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ENN ## W# #AM######, NJE ### ##,WWWWW# J###W ####@#### ## ## ## ## ## ######## ## ## ##; 6#E ## J## W#W ##Y ;N T#2 ## #########, ##, #### ## ## ## .######R5#, GUNVALKYRIE S-Rank FAQ by holyvision Version 1.21 2/19/2003 This FAQ is not going to tell you how to beat a level if you're having trouble, or how to do this or that, or what character is best. This FAQ is solely for the purpose of telling you how to get a high score S-rank on every mission and boss with every character. This is ONLY for straight S-rankings. If there is anything you feel I have done incorrectly or that you would want added, email me at ericmclester@hotmail.com. This guide will go in order of the Challenge Mode stages--so bosses go last. I will also list the method of obtaining an S-rank with each separate character. Personally, I try to get S's and high scores to show off to my friends, so Kelly-3 is really out of bounds, but I’ll go over her quickly anyway. The ASCII art is thanks to the ASCII Generator. ============================================================================= Table of Contents: [type this into the find command to quickly move about] #LINGO# = The new GUNVALKYRIE lingo, that will be used throughout the guide. #CONTROLS# = The simple controls of the game #GENERAL# = Some general information about the format of the S-rank FAQ #ADVANCED# = Advanced maneuvers that will be used throughout the guide #V1# = Valley 1 #V2# = Valley 2 #Civ1# = Civilian Base 1 #NAG1# = Naglfar’s Pit 1 #CIV2# = Civilian Base 2 #V3# = Valley 3 #DIA# = Diahelm #NID# = Nidhogg #MIM# = MIMIR #SVART# = SVART #IVA# = Ivaldi #HIGH# = High-Scores The remaining missions/bosses are not yet complete. Do be done in later version of the FAQ. ============================================================================= THE NEW, AND HOPEFULLY NOW STANDARD, GUNVALKYRIE LINGO: #LINGO# GV = GUNVALKYRIE K1-3 = Kelly1-3 Sab = Saborouta Pit 1-2 = Naglfar's Pit 1-2 Ygg 1-2 = Yggdrasil 1-2 Val 1-3 = Valley 1-3 Civ. 1-3 = Civilian Base 1-3 J = Jump and use Jet Pack, generally until one cell is left in the fuel meter M = Mobius Dgun = Kelly's drive gun g = use the grappling hook on the closest grappling hook target bc = boost combo [either your current level or the act of comboing] AND THE MOVEMENT SYSTEM: 8 = boost forward 6 = boost right 4 = boost left 2 = boost backward [that's right, just like a ten-key] m# = meteor crash in given direction [i.e -- m8 = meteor crash straight up] , = separated actions ~ = actions to be performed very quickly in succession [i.e. -- 8, 2 = boost forward, then backward. 8~2 = boost forward then instantly backward] ... = repeat previous action until otherwise indicated q# = quick turn in given direction [i.e. q2 = quick turn backward] [ ] = used to discriminate between the body of the paragraph/sentence and the boosts. i.e. -- I like to use [8, 6, 2, 6, 8, 6, 2, 6...] to build up boosts slowly. ============================================================================= CONTROLS: [for those who don't have a book or level 1... apparently] #CONTROLS# [Actually, you should read this section anyway. Some tips...] The left joystick moves your body, and the right joystick pivots your torso. Both of them affect your aim. Because of the "spring" action of the right control, you will aim back to the center if you let it go. Therefore, you are aiming in the direction of the right joystick at all times. The left joystick is generally used to run forward or perform slight turns. You will, however, keep your body facing in the same direction until you move this left joystick. The viewing ability of the right joystick is limited to 90 degrees up or down and about 60 degrees left or right. Pressing in the left joystick is used to perform boosts. I prefer to press the stick in, then move it in the desired direction. This command will be your best friend in every mission but the worst enemy of your thumb. Forward boosts and backward boosts can be sustained until the gas gauge runs out. Generally, however, you will want to do all boosts in quick "click - move - release" sequences. While boosting you lose almost no altitude. Also of note, left and right boosts will actually turn you about 30 degrees to the left or right, so you don't stay facing exactly where you were before. Finally, boosts can be done on the ground, although only forward or backward boosts are at all recommended, since they can be sustained until the gas runs out to get out of, or into, danger. Boost combos are performed by doing multiple boosts in succession without hitting the ground, using the left trigger, hovering, freefalling for too long, or using the plasma hook on a plasma hook target. Boost comboing, bcing, makes your technical bonus increase, as well as making your shots more powerful. Getting a boost combo of 25 will make you go mobius, or M, for about 10 seconds. During M, you will be invincible and do the most damage. In Saborouta's case, M makes his shots have a area of effect-- so they can each hit multiple targets. Pressing in the right joystick and moving a direction performs a quick turn. This will turn you in the direction you click in 90 degree increments. You do not lose a boost combo or altitude while doing a quick turn. Boosting in a direction then pressing the opposite direction with the left thumbstick makes you hover. If you are hovering a lot by accident, be more aggressive with the controller--you are not clicking it in for the second boost. While you hover you do not use fuel, but you do lose slight altitude and whatever boost combo you have. The left trigger jumps in the air. If you hold it down, you will use your jet pack for a really high jump. The game tells you to jump, then press L again--but I prefer to just hold it down. The novice player will be doing this one the most--after shooting--so learn it. Do not use it in the air--you will spend your fuel quickly and get nearly no alititude gain. Also, I recommend jet packing until you have 1 bar of fuel left-- then you have enough for all the boosts you want, and a lot of height. The right trigger fires your gun. In the case of kelly's drive gun, you have to hold down the right trigger for continuous fire. The face buttons--X, Y, and B, switch between your weapons. Also, X, when pressed while X is already selected, will switch the drive gun's mode from wide fire to narrow fire or visa versa. X is only used for kelly-- drive gun. Y is heat blaster for kelly, matchlock cannon for Sab. B is plasma hook. Your all purpose weapon is always Y. Finally, with Y, you can't hold down the right trigger. Doing so will lock on to multiple targets--as will be discussed later. For rapid fire, or as rapid as possible, just pull the trigger over and over again. You do not get technical points for killing enemies with the D-gun. Holding down the right trigger issues the lockon command. With kelly, you will not be able to lockon until you get the upgrades to do so. WIth Sab, you will always be able to lock on, but only when he is standing or hovering. After the trigger is depressed, quickly pass the crosshair over all the enemies you wish to kill. Once a sufficient amount of targets have been marked on the HUD [heads-up-display], release the trigger to shoot multiple shots. This technique obviously does not work with the drive gun. Also, in many cases, the best method for locking on is to wiggle the right joystick around vigorously. Meteor Crashes are done by depressing both the joysticks at the same time while in the air. Meteor Crashes use GV fuel, which is obtained by bcing or retrieving blue spheres from dead enemies. To aim the MC, use your right thumbstick. During the MC, you will be invincible and deal heavy damage to anything you pass through. You will be able to killing anything with one MC except for bosses. You do not lose a boost combo, and depending on which direction you aim it, you can even gain altitude. Kelly doesn't start with this ability, rather she gets it after beating Nidhogg. Saborouta has it from the beginning. You do not get technical points for killing enemies with MC. GV Napalm- Don't use this. Really. If you want to see how dumb it is firsthand, press in both joysticks while on the ground. As a replacement--If you're kelly, boost backward and use the D-gun. If you're Sab, boost backwards while firing the matchlock cannon. The plasma hook is used by pressing B and then firing. It can be used against enemies, but this is generally not recommended, and never recommended to novices. To hook onto the purple disk-like plasma hook targets, fire at it: you will latch on and be sucked upwards towards the target, losing a boost combo, but probably gaining altitude. Afterwards, you can boost off or just wait and fall off. The white button shows the map and the black button shows the time. Unless you are going for a best time score, you won't use the black button. The white button, however, is extremely useful, both for finding where enemies are and for avoiding them. If you are on a very tall level, like Naglfar's, the map will be seperated into levels based on height. For all maps--arrow is for you, yellow is for bug, and purple is for frekiheims. Finally, the secret button combination for permanent mobius and infinite GV fuel and gas is.... nevermind. And the A button. It's never been put to a better use in any video game. Except for every single one made... Except maybe Superman for N64... Anyway-- A button does nothing. If you really get your kicks out of pressing it, then by all means, use it to navigate the menus instead of the start button ^^. ============================================================================= GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FAQ #GENERAL# When reading a specific level/boss, be sure to read all of the character guides, because many of the techniques are cross applied to each character. I usually outline most specifically the character that is the most fun to play with on each specific level. The strategies used are extremely similar, but still read each of them in case it leads to some epiphany that allows you to best yourself. Also, if there is something you just don't understand, read things you should know or the first part of the FAQ. This section of the FAQ assumes you have a detailed knowledge of each level and only need to know the specific aspects of getting an S-rank. Finally, this guide is tailored to give you straight S ranks. The overall, will, of course, be an S, but I am trying to show you how to get S's in every category with every character on every level. So, make the most of it, and try to accomplish this. For Kelly-3, do this for every mission if it’s how you get your kicks: Boost Combo up to 24, meteor crash, and maintain that crash state for the rest of the level and kill everything. ============================================================================= THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW #ADVANCED# These advanced terms will not be explained later in the faq--it is merely understood that you will do them. So make sure you know them. Double Meteor Crash-- This is defined as [8~m8]. The [8~] gives you momentum to carry you forward while in the MC state, and then MC upward. If the [8~] extends you directly into the body of the enemy, the m8 will deal damage the second time. Effectively, two meteor crashes for the price and time of one. There is another, slightly easier and, on occasion, more effective way to perform it. Use [4~m5], and the idea is that you back up into the enemy with a meteor crash due to the [4], and then you meteor crash back through them with the [m5]. There are several problems with this method: First, you have to have your back to the enemy. Second, you have to predict where the enemy is behind you so that you don't start the [m5] too early or too late. To early would result in you missing them completely, and too early would get you hurt. Basically, do whichever is convenient. The second method works more consistently, but is convenient much less often. 3-step technique-- This is defined as [8~2, 6] or [8~2, 4] or [2~8, 6] or [2~8, 4]. When attempting high score S-ranks, this technique will replace your standard [6] and [4]. The first two boosts must be done in the time of one boost. When done correctly, the first boost is actually invisible and ineffectual to everything except the boost combo meter. This method does 3 boosts in the time of 2. And operating at 3/2 effectiveness for the entire level can greatly increase your score. Also, let it be known that since the first boost has no effect, you are carried slightly in the direction of the second boost. Therefore, to go slightly forward, you have to use a variation of [2~8,]. Use this method all the time. Stay a combo-- This is defined as [6, 4, 6, 4, .....] and any variation thereof, including [8,2,8,2,....]. Basically, the game keeps track of what kind of boosts you have done. If you do [4], for example, you can't combo with another [4] until you have done a boost on the other axis ( this means [8] or [2] ). Thus, after doing both boosts on one axis, you can continue to boost on that axis without adding or losing any boost combo. This is good if you are near lots of frekiheims and want to stay a combo of 24. So, imagine you're in valley 2 in the area with 8 or so frekiheims mounted on the walls and you want to get maximum tech points. You would do this-- [J~8, 8, 8, 8, m8, 2~8, 6, 8~2, 4, 2~8, 6, 8~2, 4, 2~8, 6, 8~2, 4, 2~8, 6, 8, 6, 4, 6, 4, 6, 4......]. With that, you would stay a combo of 24 and get maximum tech points. An [m8] will not break the stay, so get plenty of altitude whenever necessary. With Kel-1, be sure to get enough altitude to begin with, as always. And remember-- bc up to 22 normally, then start going [6, 4, 6, 4, 6, 4], thus landing you a stay at 24. Double Lock-on-- This can be accomplished with both Sab and the Kelly’s, but it is much more useful with the Kelly’s. The idea is that there is a noticeable delay between when you pull the trigger and when you can actually begin locking on to enemies. To exploit the game and ignore this delay, begin holding the trigger again as soon as you have let go of the first lock on. Once you are again allowed to fire, you will be able to unleash another lock on of 10+ enemies without the standard delay. This is irreplaceable as it allows Kelly variants to kill everything in one mobius state. This means that you should never fire on enemies if you intend to go mobius in the same area; you would be better off just waiting until you hit mobius, and just kill more with the double lock on. ============================================================================= VALLEY 1: #V1# Sab: The key is to make a cursory run over the level on the way to the gun. This is because everything is uphill on the way there, thus harder. So, just whenever you see that your bc is 25, kill whatever you can while still going through the level. The use of meteor crashes should make it to where you won't have to touch the ground except to grab the D-gun. On the way back, just realize that the flying insects don't come until the second to last turn. [You can see this on the demo movie that plays on the load screen.] In order to easily get the no damage bonus, meteor crash the flying bugs, using the double meteor crash if necessary. If you opt to do that, be sure to clear out everything in the level with at least a boost combo of 16. Since there are no dangerous insects in this level, you can easily accumulate a combo using the 3-step tech while right above the enemy. Just use the 3-step until 16 or higher, then kill. Combined with Mobius, this should last you a while. And remember, if you're in mobius with Sab, aim your shots so that they will hit more than one target. If you are trying to get a higher score and don't want to MC the flying insects, at least time it so you go mobius at the aforementioned turn. Then use [q2~h] and lock onto them as they come. Hitting them without lock-on would retract more from your score in time than you would gain in tech points, so do it whilst in mobius when using Sab. Time is worth much fewer points than tech, so always attempt to wait for mobius if you can. Kel-1: What I do with Kelly-1 to conserve time is don't kill anyone on the way there. After getting the drive gun, kill all the enemies close to you at mobius using 3-step tech and the proceed to the top of the hill. Once there, do as much damage as you can while in mobius. You can get through the rest of the level without touching the ground. To engage the air-born enemies, try to go mobius before the next to last turn. When they come, kill using lock-on at your leisure. As for the rest, kill everything except for the ones hiding well underneath the large mushrooms--they're not worth it, since they would bring you too close to the ground to stay airborne. Also, in the last area (the dead-end by the entrance) try to stay a combo because the enemies keep coming from above you, so for Max tech in the least time, just stay it at 16-24, going mobius when you think you can kill the rest of them in your mobius state. This does mean that you need to be at a relatively high altitude during that section, so don't forget. If you want even more points, use the 3-step and stay a combo at 22-24 and wait until the enemies stop coming out. Once they are all there, you can go mobius and kill them all while in mobius state-use the double lock-on. Kel-2: Refer to Sab's guide. The only difference being that you should lock-on much more and complete the level much faster. Also, you don't have to go mobius to fight the flying bugs-- just be sure to use the lockon feature to get them all. At the end, I recommend going mobius in a similar fashion to Kelly-1. ============================================================================= VALLEY 2: #V2# Sab: This will not be as detailed as the first, seeing that you already understand the basic concepts. There are, however, two new things we have to consider: those swarming tiny bug things and frekiheims. First, the swarming bug things. These guys really aren't worth it. Just find them on the map [or play the mission enough to know where they are] and meteor crash through the cloud. They can be annoying, so I recommend being mobius when you do it, just to preserve your no damage bonus. If you are good, and you don't have to be too good, you can shoot them, but it is much easier to do from a standing position. So, go mobius, stand, aim, shoot. Rinse and repeat. These bugs only appear thrice--once after the first [downward sloping] batch of platform-mushrooms. They are right above the red metal post. The second place is after you come full circle and are back to the first map--they are there. Third is the first BIG area, and they are just on the ground. These are harder to spot--so bc as much as possible so you can be mobius most of the time up there. As for frekiheims, the key is to NOT kill them. With Sab, make sure you are either Mobius or beneath 18, then you can shoot them without killing them. So, weaken each of them up, fight about 4 volleys of their spawned enemies, then kill all of them with one shot each. Just make sure not to kill them too fast, no matter how much you want to. If you kill the frekiheims as fast as you can, you will get a b or c on the enemies killed score. Each frekiheim has a limited expenditure of enemies, which is how long you should allow them it to live. To know when it’s finished, stand near it and wiat 2-4 seconds-if it doesn’t expand and pop out a freki, it’s finished. In the beginning of the level, be sure to wait until you are mobius and lots of freki have come from the surrounding cliffs so you can get a high tech bonus and kill them quickly with area of effect. As for everything else... you should try, again, to kill everything only when at a boost combo of 16 or higher this time around. If you do that, you will come out S, so as long as you get everything else right, you still get an S. In the "vent" area of this level, be sure to kill as many flying guys as possible ASAP. It doesn't matter what boost level you are, just get rid of them--they could get in a lucky shot. To do this, stand in a gas vent and lock on to them. Also, in the last area with the 8 or so frekiheims, go mobius when they’re all done spawning and kill them with your area of effect mobius shots for the best tech bonus. Kelly: To begin, when you first start the level, wait for a good deal of freki to come and then go mobius and use the double lock-on to take them out. There are enough here to go mobius twice. To deal with frekiheims and the swarming insects, refer to Sab's guide. Only, with Kelly, you have to shoot the insects, and the frekiheims will survive one shot no matter what bc you're at. The only difficult parts for kelly in this level are the two large open areas. Just be sure to kill all the flying insects before going after whatever else--they cause the most problems. And, just to be safe, try to go mobius before landing ^^. Again, when in the "vent" area, kill the flying insects as fast as possible, regardless of the boost level. And be sure to use mobius to your advantage at all times. Kelly-1 is the one character who needs mobius most. Again, wait in the last area, and go mobius using the double lock on to take out all the enemies. And when in the first main area, try to kill all the flying insects before you first land. Then, use the highest mushroom/ledge you can access as your landing ground. Be sure all the flying insects are dead before you do a non-M landing. Kelly-2: Use Sab's guide, just remember, again, that Kelly-2 has better lockon capabilities, so use them. K2 should mc the swarming bugs, and should also stay airborne this entire level. Treat the last area like Kelly-1, just use mc to get some altitude to make evading and locking on easier. ============================================================================= CIVILIAN BASE 1 #CIV1# "The infamous impossible S".... yet so very possible Kelly 1: BC to 10 as you fly around the corner, lock on to the freki and sentry, using double lock on if necessary. Then boost down the hall, killing the rest and coming out into the room at a bc of 23 or so. When you enter the room, sweep the horizontal axis with a lock on and you should hit 3-4 enemies, before going mobius. While performing the double lock on to the previous lock on, bc to mobius. Once all the initial freki are dead, 3 more will come from the far platform. You should land as soon as you hit M. Boost forward and jetpack up as you kill the sentry under the bridge to the right. Now, look left and kill the 3 freki that came down from the platform; you should have just enough time to get them before mobius is up. Use the three step and proceed to quickly go mobius, not shooting anything. As soon as you hit mobius, plasma hook to the bridge above and kill the sentry. Immediately turn and boost to the three frekiheims and the firespitter. Lock on to all 4, and using double lock on continue to hit them until they die, which should be accomplished within that mobius. The firespitter will still be alive, but go back to the lower area now. Boost combo again to mobius, and kill all the freki that have been coming from the frekiheim on the wall and the ones you just killed on the higher platform. Once mobius runs out, combo back up to mobius, and as soon as you go M, plasma hook up again and quickly move to the firespitter, land, and kill him with normal shots. Boost back to the frekiheim, and depending on how many freki there are, either go mobius and kill them or bc to 16 and kill them. 3 or less, only bc to 16. 4 or more, go mobius, kill the freki, and then wait until the frekiheim is done popping them out. Time to move on to the next room. Go into the blue hallway to the right and under the bridge and go M again in the convenient area provided... I usually go up to 23, then turn the corner and shoot the spiders (24) and then boost back (mobius) and do a quick turn and zap all the turrets. If you're fast enough, you'll still be mobius when you enter the next red and yellow room, zap the two turrets. Land here, then go up as high as you can near the back of the room and begin comboing up to mobius. You will do this until no more spiders are coming from above and there are less than 4 spiders down there with you. The strategy is go mobius, use double lock ons to kill all the freki in the area and use M to land and jetpack back up to a decent height. Once they’ve stopped coming, which should be 3-4 M’s, jump to the upper area and kill the two sentry’s, one of which is directly to your left and the other is by the door out. Kill them at whatever boost combo you like; when you are finished with them, land and jetpack upwards to gain altitude. The frekiheim not on the grating which is directly across from the door will spawn quite a few freki as long as you stay in that upper area but don’t go into the grating. Continually go mobius, and when you are mobius and there are no freki to shoot, begin shooting down the frekiheims in the grated area. Do not, however, shoot down the frekiheim that is on the left most wall [rightmost from the perspective when you entered] in the grating, but is not on the far back wall. This frekheim is next to the one that isn’t on the grating, and it will spawn freki when you go into the grated area to kill the two elusive frekiheims in the back. Whenever convenient and you are M, fly to the back of the grating area and kill the 3 on the far back wall and the frekiheim on the right wall. There should now only be two frekiheim left, next to each other. BC in-between the grated and non-grated area so that both frekiheims will spawn their freki-the one inside of the grating will stop first, and kill it as soon as it does and you are in mobius. Give the final frekiheim as much time as it needs, and when it stops popping them out, kill it no matter your bc. Go into the next door and combo up in the long (conveniently placed) hallway and zap all of the spitting things in the end of the hallway with the double lock on at a bc of around 16 [no lower], then get the turrets. You will need to go M for the second turret as it is at the end of a steep incline K-1 cannot get up without losing her bc. Go mobius while firing on the first sentry. You should still have enough mobius time to kill all of the freki on the ground in front of you and the sentry above you and to your right. Now it's time for the big room. This room is what will make or break your score, even though the red room accounts for most of your tech and kills. Bc to M and kill all the frekiheims that spawn once you are 16+. Once you hit M, use the highest plasma hook to your left and get some altitude. Kill the sentry there, then boost left and kill the spider on the bridge. Continue boosting towards that side of the room and kill the other two sentry’s while in M. When mobius is done, run into the side room and grab the core. Come back out using the plasma hook, and combo up to M and cross to door that leads to the final room. Kill the freki that are there and the ones that pop out, and don’t forget to kill the frekiheim there-and don’t wait for it to spawn anything. Now, kill the things on the ledge behind you [spiders] when you are at a bc of 16+. Boost to the area with three frekiheims on the ground and go M right outside the opening into that area. The freki from the frekiheims on top while fall on that area in addition to the freki from in the room, so stay there for 2 M’s. Things should be slowing down now, so with your next mobius, go into the room and kill the frekiheim on the right. Get in the corner, carefully fire on the freki that should be spawning faster now-but don’t kill the freki until you have done this twice, and don’t go in until you are mobius, and leave when it’s through. Once you’ve done this, and have been killing the freki that have been falling down that entire time, use the plasma hook anchors to get yourself to the top area with the spider and the two frekiheim. Kill the spider quickly, then double lock on to the frekiheims and make the third lock on kill them with a bc of 16. Quickly boost to the bridge and into the hallway on the left. Kill the sentry immediately to your right at whatever bc you like, but be at around 10-20 when you trigger the freki to come running out. Use double lock on to kill them, and then kill the frekiheim in the hallway. The boost that lets you see the firespitter should be the one that puts you in M state. Fire quickly and take out the firespitter in that M state. Ground boosting, go back out of the hallway and towards the final room. Boost on the ground before jetpacking to get more speed, and go into the final area. In the hallway, bc [without using three step] all the way down the decline. When you can see through the door, and are at 16+, use double lock on to kill a bunch of the freki inside of the room. The first couple of boosts inside of the room should make you go M, at which point you should land and look up and fire on the sentry’s casually. When they are dead, jetpack into the air and lock on to the remaining freki on the ground, killing them in the same M state. That’s it. Kelly 2: Do exactly what Kelly does. The only thing is that you don’t need to rely on the plasma hook anchors, but the same strategy applies. I recommend using Kelly-1 for this just due to the bragging factor. Sab: You will be based heavily off of Kelly-1 as well. Because of the cramped environment of this level, the benefits of using K2 and Sab are mainly lost. The biggest difference here will be that you use the area of effect mobius shots instead of the lock on. Also, in the last area, I recommend you mc up to the sentry’s height and mc them while in mobius-it’s faster and gives you a better vantage point to shoot the remaining freki. This portion of the FAQ was contributed heavily to and inspired by Wil Deny of the GameFAQ's message boards. He is responsible for much of the work on the Kelly-1 Civilian Base 1 guide. ============================================================================= VALLEY 3: #V3# Sab: First, if you are having trouble with the enemies killed score, I don't know how many is the bare minimum, but I know 240 is plenty. So, just kill when it's convenient-- when you're at mobius, or just whenever. Try to be at 20 or higher for nearly every frekiheim kill--thus giving you plenty of oppurtunies to kill normal enemies. Also, never fight the flying guys. They are too great a risk-- just avoid them both times you see them. As for the underground frekiheim hideout, I recommend MC'ing half of them, then going M, killing the rest, and escaping. The ceiling is too low for you to safely attack them while bcing. For the best score, kill everything you see (don't go hunting for everything via the map) at a high bc, except for the flying bugs, and you will get a great score. If you can kill 90% of the enemies and do it in under 15 minutes with Sab, you should get a really hard to beat score. Also, for all of the characters, wait for the frekiheims to spawn their freki. The best examples are the frekiheim in the caves at the end of the second area. The 4-5 frekiheim in the underground area will spawn a huge amount of enemies, and you can conveniently wait for them in the valley. Kelly: This is tough. Some of the enemies are painfully high... and no one hurts more from this than K1. Just never lose too much altitude. If you do, it can be painful to get it back. Some things of note: be mobius before entering the underground cave, and use lockon to get them before mobius runs out. Try to boost back to M while in the cave for a safe exit. Also, in the upper cave above the valley, if you go mobius, land, and then jump up there, you can use lock on and kill them during mobius. That is the safest and fastest way. Finally, to wipe out the hill covered with frekiheims, use the lockon to get them all while staying a boost of 24. If you stay the boost above the passageway to the next area, you can stay airborne longer. Kelly2: Do just as Sab does, only lockon to tons of enemies whenever you have a bc above 20. This will get you plenty of kills and a better time than Sab. The highest scores on this level can be had with Kel-2. ============================================================================= Civilian Base 2: #CIV2# Saborouta: First, realize that although falling will break K-3's crash state, it will not break a boost combo. With that in mind, try to combo up to 16 when falling in most corridors and boost as little as possible. You can easily stay a combo at 16-24 and get great tech points quickly this way. However, before opening the doors that lead to large amounts of sentries, I recommend comboing up to mobius just for safety's sake. You can't stay a combo while fighting them, so if you are going to be boosting anyway, might as well kill them all in mobius. Another general tip, as you go down a corridor [falling], always go in each door as you come to it. You should never have to go back up backtracking, and you should never touch the ground. In close quarters, use the mc to stay airborne-- the only portion of this level I can forgive landing is in the elevator shaft. When you are in the elevator shaft, I recommend getting the core, and then comboing up to mobius. Using normal jetpacking and landing, you can get all of the spiders in the area while still in mobius. Finally, when you get to the end and have to face the dragon, just meteor crash it when it becomes vulnerable. If you happen to be mobius, by all means fire-- but it isn't worth the time and the risk for the tech points it offers. Kelly-1: You will be landing more often, but not too often. You should only land a few times-- and only when you are mobius or between sections without enemies. Use the lock-on only on masses of enemies-- it will not help you on the spider-web shooters or the spiders-- so it only serves to slow you down most of the time. However, when you are engaging large amount of freki, always use the lockon effectively. Also, do not combo up for a single enemy as the time wasted will be too great. For Dragons, just keep them in your sights and shoot them when they become vulnerable-- they will be stunned and not attack-- two shots is all that it takes. Kelly-2: Basically Saborouta with a lockon. Engage Dragons using mc's, and don't land. ============================================================================= NAGLFAR'S 1: #NAG1# Sab: This is THE hardest level to get an "S" on enemies defeated. You really have to find just about every single one-- it's sick. What you have to remember is that you are NOT suppose to use mc, according to the level designers. So, to get enemies defeated and a good tech bonus, you have to follow the non-mc path while mcing. Sounds weird, but just keep in mind, you get A LOT of time to do this mission. I don't know how much, but I think 8-10 minutes is still an "S". Just remember to keep at a relatively high bc at all times. So, just kill everything you see. Don't waste too much time on flying guys--if they elude you--move on. Also, check the map for large groups of enemies on the sides. You absolutely must kill these groups for the enemies defeated score. Also, be sure to get all the robots because they are easy to spot ^^. As for Burtgang-- Begin by being at bc of 16+ when you enter. Stay at a high altitude until he charges you, then drop down and go M. Fire on him 6 times, then go back in the air, and try to time it so that you go M right after he charges again. This should take 3 times, I think. Once he goes into his second mode, use the same tactic. His second stage should only take going M twice. Again, shoot 6 shots then jump up and start comboing again. This level could take multiple tries if you don't kill enough enemies. Just don't worry about time until you can get the enemies each and every time. Oh yes, and use the machlock cannon for the exploding bugs, and everything else on the level. Kelly: Amazingly, it's not any harder to do this level with K1. Strangely enough, use the grappling hook to kill the exploding guys-- it gets rid of them much faster and with no explosion. Just be sure to bc up to at least 10 before fighting anything, because you will often be at a bc of 0 on this level, and that won't get the tech score for an "S". Also, be careful about landing on the top/near top platforms-- robots might shoot you, so keep active. Since time shouldn't be an issue, just kill everything on your path to the top, and you should have enough. As for Burtgang, begin by being at bc of 16+ when you enter. Stay at a high altitude until he charges you, then drop down and go M. Use the drive gun during M to advance him to his next stage during one M. BC up to mobius while he goes to his second stage, and you should be able to kill him in one sitting. If not, it definitely will only take two. Just be sure to not get caught with your pants down on the ground while not M, because he has some nasty attacks during his second stage. Kelly2: Use the same technique as Sab. for the level, only use the grappling hook for the exploding bugs. For Burtgang, do the same thing as Kelly1, just use the m8 if you need it. ============================================================================= VS. DIAHELM: #DIA# Sab: First off, MC into Diahelm at the very start is essential. During his "I'm invincible while I change to my second mode" stage, you should already be in the air because you meteor crashed upward. Do another upward MC and start comboing up to mobius. You should be able to combo up to mobius a short while after he's begun spinning, and is vulnerable. Then you have to kill him during that one mobius session-- which shouldn't be too hard-- just don't miss. Kelly-2 : Use the same strategy as Saborouta. MC up into him at the very beginning, and then preform another upward MC while he writhes. [This is where it gets hard] You then need to combo up to mobius, shoot him with the drive gun until one heat gun shot will kill him, switch to the heat gun and kill him while still in mobius. It requires quite a bit of timing, practice, and luck. Just remember to not deliver the final blow with the drive gun or you will get a D technique ranking and thus cannot get an S overall. You could beat it much faster than any of my times without getting an S rank-- but why would you want to? ^_^ The hard part about Kelly-2 [and K1] is that you have to lower his health with the D-gun, switch weapons, and fire the final blow with the heat gun ALL while in mobius. [If you want an explanation as to why you use the D-gun, it's because you can continuously shoot him while he spins and he won't get "stunned". Thus, you do the damage with the D-gun and the final blow with the heat gun for technique] Kelly-1 : The one you can be particularly proud of. The biggest change is the beginning: you have to position yourself correctly so that you can shoot the drive gun when he is vulnerable and move him to his spinning stage in one firing-session. It's hard to describe where to stand-- just find out what position works for you while you fire the D-gun into him. The second part, however, is what makes Kelly-1 really really difficult. After he has fallen to the ground, you must boost up into the air [as high as possible]. Once in the air, you must do the same strategy as Kelly-2: combo up to mobius, drive gun, then heat shot. What's really hard about it is the lack of height you have as Kelly-1; without the meteor crash, you have to combo up to mobius, unload the drive gun, switch weapons, and use the heat gun on Diahelm from a very low altitude. A word of advice: getting a great time with Kelly-1 is very, very difficult. Much of it relies on luck. Diahelm has to spin the right way for you to be able to constantly target him with the D-gun from such a low height. If you mess up, just restart [no load times are marvelous... ] ============================================================================= VS. NIDHOGG: #NID# Sab: Sab is actually the hardest one to kill Nidhogg with. The rule here is the same for all three though, just be really really fast, recognize his attacks, dodge appropriately, and inflict lots of damage while in M. Refer to the normal guide for info. on his attacks and patterns. Just learn to dodge them, and fire all the time, while doing the 3step tech all the while. This guy really tests your skill, and nothing else. With Sab, when you go M, be sure to land and fire 9-10 times, then boost as high as possible and start bcing again. If Nighogg makes a giant wall of ice, mc it. Also, mc Nidhogg as often as you like-- just be warned that this could get you hurt. If you do mc him, do a double mc for the most damage. Also, don't stand too close to him while he's dying-- he can still hurt you. Kelly: Kelly is the most fun to play with against Nidhogg. Use the same strategy as Sab, you just get to fire 17-18 shots during M but you have to dodge the giant walls of ice. To get under a minute, you will have to kill him in 2 mobius sessions-- same for K-2. Kelly2: Just like Sab, just you get 17-18 shots during M. Kel 1 and Kel 2 can get about the same score, with Kel2 just a bit ahead. Sab gets the worst scores... ^^ ============================================================================= VS. MIMIR #MIM# Sab: This boss is an annoying pain, really. In the first stage, where he surfaces and shoots spores at you, be sure to go mobius often and mc whenever the spores are too close. If you get hit, a high score is all but impossible. When they are vulnerable, try to by in mobius and fire at them-- standard fare. I do not recommend mc'ing them as it will only put you at risk for getting hurt. Once they've gone to their second, flying stage, be prepared for them [watchful] and shoot them. It may take more than one session to knock them out of this stage. As soon as you knock one down, concentrate on him until he is dead. He will land and try to shoot a beam at you. Stay a high combo so that you can go mobius as soon as he becomes vulnerable and you should be able to kill him in one session. Do this for each-- but never have more than one of the worms in their third stage at one time. Kelly-1: Your biggest problem will be height. Plan your landings so that they correspond with you going mobius-- if you use the mobius time to land and jetpack to a higher altitude, you will get the fastest time and be the safest. If you must land while not in mobius, do it away from any of the worms. The rest of the strategy is basically the same. Use the lock-on to kill the spores, and you should be able to kill a flying worm in one session. Kelly-2: Do the same as Kelly-1, only mc upwards if you get too low. Also remember to use the mc to dodge the spores. Go mobius as often as possible, but if no worms are vulnerable and there are no spores, just stay a combo until you have someone to fire at. You will not lose a stayed combo due to mc'ing or due to falling, so you can indefinitely [until you run out of fuel] maintain a stayed combo. For all characters-- I have no clue when/why the worms will surface and become vulnerable. Your time ranking is almost solely dependant on this factor-- so if anyone has information on when/why they attack, post them at the GameFAQ's message boards or e-mail me. ============================================================================= VS. SVART #SVART# Saborouta: Just don't use this guy-- he is really bad at this mission. However, if you insist, you can still get an easy S rank with him. First, the babies that Svart pops have about the health of a frekiheim, so you will be using two shots to kill each. Destroy the baby waves at whatever rate you like, because you get no tech points for them either way. Once Svart is vulnerable, you will want to use your Matchlock cannon exclusively because I've found that meteor crashing into him doesn't do as much damage as using your cannon. Make sure you get the final blow in mobius, and you're set. If you're having trouble getting hit, just realize that you need to boost constantly and not in the same direction. This means that 6,4,6,4 boosting will get you nowhere because they'll fire the rocks, you'll move right, but by the time the rocks get to you, you'll have boosted left again to where you were. To remedy this, use forward boosting and quick turning to move around the center area quickly. I don't recommend staying well off of the platform because you have a harder time killing the babies quickly. Kelly-1: She is, yet again, the most fun. You will want to spend almost all of your time on the center platform [flying above it, of course] until I tell you otherwise. Begin by taking out the baby in front of you and use that time to jetpack upward. By the first time Svart becomes invulnerable, you should just have gone mobius. Fire your heat gun while in mobius [the slowdown should be pretty bad here] until he gets his shield back. He should be at a little more than half of his health. Your goal is to kill him in 3 sessions, so keep that in mind. The second batch of babies is bigger, so stop using the three step so that you will bc more slowly. Time it, through practice, so that you go mobius right when he becomes vulnerable again. His health should now be well under the amount of damage you can do in one more session. This last part is the hardest-- not only will there be more babies, but you have to boost extremely slowly, stay a boost, or break your combo during the fight. You do not have enough time to go mobius twice, once for the babies and once for Svart, so you can only go mobius one time. Also, if you go mobius too early, it will not last long enough and you will get no tech points for Svart. What you'll need to do is kill babies until you are at a boost combo of 20-24, then lose the boost either by pressing the left trigger or hovering. I've found that the left trigger method is superior to hovering and to staying a combo, mainly due to safety issues. Now, boost up as fast as you possibly can using the 3-step and you should go mobius slightly after Svart has become vulnerable. Fire and kill him-- you should be able to get him in under 2 minutes. Kelly-2: Kelly with a meteor crash. Another note-- don't use the lock-on, it will only slow you down. You should get some greater height than Kelly and be relatively safer. If you see some rocks you can't dodge in time, use the meteor crash. Also, don't be afraid to use the meteor crash on the babies because they give you no tech points anyway. I recommend staying airborne this entire level because there is no reason to land. Finally, don't use the D-gun unless you really feel like it. ============================================================================= VS. IVALDI: #IVA# Sab: Sab actually has a tough time beating Ivaldi with great scores. To do it with Sab, just do lots of double meteor crashes while bcing really fast. Take note that double meteor crashing will not take 2 of his shield down, so you only have to perform it when he has already become vulnerable. However, you're not bcing to get stronger shots-- rather to get you GV fuel and M. The quick way to beat Ivaldi with Sab is to just meteor crash, shoot, meteor crash, shoot, over and over again when he is vulnerable. If you just shoot, he will evade very well. The best time I've gotten with sab is 1:32... but that's easily an S in every category including time. If someone knows a better way-- email me! Kelly 2: Anyway, with Kel2, just mc him often, noting his patterns, until he is vulnerable, and then double mc him until you go M. Once M-- just shoot away. Kelly's M shots stun him, so you can get more than half his health. If you do this good enough, you can get perfect scores with great times. My best is 48 seconds. ^^ There is a way to lower two of his shields at once-- but it appears to be a bug. It involves mcing him while he is doing his blue-spinning attack. If you hit him with a double meteor crash while he is doing this, it will take away two shields. [This is because he takes some time to stop spinning, and is still vulnerable to you taking away his shield.] Kelly 1: Yes, it is possible to get an S on Ivaldi with Kelly 1. Extremely hard, but possible. This relies more on luck than on skill. All you have to do is wait for Ivaldi to get close enough to the ground for you to GV Napalm him. Then you can treat the GV napalm like a mc. There is strategy, though: when Ivaldi's shield is red-- boost up to mobius while you wait for him to come close. If he does, and you succeed with a GV napalm, then you can shoot at him with M shots--stunning him-- and take anywhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of his life. I have gotten S's with Kelly 1 on Ivaldi-- but I have never gotten S's on all categories. It seems whenever I get an S for time, I get hurt, and whenever I get an S for clear bonus, I was too slow. There's a challenge, to all the readers ^^. Have fun. ============================================================================= HIGH-SCORES #HIGH# These scores, or at least most of them, are very beatable. This means if you want to send in a score that is higher, do so either on the GameFAQ's message boards or e-mail me. I will only ask for proof on rare occassions because if you lie, you could always doctor a picture as well ^^. Valley 1 *K-2 1645600 6:54:19 S *Sab 1635133 5:22:06 S *K-2 1629216 6:56:38 S Valley 2 K-1 3072300 12:45:49 S *Sab 2576416 10:33:58 A *K-1 2763483 16:00:71 A Civilian Base 1 **K-1 2228216 09:31:78 S K-1 2180216 09:20:18 S K-1 2162716 09:09:08 S Civilian Base 2 *K-1 1828816 10:33:97 S *K-1 1752783 11:59:61 S *Sab 1741300 10:28:29 A Valley 3 K-1 4442216 21:02:58 S *K-2 3615483 21:49:31 A *Sab 3422400 14:15:59 S Naglfar's Pit 1 *K-2 1968783 1:25:21 B Civilian Base 3 *K-2 1519400 5:38:59 B *Sab 1502050 6:31:94 B Naglfar's Pit 2 *K-2 1571650 7:50:34 S Yggdrasill 1 *K-2 822700 3:19:29 A Yggrasil 2 *K-2 973400 20:34:63 B *K-2 645416 03:19:18 A Diahelm **K-2 696550 00:28:44 S **Sab 693033 00:31:96 S **K-1 689433 00:35:56 S Nidhogg **K-1 1344900 00:55:09 S K-2 1331450 01:08:54 S K-1 1305466 01:14:53 S Mimir *K-2 2036283 07:03:71 S Svart **K-1 23348316 1:51:68 S K-2 23308666 2:31:33 S Ivaldi K-2 60527706 00:52:23 S K-2 60526990 00:52:94 S K-2 60523706 00:56:23 S K-2 60511140 00:48:79 S *: This score needs to be beaten, soon! **: This score will never be beaten. Ever. ============================================================================= --S-rank FAQ by holyvision Copyright Notice: This file is Copyright (c)2003 Eric McLester. This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.