~ FAQ #4 ~ Justeazy ~ FAQ #4 ~ Justeazy ~ FAQ #4 ~ Justeazy ~ FAQ #4 ~ Justeazy ____ ____ \ \ / / \ \ / / \ \/ / ___ ______ ____ _ ____ _ _ _ ______ \ / __ |\ /|| __||\ || | __ || || || __|| || \ | || ____| / \|__|| \ / |||_ | \ || | | | || [] || || | _ | || \ | || |____ / /\ \ ||\\//||| _| ||\\|| | | | || _|| || || || || |\\| ||____ | / / \ \ || \/ ||||__ || \ | | |__| || \ | || |_||| || | \ | ____| | /___/ \___\ || |||___||| \| |______||_|\_\|_||____||_||_| \_||______| _______________________________________________________________________________ ____ ____ \ \ /\ / / ____ _ __ __ _____ ____ _ _ _ _____ \ \ / \ / / | | | | \ \ / / | ___| | | | | | \ | | | ___| \ \/ \/ / | | | | \ \ / / | |__ | [] | | | | \ | | | |__ \ / | [] | | | \ \/ / | __| | _| | | | |\\| | | __| \ /\ / | | | |____ \ / | |___ | \ | | | | \ | | |___ \__/ \__/ |____| |______| \/ |_____| |_|\_\ |_| |_| \_| |_____| X-Men Origins: Wolverine Complete Walkthrough (PS2 "caged" version. Content different from XBox360, PC, PS3, DS, and PSP.) NOTICE: Wii users, this guide was made using a PS2, for a PS2. The entire guide has many, many refrences to PS2 controls. If any Wii user would like to send me a list of controls/combos as found the game manual, I'll gladly apply them to my Wii ASCII art, and make a section under the pre-existing one for Wii controls. Giving you all credit for submitting it, of course. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Contents =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Sec 1: Version History________[XMOWS1] Sec 2: Introduction___________[XMOWS2] Sec 3: The Menus______________[XMOWS3] Sec 4: Using this Guide_______[XMOWS4] Sec 5: Walkthrough____________[XMOWS5] 5A: Mission 1____________[XMOWS5A] 5B: Mission 2____________[XMOWS5B] 5C: Mission 3____________[XMOWS5C] 5D: Mission 4____________[XMOWS5D] 5E: Mission 5____________[XMOWS5E] 5F: Mission 6____________[XMOWS5F] 5G: Mission 7____________[XMOWS5G] 5H: Mission 8____________[XMOWS5H] 5I: Mission 9____________[XMOWS5I] Sec 6: Upgrades_______________[XMOWS6] Sec 7: Hints and Tips_________[XMOWS7] Sec 8: FAQ____________________[XMOWS8] Sec 9: Legal/Thanks___________[XMOWS10] 9A: Legal Info___________[XMOWS10A] 9B: Acknowledgements_____[XMOWS10B] Sec 0: Contact Me_____________[XMOWS11] Auto Find: To jump to a specific section of this FAQ, press F3, or hold Ctrl and press F, then input the code in brackets across from the section that you want to look at. Then just hit [NEXT] and it will bring you to the beginning of your section. (All letters are capitols) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 1: Version History [XMOWS1] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 01/26/2010 - 01/30/2010 Ver. 1.0 Started writing this guide. Format, ASCII art, 1st Version History, Introduction, The Menus, Using This Guide, Walkthrough and Upgrades started. Completed. All 9 missions, Hints and Tips, FAQ completed. 09/09/10 Ver. 1.15 Updated combos and orbs information thanks to a submission by Aguini. Fixed a minor error in ASCII. General corrections in the spelling/grammar/etc. departments. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 2: Introduction [XMOWS2] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Logan, aka Wolverine, was a member of an elite military strike force known as team X. Joined by other mutant soldiers such as his own half-brother, Victor Creed, Logan followed the orders of Col. William Stryker - until one fateful day when those orders went too far. Logan took the opportunity to pursue a normal life and retreated to the Canadian wilderness, settling down with Kayla, the love of his life. The next three yeaars were the happiest of his life... until the death of Kayla at the hands of Logan's own flesh and blood. Bent on revenge, Logan accepted an offer from Stryker to recieve the "tools" necessary to defeat Victor. Without knowing the colonel's nefarious ulterior motives, Logan allowed for his entire skeleton to be coated with the indestructible metal alloy known as adamantium - including the lethal claws that project from his hands. The time has come for Logan to extract his vengeance. Are you up to the challenge, bub? I recieved XMen origins for my 2009 birthday. However, around the same time I had also gotten about ten "new" games, so I hadn't even opened it until today (the day I started writing this guide). I needed help on a part, but there are no guides for it (on PS2) so I decided to make my own. After finally figuring out said part (stupid positioning >_<) I started beat the game, then started writing the guide. I beat the game and made the blunt of the walkthrough. I then "beat" it twice on easy, making sure to find every SO in the game. I then played through on Medium and Hard to note all of the differences in game. Suprisingly, they're few and far between. The only notable differences are how much experience you get (see the beginning of the walkthrough section). The percentages of experience you get are also somewhat correlating to the percentages of difficulty enemies increase by. They have a little more oomph in offence and defence, but it's hardly noticable except on the bosses. I made my Upgrades chart as I went. I recorded every purchase level and price, and noted it all down. Strangely enough, besides those upgrades unlocked by other upgrades, there were very few you have to unlock. I'm planning on doing a more complete run through to record any I missed (like, if I didn't notice upgrade X unlocked at the end of mission Y, for example). Strangely enough, I didn't like this game much. My GameFAQs rating I gave it was a 5, the lowest score I've given. However, I do like to see completeness, so if I have a game, and it doesn't have a FAQ on the internet, then I'll make it regardless. However, don't think just because the game is bad, I have made a bad FAQ. I hold high standards for the quality of my work. **NOTE** At the time of the writing of this guide, IGN had a walkthrough released through GameSpy. However, there were MANY problems with it: "First off, on your guide. You basically say everything like "kill the enemies and get through the door" or something. Sure, you use screenshots, but you don't say HOW to get onto the roof in said screenshots. Secondly, you miss plenty of Sentinel Observers and Blob Tokens, and you completely skip just about all of the areas where you can earn bonus experience. Finally, all of the screenshots are clearly from the Wii port of the game, not the PS2." From an email I sent them regarding the guide. I recieved no response. The fact they didn't put half the effort into it that I did on this disappoints me. Not bashing on IGN (they usually have decent stuff) for the record. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 3: The Menus [XMOWS3] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= On the start menu, you have five options: New Game: This is where you will start your game, and where you will go if you screw up your game enough where you want to restart. I've done it a few times, you may too. The three difficulties are Brawler, Feral, and Berserker (Easy, Medium, and Hard, respectively). You only unlock Berserker by beating the game once. Load Game: Obviously, where you load your game. Turn on your PS2/PS3, Select your file, and get to playing! After some load time, you will begin your game after your last save. Continue Game: A good feature, makes use of the system's RAM. If you've played since the last time you turned your system on, your game will be pre-loaded. (Sometimes, but not always, it will automatically load when you turn it on!) If you select this option, you will automatically select the last played file and start at the beginning of the last area you entered (after an auto-save). Saves drastically on load time. Options: Here, you can adjust the various points of the game. You can adjust the volume of the sound effects (SFX), music, and voices by adjusting sliders. All the way right is 100% volume for that feature, and all the way left is 0% volume for that feature. You can also adjust brightness using a similar slider method. You can toggle widescreen mode and vibration on/off, turn progressive mode on for higher quality displays, and even choose to use the autosave feature. Defaults are 100% on all volume, about 25-30% brightness, and only vibration/autosave on. (Because there is no reset defaults option.) Extras: Finally, something good... well, kind of. You have "Blob Arena", where you can challenge Blob for experience, after collecting Blob Tokens throughout the main game. It's a fairly good time waster. However, you have to get far in the game before you can even unlock this. Then, there's Rouge's gallery. This is where you can find the specs on practically all of the enemies (and even bosses) in the game, even before you start the game! I recommend taking the time to read about them before starting. On the pause menu, you have six options: Continue: Close the pause menu and resume the game. Restart Checkpoint: Start from the last checkpoint. (Usually the last auto- save, but sometimes there are checkpoints inbetween.) Very useful if you missed something before a ledge or something. If you follow this guide, you may find yourself using this quite often (tripwires, anyone?). Restart Mission: Start again at the beginning of the mission. Or, in other words, jump all the way back in progress to the last "breifing" screen. Upgrade: Access the upgrades menu (see section 6) to upgrade yourself by spending the experience you have earned in various ways. Options: See above. Only difference is there is now a "Difficulty" setting which both displays the difficulty and allows you to change between unlocked difficulties at any time. This is perfect if you're trying to maximize the experience you earn in a single runthrough. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 4: Using this Guide [XMOWS4] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This is only here to show you how to use this guide, in case a few things may seem confusing. If something about this guide needs explaining, tell me, and I'll add it here. (Yes, I know a lot of these are totally unnecessary, but I did it anyway, so if you don't like it, just skip over this section. __/REFRENCES\__ I may refer you to pressing a button. If I do, instead of typing out the entire button, I'll use a symbol. This makes it easier on spacing, and it makes it a little less confusing. (Instead of press down to go down, it's press V to go down.) **NOTE** All colors are from the wired black, Dualshock 2 controller, that came with the original "fat" PS2. If you have a differently colored/non sony controller, I can't be held responsible for any confusion. Would you really be confused? ^ = Up This is that top grey button on the left hand side. < = Left This is that left grey button on the left hand side. > = Right This is that right grey button on the left hand side. V = Down This is that bottom grey button on the left hand side. R^ = RA Up This means you need to tilt the right analog stick up. R< = RA Left This means you need to tilt the right analog stick left. R> = RA Right This means you need to tilt the right analog stick right. RV = RA Down This means you need to tilt the right analog stick down. L^ = LA Up This means you need to tilt the left analog stick up. L< = LA Left This means you need to tilt the left analog stick left. L> = LA Right This means you need to tilt the left analog stick right. LV = LA Down This means you need to tilt the left analog stick down. L1 = El One The button close to you on the top left side of the controller. L2 = El Two The button far from you on the top left side of the controller. L3 = El Three This will indicate you need to press in the left analog stick. R1 = Ar One The button close to you on the top right side of the controller. R2 = Ar Two The button far from you on the top right side of the controller. R3 = Ar Three This will indicate you need to press in the right analog stick. /\ = Triangle The little green shape, top of the four shapes on the right. [] = Square The little pink shape, left of the four shapes on the right. () = Circle The little red shape, right of the four shapes on the right. X = Cross The little blue shape, bottom of the four shapes on the right. (In case you're wondering, it's actually called cross, not "EX". Look in your owner's manual if you don't believe me. It's because they are all shapes. Do you see it now? Triangle, Square, Circle, Cross; shapes. "EX"; letter.) Just because I'm awesome, I've made a little diagram for those controller-ly challenged readers, so you know exactly what to do to press every button on your controller. (I cannot be held responsible if you do not have a SONY brand Dualshock 2 controller.) In the diagram, == is select, => is start, <=> is the analog button, and = is the analog light. \ \ ______ | | ______ /__L2__/| | | |\__R2__\ /__L1__/ |________| |________| \__R1__\ |______|/_________\_/_________\|______| / ____ \ / ____ \ / | | \ S O N Y / | | \ /___| ^ |___\ /___| /\ |___\ || || || || || < > || == => || [] () || ||___ ___||__ __||___ ___|| |\ | V | / L^ \ / R^ \ | X | /| | \ |____| / \ <=> / \ |____| / | | \________/L< L3 L>| = |R< R3 R>\________/ | | \ /_____\ / | | / \_LV_/ \_RV_/ \ | | / \ | | / \ | | / \ | | / \ | \ / \ / \____/ \____/ **NOTE** You have permission to use this diagram, or you have permission to use this as a base, and alter it for your guide, as long as you give me the credit. __/Controls\__ Because this is a full guide, it won't be complete without controls. These are directly from the instruction manual. Not all of these will be avaliable to you at the beginning of your game. It's safe to say that you won't be able to use these options until you learn about them in game. _______________________________________________ |BASIC ACTION |BUTTON | |____________________|__________________________| |Movement |Left Analog Stick | |____________________|__________________________| |Quick Attack |X Button | |____________________|__________________________| |Heavy Attack |[] Button | |____________________|__________________________| |Lunge Mode |L2 Button | |____________________|__________________________| |Jump |() Button | |____________________|__________________________| |Block |R1 or L1 Button | |____________________|__________________________| |Grab |/\ Button | |____________________|__________________________| |Feral Sense |Directional Buttons | |____________________|__________________________| |Dodge |Right Analog Stick | |____________________|__________________________| |Pause Menu |START Button | |____________________|__________________________| __/Combos\__ Because this is a full guide, it won't be complete without combos. These are directly from the instruction manual. Not all of these will be avaliable to you at the beginning of your game. It's safe to say that you won't be able to use these moves until you learn about them in game. However, I did remove one (Alternate Thrust (hold)) because to the best of my ability I can't figure out how to do it, and I don't think there is an actual combo for it. _________________________________________________ |MOVE NAME |BUTTONS | |___________________________|_____________________| |Right Slash | X | |___________________________|_____________________| |Left Slash | X X | |___________________________|_____________________| |Upward Slash | X X X | |___________________________|_____________________| |Downward Slash | X X X X | |___________________________|_____________________| |Backhand Slash | X [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Awesome Slash | X [] X [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Double Downward Slash | X X [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Jackhammer Punch | X X X [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Double Power Punch | X X X [] [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Kickoff | X X X [] X | |___________________________|_____________________| |Area Slash | X [] [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Spinning Slash | X [] X [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Spinning Double Slash | X [] X X | |___________________________|_____________________| |Corkscrew Attack | X [] X X [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Alternate Thrust | [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Alternate Flash | [] X | |___________________________|_____________________| |Alternate Blast | [] [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Jump Slash Attack | () X | |___________________________|_____________________| |Downward Slam | () [] | |___________________________|_____________________| _________________________________________________ |GRAB COMBOS (All must start with the first move.)| |___________________________|_____________________| |Skewer Grab | /\ | |___________________________|_____________________| |Directional Throw |Move LA in direction.| |(While holding the LA, just release /\ to throw.)| |___________________________|_____________________| |Seperate Claws Attack | [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Headbutt | X | |___________________________|_____________________| _________________________________________________ |RAGE COMBOS (All must start with the first move.)| |___________________________|_____________________| |Rage Mode | L3 + R3 | |___________________________|_____________________| |Weapon X Mode | hold R2 | |___________________________|_____________________| |Harvester | hold R2 + X | |___________________________|_____________________| |Buzzsaw | hold R2 + /\ | |___________________________|_____________________| |Experiment X | hold R2 + [] | |___________________________|_____________________| |Spin Cycle | hold R2 + () | |___________________________|_____________________| __/Abbreviations\__ I may refer to something in shorthand in order to save myself time and room (because I am on a limited 79 character width.) This is a list of all of the abbreviations I use in this guide, in the order that they will appear. **Note** I will NOT abbreviate these if they appear as text in-game, unless absolutely necessary for spacing. RA: Right Analog LA: Left analog IP: Information Prompt FS: Feral Senses SO: Sentinel Observer XP: Experience BT: Blob Token =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 5: Walkthrough [XMOWS5] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Before you start out, I recommend adjusting your options. Start by turning autosave off. There are many points where you can (and probably will) get through an area before you are finished there, and if it's autosaved, there is no way to go back unless you start a new game. I recommend turning it off, and when you have finished exploring an area, turn it on before going to the exit, then turning it off before anything else. I also recommend turning the brightness up to about 50%, because in feral mode the visibility of the path ahead is reduced. Also, turn music down to about 50-75%, because there are some quieter sound effects that it can drown out. Also important to note is that every time I refer to experience, I only kept tallies in brawler difficulty. Enemies give about 33% more experience in Feral difficulty, and about 50-75% more in Berserker difficulty. However, Sentinel Observers Tend to give less experience. If you want to MAXIMIZE your experience, play the game on Berserker, but quickly switch to Brawler every time you destroy a Sentinel Observer. Now, on to the game! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 5A: Mission 1 [XMOWS5A] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __/Canadian Wilderness\__ You used to be a fighter - the best. But then you walked away from it all. Now happier than ever - and, for the first time, at peace - you live a normal life in the Canadian wilderness with Kayla, the love of your life. You've forgotten more about fighting than most people will ever know. Unfortunately, it's about to all come storming back... This level opens with a scene of Logan chopping down a tree. Working diligently, the other loggers (slackers) think that he's making them look bad, and decide to teach him a lesson. You hear a scream in the distance (Kayla!), but the loggers are determined to get to you first. You pull out your claws (so much for fitting in) and start the fighting! Here, your first of many information prompts (IPs) pop up. (In case you are too busy fighting to read, I've typed them all up when they appear in this guide for your convenience!) Objective: Locate Kayla Combat Combine strong and light attacks to trigger advanced moves. Press X for light, fast attacks and [] for slower, stronger attacks. X [] for Backhand Slash. X X [] for Double Downward Slash to disarm foes with a rifle. You can basically mash X and/or [] and get through this entire fight sequence without taking much damage. Continue fighting/advancing until the next IP comes up. Feral Senses Press the directional buttons to trigger feral senses mode. Feral senses mode highlights interactive objects such as destructible barriers. Well, it doesn't actually hightlight much of anything, but rather puts a red tint on just about everything that ISN'T "interactive", so you can look for anything non-red and know what to do. In this case, turn it on (I prefer to press <, but all four directions work) and look for something not red. You can destroy it by using your combos. Make sure to turn it off again so your visibility is restored. **NOTE** If you rush through this area quickly, and get through the barricade and arround the corner before the above message disappears, you get to fight a few more enemies, and if you wait until the messages disappear, those enemies will too. **NOTE** I was severly disappointed at this point, because there are various gasoline containers around, yet when you activate your feral senses (FS) they do not appear highlighted. You CAN cause them to explode with a well aimed strike. After getting through the pass, fight a few more pathetic lumberjacks, then advance foreward. You will see a cliff with a path that goes around. Ledge Grab Press () to jump and grab a ledge. Press left analog stick to climb up. Some cliffs are too high to scale. Look for grabable ledges. **NOTE** You do NOT press the LA, but rather tilt it. You can run all the way around, but there is absolutely nothing there (it's only because you may fall off, so you have a way to get back). Instead, climb up the ledge the camera automatically focused on, and get some more fighting. Then, run and jump over the ledge at the end of the run, go down this path a little ways, and jump up a ledge. Sentinel Observers Destroy Sentinel Observers to earn experience. Most Sentinel Observers are cloaked. Use feral senses to locate them. You will see a floating-tripod-camera thing with a red lense. That is what it is talking about, a Sentinel Observer (SO)(#1). Hit it with any attack to destroy it and earn a hefty 300 experience (XP)! (Displayed in top right, if you haven't noticed it yet.) Sentinel Destroyed/Observer Eliminated **NOTE** One of these messages will pop up with every SO you destroy, so I'll only list them this once. I will keep a running count of the SOs found in this guide though. Now, jump across the gap to the higher ledge, and fight some more. (At this point, you're probably thinking "Man, these guys are cake! Where's something better?") Traversal Lunge When you sense a lunge opportunity, press L2 then follow prompts to lunge. After defeating these idiots, jump across the gaps in the broken bridge as far as you can get. Then, lunge where it tells you to. (Just hold L2, and tilt the left analog stick in the direction you see it moving. Don't take too long though, because you have a short time before you fall. For this one, it is L^ and L^ again. Depending on where you're standing though, you could skip the first and only have to press L^ once.) **NOTE** If you turn on your FS at the waterfall, you will some smoke (fire?) or mist coming out behind a tree. It is "highlighted", yet I cannot find how it is "interactive". You may want to give it a try for yourself. Combat Lunge Press L2 to enter feral lunge mode in combat. Press up on right analog stick to trigger basic attack. Use left analog stick to cycle through enemy targets. Round the corner and kill the pathetic enemies. After you kill them all, turn on your FS yet again, and you'll see another SO (#2). Destroy it, then keep going, and you'll automatically be stopped at the end of the path. Your screen will flash red as if you activated your FS for a second. Defeat surrounding enemies to enable feral lunge through the enviornment. Step up to the end of the path and press L2, and follow the prompts to get through. Again, it's just L^, L^. Traversal Lunge Chaining Wolverine can chain his lunges to traverse tough areas. You can lunge to as many lunge points as you want, as long as the lunge timer does not expire. Do as you would think, and follow the prompts. Keep lunging, but don't just go as far as you think you can! Stop at the tree above a ledge on the left side, (L2, L^, L^, L^, L^, L<) and drop. (It will be your 5th lunge if you chained them all.) Turn on your FS when it lets you to get an OS (#3). Now, just lunge back across the canyon (L2, L>, L^) and step foreward for a checkpoint. You run up to see Kayla's truck ravashed, with claw marks replacing some of the paint, and smoke bellowing from the engine. Interact Press and hold [] to interact when you see the icon. Before doing that, turn on your FS and destroy the next OS (#4). It will be just infront. You will see a track (white liquid flow type path in the air), but ignore it. Turn your senses off and rip off the truck door with [], RV. (The reason I say to turn them off, is because if you enter a cutscene with your FS on, it is possible for them to be stuck on. If you try to turn them off the screen will only flash white, then immediately turn back red. if you wait for it to expire, it will flash white, and turn red, and the symbol (the eye in the upper left) will indicate it's off (even though it is on). Unlimited FS can be useful, but it is annoying and seriously hinders your visibility. Objective Complete: Kayla Found Objective: Track Creed Now, you automatically enter the next area, a bar. Blocking New move: Blocking. Press and hold R1 to block enemy attacks. **NOTE** Pressing L1 works exactly the same way. Here the puny lumberjacks get a slight pumping up (take more of a beating, deal a little more damage), and they start carrying guns! Fight through the throngs, until they come no more. If you're surrounded, turn on your FS when safe to see destroyable objects that will explode and kill all surrounding enemies, as well as another OS (#5) on the far right section. You will also see the windows of the joint highlighted, yet you can not interact with them. New Combo Moves Your old skill sare coming back to you. You can now execute extended combo moves with X and [] Upgrades You have enough experience to buy upgrades! **NOTE** No matter how much (or little) experience you have at this time, this message pops up. You are automatically taken to the upgrades menu. If you have followed me so far and gotten every SO up to now, and not skipped any enemies, you should have about 2,250 XP, give or take a little based on your combos, but not much. (The more hits you deal in rapid succession, without taking damage, the more bonus experience you can earn.) At this time, you have 11 upgrades, and five of them are locked. A complete list of upgrades is avaliable in the upgrades section, below. I recommend getting upgrades numbered 1, 3, 5, and 6 now. (All level 1. Don't buy all you can if you want it to work at the moment.) It will cost you exactly 2000 XP, but it is worth it. When you are finished, press /\, then X to accept changes. **NOTE** If you accidentally buy the wrong one, or are just buying it to see how much the next level costs, or anything, where you want to cancel the purchase, simply press R1 to reset your points to what you had when you entered the upgrades menu. Return to the upgrade screen anytime via the pause menu. Objective Complete: Creed Located Objective: Defeat Creed As soon as the fight with Creed starts, turn on your FS. This serves two purposes. 1: Locate the SO (#6) and 2: Show you what items you can use/destroy during the brawl. This is the first "difficult" battle you should encounter. But that doesn't mean that Creed is good, but rather his stats are so high it takes a lot to beat him down. Bust out your combos, and block when he strikes, (he has a tell you can watch for). It is extremely hard, if not impossible, to knock him down. However, if you keep your distance, he doesn't attack. You can jump over a table, and his pathetic AI will have him try to walk through it which, needless to say, he can't do. Keep hitting him and blocking, and you'll win easily. If he throws you on the jukebox (it looks more like a cat-sized tanning bed to me), mash X or [] (wait for it to pop up, if you hit the wrong one, it's an automatic fail). He can also throw you down, and lunge at you. Just press R> to avoid it. This battle shouldn't be too hard, but when his health gets low, he'll pick you up and throw you through the wall. Then, a cutscene will mean the battle is over and Creed got away. Kicking Press and hold [] to kick certain objects. After reading this prompt, a [] symbol will appear above of the object in front of you. Kick it. Kicked objects can destroy certain obstacles. Kick it again, then turn on your FS and destroy the SO (#7) you find. Then, destroy the pallats in the hallway to gain access to the window. Lunge to the truck. L2, followed by L^ will have logan busting through the window landing on top of a speeding logger's truck. (In the background in the last room, you can hear Creed hijacking it.) Now, you are once again fighting Creed. Like last time, turn your FS on before even fighting, there is another SO (#8) here for you to destroy. Fight him using the same methods as before, but this time the area is very limited, and there is nothing to hide behind while your health recharges. If he throws you to the back of the truck (and you don't hit the forcefield), you will get a mash prompt. Mash [] to knock him off of you. If he picks you up, and "bear hugs" you, Mash X to avoid being crushed. If he throws you over the front of the truck, press () to grab on, then press [], X, [], (), and then L^ to throw Creed under the truck. Continue fighting and eventually Creed will give up and stop the truck, throwing you off. **NOTE** Be careful with all button prompts. If you press the wrong one, even once, you automatically fail. Objective Complete: Showdown Over 500 XP Bonus Objective: Track Creed You end up in a room with three enemies. Two on the ground level, and one up above. Kill the two in front of you first, as the one above won't shoot you when you're above him. After they're dead, DO NOT go through the door. Instead, climb/jump your way up and kill the last enemy up there. Finally, turn on your FS and search a side room upstairs for one SO (#9) and a side room downstairs for another SO (#10). After all of that, now you should exit the door (You have to hold [] to get a grip, and mash [] to pry it open.). You will emerge outside, surrounded by lumberjacks. If you look behind you, you'll see the door is closed, even though you broke it open. You would think they could have fixed that. New combo moves Your old skills are coming back to you. You can now execute extended combo moves with X and []. X X X X for Downward Slash. X [] [] for Area Slash. X [] X for Spinning Slash. X [] X [] for Awesome Slash. X X X mash [] for Jackhammer Punch. Fight them off in waves, and soon you'll see a cutscene with a garage opening up, and more coming out. All you need to worry about is to keep fighting them until they stop coming at you. After that fight is over, search the area. If you turn on your FS, will find a tank highlighted near a silo (with a section of the wall highlighted) and with a few slashes it will explode, blowing up the silo and allowing you access to your first Blob Token (BT) (#1). Destroy it to earn it. Blob Token Found **NOTE** This message will pop up with each and every BT you destroy, so I'll only list it this once. I will keep a running count of the BTs found in this guide though. **NOTE** If you attack the silo before making it explode, you can leave claw marks on the wall. When you blow it up, the claw marks will remain, floating in the air. This holds true for almost every destroyable "wall" in the game. Search around behind this silo to find another SO (#11). After you do all of that, go to the garage on the left, where more lumberjacks came from. You will hear someone scream "Run, run, it's coming!", "Somebody help me!" and "We've gotta get out of here!" followed by a lion/tiger's growl, but you cannot do anything about it. For now, turn on your FS, and destroy the SO (#12) here. Now, kick the cart (hold []), then kick it again. Upgrades Screen Improve your Abilities and attributes by spending XP in the upgrades screen avaliable through the pause menu during missions. At this point, you should have about 3250 XP, again, give or take based on your combo average. 5500 XP if you didn't upgrade earlier. Because they mentioned it, you might as well upgrade now. I recommend upgrade #2, level 1 and 2, and upgrade #3 level 2, at this moment. If you are buying what I recommend, you have just unlocked rage mode, which initially costs 250. You may have enough left (betweel 0-500 XP) but I don't recommend getting it just yet. You can if you want though, but you simply can't use it until later. Now, jump on the cart you pushed out, and use that as a boost to jump on the roof of the garage. Jump up the next tier, or run right, to get a cutscene and a checkpoint. You appear on a roof and people are talking about you. DO NOT jump down and attack them, yet. Wait, and listen to their conversation. Not only do you get a chance to learn about the world of the game, but if you listen to it all you get a bonus. Full Recon: Overheard Conversation 500 XP Bonus Jump down to the left, and go to the bottom corner. Turn on your FS and destroy the SO (#13) you find. Then, lunge at the guard with his back turned for an instant kill, and to engage in the fight. X X X Mash [] for Double Power Punch. After fighting off the waves of enemies, jump on the roof of the largest building and turn on your FS to find another SO (#14). Next, with your FS on, find Creed's track, and follow it. It starts at the back, broken gate. Follow it where it leads, jumping/climbing as needed, until you jump down, and some more lumberjacks attack. **NOTE** If you notice, there are various bodies strewn throughout Creed's track. Every time you kill someone, they disappear. My theory, is since Creed is a "bad guy" he kills them, so their body stays there, but since Logan is a "good guy" he just hurts them, so they run away (disappear?), and that's also why you seem to fight the same enemies multiple times, because you never kill them. X [] X X for Spinning Double Slash. After quite a few more enemies, you'll be wandering around a completely enclosed area. If you turn on your FS, you'll see Creed's track seems to go under a fence, but no matter how hard you try, you cannot follow. Instead, stand about where Creed's track makes a sharp left turn, and press L2. You'll get a prompt, in which you need to press LV and L^. After landing back on a roof, jump off to the left, and continue that direction to the far edge to find another BT (#2). Then, following the direction of the track, you'll come to another dead end. Turning on your FS will let you see a weakened section of fence, in which you can hold, then mash, [] to destroy it. Walk through slowly until you hear another conversation (this time about Creed). Wait here until the conversation is over. Full Recon: Overheard Conversation 500 XP Bonus Now, charge in, claws a-blazin, and kill everyone in the area. After running around to make sure no more will come out, turn on your FS and follow Creed's path until it loops around. There will be another SO (#15) here. Then, go behind the largest building, jump/climb on the lumber and pallats, jump over to the small utility shed, then climb up to the main building's roof. Once up here, press L2, and when prompted press L>, and L> again. Jump down from this roof to the area behind with a forklift. Approach it from behind and kick it a few times to get through. Now go around, jump up to the first roof, then the second, again. This time, jump from that roof, onto the forklift, and then onto the roof on the other side. Jump up to the next higher ledge for a checkpoint. **NOTE** No matter how hard you try, you cannot jump from the second roof onto the area of the ground that is not fenced in. Stupid forcefields.... -_- Now, you see a group of lumberjacks talking about the logging truck you fought on. Then, they notice you and attack! Fight them off, easily enough. X [] XX [] for Corkscrew attack. **NOTE** No, that is not a typo, there actually isn't a space between the two symbols as it appears in-game. Like usual, more enemies will come, seemingly from nowhere. After easily dealing with them all, another garage opens up (on it's own!?). Instead of going there, go back to the corner you started fighting in, and turn on your FS. There will be a SO (#16) right next to you. After destroying it, you should go through the newly opened door. Another checkpoint/autosave leads you to a lock in. Objective Complete: Creed Located Fight Tokens Find and destroy Fight Token icons to redeem in the extras menu for rematches verses Dukes. Rematches with Dukes are only avaliable after encountering him in the game. **NOTE** This is the first time the game shows you a FT, but if you've been following this guide, this should be the third one you've found. The first thing you should do in this area is get the FT it showed you. Kick the trolly from the side you start on twice, and jump on it, to the ledge above to get the FT (#3). Turn on your FS to find a SO (#17) here too! Now, jump down and kick the trolly three times from the other side. Use it as a boost to jump up to the other side, then approach the terminal. Hold [], then mash X to shove it through the window, and you will automatically follow. You come out and a crane is dangling a heavy load above you as Creed attacks! Dash Tap the right analog stick in any direction to dash. Objective: Defeat Creed If you've upgraded as I recommend, this will be ridiculously easy when compared to the first time(s) you fought him. Not only will you do much more damage to him, but your health will recharge so fast it's all but impossible for him to defeat you. After a short-fight, you'll hear a beeping, and see a circle on the ground. You'll see the crane's load crash to the ground, then raise up again. If you fight Creed into this circle, he'll be crushed by the crane. All you have to do is run in a tight circle around him, or even jump back and forth, to keep him in the one spot. Then, just when the final beep is heard, and the load comes crashing down, dash out of the way. Creed will be crushed, and take serious damage! When you get him down to about 15%, his health will not go down anymore. When (not if, when) he knocks you down, you'll go to a cutscene where he breaks your claws! Objective Complete: Showdown Over 500 XP Bonus Mission Complete: 500 XP Now, Stryker comes up to you, and after a little tussle, he explaines to you what is going on. After some more talking, he makes a proposition. The camera fades out, you get an autosave, then it goes straight to the upgrade menu. At this point, you should have about 4500 XP saved, and 10000 total so far. I recommend getting numbers 1, 5, and 6 level 2, and then number 4 level 1 and 2. Now, your health will be extended farther, and it'll last longer, and you have an upgraded rage mode purchased. If following this guide, you will have about 800 XP left at this point. Save it for later. You can start to use rage mode after going through the door in the next room. **NOTE** Upon ending this mission, you could have a glitch in your upgrades menu. Here's what happened for me: I bought numbers 1, 5, and 6, Level 2, and number 4 level 1 and 2. After going through the autosaves, I paused it during the mission 2 briefing. Going to my upgrades menu, it displayed around 4500 XP to spend, and my number 1 level 2 upgrade was un-bought. However, the number 5 and 6 level 2 and the number 4 level 1 and 2 was still bought. I do not know exactly what triggers this, but I've seen it happen multiple times after the game automatically goes to the upgrade menu instead of getting to it from the pause menu. The way I see it, you can look at this one of two ways. Either you are happy because you get some free upgrades, or you feel cheated because you are an "honest" player and didn't deserve to keep your experience after the upgrades. All running XP totals listed will be with the numbers from this calculated out. If this has happened on anyone else's disk, could you please send me a message to confirm it's not a glitch in my disk alone? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 5B: Mission 2 [XMOWS5B] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __/Alkali Lake\__ After weeks of preparation, the day of your adamantium enhancement has arrived. The surgery is expected to last hours and take you to the edge of death. Only your healing factor gives you a chance of survival. But only the procedure itself will give you a chance against creed.... You will get your mission briefing, and see a cutscene with EXCELLENT graphics. If I didn't know any better, I would say it was a clip from the movie (it isn't though). After seeing what it lets you see, you start fighting again. Your outfit has changed drastically, a little too revealing, but you're still just the same old fighting master. Objective: Escape Alkali Lake facility. Opportunity Attacks When an enemy is knocked down or unaware, press the indicated button for an opportunity attack. Opportunity attacks are instant kills. Fight off these newer, stronger enemies. These are assault troopers, employed by Stryker to do his bidding, to the death. After fighting them off, climb the stairs and turn left. Turn on your FS to see a SO (#18). Then, press L2 to find a lunge point, and L< to jump onto some pipes. Drop down to get the BT (#4). After getting both of those, drop down, and climb the stairs again, but this time head right and approach the door. Locked Doors You need an electrical charge to overload electronic locks. Smash electrical panels to get an electrical charge. Remember to use feral senses to detect interactive objects. It basically showed you what to do, and it's really that easy. Run over to the panel (where you found the SO) and smash it with any attack. Then, walk into the exposed wires to pick up a charge. Quickly run back to the door, then press and hold [] to activate it, and RV to overload it and open the door. You will automatically run through for a checkpoint. Rage! In rage mode, you do extra damage, and can trigger Weapon X attacks (purchased from the upgrade screen). **NOTE** This is where you unlock rage mode. You can now press L3 and R3 together (if you've been following this guide, and purchased it) to activate rage mode! You've also unlocked upgrades numbered 9 and 10. To use rage mode, you need to fill your rage meter. Under your health meter, it fills red with the more enemies you fight, and drains slowly while you aren't fighting. You can only activate rage mode if the meter is filled. Fight your way to the enemies here. After killing all that come, go down the right corridor, and activate your FS to find a SO (#19). Now, go down the left and follow the prompts to open the door. Kill the enemies, then turn your FS on in here to find another SO (#20). Go back to the central hallway and follow the prompts to open the center door. Slash at the red rings for two purposes, to stop that infernal beeping, and open the doors. Feral Technique Time moves precisely in combo chains to earn feral technique damage bonuses. Slash marks appear on enemies struck with feral technique. Now, follow the prompts at the end of the hallway to open the last door and reach a checkpoint. Upon going through, two of the assault troopers will run down the hallway (right) leaving one alone with you. If you wait a few seconds you will see the remaining guard apparently doesn't notice you, and he'll start to walk away. If you run up behind him, press L2, you'll get a chance to press R^. If you do, you'll be fired upon by enemies you didn't notice. But first things first, he's not as weak as a lumberjack, and he's still alive! If you stunned him on the ground (random) you'll get a chance for those opportunity attacks it explained earlier. You'll see a X floating above him. Press it for an instant kill! Now, look left (the direction of the gunfire) and... you don't see any enemies! That's because they have automatic gatling guns aimed at you! They are hard to hit, but easy to destroy. After they are both gone, turn back and head the direction the other two guards ran. Upon getting closer, four guards spring from around the corner, AND some more auto-gatlings fire upon you. Fight through the assault troopers easily enough, and destroy the other two. Now, turn on your FS and search the area for another SO (#21). After destroying it, you may notice that you couldn't open any of the doors (no prompts). Head back the way you came and you'll see one of the doors open automatically and more troopers come marching through, to their deaths! After dealing with them all, head through the door, and turn on your FS to find a SO (#22) in this room. Try to go back now and the door will have closed behind you! Nowhere to go but foreward, and when you do they send more assault troopers after you (do they ever learn?). Head through the door they came through. **NOTE** There is an electrical panel in this room, but, unlike the first one you encountered, this one does absolutely nothing. If you search upon the left wall, you'll find a gated area with nothing in it. Just behind that is a sign indicating radioactivity! Immediately, two gatling guns will open fire. Run foreward and destroy them so they don't get the chance to do too much damage. Go through the door that they were guarding to be spotted by some troopers! They anounce your presence, but don't attack. You can run around fairly safe (take the opportunity to let your health recharge, if you need it), until you climb the stairs. Fight off waves of troopers, and if you try to go back, suprise! The door closed on you. Knockback When an enemy knocks you across the room, press L1 at the right moment to catch yourself. As soon as this message is finished scrolling, you'll encounter the first Alkali experiment prototype! A buffed up, mutated human with a plasma cannon for a arm! Though you just learned knockback, only one, rare attack they use does it. I hope you remember that button it told you to press! (Or, you can always pause it and look in this guide!) A fight with him will prove tougher than anticipated, but it's not too hard. The strategy is simple, run/dash sideways as he fires his plasma cannon to avoid being hit, approach him and slash, repeat. You can hear it charge (think a high pitch whistle), and if it hits you it does massive damage. And, yes, it's ranged! As soon as you've dealt with one, two more run through the doors! It's much harder, but still far from being a boss fight. Use the same strategy, and try to take them one at a time. After that, a scan of this area with your FS reveals nothing of interest. A door opened on the far side, though! Head through here for a checkpoint. Now, you here a radio broadcast authorizing deadly force (like they haven't been using it already), and two guards point their guns at you. When you come closer, the first may take one shot, but he will immediately run from you! Chase him around the room, killing every trooper you encounter, and when you finally catch him, give him the beating he deserves. After killing all of the troopers around this square room, turn on your FS and find the SO (#23) in a corner. Then, run to the opposite corner and find another SO (#24). Now, find one of the terminals in the room, and follow the prompts to overload it (hey, you don't need a charge this time). You'll see a door start to open, but stop short. Find the rest of the terminals (there are five total) and after all of those, the door opens. Approach it for another checkpoint. **NOTE** Do NOT jump into the pool of radioactive goo in the center of the area unless you want an instant death. The next room is an empty hallway you are trapped in. Soon, three troopers come running through, and as soon as they are dead, the door opens. Running through will have you locked in a room with a Alkali Experiment Advanced. Instead of a plasma cannon, he'll throw things at you! Other than that, he's just the same. (I think he's easier than the prototype, but that's just my opinion.) The first thing you should is run up the stairs (jump over the Advanced if necessary) and kill the two troopers so they won't be constantly shooting at you. Then, deal with the Advanced. If he tries to pick something up to throw it at you... perfect! Give him a beating, because he can't hit you if you're up in his face! Search the ground floor for a SO (#25) then follow the prompts on the upstairs door to get through. **NOTE** Now will be a good time to go to your upgrades menu. If you've been following this guide (and didn't get that glitch I mentioned) then you should have about 5000 XP. You should get upgrades number 7 and 8 level 1, 2, and 3 for both of them. This will give you a huge advantage, since you must use FS to kill some, and it both lasts much longer and recharges much quicker now. You should have about 200 XP remaining now. Approach two unaware troopers, and either preform a lunge on one, or just run up and fight. After a moment of fighting, they will disappear! Turn on your FS to see them and continue the fight. After they're dead, two more come in. Kill them in the same manner. Then, kill two more, and two more, and two more, and you'll notice they keep coming. If you upgraded as I recommended, you will be able to finish this entire thing in one FS duration. If not, you'll have to wait for it to recharge while you get pummeled by invisible foes because you can't hit them while they're invisible, unless you turn on your FS. The only way to stop them coming is to go where they come from. You go through the door, and up the stairs, and... they come out of nowhere? Nevertheless, they stop coming now. Follow the prompts on the terminal, then head downstairs and turn on your FS (if needed). If you didn't notice it before, there is a SO (#26) here, so destroy that before continuing. Back the way you came, you have to pry open the door again. Doing so nets you another checkpoint. You enter an empty room. Head left, and use the newly lowered platform to climb to the upper level. Turn on your FS, and eliminate the two troopers here and then destroy the SO (#27) down at the end. Turn your FS back off and use the prompts to open yet another door. Walk to the end of the platform and press L2. You'll get a prompt for a lunge if you're in the right place, and chain together L^, L<, L^, LV, L^. As soon as you land on the last platform, activate your FS and find another SO (#28). Now go through the door (it automatically opens, and closes) to see a few more troopers, and a few more Advanced. Take out the Advanced first because the troopers keep coming, and it's just a waste of time while they're hurling huge pieces of equipment at you. After they're all dealt with, pry open the door (the larger one) near where they came from. You get another checkpoint. I'm starting to see a pattern here.... Pry open the door directly infront of you to meet with more troopers. If they cloak, turn on FS. Deal with them, then climb the stairs to get the shooter. You'll encounter your first gas grenedier. Avoid the gas cloud until it disperses and you'll be fine. Go through the door, kill any remaining troopers and then pry open the door infront of you. Go through, activate your FS yet again to find another SO (#29), and destroy the blast door infront of you. Now go and head down stairs. Turn left to find a BT (#5), the go the other way. You'll see a electrical panel on the wall, and you know what to do! Get that charge, upstairs, through the path you already opened, and overload the panel by the door. However, before you are able to, troopers storm the room! They practically fill the room with gas and shoot at you from all directions... but that doesn't mean they can stop you! After killing them all, you need to go get your charge again, and now you can open the door. Here's another checkpoint... did you predict that? In this next hallway, kill the troopers any way you wish, and then turn on your FS to find a SO (#30) in the corner. Going through the next door will show you a generator room with lightning arcing between eight generators. Find the pattern, and get across safely. One touch means game over! Through the next door, turn on your FS to find another SO (#31), then pry open the door. Can you guess what comes next? Checkpoint! Sector C/133775... sounds eirie! Turn left down the hallway and go through the door. After a group of troopers comes into the room, run to the terminal at the left and follow the prompts to overload it. Run up and hug the wall next to the lift, and as soon as it's low enough, jump up to it and use that as a boost to get up to the wall. Make short work of the troopers up here, then turn on your FS and go as far left as possible. You'll find a SO (#32) here. Now go all the way around right to find another SO (#33) on the opposite side. Turn FS off and go through the door in the center of the upper level. The second door will lock behind you, and you'll see some altered versions of the automatic gatling guns you've seen before. This time, they shoot grenades! Just take them out, then stand in the middle of that section and press L2 to activate the lunge prompt. The first's direction varries, but the second is always up. Kill the last trooper, then head through the door for a checkpoint. You encounter a trooper commander, who cares more about his life than his paycheck! After a little... interrogation, he takes you to get some fresh duds and you aren't running around in some underwear tights anymore! Then, he turns on you, so kill them all. After all three troopers are dead, turn on your FS and search the lockerroom for a SO (#34). Head straight out the door and get the SO (#35) directly in front of you. Proceed through the door on your right after turning your FS off for yet another checkpoint. After eliminating all of the guards, turn on your FS and search around the pipes for the SO (#36) here. Then through the door for quite possibly the easiest checkpoint for this entire mission. As soon as you enter this room, two Advanced across the room will chuck crates at you. I recommend just waiting behind a pillar until they are out of ammo (they will roar with frustration) so they won't annoy you when you do what you do next. Turn on your FS real quick to get the SO (#37) up here, then get to the opposite side, and lunge with L2, L^, L^ to get on a center platform. (It's best to wait, because one hit in this area is instant death.) Jump over twice, and lunge once again with L2, L^, L^. Jump up to the platform and kill both Advanced. Pry open the door and continue. Kill the rocket launching automatic gun, then go through the next door and deal with the troopers. Lunge up to the top (the directions can vary) and deal with the two remaining troopers. You see the electrical panel and the door panel? You know what to do. Bust out some combos on these last troopers and you're home free! Objective Complete: Escaped Alkali Lake Facility Mission Complete: 600 XP Like last time, you are automatically taken to the upgrades menu. If you've gotten all SO's up to this point, and not skipped any enemies, you should have about 6000 XP. Going for upgrade numbers 2, 5, and 6 level 3 should cost you 5500 XP, leaving you with 500, give or take, and it is the best route you can take. **NOTE** You should get upgrades 3, 5, and 6 level 3 for 5400 XP instead if you had trouble with the Alkali Experiments earlier. If you found they were tough to bring down, I recommend number 3, which increases your damage, but if they were easier, I recommend number 2, because a faster health recharge is good for all aspects. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 5C: Mission 3 [XMOWS5C] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __/Escape from Alkali Lake\__ Stryker betrayed you. Now he hunts you. Don't allow anything to stand in your path to freedom as you escape through the mountains. Only there do you even stand a chance to turn the tables on stryker and his personal army. What? No objective? That's right! When you start this mission, Logan says "I need to find my way out...." but no objective appears on screen. You know what? No objective means no experience bonus.... Anyway, remember when I said "...if you had trouble with the Alkali Experiments..."? That's because the first thing, when you walk through the gate infront of you, is a Prototype greets you! Dispatch him with the previous strategy, though it'll be easier now since you've upgraded, then turn on your FS. See those glowing yellow towers in the back? Destroy them. (You can destroy all six, but only need to destroy the two yellow ones.) Now, jump and climb up the center section here and destroy the SO (#38). Follow the path around until you're between two power towers. Destroy the SO (#39) and turn off FS, then L2, and lunge your way up the towers, ending at the signboard to drop to the street for a checkpoint. In the street, turn on your FS and walk to the back left corner for a SO (#40), then turn it off and move towards the turrets. Along the way, some troopers will repel down, so kill them in the process. After they're all gone, follow the prompts to break the E-brake from the forklift, and kick it through the gate. Run foreward and eliminate all the troopers and turrets. After they're all gone, go back and start the boring process of kicking the forklift foreward towards the wall (why don't you just drive it?). Once there, use the crates as a boost to get up top for the next checkpoint. You drop down, and are greeted by the sounds of machinery. You look to see a large rolling door open, and a lift bringing a Giant Alkali Experiment to your level! Objective: Defeat Giant First thing you need to do is get that helmet off of him. How, you may ask? It's simple really, lunge onto him, and mash and mash until you pry it off. The next thing you should do is show him you mean business. Run off to the bottom right and you'll see an explosive tank. If you go behind it, you'll be stopped between it and the railing. Holding R>, jump, and once you get behind it, hold your RA between R^ and R> to land safely on the railing. Jump once again and you'll be on top of the tank. When Giant shoots, jump, and when he's close, jump, and press [] to pound the tank. When it explodes, it will take a hefty 25% of this bad boy's health off! And, since you were never supposed to get on top of the tank (the railing glitch makes it possible), the game isn't designed to deal explosive damage upwards, so you're unharmed! Final step in the strategy is to run to the top left of the area, and you'll see four electric transformers of sorts. Destroying them will charge Logan with electricity. Beat up on the Giant, and when you run out, go back for more. If you lure him close enough, you'll be fighting when the transformers arc to your adamantium and you don't even have to run back to recharge. If you're even closer, they will arc straight to the giant dealing damage! Keep pummeling him with combos (the more []'s the better!) and he'll go down easy! When he gets at about 25-50% health, your rage meter should be filled. Press L3 and R3 simultaneously to up the stakes and deal much more damage for a short time! **NOTE** I've had it where I was just pummeling him, and it looked like his knee cap exploded! He falls down for a good ten seconds, giving you time to lay into him with your best combos for a good 25% damage. I've replayed this battle dozens of times to try and record the happenstance of this, to possibly make it into a strategy tip (like the tank one) but I can't figure what is the trigger. The most I've had is twice (two knee caps) in one battle, but I've had plenty of battles where it doesn't happen at all too. You can still get the bonus even if this doesn't happen, though, so don't sweat it. If you know how to make this happen, I would appreciate it if you would send me that info! All credit to you, of course. Objective Complete: Giant Defeated 750 XP Bonus Swift: Giant Defeated in Three Minutes 750 XP Bonus If you didn't get the XP bonus, pause and select "restart checkpoint". You'll be thrown right into the battle, him charging at you and everything. It shouldn't be to hard to get it, I got it on my first try without knowing what to do! And it's worth another try or two to double your experience! Because, you should have about 3750 now. Get upgrade number 2 (or 3, depending on which one you got earlier) and number 4 to level 3 before proceeding. You will spend 3400-3500 (depending on which you get) and have about 250 left. Now, run back to where the transformers are and turn on your FS to find another SO (#41) here. Destroy it, then use your charge to overload the panel by the door and escape. Upstairs to the roof and the checkpoint. **NOTE** If you're having trouble with Giant, try getting that rage upgrade before you fight him, because rage mode can be what knocks that extra minute off for the time bonus. You should have more than enough before the fight. Objective: Reach Mountains You'll be greeted by some augmented troopers. They are basically the hand to hand fighters who can shock you. Kill them regardless of their new shock- trooper status, and continue on your way. Climb to the top, eliminating the troopers on your way. Once they are all dead, turn your FS on and go down the stairs to see the SO (#42) in this area. Back upstairs, look for the highlighted object. Turn off FS and follow the prompts. Step back, to the left, and press L2. (It's quite annoying, but you have to be in the perfect spot or you'll get the "no lunge points" message.) Follow the prompts to lunge all the way to the top of the tower. Fight off the enemies here, and then a line of them will descend (from space?) straight to the middle. Once they are all dead, you'll get a checkpoint. When everything starts exploding around you, run left, and the center platform will be targeted. When it explodes, hold L2 and follow the prompts and lunge three times. Quickly turn on FS to find the SO (#43), and then run left around (so you don't get 'sploded) the tower. When you get to the end of the path, L2 and prompt lunge all the way down until you get to the checkpoint. **NOTE** Now would be a good time to upgrade again. You should be able to afford upgrade number 7 level four, for 1600, and then you'll pretty much be out of XP. You want to upgrade you FS as much as you can now because you'll practically be playing with it on for the whole of the next few areas. If you can't afford it right now, keep an eye on your XP in the top right, and as soon as it hits 1600 (should be before you get to the next area) get it. This will be your first upgrade to hit max. Kill the enemies coming at you, then run back, towards the camera and activate your FS to find a SO (#44). Keeping your FS on, advance foreward. Logan will comment on the "thin ice" which you can see with your FS. If you walk on the yellow patches, you will break through into the freezing lake for an instant death. Keeping your FS on, kill enemies, get the SO (#45) on the right, and the SO (#46) on the left. After getting both the SOs here, search the top of the area for a yellow patch that, with FS on, will have a [] above it. Follow the prompts, then jump to the new ice float. Turn your FS back on and run right, avoiding the thin ice, to find SO (#47). Backtrack a few steps to where you started and L2 to lunge, following the prompts, to the section with the troopers. Turn your FS back on to avoid the thin ice here while dispatching these two. Get to the top/left area, turn it off and lunge around once again. Once you get to the end, turn on your FS and destroy the SO (#48) at the left before marching into the mountains. The good news is no more thin-ice-instant-deaths. The bad news is now there are tripwires, and it's absolutely necessary to avoid them all. (You don't die but I'll explain why later.) Turn on your FS in this area, and like last time, stop to let it recharge when needed. Go to the right of the first one, and charge straight at the troopers you see here. When they are dead, go right to find a SO (#49). Go left and hug the line of trees as you creep just past the edge of the tripwire here, and then go right around the other. Kill the enemies here, being wary of the wire. Next, go left and up around the trees, and go to the end of this run. Destory the SO (#50) and the two rocket turrets that are shooting at you. Go back, careful not to run into that trip wire, and this time go the right path. **NOTE** You should have about 1800 at this point. Buy the other FS upgrade, #8 level 4, to max both of your FS upgrades now. If you can't right now, do it ASAP; you'll have enough XP before the checkpoint. You'll trigger a scene with two new troopers, grenadiers, approaching. As you run right past the next trip, their RPG will follow (and probably hit) you. Ignore it (their puny rockets are no match for your adamantium!) and charge straight at them (be careful of the gap straight in front of them) and slice them to bits. They'll likely run when you close in so chase them, but be careful of the tripwires. Once you chase them down, continue in the same fashion. In most of the upcoming skirmishes, there will be grenadiers who can blast you backwards into a tripwire. The solution? Jump over the RPGs. If the troopers stay too close to the trips for comfort, use the disarming combo (X X []) to knock their weapon away. Now, they're forced into hand to hand, and they'll charge you. Use this method to lure them away to a safe killing ground. Keep going, and make sure to stop and let your FS recharge when needed and avoid ALL of the tripwires. At the end of this run, after a circular area, is a trip which blocks the entire path. Time your jump perfect, you can make it over safely. Keeping your FS on, past the last, jump-mandatory tripwire, is a yellow grate. Beat upon it to break it upon for a well-deserved checkpoint. Unscathed: Triggered no Traps 750 XP Bonus This is why I said make sure you don't hit any trips, because you get an XP bonus if you do so. I recommend selecting "Restart Checkpoint" if you hit any. Don't worry, I've played through this probably a dozen times, and each time I had to reset at least three times. The bonus is worth it! Now, a long and boring walk through this tunnel leads to another checkpoint. Proceed foreward and jump off the cliff ledge to be spotted. Not only do they snipe you from across the valley, but they send a few cloakable troopers after you. (You may not even know it, if they start out cloaked.) Kill them, kill them all! Then, go to the far back left area, turn on your FS (if it's not already on from the cloaked troopers) and find the SO (#51). Now, go straight foreward to find the BT (#6). Get to the grate and destroy it. Through the tunnel, you'll come into contact with another Prototype. These guys should be pretty routine by now. After dealing with him, bust open the gate and march foreward to face another Prototype. Bust through the next gate to face a two on one Prototype battle. Again, bust through the next gate, and you'll see a big square room. There are arrows on all of the (visible) walls point down, and in the center is a large circle. Well, only one way to go, so take the leap of faith! Get yourself a checkpoint. Charge foreward, taking out every enemy that dares stand in your way! Once all those on the ground are dead, lunge up to one of the troopers in the trucks (who needs a lunge target when you have enemies?), and kill him. Jump back and repeat on the other (so you don't miss his experience). Jump foreward and, upon approaching the next truck, an alarm sounds. The troopers start running, ignoring you, and you soon see why! The floodgates have been opened and you're all going to be drowned unless you can get out of there! Lunge onto the truck. As instructed, lunge foreward. The two troopers in the truck will try to fight you off (can't we all just get along?), so you need to kill them. Meanwhile, the troopers in the other truck will be firing at you, so once these two are dead, lunge over to the other and deal with them. (The lunge positioning is a little tricky, so keep trying.) Soon, your truck will approach another infront of it. Jump foreward (be careful not to fall between the two trucks, it's an instant death) and deal with the troopers here. Then, jump right to the next truck, kill troopers, and repeat. Jump back to the center truck, and a new truck on the left will come. Jump there, killing troopers like usual. Now, once again, you'll have to lunge to the next truck. Lunge to safety. As you pass under a metal support structure, Logan'll be pushed into an adrenaline rush, and everything will be moving in slow motion. Quickly, follow the onscreen prompt and press L^ to jump onto it, L^ higher, and finally L< to safety. Quickly now, or you'll get swept away. Mission Complete: 750 XP As is routine, you're taken, against your will, to the upgrades menu. At this point, if you've purchased the additional upgrades during this chapter as I suggested, you should have approximately 3000 XP to spend. I suggest saving until you get 5000, then purchasing upgrade number 5 and 6 level 4, the max, at that point. It'll be a short way into mission 4. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 5D: Mission 4 [XMOWS5D] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __/Breakaway\__ Stryker has thrown hundreds of enemies against you. But even the full force of his private army has not stopped you. Keep going. Ignore the cold. Eliminate every obstacle. You're almost there. You start off with some radio chatter about losing contact with team of troopers (could you have anything to do with that?) and are immediatelly attacked by some troopers. Take out the shock troops, then advance towards the others. Head up the stairs and a door automatically opens for you. After proceeding through you are soon attacked by a bunch of troopers. Deal with them the usual way, but if they overwhelm you, run an explosive tank in the area for an easy kill on all near enemies. Search around on the ground here for a SO (#52) then rip open the garage-like door. Repeat the same strategy here, you've even got an explosive tank to use, and another garage door to exit by. Through the next door, watch the troopers advance. Immediately turn on your FS and get the SO (#53) to the left. Run up the stairs and kill all troopers you encounter. If absolutely necessary, run further up and there's another explosive tank. After their all dealt with, you need to destroy the three cables holding the tower up. One's straight ahead on the upper platform, and there is one on the left and on the right. As soon as the third is gone, you have to run downstairs and deal with more troopers, and their death opens a door for the checkpoint. Some more insults, then you run. Jump down to the ice floats. You can run across small gaps between touching floats, and you have to jump a gap that is larger than Logan's head. If you see a target on a float BEFORE you get to it, then take a different path, or, if it's a small float, jump over it to the next one. Up and left will take you to the next landbar, then the same strategy will take up and right to the next one. Climb and lunge up the falls to get across the next series of ice floats. Continue foreward until you get to the next solid ground, and turn on your FS and go right to find a SO (#54), then run left and deal with the troopers at the top. A new enemy, the shock cannon specialist, can be very annoying, so I suggest dealing with him first. When they are gone, continue foreward over the ridge and deal with another team of troopers. Eliminate them, run over the next set of ice floats, and quickly jump up right, then run off the edge on the left to get where you need to go. Take a step backwards to find a SO (#55). Kill it, then continue foreward and climb up the next ridge for a checkpoint. You run into an ice cave swarming with troopers. Surge foreward and kill the troopers you can see here. Then, kill those who come around the corner. Backtrack to the entrance of the cave so that you can jump up the ridge at the right, and activate your FS to deal with a cloaking trooper. Eliminate the rest up here too, then get the SO (#56) you can see on the cliff edge. Jump down and proceed forewards (dead end) to deal with some more troopers who repel from above, then lunge your way up. Run around, and lunge some more. Run left and jump the gap, then lunge. Once you get to the top, you'll be greeted by troopers running toward you and RPGs hurtling at you. Dodge them as best you can (if they knock you off the cliff you'll have to start all over) to kill the pesky grenadiers first. Then deal with the surrounding troopers. Now, there are two paths in front of you. When they stop spewing troopers, head up the left and activate your FS to find a SO (#57). Jump off and head right for a checkpoint. The radio chatter helps to pass the time, but now it warns you of what's to come! Advance foreward and all you'll see is troopers shooting RPGs at you. If you turn on your FS here you'll see... aww, come on! More tripwires! Just follow the same basic principle, run around them whenever possible, jump over them when necessary. This time it's not as long, not nearly as long, but since every trooper is a grenadier, it's more annoying. **NOTE** When leaving this area, you should have approximately 6500 experience avaliable. Go to your upgrades menu, and purchase number 5 and 6, level 4, to max out your defences for 5000, leaving you with 1500 to save for later. Unscathed: Triggered no Traps 750 XP Bonus Objective: Defeat Giant Yes, he's back and badder than ever! This time, you cannot rip off his helmet thing. There is no explosive container to deal a whallop, and there are no power generators to give you a little extra kick. Instead, it's you, and him, surrounded by grenadier turrets. Yes, that's right, they keep shooting at you and blowing you all over the area. It's quite annoying, to be honest. Furthermore, he'll preform his "roar" which will not restore him a little bit, but now it will restore him to max! Your first priority should be to eliminate those turrets. To get to the first one, climb up the slope you see in front of you. Giant will be shooting at you the whole time, but if you keep moving, he won't hit you. Follow the pretty basic path up the mountain, and once you reach the top, you'll need to make a long jump right. On this platform is the first turret. Now, jump back down to the floor and go left, past the first ice shelf you jumped on, and you'll find an ice ramp. Follow it for a while to find the second turret. Jump down and deal with the Giant now. Beat up on him with your favorite combos until he collapses against the canyon wall. **NOTE** If you're having trouble getting the first turret, while under fire, don't. Run up the ramp for the second, and then be sure to stay on the left of the Giant. This way, all of the RPGs from the remaining turret will explode into the Giant and not into you. Lunge to the giant to get out. Ignoring the instructions, instead scour the area for SOs. The entire area has been turned for a new camera angle, but it's not too bad. Find the path you used to climb to the first turret. It'll be on the left side. Jump up it, and from the left side of the path, jump over the little snow mound to the right side. Turn on your FS to find a SO (#58) here. Back over to the left, continue up the path with your FS on to find another SO (#59). If you didn't get the first turret now, here's the perfect opportunity. Jump back down to the ground and get to the bottom left side of the map for the snow ramp. If you continue on this path until the very end, you will locate another SO (#60). Jump back down and move foreward until you are standing infront of the Giant. Now, press L2 and follow the prompts, using the Giant as a stepping stone, in order to lunge your way out of the canyon. Objective Complete: Giant Defeated 1000 Bonus XP Objective Complete: Eluded Stryker's forces Mission Complete: 1000 XP As is routine, you are taken directly to the upgrades menu. If you've been following this guide, meaning ALL of the SOs, haven't skipped any enemies, purchased the recommended upgrades (and not gotten the glitch described that I described earlier), then you should have around 4500 XP. I recommend spending your XP on upgrade number 1, level 3, and upgrade 4, level 4, to max out your rage. You'll be left with about 500 XP. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 5E: Mission 5 [XMOWS5E] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __/Hudson Farm\__ After wandering all night in the freezing heights of the mountains, you finally collapsed, your healing factor pushed beyond its limits. When the elderly Hudsons found you, they took you in, fed you, and gave you a chance to recover. In the morning you realized that, for their kindness, they have paid the ultimate price.... Objective: Avenge the Hudsons The first thing you should do is collect the SOs. (If you do all the fighting now, a checkpoint will make them unobtainable.) Run back and turn on your FS to find the first SO (#61) here. Go forewards to the house to find another SO (#62) under the awning. Run around the right to find another SO (#63) on a small hill by the fence. Continue right to find a SO (#64) hiding behind the windmill. Finally, going right farther still, you'll find your fifth and final SO (#65) for this area near some hay rolls. Now, fight off all of the troopers around you in their various waves until you get your checkpoint. Because you've slaughtered them all, they drop an Advanced against you. He will be cake to your amazing skills! Jump out of the way and follow the fence to the left to get a BT (#7). Then deal with the crazy numbers of Advanced that come at you. After you kill about a dozen or so of them, you get another checkpoint. Finally, Zero gets his nerve up and takes you on himself. This is a truly fun fight. Objective: Defeat Nord There is nothing for you to collect now, so just have fun fighting. The reason I say this is fun is because, throughout every encounter, including this one, all he has done is insult you. Now you get to pay him back! All he does is keep a medium distance from you and shoot you with a mediocre-at-best damaging handgun. Charge and attack. If you can't find him, turn on your FS, because he may have turned invisible. When he turns visible again, turn off your FS, you don't need it. After a short fight, he goes down. I guess he was all bark and no bite! Don't forget about your newly-maxed-out rage mode! Objective Complete: Nord Defeated 500 XP Bonus Objective Complete: Black Ops Defeated 500 XP Bonus Objective Complete: Hudson's Avenged Mission Complete: 1250 XP After this extremely short chapter, you're taken straight to the upgrades menu. At this point, no matter how I look at it, I always have way too much XP. My best math points to somewhere around 13000 XP to spend (on easy, remind you). IF that is right (which I don't think it is but it always seems to be that way) then you should get upgrades number 1, 2, and 3 level 4, for 11800 XP, leaving you with nearly your mission complete bonus, 1250 XP. **NOTE** If anyone has other numbers around this point, I'd love to hear them. Even though I think my numbers keep getting thrown off unexpectedly, I'm going to base my averages from now on off of this. It's the best option I have for now. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 5F: Mission 6 [XMOWS5F] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __/Angola\__ Years ago, you worked for stryker as part of his original super-powered special operations group, Team X. You did some things you'd like to forget, but more often than not, you did the right thing. You're no cold-blooded killer. The same cannot be said for the rest of Stryker's team.... Another cinema with excellent graphics shows some other members of Team X, and then leads to the chopper getting shot down. Logan is having a flashback from his days of working for Stryker, and he's looking for a Mine in Africa. Objective: Locate Mine It's a flashback, and true to it's roots, you're seen talking on an ancient walkie-talkie, your clothes are dated, and your generally look younger. Your claws are, in fact, bone! Nice touch there, however... you retain everything you upgraded years later? Either way, you're here to play, not question the logistics, right? You're fighting African mercaneries here, and as you'll learn as you walk around the bend, their paid to kill any intruders, meaning you! Just fight your way through as you would with any enemies, though. They are no match for your adam-uhh... bone claws! Most of them weild machetes, but some of them will hold AK-47s aimed at your chest. Mow them down all the same, as you advance, and take your time, because there are plenty to go around. Your path will come to a dead end, but one quick view with your FS will say otherwise. Break your way through, and continue on the rampage. Turn the corner and you come to a small pool, what looks to be a hot spring. With your FS on, you can see where it's not safe to jump, so try the other path across. Deal with a final mercenary, and advance to the first sign of civilization. In the village, head right around a wall to find a SO (#66) (have they even been invented yet?), and then continue to kill all of the approaching mercenaries. They will keep coming for a while, so you keep fighting for a while. Soon they will lower a bridge, so surge over, killing mercaneries as you go. Turn left once they stop coming, and proceed down the hill. Take the right path (dead end) and kill the mercaneries here. When it's safe, turn on your FS to locate and destroy a SO (#67) hiding here. Go back, and this time take the left path. After killing any stragglers, turn on your FS to safely proceed across the bog. Kill the mercenaries on the other side, and run around to get the SO (#68) on the ledge. Run back down the ramp and turn right, stopping at the cliff edge. If your FS needs to recharge (it should) let it. Make sure it is on to safely progress through the next bog for a checkpoint. What's next? Booby traps! Turn on your FS to safely get through this area, keeping an eye out for button prompts. When you get to a yellow swatch of the ground, you'll see a SO hovering above. Do NOT go for it, unless you want to die. Instead, search for a way around (at the right). Jump and climb and hack and slash your way around, then fall left (carefully) to get the SO (#69). Jump back up, and avoid the obstacles in the same way again. When the mercs see you and start shooting, ignore it. Take your time and avoid the traps, then mow them down when safe. (Remember, with your upgrades, the traps are much more deadly than the enemies.) Now run foreward for a checkpoint. Unscathed: Triggered no Traps 1500 XP Bonus Finally your hard work is really paying off! Advance and take out two unsuspecting mercs, then turn right and head forewards down this path. A gate blocks your way straight, so turn left and head across the bridge. They will swarm you, but it shouldn't be a problem. Continue left across the bridge, and turn right to find a BT (#8). Go back and take the straight path to be attacked, yet again. Fight them off, and run to the end of the makeshift camp, turn right, and take the ramp up. Fight your way through, and be careful about falling off. (It can lead to some glitches that kill you!) Eliminate everyone up here, the move foreward jumping rooftops until you can get over the gate. Run foreward for a checkpoint. Kill the mercs here. Proceeding straight will only be a dead end, so turn on your FS and search for a way out. Cut your way through and destroy the SO (#70) in the middle of the bunch. Breaking out the other side will lead to a fight with more mercs. Turn your FS on to see the SO and note it's location. Go to the tower and follow the prompts to form a makeshift bridge. Head to where you saw the SO (#71) and destroy it, before proceeding foreward. If you try to jump the next gap you will die. Instead, wait for the mercs to stand near the edge and lunge onto the one of your choice. Kill them all and march onward for a checkpoint. With your FS on, run straight left to find a clifftop SO (#72). Go back now and take the fight to the jungle. You'll fine even more mercs patrolling this area, and you're about to give them a break. Follow the path around, don't fall off of the cliff, and go up a wooden ramp. Kill the last of the mercs in this area. Objective Complete: Mine Located Head into the newly-located mine, and you're locked in. Checkpoint. Once inside, mercs come pouring out at you. Deal with all of them, and head left. Follow the tracks until you come across a cart. Kick it back the way you came, until you just can't kick it anymore. Now, here's the tricky part. You must watch the lights on the signal post in front of you. When the one on the left turns green, QUICKLY kick the lever, then run back and kick the cart. If you were fast enough, it'll roll past the junction. Through the barricade the cart bursts, and you should follow it for a checkpoint. Fight off a few more mercenaries and you'll be faced with a simpler version of the same puzzle. Follow the track right to find the cart, and kick it all the way to the end. Along the way more mercs will find you, so deal with them when they come. Continue kicking and the cart will bust through and fall down a shaft. Follow it through, but not down. When you get to the edge of the shaft jump down and right, and you should land on a small rectangular section. Turn on your FS to find a well hidden SO (#73). Now, make a leap of faith to the right. Aim for the lamp secured in the wall, and hold right. You will land on the very edge of the bottom level of the shaft. Continue through deeper into the mineshaft for a checkpoint. **NOTE** If you're having trouble landing on the small rectangular section, you don't have to. If you go up to the right, you can jump down several larger sections to get there. Along the way, you'll fight three mercs, but you'll miss out on the SO. Or, for a speed run, you can jump straight down to the last floor if you hold right the entire way down. This next area is a little confusing, so I made |V| _ a map. You start at the down arrow on the top. _| |___| |_______ The "*" is a SO (#74), the = is the terminal. _|__=_______ __ | Activate this to start the rail car circulating | |________|+|__| | the area. The # area is an instant dead pit. | @ __##___######_*| Avoid at all costs. What you need to so is wait \___| at the + for a rail car to pass you. When it does, you lunge towards it, and hang on as long as you can. If you timed it right, it will carry you over the first death pit. You then drop off, and lunge to the next, which will carry you over the smaller death pit. Taking you to the "@", which is your goal; your checkpoint. The mercs now swarm you from all angles. After fighting them off, head for the machinery it showed you. Just go foreward around the obstacle in your way, and you'll figure out what all the fuss was about. Objective Complete: Adamantium Located Head towards around the door by going down left, and fight off the mercenaries guarding it. Go through the door now to reach yet another checkpoint. Outside yet again, you interrupt a radio conversation because you don't agree with what they are saying. Objective: Save Villiagers. You're back where you were when you first entered the mine. You're going to backtrack through the entire area until you reach the village again. Take your time and kill the mercs for their XP. When you reach a checkpoint, turn your FS on to see a SO (#75) on a rock. Jump up there (carefull not to fall off the cliff) and destroy it, then get down and follow the path around. Jump the gap, then take the bridge you "made" back across. Kill the mercs to continue to the next checkpoint. At the outpost, climb up to the lookout and use your FS on the walkway outside to find a SO (#76). Jump down and begin the boring process of kicking the crate to the fence. When more mercs come, kill them and kick again. Use the box to jump the fence, and this time head left. Turn right and overload the circut breaker to bring the lift to you, then fight off more mercenaries as they come. Once they're all gone, jump on the lift and ride it to the top, and deal with the mercs here. Follow the path for another checkpoint. Turn on your FS before proceeding. There's more booby traps up ahead. There are only two tripwires this time, but they're harder to jump over. After making it through the gate, and dealing with all of the mercs, you can go right or left. Right leads to the villiage. As much fun as a return trip sounds, they've closed the gates and you can't get in. Instead, turn left and head for the airstrip. Unscathed: Triggered no Traps 1500 XP Bonus Another amazing cimena later, and Logan gets beaten down for standing up for what he believes in. Objective: Retrieve Beacon Before Leaving Area Follow the track as far as it takes you. This one is straightforeward, no detours to get around fences or jumping over buildings here. Don't take any side paths, all you'll get is wasted time. Objective Complete: Beacon Retrieved Follow this next path diligently for an easy checkpoint. In the next area, turn on your FS and spot the SO (#77) in the distance. Plan your path before moving, because as soon as you step foreward, you're given a two minute timer. Get the SO, ignore the mercs that come. Jump up the rocks on the right side of the track and bust through the trees to find a BT (#9) down the path. Now turn left and head towards the mercenary shooting at you, and jump to the ledge behind him. Run up this new path, kill the mercs, and break through the trees. Hang a left, and follow this path all the way down to the airstrip. Get near the gate, and kill the mercs in the area until you have about 15 seconds left on the clock. Doing this will maximize your XP gained for this part. Through the gate is your final checkpoint. Objective Complete: Villiagers Saved Mission Complete: 1500 XP After an explosion, you're taken to the upgrades menu. With 13000 XP to spend (if you did everything right) you can make a big improvement. I recommend upgrading number 2 and 3 to level 5, the max. Now, you should have all of your FS upgrades maxed, all of your defence upgrades maxed, your rage and base damage upgrades maxed, and your regen. All that's left is your health total (with a high enough regen, you will survive without any extra health upgrades though!) and extra attack upgrades (again, I do not recommend these until you have upgraded yourself completely). You should have about 1000 left at this point. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 5G: Mission 7 [XMOWS5G] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __/Blob Exhibition Ring\__ Your former teammate, Fred Dukes, is rumored to be in Las Vegas, working as a boxer who takes on all challengers. So far, he hasn't lost a bout. He's one of your only remaining connections to the past, and only he might have something to tell you about Stryker's plans. You need to convince Dukes to tell you everything he knows about Stryker, but you know how stubborn Dukes can be. This won't be easy. Objective: Make Dukes Talk This entire chapter is just one big fight. It's really not very hard. All you need to do is beat down on him. You'll get rage mode quickly enough. However, you cannot hurt him except when he is vulnerable. You can do this anytime you are behind him (harder the less health he has). If you block an attack, he is vulnerable for a short time. If you dodge/escape a power attack, he is vulnerable for a short time. Learn to read his patterns. If he grabs you, wait for the prompt to show up and quickly press it. If he spins, use your RA to dodge quickly, and if he doesn't hit you, he'll be off balance. Finally, if he jumps high in the air, use your RA to dodge before he lands. Any of these three power moves will make him vulnerable for a longer duration, giving you enough time to remove about 25% of his health. 50% or more if you're in rage. It's important to note that he'll be vulnerable for a short time AFTER you put a stop to what he was doing and he was attacking. (Meaning, you can keep attacking him after he's recovered!) Every time he jumps and does his butt slam move, there is about a 10% chance he will break the ring. If this happens you will be free to run about the whole room during the fight. It is entirely possible for his first slam to break the ring, and it's possible for the entire fight to finish with the ring intact. He also has a few more moves that he uses most once the ring is down. The first he'll use when you are running away, and he pretty much does a quick forewards belly slam. If you dodge this, he'll be vulnerable for a little bit. The second, he'll lift up both of his fists and slam them into the ground, and no matter where you're standing in the arena, you'll fall. If you jump (and are not hit directly by his fists) you'll get him for another good second of vulnerability. Once you get him to a tiny sliver of health, probably 1%, you cannot even hurt him when he's vulnerable. Instead, you must force him into one of his three big vulnerabilities (the spinning one is most reliable). This will give you time to run up behind him. Giving you a new move, follow the prompts until he goes down for the count! If you don't get the Swift bonus, I suggest you pause and restart by selecting restart checkpoint. You'll need to get the speed portion of this one down. Objective Complete: Made Dukes Talk 750 XP Bonus Swift: Defeated Dukes in Five Minutes 750 XP Bonus Mission Complete: 250 XP It autosaves, and takes you straight to the upgrades menu. If you have enough, buy the next upgrade #1. If you can't, keep an eye on your XP until you get 4800, and then 6500, and buy both of them as soon as you can. Now would be the best time to use your BTs. You've saved up nine of them so far, and you just fought him. While you have the strategy fresh is the best time to go at him. Yes, I realize fighting him 10 times in a row will get boring, so I don't expect you to do them all. However, It makes it extremely easy because the prompts are the same each and every time. From this point on, my XP count will be forgotten, because completing all of these (even if you don't get the swift bonus) will give you enough to max out all of your upgrades except the Weapon X attacks (This is assuming you didn't get the bonus. With 10 bonuses, you can get most.). For the purpose of this guide, I'll assume you fought him enough to get the upgrades you want before continuing into mission 7. **NOTE** You cannot restart this one. Once you start, you win or lose, you can't restart if you've lost the time challenge. The only other option you have is to quit, and you still lose your BT so it's not worth it. This is why you need to get it down fighting him in the story line, so you can do it easily here. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 5H: Mission 8 [XMOWS5H] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __/New Orleans\__ Dukes told you the only man ever to escake Stryker's prison is Remy LeBeau, also known as Gambit. If anyone can tell you where the prison is, it's Lebeau. You hope he will be reasonable and just tell you what you want to know. But he has some connection to Stryker. That never makes it easy. Before starting New Orleans, you may want to know it's the most interactive part of the game. See what you can do (try to destroy, basically) with everything in the mission. There are some amazing side effects you can cause by some of the interactions, and some are just fun to find. Enjoy your time in New Orleans... (if only it were Marti Gras!). Objective: Locate LeBeau This chapter introduces you to a new enemy, the Enforcers. Employed by Gambit, these under-the-counter toughs will stop at nothing to stop you. Logan mentions Remy's scent. Turn on your FS to see his track, and... what's that in the distance? A SO (#78) ripe for the pickin's! Fight your way over to it and destroy it. If he sets the alarm off when he sees you, you'll get a few more Enforcers. Now, follow the track, killing the enforcers on the way. A cut scene later, and you're fighting again. You'll be shown a terminal, so work your way around to it. When you kick it (how does that work?) you'll see... it's locked into place? You need to destroy what's holding it in place, so the terminal can make it move. **NOTE** If you approached the controls on the wall, you'll engage a couple more enemies who guard it. Otherwise, like with the alarm, they won't come. If you can't figure it out, you need to lunge onto the clamps on both sides of the vat holding it in place. You have to break off both in order for the terminal to work. Activate the terminal, then escort the vat to it's destination as more Enforcers try to stop you. Activate the controls, and escort it again. When it stops, you need to physically move it, so climb up and give it a good kick. If any of the guys survive a downpour of molten... hotsauce?!? Kill them before continuing through for a checkpoint. Meet Alastair. A mutant with the power to control fire! Just give him the beatdown, and he should be easier than a Prototype now. He does have some killer attacks (literally) but since you have all the necessary upgrades now, he will be easy as pie. Seriously, just lay into him with combos and you can take him in 15 seconds flat! Moving foreward, take out more Enforcers, and look to the back of the production line for another SO (#79). Follow the track further, and open the door. Kill the last Enforcers here, and take the elevator for a checkpoint. Out the door and you're met with more Enforcers. Eliminating them, keep following the track all the way. You'll come to a locked door. Near this door is a BT (#10). Are you tired of fighting him yet? Now, since you can't follow the track any further, look for another exit to this room. Say hello to Edmund. Look familiar? He should, you just destroyed his brother and he's not too happy about that. Edmund begins as a worse opponent than Alastair (read their bios in Rouge's Gallary), but as the fight goes on, he becomes better. Also, because of his electricity and your adamantium, his attacks do about twice as much damage. However, he shouldn't pose a problem at all. Eliminate him, keep your claws of fury flying and he won't live to see tomorrow. Head through the exit for a checkpoint. Walk down the hall for... a checkpoint? I swear, sometimes they put these things in just to waste our time. You're entering the bar from a back entrance (I believe). Objective Completed: LeBeau Located. After a few questions, Remy freaks out, and runs. Leaving a few more Enforcers to deal with you, he heads for the exit. Easily deal with them, and follow him to the exit. Only... it's engulfed in flames! More Enforcers pour in from every corner of the room, and only after fighting them all off do the flames subside. Follow Remy's track through the exit in order to secure your next checkpoint. It turns out you didn't kill Alastair! Deal with him again, he's just as easy as last time, and proceed foreward, for yet another checkpoint. You see Remy, and he runs again. After slaughtering a few more of his lackies, follow him through for a checkpoint. At the top of the elevator shaft he waits for you. However, he set this up as a trap. Start lunging up and he'll drop the box on you. Stay out of the way if you don't want to die, then finish lunging up the shaft, timing your jumps to avoid his cards, until you reach the top. Checkpoint. Turn your FS on here and find a SO (#80). Continue following Remy's track and jump and climb your way around. Just before the second leap of faith, you'll find another SO (#81). Now, lunge over safely to earn your checkpoint. It would make sense that if Alastair survived, so did Edmund... but it's Alastair here to block your path yet again!? Deal with him the same as always, and proceed for a checkpoint. Across to the next rooftop and Gambit chucks explosive cards while his Enforcers shoot at you. The only real danger here is falling to your death, as the cards can knock you over the edge. Now, a chopper appears out of nowhere and Stryker's troopers join in on the action! Remy jumps down... but attacks you? Fight off the pathetic troopers, and when it's clear, head for Remy. Objective: Defeat LeBeau Remy is an odd fight. His attacks are fast and powerful (one good hit can knock 25% of your life down), and they almost always knock you down. However, he is one of the only bosses YOU can easily knock down, as if he were a generic baddie. He also has very low defences, so though he can fend you off well, once you get your claws in, they leave a mark. However, you weaken him about 25% and he runs off. Follow him for a checkpoint. Deal with Stryker's troopers. Find the BT (#11). Locate the SO (#82). Follow the track. Checkpoint. Once again, Alastair stands in your way, and Edmund is nowhere to be found. Maybe the second brother really is dead? Remy will chuck those cards at you while you deal with the hot head, then he jumps down for another tussle. Once again, he runs after taking a little damage. However, he does his best to block your path. Lunge around, and now Alistar AND Edmund are ready to block your path. (It's a shock Edmund wasn't around earlier, isn't it?) They both are pathetically easy yet again, but their high power attacks and their 2-on-1 tactics make them actually a fairly difficult fight! Once you take one down the other falls quickly. Move towards Remy for a final confrontation. He admits defeat... then jumps off the building! Follow him, and land in the shipyard. It's Remy, a few Enforcers, and you. Kill the enforcers, and fight Remy. He runs, again! Man, he's starting to get on my nerves! You automatically move to another area, following Remy. Kill the Enforcers, then get through following Remy's direction. (HINT: DESTROY) Turn on your FS to find a SO (#83) in the second area, then keep going, and turn left to the dead end for another SO (#84). Inside a silver shipping container you'll find another (#85). Then, jump on the crate around the corner as a stepping stone to the upper level. Checkpoint. Objective: Make LeBeau Talk Now, Remy threatens to "handle you". Show him just how hard you are to handle! Fight him relentlessly, until he jumps to a higher platform. All you can do now is dodge his cards. While you're waiting for him to come down from his perch, find the SO (#86) in this area. When he jumps down, he's going to use his power move, so get ready for a button prompt! (He will use the same move when his health is gone, but the prompt is slightly different, so be prepared.) Keep fighting, and don't let up. This fight is rather hard because he has powerful attacks, and he has quick agility. The trick is to get your combo started, because you can deplete about 50% of his health with a power combo thanks to his minimal defence. objective Completed: LeBeau Talked 1750 XP Bonus Swift: Defeated LeBeau in Five Minutes 1750 XP Bonus Mission Complete: 1750 XP Since you should have (almost) all of the upgrades now, the speed bonus isn't that important. Still, if you're a completionist, or you want those Weapon X combos, you might consider Reset Checkpoint to get it if you didn't on your first try. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 5I: Mission 9 [XMOWS5I] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __/The Island\__ This is the Finale. This is where you will confront Stryker for the last time and make him pay. Pay for murdering Kayla. Pay for murdering the Hudsons. Pay for his twisted experiments on mutants and humans. Nothing will stand in your way and vengeance is close at hand. Objective: Defeat Creed Your first boss from back in Canada is once again, your boss here on the helipad of a nuclear plant. A showdown with your older brother is your first priority upon reaching the island. Wail on him with everything you have. Creed is hard, but not because he's good. First, he'll be invulnerable to your claws most of the time, meaning when you take a stab at him, you'll go through instead of hitting him. Second, most of the time it does let you hit him, it does no damage. Thirdly, he'll pick you up and toss you around like a ragdoll, just like he did the first time you fought him. (Seriously, wouldn't all of that adamantium fused with your skeleton make you much heavier now?) Give him the beatdown just the same, and when you get him to about 10% health, you'll notice that no matter what you try, he won't take any damage. He'll try to walk straight up to you. If the camera focuses on you and he grabs you, he's trying to use your new claws against you! Counter this attack for the win. Objective Complete: Creed Defeated 1500 XP Bonus Swift: Defeated Creed in Five Minutes 1500 XP Bonus Again, the time bonus isn't important now that you have all the upgrades you need. Go through the wall, jump over the broken pathway, and Stryker's troopers will come like lambs to the slaughter. Deal with all of them, then kick the air unit to gain access to the upper level. Up to the next rooftop and you get some more bones to sharpen your blades on. Kill them, then drop off the other side. Search this platform to find a SO (#87), then jump down the next few platforms. Search each one until you find another SO (#88), and that's your sign to lunge next. Jump across the gap to climb up, and up, and up, to another group of troopers given the death sentence that is fighting you! Stay out of the center until they are all dead (unless you'd rather skip the fighting), then step on it to take the lift down to a checkpoint. When it stops, you'll be assaulted by both types of automated turrets. They're protected by some grates, so you can't do anything about them. Lunge your way to the switch to get the lift started again. Now, while under assault from gatling turrets, short circuit the fusebox to get the lift going again. Deal with the troopers in the usual way. At the bottom is a turret you can actually destroy! Rejoice! Now open the door and get through for a checkpoint. Logan, meet more troopers who have to learn the hard way. Make sure to search this area for an SO (#89) before leaving (the door auto opens, on the right). This cutscene gives you some key plot details. Make sure to pay attention if you want to know the backstory! After breaking out of this room, kill the troopers and destory the turret. Find the SO (#90) and exit the way you first came in. Killing the troopers here nets you a checkpoint. A gatling turret to deal you damage, and toxic gas to prevent your regeneration means you need to clear this room fast! Rip the box out of the wall, and use it as a crutch to reach and destroy lock to lower the cover and block the vent. This next puzzle you've seen before. Deal with it the same way. Upon reaching the bottom, you'll be greeted by some soon-to-be-dead troopers. Eliminate them and you'll learn you can't get out this way. Lunge back up higher and get out via a door on this upper level to get the next checkpoint. Using your FS in the next room will reveal that the whole place (almost) is interactive! After fighting off the troopers, use the electrical panel to overload the security system, to disengage the locks, and finally lower the radioactive core into the reactor. Do this on both sides, and you'll continously be assaulted by troopers as you progress. The reward for your hard work? Getting shot at, of course. Lunge onto the claw that can reach the window. Once you get there eliminate the troopers and collect the BT (#12). Activate the computer to turn the lift on, fight off the troopers, and it's elevator down to a checkpoint. Wait, what's this? A sudden unexpected fall to your death? Well, it would be unexpected, if I didn't tell you about it! Lunge your way down, since the lift drops fast enough to kill you this time. Get through the door; checkpoint. Take out the troopers, take out the turrets, take out the electrical system, get through the door. Walk past the cells (they're empty now, thanks to you- know-who), and open the next door to meet Wade "Deadpool" Wilson. **NOTE** Now is the time you should go and do the last three Blob fights, with the three tokens you've collected since meeting him. Last chance! Climb up to the upper level, and fight it out with all the troopers. Open the door and progress forewards. Objective: Defeat Wade Wilson Here, you have a very difficult fight. You have adamantium claws, he has adamantium broadswords. You can run, he can teleport. You can dodge, he can blast you with lasers. You can..., well, he can blast you with more lasers. (Yes, he has two different laser attacks.) When he starts teleporting around, turn on your FS and you can get a better idea of where he'll appear. (There will be hard-to-see whisps where he'll appear before he gets there.) You don't have to, or even need to, but it helps if you want to dodge his attacks. He is wicked strong, hard to hit, and has great defence. Just keep swinging away, though, and you'll whittle him down. If he goes into one of his big moves, pay attention for prompts. When he teleports and shoots lasers, he'll need to rest. This is your BEST opportunity to attack him, and take about 20% of his life. When he starts chasing you (going into a physical fight), run around the room. As much fun as it would be, he'll win. However, after a few seconds, he will stop chasing you. Turn around and wail on him. Once you finally get him down to about 10%, he'll teleport to the top to hide from you. This is when you lunge, and follow on-screen prompts. Lunge to Fan Do as it says, and follow the prompts correctly. Objective Completed: Wade Wilson Defeated 2000 XP Bonus Swift: Defeated Wade Wilson in Five Minutes 2000 XP Bonus Mission Complete: 2000 XP Congratulations. The final boss defeated, watch one final scene, with amazing graphics, that wraps up the story. You're taken to the upgrades screen one last time... you should have anywhere between 5000-25000 XP bonus to boast about. (On easy.) Remember, your final XP will depend on: How high you kept your combos all game. If you got all Sentinel Observers. Not skipping any enemies (except those necessary when you have the timer). Optional enemies (like those who come if the alarm goes off). If you got all bonuses. How well you did on your 12 bonus Blob fights (or even if you did them all). Can you beat my best? Ending a new game on easy, ALL upgrades, and 21,960 XP. __/Game Complete!\__ Load the completed game save to start a new game in Berserker difficulty with all your upgrades and experience intact. If you used this guide, you completed the game, collected all 12 Blob Tokens, destroyed all 90 Sentinel Observers, and purchased every single upgrade in the game, all on your first playthrough! If you haven't, then go back and try again! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 6: Upgrades [XMOWS6] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= When you open your upgrades menu, you start at the first in this list. This is assuming you scroll through the upgrades by pressing left. **NOTE** In all cases of higher levels, the level is unlocked after you get the previous level. The exception is #11, where the first avaliable is level 2. **NOTE** All recommendations in the walkthrough are my personal prefrence, both based on my fight style, and what will make proceeding through the game easier. I do not recommend upgrading numbers 9, 10, or 11, for example, because Logan's combos are more than enough to eliminate all threats. The final decision on what to upgrade is up to you. __/Upgrade List\__ #number Name Description Subname Level Cost Unlocked (if and when) #1 Health Increase Maximum Health Increase. Level 1 400 XP ------------- Level 2 1000 ------------- Level 3 2000 ------------- Level 4 3000 End Mission#1 Level 5 4800 ------------- Level 6 6500 LEVEL MAX ------------- #2 Health Recharge Healing Rate Increased. Level 1 500 XP Buy#1 Level 1 Level 2 1200 ------------- Level 3 2500 Buy#1 Level 2 Level 4 4000 ------------- Level 5 6000 LEVEL MAX ------------- #3 Combat Damage Increases the Damage of your Level 1 600 XP attacks. ------------- Level 2 1200 ------------- Level 3 2400 ------------- Level 4 4800 ------------- Level 5 6000 LEVEL MAX ------------- #4 Rage! Damage increased to all attacks Level 1 250 XP in rage mode. Buy#3 Level 2 Level 2 500 ------------- Level 3 1000 ------------- Level 4 2000 LEVEL MAX ------------- #5 Bullet Resistance Bullets damage you less. Level 1 500 XP ------------- Level 2 1000 ------------- Level 3 1500 ------------- Level 4 2500 LEVEL MAX ------------- #6 Toughness Enemies striking you do less Level 1 500 XP damage. ------------- Level 2 1000 ------------- Level 3 1500 ------------- Level 4 2500 LEVEL MAX ------------- #7 Feral Senses Duration Increases Feral Senses duration. Level 1 400 XP ------------- Level 2 800 ------------- Level 3 1200 ------------- Level 4 1600 LEVEL MAX ------------- #8 Feral Senses Recharge Increases Feral Senses recharge Level 1 150 XP rate. Buy#7 Level 1 Level 2 900 ------------- Level 3 1350 ------------- Level 4 1800 LEVEL MAX ------------- #9 Weapon X attacks: SEE BELOW Buzzsaw Level 1 2000 XP Open Mission#2 door Harvester Level 2 3500 ------------- Spin Cycle Level 3 5000 ------------- Experiment X Level 4 7500 LEVEL MAX #10 Grab Finishers: SEE BELOW Headbutt Level 1 400 XP Open Mission#2 door Seperate Level 2 1000 LEVEL MAX ------------- #11 Lunge Attacks: SEE BELOW Widow Maker Level 2 450 XP ------------- Eviscerator Level 3 800 ------------- Punishing Level 4 1500 LEVEL MAX ------------- TOTALS: 46 Upgrades for 92,000 XP! And it's possible to get it all on only one playthrough on easy! __/Extended Descriptions\__ Weapon X attacks: Buzzsaw: A powerful directional attack. In rage mode hold R2 then press /\ to trigger Buzzsaw. Harvester: A powerful directional attack. In rage mode hold R2 then press X to trigger Harvester. Spin Cycle: Damages many enemies in a large area. In rage mode, hold R2 then press () to trigger Spin cycle. Experiment X: An unparalled damage dealer. In rage mode, hold R2 then press [] to trigger Experiment X. Grab Finishers: Headbutt: Your skull, their face. Press X to trigger the headbutt attack. Seperate: The most powerful attack against grabbed enemies. Press [] to trigger Seperate Claws attack. Lunge Attacks: Widow Maker: A savage, up-close-and-personal lunge attack. Press right analog stick down to trigger in feral lunge mode. Eviscerator: A brutal and often fatal lunge attack. Press right analog stick right to trigger in feral lunge mode. Punishing: A devastating and painful lunge attack. Press right analog stick left to trigger in feral lunge mode. **NOTE** These are NOT all of the moves executable in each mode. They are simply those that you can unlock. You start with a basic lunge (it's basically Wolverine's signature lunge) that you press L2, R^ to use. You can also throw from a grab by holding that direction when you release /\. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 7: Hints and Tips [XMOWS7] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __/General\__ Just some basic tips to help you do better, and have more fun. Positioning is key. I can't tell you how many times I've died (or killed myself out of frustration) because the game wouldn't work. You'll find that many times you must stand a certain distance away to activate prompts. Too close and you'll "attack" the object. Too far and you'll attack the air. Sometimes the positioning will drive you insane. Even with lunging, it works the same way. Too far and you won't reach, too close and it's not far enough to be a lunge. It's really annoying. Remember, if you upgrade your healing ability enough, nothing, not even the final boss, can kill you. You will heal faster than anything in the game can damage you. Basically, when starting your second game, you can breeze by anything and everything that isn't an instant death. Use this to your advantage. If you don't want to follow my recommendations for upgrading, go your own way. Just keep in mind when certain upgrades become useful (ie: Rage!, Weapon X attacks, Grab Finishers) and don't get frustrated if you can't do everything. (You can't grab bosses, for example. Most won't fall down, and you can only lunge for an attack once every 30 seconds or so.) The game plays through exactly the same on all difficulties, so if Brawler is too easy for you, step it up at any time. Once you've gotten all of your upgrades, Berserker will be completely cake, but that's why there's challenge runs! Try something different, remember, the walkthrough is intended to make the game as EASY as POSSIBLE. You wouldn't need a walkthrough if you already thought it was easy, correct? The biggest way to up the difficulty without lowering the experience would be to get all upgrades EXCEPT the health restoration. Play a game through without this essential and see how much harder it is than you think! __/Experience\__ If you're into the business of earning experience for the sake of earning it, then look here. Maximize your experience by controlling your difficulty. The game gives you the option to change it whenever you want, so make the most of it. Play your game on medium (or hard if you've unlocked it). This way you'll get more XP out of every kill. However, SOs are worth the most in easy mode! Since you can switch at any time, always switch back to easy to destroy a SO, and bump it back up before fighting any more. Using this method, you can get about 50% more XP out of your game! Abuse your checkpoints for free guaranteed XP. Every mention of a checkpoint in the guide I use is an autosave checkpoint. However, there are usually one or more non-autosaving checkpoints between each of these. If you ever choose "reset checkpoint" and you're back in the middle of an area, backtrack. Chances are, you'll find something you can destroy for experience. Every time you use this feature, you're placed just BEFORE your checkpoint, and every time you hit the checkpoint, your XP is saved. A good place to see this is in mission 3, when you first encounter the grenadiers. Eliminate the turrets (top left from there) and get your checkpoint. Immediately pause and reset checkpoint, and your XP is saved. Go back, the turrets are back. Destroy them and go back down to your checkpoint. Repeat as desired. I did this process for five minutes and secured over 1500 XP! Look for these opportunities every time you reset checkpoint. Keep your combos high. For every five orbs you've earned, you get another five experience per kill. Learn to time your combos, instead of just mashing them, so your combo drags out longer. 1: Your enemy lives longer, giving you more time to let other enemies get within range of your claws, and 2: You get more time to judge which enemy will be best to go for next while maintaining your combo. Keeping your combo high is the #1 way to earn experience, without abusing the system. (If you want to abuse the system, see the two paragraphs above.) __/Playability\__ This game doesn't have to suck as bad as it does. Make the most out of your game to maximize your enjoyment. First off, do everything you can before using this guide. If you can beat the game without looking here once, congratulations. I've experienced it multiple times myself, but the more you look in a guide, the more you come to rely upon it, until you find yourself relying on every word to get yourself through. Take if from me, only rely upon someone or something else when absolutely necessary. Now, once you've beaten it, use this guide to help you complete everything there is to do. Or, go the complete opposite, use this guide 100% of the game, and gradually advance to a higher level of playing as I strategically designed this guide to make you do. (Notice, in the beginning, it's "Press L2 to enter lunge mode, then press L^, L^, L>, L^, L<." to "Press L2 to enter lunge mode and follow the prompts to lunge through" to "Lunge past this area." It progressively gets less specific so you don't rely on the guide to tell you everything to do.) Too easy for you? Play it on hard. Still too easy you say? Start a new game on hard, so you don't have all of your rolled over XP and bonuses. I'm not saying that this is like Spec Ops (a game infamous for it's nearly-impossible difficulty), but it's harder than you'd think, a large step up from medium. Try a upgrade-free run, in which your XP will just build all game, because you don't buy anything. Those explosives that don't do anything to you with maxed defenses and regen will kill you in just a couple of hits when you're at your starting stats all game! Try a speed run. Only fight enemies that are necessary to open doors or get checkpoints. Run straight to all exits, ignore trip wires and run straight through hordes of troopers. Struggle through bosses because you didn't get the XP from fighting countless enemies. Didn't search for all of the SOs. Didn't bother with detours for XP. How about a challenge run? Can you beat the game through using only the X button to fight? How about using only [] when necessary? Ever harder still, try to get through everything possible without activating your FS at all. (Yes this means no SOs for those of you completionists.) How many times will you break through the thin ice before you make it? How many traps will kill you? A restriction challenge? You can only move via dashes and jumping/climbing? Create your own challenge and try it! How much more can you pack into this disk? Got some good advice? Send it in, and I'll add it with all credit to you! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 8: FAQ [XMOWS8] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Q: I just saw [on-screen prompt]. How come it's not in your guide? A: Well, it might be. Every time you destroy a SO or BT, you get a prompt. Because they're always the same, I mentioned that for the first SO and BT, and I also mentioned that I won't mention the prompts that pop up because it would get really repetitive, and take up a lot of unnecessary space. The other possibility would be when you come up behind an unsuspecting foe and preform a "stealth kill" and a prompt announces this on-screen. Because there is no bonus of any kind (other than that tingly feeling) associated with it, I felt it unnecessary to mention it in the guide. If you have found an actual, unique prompt I missed, tell me about it! Q: Is this every bonus in the game? A: Yes. Well... no. Maybe? The fact is, I don't know. It's every bonus that I found after about 6 complete playthroughs. I didn't exploit the game code to search the list of potential prompts for all mention of the word "bonus", that would ruin the point. Yes, I have read other (less credible) sites' users claiming that they get a bonus for [insert topic here]. I have investigated all of these I found, added in the ones I determined true, and ignored the ones that don't work. If you've found one I've missed, I'll be more than happy to add it to this guide. Just send the details to me, being as clear and descriptive as you can, and if I can confirm it's existance, it'll be added in with full credit to you. Q: How about the Sentinel Observers? Blob Tokens? A: Same thing. I searched every nook and cranny in the game I could, and reported all I found. As far as the SOs, you'll notice Logan usually comments when one is near. The BTs have music in the surrounding area. I'm fairly certain with these, as with the bonuses, that I haven't missed anything. If I have, and you've found something that I haven't included in this guide, send me any and all info you can on the subject. I'll investigate, and if you're right, your name will be put down in the "special thanks" section for getting it. Q: What is the best combo? A: That's a tough question to answer. Pretty much, what do you mean by "best"? I could tell you the Weapon X combo: Experiment X is the best because it will kill any enemy, and most bosses with only one or two goes. However, in order to use that one you have to whallop said enemies for a period of time in order to activate rage. I could tell you corkscrew attack, as it's the most powerful "named" combo that has no prerequesits to use. Unfortunately, you fly when using this, fly off cliffs, into traps and rivers. However, if you don't button mash, and you time your swings with X and [], you can find/make dozens, possibly hundreds of other, more powerful combos. My absolute favorite would have to be one I created. I call it "Puncture Gut". What you do is time your swings precisely; you press X, and when you hear the "swish" sound, press X again, and once more. Then, you press [], and you'll do four quick jabs into the gut of your enemy. This will make four quick "swish" sounds. If you press [] again at the third, you'll continue jabbing four more times. You can keep this up four times, for a grand total of sixteen jabs. Pressing [] the final time will end in a powerful double fisted punch which will knock down all basic enemies. When upgraded, this combo is powerful enough to kill an Alkali Prototype Advanced in one shot! It's also good for 20 hits, so this single combo will put you into Stryker class, only one hit away from Gambit (if every hit connects, which is, admittedly, rare). Q: How does a combo work? A: Not as good as it should. Seriously, a combo counts each move you make, not each hit you score. (Generally) For example, if you preform "Awesome Slash", you do a sideways slash mid-combo in which you hit twice seperately with both claws, yet it counts that entire move as one hit in the combo. This is really apparent because it deals damage twice. An example would be fighting mercs, who give you 5 hits each, good for a combo class upgrade, will only give 4 or 3 if you start getting into the fancier stuff. Q: What are all the combo classes? A: There are eight combo classes, each one gotten with five more hits in a combo. They are as follows: Logan - 6 hits + 5 Orbs Silverfox - 11 hits + 10 Orbs Stryker - 16 hits + 15 Orbs Gambit - 21 hits + 20 Orbs Creed - 26 hits + 30 Orbs Deadpool - 31 hits + 50 Orbs Nord - 36 hits + 80 Orbs Wolverine - 37 hits + 120 Orbs **NOTE** It starts at six. That IS five hits in a combo, because 1 hit isn't a combo. I have not been able to record the Orbs count for the absolute best classes because the only time I've encountered them is when fighting bosses. If anyone has that info, I'd greatly appreciate it. Also, strangely enough, Nord class is for only one hit: 36. Wolverine starts immediately at 37 hits. **NOTE** Thanks to Aguini for sending me the missing info on the bonus orbs for the top three classes, Deadpool, Nord, and Wolverine. Thanks for keeping up on it and getting me that information! Q: Okay, great! But... how does that help me? A: It's simple really. For all of the Orbs you have, you get that much extra experience per kill. For example, you're fighting mercenaries on the bridge in mission 6. The first mercenary you kill will grant you 12 XP (on easy). They also give you 5 hits each with the upgrades you have then (when following this guide) and simple combos. While killing the second, you reach Logan Class. When he goes down, he gives you 12 XP + 5 XP, or 17 XP. Your class goes up to Silverfox before the next kill, so you earn 22 XP, Stryker before the next kill, so you earn 27, Gambit for the next gets you 32 XP, and you reach Creed class for the next for 42 XP. Now, you have killed six mercenaries, gotten 30 hits, and you earn a total of 152 XP for these 6 mercs instead of only 72 XP. By keeping your combo as high as possible, you will earn much more experience. Q: And no matter how many hits I get, I can't get higher than Wolverine class? A: Unfortunately, yes. But, if you can get Wolverine class fighting normal enemies, I give you my applause. I wasn't able to do it enough (I think I got it once or twice, not counting bosses) to record the orbs you earn (since Orbs counts don't show up for bosses). If you do, and you can see it, sent the info to me! **NOTE** Thanks to Aguini for sending me the missing info on the bonus orbs for the top three classes, Deadpool, Nord, and Wolverine. Thanks for keeping up on it and getting me that information! Q: How did you figure all of this out? Are you just making this up? A: No, I'm not making this up, you'll just have to trust me on that. The way I figured it all out was by spending half an hour redoing the bridge section in mission 6 (which is why I used it as my example, the way they swarm there makes combos really easy to control), recording my class, orbs, how much experience is gained, when, etc. I cannot guarantee that it works the same in all areas, since I only extensively tested there, but it wouldn't make sense otherwise. Got a question? Send it to me. I'll answer you personally in an email, and I'll post it here, under your email header, your name/handle (if you give it to me) or anonymous if you prefer. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 9: Legal/Thanks [XMOWS9] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= You know what this is all about. Giving credit to the folks behind this game, and this FAQ. It is only because of all the people listed below that this FAQ was possible, and you owe it to them to simply take two minutes out of your day and read this short section. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 9A: Legal Information [XMOWS9A] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= X-Men Origins: Wolverine is copyright (c) 2009 Activision Publishing Inc., all rights reserved. Liscensed by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. This FAQ is copyright (c) 2010 Justin Castillo, all rights reserved. You may only have one (1) copy of this saved to your harddrive OR printed for personal, private use. Currently, the only sites which may host this FAQ, or any of my other FAQ's, are: GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) Neoseeker (www.neoseeker.com) Super Cheats (www.supercheats.com) MyMedia (www.mymedia.net.au) Each of these sites must have the most current update of my FAQ for it to be legal. If any site fails to maintain that priority, it shall be removed until it becomes updated. Also, each site must have all of my currently released FAQs posted on their site. If they fail to maintain any of my FAQs, they will not be allowed to host any of them. I reserve the right to change this list at any time under my discretion, regardless of where this FAQ may appear at any particular moment in time. If you see any work of mine on any other site, please contact me at the below listed e-mail under the subject "Stolen Work" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 9B: Acknowledgements [XMOWS9B] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= First off, thanks to Activision for making this great game, with the manual that gave me lots of technical info, and Sony for liscensing it. Second, thank YOU for reading this. Also thanks to all sites hosting this FAQ. ~~> Special Thanks <~~ Thanks to a TON of other FAQ writers who gave me ideas. A big one in this specific guide is the PS2 controller ASCII. I saw it in quite a few other FAQs, and I like making ASCII art, so I made my own from scratch from the idea. Thanks to Aguini for sending me the missing info on the bonus orbs for the top three classes, Deadpool, Nord, and Wolverine. Thanks for keeping up on it and getting me that information! If, for any reason, you deserve to be put here, I'll put you here. If, for any reason, you deserve to be put here, and I haven't included you, e-mail me and I'll consider it. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Section 0: Contact Information [XMOWS0] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= E-Mail me at justeazygames (at) yahoo.com under the subject like "X-Men Origins: Wolverine ~~~"; Where ~~~ is whatever you want it to be. Questions? Comments? Problems? Suggestions? If you find anything wrong with this guide, something missplaced, need to be added, or anything else deserving, which includes spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc., you will be mentioned in the above section when it gets updated.