Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Version 1.0 FAQ for XBox 360
Compiled by Ashok Desai
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Contents:

General Tactics
Weapon Information
Creature-Specific Tactics
Mission Walkthrough

This is a Work-In-Progress document

An Entomological Note:

Since the Akrid are basically big bugs, I occasionally use entomological
notation in describing them. For instance, the abdomen is the rear part of the
bug, the thorax is the mid-section where the legs adjoin and a cephalothorax is
the combined head and thorax exhibited by arachnids. In particular, the word
'Imago' means 'adult'. If a bug is described as an Imago in this file, it is
larger and meaner than average and may require additional tactics. 

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General Tactics

Data Posts: It takes a long while to program a data post. It takes twice as
long if the post is already active but isn't showing your colour, since you
first have to deprogram it. However it is always worth doing so, because you
get a healthy whack of thermal energy for your trouble and I've never hit the
upper limit for TE yet. Clear out the enemies nearby first, or if they are
distant use the data post itself as cover, then activate it whether you need to
or not. 

Barrels: As any good Doom-player knows, barrels explode when shot. They are
also a lot more explosive than most grenade types, so if there's a group of
enemies near one make use of it. It is also sometimes possible to use the
machine gun to 'nudge' barrels onto a descending slope which they will then
roll down. This is great for clearing out areas a long way ahead that are
over-populated, but be careful not to accidentally set the barrel off before it
starts rolling. Aim for the upper rim and squeeze off a couple of rounds and
the barrel should topple over and start rolling. There are very few areas in
the game where this strategy works sadly. 

Death Throes: when an Akrid dies, it either slowly freezes up to an icy block,
or chars to a cinder. While this process continues the corpse is invulnerable,
but once it is totally charred or frozen a single shot from any gun will
shatter the corpse. There is usually a tiny bit of extra thermal energy trapped
inside, which you can sometimes see in the case of icy corpses. If you're
desperate for energy you might as well expend the single machine gun bullet (or
just melee attack it) and grab the extra, but it's generally not worth it
unless you have to run by the corpse anyway. 


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Weapon Information



Machine Gun
Magazine: 50 bullets     Max Ammo: 999
Vs. Humans: Good	 Vs. Bugs: Good		Vs. Mechs: Poor

The machine gun is the staple armament of the game, and isn't half bad by all
accounts. On standard difficulty you can reckon on pounding about half a clip
into an armoured human before he goes down, less for snow pirates. Due to its
high rate of fire it's a good spray and pray button. Just hold down the button
and let the auto-aim do its job. The machine gun works best against humans, but
it'll do a decent job on bugs too. If you're facing off against a mech though
you'll probably want something a bit more punchy like the rocket launcher or
plasma rifle. 



Shotgun
Magazine: 8 cartridges   Max Ammo: 100
Vs. Humans: OK		 Vs. Bugs: Great	Vs. Mechs: Untested

As usual, the shotgun is excellent at close range and poor at any kind of
range. It's best used verus Akrid, especially those like the Chryatis that have
severable body parts since it is very adept at popping them off. Certain foes,
most notably Chryatis and Dongos, can also be momentarily staggered if you
catch them in the right place with a close-range shotgun blast giving you time
to maneouvre into a position where you can strike at a weak spot. I generally
save these for intense battles against lots of tough Akrid foes, since the
machine gun is pretty much as good for general use but far more plentiful.



Rifle
Magazine:		Max Ammo:
Vs. Humans: Great!	Vs. Bugs: Decent	Vs. Mechs: Unsure

The sniper rifles in Lost Planet are a bit poor on the actual sniping side of
things, since their scopes don't offer a very high level of magnification.
Nevertheless, the rifle is excellent at what it is designed for: killing
humans. I've tried it out on Akrid and it does a decent job on them, especially
if you're having trouble hitting weak points from a distance, but it's of
little use up close and personal. Versus Mechs well... I don't like it. I've
not tested out how many shots it takes to kill one as such, mostly because by
then I'm being hammered from all sides. Treat the rifle for what it was
designed for then: killing unsuspecting humans. Go for the headshot and you can
take 'em down in one. It's also excellent for sniping at humans who are manning
static defences such as rocket launchers since it is possible to snipe their
heads in between the protective shielding. Not managed to knock the rider out
of a VS with the same method yet, but hope springs eternal. 



Energy Gun
Magazine: Infinite	Max Ammo: N/A
Vs. Humans: Meh.	Vs. Bugs: Meh.		Vs. Mechs: Forget it!

One word sums up the Energy Gun, and that word is 'meh'. Sure you can charge up
the shot by holding the fire button, but the projectile is slow moving,
difficult to aim, still doesn't pack much of a punch and the idle time between
shots is way too long. I've yet to find a real use for this weapon, unlike most
of the other weapons which each have their uses. As it stands, all that I can
say about the energy gun that's good is that it never runs out of ammunition so
long as you've got some Thermal Energy. 



Rocket Launcher
Magazine: 1		Max Ammo:
Vs. Humans: A waste.	Vs. Bugs: OK		Vs. Mechs: Good

I'm actually no big fan of the rocket launcher. Its explosion radius doesn't
seem to be all that large so, although it does a lot of damage, it only does
that damage over a relatively small area. Rockets are also slow-moving and
difficult to aim. You also don't get very many shots with each weapon and you
have to reload every time you fire it. I only ever use the rocket launcher
regularly against mechs, and then only if I don't have a plasma rifle. It can
however be quite useful versus Imago bugs and bosses if you don't have a VS
handy or have to eject. 



Plasma Rifle
Magazine: Infinite	Max. Ammo: N/a

Ladies, Gentlemen, I give you the Holy Grail. This weapon is everything that
the energy gun isn't. Four shots (count 'em, four) will take out the majority
of VS targets. Two shots will nix a human, one if it's a headshot. And it uses
a paltry 10 units of thermal energy per shot, so will rarely run out of
ammunition. It's powerful, it has a zoom function, and although its shots are
slower than bullets they aren't immensely difficult to aim. The only problem is
its slow repeat, so the weapon is best used either at long range, against
unsuspecting targets, or where you have somewhere safe to duck. Also don't use
it if you are very low on TE, but that should go without saying. If you're
going up against a large contingent of VS units or big bugs, you WANT one of
these. 



VS Weaponry

Most VS weaponry is identical to its hand-held counterpart but far more
damaging. With a couple of exceptions you can wield them when on foot too, but
beware! If hand-wielded, VS weapons are very slow firing, you can only fire
them while standing still and you also have to stand still to reload them. Only
use VS weapons on foot if you are up against very dangerous foes or if you have
no other option. Naturally, once you're inside a VS these weapons become much
more manageable, and you should do so as often as possible.

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Creature-Specific Tactics

Trilid (Easy)
Weak Points: They're one big weak point. Just kill 'em.

These flying trilobite-style things are incredibly weak. They swoop about
aimlessly for a while, then dive at you with a spinning motion. You can take
out flocks of the damn things at a time. One bullet seems to be enough, so use
the machine gun and spray around a lot. If they're very densely packed the
shotgun can also make short work of them, even over fairly long ranges. The
only real danger these things pose is that there are a lot of them, so you can
waste a lot of ammunition shooting down a whole flock. Then just when you'd
forgotten about it, the last survivor will dive out of nowhere and poke you in
the ribs doing... well... hardly any damage at all to be honest. 



Sepia (Easy)
Weak Points: Inside the mouth, not that it matters.

Tripod-like things with a big bud-like head, these things are scarsely more
dangerous than the trilid and also tend to make up for it in sheer numbers.
They have two basic attacks. Firstly, they will jump at you. This attack is
easy to predict, as they 'chew the air' with their buds for a few seconds
before leaping. If you're quick, a single machine gun bullet into the glowing
interior of the bud will kill them off. Honestly though they die so easily from
bullets pounded into even their armoured parts that it's not worth doing this
except to show off. The other attack, which I've only witnessed on the later
levels, is that they sometimes shuffle up close, chew the air for a bit then
explode. This is actually quite dangerous, so don't let them stand too close.
It's a pretty rare attack though, and in fact I only saw it about three times
during my initial run through the game. Similarly to the Trilid, the biggest
danger from Sepias is that one will sneak up on you when you're not expecting
it. 



Skalt (Medium)
Weak Points: the thistle-like head

This thing can be really annoying if left alone, so kill it quickly if you can.
It looks like a giant thistle with a spikey head and a lashing tendril. It
attacks by firing out dozens of exploding spores in all directions. Although
these don't seem to be aimed as such, because they spread out in a big circle
they are still quite dangerous especially if you're in a VS and thus presenting
a larger target. Fortunately Skalts die pretty quickly provided that you aim
for their spikey heads, although they sometimes lash about quite energetically
making a precise shot difficult. Use a shotgun if you're fairly close to make
hitting the target easier, or a machine gun if you have the chance to pick it
off at range. They're too weak to bother using a rifle on. 



Dongo (Medium)
Weak Points: its little stubby tail

This large beetle-like thing attacks either with its powerful forelimbs or by
rolling into a ball and charging at you. When it rolls it's very fast and can
adjust its course a little bit, so be ready to dive out of the way. When it's
not rolling however it is very slow. Wait for it to uncurl then circle around
behind it and unload into its vulnerable tail region. Don't waste your
ammunition on any other part of its body as it's quite well armoured. It also
only ever attacks forwards and can't turn very fast, so if you're behind it
you're safe. The Dongo has an Imago (larger) form, but it's really just a
larger version of the standard Dongo which can take more damage and cause more
damage too, so use the same tactics. 

If you're in a hurry or the creature is proving difficult, lob a grenade or
shoot it in the flank with a shotgun. This should stagger it momentarily and
give you a chance to slip around it to get to its Achilles heel. Shotguns at
close quarters work best since Dongos don't turn fast and can only attack in a
forwards direction making it easy to flank them, but unless you're up against
an Imago you're probably wise to stick with your machine gun. These tactics are
most useful when under assault by a lot of Dongos at once. If there's only one
Dongo, you can safely leave killing it until after you've dealt with any other
threats in the area so long as you keep one eye open for its rolling attack.

See also the notes for Mission One, whose boss is a special Imago Dongo.



Chryatis (Medium)
Weak Points: Foreleg Femur, Abdomen

When they're on their own these can be a lot of fun to kill due to their
multiple weak points. They are large, four-legged critters with immensely long
forelegs, a snake-like neck and a habit of hiding under the snow and pouncing
on people. You'll know they are around by their characteristic high-pitched
shriek. They attack primarily with their flailing forelimbs, either by pounding
the ground or by sweeping the area. Their limbs have a huge range too, so if
one rears up, keep your distance. 

You have two basic options when fighting a Chryatis. The first, and my
favourite, is to aim for the glowing section of the foreleg, closest to the
body. This part of the leg is also studded with little lumps to help you spot
it. Cause enough damage and you can pop the legs off, vastly reducing its
combat efficiency and hurting it a lot too. Shotguns work fastest if you've got
the ammunition, but the machine gun is quite good enough if you don't want to
waste your shells. Shotguns can also be used to stagger the Chryatis and
interrupt its attacks. Aim for the glowing abdomen, which is exposed to you
when the creature rears up to strike. 

The other method for dealing with the Chrystis is to get underneath it. The
creature's long limbs just aren't adapted to striking at foes in that position
and it will have an absolute fit trying to get at you! While you're down there,
aim for the glowing abdomen and empty your clip into it. This is a pretty
efficient method once you're underneath the beast provided that you can get
there in the first place and stay there while you finish the job.



Chryatis (Imago - Hard)
Weak Points: Foreleg Femur, Abdomen

The Chryatis also comes in a larger Imago form (as well as a queen Chryatis
boss which will be dealt with in the appropriate mission write-up later). The
Imago differs from the smaller version not only in size and power but in that
its three weak points are covered in an armoured layer that you will need to
smash off before you can get to them. Any weapon will do this eventually, but
it's a lot quicker if you have a rocket launcher or plasma rifle. Use one of
those to smash the tough chitinous shell away from the weak point then switch
to a more conventional weapon to finish the job. Otherwise the tactics are
exactly the same as for the standard version. Getting underneath it is
particularly useful in this case since it runs fast and quickly close any
distance you try and put between yourself and it, but you may have difficulty
staying there. 


Work In Progress - Check Back Soon!

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Mission Assistance

Here we'll be taking you through each of the missions one-by-one. The game is
very linear and those data outposts are usually on hand to point you in the
right direction so precise directions won't be given. Nor will we go into
detail the various target points that you have to hit to earn those ellusive
achievements. This part of the FAQ is more about getting you through the levels
with your skin intact so that you can enjoy the later levels. This FAQ was
written using Normal difficulty as a guide. 



Mission Zero (Tutorial)

the game's introduction. This shouldn't need an FAQ to itself as it's more of a
tutorial than an actual mission. You don't even need to kill anything if you
don't want to. Just one word of warning - you're not invincible! Keep moving,
as there are certain points in the level where you can be killed arbitrarily if
you hang about. In particular, run like hell when crossing the covered bridge
overlooking the area where you first encounter Green Eye, as he'll run straight
through it and kill you if you hang around for too long.



Mission One

This is a simple mission with few nasty surprises. To begin with, you'll
probably want to gun down the two storage tanks ahead of you to grab yourself
some thermal energy. Then, jump into the VS and pedal around the corner. There
are two spawners mounted on the wall of the tunnel ahead that you should take
out first, then you can mop up the critters they have spawned. Don't run
through the tunnel until you've finished though as there is a Chryatis waiting
in ambush under the snow. Once you've killed it, hop out of your mech, grab the
shotgun if you want it, and continue into the bunker. Note: there's also a
target mark inside one of the wrecked cars just before the ice tunnel. Shoot it
open with your mech and you should see it spinning away, half buried. You don't
have to dig for this one, just shoot it to grab it. 

This bunker is full of Sepias. They're weak as poop but there are a lot of 'em.
I usually lob grenades around a bit to thin the numbers slightly then go
straight for the spawn points with a shotgun. Remember, only kill the critters
when the spawn points are gone or if they are getting in your way. Don't miss
the spawn point in the ceiling either. First time I played I didn't notice it.
It still didn't kill me 'cause these critters really are THAT wimpy, but still.
Once you've cleaned the place out, take a quick tour around to collect the ammo
and grenades in there and activate the data post in the middle of the room for
a TE boost. Then it's out of the other door and onward. 

This next outdoor area contains nothing much of interest appart from a buried
rocket launcher (I'd rather have the shotgun and machine gun) and a target
marker behind the large round barrels. Run through to the warehouse. Kill all
of the Sepias and take out the spawn point from the doorway, because there's
another Chryatis ambush in here and you don't have a mech. The easy way to take
care of this is to climb one of the sets of stairs nearby and shoot down on it
from on high, since its attachs can only hit targets at ground level. There's
also another target marker at the top of the stairs on the far right hand side.
Kill, cleanse and continue. You'll have to shoot the doors out at the back, or
just shoot the barrel adjacent to blow them out. 

Out here there are a bunch of those Dongo things, just first instar ones by the
look of 'em. You'll get two of 'em more or less immediately and a third when
you head for the slope at the other end. Dispose of the first two before
continuing as three at once can be a bit annoying. Once they are gone, use your
grapple to climb up to the datapost and activate it, then follow the guiding
light up the valley being careful not to fall into a crevasse. There are two
more Dongos here, which you can either circle around and shoot to death as
usual, lure off the edge of a cliff or if you fancy a bit of a gamble, shoot
out those boulders that your friend mentioned. This will cause a mini-avalanche
that can cause a lot of damage if it hits, but be sure you're well out of the
way because they are tricky to avoid. Continue up the slope and you will
eventually reach the Akrid hive proper - step to one side of the entrance to
avoid the sudden swarm of Trilids that swarm out of it when you approach. Once
that's abated (shoot or ignore the Trilids as you wish, they are no more than
an annoyance) slip into the cave. 

You can in fact ignore pretty much everything in here if you're in a hurry and
just run through to the finale, but if you're in a killing mood it's best as
ever to start with the spawn points. There's two on the bridge right in front
of you as you enter. It's actually less annoying to just shoot the trilids as
there are a LOT in here and they die real easy. If you are going for the target
markers, there's one in an alcove down on the floor of the cavern below you.
Once you're done down there, return to the entrance and cross that bridge I
mentioned before. At the far end, jump down to your left then turn to look
under the bridge. There's your last target mark. Carry on underneath the bridge
and follow the path around past the large honeycomb-like structure. Destroy the
two spawners and their spawn and you can grab the data post at the end. Once
that's activated  turn around and come back on yourself. You should see a
bridge made out of spider silk heading into the honeycomb. That's the way
onward, to your first Boss Battle! 

BOSS BATTLE #1: Dongo Imago

This guy is pretty much exactly like the standard Dongos, but because he's in a
circular cavern he can climb the walls when he does his spinning attack and
come at you from an unexpected angle. Use the same tactics as a normal dongo.
Avoid his rush, circle behind him and shoot him in the tail. Sometimes when he
rolls around the inside of the cave he causes large rocks to fall down too, but
so long as you keep moving they probably won't do a whole lot of damage. This
boss is actually pretty weak and doesn't take a whole lot to kill. You can kill
him entirely on foot without too much trouble, although it's quicker if you use
one of the VS units provided. What the heck is that thing doing in here anyway?
Do the bugs milk the things for Thermal Energy like ants and aphids or
something? Oh well! 



Mission Eleven - the Final Boss Battle!

I wrote this part of the FAQ first, because damnit this mission is annoying and
I expect some people will want a bit of help right now! First things first, the
information on this VS that they give you is incomplete. If you quickly pull a
trigger, you get a brief ranged attack that is UTTERLY USELESS against the boss
character. Similarly there is no point in holding down the X button to fire
your vulcan laser and expecting it to do any good. The trick to completing this
horrible stage is charging up your left and right trigger attacks. hold the
trigger in for a second or two - it doesn't take long - and you will perform a
slashing attack that produces not only a projectile but also an immense energy
blade from the end of the associated limb. This is a vital skill to master, so
have a practice now to get used to it! 

Now, ascend the shaft. You can vulcan the annoying insects for the pleasure it
brings, or just ignore them and fly up as fast as possible. You will not come
across the final bad guy and his base thing. The base does fire lasers and
stuff, but in all honesty it is 't worth trying to kill it (which involves
shooting out all the yellow disks on the revolving sections, and doesn't seem
to do anything impressive anyway). Remember that this suit you are in is very
power hungry - look how fast your energy is dipping - and there is no way to
refill. Ignore the station and go for the robot! 

BOY this guy is annoying! The more you damage him, the more attacks he gets
access to. At first he will fly at you in a kind of spaceship form. As time
progresses he might strafe left and fire a machinegun laser at you - strafe
rapidly yourself and you should avoid the worst of it. Next he will start
launching homing missiles. You should outrun these as they can soon wear your
health down if ignored. You can sometimes shoot them down with your vulcan
laser too, so fly backwards shooting at them. Once the missiles are gone is
usually the best time to attack the enemy robot, but look out for other
opportunities too. Another thing he often does is glow white like he's about to
explode. I dont know if this does damage or not, but it seems to sometimes so
it's best to avoid him if he does that. 

After a given amount of time, he'll suddenly obtain a floating gun. When he
gestures in your direction, this thing will turn toward you and fire a spread
of between three and five long-range lasers. Try and predict where they are
going to be and fit between them, and keep your distance if you can. Finally,
he will gain a second orbiting weapon. This thing can kill you practically
instantly, so avoid it like the plague! It usually appears on your right hand
side as you look at him, so keep to his left. The beam stays on for long
periods of time, does hella damage, oscillates up and down and is very
difficult to get past without being hit. Did I mention the massive amounts of
damage it does too? Yeah. Keep away from it. Circle constantly to his left to
prevent him from bringing it to bear on you, and just pray that this is enough. 

The worst thing about this guy is that he doesn't always evolve his attacks in
the same order and he mixes up his strategies to keep you off guard. The
formula I give above seems to be the general template, but it does change!
Sometimes he'll get the cutting laser before the splitting laser, or wear it on
the other shoulder for a change. Sometimes he'll do a dashing strafe when
you're expecting a missile or vice versa. All you can really do is hope and
keep on trying. 

So how to defeat him? It's hard, so expect to die a few times. First of all
avoid his attacks by circle strafing around him. When he fires his missiles,
shoot them down then head straight for him. Charge up a right trigger attack
and, when you're coming close to him, unleash it. You're aiming for the attack
to swing and hit him just as he comes within range of it, so you'll have to
release a second or so before you reach him. If timed correctly, the plasma
blade will hit his VS and cause a healthy splat of damage to his health bar,
knocking him back a ways. Repeat this process until he dies. 

NOTE: if anyone knows an easier way, or what that bloody space station is
actually there FOR and why you can shoot out its lights when it seems to have
no effect on how difficult the level is, please let me know!

Work In Progress - Check Back Soon!

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Contributing to this FAQ:

If you have a different take on a strategy presented here, or would like to
contribute to the FAQ in some other manner, or have a question that you'd like
answered, you can contact the author at [email protected] - all
contributors will be credited in the text, but only those tactics tried and
approved by the author will be included so please don't be offended if your
material is not used. 

Ash