Space Hulk 2 - The Complete Solution
Incision
Incision is a veritable baptism of fire, so move forward as ordered and gun down
the ‘stealers in the room ahead. Once you’ve won enough space to breathe, move
quickly to seal the doors. when you’ve established your perimeter, sweep left and
hunt for the archive record data.
Decipher
Follow your commander’s prompts as you hunt through the hulk for an archive
record viewer, but beware of the mines scattered in this area. The best way to deal
with them is to retreat a few paces, look down and then explode them with your
bolter. You should only face isolated enemy activity on this mission, but the
‘stealers move quickly through the duct system and can be on you before you
know it, so be vigilant.
Hold
Here you’ve got to buy your squad enough time to punch their way through to the
warp drives. Hike to your first waypoint, where you’ll end up covering two
‘stealer entry points. Keep your trigger finger itchy. An order to give ground will
soon follow, so retreat carefully and rejoin your team for beam out.
Locate
Motor forward, mowing down any ‘stealers you encounter and lock the first door
to secure the entry point. Keep it covered and when the door breach occurs,
sustained fire should kill the backlog of ‘stealers which have built up. Next, play
Tail-End Charlie and cover your brothers’ retreat to the next waypoint, where a
door will close, earning you a temporary respite. Move south and west, and cover
Marcus as he places the power field generator. Secure the final door, before
stepping lively to the beam-out point.
Breakthrough
A short-sharp-shock mission, where you should head out in the vanguard, cutting
your way through any resistance, as you make a dash for the explosives. Chug east
to the placement point and deliver your payload, then, cover the southern entry
point, while your squad lays the rest of the charges. Finally high-tail it to the
beam-out zone before the ‘stealers can mass ranks and retaliate.
Gas
This mission charges you with stemming the gas flow created by your explosives,
and is basically a race against time. Weather the initial storm of ‘stealers and,
after you’ve won through, head for the gas taps located in the south and south
west corners of the map. Deal with any ‘stealer activity en route with extreme
prejudice, but keep a wary eye on the gas build up via your ever trusty scanner.
Plunder
Your first command mission and you’re in for an uneasy, rather than a difficult
time. Scanner interference and minefields are inconvenient, but more so are the
Chaos Marines which populate this part of the hulk. Armed with bolters, which
nullify your ranged weapons advantage, they’re nevertheless weaker than the
average terminator and should fall easily to your troops. The three Imperial
artefacts can be found to the north, northeast and east, and you should use the
relatively low level of resistance to practice manoeuvres, issue orders and
generally hone your command skills.
Initiative
The first real test of your command faculties, Initiative pits you toe-to-toe with a
horde of ‘stealers in a frantic race to get your squad to the exit. Try splitting your
men into two groups and send one squad down each side of the map. Establish
fields of fire which cover the initial ‘stealer entry points and when there’s a lull in
the action, move quickly to reach your next objectives. Pair up your terminators
so that they cover each other and, as ‘stealers come from all angles in the final
rush, you might even consider taking your guys off overwatch to speed them up as
you make a final lunge for the beam-out zone.
Killing Ground
Head straight for the first large room which is chock full of ‘stealers. Leaving one
man to cover your back, line up your terminators and then order them to open the
four doors simultaneously; your combined firepower will inflict a fearful
slaughter.
Regroup and form your men into a hollow square or line astern formation, as you
cross the second hall, so that their fields of fire overlap. Make sure you detail one
of your lead men to cover the ‘stealer entry point at the far end of the room and,
with luck and a little bit of judgement, you should be able to squeeze through and
beat an orderly retreat down the winding series of corridors to the exit.
Barren
A tricky mission this, because you’re moving a large squad across some very
hostile territory but, by way of compensation, you do get your first use of the
heavy flamer - an extremely potent weapon. Probably your best course is to split
your guys into three squads, with one flamer per squad, which will also cause the
‘stealers to divide their forces. Move along the bottom of the map and cover your
rear against attacks from above, while continuing to head east to the beam-out
zone.
Make good use of the rooms, where two terminators can stand abreast, to
establish fire zones. the long corridors on this mission are also advantageous,
allowing you to soak up ‘stealer pressure and buy yourself time to think and plan.
Nevertheless, expect a high rate of attrition with medium to heavy casualties.
Remember, it’s not so much a question of how many men you lose, as how many
men you save.
Reinforce
Another huge level, Reinforce has a particularly vicious choke point just outside
your drop zone, so beware of getting caught with your armour down. Send two
terminators to hold off the initial wave of ‘stealers, while you deploy the rest of
your men. The large rooms and corridors of this storage area will allow you to
make an elegant sweeping manoeuvre eastward; purge any ‘stealers you find and
secure your entrance to the northern complex.
As ever, the action hots up the closer you get to your goal and the route to the
control room can be testing. Punch north and east, and detail two fire parties to
cover the double sets of ‘stealer entry points. Providing you cover your back
sufficiently, you should be able to thread enough men through to make it count.
Conquer
Your scanner initially reveals hordes of ‘stealers dotted around the map, but relax,
a quick recce will reveal that the purestrains are sensor echoes. In the first
complex all you’ll face are wimpy hybrids, which you should be able to dispatch
without breaking stride.
The second complex to the north east is where the real challenge starts and it’s
worth leading the assault here yourself. Order your men to keep up a suppressing
fire down the final corridor, and use the side corridors to advance the rest of your
squad. Manoeuvre your flamers into the final room and get them to dump their
full ammo load over the entry sites, effectively ending any ‘stealer activity there.
Leave one or two terminators to cover your back and hurry the rest of your guys
through to the teleport site.
Assault
Assault is both a race against time and a chance to display some canny tactical
nous. Move quickly and send some bolter armed terminators to secure the sets of
doors which litter this level. Aim either to secure the ‘stealer entry points or
channel them into kill zones. Eventually the ‘stealers will batter the doors down,
but this tactic should buy you enough time to prepare a nasty surprise.
Regroup in the large hall above the exit zone and establish a defensive perimeter.
use all those lovely flamer reloads to erect a fiery, impassable barrier. Finally,
beat a steady retreat along the twin hallways to beam out, mowing down any stray
‘stealers which make it past the flames.
Regroup
Deploy quickly to deal with the ‘stealers who threaten your entry point and thread
your way through the box junction, taking the door directly south. Lock the
‘stealer entry point there, and use the long corridors to fight a delaying action
until you can reform in the bigger room below. Construct a defensive wall, to
cover your back, then open up the bulkhead and get your flamer to accompany
you forward.
The beam-out point contains a Genestealer Magus, an extremely hard opponent.
Probably the best way to deal with him is to flame the room, which will cause the
Magus to raise his psychic shield. When the flames die down, he’ll drop his shield
and you should be ready to hit him with a stream of bolter fire while he’s
vulnerable. Duck back down the corner and continue to repeat the dose of flame
and bolts until the Magus croaks, then, mop up any remaining purestrains before
beaming out.
Fail Safe
You should already be familiar with this level as it’s played out on the same map
as Regroup. However, this time ignore the western bulkhead and cut your way
through to the north, which is much closer to your objective. Then, using doors
and strategically placed terminators to block the ‘stealers’ entry points, detail a
snatch squad. Use support fire to cover their advance, then surge forward and
snatch the power field generators. Again, if you cover your angles, the retreat
shouldn’t be too difficult and you can place a generator as a temporary blocker if
in dire need.
Operatus
You’re back on the trail of the warp field generator in this mission. You should
aim to secure the three doors to your right and cover them with bolters, while the
rest of the squad progress down the large room on your left. Take the lead and
negotiate your way down to the south-west, where you’ll pass a ‘stealer generator.
It’s usually best to cover this hazardous zone yourself, while the rest of your
squad shuffle safely by.
Head east, secure the door, then, once inside the generator complex, three
terminators should be stationed to cover all the ‘stealer approaches, while you set
to work in the generator room.
The Patriarch
A choked entrance point means you need to cover yourself carefully on the way
down into the main hall of the first complex. Once there don’t bother trying to
lock the doors, but instead, detail men to cover the open galleries on either side
and annihilate the ‘stealers as they emerge.
Once you’re onto the Patriarch’s home turf, plough south to his lair and defend
the corridor in both directions. The Patriarch is fond of his jinx ability, so advance
and take his first spell, then retreat into the corridor and immediately send in your
flamer to give him a blast. Repeat until the flamer’s ammo is exhausted, then
follow up with liberal doses of bolter fire. Once he’s shuffled off his mortal coil,
he’ll be an ex-Patriarch (ho ho).
Revenge
Continuing on from the Patriarch mission, you’ve got to retrace your steps and
retreat back to your entrance point. You’ll already be familiar with the level
layout and again, make full use of the galleries and wide rooms to establish
commanding fields of fire as you make your way north. Oh, and you’ve also got
to survive for a full ten minutes, but this shouldn’t present too many problems.
Repair
Well you should know this level inside out by now, but this mission charges you
with delivering the sequencer module back to the Patriarch’s lair. Basically, the
same approach is required as for the Patriarch mission, but with increased ‘stealer
activity and a time limit of only eight minutes you’re going to have to move
double time to accomplish your objective. If you succeed the engines will
encouragingly come on-line and you can finally send this accursed hulk back into
the Warp!
Final Conflict
Well, you’ve done the business and Delvar III is safe, so now it’s a dash back to
your original beam-out zone and then a chance for you to bask in all the glory
you’ve accumulated during the game. A seven minute time limit doesn’t leave you
all that much margin for error, but this level really should feel like a second home
by now and you should be able to make it without undue difficulty. Hail to the
Emperor!
Captain Psycho’s Top Ten Terminator Tips
Command
1. Freeze time - Your first freeze time period is critical, use it to assess the level
and set initial objectives for your terminators. Engage freeze time often during a
mission so you can assess your current situation, react to any sudden threats and
decide how best to accomplish your goal.
2. Once you’ve made it to a secure position, flick around on your mini-scanner to
monitor the progress of your men in other parts of the map. This doesn’t expend
freeze time, but still gives you a good idea of the tactical situation and should buy
you extra time to issue your orders.
3. Using multiple waypoints is the best way to instruct your men during a mission,
as it ensures they take the precise route you require. Try to move your men during
lulls in the action and make sure they don’t suddenly arrive at a vulnerable
junction, just as another wave of ‘stealer attacks starts.
4. Listen carefully. Your men’s radio messages and the incessant ping of your
motion tracker can provide vital intelligence on the success of your mission, or
otherwise.
5. Command is a tough business and, occasionally, you’re going to have to
sacrifice some of your men to ensure the rest of the squad gets through. A flamer
on self-destruct is a devastating weapon, so don’t be afraid to send your men to
certain death if it means the mission will be successful. Remember, their names
will live on in the chapter’s rolls of honour.
Combat
6. When using your bolter keep up a steady rate of fire and, above all, try to avoid
rapid panic firing. It usually takes between one and seven shots to ice a ‘stealer,
so keep careful count and you should avoid any weapon jams.
7. All of your men are right handed and you can use this fact to your advantage. A
slight pivot means you can shoot diagonally around left hand corners and
corridors, catching any ‘stealers lurking there unawares. You should also perfect
‘spread’ shooting in larger rooms to catch groups of advancing ‘stealers.
8. When ‘stealers lurk around corners and refuse to attack, you can sometimes
flush them out by a feinting movement. A slight change of direction should be
enough to lure them out, and then you can pivot back suddenly to blow them away
9. Use the Vigil’s training missions to hone and perfect your hand to hand combat
with Genestealers. Learn to parry the ‘stealers’ strikes and then counter when it’s
at its most vulnerable (as its claws are drawn back for a strike). With practice, you
should be able to win nine out of every ten combats with this method.
10. If all else fails, type ÔI need help’ at the screen with the double doors. You’ll
be presented with a variety of groovy options which will make life infinitely
easier.
