PRIMA OFFICIAL GAME GUIDE DAVID SJ HODGSON STEPHEN STRATTON MIGUEL LOPEZ Prima Games David SJ Hodgson A Division of Random House, Inc. Originally hailing from the United Kingdom, David left his role as a writer of numerous 3000 Lava Ridge Court, Suite 100 British video game magazines (including Mean Machines, Computer & Video Games, Roseville, CA 95661 and the Offi cial Nintendo and Sega Saturn magazines) and a bohemian lifestyle on a dry-docked German fi shing trawler to work on the infamous GameFan magazine in www.primagames.com 1996. David helped to launch the fl edgling GameFan Books and helped form Gamers’ The Prima Games logo is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., Republic in 1998, authoring many strategy guides for Millennium Publications, registered in the United States and other countries. Primagames.com is including The Offi cial Metal Gear Solid Mission Handbook. After launching the wildly a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., registered in the United unsuccessful incite Video Gaming and Gamers.com, David found his calling, and States. began authoring guides for Prima Games. He has written over 30 Prima strategy guides, including The Godfather: The Game, Knights of the Old Republic, Perfect Dark © 2007 by Prima Games. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be Zero, Half-Life 2, and Burnout Revenge. He lives in the Pacifi c Northwest with his reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, wife, Melanie, and an eight-foot statue of Great Cthulhu. including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission from Prima Games. Prima Games is a division of Random We want to hear from you! E-mail comments and feedback to dhodgson@ House, Inc. primagames.com. Product Manager: Todd Manning Stephen Stratton Editor: Rebecca Chastain Stephen Stratton has worked on more than 30 projects in his fi ve years of writing Copyeditor: Sara Wilson strategy guides for Prima. His repertoire of mastered games includes Counter- Design and Layout: Winter Graphics North Strike: Condition Zero, Rome: Total War, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, The Manufacturing: Suzanne Goodwin Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Super Mario Sunshine, Hitman: Contracts, and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. © 2007 Valve Corporation. All rights reserved. Valve, the Valve logo,Half-Life, the Steve is a lifelong video gamer who attended the Rochester Institute of Technology Half-Life logo, the Lambda logo, Steam, the Steam logo, Team Fortress, and the Team in Rochester, NY. In addition to his Prima Games guides, he also held a staff position Fortress logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation. All with Computec Media and managed the strategy section of their incite.com video other trademarks are property of their respective owners in the United States and game website. other countries.. RIDING SHOTGUNMiguel Lopez All products and characters mentioned in this book are trademarks of their respective Miguel Lopez has been working as a journalist in the video game industry since 1999. companies. OVERVIEWDuring his nine-year stint as an in-house editor, he’s worked at GameSpot.com, The pace to White Forest quickens, now that the open roadGameSpy.com, is before andyou. the Until, now defunct of course, Gamenow the Magazine. road becomesAs a freelance writer, he’s Please beclogged advised that with the ESRBrusting Ratings vehicle icons, “EC,” hulks “E,” and “E10+,” the “T,” long-dead “M,” “AO,” and remains contributed of hapless to numerous refugees mainstream and and worse. enthusiast Amid publications, the eerie including Wired, “RP” are trademarks owned by the Entertainment Software Association, and may only Games for Windows Magazine, Gamepro, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and X-Play. be used withquiet their permission of these and mountains authority. For is information a lonely regarding radar station, whether a whichHalf-Life needs 2:to The be Orange powered Box is uphis fifor rst projectAlyx towith communicate Prima. product haswith been White rated by Forest. the ESRB, This please area visit www.esrb.org.is your fi rst For combat permission with to use the hated Hunters, but Alyx is ready for them this time. the RatingsContinue icons, please driving contact until the ESA you at esrblicenseinfo.com. reach an abandoned farmhouse Aand native barn...although of Hialeah, Florida, Miguel a new now and lives frightening in the sunny Mission resident District of San has taken up a corner: the dreaded Advisor. After tacklingFrancisco, him California, and a Combine with his wife, scout cat, and team, two house you plants. quicken Important: the pace, driving erratically down a winding railroad to avoidACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the guns and bombs from a Hunter Chopper Prima Games has made every effort to determine that the information contained in David SJ Hodgson would like to thank: all at Valve for going above and beyond to this book isattack accurate. craft. However, Only the when publisher you makes reach no warranty, a Rebel either train expressed yard can youfurnish disembark us all with insane from tactics your and overheating exceptional hospitality. Car, use Special the thanks to Eric or implied, as to the accuracy,Chopper’s effectiveness, own or completeness weapons againstof the material it, and in win theTwelker, respect David Speyrer,of your Phil new-found Co (for his gnome-herding friends. skills), and Dario Casali this book; nor does the publisher assume liability for damages, either incidental or (who took down over a dozen Striders in an amazing display of carapace-exploding). consequential, that may result from using the information in this book. The publisher Thumbs way up to Miguel Lopez and Steve Stratton, Todd, Rebecca, and Sara. Polite cannot provide any additional information or support regarding gameplay, hints and cap-doffi ng to Laibach, Ladytron, and The Knife. All my love to Melanie. strategies, INVENTORYor problems with hardware PICK-UP or software. Such questions ENTITY should be directed ENCOUNTER ENTITY ENCOUNTER to the support numbers provided by the game and/or device manufacturers as set And “W” for Winnie, embedded in ice. forth in their documentation. Some game tricks require precise timing andFRIENDLIES may HOSTILES require■ repeated Crossbow attempts before the desired result is achieved.■ Alyx Vance Stephen Stratton would ■like Zombine to thank: all the nice■ folks Zombie at Valve for being so friendly ■ Dr. Magnusson and helpful. Special thanks■ toHunter Eric Twelker, Robin ■Walker, Headcrab and the entire TF2 team ■ Rebels* for being so great and sharing■ Combine their time Pod* and knowledge.■ Fast Big Zombie ups to David Hodgson, ISBN: 978-0-7615-5693-0 Miguel Lopez, Rebecca Chastain,■ Combine Todd Advisor*Manning, and■ SaraFast Wilson Headcrab for pitching in to Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007927559 keep the insanity of the project■ to a minimum. Hugs and kisses to Julie Mervyn, the Printed in the United States of America Combine Soldier* most loving and awesome■ game Combine store manager APC* in the world. ■ 07 08 09 10 GG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Miguel Lopez would like to Hunterthank: everyone Chopper* at Valve for being such gracious hosts during the visit, and particularly Jeep Barnett and Eric Twelker for their generosity * Indicates fi rst exposureand expertise. to entity Many thanks go to the co-authors, David Hodgson and Steve Stratton, for their insight throughout my fi rst strategy guide project. Finally, boundless appreciation goes to my brilliant and patient wife Emiko for her support and encouragement during this challenging deadline. Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful downloading expressly prohibited. CONTENTS Half-Life 2: Basics . 4 Getting Started . .4 Weapons Detail . 13 Half-Lifers: The Characters . .22 The Bestiary . .27 Half-Life 2: A Condensed Walkthrough . .42 Chapter 1: Point Insertion . 43 Chapter 2: “A Red Letter Day” . 43 Chapter 3: Route Kanal . .44 Chapter 4: Water Hazard . 46 Chapter 5: Black Mesa East . .50 Chapter 6: “We Don’t Go To Ravenholm” . 51 Chapter 7: Highway 17. 54 Chapter 8: Sandtraps. 56 Chapter 9: Nova Prospekt . 58 Chapter 10: Entaglement . 60 Chapter 11: Anticitizen One. 62 Chapter 12: “Follow Freeman!” . .65 Chapter 13: “Our Benefactors”. 68 Chapter 14: Dark Energy . 69 Half-Life 2: Episode One . .70 Undue Alarm. 70 Direct Intervention . .82 Lowlife . 91 Urban Flight . .106 Exit 17. .128 Half-Life 2: Episode Two . .136 To the White Forest. .136 This Vortal Coil . .146 Freeman Pontifex . .160 Riding Shotgun . .169 Under the Radar . .178 Our Mutual Friend . .190 T-Minus One . .202 The Art of Half-Life 2 . .205 Portal . .216 Overview. .217 Chapter 1: Test Chambers 00—03 . .220 Chapter 2: Test Chambers 04—07 . .222 Chapter 3: Test Chambers 08—09 . .224 Chapter 4: Test Chambers 10—12 . .226 Chapter 5: Test Chamber 13 . .229 Chapter 6: Test Chamber 14 . .231 Chapter 7: Test Chamber 15 . .234 Chapter 8: Test Chamber 16 . .238 Chapter 9: Test Chamber 17 . .243 Chapter 10: Test Chamber 18 . .247 Chapter 11: The Escape. ..