Earth Defense Force 2017
                      Hardest / Inferno Walkthrough
                           Written by: M1MUS
                              Version 1.01


Table Of Contents:

A.  Introduction
B.  General Tips/Strategies
C.  To Get Started
D.  Level Specific Descriptions And Tips
E.  Armor And Weapon Farming Techniques
F.  Key Weapon Stats
G.  Contact Info
H.  Legal
I.  Revision History
J.  Special Thanks

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A.  Introduction
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This is a guide designed to help aid you in the completion of the Hardest 
and Inferno difficulties in the Xbox 360 game Earth Defense Force 2017.
Many of the tips and strategies below are one of many ways possible to
complete the levels.  These strategies can also be used to defeat the
levels on the Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulties but you will have to
make your own weapon substitutions.

This guide was written on my second 100% play through of Earth Defense
Force 2017.  I have completed the game both times with a co-op partner
and this guide is written with co-op in mind.  If you do not have a co-op
partner available, you may need to try different tactics, different
weapons, or just obtain more health. 

This is the first guide I have written, so if you see mistakes,
omissions, or if you have better techniques or strategies for me to try,
please look towards the contact information in section G and I�d be happy
to receive it to make this guide even better!

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B.  General Tips/Strategies
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First of all, find control options that work for you!  I highly recommend
turning the screen shake and camera effect off, as well as upping the
rotation speed to 1.00.  I changed my controls as well, but this is all
personal preference of course. 

You will see sometimes I suggest for you to use a pair of Lysander Z
sniper rifles.  The trick with that is you can fire off a shot, switch
weapons, and fire off another shot allowing you to deal 11,000 damage in a
second.

Sometimes you will come across levels where enemies don�t attack you.  Be
patient in these situations and experiment with this.  Sometimes there
will be two groups of enemies in a level and sometimes there will be five
that will allow you to bait one of them at a time.  There will be situations
where there are UFOs that drop enemies that act as their own group as well.
Take down one UFO and it�s enemies may attack you while the other groups may
not.  Also, you can shoot some nests while avoiding their enemies to avoid
an attack until you provoke one of the enemies.  Experiment in these
situations with tactics on baiting and killing specific groups of enemies.

Most importantly, if you are struggling on a level, try a different
tactic, different weapons, and use patience to find an alternate way
through it.  Some levels allow you to bait the enemies while others
send them all after you.

There are levels where enemies start immediately in front of you.  If
you hold down your fire button while the level is loading, you can get
off a couple of shots with you primary weapon and destroy a couple
enemies even before you begin the level.  Use this to your advantage
in these types of levels.

If you are playing solo and want a competitive edge, you may want to
plug in a second controller and give player two ZEXR Guns or a missile
launcher and rubber band the trigger.  That�s a trick that can help you
and it�s up to you if you want to use it.

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C.  To Get Started
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You may need to farm for some weapons and will definitely have to farm for
armor at some point in your journey from Easy to Inferno (see section E for
farming techniques).  When I got done with Easy/Normal/Hard I had about
3,000 armor.  I also knew that I wanted to be around 7,000 to beat the game.
To make Hardest/Inferno easier, I farmed for armor before starting Hardest
on my second play through as opposed to farming near the end of Inferno on
my first play through.  You will have to do it at some point, so you might
as well make your quest for 1,000 gamerscore as easy as possible!  So when
I was all done, I was able to start the Hardest and Inferno difficulties
at 5,000 armor.

I also farmed for weapons which my newly found armor helped with.  You
will see me using Inferno weapon pick-ups on my Hardest/Inferno walk
through.  Check section E to assist you with obtaining these weapons.
Again, why not make this challenge as easy as possible?

As I�ve already stated, there may be better tactics at these levels and
if you have any that you feel work better than what I came up with, please
feel free to send me an email (address provided in section G) and I will
happily try it out.  If it is better than mine, I will gladly update this
guide and make mention of your contribution in the special thanks section.

Weapon spawns.  There are many theories on weapon spawning but here are
the facts: weapon drops are random and each weapon is programmed to drop
after a certain difficulty and level.  For example, the Lysander Z will
only drop on and after level 46 on Inferno.  That means you can only pick
it up on levels 46-53 while on Inferno.  Some theories say you need X
amount of health or Y amount of playtime but that�s not true.  I farmed
for the Lysander Z on level 46 Inferno and when I got it and my playtime
was at 29 hours with 4000 hp.

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D.  Level Specific Descriptions And Tips
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Level 1: Arrival
Weapons: 1P/2P - AF100 and Stingray M99
Enemies: Black Ants
Three waves of Black Ants.  This level is fairly easy with the more
powerful weapons. There are 3 waves of Black Ants that come from the north
first, then the west and then finally in the east. With the first wave
being up a ways, start blasting them with the Stingray.  After the last
Black Ant is killed, the second wave will appear. Same strategy as with
the first wave is needed by using the Stingray to kill them from afar.
Rinse and repeat for third wave.

Level 2: Invasion
Weapons: 1P/2P - Stingray M99 and AF100
Enemies: Black Ants
Don�t shoot the UFOs, just shoot the Black Ants.  There will be one wave
of Black Ants in three spots in front of you. Use the Stingray and AF100
to eliminate them.

Level 3: Melee
Weapons: 1P/2P - Stingray M99 and AF100
Enemies: Black Ants
One wave of Black Ants. Use the Stingray to blast them from afar and the
AF100 if they get close.

Level 4: Landing
Weapons: 1P/2P - Stingray M99 and AF100
Enemies: UFOs and Black Ants
There will be two waves of Black Ants and then 2 UFOs that drop Black
Ants.  You don�t have to shoot the UFOs.  When the UFOs come, use your
Stingray to blast the center of the UFOs when the Black Ants start to drop
leaving less Black Ants to deal with on the ground.  Eliminate all enemies
to clear the level.

Level 5: Search
Weapons: 1P/2P - Stingray M99 and AF100
Enemies: Black Ants, Fliers
One wave of Black Ants, a pause, and some Fliers.  Blast the Black Ants
with the Stingray before crossing bridge. Then when the Fliers come, take
them dowh with the AF100 and strafe to avoid their fire. ZEXR Guns may
also work well in place of the M99 for one of the players to help take down
the Fliers.

Level 6: Airforce
Weapons: 1P/2P - ZEXR Guns and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Fliers
Three waves of Fliers, just stay by the fountain.  Form a perimeter around
the fountain and each player lay down one set of ZEXRs and fires them off
when the fliers approach. Use the other set for the second wave while
reloading the first set. Then for the final wave you should have enough
time to reload and use all 4 sets of the ZEXR Guns to complete the level.

Level 7: Takedown
Weapons: 1P/2P -  Lysander Z and AF100
Enemies: UFOs and Black Ants
2 UFOs that drop Black Ants.  Use the Lysander Z to take out the UFOs
right away.  Once the UFOs are down, clear the area of Black Ants.

Level 8: Mobilazation
Weapons: 1P - AF100 and Stingray M99 / 2P - Lysander Z and Stingray M99
Enemies: UFOs and Black Ants
2 waves of Black Ants then 2 UFOs that drop Black Ants.  Use the Stingray
from a distance and spray with AF100 when enemies are close. 2P use the
Lysander Z to take down the UFOs easily. 

Level 9: Tsugawa
Weapons: 1P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns / 2P - Lysander Z and Lysander Z
Enemies: Walking Arms and Fliers
1P drop down on to the beach and use ZEXR Guns to help take out the Fliers.
2P stays up and snipes the Walking Arms (4 shots on Inferno to take them
down with Lysander Z). After 1P drops their ZEXR�s, use the Lysander Z to
help take down the remaining Walking Arms.

Level 10: Arms
Weapons: 1P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns / 2P - AF100 and Lysander Z
Enemies: Walking Arms.
Use the Lysander Z to fire at the Walking Arms from a distance and the
AF100 when they are close.

Level 11: Infiltration
Weapons: 1P - AF100 and ZEXR Guns / 2P - ZEXR Guns and Stingray M99
Enemies: Black Ants
For the first wave use both sets of ZEXR Guns to help take out the
Black Ants. Let the ZEXRs reload before going on the second wave.  Set
up the ZEXRs in the tunnel before the big room where the second wave
spawns.  Stay back and Stingray them and spray shots with the AF100.

Level 12: Reinforcement
Weapons: 1P/2P - AF100 and Stampede XM
Enemies: Spiders
The Stampede works well to kill big groups of Spiders from a distance.
Use the AF100 if the Spiders get close.  When surrounded by Spiders, spray
your AF100 on multiple enemies to hit and stun them as opposed to taking
one down while taking damage from others.

Level 13: Retaliation
Weapons: 1P/2P - AF100 and Stampede XM
Enemies: UFOs and Spiders
You don�t have to worry about downing the UFO, just kill the Spiders it
drops.  At the start of the level there are Spiders in front of you and
behind you. Both players use the Stampede to focus on the group in front.
After a couple shots, one player go back and focus on the group in the
back. After that the UFO will drop two separate groups of Spiders and
both players can focus on the same groups together.

Level 14: Fortress
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns.
Enemies: Walking Fortress, Walking Arms, and Fliers
If you take out the lasers on the Walking Fortress it will be a little
easier defeating the Walking Arms but it isn�t a must. Just kill the
Fliers and Walking Arms that the Fortress drops. You don�t need to take
down the Walking Fortress.  1P start on the right side of the Fortress
and the other person go to the far left side. This will help with taking
down the lasers on each side of the Fortress. The Walking Fortress will
first drop Fliers so drop one set of the ZEXR Guns, and take out the
lasers on the Fortress with the Lysander Z. Walking Arms will come after
the Fliers so snipe them from a distance, and you may want to use one
ZEXR Gun to help take them down if they get close to you. The last wave
of enemies that come out of the Fortress will be Fliers.  Both players
drop and fire ZEXRs and strafe to dodge their fire.

Level 15: Blockade
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns.
Enemies: Walking Fortress, Walking Arms, and Fliers
Again, don�t worry about the Fortress; just kill the Walking Arms and
the Fliers it drops.  Just like level 14 you don�t have to take out the
lasers but doing so will definitely help your chances of staying alive.
Keep your distance from the Fortress and snipe the first wave of Walking
Arms from a distance and use ZEXRs if they get close.  The second and
third waves are Fliers. Use the ZEXRs to aid in taking them down. The
fourth wave is comprised of Walking Arms so use the same strategy as
before. The fifth and final wave will be Fliers. Remember roll and dodge
their fire and keep your distance from the Fortress. 

Level 16: Multiplication
Weapons:1P - Lysander Z and AF100 / 2P - Lysander Z and Stampede XM
Enemies: 3 Black Ant hills and a Spider hill. Take down the hills first with
the Lysander Z.  Shooting the hills will destroy the enemy spawns and if you
avoid the enemies they won�t attack you. Once a hill is down take out it�s
group of enemies and move on to the next hill using the same technique. First
three hills that pop up are Black Ant hills and the last hill contains
Spiders. 

Level 17: Nesting
Weapons: 1P/2P - ZEXR Guns and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Black Ants and Spiders.
Black Ants and Spiders come from in front of you and behind. One player drops
and fires a set of ZEXRs in front and the other player drops and fires a set
behind you.  Form a circle of ZEXRs and stay in the middle.  Drop the second
set when needed and reload while the first.

Level 18: Dino-Mech
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and Lysander Z
Enemies: Dinosaur
Stay out of the way of the Dinosaur and snipe him from a distance.  30 quick
shots and he�s down.

Level 19:  Umbra
Weapons: 1P Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns / 2P Lysander Z and Stampede XM
Enemies: 2 UFOs that drop Spiders
Focus on the UFOs first with each player focusing on a different one.  Then
lay down the ZEXR Guns and hastily retreat. 2P will blast the Spiders with
the grenades while backtracking. 

Level 20: Artillery
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Hectors and Hliers
This level is the introduction to the Hectors. They are just like the Walking
Arms you have already faced but they are armed with plasma cannons. Stay on
the move at all times so you don�t get blasted by their plasma cannons. One
player goes towards the right of the screen and the other go towards the left.
Take out the Hectors from a distance with the Lysander Z. Drop the ZEXRs when
the Fliers appear. 

Level 21: Crimson
Weapons: 1P/2P - ZEXR Guns and ZEXR Guns
Enemies ; 3 waves of Red Ants.
Each player drop a set of ZEXRs for the first wave, then drop the second set
for the second wave while reloading the first.  Drop any and all ZEXRs on the
final wave.

Level 22: Trapped
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Hectors, Walking Arms, and Black Ants.
There are Hectors and Walking Arms in front of and behind you . Take out the
ones in front with the Lysander Z, then take turns laying down ZEXRs to kill
the black ants around you. Then take out the Hectors and Walking Arms behind
you.

Level 23: Expansion
Weapons: 1P - Lysander Z and C70 Bomb / 2P - Lysander Z and Stampede XM
Enemies: 2 Red Ant hills, 2 Black Ant hills, 2 Spider hills
This level was so tricky my first time through it that I decided to cheat
on my second time!  The A.I. cheats so why can�t I?  Start by taking out
the first Black Ant hill that you see far away with the Lysander Z. While
doing this the second player will provide cover using the Stampede. Then
take out the next hill that you see (Spiders) with the other player
providing cover with the Stampede. You will notice a tall building on your
screen with a yellow dot on your radar.  The yellow dot is the Helicopter
and it�s the way to make the rest of the level easy.  Use your Stampede to
take down the building and both players run towards the Helicopter without
shooting at any other enemies in the distance.  1P needs to jump on the nose
or wing of the Helicopter and find a stable spot and don�t move!  2P will
hop in the Helicopter and ascend into the air.  From here you will be able
to see the other four hills and you will be able to easily take them down
with your Lysander Z.  By this time the enemies will be swarmed underneath
your Helicopter.  Drop bombs over the side to eliminate them.  The hard way
is to find the hills through the city and take them out at a distance with
the Lysander Z while using the Stampede to eliminate the enemies.  Go through
the level taking down one hill with one group of enemies at a time.

Level 24: Interception
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Hectors, Walking Arms, and Fliers.
The first wave consists of Fliers and Walking Arms on the hill. Take down
Walking Arms with the Lysander Z and drop one set of ZEXRs to kill the Fliers.
The second wave is Fliers, Hectors, and Walking Arms from the water. Take
down the Hectors and Walking Arms while they are still in the water while
your ZEXRs take out the remaining Fliers.

Level 25: Descent 1
Weapons: 1P - AF100 and Stingray M99 / 2P - AF100 and C70 Bomb
Enemies: Black Ants
This is the level in the cave where you start at the top with most of the
Black Ants below you. Drop the bombs off the sides of the ledges ahead of you
to destroy most of the enemies with 1P providing backup. When there are just
a couple enemies left, drop down to find them and kill them.

Level 26: Descent 2
Weapons: 1P - ZEXR Guns and ZEXR Guns / 2P Stingray M99 and ZEXR Guns 
Enemies: Black Ants and Spiders
The first wave is just Black Ants. Run up and each player drop one set of
ZEXRs. 2P will blast enemies at a distance with their Stingray. Then 1P
can drop the other set of ZEXRs to help with the rest of the Black Ants.
Reload all ZEXRs while heading to the second wave. Run up to the next wave
and drop ZEXRs.  Fall back and use your Stingray in the newly created choke
point. Keep doing this for the remainder of the level. 

Level 27: Descent 3
Weapons: 1P/2P - ZEXR Guns and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Red Ants, Black Ants, and Spiders
Each player drop and fire one ZEXR gun at the entrances of each of the
tunnels. Run back to the center and try to avoid getting hit. Then drop
your second set the same way as the first. 

Level 28: Descent 4
Weapons: 1P/2P - Stingray M99 and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: 5 Waves that lead to the Queen Black Ant
Follow the blue dots to find the next waves instead of following the red
dots. while using this time to reload your ZEXRs.  There are 5 total waves
in the level. The first two waves consists of Black Ants. The third wave is
Black Ants and Spiders. The fourth wave is of Black Ants and the fifth wave
is of Black Ants, Red Ants and the Queen Black Ant. Run up to each wave and
one player drop one set of ZEXRs, fall back and blast with the Stingray in
those choke points. When one player�s ZEXRs run out, the other player can
drop theirs.  The fifth wave is a little tricky because the Queen�s fire blast
goes deep through the tunnel. Again run up and one person drop their ZEXRs,
fall back and use your Stingray on the enemies. When there are just a couple
enemies left in the last area, you can run up and drop more ZEXRs closer to
them, again being careful of the Queen.

Level 29: Assault
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: UFOs dropping Walking Arms
Take out the UFOs right away with the Lysander Z with each player focusing on
a different UFO. Shoot the Walking Arms from a distance with the Lysander Z.
If they get close to you, drop ZEXRs to take them out. 

Level 30: Anchored
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: 5 UFOs with Fliers, Red Ants, Black Ants, and Spiders
If you concentrate on a certain group of UFOs at a time the other enemies
from the UFOs that are farther away won�t attack you.  Go after the two UFOs
on the beach first that drop Fliers & Red Ants. Stay back and shoot the UFOs
with the Lysander Z and then drop ZEXRs when enemies start to get close.
Reload ZEXRs before going to the next UFOs.  Climb up from the beach and head
to the far left.  Focus on the first UFO to the left (Fliers).  Stay back and
shoot the UFO and drop ZEXRs to take out the Fliers. Then focus on the next
UFO near it (Black Ants) using the same strategy as before. The last UFO is in
the valley (Spiders and Fliers). Use the same strategy to shoot the UFO from
afar and then drop the ZEXRs to take down close ranged enemies. 

Level 31: Advance
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: About 11 Hectors and Walking Arms
Take the Hectors and Walking Arms down from afar with the Lysander Z.
If they get close to you, lay down your ZEXRs. 

Level 32: March
Weapons: 1P - ZEXR Guns and ZEXR Guns / 2P - ZEXR Guns and Stampede XM
Enemies: 3 waves of Spiders first from the north, west, and finally south.
1P start by rolling up to the first road and dropping one set of ZEXRs,
hastily retreat back to 2P and the EDF. Set off ZEXRs when the Spiders get
to the road.  2P will use the Stampede to take them out. Then place the second
set of ZEXRs to anticipate the second wave and then 2P will drop their set of
ZEXRs. 1P reload first set of ZEXRs before the third wave, then lay them down
in the direction of the third wave. If you stay in the open area at the
beginning and 2P is using Stampede, this level will go fairly smoothly.

Level 33: Surprise
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: UFOs, Red Ants, Black Ants, Fliers, and the Walking Fortress.
Shoot down the 2 UFOs with the Lysander Z first. Alternate dropping sets of
ZEXRs between players to eliminate the Ants and Fliers. Even though you don�t
need to take down the Walking Fortress in this level, destroying it�s lasers
with the Lysander Z from a distance will help you avoid damage. Make sure you
are constantly on the move while you are reloading and firing off your ZEXRs.

Level 34: Breach
Weapons:1P/2P - Lysander Z and AF100
Enemies: Walking Fortress that drops three waves of Black Ants, Hectors,
and an endless amount of Flier waves.  You will need to finally take down
the Walking Fortress and it�s weak spot is the pink center on the bottom
that is revealed when the hatch opens.  Try to get a couple shots on the
opening with the Lysander Z right away.  You can use the Speeder Bike near
the beginning of the level to make it under the Fortress quickly.  After
a couple of Lysander Z shots on the Fortress, concentrate on the Black Ants
with the AF100. After this the weak spot on the Fortress will be open and
exposed for a longer time allowing for many more Lysander Z shots.  Continue
to take a shot whenever you can when the door opens.  Soon the Fortress will
start shooting it�s lasers at you.  Get far away and destroy them from a
distance.  At this time, the wave of Hectors has been dropped and you need to
concentrate on taking them out.  When the Fortress starts dropping Fliers,
that�s your queue to get back underneath it.  At this time the Fortress should
have no ability to shoot at you with it�s lasers down, so you can just
concentrate on strafing the Flier shots while shooting the Fortress from
underneath with your Lysander Z.  When you get enough shots on it, the
Fortress will be destroyed and the level will end, even if there are Fliers
still out there.

Level 35: Sweep
Weapons: 1P - ZEXR Guns and Stampede XM / 2P - Stampede XM and AF100
Enemies: Spiders, Black Ants, and Red Ants
At the beginning of the level there are three areas with enemies. If you
attack one group, they will be provoked and attack you back while the other
groups will continue to ignore you.  Use this to your advantage and take your
time through this level. The group to the far right is Red Ants; center group
consists of Spiders, and the group to the left is Red and Black Ants. When you
kill the group on the left another group forms near there consisting of Red
and Black ants and Spiders.  So it is wise to leave this wave for the end. 

Level 36: Thunder
Weapons: 1P - ZEXR Guns and Lysander Z / 2P - Lysander Z and AF100
Enemies: Hectors, Black Ants, and Red Ants
Focus on downing all the Hectors first, then focus on the Ants and Fliers.
When the center cannon drops from the Mother Ship shoot it down. You will
not need to take the Mother Ship down on this level but taking down the
cannon will help you avoid damage.  There will be a pause before more
Fliers come, but they are easily taken down to complete the level.

Level 37: Eruption
Weapons 1P - ZEXR Guns and Lysander Z / 2P - Lysander Z and AF100
Enemies: Red and Black Ant hills, and 2 Spiders hills
At the start the first hill you will face is a Red Ant hill.  Take it down
with the Lysander Z and move on to the other 3 hills which will be in the
water. The hills on the far left and far right are Spider hills and the one
in the center is a Black Ant hill. While making your way to the other hills
use the AF100 and lay down a some ZEXRs to defeat the enemies around you.
Focus on the running towards and taking down the hills as your EDF troops
and ZEXRs will take down most of the enemies.

Level 38: Surrounded
Weapons: 1P/2P - ZEXR Guns and Lysander Z
Enemies: UFOs (8), Spiders, Black and Red Ants
Stay by the fountain where you start the level. Each player start by taking
down the UFOs with your Lysander Z.  1P concentrate on the left side and 2P
on the right. You should have all of the UFO�s down before any enemies get
within their attack range near you.  Drop your ZEXRs and when the enemies
get close, both players can alternate between setting off their ZEXRs to
finish the level.

Level 39: Legion
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and Lysander Z
Enemies: Dinosaurs (2)
For this level focus on one Dinosaur at a time. Take a shot with your Lysander
Z and then switch to the other and take a follow-up shot.  Keep doing this
until one is dead then focus on the other.  It takes about 35 shots to drop
a Dinosaur on Inferno on this level.

Level 40: Return
Weapons: 1P/2P - ZEXR Guns and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Red Ants
This level takes place in the valley with Red Ants. Move towards the center of
the valley and each player drop and set off a set of ZEXRs forming a circle
around you. Then fire off the other set when the first set of ZEXRs are out
while reloading the first. Continue this until all of the enemies are gone.

Level 41: Occupation
Weapons: 1P - ZEXR Guns and Lysander Z / 2P - Lysander Z and Stingray M99
Enemies: UFOs (4), Fliers, Spiders, Black and Red Ants
Stay on the building for as long as you can. Start by taking out the Spider
UFO (UFO #4) on the far right with the Lysander Z.  After that UFO is down
drop the ZEXRs off the side of the building to provide covering fire. Use
the Stingray to take down buildings to get a clear shot at UFO #2. Take out
the second and third UFOs when they open. To take down the UFO #1 all the
way to the left, jump down only a couple of storys from where you start onto
another little landing on the front of the building. This will give you a
shot of the far left UFO while avoiding any enemies on the ground.  Once
the UFOs are down, concentrate on the remaining enemies to finish the level.

Level 42: King
Weapons: 1P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns / 2P - Lysander Z and AF100
Enemies: Spiders, 3 Giant Spiders
This level is easiest if you provoke and focus on one group of enemies at a
time. At the beginning, drop one ZEXR at the start to anticipate the attack
of the small group of Spiders behind you, and then run up and drop the other
two at the T intersection in front of you. Then both players can move back
and aim at a Giant Spider to the left of the space needle with the Lysander
Z. When the wave gets close, fire off your ZEXRs.  Reload ZEXRs before
going onto the second group. For the second group there is a small field
to the left of the where you started the level. Lay down all three ZEXRs
in this small field.  Provoke the group of Spiders on the left like you
did with the first group, taking Lysander Z shots at the Giant Spider.
Fire off ZEXRs when the wave is close and continue to shoot the Giant
Spider until he is down. Finish this wave and reload your ZEXRs. Past the
T intersection that you dropped two ZEXRs at in the beginning, go to the
right and there is a big open field. Set up ZEXRs there and roll back to
the edge of the field. Provoke this last group with some Lysander Z shots
on the Giant Spider and fire off the ZEXRs when the enemies are close.

Level 43: Spearhead
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Spider hills (4), Black and Red Ants hills, and 2 Hectors.
Start by rolling to the Black Ant hill on the right. One player lay down 1
ZEXR and both snipe the hill (4 shots with Lysander Z on inferno). Then one
player focus on the Red Ant hill to the left while the other focuses on the
hill up to the right (both guarded by Hectors). Now there should only be one
hill left in the ravine and both players need to make a mad dash to it
ignoring the Hectors and all other enemies along the way other than those
within close range causing you problems. Once in the ravine drop a couple
ZEXRs down for cover and snipe the Spider hill. If you are lucky EDF will
take out a lot of the other enemies leaving you with just a couple randoms
and the Hectors that you can easily go after once you are out of the ravine. 

Level 44: Extermination 1
Weapons: 1P - ZEXR Guns and AF100 / 2P - C70 Bombs and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Spiders
You start at the top of the cave. Run ahead and 1P drop ZEXRs to protect 2P
while they drop bombs over the side.  Drop the bombs off the edge and detonate
to clear out large groups of enemies while 1P is providing cover.

Level 45: Extermination 2
Weapons: 1P - Stingray M99 and AF100 / 2P - Lysander Z and AF100
Enemies: Black Ant hills and a Spider Hill
This level is a pure run and gun level while spraying and praying!  Start by
charging the first hill together. 1P will be using Stingray and AF100 for
cover while 2P will snipe the first hill using the AF100 when close and in
between Lysander Z shots. Still charging forward, move on to the second hill
together.  Take it down as 1P continues to provide coverw ith the Stingray
and AF100. Run towards the third hill together and take it down. Once it�s
down, kill the remaining enemies to end level.

Level 46: Extermination 3
Weapons: 1P/2P - Stingray M99 and AF100
Enemies: Spiders and Black Ants
Before the level starts hold down the fire weapon, this gives you a one shot
head start on killing the enemies. Right after the first shot, 2P will turn
around and head up the tunnel that he is now facing on the left.  While doing
this 1P will shoot off a full round of Stingray rockets at the start while
back tracking. Then 1P will follow where 2P is. Once through this tunnel,
turn to the left, go down the tunnel a little bit and turn around.  You have
now created a huge choke point for the remaining enemies.  A couple of
stragglers may come up behind you so keep an eye on the radar.  Use your
Stingray and AF100 to eliminate these enemies

Level 47: Uprising
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Black Ants, Spiders, 3 Giant Spiders and 3 Queen Ants
Roll up to the main intersection and both players lay down their ZEXRs, but
don�t fire them off yet. Then roll back a little bit to get out of the
intersection and future cluster of enemies. Leave the Queen Ant on the space
needle for last, she won�t move from there unless you provoke her. Focus on
the Giant Spider to the left of the space needle first. Use the Lysander Z to
shoot at the Giant Spider which will provoke a huge group.  Wait to fire off
one set of ZEXRs until this group of enemies is near the intersection. Keep
using the Lysander Z on the Giant Spider until it�s down, then go after which
ever giant bug comes after you next if you�ve startled it. If not fire at a
Giant Spider to the right to start a fight with that group. When one set of
ZEXRs are done set off the other set. Try to stay on the main starting street
until most of the bugs are dead. Use your Lyander Z at the Queen Ants, and
take out the Queen Ant on the space needle last.

Level 48: Wrath
Weapons: 1P/2P - AF100 and ZEXR Guns
Enemis: 3 waves of Black and Red Ants and Spiders
Run up a bit and lay down one set of ZEXRs at the intersection while the other
player lays down their set by the starting area.  Wait for enemies to get
close before firing off one set of ZEXRs and treat the Spiders as your primary
target with your AF100. One player may not have to fire off their set of ZEXRs
depending on how many enemies are left. Leave one enemy alive in the first
wave to give you time to reload ZEXRs and pick up health.  Kill him when you
are ready to move on.  The second wave comes from the north and south. Lay
down ZEXRs in a circle formation and stay in that circle for protection.
Again leave one enemy alive to pick up health and reload your guns for the
third and final wave. The last wave comes from the north (Spiders), west
(Red Ants) and south (Black Ants).  Form a circle with your ZEXRs and wait
until the enemies are close to fire off them off. If you are lucky the EDF
will take out most of the Black Ants in the distance so you won�t have to
deal with as many enemies.

Level 49: Elite
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and Lysander Z
Enemies: Red Fliers
The Red Fliers are very strong and hard to take down even with the Lysander Z.
Keep strafing their fire and get many Lysander Z shots on them to take them
down.  This level is more boring than it is difficult.

Level 50: Unknown
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and Lysander Z
Enemies: Dinosaur
Take a shot with your Lysander Z and then switch to your other Lysander Z for
a quick follow-up shot. Keep doing this until he�s down.

Level 51: Convergence
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: UFOs, Hectors, Walking Arms, Spiders, and Black Ants
The most important thing you need to know about this level is that there are
5 groups of enemies.  If you attack one, that group and only that group will
attack you back.  You will also see the UFOs opening but if there are
unprovoked enemies on the ground, the UFOs will never drop any new enemies!
So take your time and focus on one group at a time.. At the start take out
the UFO that is all the way to the right with your Lysander Z. Then drop
ZEXRs at the open intersection to the right. Wait for the enemies to get
close being mostly Spiders and fire off one set of ZEXRs followed by the
second. If a Hector is shooting at you, use your Lysander Z to take him
down. Only take down the Hectors that are attacking you otherwise you�ll
provoke other groups of enemies.  Once the first group is down, reload your
ZEXRs and wait for the second UFO to open.  Drop your ZEXRs and shoot at the
UFO with your Lysander Z. When the now provoked group of enemies get close
to you, fire off one set of ZEXRs followed by the second, and use your
Lysander Z on any Hectors that are shooting at you. Rinse and repeat until
all 5 UFOs are down and most of the enemies will be gone too. Take out the
remaining Walking Arms in the distance to end the level.

Level 52: Inferno
Weapons: 1P - AF100 and ZEXR Guns / 2P - C70 Bomb and Lysander Z
Enemies: UFOs (2), Hectors (3), Queen Ants (2), Black and Red Ants, and Fliers
At the beginning there is a massive wave with Black Ants, Red Ants, Fliers,
and Hectors. 2P will roll up to the first intersection from where you start
and lay down 5 bombs left to right throughout this intersection. Roll back
and trigger those 5 bombs when there is a group of enemies on them. While
rolling back towards the start 2P will lay down the other 5 bombs in the next
intersection just like the first. While doing this, 1P will be spraying
enemies with their AF100 while backtracking and then lay down the ZEXRs
near the starting intersection and moving to the left of the start to
avoid the upcoming 2P bombs. While rolling back. 2P detonate the 5 bombs
and will then use their Lysander Z to snipe the Hectors on the left and on
the right that are moving towards you. Do not take out the center Hector that
is not moving in the far distance until later. Once everything is down except
the last Hector, reload all weapons, and pick up any health you need.  Now 2P
needs to go forward towards the Hector and stop at the last intersection.  2P
will drop a line of 5 bombs.  1P should be near the beginning of the level and
drop their ZEXRs.  1P will meet up with 2P a couple of blocks south of the
intersection where the 5 bombs are laid.  2P will shoot the reaming Hector 6
times. Reload your Lysander Z and take the seventh and final shot on the Hector
leaving you with an almost full clip of ammo.  2 UFOs immediately appear and
drop Black and Red Ants, and Fliers and a pair of Queen Ants instantly appear.
2P focuses on one UFO making 6 perfect Lysander Z shots to down it before it
closes.  The enemies should now be near your bombs while you are not.  Fire off
the bombs while 1P continues to shoot the Queen Ants with their AF100.  At this
time, 2P should be able to get 6 shots on the second UFO to down that.  Both
players should be making their way towards the ZEXRs and a line of enemies
should now be following them while back tracking.  2P needs to drop the
remaining 5 bombs in a row and when out of range of the final bomb, detonate
them.  At this time, both players should be together near 1P�s ZEXRs.  Fire
off the ZEXRs and continue to fire away with the AF100 with the remaining
Queen Ants (if any) as the top priority.  Destroy all of the enemies to face
your final level.

Level 53: Starship
Weapons: 1P/2P - Lysander Z and Lysander Z
Enemies: UFOs, Hectors, Fliers, and the Mother Ship
Start by taking out the two UFOs. Then take out any Hectors that you can see.
If you don�t get them all that�s okay. You don�t have to shoot down the Fliers
so if you can strafe to avoid their fire, you�ll be fine.  Roll back a little
from the start and you�ll see a wide road and an intersection.  Start rolling
to the left (or west) down the wide road. This is a good area to take down
the Mother Ship and avoid a lot of damage from it and the remaining Hectors.
A cannon will come out of the bottom of the Mother Ship.  If you are both
firing both sets of your Lysander Z, you should be able to destroy the cannon
before it fires.  Once the cannon falls, you will see the pink underbelly of
the UFO which is it�s only weak spot.  From here on, when you see the pink
weak spot, take as many Lysander Z shots you can on it while it's exposed.
Various things will start to come off of the Mother Ship.  Arms will come
down.  We destroyed the ones close to us with two shots a piece and never took
any damage from them.  Panels will also break off the Mother Ship that fires
lasers and plasma cannons at you.  So taking these panels down when the pink
weak spot is hidden will save you a lot of upcoming damage.  Shoot them on the
left and work your way right as they are moving in a clockwise manner.  Doing
this will leave huge open gaps in the panels allowing you to not be fired
upon.  Alternate your firing from panels to the pink weak spot when you can
all while strafing to avoid the fire of the Fliers.  Once you get enough
shots in, the level is over!  Congratulations!

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E.  Armor And Weapon Farming Techniques
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The game allows only a finite amount of pickups to be on the field at any
given time.  Meaning, if you don't grab the pickups, enemies will stop
dropping them.  Ensure you are picking up all of the drops to ensure you
are receiving the maximum amount of pickups.

-Armor Farming-

Level 8:
Weapons: 1P/2P - AF100 and Stingray M99
Play on Easy and get to the two UFOs while picking up every item
pickup along the way.  See Level 8 walkthrough in section D if you need
assistance to beat this level.  If you have two players you can get twice
as much armor, but if you have one player, clear out one UFOs.  Focus on
killing the Black Ants that fall from the UFO.  You will be able to set up a
stream of fire with your AF100 that the ants fall through leaving a pile of
pickups under the UFO.  Keep going as long as you want with this technique.
Destroy the UFOs when you�ve had enough.  I�ve collected anywhere from
400-900 armor upgrades in an hour with two people farming two UFOs.

-Weapon Farming-

To get any and all weapons except the Lysander Z:
Level 44: Extermination 1
Weapons: 1P - ZEXR Guns and AF100 / 2P - C70 Bombs and ZEXR Guns
Enemies: Spiders
On Inferno, you start at the top of the cave. Run ahead and 1P drop ZEXRs to
protect 2P while they drop bombs over the side.  Drop the bombs off the edge
and detonate to clear out large groups of enemies while 1P is providing cover.
Keep at least one Spider alive while you are picking up the weapon drops.

To get any and all weapons including the Lysander Z:
Level 46: Extermination 3
Weapons: 1P/2P - Stingray M99 and AF100
Enemies: Spiders and Black Ants
On Inferno, before the level starts hold down the fire weapon, this gives you
a one shot head start on killing the enemies. Right after the first shot, 2P
will turn around and head up the tunnel that he is now facing on the left,
while doing this 1P will shoot off a full round of rocket launchers at the
start while back tracking. Then 1P will follow where 2P is. Once through this
tunnel, turn to the left, go down the tunnel and turn around.  This will leave
one huge choke point for the remaining enemies.  A couple of stragglers may
come up behind you so keep an eye on the radar.  Keep at least one enemy alive
while you are picking up weapon drops.  Don�t forget those couple of shots you
took at the loading screen/beginning of the level as there are sometimes up to
4 weapon drops waiting to be picked up.

To get any and all weapons including the Lysander Z with a higher risk and a
higher chance of more weapon pickups:
Level 52: Inferno
Weapons: 1P - Genocide Gun and AF100 / 2P - Lysander Z and AF100
After finishing all levels on Inferno you get the Genocide Gun.  On Inferno,
use the Genocide Gun to clear out all enemies except the last Hector.  Destroy
him, and shoot down 1 UFO with the Lysander Z.  Use the Genocide Gun on as
many waves as you are able to while picking up item drops.  Destroy the
second UFO and all enemies to finish the stage.

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F.  Key Weapon Stats
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are the suggested weapons for easily conquering Hardest/Inferno.
Section E describes how to easily farm for them.

-Assault Rifle-

AF20-RAR
Capacity: 999
Rate Of Fire: 60.0/sec
Damage: 26.0
Reload Time: 3.0 sec

AF100
Capacity: 180
Rate Of Fire: 15.0/sec
Damage: 160
Reload Time:2.0 sec

-Sniper Rifle-

Lysander F
Capacity: 7
Rate Of Fire: 0.3/sec
Damage: 3,800
Reload Time: 4.0 sec

Lysander Z
Capacity: 8
Rate Of Fire: 0.3/sec
Damage: 5,500
Reload Time:  4.0 sec

-Rocket Launcher-

Stingray M99
Capacity: 5
Rate Of Fire: 1.0/sec
Damage: 1,200
Reload Time: 2.0 sec

Stingray MF
Capacity: 5
Rate Of Fire: 1.0/sec
Damage: 1,500
Reload Time: 2.0 sec

-Grenade-

Stampede XM
Capacity: 1
Rate Of Fire: ----
Damage: 1,000 x 30
Reload Time: 6.0 sec

-Special Weapon-

C70 Bomb
Quantity: 10
Damage: 12,000
Reload Time: 10.0 sec

ZEXR Gun
Quantity: 3 
Loaded Ammo: 500 shots
Damage: 70
Reload Time: 20.0 sec

-Honorable Mention-

Genocide Gun (Can only be obtained after finishing all 53 levels on Inferno)
Capacity: 1
Rate Of Fire: ----
Damage: 1,000,000
Reload Time: 3.3 sec

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G.  Contact Info
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please feel free to leave any comments, concerns, errors, or tips to
[email protected].  I will test any new tactics sent to me and if they
are better than mine, I will update my guide and give you credit in the
special thanks section.  Make contact with the above email address for
authorization if you wish to link this guide to your website.  Any and all
feedback is appreciated!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
H.  Legal
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This guide is Copyright � 2009 M1MUS

This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. Any use of this document or any part thereof for financial
gain is expressly forbidden.  It may not be placed on any web site or
otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission.  Use of
this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright laws.

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by
their respective trademark and copyright holders.

Anybody submitting tips or suggestions to the author at the above email
address are doing so allowing the author to change this guide to use their
advice, tips, or strategies all while giving credit as the author sees fit
by means of legal name, gamertag, etc.

Sites allowed to use this guide at this time:

gamefaqs.com
neoseeker.com
supercheats.com

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I.  Revision History
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

03/13/2009 - corrections to spelling and grammatical errors and the
inclusion of new websites with permission to host the guide.

00/00/0000 - minor updates throughout.

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J.  Special Thanks
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to extend a special thanks to:

-madmankevin who helped me not only complete Earth Defense Force 2017 to
100% completion twice, but for also helping me write this guide.

-To all of you that use this guide and to all of you that share this guide
with your friends.  Thanks for reading!