Savage Skies - Strategy Guide (Page 02)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Savage Skies - Strategy Guide (Page 02).

Inside again, keep left.  When you grab the mines, there's fork to the right
that requires a hard turn.  Don't take this fork.  Take the next fork to the
right.  If you get lost, follow the Waypoint Arrow.  Inside a large cavern,
the prince is dangling from a tentacle underneath the huge lung sac in the
ceiling.  Bugs, Oculus, and Kedle will all be coming after you.  Get over
there and grab the prince fast, then start dealing with the attackers.  Look
around the cavern for health and shields.  There should be enough to help
you stay alive.  Destroy all of the turrets in the cavern.  Be patient and
clear out the whole area.  The time limit's beaten.  All we have to worry
about is staying alive.  Follow the Waypoint Arrow into a tunnel that leads
outside into the final area.

Outside, several creatures will come after you, and there are more turrets
to get rid of.  Nearby is a group of airships.  Those are friendly airships.
They're waiting for your arrival.  As you head in that direction, some of the
enemy flyers will break off and go after the airships, who will in turn fire
their cannons at them.  Deal with these last flyers and land on top of the
largest airship to end the mission.

I realize that voice-over guy has a rather annoying sense of urgency about
him during this mission (like he does during all of the Virtwyn missions, in
fact); but haste actually makes waste here.  The "haste" is you flying past
enemy threats while trying in vain to quickly rescue the prince.  The "waste"
is you getting killed.  Voice-over guy will repeatedly tell you how desperate
the situation is.  My advice:  ignore the loser.  Take your time.  Don't
glide, but don't rush either.  Get rid of enemy flyers whenever they show
up.  If you leave them alone, they will follow you and KILL you while you're
trying to get to where you have to go.  Take out as many turrets as you can.
Travel at normal top speed as you traverse the tunnels (with X button held
down).  Don't use the Power Dive to gain speed.  Rohn doesn't turn well while
going very fast, and he may ram into a wall (which will slow him down).  Of
course, if you take WAY too long, you'll be told when you're almost out of
time.

Working toward completing all of the objectives in one go actually makes this
mission easier.  The bugs won't be on your back if you get rid of them, and
the turret and balloon kills will add up.  Pace yourself, work on one threat
at a time, get rid of as many threats as possible (but don't take forever to
do it), and ignore voice-over dork to fly away from this mission with 50 or
more kills total and 10 flyer kills.

New Skin Unlocked
Game Variant Unlocked

Part 3.6 - Enemy At The Gates
=============================

+ Primary Objective:  Protect the outpost's gates and the Wizard's Tower.
+ Secondary Objective:  Do not let more than 5 of the villages be destroyed
                        by roving attackers.
+ Secret Objective:  Activate the secret portal and enter it.
+ Crystal:  Next to a lighthouse to the right of starting area.

Freband
=======
Another large bird, Freband the giant owl has low stamina and average of
everything else.  He seems kind of slow, but maybe that's just me.  You'll
find him getting tired out quickly, so pace yourself when attacking.  By way
of a primary attack, he fires off exploding energy orbs.  They'll explode
in the air a short distance away from him, making this a fairly close-ranged
attack.  You'll need to do some leading at a moderate distance from enemy
creatures.  Freband's attack won't hit them when they're far away.  His
secondary ability is a wide area-affect magical sphere, like Kedle's poison
sphere except it's yellow.  It heals allies while damaging enemies.  Not too
shabby.

The Wizard's Tower
==================
Voice-over guy is again very annoying with that air of urgency.  He sounds
like he's afraid the sky could fall at any moment.  Somebody give this loser
a Valium or something.

Head out, grabbing the shields.  The gates and the Wizard's Tower are just
ahead.  You'll pass over some of the farms on your way there.  Two other
Frebands are in the area, and they're going after the Pariah attackers.
Basically, what we have to do here is defend the front gate from ground
assault, defend the Wizard's Tower from airborne attackers, and defend the
farms from vomit-spewing rats.

Destroy the ground assault vehicles that are advancing on the front gate.
There are two more units to your left.  Head over to the Wizard's Tower and
go after the Gormags and Wraithslicers who are attacking.  Gormag attacks
with a red laser beam, and he also has a defensive shield bubble.
Wraithslicer is a bone dragon who attacks with rapid fireballs and a ring of
fireballs.  Needless to say, get rid of these guys.

Voice-over guy will probably inform you that "the farms are under attack!
Save them if you can!"  Head back to the mainland, where some vomit-spewing
rats are...  well, spewing vomit on the farms.  Deal with these guys now, or
they'll eventually destroy the farms and villages.

When "Enemies approaching" appears on-screen, that means more ground assault
units are on the way.  Voice-over guy will alert you to the presence of
airborne attackers.  He'll say something like "More unholy reinforcements are
approaching."  Look around for them.

When voice-over guy says "The enemy is at the gates!", ground assault units
are attacking the front gate.  When he says "The Wizard's Tower must be
defended!", that means there are Gormags and Wraithslicers going after the
tower.  If you have to choose between the two, defend the tower first.  If
it falls, we're done here.

Ignore voice-over dork when he says "The front gate can't take much more!"
Yes, it can.  I can see how damaged it is on my damage indicator display.
It can take a bit more punishment, ya wimp.  "Situation critical!" will also
appear on-screen when the Wizard's Tower is half-way toward destruction.

If you hang out in the area nearby the front gate, you may be able to
intercept incoming flyers before they get to the tower.  Look for them.
They'll come in a straight line, a procession of enemy flyers heading toward
the tower.  Pelt 'em with Crystal Seekers while they fly overhead, then
follow them and blast them with Freband's primary attack.  After a while,
they'll come from a different direction.  You'll see enemy flyers heading
over the water toward the tower.  There will also be vomit-spewing rats
amongst the attackers.

To deal with the ground assault vehicles, fly toward them while firing off
Freband's primary weapon, then use his secondary ability as you get close.
For each ground assault, there will be a large number of units advancing
along the road toward the front gate while two others hang out nearby.

Freband is pretty robust.  You should be able to get enough health power-ups
and shields from defeated opponents to stay in the game.  I found that the
attackers were usually more interested in going after the tower than they
were in me.  But occasionally I attracted someone's attention and he got a
little hostile.

New Skin Unlocked

Secret Objective
================
At the beginning, turn right and head out over the water.  You'll see a bridge
to your left.  Keep going, passing over the forest and a town.  Pick up a
lone health power-up.  Soon, you'll see two lighthouses.  The sixth Crystal
is next to the right-hand lighthouse.  Grab it.  There's also a Wraithslicer
flying around in this area.  He leaves a sparkly trail behind him.  As you
grab the Crystal, he'll head toward the Wizard's Tower.  Go after this guy
and kill him.  He'll leave behind some sort of power-up thingie.  Grab it,
and voice-over guy will inform you that you've opened a portal.  Go to the
Wizard's Tower and enter the large swirly portal floating in the air.  You'll
be taken directly to the secret level Star Castle, covered in the next section
of this guide.

If you do this first, you'll get an automatic win for the "Enemy At The Gates"
Primary Objective.  Complete the Star Castle level, then come back and play
"Enemy At The Gates" again to get the Secondary Objective.

Part 3.7 - Star Castle
======================

+ Primary Objective:  Our sky fortress is being assaulted.  Fend off the
                      Pariah attackers long enough for our weapon to charge
                      up and destroy them all.
+ Secondary Objective:  Complete the mission in under 6 minutes.
+ Secret Objective:  None.
+ Crystal:  In building on floating island.

Follow the line of shields under the bridge between the two towers, then turn
left.  There's a building on a floating island off in the distance.  Go
around to the back and grab the line of health power-ups, passing underneath
the building.  When you're out in the open again, turn around and Super Flap
a bit.  Enter the building for some shock mines and the seventh Crystal.

The remainder of this level is just a matter of defending the middle tower.
A damage indicator will show if it's taken damage.  Large bats, flying pigs,
and Wraithslicers will fly in from different directions and attack.  Go
after these guys with Freband's primary attack, and use his secondary ability
if you get real close to someone.  When you score a hit on someone, he'll
break off from attacking the tower and go after you.

Eventually, the central tower will finish charging up and set off a
spectacular fireworks display.

Completing the Secondary Objective:  Not much to say.  Be fast with your
carnage.  You'll have to wait a while for the weapon to finish charging after
you've dispatched all the attackers.

New Skin Unlocked (Secret Character Griffon)

Part 3.8 - Smashing The Hive
============================

+ Primary Objective:  Destroy the anchors that hold down the hive, then
                      attack its heart to end Kalavin and the Chrysalis
                      once and for all.
+ Secondary Objective:  Eliminate both Chrysalis attack ships.
+ Secret Objective:  Kill at least 20 Chrysalis flyers.
+ Crystal:  West from the Hive, hidden in a small tree grove.

Zelit
=====
Largest of the Virtwyn dragons, this is their high-end creature.  He doesn't
thrill me.  For starters, he's as slow as a snail.  He also suffers badly in
the agility and stamina departments.  Maneuvering this guy around is like
maneuvering a tank with wings.  His primary attack is a long-range firestorm.
A group of fireballs that leave a red, dusty trail in their wake.  The
fireballs travel slowly, and Zelit's rate of fire is equally slow.  Be
prepared for some hefty leading here.  Zelit's secondary ability is
regeneration.  He recovers a bit of health at the cost of some energy.  This
is probably the only thing that saves him from being incredibly wimpy.

Note:  Zelit cannot self-heal past a full red health bar.  To get in the
gold, he'll need health power-ups.

The Hive
========
The Crystal here is hard to find, so let's get that out of the way first.
Follow the line of shields under the trees.  As you grab the shock mines,
head right a bit.  Grab a health power-up between two trees (it's ahead of
you; it'll take a while to get there with this lumbering beast).  After you
clear the two trees, head left a bit to find the first Chrysalis attack ship.
Go after it and destroy it.  Follow a nearby line of shields under some
foliage.  As you emerge from under the foliage, grab some health power-ups
that arc up and to the right.  Now go to the Hive.  It's south from you
(the "N" on the radar points down).  On the other side of the Hive is the
second attack ship.  Head west from the Hive (the "N" on the radar points to
your right).  You'll see a shield under a three-legged structure, then a line
of power-ups.  Rapid Fire and health.  Grab these, then turn a bit to your
right.  The Crystal is hidden in a small grove of trees nearby.

Just about the whole gamut of Chrysalis flyers will engage you here.  Oculus,
manta rays, lightning breathing lizards, and some other guys.  Oculus is the
most annoying.  He'll get close to you, stay close, and keep zapping you with
his yellow laser (or set off a poison wave).  He usually tries to stay just
outside your field of view.  Hover and look around for him if you're having
trouble finding him.  The manta rays are very evasive (like the Pariah bats,
except moreso).  They're hard to kill with Zelit's slow-moving fireballs.
Use the Crystal Seekers if you're having difficulty hitting them.  The other
guys are very damaging but shouldn't be hard to get rid of.

You have two wingmen here, but they'll more than likely get killed early on.
Go after the enemy flyers and work on that Secret Objective.  Remember that
your guy is a snail with wings.  Retreat to grab more health BEFORE you're
almost dead.  Use your regenerative ability to stay alive while en route to
health power-ups.  There's a Mega Health under some low foliage over a river
south of the Hive.  I also saw some Invulnerability, Elemental Protection,
and other stuff.  Look around for it.

Go after the flyers and balloons.  Clear out the area.  Eventually, the enemy
resistance will grow thin.  To destroy the Hive, you have to destroy the
vines that hold it together.  Target the place where the vine connects to the
top of the Hive.  If you get too close, the Hive will send out some sort of
poisonous thing that will poison you.  Each time you destroy a vine, more
enemy flyers will come on the scene.  Look around for them and rack up some
more kills.  After you destroy the final vine, the Chrysalis champion will
show up (rather late if you ask me; what was he doing until now, having a tea
party?).  He's a Kedle, and he'll come right after you while some other
creatures try to keep you occupied.  Engage him, deal with him, dust more
flyers.  You'll be told when you've got the Secret Objective.  Finish it up
by destroying the Hive.

New Movie Unlocked
New Movie Unlocked

Part 3.9 - Necro Mash
=====================

+ Primary Objective:  The Pariah must be eliminated!  Penetrate their volcanic
                      lair and bring it down upon them!
+ Secondary Objective:  Find and destroy all 3 Gormag Nests.
+ Secret Objective:  None.
+ Crystal:  In a small cave inside the lair.

Zelit
=====
We've already met the Snail-Meister.  See "Smashing The Hive" for more info
about him.

The Volcano
===========
You have one wingman for this mission, and he will get killed.  The Pariah
defenses are thick (they've had the entire campaign to prepare while we were
screwing around defending this, defending that, and rescuing the prince).

Flying pigs and winged demons will attack while the floating towers pepper
you with fireballs.  Target the glowing red sphere atop a tower to destroy
it.  Use Crystal Seekers while aiming your firestorm.  Deal with enemy flyers
whenever they come after you.  The pigs will fire off area-affect mud balls
and leave a trail of damaging fog in their wake as they fly by.  The demons
will come at you with rapid-fire energy orbs.

Remember that your guy is Snail-O-Rama!  Don't wait until you're almost dead
to go looking for health.  There are lines of health and shields over the
lava flows, and health is scattered about the front of the Pariah stronghold.

After you deal with the first wave of airborne attackers, more will emerge
from one of the stronghold's gates.  When the second wave is defeated, a third
wave will emerge from another gate.  And finally, a fourth wave will come out
of the middle gate (which remains open after they fly out).  Get rid of all
of these guys, and destroy all of the floating towers (they'll cut you down
if you don't).

When the coast is clear, look for the first Gormag Nest.  It's a dark mound
with spires on the surface above the Pariah stronghold, on the right-hand
side.  The highlight will target the Gormag Nest as you get close.  When you
fire on the nest, Gormags will come out.  Destroy the nest and get rid
of the Gormags.  You'll see "Two more to go..." on screen when the nest is
destroyed.

The second Gormag Nest is on a large stalagmite in front of the stronghold.
A line of health power-ups will lead you to it (if you didn't already pick
them up).  There's also a large shield nearby the nest.  Destroy the nest and
get rid of the Gormags who come after you.

Stoke up on health and armor, and enter the stronghold through the middle
gate.  You'll find that Snail-asaurus doesn't turn very well at his top
speed (with X button held down).  Try to maneuver through the tunnels as
best you can.

Inside, get past a flame spout and enter a tunnel to your left.  You'll grab
a health power-up as you enter the tunnel.  Get past some more flame spouts
and dust a wall-mounted turret ahead.  Keep going to enter a large cavern with
some turrets.  To your right is a tunnel with a red health power-up.  To your
left are two tunnels with blue shields.  The higher shield tunnel is a dead
end.  The lower shield tunnel leads to a small lava cave that houses the final
Crystal and a Mega Health.  Ignore voice-over guy when he whines that you're
going the wrong way (this guy is such a moron).

Go back into the large cavern and enter the health tunnel.  It leads to a
cavern with a bridge.  Follow the Waypoint Arrow into a tunnel with health
and some flame spouts.  You'll emerge in another cavern with some buildings,
walkways, and a flame spout.  Follow the Waypoint Arrow, entering a tunnel
with some turrets, health, and a shield.  You'll emerge from this tunnel in
a cavern with wooden support beams and a large skull on the wall.  The
skull's glowing eyes will toss fireballs at you.  Destroy the eyes, grab some
health, and fly into the skull's mouth to enter a large lava cave.  Head
right, grabbing a large shield, and keep right along the circumference of the
room.  You should see the third Gormag Nest ahead.  It's that dark mound
with spires.  Destroy it.  And by all means, get rid of the Gormags who
emerge from the nest.

Voice-over guy is telling you to destroy the three pillars.  He'll also
inform you that your weapons can't hurt the middle pillar.  When you destroy
the first pillar, the Pariah champion will come on the scene.  He's a large,
ugly black dragon.  He attacks with a gout of very damaging napalm breath and
a wide area-affect fire wave.  What voice-over guy doesn't tell us is that the
Pariah champion is invulnerable until you finish destroying the pillars.
Ignore him for now, go after the pillars, and blast them.  Then the Pariah
champion will use his power to stabilize the middle pillar as the cavern
begins to collapse.  Now we can go after him.

Use your healing ability if you get in trouble, and look for health and
power-ups.  The first time I played this, I just kept using the healing to
get a full red health bar when I got in trouble, and I tried to lead the
enemy as much as possible.  When you kill the bad guy, the cavern will start
to collapse.  Follow the Waypoint Arrow to escape.  You'll enter a tunnel
near the ceiling, emerge in another cave, and enter another tunnel to escape
from the volcano.  As you emerge from the first tunnel, head downward to
enter the second one.

If you travel at normal top speed (X button held down), you should be able to
get out before time's up.  You shouldn't need to use the Power Dive technique
to gain speed.  If you do, Snail-O-Matic will just ram into a wall and get
slowed down.

Congratulations!  The Virtwyn and Snail-asaurus have emerged victorious over
their foes!  The first thing I'm gonna do when I get home is smack voice-over
guy upside the head for being such a dork.

New Skin Unlocked



Part 4.0 - Chrysalis Campaign
=============================

The Chrysalis campaign gets a "Hard" billing, and it does live up to it.
Still, I found this segment of the game to be somewhat easier than the
Virtwyn segment.  Secret Objectives and Crystals are easy to come by.  The
Chrysalis have some fun creatures.

Part 4.1 - Ride The Lightning
=============================

+ Primary Objective:  Destroy the large barges before they reach the southern
                      pass.
+ Secondary Objective:  Find five crypts and fly in close for a good look at
                        them.
+ Secret Objective:  Destroy 15 of the Pariah balloon turrets.
+ Crystal:  Atop mountain with power-ups.

Oculus
======
I love this little guy!  He's fast, and he can turn on a dime.  He's got all
the traits that make for a great combatant.  Exceptionally high speed,
agility, and stamina.  As one might guess, this is at the expense of health.
But even when Oculus gets in trouble, he can quickly get away and grab some
health.  His primary attack is a yellow laser beam.  His rate of fire is slow,
but he has no lead ability.  Place the target crosshair directly over what
you want to hit, and fire away.  His secondary ability is a wide area-affect
poison wave.  It will cause the poison condition in enemies.

The Badlands
============
The first crypt is just ahead.  It's to the right of the shield.  Fly over
there and get close to the crypt.  "Four more to go..." will appear on-screen
when you're close enough.  Turn around, and get the shield under the archway.
Follow a line of shields to find the first sail barge.  It's being escorted
by an airship, a Gormag, and a Wraithslicer.  Gormag attacks with a red laser
beam, and he has a defensive shield bubble.  Wraithslicer is a bone dragon
who attacks with rapid fireballs and a ring of fireballs.  I find it easier
to get rid of the airship and sail barge first.  With them out of the way,
their cannons won't be firing as you go after the flyers.  There are also
balloons all over the place in this level.  Get rid of them whenever you see
them.  Use Crystal Seekers, or just use Oculus's yellow laser.

Follow the Waypoint Arrow toward the next sail barge.  Detour to the top of
the nearby mesa for a Mega Health, then go after the sail barge and airship.
They're being escorted by a Gormag, Wraithslicer, and a vomit-spewing rat.
Oculus can make quick work of all these guys with his precision shooting.
Head around the mesa until you see the remains of a sunken ship in the sand
below.  Fly into the ship to get a health and 4x damage.  The third sail barge
is nearby, escorted by an airship, Wraithslicer, and vomit-spewing rat.  With
the 4x damage, one hit each will destroy the airship and sail barge.  Same
goes for enemy flyers.

Go back to the sunken ship and head north (the "N" on the radar points up).
Dust the balloon here and turn right.  The second crypt is in a gully between
two large rocks.

Head east (the "N" on the radar points to your left).  There's a shield over
a structure nearby.  The third crypt is also nearby.  There's an Energy Boost
above it.  Follow the Waypoint Arrow to the next sail barge, which is being
escorted by an airship, Gormag, and Wraithslicer.  Look for a large mountain
in this area.  It has power-ups all around it, and a few balloons.  Atop the
mountain is the first Crystal.  The fourth crypt is nearby, on the mountain
side.

From here, head south until you see a large group of balloons in the distance.
The final crypt is to the right of the balloons, next to a mountain.  Destroy
balloons until you get the Secret Objective.  Follow the Waypoint Arrow to
the final sail barge, which is being escorted by a familiar crew.  An airship,
Wraithslicer, and vomit-spewing rat.

New Skin Unlocked
2-Player Map Unlocked

Part 4.2 - Royal Flush
======================

+ Primary Objective:  Destroy the gates and defend the excavator.  When the
                      prince is captured by the excavator, pick him up, then
                      escape.
+ Secondary Objective:  Destroy all 12 of the outlying farms.
+ Secret Objective:  After the prince is captured, destroy the tower.
+ Crystal:  In a grove of trees, southeast of starting position.

Mantou
======
Another cool creature, this flying manta ray makes this a fun level to play.
You'll notice right off that he's not as agile as Oculus.  He's also slower,
but he makes up for it with some cool abilities.  Mantou's primary attack is
a long-range lightning ball, similar to Barg's fireball.  His rate of fire is
similar as well.  You'll have to lead with it.  His secondary ability is a
close-range lightning strike.  Mantou's primary attack is more damaging, but
the lightning strike is easier to use.  Just place the target crosshair near
an enemy you want to hit, and the lightning will hit him if you're close
enough.  Mantou is lacking in stamina, but I didn't have any problems with
him getting tired out.

The Wizard's Tower
==================
This level should be familiar.  It's the Wizard's Tower at night, with the
same farms from the "Enemy At The Gates" mission.

Follow the line of shields.  You'll pass over your ground assault force.
Head forward and over some farms.  There's a balloon above a building to your
right.  Get rid of it (Crystal Seekers).  Advance and get rid of some more
balloons that are above the front gate.  Gold dragons and giant owls will come
after your ground forces.  Get rid of these guys.  The owls toss out energy
orbs and use a yellow magical sphere attack (the owl hoots while doing this).
The dragons will belch napalm and toss out fireballs.  If you get behind an
enemy, stick to him like glue while using your secondary ability.  Try to
keep the target crosshair nearby him while staying close and zapping him with
lightning.  To use your lightning balls, you have to lead pretty far ahead in
order to hit an enemy.

Keep an eye on your ground forces as they progress toward the tower.  Get rid
of all the balloons above the tower before letting your forces in.  When
you're ready to let them in, destroy both of the gates with lightning balls.
The ground forces will take up defensive positions while the excavator moves
in to drill at the base of the tower.  There's health, a shield, and Vampirism
behind the tower, and Hard Core atop the tower.  Use the Vampirism to get some
health from enemy flyers.  You gain health every time you score a hit.

Voice-over girl will tell you to distract the enemy flyers by attacking the
farms, but stick around and defend your ground forces.  Owls and dragons will
go after the ground units.  Keep an eye on the Wizard's Tower.  If you see an
enemy circling around there, he's attacking the excavator.  A damage indicator
at the lower right corner of the screen will show you if the excavator has
taken damage.  Defend the excavator first.  When the coast is clear, go back
and help your ground units defend the area.

Eventually, voice-over girl will announce that the prince has been captured.
You'll see the excavator out front of the tower, setting off fireworks to let
you know they have him.  Fly over to the drilling vehicle and pick up the
prince.  Voice-over girl will tell you to "fly west, along the river."

The Secret Objective here was a foregone conclusion.  I figured it out on my
first try.  Destroy the Wizard's Tower.

There's a rainbow of health that arcs out over the water.  You've probably
seen it numerous times by now.  Follow this line of health, then turn left
and head toward a lighthouse.  The first farm is out here.  There's an
Invulnerability above it, but you probably won't need it.  The enemy flyers
are most likely going after your ground units as they retreat from the tower.
Head west from here (the "N" on the radar points to your right).  You'll find
a large building and some more farms.  There are three farms in this area.
The second Crystal is in a grove of trees nearby.

Head north.  There's an Invulnerability under a bridge that crosses the
water.  Head north across the water for more farms.  There are four farms in
this area.  Across the road are four more.  Follow the Waypoint Arrow to end
the mission.

New Skin Unlocked
2-Player Map Unlocked

Part 4.3 - Incoming
===================

+ Primary Objective:  Do not let the Hive be destroyed.  All Virtwyn must be
                      eliminated.
+ Secondary Objective:  Place all six stun cannons.
+ Secret Objective:  Destroy all 3 siege ships within 4 minutes.
+ Crystal:  Southwest of the Hive.

Krum
====
This poor guy leaves a lot to be desired.  Unfortunately, we have to put up
with him here and once later on.  He is severely lacking in stamina.  You'll
find him growing easily tired.  Everything else is decent.  His primary
weapon is a rapid-fire cannon, which he carries with him.  His rate of fire
is very fast, and the frost projectiles travel at a pretty good speed as well.
His secondary ability is a long-range missile.  Using Krum effectively
requires a good deal of leading.

The Hive
========
We've been here before, when Snail-O-Matic attacked the Hive.  Now the Virtwyn
are at it again.

Let's do the Secret Objective and get the Crystal first.  Grab the nearby
shield, shock mines, and health.  Dive under the Hive for another shield.
Follow a line of health out from under the Hive and around a tree.  You
shouldn't need all of the health.  Save some for later.  The Hive is already
under attack by Rocs and Yomars.  If you're lucky, you won't attract anyone's
attention.  If you're not so lucky, someone will follow you as you head west
(the "N" on the radar points to your right).  Voice-over girl has recently
announced that "heavy fire is coming from the west.  Investigate."  Use the
Power Dive technique to gain speed as you head west.  Three airships are up
ahead.  Two small ones flanking a huge one in the middle.  The big one is a
siege ship.  Hit this thing with everything you've got.  Fire off the long
range missile, then let loose with frost balls and Crystal Seekers.  Break off
to the right to get a health power-up near the mountain, then try to quickly
get rid of the siege ship.  Dust the two airships as well.  If an airship
leaves a shield behind, pick that puppy up.  You'll probably be needing it, as
you've no doubt taken damage from the Rocs and Yomars in the area.  Head
back to the Hive.  If someone is following you, be evasive.  Don't waste time
engaging him.  Grab a shield under a three-legged structure on your way back.

Stoke up on health as much as possible.  Voice-over girl will announce that
heavy fire is now coming from the north.  Head in that direction (the "N" on
the radar points up).  There's a shield atop a tower, and some mines under a
three-legged structure.  Health is to the right, between two trees.  As you
near the enemy airships, there's another health between two floating trees.
Go after the airships and get rid of them.  Try not to get too close.  They'll
cut you to pieces if you do.  Hit the siege ship with everything you've got.
When it blows up, dust the two airships if you haven't already, and hot foot
it back to the Hive.

Get more health if you can find some.  Voice-over girl is probably announcing
that they're attacking from the east now.  Get over there (the "N" on the
radar points to your left) and dust the last siege ship.  If you're fast
enough, you'll be told that you've got the Secret Objective.  If you're not
fast enough, the Hive is probably badly damaged by now, and it might be
missing a couple anchors.

Completing the Secret Objective actually makes this level easier.  With the
heavy fire out of the way, the only thing that can damage the anchors is enemy
flyers.

Let your wingmen and balloon turrets deal with the flyers while you get the
Crystal.  At the Hive, head south.  Follow the river until it ends, then turn
right, heading west.  The third Crystal is under a three-legged structure out
here.  There's also a Mega Health nearby.

Finish up by returning to the Hive and getting rid of the enemy flyers.

To get the Secondary Objective:  The place where the cannons are is right
ahead of your starting position.  This structure is just east of the Hive.
Grab the first cannon by flying low over the cannons (you should see them
sitting on the platform).  Head west.  Use the Power Dive technique
throughout the mission to gain speed.  Before you find the siege ship, you'll
see a tower with a blue pyre.  Place the cannon next to the blue pyre (just
fly low next to the pyre).  You'll hear a "click" when the cannon is placed
(and Krum will no longer be carrying it, obviously).  Hot foot it back to
where the cannons are.  Pick up another cannon.  Head west.  Place this
cannon next to another blue pyre further out.  Engage the siege ship and get
rid of it, or it will destroy the Hive.

There are two towers with blue pyres north of the Hive, and two east of the
Hive.  Get the two north cannons placed, take out siege ship.  Place two
east cannons, destroy last siege ship, get rid of remaining flyers.  If the
Hive is taking too much damage, get rid of the siege ships fast, then try to
get the remaining cannons placed.

It might be beneficial to place the two east cannons first, as the spots where
you need to place them are close to where the cannons are.

Believe it or not, I had problems getting all of the cannons placed before the
mission ended on its own (my wingmen and the balloons killed the last flyers).
Be very fast.  If you get rid of the siege ships too quickly, there might not
be enough time to place all of the cannons before the mission ends.  If you
leave too many threats unchecked, the Hive will get badly damaged (and might
get destroyed).  Strike a balance between eliminating threats and placing
cannons.  Do not go after the flyers (even if someone's following you) until
that last cannon is placed.

New Skin Unlocked
Game Variant Unlocked

Part 4.4 - Sabotage
===================

+ Primary Objective:  Recover bombs and open a buried entrance.  Create a
                      diversion in the treasure room.  Find the war room then
                      escape.
+ Secondary Objcetive:  Find the secret plans a fallen comrade was carrying.
+ Secret Objective:  Kill all 3 map room guards.
+ Crystal:  Over lava in treasure room.

Sidd
====
This flying swamp bug is a wimp-meister.  He's reasonably quick and agile,
but that's about all he has going for him.  His primary attack is a rapid-
fire lightning bolt.  It's not very damaging, and it's also hard to lead with
it.  I suggest using his secondary ability, which sends out three poison
balls.  They explode a short ditsance away from Sidd, making this a fairly
close-ranged attack.  Sidd gets tired out quickly, so pace yourself when
going after the enemy.

The Volcano
===========
We've been here before, when the Snail-asaurus launched a final assault on
the Pariah stronghold.  The Chrysalis appear to be getting a head start on
their assaults (a good sign).  Whereas the wimpy Virtwyn waited until the
final moment to attack their enemies, the Chrysalis are pro-active, getting
things done and working toward making progress in the war.  This is a
reconnaissance mission, though.  It's not a full scale assault.

This mission is just strange.  It's convoluted and kind of confusing.  I'll
try to be as coherent as I can, but consider the source material I have to
work with here.

As you start out, flying pigs and demons are defending the Pariah fortress
from your approach, and small turrets are scattered about in front of the
fortress.  The first odd thing you'll notice is that the prevalent lines of
shields and health seen in other levels aren't here.  Defeated opponents also
leave power-ups such as Vampirism and High Voltage instead of health and
armor (which would be more useful to poor Sidd).  Health and armor are both
scarce here.  Be efficient at getting rid of your opponents, or be dead.
I suggest using Sidd's secondary ability (the three poison balls).  The
demons can easily cut Sidd down with rapid fireballs.  Try to hit them with
the left or right poison ball (don't head straight at them while firing).
Watch out for the damaging fog that the pigs leave in their wake.  After
you've defeated the fortress's defenders, you'll need to pick up some bombs,
which are on a platform at the right-hand side of the fortress.  They're
marked by a sparkly pyre of energy to help you find them.

Let's work on the fallen comrade first.  There are three of them scattered
about the mountain, and the secret plans could be on any of them.  Each
fallen comrade is guarded by a Gormag who is flying around nearby.  The first
guy is to the left of the fortress, near a barred window.  Defeat the Gormag
and fly down close to the fallen comrade to inspect him.  The guy is marked
by a sparkly pyre of energy to help you find him.  If he doesn't have the
plans, you'll be told so.  The second guy is to the right of the fortress,
near a stalagmite that has a shield above it.  Go around the mountain, to
the other side.  There's a building in the side of the mountain, next to a
lava flow.  The third fallen comrade is a good ways north from the building,
near a large stalagmite.  When you find the guy who has the plans, you'll be
told so.

Get rid of all the Gormags in the area, then head into the building.  You'll
automatically place the first bomb and be told to distance yourself from it.
Head back out.  A pig, a demon, and more Gormags will come after you.  Get
rid of these guys.  After the bomb goes off, follow the lava flow next to the
building upward to find a large shield.  Head left from the building and
follow another lava flow into a tunnel high atop the mountain for a Mega
Health.  You'll be needing it.

Go back and enter the building.  The bomb blasted an entrance to a tunnel.
Hang a left as soon as you can.  When you see a large swinging axe nearby,
head right.  Watch out for the flame spout.  If you get set on fire, you'll
lose health.  Follow the tunnel until you see three flame spouts in the
ceiling.  Try to get past when the fire isn't there.  You'll emerge in a
large cavern with a bridge and two doors.  There is a dragon head sculpture
in the wall that is pouring out lava, and another one with three flame
spouts (you came through that entrance to get here).  Voice-over girl says
that the way to the treasure room is blocked.  Defeat the flying pig in this
room, and one of the doors will open.

Follow the Waypoint Arrow, proceeding through a corridor and into the treasure
room.  There are two Gormags here.  The fourth Crystal is over the lava.
Look for it under the bridge, close to the lava.

Now here's where things get tricky.  In the treasure room, you can do one of
two things.  If you kill the two Gormags before placing the bomb, you can do
the mission as it was apparently meant to be done.  If you place the bomb
before killing the Gormags, the door will shut and you'll be trapped in the
treasure room.  To place the bomb, fly close to the mound of gold in the
middle of the room.

When I kill the Gormags first, I can't seem to find the map room guards later
on.  When I place the bomb first, the map room guards are waiting for me
when the door opens.

If you kill the Gormags first:  Place the bomb.  Head back out the way you
came.  Kill a pig and a bat in the bridge room.  Enter the dragon head
sculpture with the three flame spouts (the one that isn't pouring out lava).
Follow the tunnel, mindful of another flame spout, and head past the swinging
axes.  Avoid another flame spout and go down into a very small round room with
some health.  When the bomb goes off, voice-over girl will say that the guards
have left to investigate the explosion.  Go down through the hole in the
floor to enter the war room.  Objective complete.  Now we just have to get
out alive.  Head out through the hole in the ceiling, and head back up to
the tunnel with the swinging axes.  Hang a right into another tunnel, then
hang another right as soon as you can to get back out.  Keep going straight
while some enemies fire at you from behind, and the mission will end.  When
I do it this way, I can't seem to find the three map room guards, even when
I look around.

(Update:  Okay, I figured it out.  Wait in the bridge room.  When the bomb
goes off, the door to the war room will open, and two bats and a pig will
come out.  They're the map room guards.)

If you place the bomb first:  You're trapped in the treasure room.  Try to
kill the two Gormags if you can.  Voice-over girl will alert you when the
bomb is about to go off.  Hide in the corridor.  If both Gormags are inside
the treasure room, they'll get killed when the bomb goes off.  If one of
them is in the corridor with you, you'll have to get rid of him.  Head back
out into the bridge room, and be prepared for a tough fight.  There are
three bats and two pigs here.  Be aggressive, and be accurate with your
shots...  or be dead.  Kill 'em all before they kill you.  Three of these
guys were the map room guards.  You'll be told when you've got the Secret
Objective.  Enter the war room (take one of the doorways; if you end up in
the treasure room, it was the other door).  Go through hole in ceiling.
Grab health.  Go up, into swinging axe corridor.  Hang a right, then another
right.  Go straight out and keep going to bring an end to a very odd mission.