/============================================================================\ -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- \============================================================================/ _________________________________________ / \ | PAINKILLER OVERDOSE GUIDE / WALKTHROUGH | \ _________________________________________ / /============================================================================\ -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- \============================================================================/ Guide author: Useless E-mail: utuselessut@hotmail.com Guide version: 1.1 Game version: 1.0.0.75 System: PC Copyright: Useless 2008 This entire document is (c) 2008 Useless. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. No section of this guide can be used without my permission. This includes, but is not limited to, posting on your website, making links to my guide, including parts of my guide in your own, or making reference to any material contained within. Please do not email me to ask for permission to host this guide, as I will be unable to give it to you. I don't have enough time to manage and upload FAQ versions at any sites other than the two listed below. These sites are therefore the only ones permitted to host this guide: GameFAQS.com NeoSeeker.com -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- /-----------------\ TABLE OF CONTENTS \-----------------/ 1. INTRODUCTION |<--------------->| 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1.2 USING THIS GUIDE 1.3 CONTACT ME 2. GAME |<------->| 2.1 GAME FEATURES 2.1.1 WEAPONS 2.1.2 SECRET AREAS 2.2 TAROT CARDS 2.2.1 GOLD CARDS 2.2.2 SILVER CARDS 2.3 MONSTERS 3. WALKTHROUGH |<-------------->| 3.1 - LEVEL 1/1 CATACLYSM 3.2 - LEVEL 1/2 JAPANESE MASSACRE 3.3 - LEVEL 1/3 DESERT 3.4 - LEVEL 1/4 ASTEROIDS 3.5 - LEVEL 1/5 DEAD MARSH 3.6 - LEVEL 1/6 BLACK TOWER 3.7 - LEVEL 2/1 RIOT 3.8 - LEVEL 2/2 NUCLEAR PLANT 3.9 - LEVEL 2/3 ANIMAL FARM 3.10 - LEVEL 2/4 FIELD AMBULANCE 3.11 - LEVEL 2/5 RAGNAROK 3.12 - LEVEL 3/1 HAUNTED VALLEY 3.13 - LEVEL 3/2 VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED 3.14 - LEVEL 3/3 STUDIOS 3.15 - LEVEL 3/4 LOONY PARK 3.16 - LEVEL 3/5 AIR COMBAT 3.17 - LEVEL 3/6 SAMMAEL'S LAIR 4. CONTRIBUTORS / CONTRIBUTIONS |<------------------------------->| 5. VERSION HISTORY / UPDATES |<---------------------------->| -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- /============================================================================\ -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- \============================================================================/ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- @-----------------------@ | 1. INTRODUCTION | @-----------------------@ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.1 INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to my Painkiller: Overdose guide. Since I've already written a review of the game on GameFAQS, I won't repeat myself too much here. Suffice to say I was disappointed and didn't have nearly as much fun as I thought. The retail version of the game is buggy and unfinished, but I couldn't not write this guide, since I've already done guides for the two previous PK games. This is definitely the weakest of the three (the games, not the guides). The other two PK guides contain a lot of imformation relevant to Overdose's gameplay, so you might want to refer to them too. Overdose is a standalone game, it can't be installed over PK the way BOOH could, which means you'll never get every single card all at once. I played the game on Nightmare difficulty when writing this guide, but didn't bother with Trauma as there is nothing new to be found there, except maybe a headache. I also used - was forced to use - the Powermad mod, which I found out about while googling for help with crash issues. Powermad is what I used to find out the names of all the monsters in the game, since the manual doesn't even bother to tell you, and neither does the rubbish official website. I also used Powermad to get past the Dead Marsh level, since otherwise I couldn't finish it without the game crashing. However, I didn't cheat my way through the game in any other sense, so this guide should still ring true for players who aren't using the Powermad mod. Here is a link to the mod page: http://www.kalme.de/painkiller/ And the latest version of Powermad Overdose (for versions 75 and 84 only): http://www.kalme.de/painkiller/files/Powermad-Overdose-1.3.exe Thanks and credit to the people responsible for Powermad :) Finally, when the first version of this FAQ was completed there was no patch available for the game, but as of Version 1.1 there is (hallelujah). Here is a direct link to the patch (not compatible with the Steam version of the game): http://www.projectoverdose.com/dl/OverdosePatch84.exe And here are the patch notes: http://www.projectoverdose.com/dl/pkod_patch84_notes.txt NOTE: Version 1.1 of this FAQ is a pre-patch update, whereas Version 1.2 will be based on the game with the patch applied. This means that I will have to play the entire game through again and note the changes made by the patch, which will of course take some time. Meanwhile, please, feel free to send in contributions as normal, and with luck they will appear in the next FAQ revision. Enjoy the game more than I did, please. -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.2 USING THIS GUIDE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please view this guide in a text viewer / editor with a set fixed-width font, or else it might look a mess. I use Courier New, Size 10. Use the Find command (CTRL + F) with the numbered contents menu at the start of the guide, in order to quickly jump to the section you want. I have put the main walkthrough section of the guide towards the end, after all the other game information. This is not a design flaw - it's deliberate. -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.3 CONTACT ME ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I always appreciate feedback for any of my guides, so if you want to send strategies, thanks, blame, criticism or applause feel free to mail me your comments. I consider all suggestions (and playtest them if possible) and I often revise and rewrite based purely on reader contributions. All feedback is welcome, unless it's to tell me I suck. ================================================= PLEASE, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING BEFORE MAILING ME: ================================================= - Check whether your suggestions or questions are already covered in the guide. - Check whether there is a more recent version of the guide available - I revise and update a lot after a first release. - To email me, please, send your message to 'utuselessut@hotmail.com' and put 'PK Overdose guide' and the guide version number in the subject line. - I don't edit contributor emails (unless they're obscene), so, please, make sure you won't mind seeing what you've written appearing in a future version of the guide, spelling mistakes and all. - Let me know in your mail whether or not you want your name and email address to be included with your contribution - if you don't specify then I'll assume you want it included. - Send text emails only, please. No attachments (unless they are specifically related to the game), no endless sigs and no putting me on your list of spam forwards. If your email is not about the game you get ignored and then you get blocked. - I want to stress that, even if I don't reply to your email, I will definitely read it and decide whether to put it in the next version of the guide. Hotmail is unfortunately a lump of toss which makes it very hard to tell whether or not you have already replied to an email. On the bright side, I will deal with every question I have an answer to, so if you don't get a reply via email you still may see the question answered in the next version of the guide anyway. Please, be patient with me, I get far too many emails about these bloody FAQs... - Finally, please, don't try to get me on MSN Messenger, as I am really sick to the back arse of people spamming me and failing to get even the largest hints to leave me the hell alone. If you have MSN Messenger then you have email and there should be no problem contacting me there, so if you have questions or comments then please send them via email only. Trying to use MSN even after reading this warning will only get you immediately blocked. I don't want to be a dick about this, I just hope you'll respect my wishes, thanks. -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- /============================================================================\ -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- \============================================================================/ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- @---------------@ | 2. GAME | @---------------@ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.1 GAME FEATURES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overdose has lots of features which will be familiar to PK fans; but there are some changes, and I've listed the important ones here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ /===============\ | 2.1.1 WEAPONS | \===============/ Overdose ditches all the old weapons and replaces them with new ones, though most of them are recognisably similar to PK's and BOOH's. Some (most) of the game's weapons have been listed wrongly in the Weapons setup screen, so I've listed them as they appear in the game and then pointed out that they're wrong. This will either avoid confusion or increase it; either way, I don't care a purple fart. RAZORCUBE --------- This, let's face it, is the painkiller. It does exactly the same things only slightly better. Primary: Hold down the primary fire while you shred your enemies up close. Secondary: The cube seems to fly farther than the painkiller's warhead but it otherwise behaves the same. You can still use it to get yourself up in the air when you're standing on broken bits of destructible objects; just face down and keep firing the cube at the piece of shrapnel. Again, like the painkiller, you can hold down the primary fire and then hit secondary to throw a spinning whirl of cubes at an enemy, though it's a bit slow. BONEGUN / PETRIFIER ------------------- Very much like the shotgun / freezer from PK. Primary (100 ammo): Not a great range but there's no better weapon for getting an enemy out of your face. Those bone needles really look like they hurt. Very nice damage to ammo ratio. Secondary (100 ammo): Try not to miss, and if you don't miss try to make sure you shatter those minions with some bone needles quick. Works on most enemies but ammo is scarce, so this weapon is extremely useful, but not one to abuse. Wonderful against certain strong monsters, while totally useless against others. RIFLE / CANNON -------------- This weapon seems to have been described the wrong way round in the Weapons screen; the rifle is actually the cannon and vice versa. Primary (100 ammo): This defaults to the cannon and it should be used with care, as its explosive flechette rounds tend to rebound off enemies and twat you in the face. Use against groups of enemies or big single ones, but only at mid range. This is a weapon to use only when you run out of ammo for the better ones. Aim at the ground around their feet so you do damage without fear of missing altogether. Secondary (500 ammo): A chaingun, as useful as it always was. Great in almost every situation and against every enemy, though it does require accuracy on the user's part. HEADS / CROSSBOW ---------------- This is more like BOOH's boltgun than PK's stakegun. It also seems to have its bits the wrong way round in the Weapons screen. Primary (300 ammo): This is the crossbow, very accurate at any distance but so accurate that it's easy to miss with it (if that makes sense). Use it at medium or long range and don't forget it comes with a zoom feature. Fun to use on executioners if you're a good shot. Secondary (200 ammo): Chuck some explosive, bouncing heads into close bunches of enemies, but don't be too close yourself when they go off on impact. As tremendous for taking out enemies from around corners as BOOH's heater ever was; just get your angles right. EVILEYE / SCREAMER ------------------ This is a wonderful weapon in so many ways, and the game is generous with ammo for both sides of it. Primary (100 ammo): This seems to be like the razorcube's secondary fire, except you hold it down and keep it pointed at enemies. Excellent at accurately and immediately picking off enemies at a great distance, but it's also a real ammo-eater. Secondary (300 ammo): If you think this is new to PK you're wrong - it behaves exactly like Demon Morph shots. It can bring down weak and tough alike, and it's definitely worth conserving the ammo for when you're in big trouble. What makes this thing even more worthwhile is that it's like a railgun - it fires through enemies and hits the ones behind them too. There's no better weapon for dropping a long line of goons at once. BLADE / SKULLS -------------- Another weapon which has been put in the wrong way round. Primary (300 ammo): The skulls fire in bursts of three and home in on enemies with a generous margin for error. It's great for taking out those monsters who are proving difficult to reach with other weapons, and it's definitely the weapon to which the less accurate of Overdose's players should turn first. Secondary (200 ammo): This is a very weird one, and a genuinely new idea for any PK game. The plan is to launch a whirring blade and steer it around by targeting one enemy after the other. The blade scythes around and homes in on whichever monster you are currently targeting, almost instantly reducing the poor sod to mush. You do need to be careful not to steer it into the ground or anything else that can stop it; and it helps to realise that it moves pretty slowly. Practice with it and you can get great results, though only against the weaker monsters. You can right-click again to recall the blade and stop it eating the ammo - it uses it very fast, all the time the blade is spinning. GREEN GOO / ECTOPLASM --------------------- Yup, wrong way round again. Unbelievable. No amount of playtesting (or even cheating) has allowed me to figure out the exact capacities of either half of this weapon. There is no level in the game where you can collect enough ammo to fill either sections of it; but I do know that both can go over 200, so I set it to 300. Primary (300 ammo): Remember the good old stakegun? Well, this is the closest you're going to get in Overdose. It's not as fun, but it still behaves pretty much the same way. Less useful than the crossbow or the skulls for sniping, but the ammo count is decent enough. Secondary (300 ammo): This will spray the titular green goo all over nearby enemies, slowing them down and incidentally turning them green. Get rid of them while they're disabled, but make sure you don't waste it on enemies who are immune to it. I doubt you'll be using this much, though enough ectoplasm can eventually fell most enemies. EGG THROW / EGG TRIGGER ----------------------- Finally, triggerable grenades! PK was begging for these from the beginning, so it looks like someone on the design team had been playing Duke 3D to try and nick some ideas. It would make more sense to swap the primary to secondary for this weapon too - the default configuration just feels weird to me. Primary (200 ammo): You can both toss a single egg and detonate it with the primary fire. Secondary fire lets you throw multiple eggs without detonating them. Cover a big enemy with eggs and then hit primary to blow them all up at once in a cloud of green. Brilliant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ /====================\ | 2.1.2 SECRET AREAS | \====================/ As with PK and BOOH, I've found all of Overdose's secret areas and have noted methods of reaching them in each level. I can only think of one which gave me trouble (in the Nuclear Plant), and virtually every other one was pathetically easy. I suggest you try to find the secret areas by yourself, rather than letting me help you - you might find it's far easier than it was in the two previous games. I've made screenshots of myself standing in each of the secret areas, so if you can't understand my written descriptions you could always email me to ask for the screens you want. To enable you to quickly find (Ctrl + F) the mentions of each level's secret areas, I've marked them all with a ~ symbol. -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.2 TAROT CARDS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Each level in the game has a tarot card waiting for you at the end of it, and all you have to do to obtain the level's card is to observe a certain restriction while battling your way through the level. Tarot cards come in silver and in gold. When equipped before starting a new level, silver cards' effects will remain active throughout the level. Gold cards can be activated once per level with your gold card button, and will usually last thirty seconds, meaning that you should think carefully about when you want to use them. The game calls the cards 'Black Tarot Cards': don't let this confuse you. All twenty four cards are 'black', but you only need to know which ones are silver-black and which are gold-black. Make sure that you have enough gold coins to let you mess about with the cards, since all cards need gold before they can be placed on the tarot board. Collect as much gold as you can during each level to make this easier, though you'll have none at the start and very little until a few levels in. Bear in mind that you can skip cards that you're finding difficult to reach, then use what cards you do get to go back into the levels containing the cards you missed before. In Overdose you may want to do this in the Dead Marsh, as that card is one of the most difficult to get in all three games when you first reach the level. I played through the game on Nightmare difficulty and got every card in the correct order, since I had to assume that you would want to do the same thing - this shows that it is possible to do things this way, even if you're having a lot of trouble doing it. On the other hand, this approach may greatly spoil certain levels for you, the Dead Marsh being the most obvious. Stick with it, the game will improve. Finally, Overdose has simply imported BOOH's tarot board, even though you can only get Overdose's cards onto it. This is why you have so many empty spaces on the board. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ /==================\ | 2.2.1 GOLD CARDS | \==================/ You'll be familiar with a few of these if you're a PK fan, but there are two new ones packaged with Overdose. As ever, they can be used once per level and their combined effects will last thirty seconds. --- Speed: Move faster Cost to place: 100 Rating: 1/5 Quick-jumping is usually better than this card, and I just don't much like it; but you might as well use it if you find it helps. Endurance: Take only half the damage Cost to place: 100 Rating: 2/5 Same as in PK, except now twice as expensive to place. It's a decent enough card to see you through the early levels, but replace it when you get better ones. Haste: The world moves 2x slower Cost to place: 100 Rating: 4/5 It may not be the greatest gold card in the world but it still seriously helps. Your speed relative to everything else is perfect for doing big damage while avoiding taking any yourself. A very useful card. Steps of thunder: Your every step damages nearby monsters Cost to place: 400 Rating: 4/5 I judged it harshly first time around - see below for why it's worth 4/5. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________V1.1 CONTRIBUTION_______________________________ Mike "the Steps of Thunder ("your every step damages nearby enemies") gold card isnt exactly as bad as you make it out to be. when used with the The Septre gold card (makes enemies "weak"), every enemy that has spawned into the level will die instantly, no matter how far away from you, just by walking around. it lets you clear out an area the moment the enemies spawn in. this combination of cards pretty much just lets you skip a large portion of the level, if you move fast enough. could also be combined with the haste (move faster) card to skip even more of the level." gay noob "I think you missed a thing in the description of the "Steps of Thunder" card : I noticed that, while using the card "The Scpeter", enemis become weker to all attacks... and this includes Steps of Thunder's damage ! I merely played this game in Insomnia difficulty because of the awfully long loading times and its difficulty, and although Steps of Thunder's pure damage is almost nothing, when The Scepter is activated, it kills enemies instantly, which is really helpful in crowded areas (I didn't check against bosses though)." -=#=- OK, now might be a good time to admit that I never used this card once, I just completely forgot to test it and was so bummed by Overdose's crumminess that I couldn't be bothered going back again later. Anyway, these contributions speak for themselves, cheers for that. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________V1.1 CONTRIBUTION_______________________________ Assault: Your weapons ignore monsters' shields and armor Cost to place: 500 Rating: 2/5 This is a good one against certain types of enemies, but they turn up all too infrequently in the game, so using it against all the many other monsters on whom it has no real effect is a bit of a waste of a gold card slot. Another one to ditch when a better card arrives. Fury: Deliver 2x more damage Cost to place: 200 Rating: 4/5 As useful as it sounds, this is the sort of card you need against the heavier monsters. It's nothing magnificent, it just drops enemies twice as quickly and easily as usual. It will save you a fair bit of ammo, but the vast majority of monsters are pretty easy to kill anyway, as a rule. Iron Will: Enemies can't hurt you Cost to place: 666 Rating: 5/5 Perfection. Equipping this is a given, and so's keeping it equipped. Combine it with at least one card which helps kill monsters faster and you can't go wrong. It's not only enemies by the way; it's also things like explosives and falls. Gamble: You deal randomly damage from 0.8x less to 2.5x more damage Cost to place: 300 Rating: 2/5 Well, it does what it claims, but I don't know why you'd prefer this over Fury, which definitely always does double damage. Having it in place of Fury seems dumb, and having it with Fury is overkill against minions who usually fall with one or two shots of something or other anyway. The Sceptre: All enemies are weak Cost to place: 300 Rating: 5/5 This is the sort of card you underestimate because of its limited description. 'Weak' in this sense apparently means 'killable with one shot of any damage weapon'. Use it and you'll see what I mean; it's tremendous and worth replacing Fury with. Keep it from the moment you get it, which will be depressingly close to the end of the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ /====================\ | 2.2.2 SILVER CARDS | \====================/ These are generally much better than gold cards, and far more worth working for. Spend your gold on equipping these if at all possible, though some are absurdly expensive. The above is less true in Overdose than it was in PK or BOOH, since Overdose's silver cards are mostly toss. Pity. --- Soul Catcher: Leech souls from a distance Cost to place: 500 Rating: 5/5 My favourite card from PK. Equip it and keep it forever, except in levels where there are too few souls to make it worthwhile, ie. the last one. Ascendance: You gain +5 HP capacity Cost to place: 1000 Rating: 1/5 Five more hitpoints? Hurrah! Seriously, if you're at all decent at this game this is pointless and only comes into effect at the beginning of levels or when you find health or super-health pickups, ie. not often. Don't waste 1000 gold on this piffle, though you'll obviously want to use it in Dead Marsh. Hellish armor: You have 20 armour at the beginning of each level Cost to place: 1800 Rating: 1/5 Absurdly priced, to the point where you will almost certainly be unable to afford it when you get it. And armour is armour, but once that 20's gone it's not coming back and you've wasted a card slot for the remainder of the current level. Very much not worth it. Greed: Double the amount of hidden wealth Cost to place: 2000 Rating: 1/5 I never liked this and I still don't. It's far too expensive. If the whole point is to increase my gold why is this thing taking away 2000 of it before I can even begin to collect? I'll spend all my time just trying to make that money up again. No, there are far better silver cards and this is just a waste. And collecting gold from containers and corpses is tedious enough as it is, I don't want to be forced to do as much of it as possible to justify equipping an extortionate card. Grrr! Last Breath: Health regeneration when you're dying Cost to place: 500 Rating: 2/5 Another waste of time. It works only once per level, which is already a bad thing; its purpose is to save your life the first time your health hits 0 by handing you 33 extra health points. From then on it is useless and the only reason to equip it is because you might as well, since the other silver cards you've collected before this one are either too expensive or even more worthless. Dark Soul: Morph into demon form at every 50 souls Cost to place: 400 Rating: 4/5 Increases the frequency of Morphs, so if you like Morphing then this one's for you. And you'll probably equip it anyway when you get it, given the crapness of nearly every other silver card you've earned up to that point. Fear: All enemies have 90% of initial HP Cost to place: 1000 Rating: 3/5 Another one familar from BOOH. The only thing that makes it relatively good in Overdose is that most of the other silver cards are rubbish. Bear in mind that this applies to all monsters, including bosses, which can't be sniffed at. But it still only marginally reduces the difficulty of a game in which most monsters already drop with one or two shots of a given weapon. Divine Intervention (Silver) All cards can be placed for free Cost to place: 0 Rating: 0/5 The single most worthless card in the game, as I've previously said in my Painkiller guide. You get it right at the end of your game, when you no longer need to place cards on the board. Maybe I've missed the point enormously, but I do not know why the hell this card exists in Overdose. I gave it 1/5 in Painkiller because it would be useful in a Trauma game (barely), but there is not a chance in hell that you'll play Overdose on Trauma for any great length of time. -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.3 MONSTERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This section describes all the minions that appear in the game. They're all visually different, but many of them have special abilities which you should be aware of. Some also have immunities or resistances to certain weapons, and most of the monsters are designed to suit the levels in which you meet them. I've given each minion a danger rating from one to five, where a level of one represents little or no danger, and a level of five represents big trouble. These ratings are based on my experiences of each monster - you might totally disagree with them. I've given certain monsters a recommended weapon - these are just my choices based on the fact that some monsters are particularly vulnerable to certain weapons. Some monsters come in normal and giant sizes, but the giant ones are merely a bit tougher, with no added abilities. --- ALTAR BOY --------- Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Bonegun Let them get in close and unload in their cherubic faces - easy enough. ANUBIS ------ Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Rifle Another minion who is half melee, half ranged. Stay out of their way and they will be forced to go with the ranged attacks, which can hurt quite a bit if you're up against more than one. Drop them before anyone else. BANSHEE ------- Danger: 1/5 Other than swiping at you if you get too close, all these things do is scream and darken the place up. Crossbow 'em or something. And then wish you hadn't when the corpse erupts into a cloud of ravens. The giant ones look pretty cool though. BEAST ----- Danger 3/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow We all know these things, they've been hounding us since PK's Castle. One thing I realised in Overdose is that the non-rolling beasts can be avoided simply by walking backwards - do this and they can't touch you, so crossbow them one when they leap and stop. The rolling ones need to be petrified quickly, but they're still vulnerable to the crossbow or bonegun when they pause to turn. Or you can simply walk around them at close range - seriously. BIOMECHANOID ------------ Danger: 1/5 They have a lot more style than most of their peers, but that doesn't make them any harder. They can either swipe at you with their circular saws or douse you with flames at close range, but keep your distance and they'll never hurt you. BLACK DEMON ----------- Danger: 2/5 They're big, but big often means slow. They can, however, take a lot of damage, so get the bonegun or the screamer ready and keep out of the way of those fireballs. Black demons' souls are worth 6 health points instead of one, and are coloured red, not green. BONES ----- Danger: 1/5 These things turned up in PK in great numbers too, but they were never all that difficult. The ones with green, glowing hearts can steal souls away from you in melee, so bonegun them sharpish. Otherwise bog-standard grunts, if pretty fast. You can even kill them before they assemble themselves. BRAIN EATER ----------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow They may not look like much, but in a level like the Dead Marsh they can quickly drain your health, thanks to their hurled poison bombs. They spring out of the corpses of tentacle monsters too, so good luck erasing them with just the razorcube... BURNED ONE ---------- Danger: 1/5 Same as the old zombies from PK; simply introduce them to the evil eye while avoiding the boiling ash they like to hurl around. Don't bother shooting the stationary ones, as they can only be harmed when they begin to move. BUTCHER ------- Danger: 1/5 Horrible looking guys, but easy to take down. BUTCHER COW ----------- Danger: 2/5 Sort of like the butchers' supervisors. No-one knows why these guys exist, and no-one the hell cares. CHOPPER WOMAN ------------- Danger: 4/5 Recommended weapon: Petrifier They move damn fast, though they're basically similar to beasts. Freeze them and shatter them when you get a chance, or quick-jump around them at close range to give them pause for thought. CLOWN ----- Danger: 2/5 They can move quite fast and they lob fireworks around a lot, but, as in BOOH, they're nothing hard to deal with. Just stay quick on your toes. COP --- Danger: 2/5 They're pretty much exactly the same as sado commandos from PK. CORN ---- Danger: 3/5 These weirdos were in BOOH's Loony Park when it first came into being, and here they are, back again. Same deal as before, the worst thing about them is their spray of poison bombs, followed by the poison clouds they leave behind when they die. CYCLOP ------ Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Screamer Big does not equal tough. Scream them to death before they can get their evil eyes working on you (assuming they brought them). You're faster at moving than they are and it shouldn't be tough avoiding the balls of molten rock they'll fling. Cyclops' souls are worth 6 health points instead of one, and are coloured red, not green. DEMON HAND ---------- Danger: 1/5 Basic, green, wormy grunts with a melee thwock and a spray of green lasers to throw at you. So what. Kill 'em. DEVIL MONK --------- Danger: 4/5 Recommended weapon: Screamer I'd recommend the petrifier, if only there weren't so many of them. They only have a melee attack, but this is still a big problem; the red staffs can poison you and the blue ones can slow you, and both do damage. Don't go anywhere near them, as they can kill you off quickly if they surround you, and there will be little you can do about it. The ones in the Dead Marsh are a bit different, but they are noticeably faster above all. At least they have no magical staffs. DRAGONFLY --------- Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Bonegun They're quick and their incendiary barrels are dangerous, but if you just keep moving they have no hope of hitting you. They can actually die on their own if you just stay out of the way, it's just a pity they don't drop souls. ELECTRICIAN ----------- Danger: 4/5 Recommended weapon: Cannon I recommend the cannon because you will meet lots of stage monsters at the same time as the electricians show up, and the cannon is the best against stage monsters. Really, electricians are pretty basic, it's just that they have one of the most painful ranged weapons in the game. You really need to quick-jump like crazy and kill them before they get a chance to buzz you. EXECUTIONER ----------- Danger: 5/5 Recommended weapon: Freezer Among the toughest enemies in the game. Just as hardass as they were in PK, but with the same vulnerabilities. If you don't have petrifier ammo you're going to have a problem; I suggest you fire a crossbow shot into their bellies, as this can drop them in one shot. Otherwise you'll have some work to do, especially considering you'll have to kill off the spiders they summon from corpses. FIREWORKER ---------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow I use the crossbow on these guys, even though you're better off the nearer you are to them - this is because you will often meet rocketeers at the same time, whom you will definitely not want to be anywhere near. Anyway, get in close to fireworkers or else they'll send horribly painful fireworks winging your way. FLAMER ------ Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Petrifier Freeze them fast, then run behind them and shoot their backpacks to make 'em explode. Other weapons will take far longer. Just don't go near them and they're no real problem, to be honest. FRANKENSTEIN ------------ Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow The crossbow seems to be able to bring these guys down faster than the other weapons, though they're still tough mothers whatever you do. No petrifying them either. Luckily, their attacks are not difficult to avoid. GEISHA ------ Danger: 1/5 Similar to nurses, except they have a ranged shuriken attack to go with the fan swipe. These idiots are good for rasing with the razorcube and then getting special loot from the corpses. GHOST ----- Danger: 1/5 Apart from sucking out the odd health point or two, you don't have anything to worry about. They'll go away on their own eventually; just as well, since you can't damage them. GIRL ---- Danger: 2/5 BOOH's little orphans return. Not for long. GLADIATOR --------- BEHEMOTH - Danger: 2/5 Nothing special, like most of the big guys in Overdose. Keep away and bonegun them; there's no reason why they should ever do you damage. Behemoths' souls are worth 6 health points instead of one, and are coloured red, not green. HAMMER - Danger: 2/5 These guys were crap in BOOH, but when you encounter them in Overdose they're twice as large, and therefore twice as tough. This still ain't too tough. ROCK-THROWER - Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Screamer Same as in BOOH. Quick-jump around behind them and bonegun them in the back; otherwise keep moving and stay off the ground. Or you can just scream at them, since the screamer ignores their shields. TEMPLAR - Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Screamer These guys were also in BOOH, and they are also vulnerable to a hearty scream. They're very fast, but the good news is that they always attack first with their shields and these attacks do no damage, so take the opportunity to get out of the way or kill them. GREEN CORN ---------- Danger: 3/5 See corns. GUARDIAN -------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Petrifier They move in fast for a melee kill, but they can also choose to send a high- speed burst of flame your way from a distance. Petrify them as a priority and keep moving to stay out of their way. They don't much like you screaming at them either. HANT ---- Danger: 1/5 They spew blood everywhere and slice your face off, but they're just standard goons, despite looking quite cool and witchy. Why not just call them witches then? HELL ANGEL ---------- Danger: 2/5 Little more than basic rioters, just avoid their grenades. HELL BIKER ---------- Danger: 4/5 Recommended weapon: Petrifier If you can't freeze them then you can egg them (with just one egg each). If you can't egg them then you are dead. They have the horriblest instant-hit weapons in the entire game, and they are tougher than a whale's bollocks. HEN DEMON --------- Danger: 2/5 They won't do major damage, but the difficulty comes in the fact that their numbers are limitless until you kill off the henhouse that spawned them. No souls from these things, otherwise you could get unlimited health. HEN HOUSE --------- Danger 3/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow Get rid of these things as soon as they pop up, unless you like having tons of chickens flying at you, squawking madly. And there's the big daddy of henhouses later, but you can cross that bridge when you come to it. INSANE CULTIST -------------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow Like the brain eaters, they're slow but they toss dangerous poison bombs. Nothing much else to say, except that they remind me of a certain zombie you sometimes found in the basement of a certain mansion in Final Fantasy 7. INSANE VILLAGER --------------- Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Bonegun They behave exactly like lepers, only they're a bit tougher and faster. INVISIBLE MAN ------------- Danger: 1/5 Easy enough to take out, and there aren't many of them to begin with. They look like something out of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal video - brilliant. KRUSTY ------ Danger: 3/5 Bonegun them. Great looking enemies but not original to Overdose. LAB COMMANDO ------------ Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Green goo Any monster with instant-hit weapons can cause problems for your health bar, but if you're a half decent shot then these guys are goners with just one goo or crossbow shot. As usual with ranged monsters, kill them off first and deal with the melee goons later. LEGLESS FREAK ------------- Danger: 1/5 Virtually identical to lepers, attack-wise, though they look a lot weirder. LEPER ----- Danger: 1/5 These are just the zombies from Painkiller's Town level. Not dangerous at all if you spot the giblets they're hurling in time. LEPPER MONK ----------- Danger: 4/5 Recommended weapon: Petrifier There are not many in the game, but the few there are can caue you big problems. Spot them and petrify them fast, though being bounced around is pretty fun. Lepper monks' souls are worth 6 health points instead of one, and are coloured red, not green. LOKHI ----- Danger: 3/5 They still have the same attributes they had in Painkiller, but they're more dangerous now because you meet them in more confined areas. If you can stay out of their way and avoid their leaps you're OK to drop them with a quick bonegun shot, but this may invite spiders to crawl from their corpses. MASTER ------ Danger: 4/5 It's not that they're hugely tough or fast, just very annoying. They come out of nowhere and can disappear back there just as quickly, leaving you standing around, watching the directional arrow until they choose to emerge right in front of you and slice you across the face. The best way to deal with their disappearing act is to face the direction of the arrow and then move backwards just as they reappear in front of you. Then bonegun them. Watch out for their fast ranged attack too. MUMMY ----- Danger: 1/5 Apart from breathing puffs of what looks like ash at you, these slow zombie- like things aren't much danger. Just crossbow them if you can be bothered. MUTANEMO -------- Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Razorcube Fast and scary, but they don't do great damage and they're very weak. Get up off the ground and pick them off at your leisure. Unlike in BOOH, they are now always vulnerable to damage. NINJA ----- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow The crossbow was made to delete these PK goons, but you have to be pretty quick with the trigger. Watch out for the big jumps, the shurikens, the swiping swords and the fact that they always turn up in groups. NURSE ----- Danger: 1/5 Recommended weapon: Razorcube Like geishas without the ranged attack. OVERSEER -------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Bonegun These big green guys are meant to be sort of minibosses, and like all minibosses they tend to drop with just a few blasts of the bonegun. They're immune to the petrifier, but very vulnerable to the quick-jump-in-circles tactic. Not nearly as tough as they look, though I recommend removing them before any other monsters in the area. They can telepathically pick up and throw corpses and other living monsters at you; they can also scoop you in with their boomerang things; club you with their big maces; and I'm pretty sure I once saw one cast armour onto a devil monk. Overseers' souls are worth 6 health points instead of one, and are coloured red, not green. PANZER DEMON ------------ Danger: 5/5 Recommended weapon: Eggs Why this thing is now called a demon, rather than a spider, I don't know. I can't see any difference in its attacks or defense; so use the same techniques as you did in BOOH. Keep moving and use ammo evenly. I love covering its body with eggs and detonating them all at once - great fun. Be off the ground when it stamps. Panzer demons' souls are worth 6 health points instead of one, and are coloured red, not green. PIG AVENGER ----------- Danger: 2/5 Yet another basic melee / ranged monster. There's too many of these pointless minions, dammit. PIRATE ------ Danger: 2/5 Fast melee knobs. PIRATE BOSSMAN -------------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow Same as they were in BOOH. Watch out for the dual cannonballs, and ping them in the head as you pass. PIRATE ZOMBIE ------------- Danger: 1/5 These are the slaves from BOOH. They behave the same and are just as little danger as ever. OK, they're fast, but so are you, so gather them into groups and delete them with some heads. PRIEST ------ Danger: 1/5 Same as psychonuns really. PSYCHO ELEKTRO -------------- Danger: 2/5 These are just figures of flame, whose only attack is a quick melee swipe to the face. Bonegun these gliding jokers. PSYCHONUN --------- Danger: 1/5 These guys are very similar to biomechanoids in the way they move, and they seem to have left some of the dangerous abilities they had in PK behind. Just scream at them until they fall. RADIOACTIVE OPERATOR -------------------- Danger: 2/5 They have a melee attack. They have a ranged attack. They move around slowly. You will be bored. RAVEN ----- Danger: 0/5 As in the other PK games, all these things do is swoop down and feast on corpses, meaning that you have to wait longer for the souls to pop out. You can live with this, so don't waste your ammo on them needlessly. Sometimes they're already flying around, but other times they'll come from banshees' corpses. ROCKETEER --------- Danger: 4/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow They leap around like ninjas and shoot at you with instant-hit bullets; but it's the rocket blasts they unleash when you get too close that really hurt. Stay away and crossbow then when they hit the ground. SAMURAI ------- Danger: 4/5 Recommended weapon: Petrifier These guys are impossibly fast and do sickening damage if you let them. Not content with hacking at you with their giant swords, they also enjoy flinging fire and ice at you at great speeds. Their big leaps can induce panic if you're not expecting them, and to top it all off they have a kamikaze attack which can kill you off with little trouble if you're in the blast area. Get rid of them quick. SCARABEUS --------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Evil eye Their poisonous attacks can greatly slow you down, leaving you very vulnerable to damage from everyone else. Take them out fast and watch out for their standing leaps. As long as you keep your distance they shouldn't hurt you. They will pop out of scorpions if you do enough damage. SCARECROW --------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Bonegun Another of Overdose's fun-looking monsters, but they're nothing new in any other regard. Stay away and kill them before they reach you. SCORPION -------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Evil eye These giant insects are as fast and deadly as they look, and if you don't enjoy getting poisoned you'd better bring them down quickly or get out of the way. Fortunately they're not difficult to kill off with the evil eye, though once achieved this will only produce a scarabeus from the corpse. Scorpions are also immune to the petrifier. Yay. SKELETON SOLDIER ---------------- Danger: 1/5 These PK enemies from the Military Base are as weak and pathetic as ever - just don't get hemmed into a corner by the hordes. SNOW GIANT ---------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Screamer They look worse than they are; no monster droppable with three screams is worth more than three danger points. Their attacks can hurt if you're slow to finish them off, so watch out for rains of molten rock, flying lava boulders from their swinging hammers, or even a swift hammer blow to the skull. The snow giants in Ragnarok look and behave a little differently, but they're just as tough and dangerous as their flame counterparts. Snow giants' souls are worth 6 health points instead of one, and are coloured red, not green. SPIDER ------ Danger: 1/5 These come out of the bodies of lokhis, or alternatively from any corpse if there's an executioner around to summon them. Don't waste your ammo on them - not even the big ones - as they will die on their own eventually, and they won't drop souls. SPIKE DEMON ----------- Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Evil eye These tall, thin efforts come in two flavours: blue and red. The blue ones have no ranged attack but are able to teleport around at speed; the red ones can't teleport but can fire sprayed shots at you. Still, neither variety is particularly dangerous. Using the evil eye on them is the quickest way to get them to drop their souls. SPRAYER ------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Heads Since you need to keep moving and since you need to get rid of as many of these dicks as possible while expending as little ammo as possible, quick-jump around in circles and throw in some heads. Don't get too close, because that spray damn hurts. STAGE MONSTER ------------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Cannon These brilliant little minions are even harder than templars to kill from the front, and even from behind they're still damn tough. Fire cannon blasts at their feet and they should fall fast, though you don't exactly have unlimited cannon ammo. SWARM ----- Danger: 1/5 Recommended weapon: Bonegun Sammael will send these swooping after you, but they're slow and weak. I just tend to stay out of their way with some quick-jumping, rather than waste ammo. SZKOP ----- Danger: 2/5 See skeleton soldiers. TANK ---- Danger: 3/5 There are two types of tank in this game: one is the Studios' classic one from BOOH's Leningrad level, easily cannoned to death; and the other is a towering big thing, chucking cannonballs at you like a pirate bossman. Goo gun that one. TEMPLAR ------- Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Screamer PK's templars. Get round their shields and they're as weak as kittens. TEMPLAR BOSS ------------ Danger 2/5 Recommended weapon: Screamer Big, lumbering gimps, very much the same as black demons. You won't meet them very often and they are so slow and crap that they'll have difficulty hitting you in time at all, even when you move right up and touch them. Templar bosses' souls are worth 6 health points instead of one, and are coloured red, not green. TENTACLE -------- Danger: 4/5 Recommended weapon: Evil eye God, these things are bastards. They move around underground and then sprout up your bottom. Get near enough to them and they unleash a poison cloud, which is just charming for people trying to conserve health. Their distinctive squeal may end up making you sick. Oh, and once you destroy them a lovely brain eater pops out of the stem. Kill tentacles before everything else. TORTURED -------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow Argh, instant-hit weapons! These things alone are proof that Overdose isn't toally bereft of new ideas; just try to get a good look at one at close quarters and you'll see what I mean. And then kill the poor bugger anyway. VALKYRA ------- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Petrifier They're just like PK's templar knights, so petrify them and don't shoot their shields. VAMP ---- Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Petrifier There's only two of them in the game (Studios) and you can freeze them both with just one single shot of the petrifier. VIKING ------ Danger: 2/5 Bearded melee warriors who can berserk, making them twice as hardy. When this happens you'll see red skulls floating around their faces. VIKING BISON-HEAD ----------------- Danger: 3/5 Bigger, tougher vikings who take longer to kill off. The game calls them viking_bh's, so I guessed this meant bison-head. Is this likely? No. Do I care? Not a lemon-scented prolapse. WALKING TREE ------------ Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow Their poison breath is pretty bad, but not if you're too far away for it to hit you. And these things are slow enough to let you keep your distance, so send two crossbow bolts their way. WHEELCHAIR VETERAN ------------------ Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Crossbow I never had any trouble with these things; even the two big ones who don't drop souls. The best way to remove them is to just fire a crossbow quarrel into the middle of their wheelchairs - this blows them up in one shot. WHITE DEMON ----------- Danger: 2/5 See black demons. WINGED DEMON ------------ Danger: 1/5 Recommended weapon: Bonegun See dragonflies. WITCH ----- Danger: 3/5 Recommended weapon: Screamer What makes these things dangerous is that you can run into a horde of ground enemies while trying to snipe them on their way past. Use instant-hit weapons and keep moving around to dodge their fireballs. Try to kill them in the local area, so that their souls can still be collected. ZOMBIE ------ Danger: 2/5 Recommended weapon: Bonegun These are the same as the zombies from BOOH - they'll explode suicidally when you get too near, otherwise they'll just lumber around after you. Not dangerous if you stay away. ZOMBIE SOLDIER -------------- Danger: 1/5 The most basic melee grunt there is. -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- /============================================================================\ -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- \============================================================================/ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- @----------------------@ | 3. WALKTHROUGH | @----------------------@ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- This is the main walkthrough section, taking you through each level until the final confrontation with Sammael himself. In order to write this guide I played Overdose on Nightmare difficulty. If you are playing at a different difficulty setting your game experiences might differ from mine. I've taken note of each level's details, such as numbers of monsters, ammo, holy items, etc. I've also noted the tarot card condition for each of the levels, as well as the card you'll acquire when you successfully complete them. Within each walkthrough section are my notes on checkpoint locations and the progress I made towards picking up each level's tarot card. You might tackle certain things in a different order, or achieve different tarot card scores or whatever. My notes are just meant to give you some orientation rather than be considered rules carved in stone. Good luck :) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.1 - LEVEL 1/1 CATACLYSM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This trek through the streets of a town being swallowed by a volcano gets the game off to a strong start. There are plenty of fire-based monstrosities waiting to flush your remains into the nearest lava pit, so you'd better learn your new weapons fast. --- MONSTERS (192): BURNED ONE, CYCLOP, GLADIATOR (ROCK-THROWER, TEMPLAR), GUARDIAN, OVERSEER, PSYCHO ELEKTRO, SNOW GIANT GOLD: 732 ARMOUR: 6 HOLY ITEMS: 1 AMMO: 75 OBJECTS: 76 SECRET AREAS: 2 TAROT CARD CONDITION: DESTROY ALL OBJECTS -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Right, here goes. Whip out your evil eye and start deleting the burned ones. With their demise you are free to destroy the barrel and the vase, pick up all the ammo packs (including the one behind the statue), and leap happily into the first checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 1] [TAROT CONDITION: 2 OBJECTS DESTROYED] Now you've got the razorcube and you can use it to clear away more burned ones, as well as destroy any barrels and vases you find in this next little courtyard. If you stick to the outer circle of this area you can destroy all the vases in peace; moving into the middle area spawns the enemies. Lastly, pick up the ammo packs before hitting the next checkpoint in the doorway. [CHECKPOINT 2] [TAROT CONDITION: 12 OBJECTS DESTROYED] You've been rewarded with the bonegun, which is just as well as it's the best weapon to use when dealing with psycho elektros, two of which can be found in the next room. Bone them to the deck, so to speak, and then take out the burned ones. Smash up the containers, including the chest on the table, then hit the checkpoint in the doorway. [CHECKPOINT 3] [TAROT CONDITION: 23 OBJECTS DESTROYED] More psychos and burned ones out here, and they're joined by a few guardians. Run over to the corner of the wall ahead to the left to pick up three packs of bonegun ammo and then get the bonegun working. Keep moving, but stay away from the pit in the middle of the square. With all the enemies dead there is more ammo to pick up and more objects to destroy. The checkpoint is off to the right of the pit. [CHECKPOINT 4] [TAROT CONDITION: 32 OBJECTS DESTROYED] Get rid of a couple of gladiators and a guardian (cross the central bridge or go behind the large piece of rubble to get out of the way), smash up six more objects around the room, then go to the checkpoint in the doorway. [CHECKPOINT 5] [TAROT CONDITION: 38 OBJECTS DESTROYED] This next room has some armour in the middle pit; jump in, grab it, then quick-jump up the fallen pillar in the corner. You might want to leave the armour for afterwards, but just don't forget to pick it up. More gladiators are roaming around the upper areas and the rock-throwers have annoying shields to protect themselves with. Unfortunately for them, the screamer doesn't give a toss about shields, so drop these fools, destroy the chests and vases, then go back through the doorway you just came from. [CHECKPOINT 5] [TAROT CONDITION: 45 OBJECTS DESTROYED] Clear out four more gladiators and head outside. This is the other half of the wide open square you were in earlier, only this time you have to deal with psychos, burned ones, guardians, and even a big cyclop. Straight away, run up to the right, upstairs and along the side of the building. Here you'll find a health pickup and also a secret area in the back corner, containing a medium armour and a mega-ammo pack. ~ This is a good place to hide and just let the monsters come at you one by one. The best thing to do here is just to pick up enough souls to allow you to hit a Morph, then clear everyone else out with that. Get the souls and go upstairs to the checkpoint at the door. Don't worry, you didn't miss any breakable objects, though there's plenty of ammo about. [CHECKPOINT 6] [TAROT CONDITION: 45 OBJECTS DESTROYED] A big room full of burned ones and guardians. Kill enough of them and another cyclop appears, but one or two blasts of the old screamer will show him what's what. Destroy all the objects in the main room, and don't forget the ones in the back room which opens when the cyclop dies; in there is another armour and some more bonegun ammo, though you'll have two more gladiators trying to jump you. Head back outside and down to the left. [CHECKPOINT 7] [TAROT CONDITION: 59 OBJECTS DESTROYED] In this street are more monsters, including your first snow giant. Get rid of him fast with the screamer (you should have plenty ammo), then finish off his friends. Go around the corner to the right and start clearing out all the enemies who appear around the stairs. There's another snow giant but you know what to do. Pick up the ammo and go up to the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 8] [TAROT CONDITION: 59 OBJECTS DESTROYED] Peek through the doorway and you can see the cyclops waiting on top of the side walls, though you can't damage them yet. Run out and wait for the guardians to appear, and be sure to pick up the mega-ammo pack and the super health at either end of the long pillar corridor (avoid the fire pit). Keep moving and working with the screamer, and by the time you're finished you'll have cleared out some gladiators, guardians, a few cyclops and another snow giant. Head to the checkpoint and try not to let any of the falling pillars hit you. [CHECKPOINT 9] [TAROT CONDITION: 59 OBJECTS DESTROYED] Collect the armour and ammo from the corridor and then head into the room to deal with some more gladiators. With them gone you have to pick up the heavy armour from the side room with the lava pouring down the wall in order to make a couple of psychos appear back in the main room. Try not to Morph in here - it's a waste. Once you've gotten rid of them and destroyed all the objects, you might want to jump into the left corner of the pouring lava to pick up the holy item from the second secret area. ~ Then go to the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 10] [TAROT CONDITION: 70 OBJECTS DESTROYED] The last six objects are the vases at the top of the stairs ahead, though the falling lava tends to destroy two or three of them. Take care of the others once you've gotten rid of the last bunch of minions in this street (I Morphed in here which made it much easier). Collect the ammo and go to the final checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 11] [TAROT CONDITION: 76 OBJECTS DESTROYED] This is the final showdown with an assortment of tits, all of whom can be expeditiously removed with the good old screamer. Toughest to take down is the towering overseer, but this is one of those battles where, if you keep quick- jumping around in circles, you can incite the monsters to start warring with each other. And while they're occupied you can take them down. Stay out of the way of the overseer's boomerang attack, and kill him and everyone else to open the exit. --- TAROT CARD: Speed (Gold) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.2 - LEVEL 1/2 JAPANESE MASSACRE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This level's tarot condition is infuriating because you have to beware of breaking any containers before you're ready to collect the gold within. Most of the minions in here are fast and deadly, so having to watch for gold lying around is a pain. Bear in mind that special loot (collected from enemy corpses) won't count toward your 400 gold, no matter how many pieces you collect. Altogether a bit of a boring level, but at least you get to practice with the crossbow. Don't jump in the water - water, as everyone knows, kill demons like you instantly. --- MONSTERS (200): BLACK DEMON, GEISHA, MASTER, NINJA, SAMURAI GOLD: 412 ARMOUR: 2 AMMO: 63 OBJECTS: 72 TAROT CARD CONDITION: FIND AT LEAST 400 GOLD -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Grab the lovely crossbow and the ammo and go through the doorway. On your left is more crossbow ammo which should help get rid of the ninjas in this first street. Try not to destroy the containers before you have time and space to pick up the gold. Destroy the vases beside the first checkpoint before touching it. [CHECKPOINT 1] [TAROT CONDITION: 14 GOLD FOUND] Another street of ninjas, plus one or two samurai. Bonegun them and get the gold. [CHECKPOINT 2] [TAROT CONDITION: 31 GOLD FOUND] Keep moving in this room and the ninjas should give you few problems. The samurai will spawn in, accompanied by some masters, but there's nothing the bonegun can't handle. Get rid of the masters damn fast, and get the gold quick if you destroy any chests. [CHECKPOINT 3] [TAROT CONDITION: 79 GOLD FOUND] Yet another street. Drop left off the stairs and get the gold in the pot next to you and in the one down on the left. Now head back up the street and hit the vase on the near side of the doorway on the left, and also the other pot on the other side of the stairs. You can collect the gold from all four of these without triggering the enemy spawn, then shoot out the vase to the right of the doorway and collect it to bring in the enemies. Get all the pickups from the end of the street and start bringing down all these ninjas and the two masters fast, without having to worry about missing any gold by accident. Now head through that doorway and take down four more masters with the bonegun. [CHECKPOINT 4] [TAROT CONDITION: 96 GOLD FOUND] This little corridor is annoying as hell if you want the coins from the barrels and the big pot. The best way I've come up with to get through this bit is to kill three of the first four samurai who spawn in, then collect the gold while the fourth one chases you up and down. Decoy him back down to the checkpoint end, kill him, then spam the rest of the enemies with heads and bonegun shots. Try to collect souls if you can, though it's dangerous in such a confined space. [CHECKPOINT 5] [TAROT CONDITION: 104 GOLD FOUND] This big room holds a few geishas, easy to dispatch with the razorcube. I suggest you collect the gold once the geishas are dead to be sure you have it all. Move to the checkpoint, it should disappear and you'll have to approach the doorway on the opposite side of the room. It will close and more geishas and masters will spawn in, so take them down before collecting all the gold and ammo from the room. A Morph helps greatly here. Go through to the next room once they're all dead, smash up the containers for the gold, and duck outside to the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 6] [TAROT CONDITION: 196 GOLD FOUND] Move very carefully behind the piggy bank and push it away from the water, then smash it open for a big explosion of gold. Back indoors, the room will fill up to dangerous levels with samurai and geishas, so make it easy on yourself and head through to the other room, then turn around and give 'em the evil eye till they're all dead. [CHECKPOINT 7] [TAROT CONDITION: 211 GOLD FOUND] Go straight ahead until you're outside, by the water. Some ninjas and a samurai should begin appearing, so take them down with some nice crossbow work. Don't miss the two barrels on the way to the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 8] [TAROT CONDITION: 215 GOLD FOUND] Snipe the ninjas out while you're trying to get the money from the piggy banks, as well as collecting the mega-ammo pack. Those swinging spiky balls do annoying damage, so time your moves. With the spawning ninjas across the water dead you can move around to the right to meet more, as well as a couple of masters. Get rid of everyone and collect the gold from any remaining containers. The ones under the steps are annoying but they only contain one piece each, so don't worry too much if you miss one or even both because you couldn't squeeze under there. [CHECKPOINT 9] [TAROT CONDITION: 251 GOLD FOUND] "It's pagoda time!" You need the space in the main room to quick-jump around in, because there are lots of samurai anxious to smear you on the floor. Get the crossbow or the screamer working, and try to get rid of the masters as soon as you see them - you don't need them turning invisible because you then stand a very good chance of taking damage when they reappear up your arse. Collect all the gold and get to the checkpoint at the bottom of the stairs. [CHECKPOINT 10] [TAROT CONDITION: 285 GOLD FOUND] Wait until the swinging logs have swung towards you and up, then run under them to reach the top of the stairs. Get the ammo and gold nearby, then run around to the middle of the room for some armour. More geishas and masters in here, so get rid of the geishas and try and collect the gold before the masters and black demons come in. You should probably Morph in here and this is ideal since masters and demons need to be dealt with quick. Get all the ammo and hit the final checkpoint at the bottom of the stairs. [CHECKPOINT 11] [TAROT CONDITION: 316 GOLD FOUND] This final room has yet more masters, geishas and demons, so keep moving and use the screamer and bonegun to get them all out of the way fast. Keep an eye out for any broken containers and grab the gold before it vanishes. Trigger your Speed card in here if you haven't already. The exit appears with the final enemy dead. [TAROT CONDITION: 412 GOLD FOUND] --- TAROT CARD: Endurance (Gold) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.3 - LEVEL 1/3 DESERT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This level takes a while to get exciting, but you'll have to crawl through various stretches of boring sand until that happens. I thought they could have done more with the end; maybe have you exploring inside a pyramid and avoiding horrible traps (I know there's a bit of this, but not nearly enough). Instead it's a bit toss. Oh well. If you can't pick up ammo boxes when you find them unload a couple of rounds of ammo from the appropriate weapon to make room, since you don't want to have to come all the way back later. Also make sure you destroy containers with the razorcube to conserve ammo. You can only kill 225 of the 248 monsters in here (unpatched). This is one of the errors I mentioned in the guide's introduction. --- MONSTERS (248): ANUBIS, BONES, GLADIATOR (HAMMER), LOKHI, MUMMY, MUTANEMO, PIRATE ZOMBIE, SCARABEUS, SCORPION, SPIDER, TEMPLAR BOSS GOLD: 672 ARMOUR: 4 HOLY ITEMS: 1 AMMO: 59 OBJECTS: 109 SECRET AREAS: 1 TAROT CARD CONDITION: FIND ALL AMMO -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Head towards the flaming torches to find the cannon, and get blasting with it to take out the bones and scarabs. You can avoid the scarabs easily by standing on the big rock. The ammo boxes are all around the pillars at the torch end of this area, so pick them all up and hit the checkpoint when the monsters are dead. [CHECKPOINT 1] [TAROT CONDITION: 5 AMMO BOXES FOUND] Run forwards and pick up the armour in the centre of this stretch of sand, then get working on the scarabs, mummys and bones. There are three more ammo boxes on the ground before the next gate, and the first secret area is above you. Reach the heavy armour up there by quick-jumping up the giant spine. ~ Make sure you pick up either or both armours before moving on, since this area will lock when you move into the next one and won't reopen until you complete the level. The next area will fill up quickly, and this time you've got some giant scorpions to deal with. This will be easier if you just quick-jump down to the far end of the area and up into the last cave on the left, in which is the level's only holy item (though it's not counted as a secret area). From in here it's not hard to peek out from safety and just unload with the evil eye on the silly sods hanging around outside. Collect the seven ammo boxes dotted around here and hit the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 2] [TAROT CONDITION: 15 AMMO BOXES FOUND] Only three ammo boxes in this next area: one on your right as you enter, one in the second cave on the right, and the third in the last cave on the left, down at the other end. Take out all the minions and pay special care to removing the two anubises who emerge after everyone else. [CHECKPOINT 3] [TAROT CONDITION: 18 AMMO BOXES FOUND] This next area is pretty tough; keep moving and use the rifle to get rid of all the fast monsters charging at you, including the horrible mutanemos. Keep collecting the souls and push yourself to a Morph, and pick up the six ammo boxes when you're done. [CHECKPOINT 4] [TAROT CONDITION: 24 AMMO BOXES FOUND] You might want to use the evil eye to blow up the barrels before going in there - no-one likes an accidental barrel on the bonce while fighting giant scorpions. Move in and take down the scorpions, then some anubises, then some more scorpions. [CHECKPOINT 5] [TAROT CONDITION: 24 AMMO BOXES FOUND] Get the bonegun out and clear this corridor of everything you see. Some lokhis will pop up, so watch out for any spiders they bring out when you kill off everything else. [CHECKPOINT 6] [TAROT CONDITION: 29 AMMO BOXES FOUND] Finally, something interesting. This little courtyard is tight and annoying, so make it easier by charging up the stairs to the left and grabbing the armour. Stay up there and try to pick off the goons down in the lower levels from safety, though go for the souls when they appear. Once all the ones in the lower area are dead more will spawn upstairs. Deal with the ones who come looking for you, collect all the ammo and gold from the lower levels, then run up and down the stairs to bait the bones into following you. Drop them all on the stairs with some shots of something and make sure you have the five ammo boxes to pick up before you move up to the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 7] [TAROT CONDITION: 34 AMMO BOXES FOUND] Move downstairs past the spiky balls, and collect the two ammo boxes from the lower room, once you've gotten the mummys out of the way. Through to the next room you will have to fight off more mummys and anubises, though this fight is as easy as walking around in circles while you unload your bonegun at them. Plenty more ammo and gold to be had before you touch the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 8] [TAROT CONDITION: 41 AMMO BOXES FOUND] Shoot the barrel out and then hit that corpse with your razorcube for up to four pieces of special loot. A Morph will help greatly in the next room, otherwise you'll have to keep your rifle going until all those anubises and mummys are down. More ammo packs in here, including one on the central platform and a mega-ammo pack in the sandy pit down on the right. Before hitting the checkpoint make sure you shoot out the barrel in the back left corner and the big coffin to the left of the checkpoint corridor: both contain corpses for special loot. [CHECKPOINT 9] [TAROT CONDITION: 46 AMMO BOXES FOUND] Move through and get the mega-ammo pack on your left and the two crossbow boxes on your right. There are more ammo boxes up the top of this auditorium, but you'll have to kill off the many enemies who will turn up to keep you company while you collect them. Try to bait a lot of them towards the big bunch of barrels down low, then shoot the barrels from a distance for a hefty explosion. There's armour down low and health up high. It's also helpful to lob heads down the stairs at enemies bunched at the bottom. The giant templar bosses will turn up last of all (accompanied by a couple of hammer gladiators whose presence remains unexplained) and they are just as easy (or hard) to take out as the black demons you met in the previous level were. With all the monsters gone the exit will appear. [TAROT CONDITION: 59 AMMO BOXES FOUND] --- TAROT CARD: Soul Catcher (Silver) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.4 - LEVEL 1/4 ASTEROIDS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I know PK has come up with some weird and wonderful places but I never thought I'd see anything like this. It marks the first appearance of the skull-blade, which definitely comes in handy in large outdoor areas and when facing fast- moving creatures like psychonuns and devil monks. This is another level where the monster count exceeds the maximum kill count. --- MONSTERS (290): BIOMECHANOID, BLACK DEMON, DEMON HAND, DEVIL MONK, GLADIATOR (BEHEMOTH), PSYCHONUN, SPIKE DEMON GOLD: 328 ARMOUR: 4 AMMO: 56 OBJECTS: 82 SECRET AREAS: 1 TAROT CARD CONDITION: KEEP HP ABOVE 50 -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Run down the stairs and grab the skull-blade, then around to the left of the stairs to get the bonegun ammo. There is more skull-blade ammo against the front of the structure in the centre of this area, and crossbow ammo on the left side. With Soul Catcher equipped you'll have made it easier on yourself if you're trying for this level's card, but picking up the souls here can still be tricky. Stick with the evil eye if you're hitting the spike demons, since most other weapons will leave their souls miles away. You'll have to clear out a lot of spikes, biomechanoids and demon hands, but all of this can be done by just walking around with the evil eye or bonegun - not difficult. Shoot out those boxes with the crystals to get gold, but don't get to close to them or the explosions will damage you. These boxes are dotted throughout the level and blowing them up while enemies are nearby can get interesting results. The checkpoint appears at the back of the area when the monsters are dead. [CHECKPOINT 1] [TAROT CONDITION: 131 HP / 0 ARMOUR] I like the screamer for this bridge, especially since there's ammo for it nearby. Clear out the psychonuns and grab all the souls you can; try not to fall through the bridge, then head down the far stairs when you're done. Start collecting the ammo from all around this next area, then run up the stairs in the middle. Quick-jump into the health floating in the centre (you can't miss it) and you'll teleport to a big broken area off to one side. Make your way down and pick up the armour and mega-ammo pack in this secret area. ~ There is a green teleporter just under the armour - walk into it to reappear where you were. Now start killing off the many enemies who start turning up. Keep moving and make sure your health doesn't drop below 51 (the armour should make this easier). The checkpoint will appear but then it'll vanish again, and more goons will jump you from behind. Do the usual but try not to Morph, and then get to the real checkpoint up the stairs. [CHECKPOINT 2] [TAROT CONDITION: 147 HP / 86 ARMOUR] Collect the gold and ammo on either side of you and then quick-jump across the bridge, into the green glow. This is a teleporter which will dump you on the far side, so go downstairs and prepare for another fight. A Morph in here is good, and so is using the various teleporters to keep out of harm's way. Again, keep moving and cranking up the screamer and you should be fine. Some black demons will emerge towards the end. Kill 'em and hit the checkpoint in the central exit teleporter to get transported outside. You'll get that armour on the checkpoint later; but that health pickup hovering in the sky can be reached by quick-jumping up the nearby spiky thing. [CHECKPOINT 3] [TAROT CONDITION: 196 HP / 85 ARMOUR] Walk onto the glass around you and it will break, dropping you down into a long room. Kill off the biomechs with the crossbow and pick up the ammo. A door will come down at the inner end of the corridor, and when you approach it two more biomechs turn up. Delete them and go to the checkpoint on the right. [CHECKPOINT 4] [TAROT CONDITION: 209 HP / 85 ARMOUR] Pick up the ammo from the outskirts of this big room, and the health pickup at the back. Lots of devil monks and biomechs join the battle, so stick with the rifle, crossbow or skull-blade. Pick up all the souls you can get and then go to the checkpoint away to the left. [CHECKPOINT 5] [TAROT CONDITION: 232 HP / 85 ARMOUR] Inside the fenced area is a green teleporter among the yellow lights. Move in and you get put outside again to kill off more spikes, biomechs and a couple of black demons. Again, try not to Morph, and pick up all the ammo. Another teleporter appears in the centre, so go into it and reappear where you were a minute ago. Kill off more biomechs, and Morph if you want. The checkpoint appears at the other side. [CHECKPOINT 6] [TAROT CONDITION: 263 HP / 83 ARMOUR] Hit the teleporter and emerge at an area you visited before, pick up the armour if needed, and the mega-ammo pack as the door comes down, and move inside. This room has four corner teleporters which you can use if you're having trouble, but the screamer can do a good job for you in here, as the monsters tend to turn up in straight lines. Pick up the ammo and try not to get blown up by barrels, then go to the next checkpoint when everyone except you is dead. [CHECKPOINT 7] [TAROT CONDITION: 289 HP / 93 ARMOUR] Some spikes appear downstairs, so send some skulls their way and pick up the ammo packs. There's a mega-ammo pack to the left, at the bottom of the stairs, then you have to head round to the left, cross the bridge amd jump into the green glow. Pick up the gold and go downstairs into a little outdoor area and kill off a few spikes and demon hands. [CHECKPOINT 8] [TAROT CONDITION: 295 HP / 93 ARMOUR] Stay down the bottom of the stairs and evil eye whoever appears at the top. If you do Morph then make sure you run into the next area to get full use out of it. This big area is a great place to use the cannon and also the crossbow's zoom. It has many boxes which can be used to blow apart the varied goons, and also plenty of ammo. A Morph won't hurt either. Just keep moving and use distance weapons. Watch out for the big, slow behemoth gladiator towards the end, and grab his red soul. [CHECKPOINT 9] [TAROT CONDITION: 323 HP / 93 ARMOUR] Another staircase full of idiots, just asking to be introduced to your cannon and rifle. Keep out of the way of those staffs. Up top is a small roof area into which will spawn another bundle of morons, so use the boxes intelligently and watch the health. Finish off a black demon as a sort of dessert, then move into the red teleporter in the wall. The final showdown with a few biomechs and a handful of behemoth gladiators. The behemoths can be dropped easily with the screamer or a few lobbed heads, and the exit appears once they're dead and buried. [TAROT CONDITION: 379 HP / 150 ARMOUR] --- TAROT CARD: Ascendance (Silver) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.5 - LEVEL 1/5 DEAD MARSH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Possibly the most frustrating PK level ever if you want the card. Try it and you'll see what I mean. This level is kind of like the Desert level - the better bits come later. I hated this one. The best way to kill enemies with the razorcube is to fire the cube somewhere near their feet from a distance, then quick-jump past them and turn around, so that your laser appears and begins cutting them up. Keep sidestepping their attacks and keep your crosshairs on the cube to keep the laser up at the same time. This is very hard to do against multiple enemies, which is what makes this level so infuriating. Although I managed to get this level's card in the Overdose demo, numerous crashes hounded me in both the demo and the retail versions, to the point where I was forced to use godmode to get through the last few checkpoints, otherwise I couldn't reload from any savegames. If you're having the same problem I suggest you cheat to get past - it's not quite cheating if unpassable crashes leave you no other option for actually continuing the game. See section 1.1 for information about the Powermad mod. --- MONSTERS (301): BRAIN EATER, DEVIL MONK, INSANE CULTIST, LEPER, OVERSEER, TENTACLE MONSTER GOLD: 354 ARMOUR: 1 AMMO: 61 OBJECTS: 99 TAROT CARD CONDITION: FINISH THE LEVEL USING ONLY RAZORCUBE -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- It's not hard to use the razorcube to get rid of all the devil monks in here, but try not to get trapped in a corner. Slash them up if you do, then get the special gold out of the corpse in the back left corner. The checkpoint appears in the doorway. [CHECKPOINT 1] Get rid of the cultists as a priority as they can seriously sap your health, but keep moving to stay out of the monks' way. Get the gold out of the corpses and move on. [CHECKPOINT 2] This big area has a lot of room to quick-jump around in, which you'll have to do if you want to avoid all the poison coming your way. Leave the monks till last and reload if you lose too much health. Use the cube part of the razorcube and hope for some lucky shots. The best way to deal with the irritating cultists is to wait until they throw a poison bomb at you, then move in close to them, let them walk slowly towards you and then repeatedly bounce the cube off them - they drop fast this way. There is a bug which can trap you in the wall when you collect the gold from the urns opposite the doorway you entered through - save before you go near them just in case, since you don't want to have to do all that again. [CHECKPOINT 3] This is where things really get infuriating. Quick-jump like crazy and take down your enemies from a distance. There's really no place to hide, so just save after every enemy you kill without losing any health. This is where you find out whether or not you're any good with the razorcube. [CHECKPOINT 4] Move carefully along this path and step back when the tentacles appear in the water. Cube them carefully one by one and work your way to the end where two cultists will pop up. Send them the cube from afar, grab the souls and the gold, and up to the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 5] This area isn't as hard as you might think, just quick-jump around and get the razorcube working. You'll get a Morph in here too and it's a good place to use it. Staffless monks and lepers are not difficult enemies anyway. Get all the gold from the containers and go upstairs to the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 6] Another pathway through water - do the same as you did last time. The gate will open when you kill the three tentacles, so head in and start quick- jumping around the centre in circles, taking potshots with the cube over and over. You'll kill these brain eaters and cultists eventually and they don't get much chance to fire poison bombs. [CHECKPOINT 7] Two more tentacles before the next gate - kill them and open it. More tentacles await in the water beyond, but stay out of their way while you kill the two monks heading towards you. Into the next area the gate will shut behind you and it's back to what you were doing earlier. Take down the tentacles first and hoard that health like crazy. Quicksave after every downed enemy (seriously) and pick up every dropped soul. There's a health pickup but not much else by way of good news. This is the worst area in the level and in the game up to this point. I once did this area after a million reloads and the last enemy I needed to kill had mistakenly spawned behind the next door, which meant I couldn't kill it to get the checkpoint, and I had to reload from the last one. I was less than enraptured. The checkpoint appears in the big doorway - hit it and unclench. And get the gold from the two corpses. [CHECKPOINT 8] Upstairs you will find two cultists. Kill them. Upstairs again to a corridor of monks. Kill them too and head into the next big setpiece area for more 'fun'. There are three nuggets of good news awaiting here. One is that there are no tentacles; two is that the area is much bigger than the ones before and so it's far easier to avoid poison bombs; three is that if you're using Soul Catcher you're probably reaching a Morph. Use it as soon as possible and bring down the monks and the giant cultist who appear in the central room. Pick up the armour (hmm, more good news) and hit the next checkpoint in the doorway. [CHECKPOINT 9] The next few areas can be pretty infuriating - you're just moving downhill and dealing with insane cultists. It's hard to kill them outright ad collect their souls without taking health loss, so just do your best and work your way down to a little area surrounded by water. Some brain eaters will pop up when you approach the door, but they're easy to kill off and their souls are handy. [CHECKPOINT 10] No tentacles are waiting to jump you on this pathway, but they will appear once you pass the trees and get out in the open. More running and quick- jumping to do here, you know the drill. In my experience the winged demons will eventually die on their own, so don't waste your time on them, though I wouldn't stand still either. Don't touch any of the water, not even the still pools, and you can retreat to the safe, tree-lined pathway if you need to take a breather. [CHECKPOINT 11] Sigh. Keep moving, don't touch the water, blah blah. Leave the winged demons alone and take out the tentacles at the slightest opportunity. I know it's getting so unspeakably boring but you're very close to the end now. Suck it up. Some giant cultists and brain eaters materialise on the stairs just when you think things are calming down, so stay out of their way until you're ready to kill them off. With all the goons gone the checkpoint turns up on the stairs. [CHECKPOINT 12] Sprint along the bridge and take out the giant monks and cultists in your way. Killing them all off opens the next door, though don't be surprised if some of their souls are uncollectable, having dropped into the water. Yay, the end is in sight and there's only this enormous space to clear out before the card is yours and fun can return to the game. After a few moments of quiet some giant monks and cultists will turn up, aided and abetted by an arbitrary overseer. He won't be smiling if you can manage to get a Morph and drop him with one shot; but you won't be smiling if you arse it up. You know everything I'm going to say because you've been doing it for the last half hour. This is one of the easier areas in this level and you have plenty of space and lots of souls to use. Predictably, more enemies turn up when you delete the first lot, but you completely expected that. Get the hell out of there when that exit appears. --- TAROT CARD: Haste (Gold) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.6 - LEVEL 1/6 BLACK TOWER ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is lemon squeezy, the simplest and most pathetic boss ever to appear in Painkiller, and that includes Lucifer. Failing to beat this clown in under a minute is embarrassing. --- BOSS: GUARDIAN TAROT CARD CONDITION: KILL GUARDIAN IN LESS THAN 03:00 -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- If this tart looks familiar it's because he's basically just a gigantic version of the common guardian minion. How cheap. As soon as your weapon appears switch to the crossbow and aim it at Guardian. He will stop moving around and start throwing balls of molten rock at you. He seems to have three attacks: individual rocks, sprays of smaller rocks, and a combination of both at once. Sidestep everything (you won't even need to quick-jump) and shoot the bolts at whatever part of his body is glowing yellow as he throws. The evil eye is better against this guy, but you don't have ammo for it when the level begins. If you take too long about finishing Guardian he will spawn some psycho elektros on the island you're stuck on, but these are easy to get rid of with the bonegun. Various pickups - health, mega-ammo packs, light armour - will also be spawning in the middle of your little island, so you should have no difficulty in taking Guardian down, especially if you trigger your gold cards into the bargain. There is techincally only one monster in this level - Guardian himself; however, the psycho elektros drop souls (wtf), which means that you can hit a Morph in here if you're willing to stick around long enough. It won't do you much good though, since Guardian is immune to Morph shots. Oh well, at least those souls can give you a bit more health. Anyway, finish him and then jump into the exit and pick up your new card. --- TAROT CARD: Steps of thunder (Gold) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.7 - LEVEL 2/1 RIOT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is an improvement over the last minion level - Dead Marsh - which isn't saying much. It's like Duke Nukem 3D or Streets Of Rage or something. Use your weapons intelligently and it's less difficult than if you go at it ham-fisted, but by now you're probably getting the feeling that Overdose is not the sort of game you can rampage through fearlessly. --- MONSTERS (228): COP, FLAMER, HELL ANGEL, HELL BIKER, NURSE, SPRAYER GOLD: 260 ARMOUR: 2 AMMO: 51 OBJECTS: 61 TAROT CARD CONDITION: FINISH THE LEVEL WITHOUT ANY ARMOR RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- GOLD: Endurance / Haste / Steps of thunder -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Move up the hill as soon as you spawn in to pick up the two mega-ammo packs - you need the freezer rounds. Kill off all the beasts with petrifier / bonegun combos, then take down the big guy in the middle. Keep moving to avoid the rocks which are falling for no obvious reason, then hit the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 1] Pick up the ammo beside you, but not the much-needed armour. Move forwards along this little corridor until the sprayers spawn in, then take them down with the evil eye and screamer before you lose any health. Farther along some more tits will turn up, so scream them down or chuck in a few heads. Alternatively, you could run forwards and hide behind the bunch of barrels, then when they all follow you you can run back out and shoot out the barrels to down a few at once. Anyway, pick up the gold and ammo, and touch the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 2] This first street will slowly fill up with sprayers and hell angels, and your best bet is probably to quick-jump around until they've all bunched up together, then just lob in some heads to kill them all at once. You'll probably take damage at some point in here anyway, but hopefully not too much. Pick up all the ammo boxes before you go to the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 3] This street is more interesting - kill any rioters among the first few who come down to look for you, then just quick-jump around the big fight at the top of the hill. Don't get involved yet, just pick up the souls and stay out of trouble until they've all killed each other off. At that point more will spawn in and these you will have to kill by yourself - a few good screams and they're history, but take out the rioters first, as their bullets hurt more than the cops' grenades. The checkpoint appears in the little doorway halfway down the hill. [CHECKPOINT 4] Head upstairs and poke your head through the door to pique the interest of the bunch of cops, angels, bikers and nurses who are inexplicably mingling in this little room. If you're anything like me you'll hit a Morph around here, so use it to kill this first bunch if possible. Another tiny handful will come when the first lot are gone - get rid of 'em sharpish. Nothing difficult as long as you're a decent shot with the old bonegun. [CHECKPOINT 5] You'll meet your first flamer in here, but he's not too hard if you petrify him and then shoot his backpack from behind to blow him up. With him gone more trouble vectors in; this is a great place to try out the skull-blades, just so long as you don't stop moving. Another big fight will start here after you've killed some more guys, so take advantage and stay out of the sprayers' way if possible. Save your ammo for whoever is left standing, grab the ammo, hit the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 6] Another street and this one's a lot tougher. Skull-blades are not a good idea here, as they will disappear as soon as they touch a flamer. Go with the screamer and eggs and it shouldn't be too tough. The checkpoint appears at the far end of the street, but some more sprayers ambush you as you approach it, including a solitary lowlife behind you - keep your eyes open and rifle the buggers. [CHECKPOINT 7] Have the screamer ready and drop the cops as soon as they jump out. The flamer is tougher but he should be killable before he reaches you. Out to another street and this is somewhere you definitely want to Morph in. Otherwise you'll be forced to either use your gold cards or become an unholy shot with the crossbow. Morph or use your cards if at all possible. Once all the little guys are dead two hell bikers show up, and these guys are tougher than a tree's nipples. I could have petrified them if I'd had the ammo, but I resorted to hiding behind the big lava crystal things and lobbing eggs over the fence - hit a biker with just one egg then detonate it while it's stuck to him and he's green toast. Don't waste ammo from any of your other weapons on these piss-takers. Head down the stairs to another checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 8] Bet you'd love that armour, wouldn't you? Well, tough. This next setpiece brawl can be difficult, as it steadily pumps in more and more sprayers and cops to keep you on your toes. Yet again, the value of quick-jumping is illustrated. Go with the skulls for the first few guys, then switch to the cannon when the cops start turning up - shoot at the ground around their feet, as usual. Jump off the platform and onto the tracks to reach the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 9] Any chance you can drop this hell biker with just one egg? Try it, it's fun. Move onwards to the final platform and deal with a bunch of cops. They call in some flamers with their last will and testament, so if you hit a Morph you know what to do. Otherwise it's egg time. The checkpoint appears in the middle of the platform, amongst the flames. --- TAROT CARD: Hellish armor (Silver) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.8 - LEVEL 2/2 NUCLEAR PLANT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's BOOH's Lab, let's face it. Only this is a bit better, in my opinion (which isn't hard - the Lab stank). You could do without the card condition but it's not too bad once you get into your stride. It does tend to go on and on forever but the new goo gun ups the fun of it a bit. Remember to unequip your cards from the board if you're going for this level's card - this includes the silver cards too. --- MONSTERS (296): FRANKENSTEIN, GREEN CORN, LAB COMMANDO, LEGLESS FREAK, MUTANEMO, RADIOACTIVE OPERATOR, ZOMBIE MINIBOSS: PANZER DEMON GOLD: 886 ARMOUR: 4 HOLY ITEMS: 1 AMMO: 41 OBJECTS: 216 SECRET AREAS: 3 TAROT CARD CONDITION: FINISH THE LEVEL WITHOUT USING THE BLACK TAROT RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- SILVER: EMPTY GOLD: EMPTY -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Easy enough, this first bit. Grab the goo gun and snipe out the commando to the right and the one on the roof of the hut, then run into the booth for the armour. From here you can bonegun the zombies and the other commando easily, especially if you picked up the two ammo packs from under the burnt out car. Just make sure you collect those souls, as you don't have Soul Catcher to help you out here. More goons appear when you kill the first lot, but if you drop the zombies from a distance they won't hurt you. And there's crossbow ammo behind the little booth. Go to the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 1] This area can sap your health and armour badly, thanks to the corns' mines everywhere, as well as lingering poison clouds when you're trying to pick up their souls. Get rid of lots at once by shooting out the big pile of barrels on the left when the corns are nearby, and kill off any remaining commandos lastly. And avoid those puddles of green, as ever. There is armour and health between the two big buildings at the back, but picking them up will spawn in more minions behind you, so be ready with eggs or whatever. There is ammo to the right of the right building. Go to the checkpoint once you've cleared this outdoor area. [CHECKPOINT 2] This is a duck-and-cover area - get behind the crates and take your enemies down one by one, before they can hurt you. Avoid the corns' poison and look out for the commandos above your head. Get the ammo and get out of there. [CHECKPOINT 3] Basically the same thing again, but this time you have to move a bit quicker. Get that screamer working and try to keep away from the poison. There's a holy item on one of the high crates at the back left. In the first version of this guide I had an elaborately brilliant method of getting to it which never worked, so see below for how to do it sans idiocy. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________V1.1 CONTRIBUTION_______________________________ Jonathan G. Schwartz "There is a much easier way to get the secret in the Nuclear Plant level. The boxes you are trying to use are on one side of the pile of boxes with the secret, however, on the other side of the pile, there is a gray cube. This cube is small enough to quick jump on to. It is also light enough to use the razor cube to lift it up. (I'm sure you can already see where this is going, however, in the interest of completeness I will finish this.) Push the box to the front of the pile with the secret and jump on top of it. Now, it's a simple matter of rapidly hitting the box with the razorcube secondary fire until it reaches the correct height. Then just step off, and you're done." -=#=- I dunno if it's a blank spot in my head or whatever, but I persistently forget all about the painkiller / razorcube and their ability to ping you around on small objects. Had I remembered I think I would have come up with this method myself, but as I didn't I'll give you full credit instead. Cheers, at least now I know I can get all the secrets if I can be bothered. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________V1.1 CONTRIBUTION_______________________________ [CHECKPOINT 4] Through the gates and into another train yard, you will meet some radioactive operators, but they're nothing special, at least as far as a Morph is concerned. Some heads can drop them just as expeditiously, but this is a great place for a Morph as there are quite a lot of enemies in here. Get the health pickup on the train car and the armour in the corner to the left of the gates you entered through. I prefer to leave the armour alone so I know I have it all going into the next area. [CHECKPOINT 5] Nothing too hard in here - run up the stairs on your right and snipe down the two radioactive operators with the goo gun. When they're dead more enemies will spawn in, including three green corns on each of the two walkways. Avoid the shots of the ones on your walkway and drop them with goo, then fire your cannon across the room at the other three from your high perch. The corns are the priority, because once they're dead you can just remove the radioactive operators from your safe perch - they should all collect at the stairs but will be unable to climb them. The checkpoint appears in the doorway. [CHECKPOINT 6] Outside you'll have more operators to deal with, but of greater concern is the brand new frankenstein. I always run around to the left because only two of the enemies follow me there - the frankenstein and one operator. It's not hard to bring them down from behind the pillar, then just use one single skull shot on the others grouped on the far side of the tracks. The checkpoint will turn up on the edge of a pit to the side of this area. [CHECKPOINT 7] This bit isn't too bad if you have a half-decent amount of ammo - just draw them towards the barrels and get rid of the corns first. Don't miss the commando raining lameness down on your head from above. There's more of this pish around the corner, but you'll struggle to find a weapon that can't delete these fairy cakes tout de suite. Drop through the hole once you've sent the sniping commando an egg, free of charge. Make sure you kill every enemy here before moving on, as sometimes the trapdoor opens before they're all dead, which will cause problems later if you drop through too soon. [CHECKPOINT 8] Quick-jump along here fast, just like you did in Battle Out Of Hell's Lab level, only this time the now vulnerable mutanemos (or piranhas, as I called them in BOOH) will also spawn in front of you as you approach. Keep moving and you should reach the teleporter at the end with no trouble. Jumping through the teleporter will bring you to the next checkpoint in an ominously-shaped arena. [CHECKPOINT 9] Another throwback to the Lab - a panzer spider appears. Actually it's a panzer demon, but its name doesn't matter much when you're dropping it with skull- blades or whatever. It's not hard, just keep your distance and be off the ground when it stamps. Collect the meagre ammo once it's gone and head through the doorway. There's a secret area behind the big pile of boxes - quick-jump up and over for two mega-ammo packs. ~ [CHECKPOINT 10] This next bit down the tunnel can be very difficult if you don't happen to be reading this guide. But you are, so you're fine. Sprint out of the bottom end of the tunnel and immediately quick-jump along to the right, past everybody and avoiding the poisonous areas in the middle of the floor. Turn left at the corner and run all the way along to the bunch of barrels, then turn around and fire your razorcube at the mutanemos who are surely chasing you. They should fall very quickly (if you hit them) and then you can shoot the cube at the operators following them. Pick up the souls these guys drop and then venture forwards with the crossbow. The idea here is to pick off enough enemies to reach a Morph and then use it as fully as you can. If and when you do Morph in here make sure you get rid of all of the first group of minions to allow the second group to emerge. If you don't Morph just keep running into corners and picking your enemies off from a distance - it's far less hard once you get out of range of the corns and take out the fast mutanemos. With the last monster dead that little cage holding the two mega-ammo packs and the super-health will open, so go and pick them all up from the secret area. ~ The checkpoint is at the far corner of these sewers, where I told you to run when you first came in. [CHECKPOINT 11] This circular area is a cinch - just quick-jump merrily and get the cannon to work. Hopefully you had plenty of health going in, and you should have little less coming out. [CHECKPOINT 12] A room full of legless freaks, corns and frankensteins, so deal with the corns first and then scream everyone else to the deck. Don't miss those souls, you're getting close to the finishing line now. And get the armour before you move on. [CHECKPOINT 13] This next room is very Unreal Tournament, except there you didn't have operators and legless freaks chibbing stuff at you. Here you do have that, so put a stop to it and go to the staircase (you're fine walking on that red area). Some corns appear on the stairs, not realising how proximate those explosive barrels are. Explode the barrels and goop everyone else for the souls, then up to the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 14] This is the final area, and it's just one big brawl. You'll face a ton of enemies in here which keep spawning and spawning relentlessly. Your first problem is the commandos ranged around the walls on high pillars - I suggest egging them immediately before you get to the others, as their bullets get really annoying really fast. Next should come the corns, though really it's not difficult to collect all the ground monsters into groups and blow them up in classic style. Keep moving, as usual, and do max damage in the minimum time - another Morph will help with that. You can go all the way back through the level if you want to get that holy item you certainly missed earlier; otherwise just hop into the welcome exit. --- TAROT CARD: Assault (Gold) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.9 - LEVEL 2/3 ANIMAL FARM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This one reminds me of a level from the original Soldier Of Fortune - the abattoir, obviously - only this one is much funnier and even more gruesome. I'll never be able to face a burger again after this, but at least I saw no actual animals. Though I did see a man with a buzzsaw for a head. Shove your happy meal, Ronald. Yet another bug in this one - there are only 161 monsters, which means you can't collect 'all' the souls. 161 still gets you the card though. --- MONSTERS (162): BEAST, BUTCHER, BUTCHER COW, CLOWN, HEN DEMON, HENHOUSE, PIG AVENGER, PIRATE ZOMBIE GOLD: 711 ARMOUR: 1 HOLY ITEMS: 1 AMMO: 31 OBJECTS: 159 SECRET AREAS: 2 TAROT CARD CONDITION: COLLECT AT LEAST 160 SOULS RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- SILVER: Soul Catcher GOLD: Assault / Endurance / Haste -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Run outside and to the right, and wait for the first batch of enemies to appear. Crossbow the henhouse as soon as it pops out, then take down a couple of beasts to get the other henhouses to come out and play. They're the priority kills unless you like mad chickens flying at you with no soul payoff. Soul Catcher will help, but make sure you're nearby when all dead enemies spit out their souls, as every single one is valuable. Collect the ammo, including the boxes in the back of the truck in the side building, then hit that checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 1] [TAROT CONDITION: 10/10 SOULS COLLECTED] This farmhouse will fill up with pig avengers, as all farmhouses tend to, so bonegun them before you take too much damage, and keep circling the room to get every last soul. Ammo up and move on once it's all clear. [CHECKPOINT 2] [TAROT CONDITION: 24/24 SOULS COLLECTED] Another outdoor area with beasts and enraged henhouses - keep the beasts at bay until you can take down the houses, and plan your kills so that you know you'll be back to pick up the souls you need. [CHECKPOINT 3] [TAROT CONDITION: 40/40 SOULS COLLECTED] A simple yard with beasts, pig avengers and a couple of henhouses. Afford them no respect and pick up the ammo packs in each corner. [CHECKPOINT 4] [TAROT CONDITION: 51/51 SOULS COLLECTED] That's pretty much a third of the souls collected, yay. You'll meet the butchers in here, and shortly afterwards they'll meet your screamer. They're slow melee monsters, just stay away and try not to vomit when you see what they have for heads. A few pig avengers and one or two cows later and you're laughing. Get the ammo tucked into the corners, ping the gold from the two corpses with the razorcube, and go to the checkpoint in the doorway. [CHECKPOINT 6] [TAROT CONDITION: 61/61 SOULS COLLECTED] This is where it really begins to get disgusting, but there's no time to admire the view. Start bonegunning everyone in sight and trying not to let any slaves spawn up your bum. If you have Soul Catcher and are going for all the souls you will Morph in here - it's not a good place to use it but needs must. [CHECKPOINT 7] [TAROT CONDITION: 72/72 SOULS COLLECTED] Prepare to meet some more butchers and avengers in this cold storage room, nothing you can't handle though. Get the gold from the many corpses if you can be bothered, then head for the checkpoint, having collected the ammo from amongst the cabinets in the middle of the room. [CHECKPOINT 8] [TAROT CONDITION: 87/87 SOULS COLLECTED] More of the same in this not-so-cold storage room, just try not to get blown up by an errant barrel. Head up the stairs when the first bunch of silly sods are removed, and kill off some butchers in the little room whose door will close behind you. The checkpoint will appear down below but jump from the walkway against the wall to the top shelf of the stack beside the fan thing hanging from the ceiling. Quick-jump from the shelf onto the fan and immediately off to the far shelves. Then onto the walkway on the far wall and along to pick up the mega- ammo pack and heavy armour from the secret area. ~ You can then drop off the walkway to pick up the holy item on the middle shelf a few feet away in the second secret area. ~ You can also reach this relic the way I did it the first time - quick-jump up off one of those boxes underneath it, onto the tiny diagonal support connecting the relic's shelf to the wall, and up. [CHECKPOINT 9] [TAROT CONDITION: 98/98 SOULS COLLECTED] This outdoor area is a good place to offload some of those skulls you've been hoarding: alternatively just draw all the goons towards the many explosive barrels and save your ammo with a quick toss of the razorcube. Keep your eyes open for the souls getting blown about; and try not to ping any monsters over the walls with the cube, otherwise you've missed their souls. [CHECKPOINT 10] [TAROT CONDITION: 117/117 SOULS COLLECTED] I had to laugh when I saw this, a fast-food joint slap next to the universe's most gruesome slaughterhouse. Even funnier are the clowns' attempts to hit you with their fireworks - Fedex them some skulls and show them how it's done. Some butchers around too but this assortment of tits always seem to spend more time shooting each other, and your only problem will be making sure you collect each and every soul, especially while Morphed. [CHECKPOINT 11] [TAROT CONDITION: 137/137 SOULS COLLECTED] Enter the 'restaurant' and order up some fries, butcher- and cow-shaped. Get the souls, gold and ammo and head to the next checkpoint in the corner. [CHECKPOINT 12] [TAROT CONDITION: 146/146 SOULS COLLECTED] This is the final room and it's the perfect place to trigger your cards if you haven't already. You will hopefully have plenty of health and armour, so at least such a close-quarters fight won't be a total kicking for you. Use heads to clear out the first spawns and climb the hill of gore to chuck cannon shells down at your enemies' feet. It's maybe not worth trying for that health pickup during this fight, as it's a tricky, curvy jump (not a secret area, you've already found them both). When you've killed most of the first lot some henhouses will spawn in, with one big one in the middle. This one can't be harmed until you get rid of all the others, hiding in the corners, so make this a priority and then drop the big one when the small ones are gone - you will see the red laser beams pointing from the big one to any remaining little ones. The exit appears with the last enemy dead. [TAROT CONDITION: 161/162 SOULS COLLECTED] --- TAROT CARD: Greed (Silver) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.10 - LEVEL 2/4 FIELD AMBULANCE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This might remind you of Hell from Painkiller, but it's oh so much more, dammit. This might be the first (and only) genuinely easy level in which to get a tarot card, though it still has its moments. I recommend saving your goo ammo for the end, though it will also come in handy against a few of the wheelchair veterans. And try not to jump over any cliffs by accident - it's fun but painful. --- MONSTERS (189): AMPUTEE, GHOST, BLOODY SURGEON, TANK, UNION SOLDIER, WHEELCHAIR VETERAN GOLD: 828 ARMOUR: 2 HOLY ITEMS: 3 AMMO: 36 OBJECTS: 145 SECRET AREAS: 1 TAROT CARD CONDITION: FINISH THE LEVEL IN MAXIMUM 20 MINUTES RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- SILVER: Soul Catcher GOLD: Assault / Endurance / Haste -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Step backwards to get the two bonegun ammo packs, then move forwards to take on a bunch of soldiers and one or two wheelchair veterans. The bonegun will make short work of them all, but check behind you once in a while in case some soldiers are sneaking up on you. You'll head down into the bunker to take on a few more - grab the souls and the ammo and avoid the barrels and explosive boxes of cannonballs. The checkpoint is around the back. [CHECKPOINT 1] [TAROT CONDITION: 1:25] Poke your head out and wait for the boxes to explode, then go out properly. This area is a lot harder, not least because of the constant shelling going on. Keep moving, draw your enemies into groups and drop them with cannon shots. Run around for any souls and ammo but try to hurry, as this area can hit the timer hard if you fanny about too much. The wheelchair veterans should be killed first as their ranged shots can hurt if you allow too many to catch you. Before you head for the bridge make sure you pick up the first holy item - it's sitting on the edge of the cliff behind the row of artillery and anti- tank barriers. [CHECKPOINT 2] [TAROT CONDITION: 3:39] Walk along the bridge and some more veterans and soldiers will come out. Scream them deckwards and avoid the barrels, and try not to Morph quite yet. Two more veterans pop up as you approach the far end, and if their souls do get you a Morph make sure you get a move on quickly past the next checkpoint to get full use out of it. [CHECKPOINT 3] [TAROT CONDITION: 4:21] Nothing tough in here, you know what to do. Get the ammo too and head outside again when the door opens. That's a false checkpoint which will disappear when you go near it. Instead more enemies jump out - I just slowed them with the goo gun and got shot of 'em. Yet more guys turn up on the bridge, so remove them to get the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 4] [TAROT CONDITION: 5:31] Another pretty difficult area, though it's also full of powerups. The first thing to do is run forward to the building on your right and grab the armour from the porch. Next, run to the back right where you can jump off a box to get a health pickup. Up the stairs (I know you're being shot by veterans but you can deal with this in a second) you can run all the way around this fort and pick up various things - ammo, health and even a holy item in the tower at the back left of this area. Now start to deal with the wheelchair veterans from up high, using the crossbow or goo gun, whatever you have ammo for. One or two shots will see them off, though the big guy down low is slightly tougher. Get the souls if you can but it's no big deal (the big one apparently doesn't have a soul). Then try to draw the soldiers into groups and cannon them into bits. More will of course spawn in, so take down the veterans first and keep moving. Get the ammo packs before hitting the checkpoint which appears on the spot where the big veteran was. If you're roughly keeping up with my time you should have no problems getting the card. [CHECKPOINT 5] [TAROT CONDITION: 8:20] Those ghosts will go away on their own. Hop around inside the main room while you wait for all the surgeons to appear, and when you've got about ten of them chasing you just unleash a skull-blade and kill them off fast. A couple more surgeons turn up and when they're gone the checkpoint appears in the doorway. [CHECKPOINT 6] [TAROT CONDITION: 9:21] The penultimate area and not even ten minutes on the clock - lubbly. Twat the slow-moving amputees fast with the bonegun so that their souls can push you to another Morph. There is a health pickup in the big tent and an ammo pack to the right of the tent's entrance, but other than that you can focus on getting your next Morph. This is a great place to use it (though the next area is better) so go nuts when you get it and you can have the surgeons and amputees dead in double quick time. The secret area (and third holy item) can be found on top of the big tent, along with a nice armour which will come in handy for the final fight. ~ Quick-jump up one of the tent-ropes to get there, then drop to the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 7] [TAROT CONDITION: 11:08] The first thing you should do here is run forwards and along either side of the tank's enclosure, then snipe out the big wheelchair veteran sitting on top of it with goo or crossbow bolts. Once he's dead start firing goo shots at the big top part of the tank - it should explode after just eight shots. Now you can concentrate on killing off all the lesser minions swarming around the place. Your only problem should be ammo, so use what you have and keep your distance. You've done all this before so you shouldn't need much help, especially if you trigger your cards. The exit appears with the demise of the last enemy. [TAROT CONDITION: 13:09 WITH ALL HOLY ITEMS COLLECTED] --- TAROT CARD: Last Breath (Silver) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.11 - LEVEL 2/5 RAGNAROK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a strong point of the game, which isn't saying much. It's got a lot of Icewind Dale atmosphere and a nice, big, unexpected boss at the end. --- MONSTERS (184): BEAST, GLADIATOR (ROCK-THROWER), LEPPER MONK, PIRATE ZOMBIE, RAVEN, SNOW GIANT, VALKYRA, VIKING, VIKING BISON-HEAD BOSS: CERBEROS GOLD: 1056 ARMOUR: 4 HOLY ITEMS: 3 AMMO: 53 OBJECTS: 112 SECRET AREAS: 4 TAROT CARD CONDITION: FIND EVERY SECRET PLACE RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- SILVER: Last Breath / Soul Catcher GOLD: Assault / Endurance / Haste -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- As soon as you move you get jumped by some vikings, so deal with them in the only way they understand - knitting. Or just kill them. Pick up the ammo and move on. [CHECKPOINT 1] Head to the back right for the armour, then pick up all the ammo boxes from around the buildings. Once that's done you can make a start on more vikings, gladiators and one or two valkyras. Wait patiently for the souls until the ravens are finished with the corpses - don't waste your ammo on them. [CHECKPOINT 2] There are four long wooden walkways in this area - the one on the left has health and ammo, and the one on the right has more ammo. In fact there's lots of ammo around here, but you also have a shedload of enemies to take down, including some big viking bison-heads, noticeably tougher than the mere vikings. Try not to fall in the water, and do the usual draw-them-into-groups tactic to conserve ammo. The checkpoint will appear just outside the stone circle. [CHECKPOINT 3] Walk into the centre of the circle and you're transported to a new area. Here you'll meet your first icy snow giants, but their attacks aren't hard to avoid. Bring them down fast with the crossbow or bonegun, but don't be close to them when they die, unless you want to take damage from the explosions. Delete the valkyras, pick up the ammo, and try not to Morph until after the next checkpoint, which you should now go to. [CHECKPOINT 4] Have the screamer ready to clear out this bridge as soon as trouble appears. If you hit a Morph move forward fast to use it, and if the arrow goes white and no more enemies appear you will need to go back to the bridge and walk along it to bring in any that didn't appear when they should have. More viking bison-heads and valkyras appear in the middle area, but they're not difficult in so much open space. Get the ammo too and get to the next checkpoint at the stone circle. Before touching it, turn around and face the shipwreck across the water. Now turn left and walk along the cliff edge. The first secret area is out on the ice floes, and to get there you have to jump accurately into the little blue teleporter you should be able to see hanging above the water, just under the edge of the cliff you're on. You will reappear on the floes with a health pickup nearby, and this is the first secret area. ~ You can get over to the mega-ammo pack across the water (it's an obvious path) and then hop into the other teleporter to get back to safety. Then head to the checkpoint at the second stone circle. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________V1.1 CONTRIBUTION_______________________________ Kevin Rowe "Hi, I'm new at this, and I'm having a heck of a job finding one of the secret areas. It is the first secret area in 3.11 - Level 2/5 Ragnarok. In your guide it says it is "just over the edge of the ice, behind the stone circle". I've looked everywhere, even jumped off the edge looking, and I just cannot find it." Merle Kerr "I can't find the "little blue transporter" mentioned in 3.11 - Level 2/5 Ragnarok [checkpoint 3] of the guide. I keep falling off the ice and having to reboot the game." -=#=- Sorry guys, my fault. I got my checkpoints and stone circles mixed up - the secret is actually hanging behind the second stone circle, not the one you spawn into at the other side. To make up for it, here's a screenshot: http://img186.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=89926_Shot0000_122_37lo.jpg The blue shimmery thing is the teleporter to drop into. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________V1.1 CONTRIBUTION_______________________________ [CHECKPOINT 5] [TAROT CONDITION: 1 SECRET AREA FOUND] Once you teleport in here you can run along the right and pick up all the ammo boxes, but don't linger at the far end, because there's a rockfall going on. Head all the way back to where you came in and look for the slightly raised slab of icy rock to the left of the big gate. Climb onto it and let the vikings surround the high end, then drop one egg onto a viking bonce, hop off the slab and explode that egg - viking fry-up! Do the same again with the next lot of idiots, then bonegun the lone giant who turns up afterwards. The checkpoint arrives, but you like secret areas more. Look for the shimmering blue teleporter against the rock in the water - it's too far to jump to, unless you quick-jump up the towering stone pillar near the edge, then off the top to land on the rock in the water. Step into the teleporter to be dumped onto a high platform with a holy item and the second (kind of) secret area. ~ Not done here yet, though. Away in the distance, across the water, you should be able to spot a super-health pickup. You can reach it by quick-jumping along the ledge of ice at the base of the wooden walls - just hop all the way along and down to get the super-health, mega-ammo pack and heavy armour in the third secret area. ~ Jump back up onto the snow ledge and along to where you were, and head to the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 6] [TAROT CONDITION: 3 SECRET AREAS FOUND] This is where this level gets tough. If you went for that heavy armour a minute ago then you don't currently need the armour sitting on top of the pillar in the middle, so leave it. The first thing you really need to do is snipe down the lepper monk on that platform, since he's the one bouncing you around and eating your armour. Get rid of him fast with the crossbow or goo gun whenever you get a second to land and take aim. With the death of the bunch of enemies running around on the floor another lepper monk will turn up above you - same thing again, take him out before doing anything else. Kill off the ground enemies and wait for a third lepper monk to appear, kill him fast, quick-jump up the sloped pillar and jump off the top to refill your armour, collect the ammo boxes, hit the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 7] Skull-blades are good on this staircase, it's just a pity you barely have any. That lepper monk has to go first, just don't get trapped in a corner here. [CHECKPOINT 8] More of this corridor. Don't Morph. Oh, and start saving that bonegun ammo - go with some other weapon. [CHECKPOINT 9] This, on the other hand, is the perfect place to Morph, especially since those big swinging chocolate salty balls won't be able hurt you. Grab all the souls you can get and let the Morph save your ammo stocks. [CHECKPOINT 10] I just went with the razorcube in this latter half of corridor - it was fun. True, the snow giant is inconveniently tough, but he's still dumb enough to walk into my long laser beams. [CHECKPOINT 11] Grab the two mega-ammo packs and then hop onto one of the side ledges while you wait for the slaves to appear among the falling rocks. Send a skull-blade their way and climb the stairs while you collect their souls. [CHECKPOINT 12] I didn't expect a miniboss in this one, especially since Cerberos is more like a real, standalone type of boss, but applause to Overdose for its first real surprise - a level with a genuine boss at the end of it. Anyway, spring into action and let him appear. How come Belial's such a midget and everyone else worthwhile is built like a shit brickhouse? Well, size isn't everything, so switch to the bonegun whsoe ammo you should have been hoarding up until now, and get to work on killing off the four beasts charging around. Petrify them fast and remove them - they're an annoyance. Now get into medium range of the big guy and begin shooting at the red head which makes up his right hand - a few bonegun blasts and it'll be gone. Until then stay out of the way of the fireballs Cerberos'll be pinging at you. With the red head gone you'll have to deal with the blue head which is a bit more dangerous, like the panzer demon's ice attack. Get rid of the beasts again first. Remember there's that health pickup near the stairs if you need it, but I had over 200 health and nearly 100 armour when I met Cerberos, so hopefully you should be in no trouble. When Cerberos's two hand-heads are gone it's time to shoot him in his real head, the one between his shoulders. Break out the gold cards if you feel you need them, but once the next lot of beasts are gone you can just bonegun Cerberos who should be too dense to move fast enough to even get a shot off. Watch his great slowmo death and the exit appears. But wait! One secret area missed, and in truly boring PK style you'll have to skip most of the way back through the level just to find it. Follow the linear path and you'll come to an area full of buildings which you couldn't access before, behind the starting area. Two holy items are lying in the middle of the road, in the fourth secret area. ~ Now go all the way to the exit for your new card. [TAROT CONDITION: 4 SECRET AREAS FOUND] --- TAROT CARD: Fury (Gold) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.12 - LEVEL 3/1 HAUNTED VALLEY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This level had potential and some parts of it are fun, but in the end it feels like yet another compartmentalised series of rooms. At least it looks radically different by Painkiller's standards, and the climb up the tower is great fun, even though you can't leap over the sides. The tarot condition for this one is a lot easier than it might sound, since you always have plenty of ammo, and the health and armour bonuses are unusually liberal. --- MONSTERS (298): BANSHEE, GHOST, EXECUTIONER, HANT, TEMPLAR, TORTURED, WALKING TREE, WINGED DEMON GOLD: 1245 ARMOUR: 4 HOLY ITEMS: 5 AMMO: 81 OBJECTS: 132 SECRET AREAS: 4 TAROT CARD CONDITION: DON'T COLLECT A SINGLE SOUL RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- SILVER: Last Breath GOLD: Endurance / Fury / Haste -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- There's a holy item in the pot behind you at the starting point, and a few ammo boxes scattered around. The enemies will spawn in when you move into the middle of the area, so take down the trees first with the bonegun and stay out of the way of their poisonous belches, then just ping the winged demons away with the razorcube to save on ammo - keep moving and they're no harm. Cross the bridge and pick up the armour and you'll meet some banshees and more demons - nothing difficult so I just used the razorcube again. The checkpoint appears when they're dead. [CHECKPOINT 1] Another bridge with a wooded area after it. Don't move off the bridge, just fire the cube ahead of you and use the laser to cut down everyone who walks into it. There's plenty of ammo around before the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 2] This area may be a little harder, but not by much. As ever, keep moving around and watch your back. Take down the trees first, then the scarecrows, grab all the ammo and move on. That big banshee is one big banshee. [CHECKPOINT 3] Another keep-your-distance area - things will liven up soon, trust me. Watch out for those hands, they can take armour and health. [CHECKPOINT 4] This hill is less dangerous than it could have been. Just climb up it slowly and kill off the hants and banshees with the crossbow before they can do anything. Whenever the screen starts to shake stop and wait for whatever is happening to finish happening. You can't even fall off the side. Eventually you'll reach a checkpoint at a little arch. [CHECKPOINT 5] This is obviously an ambush, so just climb up the next set of stairs and sit there with the screamer - this will even take down the templars who will spawn on the stairs, right in front of you. Get the medium armour around the corner and continue. [CHECKPOINT 6] It's clear what's going to happen here, and it does. Walk through the gates (leave the barrels alone) and wait for the big pile of hants and templars to emerge. Lob some heads their way while easily sidestepping the flaming bolts and they're all toast. Of course, more then appear behind you, but they're not so smug when you blow up those barrels and gib them to soddery. Avoid the souls and head along the bridge. [CHECKPOINT 7] Run up to the right and be careful none of the barrels get you as they fall. Grab the ammo and avoid the ghost, then run up the other route until the enemies appear behind you. Heads, crossbow, evil eye, whatever, just don't let anyone too near. Then move down to the corner you came in at and clear out the area where the barrels were with the screamer. Easy. [CHECKPOINT 8] Shoot out the barrels before you move any farther - the last thing you need is getting blown up by a badly-timed templar quarrel. Pick up the ammo against the wall and then break out the screamer and evil eye. You need to bring down the hants before they get too close, while also keeping an eye on incoming templar shots. Stay under that roof and try not to move forwards in case you pick up a soul. The screamer can make short work of these goons but just watch out that none spawn too close and get a swipe at you. A banshee might appear behind you (one turned up on the roof above me) so try not to get caught out by her scream. Look at the grey door next to the roofed area - at the moment it's locked, but it will be open later. Remember this spot. Pick up the ammo and gold and head on to the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 9] Another area for the screamer - just walk around fast enough for all the templars to miss you, and keep the hants at bay while you're doing it, and you should be fine. [CHECKPOINT 10] This area is the toughest yet and there's nowhere to hide. Your best bet is to just petrify those executioners immediately. Or if you're a decent enough shot you could get out the crossbow, let the executioners lumber in close, then shoot them right in the belly with one shot each - this will drop them right away, and the sooner you kill the big guys off, the sooner they'll stop raising spiders out of the corpses on the ground. The crossbow will also make short work of the templars if you exploit their slowness in turning when you run around them, and hants are easy to kill off anyway. Don't forget the gold cards if you're having trouble. The checkpoint appears in the doorway in the corner. [CHECKPOINT 11] This little room is pretty tight, so I hope you have some screamer ammo left. Or you could do what I did: just stand under the broken staircase and unleash a skull-blade into the body of the executioner who spawns right in front of you - the same blade took out everyone else too for me, so not a bad tactic. When everything's safe quick-jump up the broken staircase and onto the rafters to find a holy item waiting for you in a secret area. ~ If you venture another storey up by the same method you will find some armour on a thin roof beam - this is another secret area. ~ You can't jump out of the windows, so drop back down and go outside again to find the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 12] You're back where you were a while ago, except this time you're going left. This next area is wide open enough for you to spring around the place, shooting skulls randomly and inaccurately at everyone in sight. By this point I had tons of skulls, so I was happy to use them here. Pick up the ammo behind the broken walls and go down the stairs when all's clear. Another little courtyard area where combat is tight. Freeze the executioners fast, then deal with everyone else. I got rid of some eggs here - groups of templars like nothing less than a single explosive egg tossed amongst them. There's a mega-ammo pack in the back left corner, and you'll get the checkpoint arrow and sound when everybody else in the vicinity is a goner. Hit the checkpoint in the doorway. You can actually jump over the high wall and go in through the back to this next area, but I suggest you don't, because you will miss hitting the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 13] Right, think fast. Petrify the executioners, heads the templars and crossbow the banshee - you can have them all dead before they're even fully awake. Pick up the ammo and go right. Down the stairs you'll find a little corridor which you should get through before the ghost gets a chance to sap some of your precious health, though not before you've switched to the skull-blade. Once inside the torture chamber I suggest you head into the corner on your right, above the grating in the floor, and just start offloading skulls and blades at anything that moves. Don't stay still, but don't quick-jump around the room either. I went with the crossbow in the next room - just keep sidestepping one way and the other, and twat whatever moves into your crosshairs. I didn't get hit once, especially when I flung a few heads into the main room from my little corner. [CHECKPOINT 14] Out the window and down the tunnel until you meet a bunch of tits in a confined alley. Scream at them until they die, then quick-jump up the side wall to avoid those hands sprouting from the ground. Pick up the egg ammo in the graveyard and hit the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 15] This really couldn't be much easier - just stand there and let the monsters come to you, then move slightly forward to attract the next lot, and so on. You should have plenty of ammo and enough space to avoid those souls, and none of the minions in here move fast. Trigger your gold cards if you haven't already, you might as well get the level over with sooner rather than later. Quick-jump up the wall to the left of the checkpoint to reach another holy item in a secret area. ~ To open the exit just eliminate everyone you see hanging around this little mushroom village, including the giant banshee lurking on that very exit spot. You still have two holy items and a secret area to tie up, however, so once the exit is open you can go all the way back to the place I told you to remember earlier (just after the eighth checkpoint). That previously locked door is now open, so go inside to find armour halfway up the broken staircase, in the last secret area. ~ And the two holy items are there, too - one on the floor, and one above the armour. Make your way back to the exit and get the hell out. --- TAROT CARD: Dark Soul (Silver) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.13 - LEVEL 3/2 VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So astonishingly easy it could have been the opening level, and it seems to have a totally dead atmosphere. This could have been some half-arsed, user- made competition entry level, so crap is it. Easiest secret areas ever too. Yawn. Dark Soul will allow you more Morphs, consequently leaving you with more bonegun ammo. --- MONSTERS (248): ALTAR BOY, GHOST, INSANE VILLAGER, PRIEST, WHITE DEMON, WITCH, ZOMBIE WARRIOR GOLD: 723 ARMOUR: 3 HOLY ITEMS: 2 AMMO: 61 OBJECTS: 101 SECRET AREAS: 2 TAROT CARD CONDITION: FINISH THE LEVEL USING ONLY RAZORCUBE AND BONEGUN RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- SILVER: Dark Soul / Soul Catcher GOLD: Endurance / Fury / Haste -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Use the razorcube to clear out this first little street and grab all the souls you can. It's frequently possible to jump over the buildings and into the open backdrop in this level, but I suggest you don't bother, as there's no point. Pick up the two bonegun ammo boxes around to the left, then hit the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 1] Another street, so do the same again, and take out the villager on the balcony first. Keep moving to avoid the poison, and use the razorcube on the barrels to blow up multiple gimps at once. There's another bonegun ammo box at the far end. The next checkpoint appears at the same fence as the first one. [CHECKPOINT 2] Depending on the state of your health, you might want to get the armour straight away - it's around to the left, between two buildings. The enemies will start spawning in en masse, however, so take out the witches with the bonegun first, as they can be an annoyance. Don't do what I did and jump backwards into the flaming pyre. Apart from use in killing off the witches, the bonegun is less worthwhile here than the razorcube - it's not hard to quick-jump off to one side and let bunches of enemies come towards you in straight lines, just begging to walk into a razorcube beam. Just sidestep the attacks from the new altar boys and the odd priest or two. If you have the Dark Soul card and Soul Catcher you will almost certainly Morph in here, and so you should. Just grab as many souls as you can. Once the area is cleared out and the checkpoint has turned up on the stairs (just stay out of the ghosts' way until they get bored and bugger off again), you might want to get at the first secret area. It's that health pickup on the low roof to the right of the entrance to this area - push the coffin up to the building and hop off onto the sloped roof, or use that wooden thing on the ground if the coffin is destroyed. ~ Collect the armour if you missed it before, then head into the building. [CHECKPOINT 3] This little room can be difficult if you're not handy with the razorcube, but I suggest you leave the bonegun alone for now, as you may not be overloaded with ammo (if you are then go nuts). If you're stuck with the razorcube you might want to shoot out the benches on each side of the room to make more space for yourself to quick-jump in - do this before you move in and let the enemies spawn. You have to cut down a few altar boys, villagers and one or two priests - nothing heavy but it is a tight area. Run upstairs if you need to bait them into chasing you - this might make things easier, though collecting souls is still a good idea. Once the downstairs lot are gone you'll have to fight some more priests upstairs, but I just hide around the corner and let them stroll into my razorcube beam. Get the armour and all the gold and ammo boxes in the rooms, then drop back down to find the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 4] There's not much room to move out here, so you may have to break out the bonegun. Another Morph should be arriving soon if you have Dark Soul, but before that you'll have to drop quite a few more villagers and a priest. use the Morph if it comes, since the next area is a little easier and more open than this one. Shoot out the pile of barrels to reveal the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 5] There aren't many altar boys and priests in here - a few quick pings of the old razorcube and they're dead. Pick up the health and bonegun ammo at the building, destroy the barrels by the carts when you're nowhere near them, and collect the trinkets from the corpse hidden under one of them before going to the next checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 6] Run down the tunnel quick, past the ghost, and let the minions fill the armour room. Another good place for the bonegun, though go with the razorcube if you think you can get away with it. Grab the armour if you need it, but if you went in with some armour then wait till that's gone before picking up this one. Run back up the tunnel when you're done and go to the checkpoint at the church door - make sure you hit it before going inside or you'll miss the save. [CHECKPOINT 7] As soon as you enter the church, turn left and run up the stairs. This is a good vantage point from which to ping your enemies' lives away with your razorcube, especially if they all idiotically try to climb the bottom set of stairs to follow you. I just stood on the middle level of the stairs and fired my beam directly down the lower set, and everyone walked into it. A great ammo saver. You may also Morph, and this will tie up all the rest of the church-goers, and once they're dead you can find the staircase above the entrance and hop all the way up the banisters (like you did in the Haunted Valley) to reach a mega- ammo pack in the second secret area. ~ Don't forget to pick up the two holy items from the altar before going to the checkpoint at the door. [CHECKPOINT 8] This little graveyard looks closed off, but it isn't - you can run right through the gates to avoid the zombies (pick up the bonegun ammo box left of the gate. Once you've cleared out some zombies and villagers from this end of the path you can get the health pickup on top of the roofed grave - go to the other side of the fence and quick-jump up the broken pillar, three along from the gates. More goons will populate this long pathway but there's nothing tough, not in this amount of space. Erase everything, don't let the rock land on your face, don't miss the villager standing on the bridge overhead, and move on to the penultimate zone. [CHECKPOINT 9] Don't Morph in here if you can at all help it - the final area is far better for a Morph. Just stand at the top of the hill, sidestepping and pinging the razorcube at people. [CHECKPOINT 10] This is the last area, so use the Morph when it comes along. Other than a few ammo boxes which you probably don't need, there's little of interest. Even the two white demons who show up towards the end are no trouble in such a big area, though the bonegun is more effective against them than the razorcube. One thing I love about this area is the likelihood that the minions will start fighting amongst themselves. Pretty soon after killing the first few villagers I was sitting back and watching all the altar boys, priests and villagers duking it out, all fighting with each other, while I just ran around, collecting the souls. Brilliantly, one of the white demons even got killed by an altar boy. How many other games can you say that about? Anyway, you should have no trouble in here, and the exit appears inside the gated building when you've finished. --- TAROT CARD: Fear (Silver) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.14 - LEVEL 3/3 STUDIOS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some great enemies in this one, but still a pretty boring level, design-wise. There's never been a PK level with so many types of enemies all shoehorned in for no obvious reason. There's a case for equipping the Fear card in this one, but I just think Dark Soul helps a bit more towards getting the level's card. Ignore me if you want, I don't give a toss. --- MONSTERS (219): BLACK DEMON, COP, ELECTRICIAN, FRANKENSTEIN, INVISIBLE MAN, LAB COMMANDO, LEGLESS FREAK, NURSE, SKELETON SOLDIER, SNOW GIANT, SPRAYER, STAGE MONSTER, TANK, VAMP, WITCH, ZOMBIE GOLD: 1126 ARMOUR: 1 HOLY ITEMS: 1 AMMO: 49 OBJECTS: 267 SECRET AREAS: 1 TAROT CARD CONDITION: KEEP HP ABOVE 50 RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- SILVER: Dark Soul / Soul Catcher GOLD: Endurance / Fury / Haste -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Move forward and let the nurses arrive amid some studio explosions, then just move behind the counter and laugh while you knock their heads off with the razorcube from safety (get the armour sooner rather than later, for a change). With the first bunch gone some more will come, along with a couple of invisible men - get rid of the men first, before their guns take any of your health. [CHECKPOINT 1] [TAROT CONDITION: 105 HP / 100 ARMOUR] Walk up to the set area and meet your first stage monster. These things are tough versus everything except a cannon shot to the feet (or eggs), but that's a waste of ammo on just one monster, so use the razorcube's beam to gradually kill him off to allow the others to turn up. Group them together and get off a couple of cannon shots to drop them all fast. Some electricians show up next, and these are the first ones who can really take off some of that health. Don't try to take them all on at once, you're better sneaking around the room and picking them off one at a time to preserve those precious hitpoints. Then you meet some zombies and more stage monsters, but at least they're not ranged minions - kill them off from afar (use any handy barrels when they walk past) and get to the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 2] [TAROT CONDITION: 125 HP / 95 ARMOUR] This place is much harder to keep the health high in, but that all depends on how decent you are with the weapons. Run inside and barrels and things will start exploding, so stay out of the way. Then the enemies vector in, and the first thing you need to do is get rid of the cops and sprayers with one or two bunches of heads - the sooner you kill these guys off the better, and heads are the best way to do it. The electricians should be next, but if you're running around you may have collected enough souls for a Morph (with Dark Soul), and I suggest you use it fast. Don't get trapped in any corners and don't get blown up by barrels. If you lose too much health then reload from the checkpoint and start again. Once everyone's dead you can run upstairs and through the doorway. This next area is less dangerous the quicker you act, so have the crossbow ready and run inside. As soon as the first two electricians appear in the middle, crossbow or heads them; then lob heads at the three at the far end, by the barrels, running towards them while you do so; and finally turn around and pick off the last few at the door you entered by - if you move quickly you can have them all dead before they can get a shot off. Grab the souls and the health pickup if you need it. Head through to yet another set. The monsters will start appearing when you go downstairs, so have the cannon ready. Bait them all into collecting at the bottom of the stairs while you run up them, then turn around and kill loads with just one cannon shot (with a lot of souls into the bargain). Electricians, zombies and vamps will soon be with you, but the vamps can be petrified and bonegunned quick for their souls. The others are less dangerous if you're far away, and don't forget those barrels dotted about if you find yourself in trouble. Look for the closed door to the left of this checkpoint - behind it is a holy item and a mega-ammo pack in the little secret area, though you can only reach it later, when the exit is up. ~ [CHECKPOINT 3] [TAROT CONDITION: 145 HP / 79 ARMOUR] Don't let the electrician take you by surprise as you move forward from the checkpoint. Yay, another set, and this time there's a witch overhead to annoy you. Move behind the backdrop and start picking off the goons left and right. When you kill enough of them some electricians appear on top of the backdrop, but they're only dangerous if you're not behind it. Work with the rifle to clear the place out, and use the barrels and a Morph if possible. I picked off the electricians with the under-used goo gun. That there is a false checkpoint, so have the screamer ready and be sure to run to safety when it disappears and the electricians pop out from behind you. Put some distance between you and them and start shooting, pick up any ammo and gold from this room, then hit the real checkpoint. There's a mega-ammo pack in a corner, up those stairs, by the way; you can only reach it after those ambushers spawn in. [CHECKPOINT 4] [TAROT CONDITION: 170 HP / 79 ARMOUR] My favourite way to deal with this familiar looking room is to throw an egg at the middle of the bridge and then run in to trigger the electricians' spawn. Detonate it when they turn up, then turn around and lob another one down at the invisible men who try to ambush you from behind. Act quickly, as before, and it's no trouble. Move on to the next big room, and this is a storage area, for a change. There's plenty of space to jump about merrily in, so get the skull-blades working and stay out of harm's way. I got a bit of luck in here when a fight started amongst the minions, but this may not happen for you. So take down the invisible men first, then the electricians, then the stage monsters. [CHECKPOINT 5] [TAROT CONDITION: 192 HP / 79 ARMOUR] This next set is easy as hell, though you have to move into the central 'filming' area to get the nurses and invisibles to appear, so to speak. Some heads and a few crossbow bolts should do the job, then you can just pick off the few electricians afterwards. Morph if you must, though it would be better in the following area. [CHECKPOINT 6] [TAROT CONDITION: 207 HP / 79 ARMOUR] This is the final showdown, and it really lays it on thick. Wave after wave of enemies gets thrown in, and you never needed to quick-jump more than you do in here. On the other hand you hopefully have plenty of health and a bit of armour left. You may also get to witness more in-fighting, which I certainly did when I poked my head through the door. Get the mega-ammo pack and health at the back wall if you need it, plus all the other ammo packs dotted around, then get to work with the screamer, cannon, heads, whatever you feel like. You should be used to the game by now, so there's not much strategy to this. Just keep moving. The tank is nothing to worry about, it will drop with just two cannon shots. Or you could just clamber on top of its gun and render it totally harmless. And by the time the black demon shows up you may be on a Morph - if not, just keep your distance and goo gun him or something. An egg to the head might be a plan too. As long as your health stays above 50 it doesn't matter what happens in here, so relax and enjoy the mayhem. Keep in mind that I never use the gold cards, except against bosses, so if I can get the tarot score I got without the gold cards then you surely should be able to do alright with them. Here ends the self congratulation. The exit appears in the middle when everyone is pushing up the daisies. Run back for the holy item if you have the patience and a sense of direction. [TAROT CONDITION: 229 HP / 59 ARMOUR] --- TAROT CARD: Iron Will (Gold) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.15 - LEVEL 3/4 LOONY PARK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You know you're playing a slightly shoddy expansion pack when they transplant half a level from a previously slightly shoddy sequel and call it a new level. Never mind, Loony Park was my favourite BOOH level and it's kinda nice to be back, even if a lot of it is boringly familiar, including the three secret areas (I mean come on!). If you keep your eyes open it's not too hard to get the tarot card for this one, though I admit I miss the roller-coaster ride. --- MONSTERS (150): CORN, CLOWN, GIRL, KRUSTY, PIRATE, PIRATE BOSSMAN GOLD: 954 ARMOUR: 6 HOLY ITEMS: 4 AMMO: 41 OBJECTS: 143 SECRET AREAS: 3 TAROT CARD CONDITION: DESTROY ALL OBJECTS RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- SILVER: Dark Soul / Soul Catcher GOLD: Fury / Haste / Iron Will -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Always look behind you at the start of any fps game level - it should be law. I'm sure I've said that somewhere before... Move forward and deal death to the girls and clowns - nothing hard. I'm not going to point out every destructible object in the level; just know that they come as barrels and benches in this area. The checkpoint is in the left booth. [CHECKPOINT 1] [TAROT CONDITION: 20 OBJECTS DESTROYED] Hop over the spikes which now have a noobish platform raised on top of them, and start picking fights with more clowns, plus krustys and corns. The corns are the most dangerous even if you're moving around, so bonegun them fast. Clear out everyone else and then take a look around. There are powerups here (armour tucked behind the front of the House Of Pain, health pickup in the middle of the path), but you can probably use them later, rather than right now. What you do need now is ammo, so get it all and then stand in front of the House Of Pain. Look up into the vent thing to the left of the House Of Pain front door and you should see the gleam of two holy items. Quick-jump up off the corpse and push inside to pick the relics up in the first secret area. ~ Use the razorcube to shoot the door outwards, then drop out and head round to the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 2] [TAROT CONDITION: 30 OBJECTS DESTROYED] This little area will fill up with corns and a few girls, so get the bonegun working. Collect the armour once they're dead, shoot out the five objects on the ground, and don't miss the barrel on top of the shop kiosk. [CHECKPOINT 3] [TAROT CONDITION: 36 OBJECTS DESTROYED] Kill off some more krustys, clowns and girls back in the main area, then go to the booth next to the Acid Bath once you're ready. It was locked before, but it's now open, and you should have shot out the barrel next to it earlier. Go inside the booth (BOOH again) and an explosion will open the Acid Bath building. Head inside to the second secret area. ~ Pick up the goo ammo and then use the jump-pads to make it across to the far side of the acid pool. Pick up the two holy items, the super-health and the heavy armour, then get back across the same way you came. Use the first jump- pad to bounce you out the open window, then go and find the next checkpoint inside the other booth. [CHECKPOINT 4] [TAROT CONDITION: 36 OBJECTS DESTROYED] Run up the spiral walkway (see the poor sod strapped to the top of the merry- go-round?), collecting the ammo, and hit the checkpoint at the top. [CHECKPOINT 5] [TAROT CONDITION: 36 OBJECTS DESTROYED] There may be other ways of getting at the third secret area, but I haven't found any yet. Jump out of the back of this high room (not the bit with the green haze) and land on top of the ice-cream cone thing underneath. Turn right and quick-jump onto the bent pipe sticking out of the Acid Bath wall. Quick- jump up this pipe and turn at the top to hop off onto the Acid Bath roof. Get to the other corner, the one above the booth you went into earlier to open the doors, and face the beginning of the level. Now walk backwards until you touch the pipe sticking out of this side of the building. From this point, quick-jump forwards and off the very corner to reach the spiked top of the pipe pointing upwards in the direction of the level's beginning. From here you can drop down to the platform above the turnstiles, and through to the other side. And from the corner of this roof you can drop onto the top of the other ice-cream cone to get the super-health pickup in the third and final secret area. ~ Now make your way around to the top room where you found the checkpoint, and walk into the green teleporter. This is an area which was previously inaccessible in BOOH (kind of) but it's nothing special. Apart from collecting the armour from the booth beside the merry-go-round, you can concentrate on killing off various idiots. More appear when you approach the turnstile at the back, so finish them off. Now hunt down and burst every object in the area before moving on - this includes the piggy bank on top of the last booth on the right. [CHECKPOINT 6] [TAROT CONDITION: 67 OBJECTS DESTROYED] This area is pretty hectic from the very beginning. Your biggest problem is the pirate bossmen ranged around the perimeter, firing dual cannonballs at you. Snipe them out with the goo gun on your way past, then deal with the pirates chasing you. Next, you'll have to board the first ship and take down more of these tossers - I used my eggs here, since I wasn't getting much use out of them anywhere else. With this ship cleared you can cross to the other one and repeat, or you can use the sparse crossbow ammo to snipe out the barrels on the other ship and kill off some pirate bossmen early on. Get onto the second ship anyway and begin clearing it out - A Morph will be nice if it happens. I suggest you disembark as soon the extra pirates turn up, as the area is very tight, what with those cannonballs bouncing around. I used plenty of eggs again and much fun was had, though only by me. Once the second ship is cleared out you have more pirates to deal with on the ground, but nothing you're not familiar with. Kill them all and open the exit. To get all the items you'll have to burst every barrel on the decks of both ships; you'll also have to use eggs to burst the benches behind the perimeter fence, off to the right, behind the turnstlie next to the right ship - just toss an egg onto the fence and blow it up to explode both benches. There is also, unbelievably, a firework bag perched on the top of the mast closest to the exit - just find the exit and shoot a cannon shot up at the crow's nest above it. Run into the exit when you know you got all of them. [TAROT CONDITION: 143 OBJECTS DESTROYED] --- TAROT CARD: Gamble (Gold) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.16 - LEVEL 3/5 AIR COMBAT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When you first get a look at this level you think there's no way in hell you'll ever get the card. The enemies are uniformly annoying - they're all easy to kill, it's just that they can all do you at least some damage before they go. The tarot condition is doubly frustrating because you can't afford to stand around and admire the view. Soul Catcher is an absolute must in this level, and I went with Dark Soul because the more Morphs you get, the less time you need to spend in the level. If you do have Dark Soul equipped then do watch out for my notes about when to Morph and when to wait, as this can help greatly towards getting the level's card. The Speed card obviously helps your time too. If you think this level's tough even with the gold cards, spare a thought for me, the writer, who isn't allowed to use them just in case you don't have them yet. But I'll still use the silver cards because I'm not a total masochist. --- MONSTERS (183) : CHOPPER WOMAN, FIREWORKER, OVERSEER, ROCKETEER, SKELETON SOLDIER, SZKOP GOLD: 256 ARMOUR: 4 AMMO: 52 OBJECTS: 94 SECRET AREAS: 1 TAROT CARD CONDITION: FINISH THE LEVEL IN MAXIMUM 15 MINUTES RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- SILVER: Dark Soul / Soul Catcher GOLD: Fury / Iron Will / Speed -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Don't hang about if you're on the clock. Run forwards with the bonegun and splat the four tits who turn up against the wall. Collect the souls and the two ammo boxes, and run through the left door with the crossbow in hand. Quicksave in the doorway and move in. I hid behind the high panel next to the lift and crossbowed the nearest enemies from relative safety. Then I peeked around the panel and sniped the guys at the far end, and stayed ready to deal with the new ones who spawned behind me. This lost me very little health but I did have to sprint to grab the souls. If you want to quick-jump around then you can try it, but you stand a greater chance of getting hit by bombs. Anyway, once you're satisfied that you've kept as much health as possible (if not just reload from the quicksave you made - you'll be doing a lot of that) and make sure you walk onto the lift where the checkpoint is. If you walk onto the other lift you miss the checkpoint but still go down. I also found a bug here, on the checkpoint lift, which let me jump through the lift and fall to the bottom; I then reappeared on the checkpoint, still up high, the lift lowered and I was stuck on it without being able to move. Ridiculous, so walk onto the checkpoint, don't jump. [CHECKPOINT 1] [TAROT CONDITION: 1:06] As soon as the lift stops moving, crossbow the five guys at the far edge of this area, then run forward and grab the souls while more minions arrive. From now until the next checkpoint you should be quick-jumping around like crazy, using the planes as cover and picking up the ammo packs on your way past. Don't get too near anyone, as they all have horrible melee attacks too. If you wind up with over 100 health when the dust settles you're doing very well. [CHECKPOINT 2] [TAROT CONDITION: 2:01] Run to the right and get the ammo packs, then hide behind that plane and be ready to crossbow anyone who comes creeping towards you. More guys will spawn in everywhere when you've killed a few of the first lot, so that's when you should begin the quick-jumping thing. Work the crossbow or goo gun, any long- range, instant-hit weapon (I know the goo gun isn't instant-hit really, but it's nearly as good as). Watch for the piles of barrels and make sure you hit them when there's a few guys near them. And keep an eye out for any souls lying in corners, as you need all the health you can get. Again, over 100 health by the end is great. Make sure to get the ammo boxes, but hurry up. [CHECKPOINT 3] [TAROT CONDITION: 3:45] Hop off the lift when it stops and pick up the crossbow ammo against the wall on your left while you move forwards. Throw an egg at the barrels up ahead, and another two at the open area beyond there, past the plane. When everyone spawns in they'll all be at the same place, so detonate those eggs and then run forward to get enough souls to hit your first Morph (with Dark Soul). Use the Morph for all it's worth and you can clear this area out. Otherwise lob heads and crossbow bolts around like crazy, and get the other ammo boxes now, rather than later. The checkpoint appears near the plane. [CHECKPOINT 4] [TAROT CONDITION: 4:29] You should have plenty of crossbow ammo, so have it ready as you quick-jump along this corridor. Fireworkers and rocketeers of course spawn in, so lob some heads and then ping the crossbow at them. You can afford some health loss in here, since there's a health pickup at the back which you should collect once everyone is dead - when I picked it up I was back to 105 health, which was ideal. The next area is pretty similar, though a bit tougher. Crossbow and heads are still the best bet, but you're bound to lose some health regardless. Just get those souls, dammit. [CHECKPOINT 5] [TAROT CONDITION: 5:22] Another corridor. By this point I had no crossbow ammo left, so I just went with the rifle and a few cannon blasts. [CHECKPOINT 6] [TAROT CONDITION: 5:40] Man, this is getting boring. You need no new advice here, other than to pick up the armour which will reveal itself at the side door when you kill off the last enemy - sometimes ammo appears in the room behind the armour and sometimes it doesn't, I'm not sure why. And definitely do NOT Morph, it's a complete waste in here. As soon as you get the armour run over to the checkpoint. [CHECKPOINT 7] [TAROT CONDITION: 6:22] Move towards the nearest plane and you will pop into the cockpit, just when you thought this level was seriously in need of an originality injection. The plane will fly you across to another landing bay and that's when all hell will break loose, or at least rattle the bars. You will hopefully be a few souls away from a Demon Morph, and this is the time to use it. Concentrate on clearing out as many of the ground troops as you can while you're still Morphed, including the insanely annoying chopper women. Once the Morph wears off I suggest you climb one of the two ladders against the side walls and start sniping out the skeleton warriors on the high gangways with your goo gun or crossbow (I had to fall back on the evil eye to get the guys at the far side of the bay). By the way, there is a secret area with armour in it here; climb the ladder to the right of the huge opening and look behind the pipes. ~ The platform on the other side has a mega-ammo pack and a health pickup, and there is of course that health pickup on the main floor. With the high skeletons gone some more chopper women and skeletons will spawn on the ground and collect underneath you. Go to the nearest ladder opening and lob an egg down, then explode it to send them all packing at once. Drop for the souls, kill off any stragglers, pick up the ammo boxes and head for the checkpoint at the corner. [CHECKPOINT 8] [TAROT CONDITION: 8:03] If you're keeping up with my time you're doing very well indeed, and getting the card should be no trouble from here on, especially since you have only about 40 more gimps to off. The lift will climb and spit you out in what looks like a control room. Leave the armour until you've killed off some more skeletons and chopper women, and pick up the ammo before the skeletons can toss smoke grenades near it, otherwise you may lose health going for them later. I went with skulls in here, rather than the bonegun, and kept the chopper women at bay by the simple tactic of running around them at close range - suckers. Pick up the armour and go outside, heading right to get behind the cover of the zeppelin. When the tits arrive shoot out the barrels and boxes of cannonballs to drop them quick, and use more skulls or cannon shots to kill off the remainder (prioritise the chopper women here). There is ammo about, so pick it up and go to the checkpoint at the ramp. At this point I had 114 health and 90 armour, so I pretty much stopped worrying - if you've got even half these amounts you can probably relax too, as there isn't far to go now. [CHECKPOINT 9] [TAROT CONDITION: 9:22] Up the ramp, collect that ammo if you need it, and run along to the right. When the skeletons and chopper women appear you can knock them out with the cannon or whatever, it's not tough. Just don't let the women near you and you should be fine, as the bishop said to the something or other. Don't Morph yet, wait until you get through to the next area. Hurry around the corner and into another room to take on yet more women and skeletons. I got a Morph in here, and if you do too I suggest you kill off everyone, hit the next checkpoint and hurry through to the final room, as you can kill the lone overseer with just one Demon Morph shot. If you don't manage this you should trigger your gold cards in the penultimate room instead, and make sure they're still active by the time you hit the final area. [CHECKPOINT 10] [TAROT CONDITION: 10:10] The last room has a mega-ammo pack in the near right corner, but nothing else of note. You've faced overseers before, so just scream him down and leap into that exit for your card (hopefully). Or you can use the red teleporters to get back through the whole level, if you like. [TAROT CONDITION: 10:18] --- TAROT CARD: The Sceptre (Gold) -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.17 - LEVEL 3/6 SAMMAEL'S LAIR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is the ultimate showdown with Sephiro... I mean Sammael. You may have stopped caring by now, but Sammael may be the most difficult of the Painkiller games' bosses, particularly if you want the card. Choose your collected cards wisely before heading in. I chose Hellish armor for that tiny bit of armour, since every little helps. Last Breath is the only other likely one to equip alongside Fear, but since the idea is to stay above 50 health you definitely won't use Last Breath on the occasion you do get the final tarot card. --- MONSTERS (13): GHOST, SWARM, TEMPLAR BOSS BOSS: SAMMAEL ARMOUR: 1 AMMO: 1 TAROT CARD CONDITION: KEEP HP ABOVE 50 RECOMMENDED CARD SELECTION -------------------------- SILVER: Fear / Hellish armor GOLD: Endurance / Iron Will / The Sceptre -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Run straight ahead, ignoring the statues on both sides. Pick up the mega-ammo pack and run towards Sammael. He's going to start firing flames at you, topple the odd pillar, and he'll also summon up the occasional swarm which will home in and sap a little of your health. The swarms can be avoided easily just by quick-jumping around, but the fireballs are harder to dodge. Keep moving, but once in a while you should run up to Sammael and fire at his head with the cannon, crossbow or bonegun. Aim every shot at his head and dropping his first incarnation is not tough at all. Get out the rifle and collect one or both of the health pickups if you need them (though ideally you shouldn't at this point). Leave the armour alone too until your 20 from Hellish armor is totally gone, and only then pick it up. Once the first few templar bosses come to life, that's the time to trigger your gold cards. The Sceptre is the one that really cuts the mustard here - I just gave a quick scything burst with the rifle and it took down all six of the first templars. All the others jumped out and they were gone within seconds too, leaving me to pick up some lovely red souls, worth six health points each. Sammael should be back by the time the last templar is falling, and your cards are hopefully still active. While they're still going, run up to Sammael with the bonegun and just start twatting him (you don't need to avoid his attacks if you have Iron Will equipped). With any luck you should be able to kill off all the templars and Sammael's second coming with just a few rifle rounds, a few bonegun shots and your wonderful gold cards. If Sammael is still around when the cards wear off just do what you did the first time and aim for the head and body when he's swinging his sword. Now for the third bit, and this is where you may lose that precious tarot card you want so much. Get the health pickups and armour now if you haven't already. You should still be pretty well off for ammo if you've followed my strategy, but you still have to use it effectively. Sammael will come soaring down and will begin offloading more flames and swarms. He may also send up pillars of flame from the ground, but these are easily avoided. The important thing to know is that, if you want to kill him, you have to aim for his head. Your crossbow is the best weapon to go with here, as it's fast and accurate. The evil eye is great for hitting Sammael in the head from a distance, and the rifle and bonegun are worth falling back on if you're getting nowhere. Again, after Sammael swings his sword downwards is the ideal moment to shoot, but don't waste any shots on his armour-covered body. If you manage to shoot him in the head you'll see his health drop dramatically, and from then on it's just a case of bringing him down as fast as you can while keeping your health above 50. Cope with that and you'll finally drop the big poser, earning your last card and a look at the very brief ending movie. --- TAROT CARD: Divine Intervention (Silver) -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- Congratulations, now try it on Trauma and give up after two minutes. As far as I'm concerned, there's no way I can be bothered playing through all that again, especially without any souls. I had 3 health by the time I was halfway through Cataclysm on Trauma, and if that's only the first level I can't imagine what the situation will be in Air Combat or Dead Marsh. Besides, the ending movie will be exactly the same. Pathetic, but it's up to you. -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- /============================================================================\ -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- \============================================================================/ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- @-------------------------------------@ | 4. CONTRIBUTORS / CONTRIBUTIONS | @-------------------------------------@ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- Version 1.0 - 19 January 2008 - Michael Sarich: Copyright Disclaimer <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.1 - 28 March 2008 - Kevin Rowe Contributed to Section 3.11 LEVEL 2/5 RAGNAROK 12 April 2008 - Mike Contributed to Section 2.2.1 GOLD CARDS 05 May 2008 - Merle Kerr Contributed to Section 3.11 LEVEL 2/5 RAGNAROK 16 May 2008 - gay noob Contributed to Section 2.2.1 GOLD CARDS 13 June 2008 - Jonathan G. Schwartz Contributed to Section 3.8 LEVEL 2/2 NUCLEAR PLANT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THANK-YOU TO ALL CONTRIBUTORS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- /============================================================================\ -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- \============================================================================/ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- @------------------------------------@ | 5. VERSION HISTORY / UPDATES | @------------------------------------@ -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- Version 1.0 completion - 19 January 2008 <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.1 completion - 12 July 2008 Section 1: 1.1 INTRODUCTION - Added notes about the latest patch and Powermad mod 1.3 CONTACT ME - Revised and updated information Section 2: 2.2.1 GOLD CARDS - Revised and corrected Steps of thunder Section 3: 3.8 LEVEL 2/2 NUCLEAR PLANT - Revised and corrected description of first secret area 3.11 LEVEL 2/5 RAGNAROK - Revised and corrected description of first secret area Miscellaneous: Corrected spelling, grammar and formatting errors -=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=-=#=- Thank-you for using this walkthrough. I hope it helped you out, or at least taught you how _not_ to play the game. At the very least, I hope you found it entertaining. ¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_| This guide was written and formatted with the excellent Metapad: http://www.liquidninja.com/metapad/ ¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_| Useless - utuselessut@hotmail.com /============================================================================\ -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- -=#=- \============================================================================/