Nightmare Alien Campaign Guide - Guide for Aliens vs. Predator

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FAQ: "Nightmare" Alien Campaign Guide
Version: 1.0
Author: Dale Taylor a.k.a Rixus Mar
E-mail: [email protected]
Date: 05 March 2010
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Contents:

- Version History    [vhy]
- Introduction       [idn]
- Nightmare Alien FAQ
  - Research Lab     [rlb]
  - Colony           [cny]
  - Refinery         [rfy]
  - Jungle           [jgl]
  - Ruins            [rns]
- Conclusion         [cln]
- Legal Information  [lgi]
- Contact Me         [cnt]
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- Version History    [vhy]



05 Mar 2010: Constructed FAQ in its entirety. Applied all relevent formatting 
             and cosmetics. Included the use of the "quick find" system.
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- Introduction       [idn]


Seeing as my first FAQ (Grim Reaper FAQ) was so well received I decided to make
more. It's fun to do and others are getting the benefit of my hard work! I 
decided on doing "Nightmare" guides next as I thought these were where most
gamers are going to have problems.

I opted to begin with the Alien Campaign mainly for 2 reasons: it's by FAR the 
easiest, and; after writing the Grim Reaper FAQ I basically knew the campaign 
like the back of my hand. The "Nightmare" Predator Campaign will follow after 
and, if I ever get past the Praetorian in the Research Lab, the "Nightmare" 
Marine Campaign will conclude the trilogy. It should also be noted that this is
the order of ascending difficulty, Alien being easiest and Marine certainly the
hardest.

The layout of this guide should be easy enough. As you can see from the 
contents I've laid it out by the levels you play in the Alien Campaign and in 
the order you play them.

I've 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 FAQ, 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 harvesting civilians or collecting Royal Jelly
  cannisters. These are sometimes conflicting interests (like in the Ruins) 
  and therefore belong to other FAQS.

Also, before we continue, there are some things you MUST know:

- DON'T take on groups of enemies. By groups I mean more than a single enemy. 
  The reason being you'll simply die. Seperate them and take them out 
  individually. Divide and conquer!
- Go for trophy-kills (if you want the points for a Queen rating) but make sure
  you have the time to pull them off. A stand-up fight can go horribly wrong 
  and can see you all the way back to the start of the level.
- If you must harvest (not always essential for Queen rating but almost always 
  guarantees it) you have to either: kill any nearby enemies THEN harvest, or; 
  harvest when none's around. Harvesting in front of a single marine is certain
  death. Only trouble with killing enemies before harvesting is your prey will
  run (if they spot you) and hide and can sometimes be a pain to find.
- 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 tail attack I'll tell you "LB" (Left-Bumper). Here's
the standard legend I use throughout:

"LB" - strong/tail attack
"RB" - weak/claw attack
"x" - interact/harvest/trophy-kill, etc.
"LT" - focus mode (used in conjunction with "RB" or "A", in some cases)

At the risk of making my introduction too lengthy, I'd like to talk about 
androids. I began by mentioning them as we come across them in the game, but 
found that it broke the flow of the narrative and decided to put a bit in the 
introduction about them. Battle androids are encountered mainly in the Ruins 
level (in the Alien Campaign at least, they appear at different times in the 
Predator and Marine Campaigns) and will cause you some bother on Nightmare if 
you're not prepared. As you'll find, these battle androids are superior to any 
humans you will combat in the game and require a little "softening up" before 
pressing "x". A single RB or LB attack usually isn't enough and they'll 
invariably break free and counter-attack, which on Nightmare means death if 
they're packing shotguns. Try attacking with 2 "LB"s at least before pressing 
"x" and you should find they won't break free. Easy way to tell is: after you 
press "x" and enter the trophy-kill sequence, if their ski masks are still on
then they'll break free; if their ugly wrinkly faces are exposed then they're 
toast. A stealth-kill from behind is an automatic kill and is the exception to 
the rule. Other than the first level you won't encounter any more until the 
final Ruins, but they can put you back to the start of a level if you take a 
lax attitude towards them. You have been warned!

That's me off my high-horse and finished the introductory prattle. Now, let the
"Nightmare" begin...
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- Nightmare Alien FAQ


  - Research Lab     [rlb]
    ------------

We'll begin this FAQ after the tutorial as everything up to that point is self-
explanatory. After you've travelled through the vents and freed your siblings
(hold "x" at the console) 2 guards should come by to investigate. Attach to the
ceiling above the doorway and "LB" the guard standing closest to the doorway,
while remaining inside the room on the ceiling, allowing your siblings to 
finish these 2 off (or trophy kill the last one before he dies if you feel you
need the points).

Head into the main area, follow the path round, dealing with the lone patrol
however you see fit. Before you come to the mounted smart gun attach to the 
ceiling and proceed to the 2 sentries posted behind the gun - your siblings 
will help deal with these 2: by travelling on the ceiling you've moved out of 
range of the smart gun's sensors, making your job a lot easier. Eliminate the 
final scientist who's trying to escape and/or escape through the vent.

After exiting the vent, sneak up on the patrolling guard and stealth kill with
"x". Destroy the power node, proceed up the elevator shaft (simultaneously
taking out the lights), and take out the guard who approaches. His friend over
by the control terminal should come by to investigate, or may remain by his 
post. Deal with him accordingly either way. After interacting with the console
and freeing the Queen, the doors behind you will open. This is the only point 
in the level you should have anything remotely like trouble. On the other side
of this door are 2 androids. They manoeuvre a lot to escape your siblings but, 
the thing to remember is, try to deal with them seperately. If you can't get 
the trophy-kills just keep attacking with "LB" until they're toast.

Activate the monorail and you'll be treated to the cut-scene showing your 
brethren and you making good your escape.


  - Colony           [cny]
    ------

Proceed through the vents and take out the power box. Hide in one of the 
"alcove" vents in the wall and wait for the first marine to come by. Make sure
he walks past you and is out of his friend's line of sight when you hold "LT" 
and press "A". You may need to strike this marine again before grabbing with 
"x". His friend will come and investigate. Climb back in the recess and repeat.

The trick to doing the Alien Campaign on Nightmare difficulty is to avoid 
contact wherever possible. If you're in it for points, you get a good enough 
score just doing it on the hardest difficulty (x4 multiplier). So I recommend
avoiding the next 2 marines (one has a flamethrower), but if you're brave you 
can take out any nearby lights, divide and then conquer. 

Proceed to the Pump Room. Same idea, there's a civilian and 3 marines but I say
move on through the next vent. Before turning off the blades and exiting the 
sewers, deal with any marines to cover your back. There should be one here in
this "fan area" anyway (once I found 2) and sometimes the civilian wanders down
here as well. Others may come individually to investigate so take these out 
accordingly, otherwise you may find a shotgun shell imbedded in the back of 
your skull. Between this "fan area" and the Pump Room there are 4 marines and
one civilian. Whilst making this guide, I inadvertently eliminated all 4 
marines and the civilian "covering my back". It's just too difficult to take 
them out IN the Pump Room, but if you're going for the Grunt Hunt achievement,
this could be a better tactic.

The rest is pretty straight forward until you come to the Garage. The easiest 
way I found to do this was to enter the Garage via the vent (as opposed to the
stairs) and continue along the shadows of the ceiling until you reach the 
corner where the smart gun covers the stairs. Climb down the wall in the corner
and hiss at ground level and retreat back up the wall (I've found hissing
halfway up the wall makes the marines look up to where you are, sometimes 
finding you), a marine comes by to investigate. Climb back down and grab from 
the wall with "x", and repeat for 3 or 4 of the 5 marines. If you've only 
eliminated 3 marines then that means that 2 are patrolling the floor together,
and that's bad; you simply cannot stand up to 2 marines on your own, you'll 
have to try and lure one away - divide and conquer. If you eliminated 4 marines
in the corner then there's only one left and you know what that means - dinner
is served. Deal with the civilian how you please (if he hasn't run away 
already) because this level's over!


  - Refinery         [rfy]
    --------

Proceed to the Machine Room. This can be tricky as there are 2 marines on a 
gang plank above 3 other marines patrolling the floor: attack the marines on 
the floor and the gang plank marines open fire, attack the gang plank marines 
and the ground ones open fire! I say avoid all by remaining on the ceiling and
proceed to the exit door (it should be a well illuminated door with a civilian
working next to it), the cover provided by the nearby turbines alllows for the 
time it takes to interact with the door. Be careful as you travel along the
ceiling to this door as the room is generally well lit and I've been accosted 
more than once while on on the ceiling - so be warned! If you're a daredevil 
and you MUST kill the marines then I suggest taking out the ground marines when
they venture under/near the upper walkway (what I call the gang plank), denying
the 2 marines a line of fire. Then take out the 2 on the gang plank when 
they're at the opposite ends of their patrols and not facing each other. This 
is only taking more risks than is necessary, but its up to you...

However you handled the Machine Room, once you get the door open catch the 
running civilian and harvest him before he calls 2 more marines up the service
elevator. Continue until you've exited, what I like to call, the wind tunnel.
Take out the power box to your right and harvest the nearby civilian quickly.
A marine will come by to investigate (they never learn) and you don't need me
to tell you what to do next. Try and lure his 2 friends forward to their doom,
individually, taking the lights out in the process. I'd like to add here that
sometimes 2 marines come to investigate and leave one behind. If this happens 
then stealth kill the one walking behind, so his friend doesn't notice, then 
you're free to take the first one out. After you've dealt with these 3 marines
proceed to the end. Before you reach the end there'll be one more marine and 
civilian. Dispose of them before taking out the power box that opens the door 
to your escape.


  - Jungle           [jgl]
    ------

This is a rather long and laborious level and one slip up sees you all the way
back at the start. It is arguably the hardest "Nightmare" level in the Alien
Campaign and you must be careful at all times. Some may say Ruins is the 
hardest but it's nowhere near as time consuming, and death is of no real 
consequence compared to the work involved in this here Jungle.

Follow the face-hugger through the vent and hide in the small area to the right
of where you exit the vent. After the face-hugger captures the marine take out
any lights and wait for his friend. Be careful how you deal with this marine
because there's another marine behind the wall to your right. You have to do a
lunge attack (hold "LT" and press "RB"), but he can't see it coming or he'll 
elbow you away. If your lunge is successfull: it has to be so that you don't go
too far and wind up in front of the smart gun, but that you don't fall too 
short and give the third marine a line of sight; I'll leave it in your capable 
hands. If you played your cards right then the third marine'll come to inspect 
what happened to his 2 buddies (the one the face-hugger dealt with and the one
you dealt with) only to meet his imminent death. You already know how to 
navigate past the smart guns to the power box that powers the electric fence.
Stand back from the power box before you destroy it because it WILL electrocute
you on Nightmare - I found this out the hard way. 

Once outside in the swamp area hug the right and proceed to the cabin next to 
the radio antenna on the plateau, scaling walls where necessary. With some 
creative hissing you can "divide and conquer" these 2 marines on the other 
side of the cabin. Once they've been dealt with, remain to the right until you
are under the antenna. If you climb the antenna now you will more than likely
be shot down by the third marine that is down the slope beyond the smart gun,
near the tunel. Use "LB" on the propane cylinder next to the smart gun and its
explosion should disable the gun and lure this marine up to your location, 
where you can dispose of him as you see fit.

Ascend the antenna and destroy the power box, being careful not to get 
electrocuted, and 3 marines should arrive in the swamp. They'll come to let a
civilian out of the first cabin (the cabin you passed to get to the second
cabin that's on the plateau). After releasing the civilian these marines wander
around the swamp and I've found different marines at different locations over 
my various playthroughs. Now if I want this guide to be of any use to anyone I
can't just say, "wander around the swamp and take out any marines you find".
You already know to do this and it's just too vague to be of any use in a 
"Nightmare" guide. So my best advice is to try and take them out when they're
at this cabin; with some creative hissing and a sound knowledge of your 
surroundings for cover (so long as you don't stray too far from them - their 
scent gives them away from a distance), you should dispose of these 3 with 
relative ease. Just remember to take them on INDIVIDUALLY! Divide and conquer -
I can't stress it enough.

Once you've accessed the compound proper (otherwise known as the Jungle 
Gateway) you shouldn't have a problem until you need to access building B04:
once the marines spring their trap, strike the propane cylinder in the corner
of the room (remaining outside the blast radius) and it's detonation should 
reveal a vent to escape through. Now for revenge! Navigate and exit the vent,
and deal with the marine between the outer wall and building B04. Continue 
clockwise around B04 and take out the second marine (he should be standing 
between B04 and B03, or he could be inside B04), keeping out of the smart gun's
sights. The final marine likes to hide by said smart gun. Proceed through the 
next 2 or 3 objectives until you're inside building B01.

Once inside B01 go to the door that leads upstairs but don't go through it. 
Wait to the right of the door and the 2 marines should come down individually
to their slaughter (if you're going to trophy kill the first, make sure the 
second coming down stairs doesn't have a line of fire on you); remain here and
a third marine with a smart gun will come down - rinse and repeat. Proceed 
upstairs to find a civilian on his own. He will blow you both to smithereens if
he sees you coming so, as soon as you're inside the doorway enough, jump to the
ceiling so he doesn't notice you, continue until you're almost directly above
him, hold "LT" and pounce-attack with "RB", and harvest before he can recover.
Once you destroy the console 3 marines will enter the building via the room 
below (the one you entered the building by). Remain to the right of the door 
(just like you did in the room below) and wait for them to come up 
individually, disposing of them accordingly. If they don't come up then hiss
until they do so.

It should also be noted that when I was writing this FAQ (and at no other time
I might add) something happened that I had never seen before - they all came up
together! If this happens then jump to the ceiling, before they make it up the 
stairs, wait for them to enter the room, and slip out past them undetected. 
Run like your life depends on it (and it does) out the building and leave the 
compound. PHEEW!! Just one level left...


  - Ruins            [rns]
    -----

At least this isn't a very big level so if you die there isn't a lot of work 
involved in getting back to where you were. This level is, however, HOACHIN 
with androids! You've had a wee taster in the first level, but you're going to 
have to be VERY careful with any stand-up fights you have here. See the 
Introduction for information on these brutes.

We don't want to hang around and we want the shortest route possible to the 
Predators. So, taking the path of least resistance: make a beeline for the 
central pyramid, ignoring everything else, and take the android from behind -
instant kill. Head down the vent at his feet and exit the other side, 
activating the first of the 3 pressure plates that ultimately lead to the exit.
The other 2 plates are to either side of the pyramid (there are only 2 ways out
from where you are and both lead to pressure pates). One is undefended and one
has an android and a civilian next to it. The order in which you activate these
is irrelevant, but remember to be careful with the android (and any others that
may be patrolling above) and remember the rules for fighting him. If you must
harvest the civilian then step on the pressure plate first to deactivate the
"flame-pipes" he hides under, otherwise they'll be serving Kentucky Fried 
Xenomorph at the Weyland-Yutani canteen (cafeteria if you're U.S). There's also
an android that sometimes patrols the lower waterways you're currently in. If 
so then attack him when he's underneath the pyramid, so as not to be 
interrupted by any other androids.

Once you've activated the 3 pressure plates enter the room with the 2 
civilians. You're free to harvest these 2 without interruption before 
destroying the power source. Once the door opens run past this last android 
into the area with the Predators...

These first 2 Predators are surprisingly easy. Single one out and repeatedly 
hit him with "LB" - he can't recover in time to attack in between your attacks.
Once the first is down, repeat for the second. 

Sometimes their attacks can knock you down and they go for a trophy-kill, but 
so long as your health is full you'll be ok: just retreat until your health 
regenerates to full again and get back in there. You shouldn't have to chase 
them over the pillars - it only means exposing yourself to risks. Just stick to
the ground floor and punish them when they get near. You may want to detonate 
the propane cylinders quickly as well, as they can be a hindrance rather than a
help. Oh and be careful with the flames that erupt from the vents in the floor,
more so with the Elite Predator than the first 2. If all this went off without
a hitch (and it should) then you're ready for the Elite Predator!

The best technique for the Elite is to counter - simple as that! When he's on
the ground level he'll do a lunge-attack, sometimes from around a corner. Just
keep your block up, counter with "RB", then strike once with "LB" when he's
trying to regain his feet. When he's back on his feet he'll do one of 2 things.
Usually he rears back for strong attack, but you're expecting this and have 
already struck him to the ground with "RB" (you have to be quick or he'll hit
you first) and followed up with "LB" (see above); or he knocks you over and 
either runs away or goes for the trophy-kill, but so long as your health is 
full you'll have some health left and can escape the hold. If this latter 
condition happens then regroup until you're FULLY healed. So long as your 
health is FULL during any hand-to-hand combat you'll be fine, otherwise his 
trophy-kill attempt WILL kill you.

Keep this up until his health is at one single red bar. When his health is low
there'll be a prompt to grab with "x" - don't, it's just a waste of time. But
when his health goes down to that single red bar the prompt will change from
"grab" to "harvest". Press "x" now and you'll see him reach for a health shard
just before he's harvested. Now, there are some things to point out here: if 
you're too slow in pressing "x" he will get the shard in, regenerate 
approximately one half to two thirds of his health, and you'll have to do it 
all over again; or if you're over-zealous with your attacks and strike him 
again when he's on his last sliver of health, he'll automatically heal to the
previously stated amount. You have to keep a close eye on his health and press
"x" exactly when prompted (which I know is easier said than done when the 
adrenaline's flowing and the controller's sliding out of wringing-wet hands).

If you've followed these steps to the letter (and I know there's a lot of them
- I do get a bit long-winded sometimes, I know) then you'll definately get the
achievement. The only way the above will fail is doing the wrong things at the 
wrong times. Heaven knows it took me a few tries. Not that it was too 
difficult, but when the pressure's on and your heart's racing it's easy to make
a boo-boo. Keep cool and you'll be fine.
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- Conclusion         [cln]


And that's it! You are now the proud owner of the "Magnificent, Isn't It?"
achievement. Shame it's only worth 30G eh? I'd like to finish by saying that I
hope this guide has been helpful for you and that it was as much fun for you as
it was for me. 

I'm going to begin the "Nightmare" Predator Campaign FAQ immediately, and if 
there's anything useful you think I could add to the guide (or remove - I know 
I do prattle on a bit), or if you've any queries or criticisms, see the 
"Contact Me" section below.

Thanks again. You've been a wonderful audience.
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- Legal Information  [lgi]


This Nightmare Alien 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
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- 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
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