Half Life Walkthrough - part 3

                     by Paul Griffiths

Concluded from last issue

Surface Tension

1) Don't worry about the helicopter, the marines, or the rocket
launcher.  Just run and dive into the water to the left of the
dam.  If you insist, all of them can be destroyed (including the
chopper), but at a cost of much ammo.

2) Kill or evade the big fish in the water, then climb the tower
and go inside it and use the switch to make it safe to swim
through the gates under the dam.

3) Swim down to the bottom by the dam and find the red wheel.
Hold down use to open the gates of the dam.  Swim through one of

them, but be careful when coming up for air on the other side --
do so quickly, the chopper is still looking for you.

4) Climb the ladder and walk through the pipes, exit and climb up
the ladder on the wall of the building.

5) Ignore the tentacle monster in the next area -- you don't have
to mess with him at all unless you want some of his goodies.  The
other crack in the rocks leads to where you need to go.

6) Walk around the mine field on the left hand perimeter, staying
on rocks as much as possible.  Once at the red wheel, turn it to
open the storm drain and climb down the ladder (don't fall, it's
too far).

7) Walk down the pipe until you see blue sky, then pull out the
crossbow and snipe (alt fire) the marines in the area.  They are
above and below you.  Use both barrels of your shotgun on the
sentry gun.

8) Climb down the breaking bridge by walking on the wires, or
slide down the large section carefully.  There's a chopper in the
area that's pretty easy to avoid, but you can destroy it with two
shots from the laser- guided rocket launcher if you want to see
the pretty explosion.

9) Once inside the pipes, take a left at the tee, creep up the
ladder (walk, don't run) and throw a grenade at the marine's back.
Retreat into the pipe and exit the other way (right at the tee
from before) and jump into the water.  The marines will be looking
near where you tossed your 1st grenade, so you can surprise them
again from this side.

10) It takes several rockets to destroy the tank so just try and
run around it and do it with two detpacks (or grenades) instead.
Open the gate and replenish supplies.

11) The next tank (?) is tough to kill, it's better to try and
strafe back and forth to avoid his shots.

12) Stay to the left in the next minefield, or shoot the ground
several feet in front of you to take out any mines in the area.
Also watch out for the snipers up in the windows.  A grenade from
your launcher (machine gun alt fire) it the easiest way to take
out snipers.  There are two snipers in this map.

13) Shoot the exploding barrels to turn off the power before
trying to climb up the fallen electrical tower to the roof.  Watch
out for the sniper behind you when crawling under the barbed wire
to get to it.

14) Walk around the roof (first left) to find the hole in it, and
drop in onto the larger crate there to avoid falling damage.

15) Leave the chicken scientists and be very careful around the
trip mines -- they are everywhere.  Push a crate up to the one on
the stairs to jump over, or just jump on the railing to avoid it.

16) Jump and duck trip mines to make your way to the main room
(that's just loaded with trip mines) and find the elevator
platform by the wall (not the one in the center of the room --
yet).  Break the box on the elevator platform by the wall so that
when you raise the lift it won't activate the trip min above it.
Be careful not to break or move the crate next to it that has a
trip laser already hitting it on the other side.

17) Jump and duck your way into the control room and use the
switch to raise the platform.  Jump out onto this platform, then
jump over the laser trip mines and onto the elevator platform in
the middle of the floor.  Use the button there to lower the
elevator, taking you to safety and leaving the scientist screwed
and cowering in that room :)

18) As the aliens drop in, the air raids will come and kill them.
No sweat, but stay clear and don't be near the surface when the
bombs drop.  Then run past the tank, strafing to dodge its fire.

19) Turn right around the corner, but watch out for the sniper as
you climb the stairs.  Find the guard and get him to open the
storage room for you (use him, and lead him to the door).

20) Jump out the window and walk along the ledge to the ladder
that leads to the roof of the other building (across the alley).
Kill everyone in the bombed building and then jump across the
twisted girders and debris to exit on the other side.

21) Climb up to the big gun and use it to blast open the big
doors.  You can also use it to dispatch any marines that might be
following you.  Exit through the big doors.

22) Be careful exiting the next door, there are tons of those big
hornet-gun-toting baddies out there, usually three at a time, but
they won't spawn until you step in certain areas.  Kill the first
three and make a run for it.

23) Use the conveniently located mounted machine gun to take out
the hordes of lightning monsters coming down the sloped tunnel.
Just duck down behind it, use the gun, and hold down fire while
spraying hot lead all over the place -- they keep coming in

several waves to just peek up to check on them until you're sure
they're all gone.

24) Use the bouncy-crater (step on it) to get atop the roof, then
watch the marines fight the aliens.  Clean up the survivors.  Drop
down and smash open the vent with your crowbar.  Be careful!  The
vent shaft is crawling with snarks, and they are a pain.  Some
sort of explosives are handy for removing the bulk of them, but
you'll probably have to run from a few.  They are hard to shoot,
and they hit pretty hard for their size.  Their weakness is their
short life-span.  If you can evade them for about 20 seconds of
so, they explode.  I wasted a lot of ammo on those little chum
toads (what they were called before the game was released) before
I realized this.

25) Once inside the tunnel, find the vent cover and smash it open.
Soon after, the marines below will hear you and start perforating
the vent with bullet holes (this effect is great) -- back up and
fill the room with snarks, it's a blast to watch.  You have to get

very close to the hole in the floor of the vent shaft to drop
them, but even if you take a few hits it's worth it.

26) After killing the marines, exit by the door on the right.  If
you wait too long, someone will throw a grenade in from outside
and seal off the door with debris.  If this happens, use the
switch hanging from the ceiling by the car lift and hop on, it
will raise up and you can jump out through the hole in the wall.

27) Once outside, use the big mounted gun to blast through the big
doors to exit the area.

28) Jump over the broken catwalk -- it's far, but possible without
a super long jump.  Don't jump too soon.  You may find it easier
to jump up on the railing first, and then jump across.

29) Use the bouncy crater to get to the roof then open up the pipe
and climb through.  Find the guard at the end and get him to
follow you, you'll need him to open the door at the bottom, and
the door after that (so don't kill him!)

30) At the next big flame-throwing monster, run away and don't
look back -- he'll get it bad in a minute.  Bounce on the crater
over the wall and into the pool.  Then climb quickly across the
pipe and onto the platform with the green map and the radio.  One
of the controls moves the horizontal aiming, one moves the
vertical, and one calls in the air strike.  Examine the map (it's
a map of the large area you are in now) and figure out where the
large door you entered the area is on the map (lower left).

31) Line up the intersection of the two lines on the map with the
area just outside of the door by which you entered this area.
Turn around and wait for the flame-throwing monster -- he'll be
there soon.  As soon as you see him, use the button to call in the
air strike and he's toast.  Best boss kill ever in a fps, bar
none.

32) Next take your time and call in air strikes to destroy three
targets:  (1) the right wall of the fortress-like area across the
moat (2) the door inside the fortress walls, and (3) the large
tower in front of you.  Then simply walk across the tower (which
falls conveniently to let you cross the moat) and through the door
in the now breached fortress area.

Forget About Freeman

1) Get ready for some falling ceiling action.  Go to your right
and wait for the third segment to fall from the roof (it's shorter
than the others) and jump on top of it.  Wait there until the rest
of the roof falls and make your way to the exit on the left.

2) Walk to the tee and go right, then use the wheel to open the
hatch cover.  Avoid the red sentry gun lasers (or destroy the
sentry guns).

3) Go down either of the "West" tunnels and jump over the grate to
exit the area.  Avoid or destroy the tank, then ride the elevator
down.


4) Turn right at the tee, then use the tank to blow a hole through
the door.  Be ready for a slew of monsters to come through when
you do.  The combination of lightning-shooters and hornet-shooters
is especially annoying.  Trip mines and your own hornet gun work
well.

5) Be careful walking through the big door -- there's a laser gun
to the left and several hornet-shooting monsters on wither side.
Strafe out from cover just long enough to fire a rocket at the
laser gun, then strafe back to cover (turn off your laser guidance
system with alt fire or you'll miss when you strafe for cover).
Use your hornet-gun to kill the hornet-shooting monsters -- you
can shoot them from the safety of behind the wall.

Lambda Core

1) Use the switch in the control room and ride the elevator down,
then watch out for the sniper babes.


2) Only after you kill everyone in the area will the scientist
open the door for you.  Walk to the right and get the big gun,
then go back to the elevator that leads to the coolant system.

3) Go to each of the pump rooms and use the switches there to
activate both pumps.  Then go to the auxiliary reactor and jump
down into the water.  Crawl through the maintenance tunnel and use
each of the two switches on either side of the core.  Watch for
and avoid the sparks on your way out (climb up the ladders to the
top and leave).

4) Climb up the elevator shaft and jump off the ladder to get to
the upper level.  Here there are steam valves you can open (use)
to kill the monsters in the area.  It's fun to watch.  The
teleporter here is just to show you how they work -- green ones
are entrances and orange ones are exits.

5) Find the door with the sign that says "Core Level B" , go
inside and start the teleporting festival.  This is perhaps the
only really annoying puzzle in the entire game, but it's not too
bad once you figure it out (duh).  You have to jump into each
teleporter on the tower, in numeric order (lowest one on each
level), and time your jump so that then you appear at the orange
teleport exit at the next level up, you will land on a rotating
platform and not fall to the bottom.  I suggest saving after each
successful teleport.

Neal also points out the following tips:  As you jump onto each
rotating platform, walk to the leading edge (in the direction you
are moving). That way, when you jump into a teleport (don't
delay), you will be aligned correctly to land onto the next higher
platform.

6) Once you get to the top platform (a new area) don't jump back
into the teleporter!  Look behind you for a door, open it and go
inside.  Climb the ladder and wait for the scientist to open the
door.

7) Once inside, stock up on weapons (health and HEV power are in
the next room, so don't worry).  Make sure you take the jump pack
with you (right by the door) or the next part is much harder.
Save before proceeding in any case.

8) Kill the flying monsters to keep both you and the scientist
alive until he tells you it's ok to jump into the teleporter.
When he says go, do it -- you don't have long.

Xen

1) If you didn't take the Hazard Course, now is the time when
you'll wish you had (so save and go do it!).  Use the super long
jump to jump from platform to platform, making your way to the
large center area.  Save often.

2) On the center planet thing there is a little pool of water that
will restore your health while you stand in it (these are all over
Xen, so look for them).  Near this pool is the entrance to the
center of the planet thing you're on.


3) Walk to each of the three mushroom things and use them, they
will open up as you do each one.  Break open all of the web stuff
with your crowbar and release the yellow butterfly things that
will float into each of the mushrooms and activate a teleporter in
the center.  Go into the teleporter.

Gonarch's Lair

1) Shoot the spider repeatedly in the belly-sac thing hanging
underneath it.  Keep doing this until the spider runs away, then
follow it, and shoot its sac some more.

2) There's a webbed area in the center in the second area that you
can jump into (if you're careful and don't miss the ledges beneath
it).  You'll find a health pool (and some headcrabs) down there.
Use the bouncy crater to get back up for more sac-shooting fun.

3) Keep shooting sac and chasing spider until you drop down below
a web on the third area.  Unleash all your ammo on his sac while
you're underneath it -- soon it'll drop down with you.  Kill the
spider (remember, only sac-hits do damage), and then hide behind
the whapping trees to let them finish off the headcrabs and baby
headcrabs.

Comment:  Psyci suggests not dropping down below on the third
area.  Rather, let the spider drop, then dump every snark you have
into the pit with it.  Seems they know to go for the sac too :)

Interloper

1) Look for healing pools in the caves if the spider got a piece
of you -- you'll need decent health to finish this level. Watch
out for the pits that open and close -- you'll die if you fall
inside one.

2) Find the small yellow area in the cave to the left and go
inside.  Use your crowbar to smash the webbing around the base of
the white column.  Climb on the tower and ride it up to the top.


3) Like you did at the beginning of Xen, jump from rock to rock to
make your way to the low area near the teleporter.  Watch out for
the lightning-shooting aliens (duck).  Finally, jump on the back
of one of the bird things and ride into the teleporter.

4) Walk (don't run) past the tentacle or climb over the rocks
(watch out for another flame-throwing monster) to get to yet
another teleporter.

5) Once inside the place where the lightning-shooting aliens are
slaving away at some space-beer-brewing factory, take the elevator
things up to the conveyor belts.  Don't shoot the slaves in this
area -- they'll leave you alone unless you attack.

6) One of the conveyor belts enters a hole that does not have a
blue force-field on it.  Enter this hole.  Keep going up and right
until your way is blocked by big beer kegs.  These kegs each
contain an ugly monster that hates you, so avoid breaking them
like the plague.

7) If you back up and super long jump, you can clear the kegs
blocking the path (it's low gravity -- try it).  If you can't get
that to work, drop a detpack by the kegs but don't detonate it.
Switch to the shotgun and blast open the keg, then switch back to
the detpack and detonate the monster than comes out.

8) Look for a red vent-shaft type thing with weird globs of light
inside.  Go in there (seriously).  Keep going until you enter a
huge, tall room.  Whip out the crossbow and snipe everything in
sight with alt fire.  Keep working your way upward and sniping the
aliens.  You'll have to ride up a few odd spinning cog platforms
and kill loads of flying things, but it's not too bad.  At the top
is an (obvious) teleporter; jump inside.

Nihilanth

1) Shoot the triangles until each explodes and avoid the green
teleporter balls by ducking behind rocks -- getting teleported
into those other rooms really sucks.

2) Shoot the big baby until his heads opens up on the top (the
head just opens up on the top a little, you may miss this lovely
event if you're not bouncing up high) on the bouncy craters on the
floor.

3) Bounce up high over and over until you can get a good shot at
his brain inside the opening in his head (one or two detpacks
dropped in his gaping cranium should do the trick).

Neal says: Here's how I killed the final boss: Using the bouncer
on the floor I got to the upper ledge bouncer.  From there I
jumped onto his head.  He can't attack you while you're standing
there! I then smashed his brain with the crowbar.  That's right! I
killed him with the "weakest" weapon of the game.

4) Save the game here, because there are two endings, slightly
different depending on your decision (you'll see), and you'll
probably want to see both without fighting the big baby again.

                              - o -