Walkthrough 7: Freedom

After entering the destruct codes for the Liberty Coalition servers in Project: Snowblind, Nathan Frost heads back to the barracks to get a safe distance away from the explosion. The Republic, now alerted to his presence in the base, begins deploying search teams to comb the base to find Frost.

Primary Level Goals:

• Escape the barracks.
  Get to the access hatch under the Helipad.

Secondary Level Goal:

• Search the Armory for additional tech.

With the Republic forces in hot pursuit and the Coalition servers set to explode, Frost rushes to get a safe distance from the blast. He locks himself into the barracks just as Specialist Pitney contacts him. A small group of Coalition soldiers survived the Republic attack and are holed up in the basement outside of the base. Frost just needs to get to them.

• Objective Revealed: Escape the barracks.

Frost begins locked in the barracks, with teams of Republic troops converging on his position. Wave after wave storm the barracks until he makes it out, so time is of the essence here. If you sandbag in the barrack for too long, the Republic eventually launches Flashbang grenades into the room and then rushes it.

Once Frost is out of his room, you have a choice. The other barracks room contains ammo, a Nanoboost, and a Security Panel that controls a turret guarding the entrance to the barracks courtyard. Overriding its A.I. will give you a substantial advantage in the battle ahead, so it may be worth sneaking or fighting into the other room.

If you want to hole up in the barracks and let the Republic come to you, the Mine Launcher can be particularly effective. Trap the main door with a few mines before you start to work on the Security Panel.

Once down in the main courtyard, you face additional Republic opposition as you fight your way out. There's a small supply room under the walkway, however, where you can find additional supplies.

Once out of the barracks area, Pitney contacts you to tell you that the only way out of the base is through a small access hatch under the Helipad in the main courtyard.

• Objective Completed: Escape the barracks.
• Objective Revealed: Get to the access hatch under the Helipad.

The path to the left may seem to lead directly to the Helipad, but it's actually a dead end. Heading this way isn't without its rewards, however. There are additional supplies and a Save Point on the left side of the hallway.

Continuing to the right, you pass the ruined server room. From here on out, you face well-armed Republic troops who are entrenched in defensive cover. You need to move from cover point to cover point to avoid getting pinned down in the open.

There are dozens of Republic troops in defending positions between you and the exit to the base. With no Coalition soldiers fighting alongside you, the fight out will be one of your toughest battles yet. Be sure to rely on all your Augmentations to give you the edge; Reflex Boost and Shield will help you take on larger groups of enemies and Cloaking will let you sneak by a few of them. The ventilation system will also let you sneak past more than a few of the engagements.

As you round the corner past the server room, additional troops come pouring out of the door to the east side of the base. At this fork, Pitney contacts you to tell you that Republic forces have busted into the Armory. There may be some additional supplies in there.

• Objective Revealed: Search the Armory for additional tech.

The path back the Armory is challenging, but the reward is an additional bio-energy upgrade. If you want to get the most from your Augmentations, take this brief detour. However, heading south from here will take you straight to the Helipad.

As you search the rooms of the base, you may come across a Shotgun unit equipped with a shield. As before, use a weapon that does EMP damage to take down the shield before attacking. The HERF Gun works especially well against these foes.

Continuing toward the Armory, you can duck in the Security Room on the right, or head straight into the next courtyard to face the battle head-on. There's a closet in the back of the security room that leads to an access hatch into the next courtyard. Heading this way puts you on the rooftops, giving you the advantage in the next courtyard.

In the next courtyard, you face several more Republic Troops, including a Shotgunner and a manned .50 Caliber emplacement. You need to use the cover inside the courtyard to avoid getting mowed down as you move forward. Once these troops have been cleared, reinforcement arrives from the east, letting you continue that way.

Even if you take out the gunner on the .50 Caliber, another of the Republic may run to take his place. These guns can be devastating, so keep an eye on it and make sure someone else doesn't man it.

Round the corner and head toward the Medical Area. Although the area has been picked pretty clean by the Republic at this point, the medical rooms do still have a few health packs. You can duck into one of these rooms if you're low on health.

The medical rooms also contain some ventilation shafts, which can be used to circumvent (or get the drop) on the Republic. Keep working your way south, swimming upstream against the Republic forces, until you arrive at the Armory.

• Objective Completed: Search the Armory for additional tech.

The Armory still contains some ammo and, more importantly, a bio-energy upgrade. Grab it and head back the way you came. If you get lost, be sure to turn on your Objective Waypoints using the Select Button (Default Configuration). They lead you back to the Helipad.

Opposition on the way back depends on what you did on the way to the Armory. You need to clean up any remaining troops. There's an additional Save Point near the Armory, so be sure to save on the way back.

Once you reach the rectangular courtyard, an additional squad arrives, including a Shotgunner and a Rocket Launcher unit. Fortunately, this time you are on the side of the courtyard with the .50 Caliber. You can jump on this to take them out with ease.

Once you're back to the fork, take a left to head toward your initial goal, the Helipad. Continue moving south. Once again, Republic forces are set up in defensive positions, so you need to use every advantage to gain ground.

Once you round the last corner, you are greeted by a harrowing sight: a huge squad of Republic troops being dropped off in the main courtyard. Fight your way through to make it to the Helipad.

You may be temped to Cloak and rush the Helipad, but the way out is trapped. You need to thin out the ranks to buy enough time to deal with these traps.

The Helipad is heavily defended. There are nine Republic soldiers here and more stream in from the door to the left. In addition, there are two .50 Caliber guns mounted on the Helipad itself. These should be your first priority.

Once you mop up most of the soldiers, the Republic starts shelling the base in a last-ditch effort to kill you. This is your cue to get the hell out of there. There are tripwires covering the escape route, hooked up to Bomb Traps. You need to detonate these safely by throwing an object through them, or using the Kicker to pull one of the boxes from the inside. Once this is done, the way out is clear.

Those mortars aren't for show! Once the shelling starts, get out of the courtyard as soon as you can. A well-placed mortar hit can kill you.

• Objective Completed: Get to the access hatch under the Helipad.

Drop down the access hatch and escape the base. You've made it out, but there are still plenty of troops between you and freedom.