|
Act 1
Navigation Instructions: Click the link below to get to the place on this page you want to be. Click on any of the cog symbols (
) to return to this list.
Ashes Overview |
Ashes Overview
So, we're finally getting into the game! Yay for us! If you've read everything thus far, you're already well set to get into the game, so let's go!
You play as Marcus Fenix. At the start of the game, you are in a prison. Why? Marcus is an inmate! A man named Dom releases you from the cell and tells you that you're back in the army.
"...Shit."
Through this chapter, you will fight your way through a bunch of buildings and a few outside locations. This chapter is nothing special, really.
At the start of the chapter, your squad hunts for Alpha squad, and continues to do so throughout the chapter. You meet up with the famous "Cole Train" pretty early on, but it's not to the end of the chapter that you meet up with the rest of Alpha squad. This chapter ends in a boss fight, a pretty easy one, but against a pretty cool monster, if I do say so myself. Also, the lenghty cut scene before the last chapter is pretty cool, in my opinion. If you care about the story, you're not skipping cutscenes (X button) anyway, but if you are skipping scenes, you might want to not skip that one. It's pretty cool.
Anyway, on with the walkthrough....
Finally, we begin with the game. Almost as soon as you exit the cell, you will be given a choice. Go straight with the fight, or take the tutorial. If it's you're first time through, you might want to take the tutorial. It will allow you to practice almost everything you've just read. If it is not your first time through, or you are feeling confident, proceed straight to the fight.
Either way, upon exiting the hall Dom blocked, you will be in a big room. Head almost directly north and you will see something red on a wall. Look underneath it for the first set of Cog tags (CT1). This is where this guide splits.
 Cog Tag Location #1 |
LEFT PATH - STRAIGHT INTO THE FIGHT
If you picked the left path, after listening to the various Com transmissions
and picking up the Cog tags, look to the left of where you came into the big
room. There will be a door; press X to kick it open (scary!). Then
immediately roadie run straight forward from the exit of the room with the
hanging bodies. You should come to a low wall with two support columns. Take cover behind it. Two enemies should appear from
the north, but on any difficulty, they should be no problem if you know when to
pop up and fire and when to take cover. If they get too close for comfort,
try your best to melee them. You have no shotgun or chainsaw at this moment.
Pick up the four grenades as instructed and proceed into the next room. You will find many the enemy in this room.... Take cover immediately. No real strategy to this room, just pop out and shoot when your health is full. If you find yourself being injured even when taking cover and not shooting, you're probably in a bad position; some enemy has moved around the room so that they can see you even behind that wall. If they do this, quickly find new cover. Once you kill them all, Dom will say, "Let's get some ammo." If you need ammo, quickly get over to the ammo box underneath the hanging bodies. If not, then get behind one of the short walls facing the door. Soon, you'll hear a Locust laugh, and you'll see orange sparks around the edges of the door. Equip a grenade, and take aim, and hold down R, but DO NOT LET IT GO! You will have to find the right timing for this; I can usually get them all in one grenade by throwing a grenade about the time the door opens. Even if you take none of them out, switch to your gun and start blasting. It won't take long to kill them. When Dom says, "Let's get out of here!", don't follow him. Head towards the hanging bodies and face towards the door of the exit. Turn around 180 degrees and head straight until you reach a brown brick wall that Marcus will stand behind (instead of duck) if you press A next to it. When you head around that wall and go straight, you will see a table turned on its sides to your right. If you look right from the ammo box, you will see an ammo crate. Near this crate is the second Cog tag (CT2). Now head outside.
 |
 |
Cog Tag Location #2 |
|
NOTE: When the Locusts bust through the door, it seems like Dom always dies with me. Maybe he doesn't always, but everytime I've played it, he has. This leads me to believe that he's supposed to die so you can get the message saying that you can revive downed allies by standing over them and pressing X (a useful lesson, so don't let it slip your mind!).
As soon as you exit, head up the stairs to your left. Immediately turn left at the top of the stairs. There you should see another Cog tag (CT3).
 |
 |
Cog Tag Location #3 |
|
Now pick
off the enemies however you see fit. I personally like to take cover behind
the small wall to the direct right of the door leading outside and pick off all
of the enemies from there. Once that is completed, head listen to the radio
chatter, but head north. The Raiven will soon fly over you and land. The gate
will fall down. As soon as you touch that gate, a cutscene ensues. Chapter 1
of Act 1 completed, and if you were playing Co-op, you should now have the Dom-Curious Achievement.
After the radio chatter, head up the stairs to the right. You will be prompted
to hit the button on the desk; it's not hard to miss. Do so, and proceed
through the now open door. To open the next door, you will have to shoot the
two small boxes with orange lights on them. One is right next to the door; the
other is across the room directly to the left of the door. Take aim with L and
shoot it. The door should now be open. Proceed into it. In this room are a
bunch of small walls you can take cover behind. Have fun with that in here.
When you're through, kick open the door on the other end of the room and proceed through it. Follow the path forward and through a doorway on your right.
Immediately head forward and take cover; my favorite place is the only low wall
you can crouch behind. ...in fact, it's almost the only place. =P If this is
your first time through, you might die a few times here. No worries. just
load your last checkpoint. It's really not that hard, and there's no strategies, really, except pop and shoot. Never let your health get too red. If he
get too close for comfort, try to melee him, as you have no shotgun or chainsaw yet. This next part is a roadie run tutorial. Hit the switch on the wall
inside the small building, and hold A to run forward before the door closes on
you. In this room is a "scary" surprise. Go out the door and down the stairs
to your right. Go through the door at the bottom and pile up on grenades. In
the next room, you can play with them if you want, but in my opinion its easier
to shoot them. Do whatever you want, just take cover and dispose of them all,
and then follow the path right and down the stairs.
NOTE: This is the same room you were in with the hole throw a grenade at the door thing above. Its the same thing as above, so follow it from mid-second paragraph down. Kill all the enemies, and don't forget to grab the Cog tag in the room. Head outside, grab the Cog tag up the stairs and to the left, take cover, and take out everyone in this room. Nothing complicated. Watch the last cutscene to finish this easy mission.
INSANE NOTES
...well... not much to say here. I was surprised when I didn't die once during this act on my first playthrough. Just remember if this is your first time through Insane: YOU HAVE LESS HEALTH, AND YOUR ENEMIES HAVE MORE! So stay down!
After the lengthy cutscene, take cover behind the sandbags. I don't even think you have to fire at the incoming Locusts, as the chopper takes them out. If you want to shoot them, go ahead, though. After they are all dead, head up the stairs. Head through the door at the top, and make your way left into the next open area. Take cover behind the broken square (the second wall you see from exiting the hallway). Now pick off all the enemies that appear; it's not too hard, and if any get close, make them eat chainsaw. Speaking of which, if this is your first time through the game and you are playing Casual, now is a good time to test out the chainsaw. =P
After killing everyone, if you remained in the position I told you to get in, hop over the short wall and then the next one. You should see a set of Cog Tags(CT4) on the ground. Pick them up; they are mentioned by one of your teammates (and if you moved from where I told you to take cover, do NOT go up the steps, they are down in that small courtyard like thing; they are not hard to find).
 |
 |
Cog Tag Location #4 |
|
Now proceed up the next steps. Learn to love that short cutscene; if you die here a lot like I do (for some reason :S), you will watch it a lot - it is not skippable.
NOTE: Pick up the grenades and ammo boxes if you need them. By now, I should not have to baby you; if you come across ammunition of some sort, check your ammo for your various guns and grenades, and if you need them, pick you up. I can't say, "Pick up this ammo box and that one, as by now you are low on ammo" because you may have better accuracy than I do and not need as much ammo, or you may need a ****-load more! So remember, come across an ammo box, check your ammo and pick it up if needed!
Your teammates will tell you to flank the Grubs. Do exactly that. Start by taking cover behind the first pillar (the one with a small ammo box in front of it, to the left of the small wall most of your teammates will probably hide behind). Make your way around the pillar and to the next one. Looking around the corner, there is probably a Grub there. If there is, shoot him, and if not then don't! On harder difficulties, if the going gets rough, try to hide behind the pillars, but if they advance on you too much, by all means get the **** up out there and find some better cover a longer distance away!
This is also a sort-of tutorial for Locust-holes. Basically, a locust-hole is a hole in the ground that can appear anywhere. Most of the times when you are outdoors, there is a a Locust-hole somewhere. If you chunk a grenade in it, it will close it up and stop the enemies prematurely, so yes, it can sometimes make the game easier. However, sometimes it is almost suicide to attempt to get up close enough to the hole to get a good aim on it, and should only be attempted in places where I tell you too (unless things get really desperate for you and you just can't beat an area). In this area, on Casual mode, go ahead and try to plug it if you want to (remember that the grenade has to go inside of the hole for it to close up, so look for the small blue circle on the end of the grenaes trajectory to see if the grenade is going to bounce some where besides the hole. On Hardcore, I found it easier to just pick off the enemies from a distance with a Lancer, because the Locust will probably be hanging around near the hole, and will tear you up before you get a chance to plug the hole. However, if you just can't beat it and are getting desperate, you can try one of two things: A, fall back, and make your enemies come to you, picking them off with the Lancer, but remembering to duck NO MATTER WHAT if your health gets in the red, or B, try to plug the Locust-hole somehow. Of course, A is recommended, but it is your game, so do whatever you like.
After killing all of the Locusts, head left of the Emergence hole. You will see a white collapsed pillar. Behind it is a box. To the left of that box is what looks like an open gate or something (to me) because of the two walls with the opening in the middle. Straight up from that opening is a small wall. This is my preferred cover for this part. Shoot them from afar if possible, and if they decide to get close, chainsaw them. Sometimes they will try to flank you; if this happens, chainsaw them before they get a chance. If you die here, I believe you have to start over from the staircase, so try not to die - it will get annoying!
After killing them all, head directly north. There will be a bridge. Head over it; at the broken segment, press Y to see some Cog bodies. You will see a door that you can't go through; you have to wait for everyone to stop talking before Kim will open the door. Once he does, head inside.
Hide behind the first small wall thing you see. It is a diagonal wall (by that I mean it is not facing perfectly left, right, up, or down from the entrance). Shoot everyone; usually they hide behind the pillars. When you here the Emergence hole, run to it (you will probably see the statue above it collapse) and plug it quickly and then hastily get back undercover to take out any remaining enemies.
After eliminating everyone, head north from the first Emergence hole to go
around the pillar. Try to plug the hole, something not too hard if you hide
behind the short wall. Remain here and hide behind one of the two pillars behind you and take out any Locusts that climbed out of the hole. After
eliminating them, don't head outside yet; look directly left of the exit to
find another set of Cog Tags (CT5).
 |
 |
Cog Tag Location #5 |
|
Now you can go outside.
Follow the steps, and head north towards the bodies. There are no surprises; just a cutscene when you reach them. That's the second chapter completed!
INSANE NOTES
Yeah... I surprisingly didn't die here either. I almost did, though. Flank them, but do what I did - if you see one coming towards you, RUN! It's kind of stupid, but a shotgun blast at point-blank range won't kill Locusts sometimes, but a punch from them will... so keep that in mind. Don't EVER let them get near you on Insane, or you WILL die! When the first Locust hole appeared, I plugged it with a grenade fairly easily by running up to it, chunking a grenade and ducking behind the first thing I could. Just be careful.
You are now facing your first Troika (a manned machine gun that will literally rip you to shreds if you let it). Excited? Happy? Nervous? Probably a mixture. Let me go ahead and say that, once again, flanking makes taking out the Troika a lot easier. And to that, just head to the right passageway instead of the left (the one the Troika is on). It is blocked, but a small passage allows you back to the left passageway right before it is blocked. Therefore, you can take out the Troika easily with your Lancer by simply shooting him (but fairly quickly, as he is not afraid to turn that Troika on you!). Take out all of his little buddies, too.
Heading north, there will be more enemies. You have two choices here: A, try to lead them back towards the Troika, man it, and use that, or B, flank them. Either way works fine, but the easiest one for me B. To do that, look for a small passage on the right and head down it, head down to the end of the passage (into this courtyard where a big fight will soon occur) and back around behind the enemies. Shoot, shoot, shoot, and when you kill them all, head back where you came from (as in to the courtyard I just mentioned the fight).
If you did not understand that, let me make it simple: after eliminating everyone, head directly north from where you started from. It will lead out to a courtyard. Can't get much simpler than that!
Now, you see that big circular thing with a statue in a middle (can't miss it, it's the only thing like it in the area)? Get inside of it, and take cover. Pick up the grenades if you need them (they regenerate) because if you follow my strategy, you will need them!
There are four Locust holes that (except the fourth one) seem to appear in a random order (atleast they do for me). If they don't, fine and dandy, if they do, then that is why this section is here. The four holes are:
1. Facing where you came from, directly left of the left-most passage (what would be the right coming from where the Chapter started).
2. Facing where you came from, in between the two passages.
3. Facing where you came from, to the right of the right-most passage (what
would be the left coming from where the Chapter started).
4. Facing where you will leave (turn directly around from where you came from,
and look northeast).
There's nothing to say here but TRY TO PLUG THE EMERGENCE HOLES! Makes it a LOT easier! Take careful aim and chunk a grenade. Otherwise, you have a lot of enemies to kill here! For the first three holes, it's best to stay in the circle thing, but for the last one, it seems easier to me to get out and hide behind all of the chunks of wall scattered about (though people's opinions differ; if you die here, try staying in the circle, or mayhaps try somewhere else).
There is a Cog Tag in this location (CT6), although I am not 100% sure I've got the location right. I know there is one in this area, though, and I apologize if I have the wrong location. Just look and do not start the next chapter by leaving the area!
 |
 |
Cog Tag Location #6 |
|
I believe it is northwest of the circle thing (facing away from the way you came into the area) near some grenades. Head over that way and pick the grenades up (you will probably be low) and there should be a Cog Tag nearby.
After picking up the Cog Tag, head towards the exit. Not much here except for what I believe is a funny quote.
"I use to have nightmares about those things when I was a kid."
"Shit.... I still do."
This starts the next chapter.
INSANE NOTES
I hated this part....
The part facing off against the Troika was easy, just flank him. The courtyard section wasn't nearly as easy. My advice? Cross your fingers. After sealing two holes with grenades, I hid behind the little wall in between the two long roads you came from (look in that direction in the middle; you'll probably see what I'm talking about). It made it easier (on the holes that came from far away; use your common sense, people!).
You will immediately have to split up in this chapter. Let me say this: the left path, in my opinion, is by far the easiest. I, for some reason, have never made it through the right. That is why I recommend that you pick the left path and stick with it, as I will not do a strategy for the right path. Feel free to pick it, if you wish, for they both converge again at the same room (and I will mention it where they do). If anyone would like to write a small FAQ for the right path and email it to me, I will edit it into the FAQ; otherwise, stick with the left path.
Follow it up to the doorway. Take cover to the left or right of the door; my
preference is the right. They have the height advantage on you here, but for
some reason, in my experiences, they don't want to use it; they will come
charging down at you. If they do, chainsaw them. Otherwise, I can't really
tell you anything to do other than shoot and take cover before you get shot up.
The next room will likely be empty if all the locusts decided to run down into
that little pathway thing. If not, hide behind a couch and shoot!
Before you move on, do your pals on the right path a favor and shoot through the boarded window and kill the Locust manning the Troika.
Follow through the... bathroom? and press the button on the wall to proceed into the next room, which is the room you meet up in.
Now, instead of trying to attack the Troika head on, what do we do, kids? That's right, flank his ass! You have been listening!
Roadie run directly ahead of the door you just left. Pick up the ammo box if you need it and head out the door to your left at the end. Head north out this door and take cover behind the big round thing (that looks to me like a very large propane tank). Let your health recharge if you were shot up, and then duck around it and head directly north again, towards the door. Kick it open, and run upstairs. If the guy up here doesn't notice me, I like to chainsaw him. No matter how you do it, kill him, and then kill the Locust manning the Troika (who will probably hop off of it when you start shooting at him) from the window. Upon killing him, head out the door and take cover behind wherever seems the smartest based off of the enemies' locations and wrap it up. When you think you've killed everyone, you haven't. More locust appear.
The game tells you to man the turret; do so, and pick off everyone. You can zoom in a little bit by holding down L. There will usually be some Locusts who do the very smart thing of taking cover behind the small windows of the small hallway you followed before you took out the guy manning the Troika earlier. If this happens, I find it much easier just to get off the Troika and run up to them to take them out. At any rate, once you kill everyone from that Emergence Hole, head back up to the Troika and look behind it. You will see a door, and in a few minutes a Locust will kick it open. Kill it (I chainsawed him when he kicked it open on Hardcore, but on Casual I just stood near the Troika and opened fire when I saw him).
Proceed down the next hallway and kick the door open. Proceed through it, and say hello to the next chapter.
INSANE NOTES
This part really wasn't that fun, either, but I managed.... In fact, I did the exact same thing as is mentioned in the normal walkthrough, so just have at it.
Proceed down this long hallway (long only because you haVE TO ****IN' WALK DOWN IT!!!!) and kick open the door when you can. Now time to nab the next Cog Tag (CT7). To get it, head from the door towards what I assume is a little ticket stand (or one of those things you have to pay to get by on highways) and then head slightly northwest from that. Let me correct myself; directly northwest from that. You should run right in to a van with a red GoW symbol on it; look around the van for the tags.
 |
 |
Cog Tag Location #7 |
|
Now, from the van, head northeast towards the northernmost sandbags on this side (head here from the Checkpoint, too, if you die). When the guy from the middle door appears, try to shoot him before the guy in the rightmost door appears. Basically, here is a map:
[Note from Candied Skull - Cuzit's diagram, while cute just as he said, was originally done for the text format walkthrough using a method that doesn't work in HTML. What that means for you is that you get images instead, which is even better!]
 |
 |
 |
|
Position 1 - Troika
Position 2 - Guy to kill before Position 3 guy comes out the door
If you don't kill him, don't worry, although you may be near dead if you haven't killed him yet. You can probably kill the Locust that appears on the right from the position you are in. Run through the door (the rightmost one both in the game and on the map).
As soon as you enter, head left and take cover behind the small wall. You
probably won't see it but you will hear an Emergence Hole appear. Try to plug
it if you want, otherwise shoot all of the enemies. This wall you are behind
should be effecient enough, but if it's not cutting it, hop over the wall and
try somewhere else. Head north (to your left should be the middle door; check
here, because sometimes it will turn out that you didn't kill this Grunt or
another one will take its place; it will usually kill you if you miss it and
proceed forwards). Head north pass the Emergece Hole and look left. Chainsaw
the guy on the Troika if you can (or in some way, kill him, doi). Now hop over
the sandbags in front of the Troika and watch the cutscene.
After the cutscene, turn around. You are now, facing away from the entrance (from the hall where you were forced to walk) on the left side of the area. Head down the steps; you should see a set of sandbags with two sets and directly behind it more sandbags but with three sets. Take cover behind these. Shoot anything and everything that moves, and once again chainsaw if someone gets too close. Other than that, there's not much strategy to this section, as if you keep heavy fire on te Locusts, they probably can't advance enough to flank you (if they do, of course, move).
After killing everyone, a "Point-of-Interest" icon will appear on your screen and you will hear a Locust scream. A door that was previously closed is now open; take cover and take out!
As soon as you hear that little guitar sound thing that means you've killed everyone, head outside, find a shotgun, and switch out your non-lancer for it. There were atleast three Locusts I believe in this fight with a shotgun; find their weapons and pick up their ammo. You are now ready to proceed to the next chapter.
INSANE NOTES
I didn't have nearly as much trouble with this as I thought I would have. Whatever. I did everything the exact same, except for after the cutscene you watch after killing the Troika that involves a sniper, at that part I just stayed back further.
This section actually starts a little later, but it made sense to cut off the last chapter where I did. So meh; sue me.
Anyway, head back inside the building from your shotgun hunt and to the left.
A previously closed door is now open. Head inside it; to your right is some
stairs that, of course, you must walk up. As soon as you get to the overhang
(where you can see Cole shooting out with Locusts below you) turn right. There
is another locked door that you must wait for Kim to open. In the meantime,
take cover next to the door (as I don't believe he'll open it until everyone is
dead if you don't stand near it, but I may be wrong) and shoot people until the
door is open. When it is, head downstairs, out to the left, revive Cole if he
died (which is extremely likely on anything other than Casual) and finish every
last thing in the room that moves off. Head back into the staircase-hallway
thing-ma-bob and to the left, which will lead you up to an overhang on the
opposite side of where you came into the room.
Up these steps and to the left, on your right in the middle of the room is yet another door Kim must open before you can proceed (you can kick open any other ***damn door in this game but these... ohhh, no! Make us ****in' wait!). Let us all hope that in GoW2, Marcus gets his $20. XD
Head into the hallway and to the right. OMFG did you see that?! What was it?
Annoying little buggers called Wretches is what it was. The Wretches are GoW's
answer to Halo's... um... (it's been so long since I played the Halos!) Grunts.
Small in stature, they blindly run towards you to attack you. This is where
the shotgun will come in handy, so equip it. You will hit a checkpoint, and
will be introduced to Jack who will have to open the door. While he cuts it
open, you must defend him. They will first come from the end of the hall opposite of Jack. Head down about halfway down there and blast any Wretch who
gets too close. After a few of them are killed, they will come from the hole
that blocks the hallway near Jack. Head up there quick, or Jack might die!!!
(That's a joke, by the way, considering your objective is to "Protect Jack" and
he... you know... CAN'T FREAKIN' DIE!) Anyway, once you are up there, blast
any Wretch who gets too close. Funny how they seem to concentrate on attacking
solely you, even though there are plenty of other humans shooting them, isn't
it?
When all the Wretches are dead, head down the hallway on the end where the Wretches first appeared and look for another Cog Tag (CT8).
 |
Cog Tag Location #8 |
The door is now open so proceed through it. Directly north of the entrance (in front of the first window on the right of the door you will soon leave from) is an ammo box and a weapon that looks to me a bit like a pistol, though you must replace one of your two bigger weapons for it. Switch your shotgun for it, but don't expect to have it too long.
This new weapon is the Hammer of Dawn, the strongest weapon damage-wise in GoW.
It's not really a gun, more so a reticule. Basically, you aim at something and
let it lock on to get a satellite to basically, as Carlos Mencia says, blow
**** up. However, it is a weapon that can NOT be used at any time you want to,
only when the game lets you. And this brings me to the golden rule of the HoD:
WHEN THE GAME LETS YOU, YOU WILL FIND ONE NEARBY! That means after you use the
HoD, switch it back for whatever weapon you replaced it with and carry on,
because the next time you need it, you will find one nearby!
Now, when you have the HoD in your possession, stand in the corner between the first window and the door right in front of the HoD. You can see the Seeder from here! Target it, and you can actually kill it before you can even go outside! Another benefit of this is that you can not be hit by the little things that it spits out that home in and you and blow up!
After it dies, switch out your weapon for the shotgun and go outside. Wait for the bridge to be lowered by Kim if it is not already. Cross over it with your shotgun and pick off Locust or stay on your side of the bridge and pick them off with the Lancer.
NOTE: To make this one of the easiest parts of the game, as soon as you go outside have your grenades equipped. Aim for the open part of the wall on
the other side of the bridge and chunk one. If you are semi-lucky or are
a good aim, you will take out any Locusts crawling out of the hole and
plug it!
Head right towards the giant hole the Seeder crawled out of. There are a few ammo boxes around here. Pick them up if you want and head around the "U." There is *sigh* yet ANOTHER door you must wait for Kim to open here....
To save myself pointless discriptions, keep heading north until you see a Seeder below you. Look directly right; there is an ammo box and the Hammer of Dawn here. Switch out your shotgun for the HoD, take aim, fire twice, kill the Seeder, and switch back the HoD for the shotgun. If any Wretches decide to join the fight, give them a good punch (B). Most of the time, atleast on Casual, the Wretches will fall with a good whack. If on a harder difficulty and the Wretches kill you, just don't be so hasty in your switch for the HoD. Use the shotgun to take out any Wretches first and then switch for the HoD and take out the Seeder (just don't forget to switch back!).
On Casual, your teammates may take out all the enemies other than the Seeder
for you! On anything harder, pick a path and head down it with the shotgun,
blasting. Wretches will drop on you. Try to take cover if your health gets
too low. The right side is easier for me, but that's out of habit (I don't
believe I've ever took the left side - but it's just that way; take a path more
than twice on various playthroughs and for some reason somehow it seems that
that path's easier, even though it may or may not be).
Anyway, head through the door once it is open. You must take the stairs to the left. There will be two Wretches at the bottom so have your shotgun ready. There are some grenades on the right side of this hallway if needed. Proceed through the hallway until you come across the Seeder you just killed. Head to the left of it and through this hallway. When you enter what I call the church take cover not behind the overturned bench or table or whatever it is but behind the first row of seats. Use your Lancer until someone gets too close, in which case switch to the shotgun. There are a few Wretches mixed in with the normal Grunts here.
Head up the stairs, through the door, and down the stairs. Here you will stumble upon Rojas's body. Greusome. Back to the stairs and still facing Rojas, look to your right. There is a small gap in the wall concealing some Cog Tags (CT9).
 |
Cog Tag Location #9 |
To the left of Rojas body is *sighs heavily* ANOTHER FREAKIN' DOOR THAT YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR KIM'S SLOW ASS TO OPEN (perhaps I'm impatient?)! Once it is (finally) opened, head through it. I actually believe I passed the last chapter, so I'll leave you with my slow-Kim rant above. =)
INSANE NOTES
Do the exact same thing as the walkthrough says. Just on the second Seeder, remember the Wretches.
After the room with Rojas's body, head up the stairs and around the statue into a couch-littered room. I could easily shotgun anyone in this room, but if you die, by now you should know the drill. After killing everyone, look at the ground right before the exit to the outside ledge. There should be a HoD on the ground; switch out your shotgun for the HoD. Now take cover on the first short wall. You should barely see the Seeder, but you are free from fire here. Kill it and switch the HoD back for your shotgun.
Now head back inside. To the right of where you came into the room (before you
took out the Seeder; that entrance) there will be a couch and a blocked door.
Take cover behind the couch and wait for the door to open. Take out anything
and everything inside; I used the shotgun and passed it fairly easily. After
everything that moves moves no longer, proceed down the hallway to your right
and over the rubble blocking the path.
"Alpha, we have visuals on your location."
"We would like to have your AMMO on our location right now!"
Lol. Anyway, proceed onwards down the hall. When you reach the next checkpoint, take cover immediately behind the nearest desk. Use the same Lancer-at-a-medium-to-long-distance-and-shotgun-at-close-range strategy we've been using to get by this part (this applies for the hallway you proceed down after the room full of desks, as well).
Proceed down the aftermentioned hallway and shoot everything. Hell, shoot the wall a few good times if it makes you feel better. =P
To the right is an ammo box if needed. When you hit the checkpoint, you should be in or near a hall with a Troika. Of course, we're going to flank it. To the immediate right of the entrance of the hallway with the Troika is another hallway (sorry if this FAQ ever gets confusing, but hell, what am I supposed to say? They're all hallways!). Proceed into it armed with the shotgun. In this next room are several Wretches and a few Grunts. Kill everything with the shot gun and proceed down the stairs at the other end of the hall. Take a left. I like to chainsaw him if he doesn't notice me, but don't be stupid; if he turns around at any point, get out that shotgun and make him eat led!
Now, hop on the Troika. You are about to be attacked by Wretches. They are
nothing special; aim for the ones on the ground. Your teammates will get most
of the ones on the roof, and the ones they miss will probably fall in your line
of fire (and if not, your teammates will probably get it, but if they don't and
you start dying, get off the Troika and get your shotgun!). Once they stop
coming, you can now head down the hall to the right of the Troika. At the end
of this hall is an ammo box to the right and another long-ass hall to the left.
Of course, the long-ass hall is the one you have to go down, but luckily there
are no enemies (though this hall will be hated if you keep dying, because you
will be constantly going down this hall). Head down the steps, pass the picture, and down more steps, and take cover. Now head down the hallway to your
left to flank them, but otherwise, you're following the same procedure as always here.
If you flanked left, you will have probably took cover behind the low wall on
the first right. Across from this is a set of steps that you must walk up.
In this next giant room of what I suppose is a court room you must walk across.
Do so and head up the stairs. You will see a Locust on a Troika. He will
never turn around unless you shoot him so you can almost always chainsaw him if
you wish. Now this next section you can do whatever you want to kill all the
enemies on ground. You will probably not be hurt. You can man the Troika,
pick them off with the Lancer, or pick them off with the HoD, what I usually
do. To find the HoD, look for the body to the right of the guy you just killed
and you should find it.
However note that you can not get your shotgun back when you pick this up; however, you don't need to.... For a quick explanation:
When you kill everyone, a cutscene appears that, to leave out spoilers, moves you to a different location. However, you HAVE to use the HoD for that sequence, too. That is why you shouldn't fret about losing your shotgun. Even if there were a shotgun to switch to at the end of that level, you will be relocated again as soon as you kill all of the enemies. You will now start the next Act with a Lancer and Hammer of Dawn if following my FAQ. You will soon (very very soon) stumble across a dead body with a shotgun in front of it. Switch out the HoD for this shotgun with full ammo!
Anyway, once you kill everyone, a very lengthy, very cool (in my opinion) cut scene starts. You will then start the next chapter....
INSANE NOTES
Again, same as the normal walkthrough. The little flying things at the end are now one hit kills, so be careful of them. I used the HoD for the end.
| BOSS! BERSERKER 1 |
Before we start this basically boss strategy (as this is all this level is), let me say this: from where you start, head straight forward and turn the corner to the right. You will not be massacred (poor guy, R.I.P. :`( - he was too young)! There is a Cog Tag (CT10) here, and you should now get an Achievement if following this FAQ from start to finish.
 |
Cog Tag Location #10 |
Now head out into the other hallway. Head forward, head forward.... When the Berserker bursts out of the wall and you get a checkpoint, you know you are heading the right way.
But before we get into the fight, let us all learn something about Berserkers.
They can only be killed with the Hammer of Dawn. There will always be one
nearby, except for on the last Berserker fight. They take two blasts to kill.
When running towards you, they will kill you instantly if they touch you, so
always roll out of the way! They supposedly can "smell" you, although I've
never had one locate me before from smell, and I was standing right next to
it.... They find you by your noise. If you walk, they will not find you. If
you run, either Roadie or normal, they will find you. If you are far enough
away from one so that it does not hear you running, take a pistol and shoot it
to draw its attention. Now that all of that is out of the way, let's proceed
with what you should do....
After it bursts through the wall, look right. There should be a door around here. You're first task is to lure the Berserker into this door. Not much of a problem; just get there quick, and shoot at the Berserker with a pistol until it follows you in there. Wasn't hard, was it?
Now, Roadie Run directly north of that door. Just get to the other end and turn around. If the Berserker isn't running towards you, shoot it until it is. Hold your ground at that wall, and get it to run towards you. When it is near hitting you, jump out of the way. It will not hit you, but it will hit the wall and tear it down. Now head through here and lure the Berserker in here. Your task is now the same as before, but with a smaller room.
After going through this door, DON'T LURE THE BERSERKER IN YET! Go to the door that you are about to have to have it burst through, and look left. You should see a set of Cog Tags (CT11).
 |
Cog Tag Location #11 |
NOW lure the Berserker in here and have it burst through the door. Head outside... finally, with the Hammer of Dawn, you can kill it.
BUT NOT YET! From the exit outside, head left, and keep heading in this general direction. I'm sad to say that I already picked up all of the Cog Tags, so I don't remember exactly where it is, but it is a good bit down the wall here and hidden behind one of these square-shaped objects. It shouldn't be too hard to find, and you do have about six minutes to stumble upon the last Cog Tag (CT12) in Act 1.
 |
Cog Tag Location #12 |
After picking it up, it's a simple matter of targeting the Berserker with the Hammer of Dawn twice, a task that I don't think is very hard. The best time to aim is after it runs into something and is temporarily stunned, or anytime it stands still in general. You now have completed Act 1.
INSANE NOTES
I died a lot during this... I don't know why.
It's exactly the same, so just follow the guide, but REMEMBER THIS! It now takes three bursts with the HoD to kill the Berserker, so don't cut off the beam halfway through the second burst like I did, expecting her to die! Keep the beam going until it needs to recharge, and then blast her a third time!