[PROTOTYPE2]
Guide to powers, enemies, and upgrades, by Valtiel.
//=========\\
|| [Index] ||
\\=========//
To find a section, just search for the section name, including the
square brackets.
* [Introduction]
** [Notes]
* [Upgrades]
** [Evolutions]
** [Mutations]
** [Skills]
* [Powers]
** [Unarmed combat]
** [Claws]
** [Tendrils]
** [Blade]
** [Hammerfists]
** [Whipfist]
* [Abilities]
* [Combat tricks]
* [Weapons]
* [Mission chains]
* [Side missions]
** [Consume targets]
** [BLACKNET missions]
** [Blackboxes]
** [Field Ops]
** [Lairs]
** [Radnet missions]
* [Enemies]
** [Military]
** [Infected]
** [Unique enemies]
//================\\
|| [Introduction] ||
\\================//
This isn't a walkthrough. None of the missions require difficult
problem-solving, assuming you were paying attention during the Hunting
tutorial. If you need advice on how to win a particular fight, there are
YouTube videos out there, but this guide should give you general advice
for the best way to take on each enemy type.
This is a guide to all the stuff you wish the game would tell you. It
explains exactly how each of your combat abilities works, when you
acquire them, and which enemies they work well against; and does the
same thing for military weapons. It gives a complete list of the
upgrades, how to earn them, and gives the author's opinion on how useful
they are. It includes a diagram of all the main story mission chains,
and lists which abilities you acquire from each one. It describes the
side missions - when they become available, and what upgrades they give
you. Finally, it lists all the enemy types and the best strategies for
beating them.
+---------+
| [Notes] |
+---------+
All advice has been verified to work on Hard Mode with no health
upgrades. I haven't tested it on Insane Mode yet.
Permission to publish this guide is given to GameFAQs.com ONLY.
If you wish to express your appreciation for this walkthrough - or call
it a piece of crap - post a topic on the Prototype 2 (PS3) message
board.
//============\\
|| [Upgrades] ||
\\============//
The upgrading system for this game is complex. There are actually five
distinct types of upgrade: Evolutions, Powers, Abilities, Mutations, and
Skills. Powers, Abilities, and Skills are upgraded by consuming marked
targets. Mutations are obtained by completing side missions. Evolutions
are obtained by levelling up.
+--------------+
| [Evolutions] |
+--------------+
The natural progression of Heller's powers as he gets stronger over
time. Almost every action in the game earns you experience, and after a
certain amount, you'll level up and gain a new Evolution point to spend
on one of the following evolution chains. You'll mostly find yourself
Evolving right after you finish a mission. Although the list of
available Evolutions can be viewed in-game, I'm listing them here so I
can comment on them.
Locomotion
==========
Enhances Heller's ability to move around. Note, the bonuses listed below
are NOT cumulative. If you're not finding the combat too difficult, this
is always a good choice since it makes getting around the city quicker
and easier.
Level 1: +10% sprint speed, +50% jump height.
Level 2: +30% sprint speed, +100% jump height, +50% air dash distance.
Level 3: +50% sprint speed, +200% jump height, +50% air dash distance,
extra air dash.
Level 4: +100% sprint speed, +300% jump height, +100% air dash distance,
extra air dash.
Health
======
Enhances Heller's toughness. Note, the bonuses listed below are NOT
cumulative. Health is pretty much always a good choice, even if it is
rather dull.
Level 1: +25% health.
Level 2: +50% health.
Level 3: +75% health.
Level 4: +125% health.
Regeneration
============
Enhances Heller's ability to get health back without the need to eat
people.
Level 1: Health bar regenerates up to 50% outside combat. Better than it
sounds, since this regeneration is nearly instant. This saves a lot of
wasted time wandering around eating people, and might also help ease
your conscience.
Level 2: +30% health from consuming things. This is GREAT. The best way
to survive in a lot of fights is to consume people.
Level 3: Health bar regenerates up to 100% outside combat.
Level 4: Health bar slowly regenerates even in combat. The regeneration
is painfully slow and will rarely make a difference.
Shapeshifting
=============
Various tricks that help with sneaking around. Most of these are
terrible, because the stealth sections are so easy without them.
Level 1: Suspicion bar empties 50% quicker. This really isn't a very
good upgrade since it doesn't actually help escape alerts. All it does
is save you a little time waiting for the alert bar to go down.
Level 2: Viral detector sensitivity reduced by 50%. I assume this means
that they take longer to fill the alert meter, although I haven't tested
it. Only worthwhile if you really, really hate viral detectors. There's
a Predator Mutation that does almost the exact same thing, you're better
off getting that.
Level 3: Strike teams take 50% longer to arrive. Eh, it's better than
the others but it's still not that hot. Strike Teams are easy to evade
and fairly easy to kill, compared to the nightmare they were in
Prototype 1.
Level 4: 25% reduction in enemy vision cones. This is ok. It certainly
makes stealth consuming a specific target easier. However, it's not
worth buying three terrible upgrades just to get this.
Mass
====
Improves Mass-powered attacks. Only attainable after acquiring the
Devastator attack in the Orion Phase Two mission near the end of the
Yellow Zone.
Level 1: You cannot be stunned while performing a Devastator or Pack
Leader move. This is BRILLIANT. It doesn't help Pack Leader that much,
since you should only ever be using that from relative safety, but it
can be almost impossible to use Devastators without this evolution.
Level 2: Adds a second Mass Bar, the same size as the first. While you
only need one bar to perform a Devastator or Pack Summon, if you have
both bars full, you get more Devastator damage or a third Brawler.
Level 3: +30% Mass from consuming, allowing you to fill the Mass bar
quicker. Only helps if you're trying to use multiple Devastators or
Brawler Packs in one fight.
Level 4: Further Mass bar increase, allowing even more damage or a
fourth Brawler. With three bars, your devastator attack is an
instant-kill on almost every enemy, even on Hard difficulty.
Finishers
=========
Grants access to one-hit-kill Vehicle Finishers.
Level 1: Grants Armoured Vehicle Finisher. Only attainable after
acquiring the Armoured Vehicle Hijack ability in The White Light mission
early in the green Zone. Makes fighting armoured vehicles laughably
easy.
Level 2: Grants Helicopter Finisher. Only attainable after acquiring the
Helicopter Hijack ability in the Predator And Prey mission early in the
Red Zone. While it looks damn cool, you might as well just grab the
missile rack and shoot the 'copter down with that.
+-------------+
| [Mutations] |
+-------------+
A selection of upgrades to make Heller more effective in all sorts of
ways. Mutations are obtained by completing side-missions and gathering
collectables, and are grouped into categories. Each side-mission or set
of collectables is tied to a particular category of mutations.
Completing the mission unlocks some of the mutations from that set, and
gives you one mutation point to spend. Once unlocked, a mutation stays
unlocked - so you can unlock, say, Heller's Angels in the red zone but
actually buy it with a mutation point earned in the yellow zone.
Mutations are excellent to cover the gaps in your Evolutions, since you
can pick exactly which ones you get and when.
Offensive
=========
Death From Above: +10% damage with aerial attacks. This is brilliant,
since large groups of Infected enemies are far too dangerous to attack
any other way.
Melee Expert: +10% reach with melee attacks. I'm not sure about this one
- it's worth having if it boosts charged and jumping attacks as well,
but there's no easy way to test that.
Rocket Arm: +10% damage and speed with throws. While this is certainly a
powerful upgrade, throwing objects is the most boring combat strategy
ever.
Devastatingly beautiful: 25% larger Devastator radius. Green and red
zones only. Don't get this until you've decided whether you prefer
Devastators or Brawler Packs.
Strike force: +10% damage on ALL melee attacks. I don't know if this
affects things like the Tendril Blackhole or Hammerfist Groundspikes.
Good Little Soldier: +10% damage with ALL military weapons and hardware.
Red zone only.
Heller's Angels: +50% damage boost to Brawler Pack attacks. Red zone
only. Don't get this until you've decided whether you prefer Devastators
or Brawler Packs.
Darwinism: +10% damage boost to ALL attacks against military enemies.
Not as good as Revenge Boost, because most military enemies will die
from one attack anyway, whether it's a single strike to a Blackwatch
trooper or a Finisher on a vehicle.
Revenge Boost: +10% damage boost to ALL attacks against infected
enemies. This is amazing, since the infected are much more of a threat
than the military.
Defensive
=========
Bulletproof: Causes small arms fire to ricochet off you harmlessly
(harmlessly for you, that is - it can still hit the poor saps who fired
at you). Green or Red zones only. Small arms fire is so unthreatening
that you only really want this for showing off.
Hard Boiled: 25% reduction to all damage you take. I can't be reading
that right, that's so much better than the health bar size boost it's
not funny. What are you waiting for? Get this upgrade!
Shields Up: +50% larger time window to use Shield Block. If you're
having a hard time getting block counter to work for you, this is
lovely.
Personal Space: Time your dodge 25% earlier for a tactical attack behind
your enemy. If I'm reading this right, that means that you get the
"dodge" action command prompt earlier against attacks that can be dodge
countered. Great in the Green Zone when the Evolved start showing up
regularly.
Impaler: +25% damage dealt by timed Shield Block. Not superb - most of
the damage from a well-timed block comes from the follow-up attack
rather than the block itself.
Healthy Appetite: +25% health. Boring but decent. Hard Boiled is better.
Locomotion
==========
Jumpy: +25% jump distance.
Dashing: +25% longer Air Dash.
God Speed: +50% top speed. Well, it's ok, but get Cheetah first or
you'll never actually travel at top speed.
Cheetah: 4X faster acceleration to top running speed. This is GREAT.
Have you SEEN how fast Heller's top speed actually is? Probably not,
because it takes so long to get going. Pick this up once you have a
couple of speed upgrades.
Jet Propulsion: +25% glide distance. Green or Red zones only.
Extra dashing: Extra air dash. Red zone only.
Predator
========
The Predator mutations are a grab-bag of random powerups, based loosely
on things that make Heller a more effective predator.
Protein boost: +25% health from consuming. Since consuming people
mid-fight is a good way to stay alive, this upgrade is very helpful.
Inconspicuous: Viral detectors fill suspicion bar 50% slower. Might be
worth the effort if you REALLY hate viral detectors, but probably not.
Hungry Boy: +25% Mass from consuming. Only helps if you're trying to use
multiple Devastators or Brawler Packs in one fight.
Submission Specialist: Weaponise, Hijack, and enter hives 75% faster.
Green or Red zones only. I have no idea what this has to do with being a
predator. If you find you often get stunned or injured while trying to
Weaponise or Hijack, this upgrade is the solution. Don't bother if you'd
rather use Finishers instead.
Mass-terful strikes: Gain Mass from using melee attacks on enemies. Only
helps if you're trying to use multiple Devastators or Brawler Packs in
one fight.
The big bang: Bio-bombs are 10% more explosive. Red zone only. I have no
idea whether that 10% refers to blast radius or damage.
Speedy recovery: Devastator and Pack Leader abilities execute 25%
faster. Again, nothing to do with being a predator. Only really helps
Devastator, since you should only be using Pack Leader from a safe
position.
Power Specialist
================
These mutations enhance the charged attacks of specific powers. I
recommend choosing a mutation to suit your favourite power, rather than
choosing the mutation that looks best on paper and then focussing on
that power.
Eventful Horizon: +25% blast radius on Tendril Blackhole. Green or Red
zones only. Looks like the best of the Power Specialist mutations by a
mile, judging by the numbers, but the mechanics of Tendril Blackhole are
strange and that might not actually be the case. Stick to the advice
above.
Jungle Cat: +10% range on Claw Pounce. Green or Red zones only.
Go Ballistic: +10% range on Whipfist Longshot attack. Red zone only.
Spiked Punch: +10% damage with Hammerfist Groundspikes. Green or Red
zones only.
Twisted: +10% attack range with Blade Tornado. Green or Red zones only.
Radnet
======
These mutations are only available with Radnet content, and are acquired
by completing all the Radnet assignments in one set.
Health Pack: +25% Brawler Pack health. Neat, but not as good as the +50%
Brawler pack damage boost available from Offensive Mutations.
Security Blanket: Health regenerates 1% per second while blocking. It is
theoretically possible to turtle back to full health in a minute and a
half with this. For that reason alone, I advocate avoiding this power,
since anything that encourages you to stand there holding R1 and doing
nothing else for over a minute is fun-killing bollocks.
Weightless: Float higher when triggering a second Glide mid-flight. This
is an odd one. I guess a few people who like to glide long distances
will notice the advantages, and maybe it helps with the Salvage
missions, but I suspect it'll be a very minor improvement that you won't
really notice.
Fast Learner: +25% experience points for killing things. Of all the
Radnet mutations, this is solid gold. Get it as soon as you can, it'll
pay off the time invested if you're trying to get full upgrades.
Ravenous: Enemies require 10% less damage before you can Consume them.
Ohh, this is VERY nice. It's comparable to a 10% damage boost against
every enemy that can be Consumed, which is most of the ones you care
about boosting your damage against. It also reduces the risk of
accidentally overkilling enemies that you wanted to Consume.
+----------+
| [Skills] |
+----------+
A selection of upgrades to make Heller more effective when using
military hardware. Skills are obtained by consuming marked military
targets. I'm not going to comment on which skills are effective, since
there's no real way for you to determine which ones you get. If you want
to upgrade skills, skulk around military bases and see who looks tasty
(i.e. who has a little yellow icon over their head).
Armour
======
Upgrades Heller's effectiveness when piloting an armoured vehicle.
Level 1: Armoured vehicle hijack skill unlocked. Acquired early in the
Green Zone.
Level 2: +30% ammo capacity, +50% damage.
Level 3: +50% ammo capacity, +100% damage.
Level 4: +100% ammo capacity, +150% damage.
Helicopters
===========
Upgrades Heller's effectiveness when piloting a copter.
Level 1: Helicopter hijack skill unlocked. Acquired early in the Red
Zone.
Level 2: +35% ammo capacity, +50% damage.
Level 3: +50% ammo capacity, +10% damage.
Level 4: +100% ammo capacity, +150% damage.
Rifles
======
Upgrades Heller's effectiveness with assault rifles, machine guns, and
(I think) gatling guns.
Level 1: +35% ammo capacity, +20% damage.
Level 2: +65% ammo capacity, +35% damage.
Level 3: +100% ammo capacity, +50% damage.
Launchers
=========
Upgrades Heller's effectiveness with rocket launchers, grenade
launchers, TOWs, rocket pods, and missile racks.
Level 1: +25% ammo capacity, +20% damage.
Level 2: +50% ammo capacity, +30% damage.
Level 3: +75% ammo capacity, +50% damage.
//==========\\
|| [Powers] ||
\\==========//
Each of Heller's weapon powers has at least two attack modes, one from
tapping the attack button and one from holding it down to charge a more
powerful attack. Some powers also work differently when you use them
from the air.
Every power can be upgraded by consuming marked enemies. These enemies
tend to be large melee threats, like Orions and Brawlers. Each power has
four levels, the first of which is just being able to use the weapon.
The second level always upgrades the basic attacks, the third upgrades
the charged attack, and the fourth grants a 25% damage boost. All melee
powers can also be improved by one of the Power Specialist mutations.
It is difficult to reliably find power upgrades. Your best bet is to
complete Lairs and any BLACKNET mission with the "Infected Salvage"
type, as these missions tend to involve fighting Infected monsters that
can grant you power upgrades.
+------------------+
| [Unarmed combat] |
+------------------+
Although not, strictly speaking, a "power", it's worth mentioning. The
standard attack is a punch combo, the charged attack is a kick which
sends enemies flying. Aerial attack is a flying kick which, if charged
up, will allow Heller to body surf on the guy he just kicked. Honestly,
the only use for this is to kill zombies without starting a military
alert.
+---------+
| [Claws] |
+---------+
Beautiful razor-sharp bladed claws. The basic attack is a series of
claw-slashes, and Heller takes a big step forward between each strike,
so you actually cover a lot of ground with these. The charged attack is
a pouncing strike. The aerial attack, charged or uncharged, is similar
to the pounce, but does a whole lot more damage if you charge it.
Obtained: From consuming a Brawler in Operation Flytrap, very early in
the Yellow Zone.
Strengths: Extremely fast, very effective against all unarmoured
enemies. The Claw Pounce is fast, accurate, deadly and has next to no
recovery time. Fast enough to combo Evolved.
Weaknesses: Next to useless against armoured enemies. Other than that,
these are lovely - I actually like them more than the Blade.
Upgrades:
Level 2: Claw range increased by 25%.
Level 3: Range of the pounce attack is increased (although the game
doesn't say how much by).
Level 4: 25% damage boost.
+------------+
| [Tendrils] |
+------------+
The primary attack from Tendrils looks weird. It causes struck targets
to spray out tendrils in all directions which will stick them to walls
and rip them apart. The secondary attack is the glorious Tendril
Blackhole - it has more reach than a normal tendril attack, and deals
damage by grabbing all the loose objects in the vicinity and slamming
them together into the target. For this reason, it's very dependant on
the environment - in a car park it'll deal hideous amounts of damage,
while in an empty park it'll do next to nothing. Note that while you can
use Tendril Blackhole while jumping, you can only use it once per jump.
Obtained: From consuming a Hydra in Project Long Shadow, fairly early in
the Yellow Zone.
Strengths: Immobilises ground vehicles, and is actually quite good at
damaging them, though not quite as good as the Hammerfists. Tendrils can
also immobilise Infected monsters once you have the first upgrade,
allowing you to follow up with a massively damaging attack. Tendril
Blackhole can be absolutely devastating in the right environment, and is
a decent way to damage helicopters. This power is good against almost
everything, but it does have quite a few caveats - it's the least
straightforward of the powers to use.
Weaknesses: The air attack of this weapon has pathetic reach compared to
other aerial attacks. While tying down Brawlers and the like with
Tendrils is a highly effective tactic (providing you have the second
upgrade), it rather relies on you not being interrupted by another
monster. Tendril Blackhole is dependent on the environment, since if
there's nothing for the Tendrils to pull onto your target, it does
pathetic damage. This power seems to be very weak against the Evolved,
and they even dodge the Blackhole most of the time.
Upgrades:
Level 2: Fortified enemies can be immobilised. I don't really know what
qualifies as a "fortified enemy", I'm afraid.
Level 3: Blackhole can grab larger objects. This results in more damage
in the right areas.
Level 4: 25% damage boost. I have no idea whether this actually improves
the Blackhole, which deals damage by slamming objects into the enemies.
+---------+
| [Blade] |
+---------+
The Blade is no longer the ultimate weapon, but at least we get it
sooner. It's slower but more powerful than the claws. The charged
attack, Blade Tornado, carries Heller forward and damages everything in
a wide radius around him (wider than the reach of the blade, I think,
but I'm not complaining). Its aerial attacks are the main reason to use
this weapon: Tapping the attack button in the air results in the air
scythe attack, where Heller leaps at the enemy and slashes with the
blade, often going straight past them and damaging everything he moves
past. This move is fast, accurate, and can carry Heller horizontally or
even slightly upwards - try to use it while as close to the ground as
possible, for the chance to hit multiple targets. The charged version of
the attack is the meat cleaver, where Heller winds up a massive overhead
swing before dropping on the enemy. It does tremendous damage, but it's
slow, less accurate, has a risky recovery time, and can only be angled
downwards.
Obtained: From consuming an Evolved in The White Light mission, early in
the Green Zone.
Strengths: Reasonably good against everything. The aerial attacks are
brilliant - the scythe is fast, deadly, and safe, while the meat cleaver
is devastatingly powerful. The Tornado attack is a nice trick against
the Evolved - you can hit them with it while they're in their recovery
animation, and they usually won't counterattack.
Weaknesses: Jack of all trades means master of none - there's almost
always a better choice of weapon for any given enemy. The meat cleaver
is hopelessly unsafe - use it when there's more than one enemy about and
you'll get torn to shreds. The Tornado attack is too short-ranged for
most situations.
Upgrades:
Level 2: Range of blade attacks increased by 15%.
Level 3: Tornado attack has more spins. I presume this means the effect
lasts longer and deals more damage.
Level 4: 25% damage boost.
+---------------+
| [Hammerfists] |
+---------------+
The Hammerfists are slow but crushingly powerful. The uncharged attack
is so powerful that the shockwave causes splash damage on everything
near whatever you hit, and the third hit of the uncharged combo creates
a blast radius of groundspikes around Heller. The charged attack sends
out a line of groundspikes straight forward or, when used in the air, a
circle of spikes radiating out from Heller's impact point. The uncharged
air attack is an elbow drop. In Prototype 1, the hammerfist elbow drop
was more powerful the higher up you started the move, I don't know if
that still applies but you can bet I'm going to test it.
Obtained: From consuming a Juggernaut in the A Nest Of Vipers mission in
the Green Zone.
Strengths: Very powerful against armoured vehicles. Can be used to
stunlock Juggernauts and Brawlers by launching them on the third hit of
the combo. The area of effect attacks are incredible at clearing out
infantry. The ground version of the charged attack can effectively
stunlock Evolved, if you want the easy-but-boring way of killing them.
Weaknesses: Dear lord these are slow. Use them against anything faster
than a Juggernaut and you can expect to get pummelled.
Upgrades:
Level 2: Increased damage radius on uncharged attacks.
Level 3: Range and size of groundspikes is increased.
Level 4: 25% damage boost.
+------------+
| [Whipfist] |
+------------+
The Whipfist's primary attack lashes the weapon around in wide arcs,
quickly killing weak enemies like zombies and humans. The charged attack
throws the weapon out like a harpoon, dealing heavy damage to a single
target. This weapon has one other trick - tap Grab with the power active
(while on the ground), and Heller will use the whipfist to grab the
target from long range.
Obtained: From consuming an Evolved in the Red Zone.
Strengths: Better reach than any other weapon, and can be used safely
while airborne, allowing you to fight even very dangerous foes without
much risk of getting hit. Great against Helicopters. Whipfist grab is
awesome.
Weaknesses: The only real weakness of this weapon is that it encourages
a very boring strategy of using nothing but the longshot attack.
Upgrades:
Level 2: Increased range on uncharged attacks.
Level 3: Increased range on charged attacks.
Level 4: 25% damage boost.
//=============\\
|| [Abilities] ||
\\=============//
In terms of acquiring and upgrading, Abilities work exactly like Powers
(although they have different numbers of levels). I guess they're just
listed separately because they don't appear on the power ring menu, or
maybe because someone thought the Heller upgrade screen looked better
with five items on it than with four.
Shields
=======
Press R1 to block. You can't move while shield-blocking, but you're very
hard to damage - most attacks just bounce off. Time your block correctly
and you can bounce projectiles and shield-bash melee attackers. An
upgrade gives you spiked shields, which deal damage when you shield-bash
someone.
Obtained: From consuming a Juggernaut in the Feeding Time mission,
midway through the Yellow Zone.
Upgrades: Level 2: Unlike every other upgrade, this is automatically
acquired at a specific point in the game. The Shield Upgrade is obtained
from consuming an Evolved in the A Nest Of Vipers mission in the Green
Zone.
Also upgraded by the "Shields Up" and "Impaler" Defensive Mutations and
the "Security Blanket" Radnet Mutation.
Biobomb
=======
This power can be used from stealth (tap grab once to initiate a stealth
attack, then press primary attack to Biobomb a target), or in open
combat (grab an opponent, tap square while not airborne to 'prime' the
bomb, and then use the grab button again to throw them). It's remarkably
similar to the Tendril Blackhole attack.
Obtained: From consuming an Evolved in the Maze of Blood mission in the
Green Zone.
Upgrades: (Non-cumulative)
Level 2: +25% splash damage, +35% impact damage.
Level 3: +50% splash damage, +50% impact damage.
Level 4: +100% splash damage, +75% impact damage.
Level 5: +150% splash damage, +125% impact damage.
Also upgraded by "The Big Bang" Predator Mutation.
Brawler Pack
============
Hold down the primary attack and jump keys to summon a pack of Brawlers
who will fight for you. To direct them at a specific target, lock on and
press the right thumbstick. To dismiss them - causing them to explode in
a biobomb-like detonation - hold primary attack and jump again (if
you're locked on to a target, the Brawlers will try to blow up that
target when they die). Like the Devastator, this requires Mass. With all
the mutations, you can end up with four Brawlers with +90% damage and
+105% health, but that's a big investment in one power.
Obtained: From consuming an Evolved in the Alpha Wolf mission in the
Green Zone.
Upgrades: (Non-cumulative)
Level 2: +20% pack health, +10% pack damage.
Level 3: +40% pack health, +20% pack damage.
Level 4: +60% pack health, +30% pack damage.
Level 5: +80% pack health, +40% pack damage.
Also upgraded by: Mass evolutions, "Heller's Angels" Offensive
Mutation, "Hungry Boy", "Mass-terful strikes", "Speedy recovery"
Predator Mutations and "Health Pack" Radnet Mutation.
//=================\\
|| [Combat tricks] ||
\\=================//
There's a lot you can do in combat that don't appear in the Powers or
Abilities menus. They're listed below.
Grab/Consume
============
You'll be doing this a lot, because it's the best way to regain health
and mass. Humans and zombies can be grabbed and consumed at any time,
while tougher enemies need to be badly damaged before they'll become
vulnerable. Unlike in Prototype 1, Heller can initiate a grab attack
while jumping, which causes him to pounce on the foe from an impressive
distance. It's an important tactic - master it.
If an enemy can be picked up before being consumed, it's often
advantageous to carry them to a slightly safer area before eating them,
so you're less likely to take damage while stuck in the Consume
animation. If you get hit hard (by a rocket launcher or a big monster
like a Brawler) while carrying someone, you drop them. Grabbed opponents
can be safely put down by pressing down on the d-pad, if you're feeling
nice.
If an enemy is beaten to their last fraction of health and is displaying
a "consume me" marker, and you don't consume them, they'll keel over and
die of their own accord in a few seconds, so hurry it up.
Heller has a wide variety of Consume animations. Marines or pedestrians
just kind of dissolve and get absorbed. Certain specific enemies get
custom Consume animations. Most of the time, though, Heller will use an
animation appropriate to whichever combat power he used last (or an
unarmed animation, if no powers are active). The Tendril animations seem
very slow compared to most of the others. Some of the Hammerfist and
unarmed animations cause a shockwave that knocks nearby opponents back,
very handy when surrounded by zombies.
If you tap Consume in mid-air, Heller will piledriver the victim into
the ground, kill and consume them on impact, and bounce back up into the
air.
Upgrades: Level 2 Regeneration Evolution, Level 3 Mass Evolution,
"Protein Boost" and "Hungry Boy" Predator mutations, "Ravenous" Radnet
Mutation.
Devastator
==========
Hold down the secondary attack and grab keys to
unleash a shockwave and a burst of deadly tendrils in all directions.
Unupgraded, the Devastator is crap - it doesn't do enough damage,
doesn't have enough range, takes too long to charge, and you'll probably
get hit out of the move anyway. With the upgrades, it becomes much more
useful. This attack requires Mass to use.
Obtained: From consuming the Orion Phase Two, in the mission of the same
name late in the Green Zone.
Upgrades: Mass evolutions, "Devastatingly Beautiful" Offensive Mutation,
"Hungry Boy", "Mass-terful strikes", "Speedy recovery" Predator
Mutations.
Weaponise
=========
Jump onto a vehicle with Grab, and mash primary attack to rip a weapon
off. You can then use this just as you would an infantry weapon (except
it's MUCH more powerful, and seems to prevent you from gliding due to
the weight).
Obtained: From the Salvation mission mid-way through the Yellow Zone.
Upgrades: "Submission Specialist" Predator Mutation, Launchers skill,
Rifles skill.
Hijack
======
Jump onto a vehicle with Grab, and mash Grab to take control of the
vehicle. If you're in a military disguise and not currently in an alert,
you can just climb into the vehicle without the military realising
anything is wrong until it's too late.
Obtained: Armoured Vehicle Hijack is obtained from the Enemies and
Allies mission early in the Green Zone. Helicopter Hijack is obtained in
the Predator and Prey mission early in the Red Zone.
Upgrades: "Submission Specialist" Predator Mutation, Armour skill,
Helicopter skill.
Vehicle Finisher
================
Jump onto a vehicle with Grab, and press Triangle to wreck the vehicle
instantly.
Obtained: Purchased as an Evolution after obtaining the relevant Vehicle
Hijack ability.
//===========\\
|| [Weapons] ||
\\===========//
While wearing a military disguise, you can carry military weapons and
shoot at Infected without starting an alert. For the purpose of skills,
I believe the Rifle skill enhances the assault rifle, machine gun, and
gatling gun, and the Launchers skill enhances everything else. Note that
all military weapons have an odd quirk - if you kill something while
locked on, Heller will stay locked on to the corpse for a while, causing
you to waste ammo if you haven't noticed that the targeting box has gone
white. I tend to momentarily release the lock-on button after each kill
to re-target.
Assault rifle / Machine gun
===========================
Again, these get listed together because they're very similar. The
machine gun has more ammo capacity, and that seems to be the limit of
the differences. These weapons are not the ultimate anti-infantry tool
they were in the first game - on harder difficulty levels, even basic
soldiers take multiple shots before they go down. However, it's nice to
have the range advantage this weapon gives you.
Grenade launcher
================
Fires high-explosive grenades in a slightly arcing trajectory. Lacks the
phenomenal rate of fire it had in the first game, but gained some blast
radius to make up for it. A good weapon against Brawlers and the like.
Rocket launcher
===============
Fires homing rockets. A superb choice against vehicles, particularly
helicopters. Powerful enough that it can overshadow your main powers,
especially if you have all the skill upgrades for it.
TOW
===
Can be ripped off an APC. Fires a spread of four missiles which home in
on the target. This weapon is incredibly powerful, although it has a
poor rate of fire, is hopelessly inaccurate at close range, and carries
very few shots (the counter displayed when you aim it shows the number
of missiles. It fires four at once). To use this weapon effectively,
keep your distance from the target to give the missiles time to lock-on.
Gatling gun
===========
Can be ripped off a tank. Works like a machine gun taken up to 11.
Surprisingly, seems to be more effective against armour and helicopters
than against infantry (it absolutely obliterates helicopters. Seriously,
try it).
Rocket pod
==========
Can be ripped off helicopters. Rapid-fires explosive projectiles. This
is the broken overpowered weapon that Prototype 1's grenade launcher
aspired to be.
Missile rack
============
Can be ripped off helicopters. This is basically a rocket launcher with
much higher damage. Honestly, I PREFER the standard missile launcher
since you can glide while carrying it.
//==================\\
|| [Mission chains] ||
\\==================//
Your progression through the missions is not entirely linear. On
several occasions, you will have a choice of two missions. When this
happens, you have two parallel mission chains. Completing a mission in
one chain will unlock the next mission in that chain, and leave the
other chain unaffected. Only when all missions in both chains are
complete will you be able to move onto the next section of the game.
Most missions have free-roam breaks between them. The exceptions are
(Meet Your Maker, Resurrection, The Strong Survive), (The Airbridge,
Enemies and Allies), and (The Descent, Predator and Prey). Notes in
{curly braces} are BLACKNET operations which are unlocked on completion
of a certain mission.
Tutorial
========
Meet Your Maker
|
Resurrection
|
The Strong Survive
Yellow Zone
===========
Operation Flytrap
|
{Orion's Belt} ------[Claws]
| \
| \---[Radnet events activated]
Brain Drain \
| \-{Black Tulip}
|
Project Long Shadow ----[Tendrils]
| \ \
| \ \-{Manticore}
| \
| \
| Feeding Time (G) --[Shields]
| |
| Salvation (G) ----[Weaponise]
| / \
The Lab Rat (R) / \-{Clean Sweep}
\ /
The Mad Scientist
|
Orion Phase Two ----[Devastator]
| \
| \-[Lairs unlocked]
Natural Selection
|
The Airbridge --[Yellow and Green Zone Airbridges activated]
Green Zone
===========
Enemies and allies ----[Vehicle hijack acquired]
/ \ \
/ \ \-{Keyhole}
/ \
/ The White Light (G) -----[Helicopter weaponise]
/ \ \---[Blade]
/ \ \--{Red Glacier}
A stranger among us (S) \ \-{Jack of all Trades}
\ \
\ Taking the castle (R) --{Vivid Future}
\ \
\ Maze of blood (R) --[Biobomb]
\ \
\ Alpha Wolf (R) --[Pack Leader]
\ /
[Spiked shield]--- A nest of vipers (S) /
/ \ /
[Hammerfists]-/ \ /
Fall from grace
|
The Descent --[Red Zone Airbridges activated]
Red Zone
========
Predator and prey --[Helicopter hijack]
|
Burned from memory --{Spotted Cat}
|
Last Resort -----[Whipfist]
| \ \---{Long Horizon}
| \ \--{Stun Circuit}
| \ \-{Clockwork}
| \
| Fly in the ointment (S)
| \
| Operation Firehawk (S)
| |
Divine Intervention (R) |
| |
Lost in the system (M) |
\ |
\ |
A labour of love
|
Murder your maker
Advice on mission order:
In the yellow zone, do Feeding Time and Salvation (G) before The Lab Rat
(R), because the former two get you sweet upgrades and the latter gets
you sod-all. In the Green Zone, do The White Light (G) first, then A
Stranger Among Us and A Nest Of Vipers (S), then finish off the (G)
mission chain, in order to save the hardest missions until after you've
acquired the best powers (although you might want to do A Maze Of Blood
before A Nest Of Vipers if you like using Biobombs in combat). In the
Red Zone, the (S) missions are done entirely in helicopters, so it
barely matters what powers you have (although you might want to take the
time to acquire the helicopter skill upgrades), while the other mission
chain requires fighting large numbers of Evolved.
//=================\\
|| [Side missions] ||
\\=================//
There are a lot of different types of side mission. I'm not going to
discuss exactly what you have to do in each mission, but I will
summarise them, indicate when they become available, and what reward you
get from them.
+-------------------+
| [Consume targets] |
+-------------------+
Not really a side mission, but anyone with an icon over their head is
probably good to eat.
Muscular arm icon: Skill (on humans), power or ability (on Infected and
Orions) upgrade.
DNA icon: XP boost.
Head icon: Story mission or BLACKNET mission related memory.
Key icon: Required to activate a hand scanner.
+---------------------+
| [BLACKNET missions] |
+---------------------+
The bulk of the side missions, at least in terms of gameplay time. One
of the early story missions is basically a short BLACKNET mission, which
should give you an idea of how they play out (access terminal, hunt
dude, eat dude, go to location, play short mission, repeat). They're
easy to find, being highlighted on the map with a little gold star. The
usual progress of a BLACKNET mission starts by visiting the comms
vehicle to get a name and then hunting that target; however, it is also
possible to encounter and consume these targets before visiting the
BLACKNET terminal. They're marked with a head icon. Of course, you still
have to visit the terminal to start the mission.
Completing all sections of a BLACKNET mission will grant you a Mutation.
This guide will later be amended with details of which BLACKNET missions
are available when, and which mutations they unlock.
+--------------+
| [Blackboxes] |
+--------------+
In order to find blackboxes, open the map menu and select
"collectables". Move the cursor over the map region you want to search,
and use the shoulder bumpers to select "blackboxes" from the list. The
approximate location of blackboxes will be highlighted by little grey
radar pulses. When you get close, you'll get a distance meter that helps
you home in (note that the number takes vertical distance into account).
Most of them are on rooftops or ledges, and all are illuminated by a red
pulsing light.
Collecting all the Blackboxes for a particular region of the city will
grant you a Mutation. You can view which region will give you which
mutations on the Collectibles screen, or you can just check the list
below.
Yellow Zone
===========
Fairview: 4 boxes. Locomotion.
Oakhurst: 5 boxes. Offensive.
Linden Park: 4 boxes. Offensive.
Green Zone
==========
Fulton: 5 boxes. Predator.
Lincoln Meadows: 5 boxes. Defensive.
Salt Yard Plains: 4 boxes. Offensive.
Red Zone
========
Downtown: No blackboxes in this area.
Chinatown: 5 boxes. Defensive.
Midtown: 6 boxes. Predator.
Times Square: 7 boxes. Power Specialist.
+-------------+
| [Field Ops] |
+-------------+
Field Ops can be tracked down exactly like Blackboxes, except it's even
easier because they're marked clearly on the HUD as you get close. When
you find them, all you have to do is kill all the illuminated targets.
Easy.
Wiping out all the Field Ops for a particular region of the city will
grant you a Mutation. You can view which region will give you which
mutations on the Collectibles screen, or you can just check the list
below.
Yellow Zone
===========
Fairview: 4 ops. Offensive.
Oakhurst: No field ops in this area.
Linden Park: 3 ops. Defensive.
Green Zone
==========
Fulton: 4 ops. Locomotion.
Lincoln Meadows: 4 ops. Predator.
Salt Yard Plains: No field ops in this area.
Red Zone
========
Downtown: 5 ops. Locomotion.
Chinatown: 4 ops. Defensive.
Midtown: 4 ops. Offensive.
Times Square: No field ops in this area.
+---------+
| [Lairs] |
+---------+
Each region's worth of Lairs will grant you a Mutation when completed.
You can view which lair will give you which mutations on the
Collectibles screen, or you can just check the list below.
Yellow Zone
===========
Linden Park: 1 lair. Predator.
Green Zone
==========
Fulton: 2 lairs. Power Specialist.
Lincoln Meadows: 2 lairs. Locomotion.
Red Zone
========
Midtown: 2 lairs. Locomotion.
Times Square: 2 lairs. Power Specialist.
+-------------------+
| [Radnet missions] |
+-------------------+
Radnet missions are only available if you bought the Radnet edition
new, or if you paid to unlock them. These missions do not tie into the
story - they're just for fun.
Completing all Radnet missions in a particular set with at least a
Bronze medal will grant you a specific mutation from the Radnet
Mutations set.
I might write a guide to individual Radnet missions and challenges
later, I'll see how I feel.
//===========\\
|| [Enemies] ||
\\===========//
For each enemy type, I'll describe why it's a threat, and what strategy
you should best use to defeat it.
+------------+
| [Military] |
+------------+
Marine / Blackwatch soldier
===========================
Grouped together because they're functionally identical in the game
(although Heller skips the gory consume animation when eating Marines,
which ironically means that it's BETTER to eat the good guys since you
can do it faster). The weapons they can carry are listed below.
Assault rifle / machine gun: Their bullets are a mild nuisance at best,
even on harder difficulty levels. The most they'll do is gently
encourage you to not just stand there. Until you get the bulletproof
mutation, of course, at which point you CAN just stand there, and they
will eventually die from their own ricochets.
Grenade launcher: As long as you keep moving in a direction other than
straight towards them, these guys should never hit you. The slow, arcing
trajectory of the grenade means it's really not very accurate. If they
miss - which they usually will - the grenade lands on the ground, makes
a high-pitched whining noise and a red flash, and then explodes.
Annoyingly, the grenade launcher is not as obvious as the rocket
launcher, and it's easy to mistake these enemies for standard assault
rifle mooks. Even so, you should never take damage from these.
Rocket launcher: An actual threat. Thankfully, the arrival of the rocket
is heralded by an obvious flickering blue laser sight and a distinctive
beeping noise that increases in tempo when the missile is about to fire.
Once you have the shields, you can bounce rockets, but until then your
best bet is to dodge at the last moment, or break line of sight from the
launcher, or just hope you're too fast to be hit.
Recommended powers: For scattered foes, claws are king thanks to the
one-hit-kill pounce attack. For clusters of Blackwatch, you can take
your pick of Tendril Blackhole, Hammerfist Groundspike, or Biobomb
(Blade Tornado works but tends to be a bit slow). The Whipfist is also
good once you get it. However, often the best way to deal with
Blackwatch is to grab them and eat them, or grab them and throw them at
each other.
Orion
=====
Similar to the supersoldiers from the first game. They're able to jump
around almost as well as you are, and they fight viciously up close.
They have a grab attack which you need to waggle the left stick to break
out of, as well as several punch combos. Most of their attacks are
highlighted by an obvious blue glow, but resist the temptation to dodge
over them - you'll usually just catch an elbow in the mouth for your
efforts - and stick to shield blocks.
Recommended powers: Often the easiest way to beat them is to shield bash
them to death, since their attacks can be very easily blocked. Assuming
you don't want to do that, I recommend aerial attacks with the Blade and
Claws. The Whipfist works like a charm when you finally get it. They're
highly resistant to military weapons, more so than Brawlers.
APC
===
A tank-like vehicle, recognisable by its smaller cannon and the big
square rocket launcher on the side of the turret. The main cannon fires
fairly rapidly but isn't very accurate and doesn't do that much damage -
you'll be fine if you keep moving. The TOW (rocket launcher) could be
quite scary, but I've never seen an enemy APC actually fire the thing.
Recommended powers: Open with a tendril blackhole, then switch to
hammerfists if you have them, or stick with normal tendril attacks if
you don't. An alternative is to board the APC, rip the TOW off, and kill
it with its own weapon. Once you have vehicle finishers, they work as a
one-shot kill.
Tank
====
A tank. There's no missing these. They have a huge cannon, and a
side-mounted gatling gun just in case that wasn't enough. They don't
seem to actually use the gatling gun, and the cannon takes the courtesy
to announce it's about to fire with an obvious blue laser, and fires an
easily reflected shot at that. Sigh.
Recommended powers: Treat exactly like the APCs, plus you can use the
shields to bounce its cannon shells back at it. These aren't as much of
a threat as you might think.
Helicopter
==========
You remember these bastards from Prototype 1, right? There are three
kinds: Standard copters with rocket pods, Gunships with missile
launchers, and the Firehawk copters which appear only in one specific
mission. Some helicopters carry Blackwatch troops and will drop them off
with rappel lines, but this just gives you a source of health and
weapons, so don't worry about it too much.
Recommended powers: Well, until you get the whipfist or the ability to
hijack or use a Finisher, you don't have many options. Tendril blackhole
can work if the 'copter is flying low. Hammerfist elbow drop will work
brilliantly if you manage to get up above the helicopter, but that can
be tricky. Aside from that, your best bet is to steal a rocket launcher
(or, better yet, one of the helicopter's own weapons once you get the
ability), or just throw aircon units or cars at the bastard. If you want
to be cheap, you can just bounce its own rockets back at it with the
shields, and this is probably the easiest way to kill the gunships.
+------------+
| [Infected] |
+------------+
Zombie
======
Although they're not technically called "zombies" by the game, that's
what they act like. They shamble about and flail at anything that comes
close. They actually hit quite hard, but they're so slow that Heller's
powers will rip them to shreds before they can try anything.
Recommended powers: Anything, really, although there's rarely any need
to fight these guys - you usually just run right past them. The only
missions I've seen that force you to fight zombies also force you to use
military weapons for it. In this case, machine guns or grenade launchers
are best.
Brawler
=======
Pretty much the same as the Hunters from the first game, they even have
the same attacks. Brawlers are big, strong, and fast, and can cover
ground almost as fast as Heller can. Their main attacks are a single
claw-swipe, a pounce and double-swipe, and a forward charge with furious
slashing of claws. The latter two can be stopped dead with a well-timed
shield block (stunning the Brawler and opening it up to reprisal), and
all attacks can be dodged over. Finally, they can throw stuff at you,
but they prefer fighting up close.
Recommended powers: Most of your powers work fine. Tendrils are only
recommended when you have the first upgrade so you can immobilise the
monster. Claws work wonders, the Blade is slower but will often stun,
stagger, or dismember the Brawler. The Blade's meat cleaver attack will
often slice of a limb, but only try it if there's only one Brawler.
Shield bash works, but I usually dodge over brawlers rather than trying
to block, since they're vulnerable to attacks from behind. They're also
quite vulnerable to rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and thrown
objects. Just pick whatever you're most comfortable with.
Hydra
=====
More of a threat than in the first game, since it now has a long-range,
incredibly accurate, highly damaging tendril attack. Its short-range
attacks are crushingly powerful, and it can also pick things up
(including bits of tarmac, if there's nothing else in reach) to throw at
you. Keep moving, keep your distance, and use ranged weapons and thrown
objects where possible. Watch the thing like a hawk, and dodge whenever
it rears back, or you'll eat the tendril attack.
Recommended powers: Powers? Are you kidding? This thing is FAR too
dangerous to attack up close. Use a rocket launcher, or throw stuff if
you really have to. I guess pelting it with Biobombs might work, but I
haven't tried it yet.
Juggernaut
==========
Hugely fat armour-plated monsters. Their attacks are unblockable and
devastatingly powerful, but keep up the attacking and dodging and you'll
often leave them stunned and open to a counterattack (look for the
button prompts over the beast's head). They like to throw stuff at you,
and it hurts more than when Brawlers do it. They walk slowly, but jump
about with surprising agility for something built like an overweight
sumo wrestler.
Recommended powers: Only the Hammerfists really pack enough of a wallop.
Tendrils work too, especially once you have the level 2 power upgrade -
you'll often leave them vulnerable to a special attack. Without these
powers, you're forced to rely on dodge counters or thrown junk (which is
actually a very good strategy - they'll block military weapons, but not
a thrown car. Go figure.)
Evolved
=======
Very fast enemies with twin blades for arms. Fighting these can be an
exercise in frustration, particularly because they seem to be almost
immune to ranged weapons and are very deadly indeed up close.
Frequently, after you land a heavy attack or shield block, they'll be
slammed backwards and roll back to their feet. Resist the temptation to
pounce on them after this, because they'll counter with a highly
damaging upwards blade swipe. They have one weakness - their leaping
overhead blade swing move will leave them vulnerable to a counterattack
if you dodge it. A couple of the Evolved have special attacks, discussed
at the bottom of the Infected enemies section, under the spoiler tag.
Recommended powers: Claws and Blade. Against one Evolved, the best
strategy is to let them come to you, dodge back (NOT over them, they
turn too quickly) or put your shields up well in advance of them getting
to you (don't shield block, it doesn't stun them and just wastes time).
Then, when they're done with their combo, lay into them with the claws
or the blade and don't stop until you see the dodge prompt as they try
to counterattack. You can then hit them for massive damage when they're
vulnerable.
There are other options: The claw pounce works, as does the blade air
scythe (the single-tap scythe, not the charged meat-cleaver attack which
misses too often). I usually pounce with the claws then follow up with a
Blade Tornado when they're flung backwards. Alternatively, the charged
attack of the hammerfists sends out a line of spikes that will knock the
Evolved far enough back for you to charge a second groundspike while
they close the distance again, allowing you to lock them down
indefinitely if you don't mind standing still while doing it. They seem
to be one of the only enemies that's impossible to entangle in your
tendrils, and they'll often dodge Black Hole attacks altogether. Once
you have the Whipfist, the longshot attack works wonders, but it's kind
of slow.
For multiple Evolved, you're going to have to rely almost exclusively on
claw pounces, blade air scythes, and maybe hammerfist groundspike
eruptions if you're feeling lucky, and the whipfist if you've got it.
The game recommends Biobombs, which do a lot of damage when you hit, but
take a long time to prepare and can be very frustrating if you get
attacked while 'priming' your bomb. If you see three Evolved in one
place, which happens a few times, a Devastator attack might be your best
bet.
Goliath
=======
Blimey, he's a big 'un. The important thing about fighting the Goliath
is that you don't ever need to attack it except when it's stunned. Don't
get too close or it'll squash you. Get just close enough to tempt it
into attacking, dodge, and counterattack the vulnerable part.
At first, it attacks by raising its oversized arm up and slamming it
down, then resting the arm on the ground and charging forward. You can
jump over it to dodge the charge. Then it pauses for a bit with its head
at ground level, looking around like it's lost a contact lens or
something. Hit it in the face (it doesn't matter what with, any damage
will do), and it'll rear back to stand precariously on one leg. I
recommend using the hammerfist groundspikes to damage it, because if you
get close it might fall on you. Once its leg is off, it'll crawl about
and occasionally swipe with the clawed arm, and eventually get the claw
stuck in the ground. Use the blade - ideally the meat cleaver aerial
attack - to sever the arm. Finally, it attacks by flailing about and
inexplicably leaping well over a hundred feet straight up. Don't be
under it when it lands. It'll land on its back, and the head will be
vulnerable - use the meat cleaver again and you'll be able to consume
it.
Recommended powers: Hammerfist for the leg, otherwise Blade.
Flier
=====
These bird-like enemies show up in the Red Zone, primarily when you're
in a helicopter. They can dive-bomb and ram you to inflict damage, so
you need to keep your distance and keep moving. Use both machine-guns
and missiles, but try not to fire when you don't have a target acquired
(watch the little square in the middle of the reticule - when it's red,
you're locked-on).
Recommended powers: Whipfist, I guess. Personally, though, I'd use a
gun.
Spiked brawler
==============
Very rare enemies. They seem to fight quite a lot like Brawlers,
although I haven't encountered them often enough to really be able to
give you a strategy.
+------------------+
| [Unique enemies] |
+------------------+
!!!WARNING!!!
This section has spoilers in it! If you don't want to know which of the
named characters you end up fighting and killing, don't read any
further.
Spoiler warning block
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Begin spoilers:
Orion Phase Two
===============
An enhanced version of the supersoldier. Aside from being able to take
more punishment and deal more damage, it's just like a normal
supersoldier (although it is completely immune to rockets, which is a
pain in the ass). The arena you fight it in has an interesting feature -
one of the scientists running around is tagged with a key icon, and
after consuming him you can use his fingerprints to open the infected
cages. The Brawlers seem to attack the Orion in preference to you, which
is nice - if nothing else, it distracts the bastard while you hunt down
those annoying rocket launcher troops. DON'T LEAVE THE ARENA or you
instantly fail the mission.
Doctor Koenig
=============
The first Evolved you fight. Although he's nothing special for an
Evolved, he starts the battle in a helicopter gunship, which he's
upgraded to have better defences and to be able to spam its missile
attack. However, after firing off a series of missiles (which you can
reflect), it'll be temporarily overloaded. Take the opportunity to
attack it with a rocket launcher or thrown objects, or maybe even a
Tendril Blackhole if it's close to the ground.
Gallagher
=========
Another Evolved who tries to fight you from a helicopter. This time,
however, you can easily shoot it down with its own rocket pod. The main
fight with Gallagher is more interesting since he has several attacks
the other Evolved lack, including a forward dash and strike and a
forward-moving pirouette with his blade-arms extended. He uses these
very aggressively, and will even break out of your claw attack chains to
pound on you. Since you fight him in a car park, Tendril Blackhole works
surprisingly well, and he'll take a huge amount of damage from the cars
every time you hit with it. This is much safer than trying to melee him.
Roland
======
This Evolved also has a special attack, although it's more of a defence
- a spiked shield that he can create in an instant if you get too close
or attack too relentlessly. I haven't found a decent way to work around
this yet, so this fight tends to turn into an endurance match with
regular retreats to eat some people and get Heller's health back up. You
can always spam Hammerfist Groundspikes to slowly grind him down at very
little risk to yourself, but that is unbearably boring. Or you could
hijack a tank and use that, which feels cheap, but then so does he.
Doctor Archer
=============
Although she fights just like any other Evolved, at two stages of the
fight she'll summon a pack of Brawlers. You get two the first time, and
four the second time. When the second pack is down to two Brawlers, the
Doctor joins in the fight again. I recommend using Tendrils against the
first pair if you have the upgrade (if not, aerial attacks work, as do
thrown junk, biobombs, or rocket launchers), a Devastator against the
group of four, and then stick to aerial attacks and rocket launchers
(there are several in weapon lockers near the bottom of the stairs)
until you've finished off all the Brawlers and just have the Doctor
herself to deal with.
Unnamed Whipfist Chick
======================
She shows about three missions in to the Red Zone (Last Resort), along
with a pair of Brawlers. I recommend summoning your own Brawler pack to
help out, and try to stay close because she can hit you with the
Whipfist for massive damage at long range. You might want to kill the
Brawlers first to stop them interrupting you. Thankfully, there are so
many zombies milling about that you can easily heal, and even use
Biobombs if you want.
Alex Mercer
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I don't have a tried-and-true strategy for this fight yet. I'll post one
as soon as I find it. Personally, I found the best tools to be
Hammerfist in the first round, then Blade, and finally Whipfist. Don't
use the same power as Mercer is using, or you'll get counterattacked.
