___________________________________________ * * * Alien Swarm * * Walkthrough/Strategy * * Version: 1.02 * * Last revised: 07/08/11 * * by: roar888 * *___________________________________________* =========================== Table of Contents [TOCT] =========================== I. Opening Notes................[OPNN] 1. Revision History.............[RVSN] 2. Characters...................[CHRS] 2.1 Officers....................[OFCR] 2.2 Special Weapons.............[SPCW] 2.3 Medics......................[MDCS] 2.4 Techs.......................[TCHS] 3. Loadout......................[LODT] 3.1 Weapons.....................[WPNS] 3.2 Equipment...................[EQPT] 4. Aliens.......................[ALNS] 5. Walkthrough (Jacob's Rest)...[WKTR] 5.1 Landing Bay.................[LDGB] 5.2 Cargo Elevator..............[CELV] 5.3 Deima Surface Bridge........[DSBR] 5.4 Rydberg Reactor.............[RDBR] 5.5 SynTek Residential..........[STRD] 5.6 Sewer Junction B5...........[SWJB] 5.7 Timor Station...............[TMST] 6. Contact Information..........[CTIN] 7. Copyright & Thanks...........[CRTY] ========================== I. Opening Notes [OPNN] ========================== Thank you for reading my Alien Swarm FAQ/Walkthrough. It is my first, so I appreciate suggestions and other constructive input. Also, if you think it's helpful, (on GameFAQs) please click the Recommend button at the top of the page! The details in this guide are accurate primarily for the Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulties, although the strategies, walkthroughs, recommendations, and tips I describe should still apply in at least a general sense for Insane and Brutal difficulties. Also, since the game supports mods and dedicated servers, and will probably be updated by Valve as well, this FAQ will continue to be updated even after it reaches "completion." This guide is currently authorized for hosting on GameFAQs and Neoseeker only. If you are reading this on any other site, it is in violation of copyright and may be outdated, and I ask that you please notify me of such an occurrence. Thanks! ============================= 1. Revision History [RVSN] ============================= 1.02 - 07/08/11 * Clarifications to Opening Notes section. 1.01 - 07/03/11 * Clarifications to Loadout section. * New signature! 1.00 - 06/29/11 * First complete version! * Completed walkthrough of Timor Station. 0.96 - 06/27/11 * Moved Revision History to section 1, replacing the What's New in This Version section. * Inverted order of Revision History to suit new location. * Completed walkthrough of Deima Surface Bridge. * Added Opening Notes, section I. * Clarification of copyright notice. * Additional thank yous. * Clarification of contact information. * Added clarifying note to campaign walkthrough intro. * Completed walkthrough of Rydberg Reactor. * Minor clarification to Revision History. * Completed walkthrough of SynTech Residential. * Changes to Sewer Junction B5 loadout recommendations. * Completed walkthrough of Sewer Junction B5. * Minor clarification to Loadout section. * Minor update to Timor Station section. 0.80 - 06/24/11 * Minor changes to Landing Bay walkthrough. * Changes to Cargo Elevator loadout recommendations. * Completed walkthrough of Cargo Elevator. * Minor changes and corrections to Loadout section. * Minor corrections to Characters section. * Corrections and clarifications to Aliens section. 0.78 - 06/18/11 * Updated contact information. * Updated copyright information. 0.77 - 10/21/10 * Minor corrections to walkthrough of Landing Bay mission. * Minor spelling fixes. 0.76 - 10/20/10 * Minor spelling and grammatical fixes. * Added abbreviations to increase functionality of Table of Contents. * Added Revision History, Contact Information and Thank Yous. * Completed a walkthrough of Landing Bay. * Added preliminary weapons/equipment recommendations for all missions. * Other minor fixes 0.70 - 10/19/10 * First published version. * Fully developed descriptions of and recommendations for all characters, weapons, equipment, and aliens. ======================= 2. Characters [CHRS] ======================= Alien Swarm is designed as a cooperative team-based game, involving a concentrated effort from each individual using his/her special abilities. Since each character is unique, it is essential that each player understands his/her job as well as those of the other players. ---------------------- 2.1 Officers [OFCR] ---------------------- The Officer is the so-called leader of the team. Although the players obviously don't have to abide by this for tactical or strategic deicisions, whoever plays as the Officer does provide bonuses representative of that leadership in the form of damage and health bonuses to the other players. The Officer is rated in the following fields: Leadership: Provides a damage and health increase to squad as described above. Sarge: 5/5 +2 > Jaeger: 3/5 Vindicator Damage: Provides a bonus to the damage done by the Officer-only vindicator shotgun. Sarge: 2/5 < +3 Jaeger: 5/5 Explosives Bonus: Increases the effectiveness of any explosives weapon or equipment carried by the character. Sarge: 2/5 < +2 Jaeger: 4/5 Health Bonus: The Officer in general has more health than his squadmates; this bonus determines by how much. Sarge: 4/5 +1 > Jaeger: 3/5 Melee Damage Bonus: Increases the damage of the standard melee attack. Sarge does not receive this bonus. Sarge: N/A < +2 Jaeger: 2/5 Damage Bonus: Increases the damage done by any equipped weapon. Jaeger does not receive this bonus. Sarge: 3/5 +3 > Jaeger: N/A ----------------------------- 2.2 Special Weapons [SPCW] ----------------------------- The Special Weapons class brings the most firepower to the squad. Possessing two different high power, automatic weapons that are unique to the Special Weapons class, the player for this class has the capacity to lay down covering fire for his/her squadmates, easily mowing down oncoming alien assaults. The Special Weapons class is rated on the following attributes: Autogun Damage: Determines the damage bonus for this Special Weapons-unique weapon. Wildcat: 4/5 < +1 Wolfe: 5/5 Piercing Bullets: Unique to the Special Weapons class, this allows bullets to pass through one enemy on to others and determines how effectively this occurs. Wildcat: 2/5 < +1 Wolfe: 3/5 Damage Bonus: Increases the effectiveness of other standard weapons you equip. Wildcat: 4/5 +2 > Wolfe: 2/5 Reload Speed Bonus: Increases the speed that you can reload your weapons. This is useful, since the Autogun and Minigun (the other Special Weapons-only weapon) are slow to reload. Wildcat: 3/5 +1 > Wolfe: 2/5 Speed Bonus: Increases the character's movement speed. Wolfe does not receive this bonus. Also useful because the Autogun and Minigun impede overall movement speed. Wildcat: 4/5 +4 > Wolfe: N/A Health Bonus: Increases the overall health of the character. Wildcat does not receive this bonus. Wildcat: N/A < +3 Wolfe: 3/5 -------------------- 2.3 Medics [MDCS] -------------------- The Medic is in charge of maintaining the health of his/her squadmates, a function which includes recovering squadmates' health when not in battle and preventing squadmates' deaths at the hands of parasites. Only a Medic or Electric Charged Armor can dislodge a parasite once it has infested a human, so the Medic is an essential role within the squad. Medics are granted the following attributes: Healing: Rates the character's ability to heal squadmates, obviously this attribute is unique to Medics. Faith: 5/5 +1 > Bastille: 4/5 Infestation Curing: Rates the character's ability to dislodge a parasite from an infested squadmate. This attribute is also unique to the Medic. This attribute, Scanner, and Engineering are also the only attributes rated out of 3 rather than 5. Faith: 3/3 +2 > Bastille: 1/3 Damage Bonus: Increases the damage dealt to enemies by any standard weapon you may have equipped to this character. Faith: 1/5 < +2 Bastille: 3/5 Reload Speed Bonus: Increases the speed with which the character can reload weapons. Faith: 2/5 < +1 Bastille: 3/5 Speed Bonus: Increases the general movement speed of the character. Bastille does not receive this bonus. Faith: 3/5 +3 > Bastille: N/A Combat Drugs: Increases the effectiveness of the Adrenaline equipment when activated by a player. Faith does not receive this bonus. Faith: N/A < +3 Bastille: 3/5 ------------------- 2.4 Techs [TCHS] ------------------- The Tech is the only class which is game-required by some maps. Only these characters are able to hack into systems such as door locks and nuclear detonation sequences. The Tech also has a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to weapons, so this character is valuable in combat as well. Scanner: Increases the range and frequency of the minimap radar that detects enemies. This attribute is unique to Techs and only rated out of 3. Crash: 3/3 == Vegas: 3/3 Engineering: Increases the speed of welding and sentry gun deployment for the whole squad while they are near the character. This attribute is unique to Techs and only rated out of 3. Crash: 1/3 < +2 Vegas: 3/3 Damage Bonus: Increases the damage dealt to enemies by weapons equipped to this character. Vegas does not receive this bonus. Crash: 3/5 +3 > Vegas: N/A Health Bonus: Increases the overall health of this character. Crash does not receive this bonus. Crash: N/A < +3 Vegas: 3/5 Reload Speed Bonus: Increases the speed with which this character reloads all weapons equipped. Crash: 4/5 +2 > Vegas: 2/5 Explosives Bonus: Increases the effectiveness of all explosives weapons and equipment the character is carrying. Vegas does not receive this bonus. Crash: 2/5 +2 > Vegas: N/A Melee Damage Bonus: Increases the damage of the standard melee attack for this character. Crash does not receive this bonus. Crash: N/A < +4 Vegas: 4/5 ==================== 3. Loadout [LODT] ==================== After character selection, you are returned to the main tactical menu page where you further customize your character to fit the your role for the upcoming mission. Each of the classes has weapons associated only with it, but you have additional options as well. You can choose two weapons, plus you have one slot for equipment. Some equipment is also class-specific, but in general you choose anything that will aid you in destroying aliens. --------------------- 3.1 Weapons [WPNS] --------------------- 22A3-1 Assault Rifle * Damage per shot - 5 * Fire rate - 14.3/sec * Reload Speed - 2.8 sec * Capacity - 6 mags, 98 shots ea. * Alternate fire - 5 frag grenades * Recommendations - This is the basic assault rifle in Alien Swarm, and it is reasonably effective as a backup weapon for the Medic's primary med weapon or the Officer's shotgun. Don't forget about the secondary fire, either. Those frags are useful against tough targets or groups of enemies. 22A7-Z Prototype Assault Rifle **Tech Only** * Damage per shot - 5 * Fire Rate - 14.3/sec * Reload Speed - 2.8 sec * Capacity - 6 mags, 98 shots ea. * Alternate fire - 5 stun grenades * Additional Info - Auto-aim * Recommendations - This is almost identical to the standard assault rifle except for the stun grenades and auto-aim. The Tech player should definitely take advantage of this upgraded weapon, since auto-aim will make up for any inconvenience caused by the substitution of stuns for frags. S23A SynTek Autogun **Special Weapons Only** * Damage per shot - 7 * Fire rate - 10.0/sec * Reload speed - 2.8 sec * Capacity - 2 mags, 250 shots ea. * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - Auto-aim, Slow movement * Recommendations - The Special Weapons player should definitely take advantage of the auto-aim feature and high damage of the Autogun, despite any inhibitions caused by slow movement. The Autogun lets the Special Weapons character literally mow down large groups of enemies. This is especially useful for defending a Tech player who is vulnerable while hacking a system or for clearing a path down a narrow hallway. M42 Vindicator **Officer Only** * Damage per shot - 105 * Fire rate - 1.5/sec * Reload speed - 2.8 sec * Capacity - 6 mags, 14 shots ea. * Alternate fire - 5 incendiary grenades * Additional Info - High damage, Close range * Recommendations - The Officer can take greatest advantage of this weapon by teaming up with the Special Weapons player to clear out confined spaces and cover doorways the Tech player opens. M73 Twin Pistols * Damage per shot - 14 * Fire rate - 2.0/sec * Reload speed - 1.4 sec * Capacity - 11 mags, 24 shots ea. * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - Ammo efficient * Recommendations - The Twin Pistols serve as an excellent sidearm, particularly for the Officer, in complement to most of the other weapons in the game, which are primarily long or short range weapons. The Twin Pistols are a high-power medium range option. IAF Advanced Sentry Gun * Damage per shot - 10 * Fire rate - 12.5/sec * Reload speed - N/A * Capacity - 450 shots * Alternate fire - N/A * Recommendations - The Special Weapons player can often use a sentry gun in combination with the Autogun to render a defensive position almost impenetrable. It is particularly useful in protecting a vulnerable Tech player who is hacking a door panel or other vital system. IAF Heal Beacon **Medic Only** * Additional Info - Group healing * Recommendations - The Heal Beacon is dropped by the squad Medic to create a healing radius within which injured players can recover health while still serving their function in a limited capacity. It is generally not as useful as the more advanced Medical Gun simply because it requires the squad to stop and wait for whichever members require healing; however, it does have the advantage of being able to heal multiple squad members at a time. IAF Ammo Satchel * Recommendations - The Ammo Satchel is not really an essential part of the squad's loadout as long as team members are conscious about the unnecessary firing of weapons, and because most levels have locations where additional ammo can be picked up anyway. Model 35 Pump-action Shotgun * Damage per shot - 175 * Fire rate - 1.0/sec * Reload speed - 1.8 sec * Capacity - 9 mags, 4 shots ea. * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - High damage, Close range * Unlocks @ level - 3 * Recommendations - Useful as an additional weapon, but impractical as a primary simply because it lacks the total ammo capacity of the other available weapons. It can easily serve the the same function as the Vindicator, with its higher damage per shot. IAF Tesla Cannon * Damage per shot - 1 * Fire rate - 4.0/sec * Reload speed - 3.1 sec * Capacity - 14 mags, 20 shots ea. * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - Stuns, No friendly fire * Unlocks @ level - 5 * Recommendations - This gun is useful for any squadmate of the Special Weapons player as a complement to their heavy weaponry. With its ability to arc to multiple enemies, the Tesla Cannon easily sets up a room full of aliens to be decimated by the Special Weapons' Autogun or Minigun. Precision Rail Rifle * Damage per shot - 75 * Fire rate - N/A * Reload speed - 1.8 sec * Capacity - 73 mags, 1 shot ea. * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - Piercing rounds * Unlocks @ level - 7 * Recommendations - Essentially a sniper rifle, the Precision Rail Rifle is a specialized weapon best used by either a Tech or Officer player, since they are the most likely to have open weapon slots. Use this weapon to pick off larger foes from long range and avoid their attacks more easily. This gun is also useful in long narrow corridors where its piercing rounds can take out multiple enemies with one or two shots. IAF Medical Gun **Medic Only** * Capacity - 80-90 * Alternate fire - Self-heal * Additional Info - Mobile healing * Unlocks @ level - 9 * Recommendations - This is the staple weapon of the Medic class. Superior in almost every use to the Heal Beacon, the Medical Gun allows for healing on the run. It is able to respond more quickly and more efficiently to an infested squad- mate, and can be used from a decent range. The only downside to the Medical Gun is that it can be used on only one squadmate at a time, a small trade-off for the other practical advantages it provides. K80 Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) * Damage per shot - 7 * Rate of fire - 28.6/sec * Reload speed - 1.4 sec * Capacity - 12 mags, 80 shots ea. * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - Uses ammo quickly * Unlocks @ level - 11 * Recommendations - The K80 is a dual-wield submachine gun that has an extremely high rate of fire. It is most efficient at close to medium range encounters with multiple enemies and is probably better used as a secondary weapon rather than your primary option because of its ammo and range limitations. M868 Flamer Unit * Damage per shot - 2 * Fire rate - 10.0/sec * Reload speed - 3.1 sec * Capacity - 6 mags, 40 shots ea. * Alternate fire - Fire extinguisher * Additional Info - Ignites, Use with caution * Unlocks @ level - 13 * Recommendations - Essential on several levels that involve exterminating Swarm eggs, the Flamer Unit is especially dangerous with respect to friendly fire (hence the fire extinguisher built in?). Although useful for attacking multiple enemies at once, an important detail to keep track of is if you don't cause enough initial damage to the enemy, it will still be able to attack while on fire and may some- times even put out the flames. IAF Freeze Sentry Gun * Damage per shot - N/A * Fire rate - N/A * Reload speed - N/A * Capacity - 800 * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - Freezes, Fast targeting * Unlocks @ level - 15 * Recommendations - This is another good setup weapon to complement the Special Weapons' Autogun or Minigun. It freezes enemies, allowing the players to easily defend a position while using a minimum amount of ammo. The only major downside is that this sentry does literally no damage; however, to counter that, it will generally last a lot longer since it is efficient in its use of ammo. IAF Minigun **Special Weapons Only** * Damage per shot - 7 * Fire rate - 25.0/sec * Reload speed - 2.8 sec * Capacity - 2 mags, 250 shots ea. * Alternate fire - Barrel spin-up * Additional Info - Wide spread, Slow movement * Unlocks @ level - 17 * Recommendations - The Minigun is essentially an Autogun with a higher rate of fire and wider spread, with no auto-aim. Because it runs through ammo much faster than the Autogun and is not as easy to aim, it is really only suitable for particular scenarios within some missions. Corridor-clearing is the Minigun's most effective use, so only load up with one of these in missions where such a scenario could occur. AVK-36 Marksman Rifle * Damage per shot - 65 * Fire rate - 0.8/sec * Reload speed - 2.8 sec * Capacity - 6 mags, 12 shots ea. * Alternate fire - Enhanced target imaging * Additional Info - Piercing bullets * Unlocks @ level - 19 * Recommendations - The AVK-36 is a bolt-action sniper rifle that is most useful for taking out the non-melee aliens from a great enough range that they are not yet a threat to your squad. The piercing bullets also lend this weapon to supporting corridor-clearing actions. IAF Incendiary Sentry Gun * Damage per shot - 35 * Fire rate - 10.0/sec * Reload speed - N/A * Capacity - 800 * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - Ignites, Fast targeting * Unlocks @ level - 21 * Recommendations - The Incendiary Sentry Gun is highly effective at halting enemy advances for obvious reasons. Its only pitfall is that it tends to run through ammo fairly quickly. Also, use common sense and don't run in front of it while it's firing. Getting hit with flamethrowers is by far the fastest way to die by friendly fire. Chainsaw * Damage per shot - 31 * Fire rate - 2.0/sec * Reload speed - 3.1 sec * Capacity - Unlimited * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - N/A * Unlocks @ level - 23 * Recommendations - If you prefer melee combat to firing a gun, this is the weapon for you. Apart from having unlimited ammo, the chainsaw's other advantage is that it does more damage than the standard melee attack. It does, however, increase your risk of sustaining damage both from enemies and from friendly fire, so use this weapon with caution. IAF High Velocity Sentry Cannon * Damage per shot - 80 * Fire rate - 0.6/sec * Reload speed - N/A * Capacity - 25 * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - Long range, Splash damage * Unlocks @ level - 25 * Recommendations - I was disappointed when I first tried this sentry gun after unlocking it. Although it is very effective at long range, at short range it is at a huge disadvantage due to its low rate of fire. Plus it has a very small ammo capacity, which means it will probably only last for one defensive stand. Plan on providing fire support at short to medium range for this gun rather than letting it handle an entire flank by itself. Grenade Launcher * Damage per shot - 80 * Fire rate - 0.6/sec * Reload speed - 4.5 sec * Capacity - 4 mags, 6 shots ea. * Alternate fire - N/A * Additional Info - Splash damage * Unlocks @ level - 27 * Recommendations - The last weapon you unlock, the Grenade Launcher is very effective at clearing out areas with high concentrations of enemies. Be sure to have a reliable secondary, though, due to this weapon's low ammo capacity and limited effectiveness at short to medium range. Also watch out for friendly fire incidents, which are often caused by the Grenade Launcher's otherwise coveted splash damage. ----------------------- 3.2 Equipment [EQPT] ----------------------- IAF Personal Healing Kit * Description - Single-use self healing * Recommendations - Because these can often be picked up during missions, there is usually no reason to equip these. A decent medic will also eliminate the need for this equipment. Hand Welder * Description - Seals and unseals doors * Recommendations - These can generally be picked up in missions where they are needed as well, so there is usually no need to waste am equipment slot on one of these. SM75 Combat Flares * Description - Provides auto-aim bonus * Recommendations - These are useful in missions where a great number of enemies will be attacking in a wide radius, since it ups the abilities of weapons to auto-aim. ML30 Laser Trip Mine * Description - Wall mountable * Recommendations - These are particularly useful in maps where you will be tasked with defending a site with readily identifiable choke points. They can thin out the attacks, allowing players and sentry guns to easily finish off survivors. I3a Tactical Heavy Armor * Description - 20% less damage, Passive * Unlocks @ level - 2 * Recommendations - This equipment can be used by the Medic to increase damage tolerance, since the Medic has the least amount of health. I would generally not recommend this for other classes, however, since they can be more effective with other equipment. X33 Damage Amplifier * Description - x2 Damage Aura * Unlocks @ level - 4 * Recommendations - This equipment is most useful for missions where a defensive stand must be made, since this beacon cannot move, much like the Medic's Heal Beacon. Hornet Barrage * Description - Homing missile attacks * Unlocks @ level - 6 * Recommendations - Incredibly useful in missions where you face several larger enemies. Keep in mind that characters with greater explosives bonuses will get more missiles per cluster. Freeze Grenades * Description - Large radius * Unlocks @ level - 8 * Recommendations - These stun aliens and not only immobilize them but also render them more vulnerable to explosives. Adrenaline * Description - Temporary slow motion * Unlocks @ level - 10 * Recommendations - This is excellent for breaching situations where the Tech is opening a door and enemies are on the other side. IAF Tesla Sentry Coil * Description - Stuns in radius * Unlocks @ level - 12 * Recommendations - Any aliens that come within range of this are stunned, allowing them to be easily finished off by one of the players or a sentry gun. v45 Electric Charged Armor * Description - Stops infestation, Stuns * Unlocks @ level - 14 * Recommendations - The most little-known but most useful feature of this armor is its ability to dislodge a parasite that has infested you if you act quickly enough. It also stuns nearby enemies while active. M478 Proximity Incendiary Mines * Description - Fire wall * Unlocks @ level - 16 * Recommendations - These are useful for cutting off one avenue of attack when defending an area with too many entrances to cover. When triggered, they kill the enemy by literally creating a wall of fire, and then maintaining that wall, sealing off any further access. Flashlight Attachment * Description - Passive * Unlocks @ level - 18 * Recommendations - I would hope this is pretty self-explanatory: lights up darker areas, increasing visibility. IAF Power Fist Attachment * Description - x2 Melee damage, Passive * Unlocks @ level - 20 * Recommendations - This is useful on maps where fighting often takes in close quarters, since this will cause most small enemies, i.e. drones, rangers, to be destroyed with one melee attack. Hand Grenades * Description - Splash damage * Unlocks @ level - 22 * Recommendations - The better your character's Explosives Bonus, the more extra explosions you get with each grenade. These are great for clearing out groups of enemies or for helping to take out some of the larger enemies you'll face. If your character doesn't have an explosives bonus, there are no extra explosions, causing the effect to be rather underwhelming. MNV34 Nightvision Goggles * Description - Rechargeable * Unlocks @ level - 24 * Recommendations - Good for revealing enemies hiding in darker corners of the map, but overall these are not as functional as the many other options you can choose from. MTD6 Smart Bomb * Description - Missile storm, Single use * Unlocks @ level - 26 * Recommendations - Essentially the MOAB to the standard Hornet Barrage, the Smart Bomb will destroy nearly every target in range for a set period of time. Although it is only a single use, the extent of its destruction more than makes up for its lack of ammo. This is perfect for the moment when it looks like you'll be overrun by an overwhelming wave of attackers. =================== 4. Aliens [ALNS] =================== There are many different types of aliens that you will encounter in your mission to eliminate the threat of the Swarm. I will list them here in the order you will encounter them on Normal difficulty and provide a description including tactics on how to defeat them. Drone * First seen - Landing Bay * Attack type - Melee * Recommendations - These make up the majority of the aliens you will face. The Drone is relatively easy to destroy even in large numbers if you and your squad work together well. They are susceptible to most types of attack. Ranger * First seen - Deima Surface Bridge * Attack type - Slow, Ranged * Recommendations - These are just as easy to destroy as Drones, as they are slow moving, and their ranged attack is slow as well. Like the Drone, just about any weapon is effective against these. Shieldbug * First seen - Deima Surface Bridge * Attack type - Heavy melee knockback * Recommendations - The most effective strategy to take these out is to have one player lay down surpressing fire on the front to keep the Shieldbug facing one direction while another player circles behind and hits the unarmored rear with some form of explosives (Hornet Barrage, Frag grenades, etc). Do everything possible to keep your distance, however, since the Shieldbug's melee attack is very powerful, and will knock you down away from your squad. Buzzer * First seen - Rydberg Reactor * Attack type - Flying, Melee * Recommendations - These can get incredibly annoying in large numbers, but they are easily killed using the Flamer Unit or an auto- aim weapon. Boomer * First seen - Rydberg Reactor * Attack type - Melee, Suicidal explosion * Recommendations - Essentially, the more inflated a Boomer gets, the more explosives it is going to drop. Killing it before it inflates is tough, as it requires a lot of firepower; and killing it once it has started inflating doesn't stop the release of the explosives. The best tactic for destroying these is to use a combination of explosives, minimizing the time it has to inflate. Parasites * First seen - SynTek Residential * Attack type - Infestation * Recommendations - Parasites are hard to see, fast moving, and incredibly deadly. Even if your squad's Medic is quick, just getting infested at all is taxing on the squad's medical resources. One useful tactic is to equip Electric Charged Armor, which can dislodge a parasite without the use of medical resources. The most effective way to kill Parasites before they infest someone is with an auto-aim weapon or a Flamer Unit. Mortarbug * First seen - SynTek Residential * Attack type - Delayed detonation ranged attack * Recommendations - The ranged attack of these enemies is easy to avoid simply because the munitions take a few seconds to explode. Mortarbugs can take a lot of damage though; the most effective weapon against them is one of the longer range rifles (i.e. Railgun, Marksman Rifle). Harvester * First seen - Timor Station * Attack type - Release Harvester spawn * Recommendations - Harvesters do not actually have any kind of attack, but you will take damage if you move too close. They release fast-moving spawn that look like Parasites. Instead of infesting you, however, Harvester spawn use a suicide melee attack that does a sizeable amount of damage. Killing the Harvester will release any spawn that were about to be released anyway unless you use a Flamer Unit. Although susceptible to most kinds of weapons, the Flamer Unit is probably the best choice in this case. ======================================= 5. Walkthrough (Jacob's Rest) [WKTR] ======================================= In addition to providing solutions for how to progress through each level, at the beginning of each description I will list some recommended equipment and weapons that at least one member of the squad should carry. Obviously it would be impractical to try to implement every recommendation listed for some of the missions, so my advice is to mix and match some of these weapons and equipment combinations to figure out what works best for you and your team. **NOTE: One thing to keep in mind throughout the campaign is that once all of your living squadmates make it through the final door at the end of a mission, the mission will end successfully regardless of any enemies that are around, on top of, or right behind you. You DO NOT have to kill all nearby enemies to achieve mission success. ------------------------- 5.1 Landing Bay [LDGB] ------------------------- _______________________________ * **Recommended** * * * * - Sentry gun of some kind * * - Proximity mines * *_______________________________* **A Tech is required to complete this mission** You start outside on a catwalk together with your squad under orders to enter the colony and recover some computer data that will determine the fate of the colonists. Proceed west along the catwalk and then north. The doorway you need to pass through is blocked by debris that you can clear with you melee attack. Continue north until you arrive at the two locked doors. The Tech player can unlock the doors by hacking the security panels. You only need to unlock one; either one works, since they lead to the same place. Go north and proceed between the shelves. Your first enemies should appear at this point. You and your squad should easily be able to deal with this attack comprised of Drones. Be aware that the aliens can appear from unexpected places, such as windows, the ceiling, and those small vents in the floor. At the north end of the room is a short hall that leads east and then north. More Drones will approach from this direction as well as from behind you. At the end of this hall you will find a sealed door. If no one equipped a hand welder there is one on the box near the door that you can pick up and use to open the door. More aliens will be appearing behind you during this time, and as you pass through the door aliens will attack from numerous points around the catwalk. Proceed west and then north along the catwalk until you reach the door on the northwest side. You will be in another hallway leading north, which ends in a door to the outside heading east. The next room holds the computer database you need to access to obtain the information on the fate of the colonists. Whoever brought a sentry gun should set it up in the middle of the platform facing southwest, where the initial alien offensive stages from. Set up proximity mines at the eastern door to slow down the alien attack from there when they finally break through the door. If your squad has a second sentry gun, it should also be placed facing east. These defenses will allow you to easily hold out against the Drones that attack while the Tech player hacks the computer system. When the Tech finishes the data transfer, if the aliens haven't made it through the eastern door yet, they will in a couple seconds. After you destroy them, don't even bother to pick up your sentry gun, you won't need it. Go east down the hall, and pass through the door on the east side. As soon as all players still alive make it through the door, the mission ends. ---------------------------- 5.2 Cargo Elevator [CELV] ---------------------------- _______________________________ * **Recommended** * * * * - Sentry gun(s) of some kind * * - Hornet Barrage / Smart Bomb * * - Autogun or Minigun * *_______________________________* Head north from your squad's starting point, staying together and fending off a couple waves of drones along the way. At one point, there is a narrow hall- way with windows on either side. Move slowly here, as a large wave of drones will attack from both the windows and the far end of the hallway. The Autogun or Minigun is perfect for mowing down this group before it can reach the squad. When Valve designed the Minigun in this game, it was probably with this corridor in mind. Farther ahead you will reach a gap in the walkway. There are a couple red barrels on the elevated walkway to the east, which, when shot, will cause the metal plate to fall over the gap, allowing you to pass over it. Just before you reach the elevator to the east, there is a chance to replenish any ammo you have expended, along with some Personal Healing Kits if needed. Once you have reached the elevator room, set up your defenses; it's going to be a long ride. If your squad has one sentry turret, place it just south of the activation panel facing south. If you have two, place them back-to-back in the center of the elevator, facing east and west. The idea here is that these will cover your rear along with one squad member, who will mop up any drones the turrets miss. The rest of the squad can pick off the drones crawling up the wall before they can even reach the elevator floor. Once you're set up for the attack, any squad member can activate the elevator. After surviving the cargo elevator, proceed east through the final hallway. Once all remaining members of the squad are through the final doorway, the mission is complete. ---------------------------------- 5.3 Deima Surface Bridge [DSBR] ---------------------------------- _______________________________ * **Recommended** * * * * - Sentry gun(s) of some kind * * - Hornet Barrage / Smart Bomb * * - Autogun or Minigun * * - Stun weapon of some kind * * - Flamer Unit * *_______________________________* **A Tech is required to complete this mission** Begin this mission by heading north, past various splits in your path. Your squad should stick together rather than taking separate paths, since splitting up effectively halves your firepower. Drones will attack almost from the start, so be prepared for assaults from all sides. Regardless of whether you take the east or west forks at the beginning, you can choose either the north or south path to your first objective. The northern route is ultimately easier, especially if you're in a random public game, since everyone who has played before knows it. The southern route has some goodies along the way, but involves locked doors and requires a greater degree of coordination, since progress is slower and enemies will be spawning on all sides. At this point, the objective is in a building to your east. Your Tech will have to hack the computer system in this building. This will take a while, so whoever brought along a sentry gun should set it up to prepare defenses for the Tech. There are a couple different strategies to keep the area clear: * If anyone has a Hand Welder, sealing the northwestern entrance to (most likely the one you entered through) is good way to temporarily cover that front. A sentry gun could then be placed facing the northeastern window to protect that flank, leaving the southern half of the building to be covered by two marines. The remaining squadmate should hover around the northern half to mop up enemies the sentry gun misses and to cover the northwestern door when the swarm breaks through. * If the northwestern door can't be sealed, place the sentry gun facing that entrance, and have one marine cover the northeastern window, one cover the southern approach at the chokepoint between the northern and southern halves, and one support whichever front is being hit the hardest. **RECOMMENDATION: Either of the above strategies could be more effectively implemented with two sentry guns. This may seem obvious, but many times players in publicly hosted games are loathe to bring multiple sentry guns, since the tradeoff is a reduction in mobile firepower. After the Tech has completed his task, head north out of the building and onto the bridge. Drones will flank you from both sides, though not in great enough numbers that you should slow your advance. Head east at the first opportunity, and you will reach a panel to extend a bridge to your next objective. Activate the panel and hurry across, as drones will be trying to pick off stragglers constantly. Your next objective is to activate the explosives set on the pipeline the swarm is using as an expressway to access the human colony. It is "conveniently" located immediately adjacent to your walkway. After detonation, the cut pipeline will fall right on to your walkway. (See? Convenient.) An angry shieldbug will jump out almost like a boss battle. You can try to skip past and outrun it if you can consistently move faster than it the rest of the level, but it is best to take it out before the next waves of drones arrive. Have one or two marines keep it busy with continual (not continuous) fire while the others hit it with high-powered weapons from behind. Head east through a gap in the rubble and then north until you reach a locked gate and a small ammo resupply. Enemies will continue to attack along the way up to and including the time the Tech has to hack the gate lock. At this point your commander will bring in the ship to help cover your eastward advance along the walkway. You will be tempted to stay in the light, which is actually a good idea, since the ship will kill most of the drones for you. If you run ahead, the shieldbug that spawns will corner you before the ship catches up, while staying with the ship means you will have room to maneuver even if you don't end up killing it. Often the ship will even end up killing the shieldbug for you. You'll reach a gap in the walkway fencing, and the ship will come in low for you to walk across. Kill the few enemies in your way, as the exit is just down the ramp and the rest won't have time to get to you. After everyone is through the door, the mission is a success. ----------------------------- 5.4 Rydberg Reactor [RDBR] ----------------------------- _______________________________ * **Recommended** * * * * - Sentry gun of some kind * * - Autogun or 22A7-Z * * - Hornet Barrage / Smart Bomb * * - Flamer Unit * *_______________________________* **A Tech is required to complete this mission** Head north from your start position along the main walkway. Drones will attack from multiple directions immediately, though not in overwhelming numbers. As your first objective is to power on the reactor in the northwest, the shortest and most direct route is to simply take the north- and west-most forks wherever possible, since the opposition you encounter will be similar either way. Along the way you will encounter boomers for the first time. They are easy to avoid, and will not present particularly deadly threats here. There are a couple of small side areas between the start point and the reactor room, though enemy opposition and random public teammates make accessing them difficult. These areas are easily seen on the map, and contain some useful items if you choose to get to them. When you reach the northwestern third of the map, you will be on a larger double walkway. The two walkways are at different levels, making it easy to eliminate the rangers taking potshots at you. You will also encounter your first buzzers here. These are excessively annoying, and are most easily disposed of using an auto-aim weapon or the Flamer Unit. At the far north side of this area is the reactor door, which the Tech marine must hack. Set up defenses in the area, as enemies, including buzzers, drones, boomers, and rangers will attack throughout the hacking process. Every direction needs to be covered, so a sentry gun is very useful here. It is most effective facing east from outside the doorway. Someone can also man the wall turret on the other side of the doorway from the hacking panel. The other two marines should cover the remaining open avenues of attack while also mopping up any enemies the turret and sentry gun miss. The door still takes a while to open after the Tech successfully completes the hack, so don't abandon your positions until the waves of attackers slow and you can actually access the reactor room. Once the door finally opens, you can enter the small room to find some much- needed supplies. Also included is the activation panel to the reactor, which anyone can access. Now it's time to head back to the middle of the map, where you'll find a door that can now be opened (slowly of course). While you wait, you get to play defense again. These waves of attackers are made up primarily of buzzers and drones. After passing through this doorway you'll head east toward a downed chopper (they still use those in the 2250s?). You can put out the fire, or go around it through the heli itself. Now you essentially make a U-turn and head north, then west, toward a floored area, fighting your way to another door (the last one). Again, it takes forever to open, so you'll have to continuously clear the area of enemies while you wait. Rangers will spawn off to the east, as well as from holes in the floor to the south and the west. Drones will also attack from the east, boomers from a hole in the wall next to the door, and buzzers from above. Sentry guns will serve well here, as well as a well-timed Hornet Barrage or Smart Bomb. Don't get complacent once the door opens either; although behind the door is your mission complete zone, there are a couple boomers and drones waiting for you on the other side first. Finish them off and get through the door to achieve a mission success. -------------------------------- 5.5 SynTek Residential [STRD] -------------------------------- _______________________________ * **Recommended** * * * * - Sentry gun of some kind * * - Electric Charged Armor * * - Flamer Unit * * - K80 Personal Defense Weapon * *_______________________________* Start off going north down the hallway. You'll reach a room that looks like an intersection, but your only option is to head west. This mission throws you under the bus from the get-go, as you'll encounter a few parasites as soon as you reach what looks like a locker room. A good M.O. for this mission is to have whoever's carrying a Flamer Unit take point in areas with swarm eggs (as these are where parasites spawn primarily) since the Flamer Unit is by far the best counter to parasites. Your first two objectives in this mission are essentially concurrent. Basically run around burning through all the swarm eggs and biomasses in the residential district. The latest addition besides parasites is the mortarbug. These are exactly what they sound like, spawning at range and launching time-delayed explosives at you. They are relatively easy to eliminate, and their explosives are easy to dodge, though they can take quite a bit of damage. The map designates the egg and biomass locations, and you don't have to eliminate them in any particular order. The key here is simply stay close to the rest of your squad and work together to eliminate parasites and cover each others' backs against staggered attacks by every known kind of enemy except shieldbugs. During these objectives the swarm tend to come a few at a time rather than in large, overwhelming waves, so it pays to stay on your toes at all times. Once you have destroyed all the swarm eggs and biomass growths, your objective is to get to the north-central side of the district, where there is an elevator to extract you from the site. Get some defenses set up, because the elevator is obviously on the farthest level from your location. (See the theme here?) You can seal the south and west doors if someone in your squad brought a welder, and a sentry gun should be placed somewhere that will afford it as much of an unobstructed line of fire as possible. Get ready for large and continuous waves of enemies, because when the elevator is called, all hell breaks loose. These waves will be made up of rangers, drones, mortarbugs, and boomers, so you'll end up having to move around a lot to avoid explosives and projectiles. Plan your dives with the end in mind, however, because you don't want to end up any farther from the elevator when it arrives than you have to. When the elevator arrives, pile the squad into it, and the mission ends in success. ------------------------------- 5.6 Sewer Junction B5 [SWJB] ------------------------------- _______________________________ * **Recommended** * * * * - Flamer Unit * * - Electric Charged Armor * * - Hornet Barrage / Smart Bomb * * - Rail Rifle / Marksman Rifle * * - Grenade Launcher * * - Chainsaw *_______________________________* Head north from the start, then east up the stairs onto the catwalk, and then northwest along the sewer pipes. You'll reach another catwalk where you'll meet your first significant resistance. There are red barrels you can use to thin out the drones' numbers, but be careful about damaging the accompanying green barrel, since it will release a persistent cloud of toxic gas that will damage both marines and enemies. Move west quickly to avoid being numerically overwhelmed. After leaving this catwalk, proceed north. A few drones will appear from the small sewage pipes to the west. Destroy the red barrels on the raised platform to the north in order to set off a chain reaction that will open a path along that platform heading east. You'll end up in a large open area where you'll be attacked buzzers and drones. There is a larger raised platform up the ramp to the east where you'll find ammo, a chainsaw, and PDWs. If anyone in your squad is good with the chainsaw and don't already have one, now is the time. As you approach your objective to the north, you will be ambushed by four (yes, four) shieldbugs. This is why I list so many explosives, high-powered rifles, and the chainsaw in the recommendation box. If anyone has stun weapons (freeze grenades, tesla cannons, etc.), these are also useful here. Oh, did I mention that at the same time you will also have to fend off drones and buzzers that spawn at the same time as the shieldbugs? In summary, this is by far the most daunting challenge you will have faced thus far. The only consolation here is that you do have considerable room to maneuver. After eliminating this threat, destroy the red barrels on the eastern side of the sewer to complete the first objective. Now it's time to go egg hunting again. You'll want to use the same tactics you used in SynTech Residential here. Head north to the next half of the sewer system. You will spend the rest of the mission on narrow catwalks, so take your time moving forward to avoid parasite ambushes. The walkway forks after the first set of eggs and an ammo resupply. If you're going for speed, you can split up, since there are eggs in both directions, and the walkways meet on the other side; or you can play it safe and stick together. The west fork is pretty straightforward, you'll probably see a parasite, and there are just a few eggs. The east fork takes you across a series of dark raised catwalks. Below you are a couple mortarbugs that will launch explosives up onto the catwalk, but they don't pose more than a passing threat, and you can just move past. You'll encounter a few parasites along this route as well, so it pays to be cautious here. After you destroy the eggs and head west along the northern leg of this walkway, you'll rejoin with the other walkway. Proceed west to find the last set of eggs. To stop the grinders, shoot the barrels on the platform to the north. There will be some light resistance as you pass through. After you move up onto the catwalk, a mortarbug will spawn from the hole in the wall behind you. They respawn continually, so destroying them is redundant. Avoid its projectiles and move west. You'll encounter a shieldbug on the catwalk and another farther west. The mission's end is right past them in that hole to the north, however, so slipping past them, possibly with the assistance of a well-timed freeze grenade, is much easier than trying to destroy them. Get to the large hole in the wall and the mission is a success. --------------------------- 5.7 Timor Station [TMST] --------------------------- _______________________________ * **Recommended** * * * * - Flamer Unit * * - Electric Charged Armor * * - Rail Rifle / Marksman Rifle * * - Hornet Barrage / Smart Bomb * * - Autogun or Minigun * *_______________________________* **A Tech is required to complete this mission** Your initial starting point has you heading northwest (watch for the couple of harvester spawn that ambush you from that direction) toward your first objective before turning back east. You'll encounter some drones here before you reach the railway activator to the northeast. After you activate the panel, head through the door to the northwest. There will be rangers, buzzers, and boomers from the west, and drones will continue to attack from the east. After crossing the catwalk west along the north side of the cavern take out the swarm eggs along the small western fork, then head back south along the west side of the room. You'll reach a larger room where you'll be attacked by some more harvester spawn, then drones from the northern ledge. The harvester usually starts in the southwest corner of the room, and is easily enough disposed of. To proceed, someone should pick up the mining laser on the west side of the room and pulverize the rocks blocking the way. You can swap back for your normal weapon after, since there'll be another mining laser waiting for you when you need it again. Watch for parasites as you head north along the catwalk, as you'll see at least one along with some drones. Destroy the swarm eggs below as you pass, keeping an eye on the eastern ledge for drones. The Tech should hack the next door panel while squadmates cover him from continual drone waves. Whoever has the Flamer Unit should douse the doorway as soon as it starts to open, as there are usually a couple harvester spawn and a parasite waiting on the other side. Take out the harvester standing between you and the panel to the northeast, and you'll have a clear path to activate that panel. While one marine does this, the rest should take out the swarm eggs just to the north and keep the surrounding area clear. There will be a mortarbug just north of the panel, but if you keep moving, it shouldn't be a serious threat. Once you activate the panel, a bridge will start to swing into place just north of the door you entered through. As you wait for the bridge, you'll come under attack from all sides (of course), though these waves of attackers shouldn't be too difficult to fend off. Once the gate opens, move onto the bridge, clearing it of two waves of parasites. This is probably safest if the marine with the Flamer Unit takes point. After you head west off the bridge, head north. You'll find a few rangers, some harvesters, and a mortarbug. Take all these enemies out as you go; they don't put up a very heavy resistance. Move east along this catwalk until it cuts north. There you'll see the biomass that is blocking the path of the nuke. You'll need to burn it out. Replenish your ammo supplies from the ammo drop on the raised platform and take out the swarm eggs while you fend off waves of attackers from the southwest. Once the drones break down the door to the northwest, you're good to move on to the next room. Head north through the door where you'll face one of the toughest challenges so far. Several shield- bugs and harvesters wait for you on the sprawling catwalks here. The best strategy here is to slip past the shield bugs and destroy the harvesters first so that the shieldbugs can be dealt with free of distraction. Try to lure the shieldbugs down one catwalk and the harvesters down another so that you isolate the threats. Use the mining laser to remove the rock obstructions, and head north into the last room there are several swarm eggs to the northeast of the entrance. Kill the parasites that will attack from that direction, and then destroy those eggs. Activate the panel to drop a bridge at the end of the room, and then proceed east toward the objective, taking out parasites as you go. You reach the platform with the computer, surrounded by a ton of eggs. Clear the eggs before the tech begins hacking the computer, as (just like all other eggs) they will continue to spawn parasites if you leave them. Protect the tech as he hacks the computer. Now you have a time limit to make it back to your ship before the nuke detonates. You have plenty of time to make it, but not enough to waste. Head back the way you came, taking out only enemies that get in your way or pose a significant threat. Once you cross back over the large bridge, head east instead of south, to a path that is now cleared. The path will open up into a large landing bay; when you reach this point, actually begin to destroy enemies, as you will have to hold off huge waves of them while you wait for your ride to arrive. If you can provide enough covering fire for someone to place a sentry gun, this will be very beneficial to defending the landing platform. Your transport comes in hot, providing essential fire support. All squad members must be on the platform for the transport to land. Once you all make it onto the ship, the mission is a success. **This is the end of the Jacob's Rest Campaign. Congratulations! You made it! ================================ 6. Contact Information [CTIN] ================================ Feel free to email me with comments, questions, suggestions, corrections, etc. I will gladly respond to any game- or FAQ-related emails. Please include something like "Alien Swarm" or "Alien Swarm questions" in the subject line. DO NOT contact me with any kind of advertisements, spam, malicious attachments, etc. Email: [email protected] **I will probably get back to you with 24-48 hours. =============================== 7. Copyright & Thanks [CRTY] =============================== Copyright 2010-2011 Ryan Hurley. This work may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. Use of this guide on any other web site or as part of any public display is strictly prohibited and a violation of copyright. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission from myself. I reserve the right to require any website hosting this work to remove it. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Websites currently authorized to host this guide: GameFAQs.com, Neoseeker.com. GameFAQs - For hosting my work and for that matter for hosting everyone else's work that I have read. Neoseeker - For hosting my work. Valve - For developing and publishing the game. My Readers - AKA you. Yeah. Most people don't realize that I appreciate your reading my work just as much as you appreciate the help you (hopefully) get from reading it. I guess I just enjoy doing things to help people. So yeah. Thank you. __ __ __ /'_ `\ /'_ `\ /'_ `\ _ __ ___ __ _ __ /\ \L\ \ /\ \L\ \ /\ \L\ \ /\`'__\ __`\ /'__`\ /\`'__\/_> _ <_\/_> _ <_\/_> _ <_ \ \ \/\ \L\ \\ \L\.\_\ \ \/ /\ \L\ \ /\ \L\ \ /\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \____/ \__/.\_\\ \_\ \ \____/ \ \____/ \ \____/ \/_/\/___/ \/__/\/_/ \/_/ \/___/ \/___/ \/___/