 6.37.
4. Section 6.53. Marauder mass destruction - trade 8 skull gems.
There are 4 total gun courses, but only 2 of them yield any orbs, the ones used
in the story. The other 2 are unlocked in the secrets list. They do not cost
any skull gems. See section 6.13 for the full details on how the gun courses
work. In short, the goal is to destroy every non-civilian target as quickly as
possible, especially the gold ones. Orbs are only given when a certain score
threshold is crossed.
For more in-depth information, go to these respective sections (the gun type
used is referenced):
1. Section 6.13. Beam reflexor gun course (can also use blaster).
2. Section 6.28. Wave concussor gun course (can also use scatter gun).
Total skull gems: 0 (both are free)
Total orbs: 18
======================================.
# 8.10 Other side missions **081000** #
`======================================`
There are 6 other total side missions and they tend to cost a lot of skull
gems, usually 12 each. Making up for that is the fact they grant a lot of orbs
when successful. These side missions are either unique or don't really fit in
anywhere else.
For more in-depth information on each, go to these respective sections (the
mission name and what it is are given):
1. Section 5.46. Rescue wastelanders. Similar to story mission 5.35.
2. Section 6.10. Missile reload practice run. Similar to story mission 6.9.
3. Section 6.11. Jet board scoring challenge. Perform tricks to score.
4. Section 6.48. Metal head mass destruction. Kill 180 leeches.
Total skull gems: 48
Total orbs: 72
Skull gems subtotal: 344
Orbs subtotal: 431
==============================.
# 8.11 Other stuff **081100** #
`==============================`
When certain conditions are made, it is possible to do something that is not a
side mission or even a story mission. These are my own missions, in a way,
serving some good use.
For more in-depth information on each, go to these respective sections (the
mission name and why it's important is given):
1. Section 5.5. Explore Spargus City. Gather skull gems and orbs for later.
2. Section 6.1. Scorpions for skull gems. Restock on skull gems.
3. Section 6.6. Explore the Haven City port. Collect orbs in the area.
4. Section 6.39. Unlimited skull gem grinding. Obtain unlimited skull gems.
5. Section 7.18. Finishing up - orbs in Spargus City. Obtain more orbs.
6. Section 7.19. Finishing up - orbs in metal head nest. Obtain more orbs.
7. Section 7.20. Finishing up - orbs in Haven City. Obtain more orbs.
Total skull gems: unlimited
Total orbs: 169
Grand total skull gems: unlimited (344 needed)
Grand total orbs: 600 (more are possible - see section 10.2)
With 600 orbs in the game, that means 169 orbs are scattered about in the
various mission areas and home worlds. I only know where about half of those
remaining ones are.
####################
############# #############
######## ########
##### 9 Tips and other fun stuff **090000** #####
######## ########
############# #############
####################
Want to learn a few tips and tricks from a pro? How about doing some other fun
stuff just for the fun of it? That's what this section is for.
========================================.
# 9.1 Rapid fire spin attack **090100** #
`========================================`
Jump, spin attack while in mid-air, then press R1 just after the spin attack
with the blaster as the active gun. Whenever there's a lot of enemies around,
this is an effective way to destroy them. It may cost a lot of ammo, but the
accuracy is surprisingly good. Couple that with the 50% increase in damage
with the blaster and it's even more effective, rivaling even the vulcan fury
because you have to aim with the latter. The vulcan fury, however, is still
best whenever there's a lot of enemies in front, though the arc wielder
generally replaces that.
================================================.
# 9.2 Over 1 kilometer distance jump **090200** #
`================================================`
Thought 220 meters for gold was very difficult to get? Think again. There is
a way to make that look very short. It's entirely possible to get even 1200
meters at the most extreme end. First, get the mission. Second, get in the
ATV and position it so that it's facing a jump ramp or the like. Quickly get
out. Activate flash freeze. Quickly get out the mass inverter and fire off a
shot. Change to the wave concussor and fully charge it. Unleash it while
lined up behind the direction you want to send the vehicle and the vehicle will
go flying off at high speed. For a more extreme distance, use the wave
concussor as many times as you can. Quickly change to the mass inverter and
fire it off while the vehicle is still in range and before falling over the
edge. If done right, sent off in the right direction, and it lands in an
optimal orientation, you could very well have a distance jump of 1 kilometer,
more than what's needed for the gold in the total distance, but all in a single
jump.
=====================================.
# 9.3 Fly up with vehicle **090300** #
`=====================================`
From a level location, use the mass inverter. As the vehicle goes up, try to
grab onto it from the side to cause Jak to hang on it. He will be carried up
with the vehicle. Now, if you have a Game Shark that makes the mass inverter
last several minutes, you'll be able to get some really extreme views from far
above looking down at the tiny ground below.
==================================================.
# 9.4 Slide or fly up a slidable slope **090400** #
`==================================================`
When a slope surface has you sliding on it instead of landing on it, using the
spin attack or Light Flight will allow for that surface to be climbed a little
higher, sometimes reaching areas you normally wouldn't be able to access.
When a smashable contains skull gems, ammo, etc, smashing it will cause them to
not be immediately collected, allowing skull gems to go flying all over the
place, forcing you to chase after them. To make the items quick and easy to
collect, smash them with the jet board. Doing so will cause whatever is in the
smashable to be sucked toward you, for immediate collection, saving a lot of
time.
===========================================.
# 9.6 High speed travel on foot **090600** #
`===========================================`
Although control is a little limited, repeated rolling long jumps is the
fastest way to travel on foot until the jet board which isn't much faster. At
least you don't have to worry about running into the residents of Spargus City
and having them shoot at you when doing repeated rolling long jumps. However,
you won't be able to turn while in mid jump.
No game is perfect - there's always going to be some bugs present. Some bugs
are good and fun, others are bad and disastrous. While the list is not
everything, here some of the many glitches in the game. There are even some
crasher type bugs, where the game freezes, as if 0 fps was the frame rate,
permanently. The music still plays though, an indication it's on a different
thread.
==========================================.
# 10.1 Format and organization **100100** #
`==========================================`
Before we get started, I'd like to explain the layout. There are 5 sections to
each listing. The first 4 serve as a summary; the last part goes into fine
detail. Here is what the 5 sections are and what they mean:
Difficulty to exploit: this is how difficult it is to exploit the bug. The
harder it is to exploit, the more time it takes to see the effects or the more
time it takes to master it. 5 stars means it's really hard to exploit. 1 star
means it takes very little effort.
Fun factor: If a bug results in some thrills or amazing experiences, it scores
very highly here.
Usefulness: The greater the benefit, the better the score. Some glitches are
useful, others are not.
Conditions: This lists what requirements there are to attempt the bug.
Description: The last part describes what the bug is in more detail, and
describes not only how to reproduce the bug, but the pros and cons, etc. in
greater detail. The ratings are just a summary.
Difficulty to exploit: **
Fun factor: *
Usefulness: *****
Conditions: Orb hunt mission with orb near ground, Dark Jak available to use
The infinite orb glitch is, in a way, a cheat. If you don't like the side
challenges or just want to get the new look for Jak, especially the races and
other difficult stuff, this glitch will help you save time. For best results,
a nearby orb (usually a short time limit) that is easy to get to is what you
need - it makes it faster. Also, make sure to have enough dark eco to be able
to use Dark Jak.
First, choose any one of the orb hunt missions where the orb is on the ground
(high in the air or on rails will not work). Second, using whichever method
you feel comfortable with, get to the orb, but do not grab it. Get about 1 to
1 1/2 times Jak's height away from the edge of the orb. Now, hold L2 until Jak
bends completely down. Press start to bring up the wheel menu while still
holding L2. When the wheel menu is up, you can let go of holding L2. Go to
"restart mission" and choose "yes". Now, don't press anything. When the game
resumes, Dark Jak will suck in the orb (or won't if too far away from it) but
the game declares the mission a failure. Press X when the motion stops. Now,
the orb reappears. If you press L3 (press down on the left stick), you'll see
that you have 3 more orbs than you had before. If you go to the location where
the orb is, again, you will find that it is there. Repeat the trick as many
times as necessary. If you collect the orb without doing the mission
restarting, choose "quit game" and reload your save.
If you get at least 600, Jak's looks will change slightly, mostly as a palette
swap. The game thinks you've obtained every orb that exists, but you can
easily have 2000 orbs collected out of the 600 using this but past 600 (565 if
you don't care for the looks) has no further use.
Difficulty to exploit: **
Fun factor: *`
Usefulness: *****
Conditions: Light Flight, Light Shield
This glitch is the easiest way to reach extreme height and reach orbs that are
very difficult to reach through normal means. Reproducing it is fairly simple,
but it's best with unlimited Light Jak. First, transform into Light Jak. Now,
press X to jump, then X at the top of this to take flight. At the top of this,
use Light Shield (just press O), then press X about 1/4 second later.
Alternate between O and X, changing buttons about 1/4 second apart. Pace
yourself. Unforuntately, the camera is stuck to the ground and I don't have
any effective ways to get around that. I've tried running up a slope and
getting it started, flying all over the place doing this, but the camera is
generally stuck to the ground or at least very close to it. However, it has a
high success rate as it's not hard to use. The camera severely hurts the fun
factor. Until I can figure out a way to get the camera to follow upward, this
glitch is best used to get to difficult orbs.
Difficulty to exploit: *****
Fun factor: ****
Usefulness: *`
Conditions: using jet board
Enjoyed the view from the glider? How'd you like to get such a view in other
places... almost? Almost? The entire area doesn't all load so you'll see gaps
that you wouldn't have seen with the glider.
To reproduce the bug, it requires very careful coordination, and a good, steep
slope (the steeper, the better). The reason is that, to get the aerial views,
you have to take off while the camera is going up and that means steep slopes
are your best friend. The steeper the slope, the better the outcome. It also
prevents you from straying too far off course. There are plenty of good
locations to use. The vast desert is the easiest as it's so broad.
Once you've chosen your location, get out the jet board and go toward the
slope. When close to it, let the left stick go into a neutral position. Jump
with a full jump. Now for the tricky part. Have the left stick tilted
slightly (about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way to the edge) to the upper right, starting
as near to the top of the jump as possible. While the stick is slightly up and
right, repeatedly press L1. This will take several tries to get it to work,
but if done right, Jak will be attempting the same trick again and again and
again and each time he does, he goes up a little higher. From going up a
slope, the camera follows upwards as well. The longer you go and the steeper
the slope, the greater the overall aerial view will be. How high can you get?
Remember, to prevent fall damage, do not get off the jet board. What
discoveries await? There won't be any orbs, and this isn't the best way to get
orbs. It will take a lot of practice to get this going, but once you begin
mastering it, try it in other areas and see how extreme you can get.
====================================================.
# 10.5 Fall in water to a bottomless pit **100500** #
`====================================================`
Difficulty to exploit: *`
Fun factor: ***
Usefulness: *
Conditions: timed mission in which going in deep water is possible
This glitch has no use, but it is a bit funny. Pick any mission where you have
a time limit and can go in the water. The missile riding one along with the
one to hijack the eco vehicle cannot be used because you cannot go in the
water. Orb hunts are a great, and common, choice to use, one near deep water.
For this glitch, obtain an applicable mission and jump in the water as soon as
you can (don't dive in unless you have more than 5 seconds left). Remain at
the surface. When the timer just changes to 00:00, wait about 100 milliseconds
then dive, holding [] until the timer runs out. If not done correctly, then
Jak will instantly appear at the water's surface, treading. If done correctly,
Jak will no longer be diving and will, instead, be falling. If you choose to
not retry the mission, Jak will resume his eternal fall. The fun factor comes
from seeing the hidden undersides of things that you would never see otherwise
(short of another glitch that takes extreme measures to get). Some interesting
hints to the way the level designers made the game to optimize frame rates and
the like.
===============================================.
# 10.6 High jump without holding R1 **100600** #
`===============================================`
Difficulty to exploit: **
Fun factor: **
Usefulness: **
Conditions: rolling long jump in use
While of little use, this glitch is easy to exploit. First, do a rolling long
jump. Then, without the need of holding R1, simply press X right about at the
time Jak would land to do a high jump as if you were pressing R1.
=====================================================.
# 10.7 Extend time for hijack eco vehicle **100700** #
`=====================================================`
Difficulty to exploit: *
Fun factor: *`
Usefulness: ***
Conditions: in port area during eco car mission
Simply crash into something once the timer shows up during the "hijack eco
vehicle" mission (section 6.23). You will gain 15 more seconds each time you
do. The game will also attempt to autosave each time. The time limit maxes at
6 minutes but the autosave attempts still continue.
Difficulty to exploit: **`
Fun factor: ****
Usefulness: *
Conditions: skilled jumping with the Dune Hopper
Grab the Dune Hopper and go to the west central part of the desert. In the
northern part of the central mountains, there is a narrow gap that you can see
through with even just a modest height that the Dune Hopper can easily jump.
On the right side of this area, there is a raised area right by the wall, with
a lot of rocks around it. Use a turbo toward it and a fully charged jump with
the Dune Hopper. If done right, you'll be able to jump clear over the
mountains with a nearly 6-second hang time. You may be in the middle of the
area - it is possible to drive out, through the mountains. Go straight then
turn left to go where Spargus City should be... but it looks oddly different.
Approach it and you'll find the gate for it entirely missing. Continuing
straight and there's a very sudden drop off where water is. The giant snake is
not present here unless you go too far to the left or right (west or east).
Get out of the vehicle if you want to explore the water areas. On the left
side, a steep slope is present that leads up into mountains, but you go right
though them as if they don't exist there. Explore all you want.
=========================================.
# 10.9 Super jump with an ATV **100900** #
`=========================================`
Difficulty to exploit: **`
Fun factor: ****
Usefulness: *`
Conditions: invulnerability; while in a vehicle
Choose any vehicle, the Dune Hopper being the best. In an open area, jump with
the vehicle. Immediately upon it landing, jump again for an even higher jump.
With the Dune Hopper, it will instantly be destroyed without invulnerability
but you get a jump that is far higher than the vehicle would normally do, short
of jumping while going up a slope. Try stacking jumps and see what happens.
Difficulty to exploit: *
Fun factor: *
Usefulness: *
Conditions: obtain invulnerability and use certain vehicles or equipment
Turrets, zoomers, and Catacomb cars, among a few others, are not invulnerable,
even with invulnerability active. Big falls still cause damage when they
shouldn't. This seems like a massive oversight by the game designers. Even
though it's possible to get out of it, it should be possible to go swimming in
the lava (have it function like mud, such as that of Dead Town in Jak 2), acid
(probably closer to water without waves and no transparency), and other such
instant-death places. Those guard bots in the monk temple shouldn't cause
instant death either. There's plenty of cases where invulnerability should
make you not take damage or instantly die. The only cases that make sense for
instant death are bottomless pits, crashing into walls with the Catacomb
vehicle (from falling down holes) where there's no way to get back, and the
giant snake (this serves to keep you within the map bounds though it's
sometimes used in bad places that are well within the bounds of the map where
it's easy to get back such as a central area that bridges cross).
====================================================================.
# 10.11 Flash freeze in desert means big frame rate loss **101100** #
`====================================================================`
Difficulty to exploit: *
Fun factor: **
Usefulness: *
Conditions: flash freeze expires in the desert
This glitch is best with unlimited Light Jak. To get the bug, simply use flash
freeze while out in the desert. Wait for it to expire and take note of what's
all going on. You'll find that the frame rate suddenly drops significantly as
the blue fade returns to normal. In the worst case, it drops as low as 2 fps
where there's a whole half second between updates. It's usually from 5 to 10
fps though, easily a massive drop.
=====================================================.
# 10.12 Aspect ratio setting is not saved **101200** #
`=====================================================`
Difficulty to exploit: *
Fun factor: *
Usefulness: *
Conditions: set aspect ratio to 4:3 and save
This is an annoying bug as, every time I start up the game, I have to reset the
aspect ratio as it does not get saved. To reproduce it, simply set the aspect
ratio to 4:3 then save your game. Reset the system and load your save - it's
still 16:9 after loading the save instead of the 4:3 you set it to.
==========================================.
# 10.13 Missile short jump bug **101300** #
`==========================================`
Difficulty to exploit: ***
Fun factor: *
Usefulness: *
Conditions: while riding the missile in the Haven City port area
I don't exactly know what's going on so this might not be a bug. What's
happening is that, at random, the missile during the missions in sections 6.9
and 6.10, the missile won't jump the full height, but only half of it. Whether
I do a quick tap of X or a long press of X, the jump height is a bit random.
Here are some questions that may be (or have been) asked involving this. If
you have any questions you'd like to ask, see the question at the bottom.
=========================================.
# 11.1 The walkthrough itself **110100** #
`=========================================`
Q. Why do you integrate the side missions in with the story missions?
A. Orbs are the key to enhancing power and making things a little easier, via
using them to purchase secrets. All of the secrets take 565 total orbs when
600 exist in the game. Side challenges get 431 of those, most of what's
needed. Plus, a run through hero mode will allow for the remaining 134 orbs to
be obtained as all the orbs are reset. Of course, you'll find plenty of
individual orbs to cover some of that 134, leaving around 60 or so left.
Q. Why did you decide to leave out spoilers?
A. The aim of a walkthrough is to help get you through the game from start to
finish, not to detail what is going on with the story - that's what transcripts
are for. It's more focused that way.
Q. You state 7 seconds are given but I see 6. Why?
A. It's really 7 seconds. You see it as 6 because the fractional part, such
as 6.98, gets truncated. When the timer ticks down to 00:00, that doesn't mean
you've failed the mission, you basically have 1 full second left (well, 0.99
second). This is where the discrepency comes from. I've recorded videos and
analyzed them frame by frame as further proof that it really is 7 seconds
instead of the 6 you see first thing. You can actually see the timer showing
as 7, but it's only for an instant and only when the clock is already present -
blink and you'll miss it (and interlacing kind of hides it as well).
Q. Why do you encourage deliberate deaths?
A. If you know where the check points are, it's a great way to not only
restock ammo, but fully restore health at the same time. There's an unlimited
number of lives, so nonstop deaths are always a worthy option. It's mostly for
saving time, especially if you're not particularly skilled at this kind of game
or some of the especially difficult missions are just not really doable with 4
units of health left. It's part of exploiting the intended design of the game
to your advantage.
Q. Why are skull gem counts and orb counts obtained during missions not always
included in the "items received" section?
A. The actual amounts will vary so I can't provide any actual value. I also
didn't pay much attention to this either. With side missions being the most
important, especially the countless orb hunts, I figure it's important to list
the details there.
=============================================.
# 11.2 About the guide in general **110200** #
`=============================================`
Q. Why did you decide to write a guide?
A. Having played the Jak series from Jak & Daxter onward to Jak II (played
through twice) then Jak 3 (played through twice), I noticed that GameFAQs
hardly had little detail for walkthroughs for Jak 3. I decided to write one
because of not only that, but I've also never written a walkthrough before. I
have written many guides before, but they're in-depth, more specialized stuff
such as powerleveling in RPGs to reach max level as early as possible or finer
details and strategies involving a certain aspect of the game.
Q. How do you get those special symbols, like the •, ×, ±, or even ÷?
A. On a Windows computer, Character Map ("charmap.exe" in run) or alt codes
are used (hold alt, while pressing, on the numeric pad and in order: 0, 1, 7,
7, then release alt and see what comes up). On non-Windows computers, or any
mobile device, I don't know.
Q. Are there any details you don't know?
A. Most of what I don't know is how to get to some of the orbs, especially
those on the wires above the port area of Haven City without the use of game
glitches. There's also a lot of orbs I apparently don't know about either.
Q. I have something to ask, found a spelling error, or know of something you
don't that could improve your guide. How do I contact you?
A. See the "legal" section directly below for my E-mail. This is the only
effective way to contact me.
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Legal stuff - it can be boring, but it's very important.
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# 12.1 How to contact me **120100** #
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If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or found an error, E-mail me at
"ulillillia (symbol with a small a inside) mail that is hot spec com". The
E-mail is "encrypted" to help prevent spambots from picking it up and
delivering dozens of spam messages. I check my E-mail at least twice a day,
often 3 times a day (even more when working on my own game), so you can often
expect a response within 16 to 20 hours for the most part, provided there's
something to comment on. The exception is if I'm unable to get online for some
reason, though this is rare. In order of most common to the least common, this
is due to: I'm on vacation without access to a computer, my ISP is down for
extended time (e.g. having major technical issues), or I get extremely involved
a game and forget about my daily check (this is the rarest of all cases). The
latter 2 cases can be combined.
• This document and the walkthrough itself were made by ulillillia.
• My best friends on Facebook for finding the infinite orb glitch and jet
board infinite jumping glitch.
• This unique and interesting game was created by Naughty Dog.
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# 12.4 Version history **120400** #
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Version 1 - Initial release
Version 1 is the initial release. I detail the main walkthrough itself,
provide a description of the controls, vehicle stats, tips, and glitches.
