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Half-Life 2 - Strategy Guide (Page 01)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Half-Life 2 - Strategy Guide (Page 01).

Half Life 2 FAQ by Paraphrase for:
Cheat CC
DLH.net (German)
Gaming Freaks
Neoseeker
Aus-Gaming (German) (Even though I'm a Yank)
Any other sites currently displaying
this FAQ are probably doing so without
my permission.  Feel free to let me 
know.  


[Version 1.06]
Half Life, Half Life 2, the Lambda symbol, 
and all related materials are copyrighted and
accredited to VALVe Software and VU Games.

New for [Version 0.6]: THE DISCLAIMER


	[DISCLAIMER]
For the most part, I try to pull my punches
when it comes to Spoilers.  I won't repeat
lines that characters say, and I won't give
away key plot points.  BUT.  You have to 
bear with me.  THIS IS A WALK THROUGH.

That means I played this game a number of 
times all the way through, so that I could
write this guide, which I wrote while
playing.  It WALKS you THROUGH the game,
step by step.  If that isn't your cup 
of tea, please don't use this guide.

There are less comprehensive guides out 
there, ones that advertise their lack
of spoilers.  (And content, if you ask
me)  That's all I have to say on the subject.




	[Version 1.06]
	12/8/04 2:33 PM PST - Version 1 complete
	Disclaimer: Complete
	Weapons: Complete (Expanded Grenade Entry)
	Rides: Complete
	Allies: Complete
	Enemies: Complete 
	Walkthrough: Complete!!!
	SCIENCE: Work in Progress
	G-Man Sightings: Complete! 

	[Special Thanks]

	Silvio for info on NPC's and the Tripod
	Sentry Guns, and also on how much time
	has really passed between Half Life 1
	and Half Life 2.  

	Darren Greenburg for being my angelic
	spell checker.  
	
	SysTem-X for editing and fixing
	my grammatical errors.

	Jamie Cain, for spotting and fixing
	even more errors, and a prank played
	on me by my last editor.  ( :P ) 
	
	Brakman 18 for pointing out that the
	Zoom feature isn't useless, and for
	giving me some more information about
	the ubiquitous Combine Soldier.

	Drago for pointing out numerous
	additions and information placement.

	Kay Abendroth and Knut T. Oulie
	for suggesting that you can move turrets
	around in the Entanglement Chapter.

	Mark Trombino for suggesting an alternate
	solution to the second Entanglement 
	Turret Puzzle.

	Pete Starr for suggesting even more
	solutions for BOTH Turret Puzzles.
	
	Jackson "Marcom" Dang for suggesting yet
	another permutation that may help you
	with the second Entanglement Turret
	Puzzle.

	Bertel for the amusing trick involving 
	Dog's "Ball". 

	Joshua Rodriguez for informing me of
	Drone #4's proper name - Shield Scanner

	Wietze Groenhof for reminding me about a
	LAMBDA symbol I missed in Water Hazard

	Robert Fremin for cluing me in to the
	machine gun's real name - H&K MP7 PDK

	The many people who have sent me G-Man
	sightings, including but not limited to:
	
	Radoslav
	Robert Espinosa
	Aaron Chong
	Ken Yeoh
	John Fogarty
	P 3
	Joe Dillon

	And the five dozen or so people who kept
	badgering me about the missing G-Man 
	sighting in Chapter Four.  I heard you the
	first time, you freaks.
		
	And thank you to many, many people who have
	written with feed back and suggestions.
	Always appreciated.

	Please direct all problems and/or errors
	to paraphrase.mccormick@gmail.com

	*Note: Please put "HL2 FAQ" in the header.
	I didn't realize I would actually get comments
	and feed back, but I have been, and quite a bit.
	This will make it easier for me to find and 
	reply to your stuff.

	6/14/05 - I still get messages now and then
		concerning the FAQ.  If you're hesitant
		because you think I won't answer, don't
		worry about it.  I answer every question 
		to the best of my ability.  :)
	


	[HALF LIFE 2]
1) Introduction

2) Getting to know Gordon

3) Your Arsenal

4) Your Rides

5) Allies

6) Enemies

7) Walkthrough (FINISHED!!)

8) SCIENCE: The Gravity Gun and You (Work in Progress)

9) G-Man Sightings (Finished)

10) The Console (Coming)


-=   HL2   =-


1) Introduction

The sequel to what many call the greatest shooter ever, Half Life 2 again
seats you in the pants of Gordon Freeman.  Gordon, an M.I.T. graduate with
a doctorate in Theoretical Physics, is not your typical action hero.
He is, for all intents and purposes, a nerd.  But what he lacks in sheer
testosterone, YOU make up for.

Half Life 2 begins a number of years after the ending of
Half Life.  Having been corrected on how long that has been, I'm
not sure if revealing it would ruin the game or not.  

The only things that have remained the same are yourself, and the G-Man.

The G-Man is an enigma.  He can move in and out of your world with
effortless ease, and always seems to be twelve steps ahead of you.
If you recall from Half Life's finale, the G-Man had given you a
choice.  In a manner of speaking.  You could either follow him
through a teleportation ring and accept a job... or stay behind
in the border world Xen to fight an endless stream of alien Grunts.
The correct "choice" was to accept his proposal.  This left you
stranded in a limbo like dimension.  Until now.

From out of the void the G-Man's all too familiar, halting speech reaches you.  
It seems the time has come for your, as he puts it, limitless potential 
to be tapped.  For some reason that is beyond your scope, you have been 
chosen to once again be the right man in the wrong place.



-=   HL2   =-


2) Getting to know Gordon

This time around Gordon has a few new tricks to pull out of his miraculous
HEV suit.

An upgraded version of your suit, dubbed the Mark V, has a number of
improvements over the old one.  Lets go over them, as knowing when to
use each ability has tremendous advantages.

- The Zoom Function
	Contrary to the demos shown at E3, you CAN NOT fire while zoomed in. The 
	only weapon in the game that allows for zoomed firing is the new Crossbow.  
	The HEV suit's zoom is merely for scouting purposes.  Don't overlook that.  
	Just because you can't zoom in with your pistol doesn't mean the zoom is 
	useless.  To use the Zoom function, press and hold the "Z" key.

	*Note: Thanks to Brakman 18 for pointing out that the Zoom Function
		can be used with Vehicle weapons.  

-Speed Booster
	Drawing on your suits new Auxiliary Power unit, mechanics in your legs 
	can boost your running speed CONSIDERABLY as long as you hold down the 
	SHIFT key.  The only drawback is that you can only run at top speed until 
	your Auxiliary Power unit is drained.  Keep this ability in mind in the 
	later stages, particularly "Sandtraps", as you can outrun the Antlions 
	long enough to get back on to rock and then proceed to take them out safely.  
	It is also useful as it makes it much safer to run between cover while 
	dodging machinegun emplacements.

-Flashlight 
	The only notable change to the flashlight is that it also draws power away 
	from the Auxiliary Power unit.  Don't forget that!  It's generally best to 
	turn your flashlight off before using other abilities, especially the 
	oxygen tank.

-Oxygen Tank
	In Half Life 2 there is actually a functional meter for your O2 levels 
	while underwater.  The downside is that your suit's re-breather runs off 
	the Auxiliary Power unit.  And thus, if used in conjunction with 
	other suit abilities, cuts your time underwater in half, at least.

-Charger Interface
	Dr. Kleiner has adapted the charger couplings of the HEV suit to work 
	with Combine technology, allowing you the opportunity to run up the bad 
	guy's electric bill whenever you find their chargers laying around.



-=   HL2   =-


3) Your Arsenal

A few new weapons, a few old ones, but everything has changed, with the 
exception of the good old Crowbar.  I've ordered the weapons in the 
manner that they appear on your HUD.

________________________
	[Crowbar]       |
Ammo: N/A               |
Effective Range: Melee  |
________________________|
Once again your first weapon is the Crowbar.  Don't fret though, a few 
whacks from this will drop any Combine foot soldiers that are hassling 
you.  And then you can take THEIR weapons.  You'll mainly use the Crowbar 
for breaking planks, boxes, and grates.  It's a tool more then a weapon.

_________________________
	[Gravity Gun]    |
Ammo: N/A                |
Effective Range: Medium. |
_________________________| 
I'm hoping to better detail the Gravity Gun in section 8 of this
FAQ.  Bear with me while I fine tune.

_______________________________________________
	[USP Match 9mm]                        |
Ammo: 18 Round Magazine, 150 Rounds in Reserve |	
Effective Range: Medium                        |
_______________________________________________|
The pistol this time around is surprisingly potent.  While it's best to 
give it the shaft when you pick up the machine gun, it can drop Combine 
foot soldiers just fine.  I would like to point out, however, that you
generally have plenty of ammo for the pistol, and should use it for
picking off Tripwire Bombs, Explosive Barrels, Headcrabs, etc.  Things
where you could conserve ammo from heavier weapons. 
(Thanks to Drago for prompting me about that.)

*Note: The pistol is apparently packing a new trick.  First, hold down
	secondary fire.  Then, hold down primary fire.  Count to about
	ten (or longer).  When you see an enemy, aim at him and release
	secondary fire.  You will unleash a large number of bullets
	simultainiously.  I don't know why, but it does work.  Just bear
	in mind that you can usualy only do this once, as a surprise
	attack.  (Thank you to Zero for letting me in on this little
	trick)

*Note: A recent patch to the HL2DM mod removed the bullet charging trick.
	I'm not sure if it affects single player at the moment.

________________________________________
	[.357 Magnum Revolver]          |
Ammo: 6 rounds chambered, 12 in reserve |
Effective Range: Medium to Long         |
________________________________________|
The Python makes it's triumphant return.  This thing packs even more punch
then it did in Half Life, thanks to the physics system.  Enemies will 
literally be blown back by the force of it's bullets.  Keep in mind,
however, that while this gun can drop Combine foot soldiers in one head 
shot, Zombies are not as susceptible.  Use the Magnum primarily for picking 
off targets at medium to long range, as it's very accurate.  At close range, 
other weapons do the job better.  EXCEPT!  Except for the "Leaper" Zombies 
in Ravenholm.  When those bastards are climbing up the rain gutters to get you, 
stand on the ledges and fire into their headcrab head.  This will drop them in 
one shot, before they can get to you.  Very handy.  Also bear in mind that the
Magnum takes a bit longer to reload then most of your other weapons, and it's 
generally a good idea to switch to something else if you're still under fire, 
rather then wait for the reload.  Granted, if you can find cover, it's not
a problem.

____________________________________________________________________
	[H&K MP7 PDK - Machine Gun]                                 |
Ammo: 45 round magazine, 225 rounds in reserve ; 3 contact grenades |
Effective Range: Medium                                             |
____________________________________________________________________|
The Machine gun has changed substantially.  No longer the military issue 
MP5 from Half Life, this baby will keep you wanting for ammo.  The secondary 
fire is still the contact grenade, however these new grenades have a much 
wider blast radius (Which is good).  Remember that you have to "indirectly" 
fire the contact grenades, as they travel in a slight arc.  The farther 
from you the target is, the more of an arc you need to land the grenade 
at his feet.  Take the opportunity to practice - Quick save when you have 
some grenades and try lobbing them around.  Then just load your game back 
up and keep moving.

___________________________________________________________________
	[Pulse Rifle]                                              |
Ammo: 30 rounds in magazine, 60 rounds in reserve ; 3 energy cores |
Effective Range: Medium to just under Long                         |
___________________________________________________________________|
This baby is truly kick ass.  It can drop soldiers in just a few rounds.  
The real problem is you'll run out of ammo real quick.  
Thankfully, most Combine platoons have a few pulse rifles amongst them,
so you can usually replenish your supply after a fire fight.  BE CAREFUL 
WITH THE SECONDARY FIRE. Myself and most of my friends were not ready for 
the Energy Core, and sometimes accidentally took out allies with it.  
When you fire the secondary mode of the Pulse Rifle, a large pulsing 
ball of light will shoot out of the gun, and ricochet around the 
area for a few seconds.  Try to fire it INTO groups of enemies, 
not at their feet, but INTO them.  Laugh as they are disintegrated, 
but make sure it doesn't hit you on it's way around the room.

____________________________________________
	[Shotgun]                           | 
Ammo: 6 rounds loaded, 30 rounds in reserve |
Effective Range: Close to Medium            |
____________________________________________|
The biggest change to the shotgun, aside from looks, is the reduced 
amount of ammo you can carry.  In Half Life, you could hold up to 125 
rounds of 12 gauge - This time around it's only 30.  You get the Shotgun
for the first time in Ravenholm, from Father Gregori.  USE IT.  You will
need it.  Ammo will be a bit short but Zombies go down fast in front of 
buckshot.  Always aim for the head of your target, and wait until they are
at CLOSE RANGE.  You can still hit things that are farther away, but you 
won't do nearly as much damage.  As before, the Shotgun's secondary fire 
mode is to unleash two shots at once.  Always use that at CLOSE range, and 
only on the tougher "Leaper" zombies.  Never on the standard ones.  It's 
a waste of ammo.

____________________________________________
	[Crossbow]                          |
Ammo: 1 round onboard, 10 rounds in reserve |
Effective Range: Very Long                  |
____________________________________________|
This crossbow is very different from the one in Half Life in two important 
ways.  First off, it only fires a single shot before you have to reload it, 
but during the reload you WILL NOT lose your zoom.  That's handy.  
Secondly, at extreme range the Crossbow "bolt" (which is actually superheated
rebar) arcs down a bit.  So make sure you aim just above the heads of distant 
enemies.  That ensures a body shot, which is all you need to kill someone with 
the Crossbow.

____________________________________
	[Grenade]                   |
Ammo: 5 grenades in reserve         |
Effective Range: Just beyond Medium |
____________________________________|
Grenades are different!  Very different.  First of all, you throw them harder 
and straighter then you could in Half Life.  Secondly, no matter what you do, 
the grenade will have a five second fuse as soon as it leaves your hand, and 
not a moment sooner.  This means you may have to anticipate enemy movement 
to score a good hit.  But For the most part, if you only use grenades 
for room clearing and for taking out snipers (That is detailed later), 
they work just fine.  

(Thank you to Rangerband for cluing me in to something I should have seen)

Secondary fire on the grenade, if standing, is a gentle lob that sort of
tosses the grenade onto the ground with no real finesse.  If you crouch 
and hit secondary fire, however, you ROLL the grenade, in a fairly aimable
line.  This is a KEY manuver to use when dealing with pop up turrets late
in the game.  Crouch down outside the turret's laser sensor, and roll a
grenade into the cavity it pops out of.  Boom, no more turret.  

________________________
	[RPG]           |
Ammo: 3 rockets onboard |
Effective Range: Long   |
________________________|
Rockets have changed too.  For starters, you don't have to reload the 
launcher, there's just a short pause in between shots.  Secondly, you 
only have three rockets at any given time.  Don't fret, though.  
Whenever you're faced with a Gunship, an enemy that can only be brought 
down by Rockets, there will always be an ammo crate SOMEWHERE that you 
can utilize.  Now, the Rocket only has one firing mode - Laser Guided.  
And it will FOLLOW that laser.  You can execute some pretty impressive 
acrobatics with the rocket.  And you'll have to – Gunships can shoot 
down Rockets that fly directly at them.  You'll need to weave the rocket 
around, and sometimes behind, the Gunship before bringing it in for the 
kill.  It takes five to six rockets to destroy a gunship, so make sure 
you know where ammo is incase you miss.

____________________________________________
	[Pheremone Gland; "Bug Bait"]       |
Ammo: Unlimited                             |
Effective Range: Close to Long, Arcing Shot |
____________________________________________|
This isn't so much a weapon as it is chaos in the palm of your 
hand.  When you get this, Drone Antlions will no longer attack 
you.  Instead, they will follow and protect you!  Keep in mind 
a few things, however.  First being that Antlions can go places 
you can't.  If there's an enemy shooting at you way up high, 
just toss a Pheremone Gland up to him and your Antlion army will 
FLY up there to eviscerate him.  If you want to call them back, 
just use secondary fire to squeeze your Gland, and the Antlions 
will return chittering happily.  The big warning, however, is 
that this will not work on Antlion Warriors.  So don't even bother.  
Another note - The large ground pounders that keep Antlions away will
confuse any Antlions following you.  It's best to send them to a spot 
away from the pounder by chucking a Gland where you want them to go, 
and then returning to turn off the Pounder by yourself.  The Antlions 
will quickly return to you once the pounder stops.



-=   HL2   =-


4) Your Rides

Vehicles in Half Life.  Mmm mmm.  And these actually work, unlike 
the fantastic failures of many Half Life 1 mods.  Now, you won't 
exactly have GTA freedom when it comes to the vehicles, you 
generally have them for a few levels and then the game moves on.  
But boy howdy, fun stuff.  Doing them in order:

	[Air Boat]
	Controls
	E - Enter/Exit
	W - Forward
	S - Backward
	A - Left
	D - Right
	F - Headlight On/Off
	Mouse 1 - Machine Gun (When acquired)
	Mouse look - Aim Machine Gun (when acquired)
	
*Note: Thanks to Brakman 18 for pointing out that you can
	use your HEV suit's Zoom Function to zoom in and 
	fire the Machine Gun.  

The Air Boat is amphibious, moving on and off land with relative 
ease.  However, bear in mind that the boat will have a harder time 
turning on dry land.  When you hit the water after a jump, be 
careful about leaning on the controls, as the boat will instantly 
JERK in the direction you're holding.  The boat will not flip, 
however, as you won't have the Gravity Gun at that point in the 
game and you'd never be able to right the boat on your own. You will 
have to dodge a number of obstacles, ranging from floating barrels 
of explosives to magnetic mines to Barnacle tendrils under bridges.  
If you touch a Barnacle tendril you will be taken out of the boat 
and dragged upward.  Immediately shoot the damn thing so that it drops 
you, and then just hit your USE key to re-enter the boat.  You can 
also exit the boat at any time (And you will need to) by simply 
pressing your USE key.  Once you have made it through the 
"Water Hazard" chapter, you will come across a Resistance way station 
and a Vortigaunt.  The helpful alien will attach a stolen Combine 
machinegun to your boat, giving you the power you need to take out 
the roving Hunter helicopters (more on this later).  The machinegun 
has unlimited ammo, but operates on a "Charge" system.  You need to 
let it rest once the ammo meter hits zero, and it will quickly be 
ready to fire again.


	[Scout Car]
	Controls
	E - Enter/Exit
	W - Accelerate
	S - Brake/Reverse
	A - Left
	D - Right
	Shift - Turbo
	Space - Handbrake
	Mouse 1 - Fire Tau Cannon
	Mouse 2 - Charge Tau Cannon (Release to fire a charged shot)
	Mouse Look - Aim Tau Cannon

*Note: Thanks to Brakman 18 for pointing out that you can use your
	HEV suit's Zoom Function to zoom in and fire with the Tau
	Cannon.  Spiffy.

The Scout Car is a very jittery thing that can roll easily, but the 
levels in which you have it are perhaps my favorite out of the entire 
game.  It's sort of like Mad Max from that point on, until you lose 
the car later.  But I digress:

*note: Don't forget that your car has a machinegun ammo crate on the 
back.  If you need ammo for the machine gun, simply go to the back 
of the car and hit your USE key.

You NEED the car.  Like the boat, it is the only way you'll make it 
through.  And if for some reason you chuck the car off a cliff or let 
it get blown up or crushed or any number of things that would destroy 
it (Which is hard) the game ends.  You will be driving over rough 
terrain.  Highway 17 is badly in need of repairs that it won't be 
getting, and sections of the road may be blocked - or may have been 
blown away altogether.  Using the Gravity Gun you can clear a path for
the Scout Car, and using your head you can find ways around gaps in 
the freeway.  The car, while it looks fragile, can easily tear through 
wooden fences and run over Combine Foot Soldiers and Antlions with out 
trouble.  The biggest obstacles to your car are Roller Mines and getting 
flipped on it's back.  Roller mines will cling to the car and send
jolts through it every few seconds, damaging you.  The best way to 
remove them is not your crowbar, but the Gravity Gun.  Use secondary 
fire to pry the Roller Mine(s) away from the car, and then use Primary 
fire to shoot them into the ocean, where they will explode.  Yay.  
When your car is flipped, immediately get out and hit your "G" key to 
whip out the Gravity Gun.  Use Primary fire to flip your car back upright, 
and then get in.  Don't bother wasting time with Antlions, you can just 
run them over.  If you have to leave your car for any reason, and you're 
in Antlion territory, try to park it inside the radius of a Pounder.  
You'll know them when you see them.  Pounders will keep Antlions 
occupied while you do whatever you need to do.  Well.  For the most 
part.  Sometimes they work their way around the Pounder and come after
you, but at least your car will be safe.



*note: At the urging of a Steam buyer of HL2, Aaron Sharpe, I will put a
reference for the Crane here.

	[Crane]
	
	W - Swing arm out
	S - Pull arm back
	D - Swing Crane Right
	A - Swing Crane Left
	Mouse 1 - Drop Magnet
	Mouse 1 (When Carrying Object) - Drop Object



-=   HL2   =-


5) Allies

A number of your associates and coworkers from Black Mesa have survived 
during your absence.  Flying the Lambda symbol as their flag, these 
charismatic and brilliant individuals have rallied humanity to the cause
of freedom.  The Resistance will help you whenever, and where ever, 
they can.

*Note:  Thank you to Silvio for pointing out that Essential NPC's CAN
	die.  That tip was much appreciated.

	[Barney Calhoun]
We loved him.  We hated him.  We made him talk to his clones.  Barney 
is back.  You first encounter him in Chapter One, "Point Insertion".  
This is mostly story and I'll leave that for you to enjoy, but the gist 
is Barney has infiltrated "Civil Protection", the politically correct 
term for the Combine militia.  He will help you escape capture a number 
of times, and you'll get the chance to save his ass later on.  

	
	[Dr. Issac Kleiner]
Quite possibly the same Kleiner that got Gordon his job at Black Mesa, 
the good doctor is a bit... absent minded.  Though undeniably brilliant, 
he also keeps a de-beaked headcrab as a pet (Lamar).  Vital to the story, 
and the one who gives you your upgraded HEV suit, the Mark V.

	[Lamar]
Is a de-beaked Headcrab.  She's harmless.  Mostly.  (Yes, she)

	[Dr. Eli Vance]
A pioneer of the technology behind Teleportation, Dr. Vance has been a 
driving force behind the resistance.  He's missing a leg, and is a bit 
grey on top, but this is the same Dr. Vance who asked you for help after 
you caused the resonance cascade at Black Mesa.  Makes you wonder about 
just how long you've been gone.

	[Dr. Judith Mossman]
One of the main contributors to the teleporter project, Dr. Mossman is
a big fan of yours, or at least comes off that way.  She doesn't get
along too well with Alyx, something that will be readily apparent to 
you.  She'll talk your ear off about science.  Don't worry if you can't
understand her.

	[Alyx Vance]
Has the hots for you.  Seriously.  She's the daughter of Eli Vance, and 
is brilliant in her own right.  She's responsible for the "growth" of her 
robotic companion, Dog, and will lead you through a number of tight spots 
in the game.  Well.  And she sends you to Ravenholm.  Bitch.

	[Dog]
This guy is fun.  I know he seems goofy when you first meet him, but give 
him a chance to show you how much ass he can kick, and you will be 
impressed.  Oh, uh.  Alyx's fiercely loyal companion.

	[Father Gregori]
Is insane.  But that's ok.  He gives you a Shotgun, and a bunch 
of traps you can play with.  Lighting zombies on fire should 
always be this much fun.


	[Resistance Militia]
An assortment of citizens armed and ready to give their lives to 
combat the Combine.  They arm themselves with whatever is available, 
but you typically see them carrying Shotguns, Machineguns, and 
Pulse Rifles.  Rarely you'll find one with an RPG, but that's usualy 
a tell tale sign that a Strider is near by.  There are also Medics 
mixed in with the regular Infantry, and you can easily spot them thanks 
to the bright Red Cross emblem.  They will pass out medkits to both you 
and any other injured soldier in the squad.  Try to keep them alive.  
These men and women will follow you everywhere, and obey your commands 
unquestioningly.  To order them to a position, simply look at it with 
your reticule (crosshair), and press your "C" key.  Tapping C twice will 
cause your squad to briefly stop following you.  Pressing C again, or 
just waiting too long, will cause them to resume their following.

	[Vortigaunts]
You will also encounter a number of friendly Vortigaunts, which you 
might know better as "Alien Slaves".  Freed from their oppression by 
your triumph over Nihilanth in the first game, the Vortigaunt bear 
you no ill will for the lives of those you killed.  But they also 
don't offer any forgiveness.  As the one who tells you this says, 
"It is not mine to give".  They will do a number of interesting things 
for you, cool things, that I'll leave you to be surprised by.



-=   HL2   =-




6) Enemies

Where you meet 'em, how to beat 'em.

*Please note that all descriptions are based on playing the game at the
 Normal difficulty setting.  Toughness in Hard will undoubtedly be greater.


	[Combine Foot Soldier]
These guys are omnipresent, literally everywhere.  You will always 
have plenty of them to fight, and will have to adapt to their tactics.  
If you don't see any, you can usually bet that a Drop ship is on the way 
to dump some off for you.

When it comes to beating the standard Foot Soldier, just shoot them.  
Be on the look out for grenade throwers, and be ESPECIALLY careful of 
Foot Soldiers with Pulse Rifles - They might use the Energy Core secondary 
attack, and if you're on the ball, you can catch it with your Gravity Gun 
and fling it back at them.

The easiest way to tell that Foot Soldiers are around is their distinctive 
radio chatter.  You'll know.

*Note:  Thanks to Brakman 18 for pointing out the "Ranks" of foot soldiers:

		[Metro Cops]
	These are the first Combine Soldiers you interact with.  As Brakman
	pointed out to me, they're armed only with Pistols and Stun Wands.

		[Combine Soldier]
	Wearing black armor, these are the bulk of what you encounter for 
	the rest of the game.  Armed with Machine Guns and Pulse Rifles.

		[Elites / "Assassins"]
	Wearing white armor, with red glowing eyes, these soldiers are 
	tougher then the black armored counterparts, and will always be
	wielding Pulse Rifles.  They are also the only Soldiers that use
	the Energy Core secondary fire on the Pulse Rifle.


	[Combine Snipers]
Easily noticed by the distinctive blue laser beams they use to target
enemies, Snipers will be holed up in small, inaccessible rooms.  Your
only option in dealing with them is to use cover until you are close 
enough to their window to lob a grenade inside.  If the grenade goes 
into the window, you have a kill.  RPG rounds also work in a pinch.  


	[Headcrabs]
These little bastards come in three flavors this time.  Your standard head 
crab, the "super leaper" headcrab, and the "Black Super Leaper" headcrab.  
The Combine have mortar rounds that don't explode, and instead open up to 
offload one of the three headcrab types. 

		[Standard]
	Easy enough.  They don't do much damage, but they can get annoying.  
	Plus, even these little bastards have a new trick up their sleeves.  
	When you kill a zombie now, it's Headcrab might not die, and will 
	instead fall off, get up, and come after you.  Make sure it's dead. 

		[Super Leaper]
	Easily identifiable by the longer legs.  They move like spiders, 
	and are much faster then normal headcrabs.  Again, not very dangerous, 
	but they can surprise you.  The biggest problem with these guys is 
	the zombies they make.  The "Leaper" Zombies are noisy, fast, and 
	dangerous.  Very unlike the standard Zombie.

		[Black Super Leaper]
	These guys are NOT fun.  If they bite you, they inject a neurotoxin 
	that instantly reduces your health to 1 point.  You heard me.  
	1 point.  Your suit will immediately administer an antidote, but that 
	takes time.  You need to kill these things before they hit you, or at 
	least make sure that it's only them you have to worry about.  Another 
	enemy could just waltz up and smack you after you've been stung, and 
	that would be it.  The Zombies these guys make are almost worse then 
	the "Leaper" Zombies.  But that's next.


	[Zombies]
Oh we hate them.  Oh they're everywhere.  Ravenholm is Zombie central, 
but it won't be the last you see of them.  As with the headcrabs, there 
are now THREE types of Zombies, as follows.

		[Standard Zombie]
	They make a lot more noise now.  Try lighting one on fire.  You almost 
	feel bad for it.  But you won't.  As stated above, make sure the 
	headcrab is dead.  If you shoot the Zombie in the chest, there's a 
	good chance the Headcrab will just drop off and attack you.  Go 
	for headshots.  Be elite.

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