This is the Strategies page. It is only partially completed, but it will be up soon. You're welcome to email me if you need a bit of help.
- Stealth Infiltration
- General Hints
- General Hints
There are several ways to play Crusader, and different styles work for different players. When you start playing on the hardest difficulty levels, however, the power of your weapons and equipment cannot be relied to save you, as most of the time, enemies have weapons and equipment that overpower your own. After a long Crusader gaming experience, I've found that the most effective strategies for getting through these difficulty levels in one piece are the two types of assaults outlined below.
This method involves being as silent as possible throughout the infiltration of the WEC complex you are going through. You will find that you don't get into many firefights if you exercise caution and observation while sneaking through a Consortium complex. While fighting is obviously inevitable, the goal here is to try to keep it to a minimum. Use cover to conceal yourself if you spot a situation you can't handle cleanly and quietly. Take special care to avoid cameras and electric eyes, since guards will descent upon you almost as soon as they are triggered. There is no need to hide from every single guard or Mech you run across, but use the environment to your advantage, don't get caught off guard, and think your way through problems instead of blasting your way through them, whenever possible. Keep a special eye out for vent shafts, teleporters or other shortcuts that can be used to bypass security forces. You never want to stand out in the open in a hallway or room. Stay concealed, exposing yourself to as few angles of fire as possible. You are not relying on your reflexes or marksmanship; you are relying on the fact that guards and mechs in your path won't know you're nearby until it's too late. Your items inventory will see a lot of use if you use this method correctly.
Speed is the critical factor involved in this method of assaulting a WEC complex. You want to get in and out of the facility as quickly as possible. In doing this, the Silencer accepts that he is going to encounter more security forces than he normally would, but you will be relying on your instincts and reflexes to keep you alive. The alarm will be blaring most of the time when you use the dynamic assault. Doors should be blown apart if you don't have the correct keycard or number code on hand. You will be fighting enemies two, three or four at a time a lot of the time, and security will be arriving constantly. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed; strike and move before you get pinned down by return fire. If you get pinned behind your cover in a long, drawn-out firefight with a group of soldiers and Mechs, you've very likely had it. Don't stick around long enough to let this happen. Cause as much chaos, noise and havoc in an area as is necessary, but move along quickly so the guards don't overwhelm you. You won't have the luxury of planning ahead for enemies when you use a dynamic assault. You'll be dodging a lot of fire, you make sure you don't have to rely on your shield if you're going to use this attack strategy.
Different people fight differently, however; these are my suggestions, but that's exactly what they are: suggestions. If you can keep the Silencer upright and breathing while playing No Remorse or No Regret difficulties, you've found a good strategy.
* Always, ALWAYS keep your shield powered. Upgrade your battery as soon as possible. After mission 4, you can buy a Fission Battery from Weasel for 1300 credits. After mission 8, you can buy a Fusion Battery from him for 2200 credits. Make sure you have enough money.
* Bullets only do 1/3 damage to mechs. What this means is that if, for instance, a shotgun blast would normally take 45 hit points off a human oppenent, it will only damage a mech by 15 hit points. Energy weapons and explosives do full damage though, so always carry at LEAST one energy weapon.
Having seen two of your comrades gunned down mercilessly by the WEC, you defect the to Resistance, the rebels that you used to hunt down. The Resistance, however, is not so ready to trust a Consortium soldier. To test you, you are assigned to destroy a Consortium refinery. The only enemies you will run into here are Guards and Roaming Susan mechs. Both are easy to kill, and your BA-40 pistol is all you will need. There is an SG-A1 shotgun in this level, and two hidden GL-303 grenade launchers. Make sure you pick up both the shotgun and the grenade launcher, as it will save you many credits in the long run. To destroy the Thermal Coupler, simply stand next to it, use the BlastPac you have in your items inventory, and then get out of the way.
SHOTGUN
You can get the shotgun just after you start the level. After fighting your way to the first active teleporter, step on it and you will teleport to another room. Lower the purple force field there, and enter the next room walking. If you run, you’ll find out why I just said that. A mine flinger will pop up and toss mines around. After destroying it, walk to the nearby table, where there is an SG-A1 shotgun and a clip waiting for you.
GRENADE LAUNCHER
The first grenade launcher in this level is the easiest to get. Just when you rendezvous with the scientist, the alarm goes off, and guards arrive. After killing the guards, head off in the direction they came from. You’ll find an active teleporter—step on it. You’ll be taken to a room with a guard and two civilians. Kill the guard (and civilians if you want) and stay out of the way of the turret gun. It fires lasers, and your ionic shield can’t defend against those. The gun is powered by generator in the far corner of the room. If you destroy the generator, you can destroy the turret gun. Or, you can just stay hidden from the turret gun and forget about destroying it. It moves slow, and ducking behind those yellow fences beside the gun will keep you out of its sight. There is a switch behind a pile of boxes that will open a secret room, and reveal a footlocker. In the footlocker lies a GL-303 grenade launcher and a grenade clip.
SECOND GRENADE LAUNCHER
There is also a second grenade launcher in Mission 1. After you’ve gone up the first elevator, you’ll pass an electric floor and keep going until you get to a room with three (I think) valves. After you get by this room, there will be a room that overlooks a bunch of green slime. Step on the pressure plate to open a door here, and go in and use everything in that room. A computer there will let you take control of a Roaming Susan mech. Use the mech to clear away some barrels, and kill a couple guards, notably the one standing on the hoverpad. Then give up control of the mech. Use a switch that activates a lightbridge going across the slime. When you’ve taken a few steps on the lightbridge, the hoverpad will come towards you. Jump on it when it halts for a second. (This is tricky. Make sure to save your game before you try.) When you’re on the hoverpad, it will take you to where you were controlling the Roaming Susan before. Hop off, and walk into the room there. Open the two footlockers there, giving you a bunch of stuff, including a GL-303 grenade launcher.
The Consortium has captured a Resistance territory, and is holding Resistance members there for some kind of experimentation. It’s your job to free them. This mission is more difficult than the first one. You will run into more Guards and Roaming Susan mechs, but nothing you can’t handle. There are many more electrified defenses here—electric floors and power barriers. Look for generators—they will usually deactivate the problem when they are destroyed. Also, there are mine fields here. It is a good idea to spend some ammo blowing the mines. BA-40 clips aren’t too expensive or uncommon anyway. There are no secret rooms here until after you meet Hoffman, the scientist in charge. He will activate a turret gun that will kill the Resistance prisoners. There is nothing you can do to save them. Following Hoffman, you will run into Jo Anne Vargas, who is also being held there. Free her, and after she steps on the teleport pad, do not follow her immediately. Instead, go to the secret room explained below. It is a good idea to come into this mission with a BA-41 pistol, which you can buy from Weasel after Mission 1. Guards have weak weapons, so don’t be too worried.
SECRET ROOM
This secret room is really cool, and is really helpful, especially if you are playing No Remorse difficulty. After Jo Anne Vargas steps on the teleporter and teleports out, do not step on the teleporter after her. Instead, run back to where the turret gun killed the prisoners. The cells will be open now. You can enter one of them, and step on an unseen teleporter. The cell will be on the bottom right wall. You will be taken to an E-shaped room. There lies a grenade launcher, an AC-88 Reaper, and a plasma shield, along with 10 grenade clips and some other items. Get all you can. You can also fight a Solartron here by using the computer if you wish.
The Resistance has located a facility where the WEC manufactures servomechs, and they have determined that the specs for the mech are in a Consortium facility closeby. It is your job to infiltrate the complex and download the plans for Central. This mission is noticeably tougher than the previous ones. For the first time, you will be fighting human security forces other than standard Guards. Soldiers will be coming at you, and they are considerably harder to kill than Guards. Your shields will probably take a battering in this level, and energy cubes are rather scarce, so take a lot of them into the level with you. Your weapons and equipment will not be very powerful yet, so the key to finishing this level in one piece is to keep a low profile. Even if it means taking some extra time, look around for a keycard before you blast open that door. There is plenty of cover lying around. Use it--you'll need it. Stay hidden and try to ambush your enemies. Don't try to fight two or three opponents at once. Your equipment isn't strong enough yet, and Soldiers have armor that protects against weapons better than that of Guards. Finally, since this is a Thermatron manufacturing plant, you'll be running into Thermatron mechs for the first time--the first dangerous mech you'll meet. Singly, they're easy to dispose of with a few grenades, but problems occur when you run into an area where they are being produced and deployed one after another. If you wander into a Thermatron production area, you have two choices. You can either stop the production, or dash by the area and outrun the Thermatrons. Stopping production often involves taking out nearby generators, and is generally the favored method of getting by. If you can't seem to stop production, however, your best bet is to clear the area of Thermatrons and sprint past. You'll be leaving mechs behind you, but as long as you move forward quickly, you can usually put some distance between you and the mechs before they are released. Note that explosives and grenades come in handy for nailing the hard-to-hit generators.
SHORTCUT
When you first start the mission, you will be in a room with 2 or 3 Guards. Kill them, and open the door to the north. You will enter a room with a pile of boxes near the entrance, a catwalk, and an elevator on the upper level, the same level as the catwalk. Ordinarily, you would fight your way through the lower level defenses to get the 2 keycards required to access another elevator to get to the top level, but if you can get the Guard on the catwalk to walk on the elevator and take it to the bottom level where you are, you can then use the same elevator he used to get up to the catwalk and take a shortcut. This usually involves distracting him with a few shots, and waiting for him to take the elevator to the lower level to investigate.
CONVEYOR BELT
A little further on in Mission Three, you will come across an area that has a hoverpad, a conveyor, six shootable switches, a doorway blocked with horizontal power barriers, and a teleport pad. The direct route here is to lower the power barriers and go through that doorway. But, if you can jump on the hoverpad, and hit the right combination of shootable switches, it will take you to a small ledge where there is a red keycard. After taking the keycard, jump down to the lower level. Jump on the conveyor and roll through the small opening to the north. The conveyor will take you to a small area with a makeshift staircase made from another conveyor belt. Jump up this "staircase" and kill the Soldiers you run into. You will notice that the conveyor belt you jumped up continues east, but a power barrier prevents you from riding it any further. Now, use the keycard you got to open the door on the north wall to reveal a small room filled with boxes. Blow the boxes away to reveal a switch. Use the switch and the power barrier blocking the conveyor will be lowered, and you can ride the conveyor to another area where you can get weapons, ammo, and can jump down to the lower level, thus passing by a Thermatron production area and other WEC security.
GRENADE LAUNCHER
By this point in the game, you have had the opportunity to grab several GL-303 grenade launchers, but here is another one. Late in Mission Three, you will run into an area that features an upper level elevator surrounded by green slime. There is a conveyor belt along the edge of the green slime here. But it is possible to walk along the edge of the pit of green slime and jump on the conveyor, and take the conveyor a short distance to an area with a footlocker containing a GL-303 grenade launcher. After you get the GL-303, hop down to the lower level, and retrace you steps to the upper level to take the elevator down.
- Dynamic Assault
- Battle Tactics
- Mission Analysis
- Battle Tactics
- Mission Analysis
* When you see a mech in a mech station, toss a few grenades up against the wall, and enjoy the explosion. This is crucial in the later levels, where mechs have deadly weapons.
* Rats. No keycard for that door? Can’t find the number code? Blow it open. Most doors can be destroyed with heavy firepower, but this will set off the alarm.
* If an enemy is not interfering with you, leave him be.
* KEEP THE ALARM OFF!!!!!!!!
* Be careful what cover you choose. Hiding behind chemical barrels is a bad idea. Indestructible cover is best—boxes can be destroyed, which will really screw you up if you’re fighting enemies with powerful weapons.
* Keep in mind that the more powerful weapons destroy the corpses. If you are running low on ammo, don’t raze a Storm Trooper with your GL-303. There won’t be anything left to search.
* The RP-32 is a great weapon, and can be bought after Mission 2. Hang on to this weapon throughout the entire game.
* Don’t be afraid to run away if there are too many attacking forces. Fight on ground of your choosing, not the enemy’s. Its easy to pick off Enforcers as they file through a door towards you, but an all-out firefight with three is suicidal.
* If you can’t get by something, look for generators. Destroying them usually solves a problem.
* Keep in mind that when you are standing, enemies aim their weapons at your chest. This is important to know when a grenade is whistling towards you and you’re standing with not enough space to roll. Duck. The weapon will fly right by.
* Try to always have an escape route. If two Vetrons show up, and you can’t get away, you’re almost certainly going to die.
* Close doors behind you. A common problem in this game is when forces jump you from behind. If a door can’t be closed, land mines and detpacs will secure it.
* Land mines work great when placed on a teleport pad.
* If a civilian is making any move towards an alarm switch, put a bullet in him.
* The powerful mechs move and target slowly. It is possible to run by them, in a pinch.
* Inhibitors are wonderful. It’s tough to use one effectively without a Fusion battery, though. The Inhibitor uses a LOT of energy. It costs 3000 credits to buy one.
* Spider bombs are great. Aside from combat use, they can be used to cross electric floors, go under laser barriers, hit hard-to hit shootable switches, nail chemical barrels without exposing yourself……and so on……..
* It’s a good idea to use land mines. Dropping a couple in a doorway is the most effective way to use them.
* Notice that different weapons have varying targeting effectiveness. The PL-1, GL-303 and UV-9 have the best targeting of all. They will hit a stationary target 100% of the time, as long as it is in your targeting reticle. It's a good idea to pack a couple of these, when you want to kill an enemy at long range quickly, without giving him a chance to return fire.
* The EM-4 isn’t worth the scrap metal it’s made with when you fire it from long range. It’s shot accuracy is horrible. It freezes mechs when an EM-4 shot hits the mech though, so it’s a decent weapon to use from close range against a mech. But you’re better off with a good UV-9.
* Leave Senators’ bodies intact. Each one carries 75-100 credits.
* Use corners to your advantage. Enemies can be picked off when they unsuspectingly walk out from behind a corner into your line of fire.