"Nightmare" Predator Campaign Guide - Guide for Aliens vs. Predator
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******************************************************************************* FAQ: "Nightmare" Predator Campaign Guide Version: 1.0 Author: Dale Taylor a.k.a Rixus Mar E-mail: [email protected] Date: 29 March 2010 ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* Contents: - Version History [vhy] - Introduction [idn] - Nightmare Predator FAQ - Tutorial [ttl] - Jungle [jgl] - Refinery [rfy] - Ruins [rns] - Research Lab [rlb] - Pyramid [pyd] - Conclusion [cln] - Legal Information [lgi] - Contact Me [cnt] ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* - Version History [vhy] 29 Mar 2010: Constructed FAQ in its entirety. Applied all relevent formatting and cosmetics. Included the use of the "quick find" system. Also undertook the laborious task of including the "Combat Fundamentals" in the "Tutorial" section. ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* - Introduction [idn] Hello again folks. If some of you have been following my work you'll know that this is Part 2 of a trilogy of FAQS I'm writing for AVP on xbox360. The first being my Nightmare Alien Guide, with the Nightmare Marine Guide being the concluding part. I was stuck for a time on the Praetorian in the Research Lab (Nightmare Marine Campaign), so I was beginning to think I wasn't going to get to finish them. Well, I have now so it's just a case of getting my proverbial finger out and writing them! The recommended order for playing the campaigns on any other difficulty (particularly your FIRST playthrough) is "Marine-Predator-Alien", for reasons of story, understanding in-game topograghy, etc. I played them in reverse order (the order of my guides) and regretted doing so, wishing I'd played the Marine Campaign first (the Alien Campaign suddenly made a bit more sense...). For Nightmare difficulty I recommend doing them in reverse order "Alien-Predator-Marine", mainly for the reasons of campaign length and difficulty because, we must remember, there are no checkpoints on Nightmare. Some of the Marine levels can be quite long, and you've got to do them in a "one-er" (not the entire campaign, just the individual levels). I've stuck with the same layout as my previous guides (cut/paste has saved me a lot of work in this gargantuan task), laid out in the levels you play as you play them in the campaign. I've also implemented a "quick find" structure to my guide. Veterans of these FAQ sites will know the good old "Highlight, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+F, Ctrl+V". In layman's terms: you highlight from the contents the heading you want to find (3 unique characters in: []), copy it, Ctrl+F (opens the "Find" window), then pasting your copied text in the field provided. This finds the next occurence of copied text and, as it's a unique set of characters, will scroll you immediately to that heading in the guide. As with my previous FAQs, to understand and utilise it fully, there are some things you and I must assume before we begin: - You have completed the campaign at least once (preferably twice) with one of those playthroughs being of at least Normal difficulty (preferably Hard). - You have a firm grasp of mission objectives, geography, etc. Namely, you don't need to be led by the hand through the levels and can use your initiative. - You're not interested in collecting Trophy Belts. This is sometimes a conflicting interest and therefore belongs in another FAQ. Also, before we continue, there are some things you MUST know: - DON'T take on groups of marines. By groups I mean more than a single marine. The reason being you'll simply die. You ARE a stealth weapon! Seperate them and take them out individually. Divide and conquer! - DON'T get surrounded by aliens! Try and keep on the move so that they're coming at you from one direction. Don't go for trophy kills if there's more than one in close proximity, I find you can sometimes take attacks from one alien (if your health is full to begin with) whilst in the trophy-kill sequence, but 2 will kill you. - This is just an "aside" rather than a "must-know" point but I'd include it anyway:- Go for trophy-kills (if you want the points for an Elite rating) but make sure you have the time to pull them off, or it's all the way back to the start of the level with you. Just remember for, marines: seperate, trophy-kill when he's on his own; aliens: use any and all weapons at your disposal, being careful not to completely drain your power, melee up close, but only trophy-kill if the rest are far away enough. It should be noted that the fact you're on Nightmare gives you a x4 multiplier on your rating, so don't worry too much about getting points. The Elite rating should come anyway, unless you're flying through the level avoiding most of the enemies. - NO CHECKPOINTS ON NIGHTMARE, so no heroics! Also, I've found that in the course of writing this FAQ, I use the xbox 360 control pad buttons for commands instead of the actions. For example, instead of me telling you to do a strong attack I'll tell you "LB" (Left-Bumper). Here's the standard legend I use throughout: "LB" - strong claw attack "RB" - weak claw attack "x" - interact/distract/trophy-kill, etc. "LT" - focus mode (used in conjunction with "RB" or "A") "RT" - d-pad weapons: plasma-caster, combi-stick, etc. I think I've bored you enough. It's high time we got on with the rest of the FAQ! ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* - Nightmare Predator FAQ - Tutorial [ttl] -------- This part doesn't really call for any "walkthrough" description as such, due to it being a tutorial, and therefor is self-explanatory. In fact, I don't think you even need to do this "level" on Nightmare because you don't get a score rating for it. It's a good idea to do it anyway because it'll give you an idea of how difficult the aliens are going to be. Seeing as how this level is a tutorial, I deem it only fitting that I mention something about "Combat Fundamentals": I've had a couple of e-mails asking for help in the next level and, rather than break the flow of the narrative, decided it was more appropriate in this section (as these valuable lessons can be applied throughout the game). Hand-to-Hand Combat (General) Hand-to-hand combat is surprisingly easy, even on Nightmare. Just bear in mind to only go for trophy-kills if there's no other marines around, or if other aliens are far away enough. So, when reading the following points, if your surrounded, read "grab with 'x'" as "kill with 'LB'/'RB' combinations". Also, if you must engage marines in single combat, NEVER block, as they'll just shoot you (see "Marine Combat Fundamentals"). Conversely, when combatting aliens, ALWAYS block (see "Alien Combat Fundamentals"). When encountering either enemy type, there's always the option of attacking from a distance with the "RB" lunge ("LT and "RB") and immediately grab with "x" once he's been knocked over. If he's not been knocked over, strike with "LB" (circling behind your prey whilst waiting for your attack to "charge"), then go for the grab as before. These details apply to both enemies, but there are some points that are specific to either enemy types (marine/alien). They are as follows: Marine Combat Fundamentals: - Divide and conquer. Distract them to a secluded spot, use "RB" while in focus mode (doing a lunge attack), then press "x" as they try to rise to their feet. Remember, you are a stealth weapon. Remain invisible at all times and use your thermal vision. Divide and conquer! - Use the plasma-caster when 2 or more marines are together, it has a blast radius. It may blow one up completely and stagger the other, if so repeat above tactic ("RB" and "x"). - Go for trophy-kills. A stealth kill is performed by taking an enemy from behind, which is an unblockable attack, whilst a grab from the front is done after staggering them with "LB" (when close) or an "RB lunge" (in Focus Mode from a distance). A grab from the front can still be broken free if they have enough health remaining. If a marine fights you off DON't attack with "RB". Always use "LB", whilst circling behind him, and by the time it connects you'll be behind him. If this doesn't kill him, then you're in a good position to grab with "x". The reason you never use "RB" for the above is, they'll block, elbow, reverse and drill you when you're helpless: "LB" is to negate this. - Never have a stand-up fight with a marine, ESPECIALLY if there's another nearby! They'll block, elbow, drill with weapon, or any combination thereof, and kill you swiftly. Get out, get invisible, seperate, and destroy. Otherwise affectionately known (if you've been following my previous FAQs) as "Divide and Conquer". - Later, once you attain the combi-stick, your life will be made a HELL of a lot easier! You can kill from a distance and remain invisible, making the battle androids a piece of cake. Another thing I discovered: once you bring the combi-stick up (holding "RT") you can use your 3 levels of zoom, enabling you to maintain accuracy at greater distances, before releasing "RT". Don't even try it on multiplayer though, targets never stay still long enough! Alien Combat Fundamentals: - Don't get surrounded! Aliens' strength lies in their speed and numbers. Keep on the move, forcing them to come at you from a single direction. Try to whittle their numbers down with ranged weapons if you have them. Smart-disc is a cracker, while a well-placed plasma-caster blast can be good for crowd control, possibly opening up an opportunity for a tophy-kill... - Remain in normal vision. This is your best option until acquiring your "Alien Vision" later in the campaign. Not only are they a little harder to see (sometimes) in Thermal Vision, but targeting doesn't work on them either: that's "RB" lunge, plasma-caster, etc. out the window then. - Be wary of acid blood. While not as deadly to a predator as it is to a marine, you must remember you are playing the game on nightmare. If a group of aliens have taken your health down to its last segment, and you make good your escape through a puddle of acid blood, you may find your escape cut short. I've also been killed by acid blood while trophy-killing, so beware! - Go for trophy-kills. This point is much the same as the marines' except for one difference I've noticed: if there's only one alien nearby during the trophy-kill sequence, so long as your health is relatively full to begin with, you can survive the ordeal (albeit with not much health left) and take out the bothersome xeno; if there's 2 or more nearby - forget it. - It should be noted here (before I mention the next point) that when using "LB" attack, ALWAYS either back up, or circle behind, while the predator's drawing his hand back, then timing your attack "re-entry" to coincide with the strike connecting. This is to prevent the alien from getting any kind of quick attack in before you can pull it off. - While up close, ALWAYS block! Once your block is up they only have 2 options: weak attack or strong attack. If they go for a STRONG attack (you'll know this by the way they rear up on their hind legs), attack twice with "RB" (but not a third time, as they'll have their block up by then, which they'll follow with a counter of their own) and make the third strike an "LB" attack (whilst reversing, stopping them from getting a weak attack in). This should open them up for a trophy-kill, if not, repeat until dead. If they go for a WEAK attack, simply counter, but instead of striking them once, implement the "RB","RB","LB" mentioned above. - Once you have the smart disc your life becomes a whole lot easier. When blocking, fire your disc. If it doesn't kill the xeno outright, it'll certainly knock him over, creating an opening for the grab with "x". Enough with the Tutorial. You are now well enough equipped to begin your hunt in the Jungle... - Jungle [jgl] ------ This is the first real level in the campaign proper and it can actually be quite fun once you know what you're doing, but be careful because it's a fair size and there's plenty that can go wrong. The level itself should present no real problem until you come across the first Youngblood. I had a couple of e-mails about this part so here's my explanation: Once you activate the wrist bracer, 2 aliens will come for you. Remain in this first half of the jungle "corridor" (don't go further forward than the fallen Youngblood, I don't know if this triggers the rest of the aliens) and melee them. Simply block, counter, and grab for these first 2, if they rear up on their hind legs, simply quickly intercept with an attack. On no uncertain terms do you use your plasma-caster at this point! Once you've dispatched these 2, head further into the jungle "corridor" to activate the rest of the aliens. Same idea as before except you can now run up and down the entire area, and: - Try to only use the Plasma Caster if there's 2 or more aliens grouped together, but don't worry if you only take out one. Try and grab any that get knocked over in blasts, if they're too far use the lunge attack. Remember as well that your plasma-caster only has so many charges, and can't be recharged until you get over the wall. - Don't go for the trophy kill if there's any aliens nearby, it's certain death. Instead, follow up with "LB", there's plenty opportunity for trophies later in the level, earning you an "Elite" rating. - KEEP ON THE MOVE! Don't get cornered! Keep running up and down the "corridor", forcing them to come from one direction. And remember, DON'T GET SURROUNDED! They can stealth kill you with one grab, just as you can to them. After killing all of the serpents switch to invisibility/thermal vision and hop over the gate and onto the roof of building B04. This compound area is quite easy so long as you remain in stealth and pick the marines off individually, bearing in mind that the smart gun emplacements can see you - even when you're invisible. Also remember that if a marine's patrol route isn't favourable you can distract him to a more "comfortable" location. After eliminating the 5 or so marines outside, head inside main building B01 and grab the health shard on the table, recharge your plasma-caster, and make your way upstairs. Take out the light at the top of the stairs and the marine should come to investigate. Trophy-kill him at the top of the stairs and go into the main room. If the admin guy notices you, he'll only run to the other side of the room. You must trophy-kill this guy for the retinal scanners later in the level. Do what you have to do at the consoles and pick up the health shard if you need it. Deal with the 6 aliens that come up the stairs: they come up individually and, so long as you remember the "combat fundamentals" from the Tutorial, you should have very lttle problem dispatching them - so long as each is done quickly and efficiently, so that you're never up against more than one. I find if I stand relatively close to the door you came in (the only door in the room) and lunge attack, followed by trophy-kill, they should die before the next one comes. Recharge etc. and head to the marsh area. Before heading up to the cabin containing the second Youngblood, take out the 4 or 5 marines that wander the lower swamp - they'll only curse trouble later. If you get in any bother there's a health shard up on a ledge to the right as you enter the marsh just now , or left if you're standing behind the smart gun (it's a good idea to take this out too!) looking into the marsh. Hold "LT" to see it: you'll have to do some fancy jumping up the tree closest to it, and you might have some problems getting up, but trust me, you can get it. Now we need to head up to the cabin containing the second Youngblood (building M01). Jump up from the marsh floor directly underneath building M01, next to what looks like some kind of giant water-tank. Kill the 2 marines that patrol its perimeter, along with the other that remains down the slope slightly nearer the caves, making a total of 3 marines up here. Once you've picked up the mines and detonated the second Youngblood's wrist bracer you'll be attacked by a couple of aliens. I tend to stand on top of the water-tank structure when dealing with these 2, out of the way of the marines below, speaking of which... From the top of the water tank you should be able to see a marine on the top-left of the final compound area. Blast him with the plasma caster and another should come out the gate and follow the wall to the smart gun. Trophy-kill him, then jump up on the ledge to the right and take out the marine up here (sometimes there's 2, try and plasa cast him beyond the gate if so). From this ledge, hop-scotch over to the other side and take out the guy up here. Using distraction, mines, and your environment, you should be able to deal with the remaining marines on the ground floor. All told, including the first marine you plasma'd on the ledge and his friend that came to investigate, there should be 7 (yes, 7) marines in this final area. I would like to note here that I initially done this stage with reltive ease but, lo and behold, when I decided to write this FAQ I died at this "7-marine" point MANY times, angering me to the point of nearly giving up on the FAQ! For a first level (as far as first levels go) this can be a bit tricky, especially without any mistakes. So be warned. Use the admin guy's head on the final retinal scanner and the doors will open, but be careful, because there's 2 marines waiting to end your flawless streak and send you all the way back to the start of the level! And just when you thought you were "high and dry"... Deal with them how you please, before heading into the primary human enclosure. Whew! - Refinery [rfy] -------- These first 4 marines should be no problem. One will patrol quite close to you. Wait for him to turn around (he'll start to walk back to his friends) and quickly jump down and trophy-kill him from behind, before he wanders around the corner, denying his friends a line of fire. Simply use your plasma caster on the remaining 3. Collect the health shard and recharge (taking care to stay out of sight of the mounted smart gun at the end of the bridge) before jumping to the next area over the bridge. Run up the slope and head left, following the path until you reach a health shard at the dead-end (I believe it's the entrance to this area in the Marine Campaign). Come back and there should be 2 marines patrolling the perimeter of the outbuilding: divide and conquer, using the art of distraction. Depending on how long you took to do the steps mentioned above, they may have wandered down the slope or to some other place nearby; same still applies - use your initiative. Once you've dealt with these 2, head up and around the gang plank to find 2 more marines below (next to the turbine you charge your wrist bracer at to proceed), repeat as above. Proceed to the roof and activate the crane, there's also a health shard up here if you need it - it's located by one of the struts of the crane. Jump on the crane and allow it to take you to the other side, where 3 marines will emerge. Lure them around the corner (it's to the right of the crane, as you face it coming over the canyon on the crane) and deal with them on an individual basis. Don't use the plasma caster here because you may need it in the next area. Continue through and up the elevator shaft. You'll find yourself in a room with some marines with their backs to you, watching the door. Don't alert the marines to your presence until the aliens come, or you'll be slaughtered miserably. When the aliens enter you'll find yourself participating in a "tripl-threat" match. It depends on how you want to do this, but I'd rather trophy-kill the marines that back away from the xeno's as they'll give you the most bother. Then take out any xeno's that are left, there'll be a few but just remember your "combat fundamentals" and you'll be fine. Don't be shy using your plasma caster in here because there's a charge station in this room. Once everything's dead, recharge and proceed to the machine room. Now this machine room was a nightmare - literally! After writing the paragragh below I soon discovered that you can jump over all the turbines and run out the exit without ever having any of the grief mentioned below. You may have to kill one alien in the last corridor, but other than that you're home free. If you decided to take the advice of this paragragh, skip the next and read "Continue to the fallen Elite". If you're clinically insane, or if you just fancy a ridiculously unfair challenge, then continue reading the next paragragh. It pains me to delete the paragragh (it's quite a laborious task this FAQ-writing business) so I've decided to keep it in for the clinically insane people previously mentioned. In the machine room you'll encounter 2 marines on the gang plank up above and countless aliens all around (I tried, when confirming this guide, to count the aliens but kept dying at stupid places - thus, losing my patience! I last counted 8 before turning the machine off. I may update this with a specific number at a later juncture). You could leave the marines be, in the hope that they'll kill some xeno's for you, but I don't like leaving anything to chance - especially on Nightmare! Jump up and plasma cast the first, trophy-killing the second. If you're going to die on this level, it'll be here and now. Take them out as you see fit, being careful of your trophy-kills. Use your plasma caster on groups of xeno's and melee the hell out of any individuals. And KEEP MOVING! Don't be shy with your plasma caster as there's a charge station in this room, as well as one outside the exit - you'll need them. Beware though! I was killed quite a few times recharging my wrist bracer: they don't come near you, you think the coast is clear, you go for the charge, and 2 xeno's come rushing in for the kill! Go figure. Once you leave the machine room, before proceeding to the hive, take an immediate right, down the stairs to find a health shard - I'm sure you need it... Continue to the fallen Elite, destroying any UNOPENED xeno eggs, picking up health shards, recharging, etc. Once you've acquired the smart disc, destroy the 3 xeno eggs in the room (they're in the lower portion of the large room, you can't miss them), and a 4th in the next room with the hole in the floor, before dropping down to the area below. Destroy the water pipe and wait for the water to douse the flames. In the meantime, hold off the aliens with the smart disc or the plasma caster (doesn't matter if you use the plasma caster because it's the end of the level), keeping on the move, until the way forward is clear of flames. Now simply make a dash for the end, ignoring any and all aliens, and you'll find yourself one step closer to that elusive "One Ugly Mother" achievement! - Ruins [rns] ----- This first part is designed to be a taster of what's to come later in the level. Jump across the fallen bridge and activate the first of 3 species symbol switches. Take a right as far as you can go and jump over to the ledge for a health shard. Jump back the way you came, except to a lower ledge, and jump left to the 2nd symbol switch. After activating this, head left as far as you can go and, after a couple of jumps, you'll come to the final symbol switch. There are now xeno's chasing you, but have no fear. Simply jump up to the next ledge, sprint to the first species symbol switch, up the stone steps, and through the corridor (ignoring the 3 aliens laying in wait) into the next chamber, where the door will close behind you. This next part is trial-and-error. You have to make your way to the top of the chamber, navigating the moving platforms in the process. I found the easiest way up is to jump on the lowest platform next to the door you entered, to the right as you enter (or to the left as you look at the door from within the chamber). Jump up the moving platforms in an anti-clockwise direction. It may take a couple of attempts, until the timing is favourable, but shouldn't take more than 3. Once at the top, pick up the Predator Lord's mask and head outside. Ignore everything until you come to the "large" ledge, the last before going over the long stone walkway. From here you have enough room to take out the few aliens who've followed you, taking care to avoid these new xeno's spit, before heading along the stone walkway and into the caverns. The caverns are relatively easy to navigate (especially if you were stuck for as long as I was on this level in the Marine Campaign, you'll know the caverns like the back of your wrist-bracer), just head right and continue in that general direction. Pick up the health shard on the way, before exiting the caverns and taking out the 3 marines and however many aliens in the open area. Jump up to the ledge above the locked door to find another species symbol switch, activate this to gain entry to the next area. From up here you can command a wide view of the area. There should be an active mounted smart gun below you - leave this and it should deal with the swarm of aliens that come to attack. Once everything's lying dead on the ground, it's time to turn off the smart gun (it's indescriminate about who it kills!). You can turn off the smart gun by dropping down 2 levels into the room you would've entered had the locked door not been locked. Beware! The laptop is guarded by 3 marines. Your best bet is to drop down to the ledge immediately below you, which is the level above the marines. By circling the perimeter of this floor, you should have a line of fire on all 3 marines. Deal with them how you please, destroy the laptop, and head outside to take on a fresh horde of aliens - no problem with the smart disc. Once you've slaughtered your revered prey, head up to the exit. The exit you used in the Marine Campaign will be blocked so you'll have to jump up above, activate the species symbol switch, and head through to the ruins proper... The objective here is to find the 3 species symbol switches (there's actually 4 - I'll explain in a moment). It doesn't matter what order you activate them, and they're easily seen in "focus mode". Their locations are as follows: - In the structure immediately in front of where you enter the area. It should be noted here that this is one is not inclusive of the 3 that activate the door to the arena. I activated this one and 2 of the others and wondered why the door wouldn't open. I think this switch is responsible for opening other doors within these external structures, though I'm not certain. Any useful information would be greatly appreciated in clearing this matter up. - At the base of the central pyramid, on the side facing where you entered the area. - On one of the sides of the central pyramid there's a statue of a xenomorph looking down at the floor below. Follow his gaze to find a marine guarding this switch. - This one's by the corner structure, not immediately in front of where you entered but further forward, yet still on the left-hand side. If you imagine you enter this area in the "south-west" corner, it's on the "north-west" corner. An easier way to explain would be: it's on the platform you begin on the Alien Campaign. Once you've located these 3 (or 4) symbol switches and eliminated all of the marines (optional), head into the arena to face the Praetorian and her minions. Now the Praetorian is a lot easier than you think, it's the other aliens that'll hinder you. Take them out quickly first, then simply run around the outside of the arena throwing your smart disc at the pursuing Praetorian. Once she's down to around half/third health she'll call for more aliens. Stick to the same strategy as before, smart disc any xeno's that get in your way - but don't get side-tracked! Keep moving because you don't want the Praetorian to get anywhere near you. Pick up the health shard on the pillar if you need it. Once she's dead, jump up to get the combi-stick. - Research Lab [rlb] ------------ Now that you have the combi-stick your life is made a WHOLE lot easier. Unlike in multiplayer, you remain cloaked when using the spear - even after a successful strike! I also discovered that you can zoom by clicking the right-stick on your xbox 360 controller, maintaining accuracy at greater distances - you have to zoom AFTER you draw the combi-stick, but BEFORE you throw it (basically, zoom after you hold "RT" and before you release "RT"). And it's a one-hit-kill (unless they're invisible - see the "Pyramid" level), making the battle androids (a bit bothersome on Alien Campaign, and even more bothersome on Marine Campaign) a piece of cake! You've done the level before (see "Introduction") so there should be no problem until you reach the research lab proper (where you begin the Alien Campaign). Just remember to remain invisible and kill any androids at a distance with your combi-stick - even a shot to the legs is an instant kill, so there really is no excuse for not reaching the lab. Once inside the lab you'll be confronted by numerous aliens, and 2 or 3 battle androids, to contend with. Don't worry about the androids - just stay back and the xeno's should take care of them. As for the xeno's, at the risk of repeating myself, your life is made a whole lot easier now that you have the combi-stick in your possession: simply block, counter, strike with combi-stick - instant kill. The intricacies of combat will vary for every playthrough, and you will need to improvise, so I'm not going to hold your hand. Just know that this level is easier now that you are the proud owner of a combi-stick, so use it wisely. After recovering the stolen wrist bracer, exit the room to find a couple of aliens and more than a few battle androids. The androids will take care of the aliens, and you'll take care of the androids. Now you can either take out the androids between yourself and the exit, or (like me) you could clear this entire area of battle androids before continuing: just remain invisible and put your combi-stick to good use! Once you exit the lab, you'll come to the place where the humans kept the Queen. You'll see some opened eggs lying around, which means there could be face-huggers about - I didn't hang around to find out! Run/jump straight through this small room into the cargo area where you'll be greeted by some 6 or 7-plus battle androids. Same tactics as before except some will turn invisible. No "biggy". Just keep thermal vision on and you can vaguely see their shimmer. There's a couple of health shards lying around so you should be ok, if not, you shouldn't be playing on Nightmare difficulty. Clear the room (not forgetting the 2 above on the gang plank where you entered), call the elevator, and go face this Abomination! This was, probably,the easiest level in the Predator Campaign. - Pyramid [pyd] ------- First off, upon disembarking the elevator, you'll be met by 6 aliens. Once again, easier than they look - run away, turn around, combi-stick, easy (the bridge is a good place for this as they can only come in one direction, see "Combat Fundamentals"). Once the funeral procession is over, the door to the next area will open. Pick up both health shards at either end of the bridge (you can see them easily in focus mode) before heading into the next area. In this next area you have to activate the 3 species symbol switches, whilst contending with MANY aliens. You only ever have to deal with 5 or 6 at a time, but I'll note here that I hung around to kill the aliens first (so I could activate the switches in peace) and they seemed to infinately spawn. There's about 4 or 5 health shards lying around so, hopefully, you'll be ok. The 3 switches can be found: one immediately in front of where you enter, with the other two being on the upper ledges to the left and right. Once you've activated your first switch some battle androids should appear. They'll be contented to kill the swarm of xeno's, so just keep your distance and you should be fine. You may have to kill an android or 2 up on the ledges, but the aliens sometimes get there before you - making your life all that little bit easier. Now the best strategy I opted for was to activate switches as quick as I could, taking on as few xeno's as possible, and leaving the battle androids in the hands of the xeno's. Once you've activated all of the species symbol switches, any aliens in this room will retreat. Eradicate any androids left over but be careful, because they'll turn invisible. Just employ the same "combi-stick tactics" as before and everything'll be alright. I'll note here that (contrary to my previous statements) I speared a few androids from one of the upper ledges and noticed that, instead of killing them outright, I knocked them over instead - forcing me to spear them a second time to kill them. It happened once on the previous level and I've come to the conclusion that it's to do with their invisibility: if they're invisible, it takes 2 strikes of the combi-stick to kill them; if they're visible, it takes one strike of the combi-stick to kill them. You can either activate the switches as quickly as possible, or dither around and wait for the xeno's to kill the androids for you - increasing the risk of xeno's killing you too. Either way, once you've activated all of the switches, clear the room, heal and stock up on health shards (like I say there's plenty around), recharge (you shouldn't need to, but just in case), and head on up to the Abomination... Now - to slay the Abomination! I don't mean to sound conceited, because I find myself writing this sentence more often than I'd like, but he's NOT AS HARD AS HE SEEMS. This boss has 3 stages. For the first stage he'll simply follow you around the circular path. Keep going round in circles, throwing mines out as you go. He might gain some ground on you, but just keep running! One thing you must know when fighting the Abomination is to NEVER LET IT GET CLOSE TO YOU! Once it starts clawing you, there's no escape and, thus, game over. Keep this process up until it's health falls to around half/ 2 thirds health. It'll jump up to the ledge on high and attempt to destroy the complex. Second stage begins... Second stage is much the same except, when you get the chance, fire your combi-stick when he's staggered. As you run around, you'll come across mines that it's jumped over which, in turn, haven't detonated. These are good spots (as you don't have to waste valuable seconds laying a mine) to whip out your spear and nail him - remember though, to run well past the mine before turning around. This ensures you have enough time to turn around and get away after throwing the combi-stick. This makes a big difference and should take him to a quarter health in no time. Enter third stage... For this third stage, I simply jump to one of the central pillars, place mines around the pillar in a "compass" formation (that's 4 mines in total), equip the combi-stick, and wait for it to come to you. It doesn't matter exactly where around the pillar you place the mines, just so long as they're evenly spread (like 4 points of the compass). Once the Abomination draws near, keep the pillar between it and you and it'll jump onto the platform you're on. The Abomination will walk around and try to get to you, detonate one of the mines, and stagger itself. You need to quickly strike it with the combi-stick, and get the hell out of dodge, throwing mines down every second or third jump. Once you've lured him away from pillar you were on, go back to the pillar, replace any detonated mines, and repeat. You should now the proud owner of the "One Ugly Mother" achievement. Congratulations. I'll finish off by saying that, when testing this guide, the Abomination was quick enough to catch me on one of the central pillars and attempted to trophy-kill me. I had one square of health left, whilst he detonates 2 mines (without being staggered I might add) and managed to get away quick enough to heal. So, the moral of the story: he's going to get the odd hit in as you're laying down mines; just remember to heal at the end of each "stage" (there's a few health shards lying around) and if he gets near you - BUG OUT! ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* - Conclusion [cln] Whew! Thank God that's over with. We're now 2 thirds of the way towards completing every campaign on Nightmare. I'd only like to say that, looking at the finished product, it was fun to write this FAQ. I won't deny, there were times I was cursing ever beginning this "fool's errand" but, just like a ship weathering the storm, I look back and say "that wasn't so bad, was it?". I'm now going to begin writing the Nightmare Marine FAQ, my third and final installment to this (sometimes) fun trilogy. Not immediately though. I think I'll treat myself to a day or 2's break, before digging the trenches again - but have faith, it will arrive. I know the Nightmare Marine Campaign is the one most people will struggle with and, thus, will be the most eagerly anticipated. I like to save the best for last (",)! If there's any one thing I'm not happy with in this FAQ it's the "Combat Fundamentals". I've re-written it I don't know how many times and it still doesn't feel as fluent and comprehensive as I would have liked - but I suppose you've got to call it a day sometime, polish it off, and deliver some kind of finished product. I'll admit here that it was that single section that occupied most of my time writing this guide, which explains the lengthy delay between the Nightmare Alien FAQ and this one: I promise you will not have to wait as long for the Nightmare Marine FAQ. If anyone has any useful criticism on how to better the "Combat Fundamentals" section, if ANY part of the FAQ is erroneous (I'm sure there will be - I'm only human after all), or you just want to tell me I did a good (or bad) job, please see the "Contact Me" section. P.S I won't appreciate silly emails telling me I don't know how to use apostrophes, etc. For example, I know that the plural of "xeno" is "xenos" and not "xeno's", I just thought it looked it better. Thanks again for taking the time to read my FAQ, and I'll see you all again soon. ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* - Legal Information [lgi] This Nightmare Predator FAQ is the property of the author Dale Taylor and may only be used by Gamefaqs.com, Gamespot.com, and any other sites owned and operated by them. This may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Copyright 2010 Dale Taylor ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* - Contact Me [cnt] Any queries, criticisms (constructive or otherwise), or if you just want to tell me I'm a pompous wind-bag who loves the sound of his own voice, you can get me at: e-mail: [email protected] gamertag: Rixus Mar *******************************************************************************