Surviving Lasria

Published April 16, 2008

The fictional Eastern European setting of Lasria in Dark Sector™ is a frightfully dangerous place, with crazed homicidal mutants, murderous militia, and the constant risk of hideous infection lurking around every corner. Armed with an arsenal of guns and what may be this generation of gaming's coolest weapon, the Glaive, trust me, you've got a fighting chance. Consider the following tips and the balance will tilt even further in your favor. Good luck, agent.

Bah! Just three? No sweat.

Throw and Shoot

Throwing the Glaive for so many players is just a one weapon process, but remember that any time you're brandishing the Glaive, you also have access to your pistol. Take advantage of this dual-wielding combo by letting loose with your pistol while your Glaive is still in flight. It takes a while for the Glaive to run a full circuit, so if you target one enemy with the Glaive and another with your pistol after the throw, you can thin the enemy ranks a great deal faster than with just the Glaive alone.

Pistol Headshot

While your targeting reticle for your pistol may be relatively large, precision aim isn't necessarily required for scoring headshot kills in Dark Sector. In all, the game is quite forgiving, so just be approximate when lining up your headshots and you should execute one-shot kills with regularity. This is particularly true after upgrading your pistol, so make sure to visit the black market shop (look for the glowing manhole covers).

Light the Gas

Shortly after receiving the Glaive you'll find that you can use it to harness elements like fire and electricity. Take advantage of this technique to quickly dispatch enemies, and to access new areas in the game's various levels.

Typically, this is done by burning down the black oily barriers covering doorways. If you find a blocked doorway with no nearby fire source, try looking for electricity instead. Once you find and harness the electricity, look for pipes, torches, or other elements spouting gas. Hit them with your electrified Glaive and they'll explode into a consistent fire source.

Meet the Glaive, your best friend in a tight spot.

Aftertouch Wall Bounce

It's not uncommon to find enemies crouching behind cover or around corners just far enough that you can't score a clean shot on them. With a little bit of ricochet magic and well-timed use of the Aftertouch ability though, these enemies should no longer pose a problem.

Aim at a wall behind the enemy, power throw your Glaive, and then hold RB to activate Aftertouch just before it strikes the wall. Then, you should be able to steer the Glaive with the right thumbstick for a killing blow.

Knock the Shield

The aggressive pursuit of a riot shield-toting enemy has sent many a Dark Sector player scurrying back to the latest checkpoint, but these enemies aren't quite as invulnerable as they may initially seem. Charge up a power throw and launch your Glaive right smack in the middle of their shield.

This should knock the shield out of the way momentarily, exposing their head and body. You won't have time to throw the Glaive again though before they cover back up, so pepper them liberally with pistol shots instead.

Burning Colossus

The enormous, mutant bull-like Colossus marks your first major boss fight in Dark Sector, and while seemingly difficult at the outset, the pattern to defeating him is fairly simple. Here's how it breaks down.

• Power up your Glaive with fire at the end of the room.
• The Colossus will scurry up to the ceiling along one of four posts, so just scan above you to track him down.
• Hit him with a power throw from your Glaive to light him up and he should drop to the ground.
• Immediately rush up to his face and you should be greeted with a B button "finishing" move prompt. Complete the required random button sequence and he'll rush back up to the ceiling. Repeat this two more times and you should trigger the final stage of the battle.
• After the third finishing move sequence, it's simply a matter of lighting him up with your fiery Glaive several more times. It takes a quite a number of hits though to polish him off, so don't worry if it seems like it's taking a long time. Just keep it up and victory will be yours.

Get ready to feel the burn, buddy.

Jack the Jackal

The second major boss battle marks your second encounter with the robotic Jackal, only this time you won't have access to a rocket launcher to blast it to smithereens. Rather, you'll need to take a slightly more creative, albeit even faster, approach.

• Power throw your Glaive at the fiery barrels in the truck just to the right of the Jackal as the battle begins, and then hightail it to a safe distance.
• Once the truck explodes, toss your Glaive into the fiery wreckage to harness the fire.
• Throw the Glaive at the blackened barrier barring you from the electrical circuit. You should spot it at the far end of the courtyard from where the battle started.
• Once the barrier is burned down, throw your Glaive above the fence between you and the electrical circuit, immediately entering Aftertouch (hold down RB) to guide the Glaive into the circuit to grab hold of the electricity.
• Fire the electrified Glaive off at the Jackal to momentarily shut it down.
• Run to the back of the Jackal, and you should be greeted with a B button prompt to toss out its pilot and take over for yourself.

If you have any trouble with the Jackal attacking you while setting up the kill, remember to use the recently acquired reflective shield (Y button) to protect yourself.

The preceding tips and boss strategies should help guide you deep within Dark Sector and provide a foundation of basic strategy to build from. Enjoy the rest of your time in Lasria, friend.

Article by Ryan Treit