Mission 07: Caravan Ambush

The open plains near the Crimson Pirate Fortress are the staging area for the NEVEC forces. Despite what Luka says, don't worry about moving quickly here; you'll complete the level no matter what. Specifically, don't fire at the VS's that are marching away from you at the beginning of the level. Getting them angry will only make it more difficult for you to survive.

Things will get hectic in the caravan ambush here, but if you keep moving and take down the VS's then you should be able to max out your T-Eng.

The first thing you'll want to do here will be to head west, past the large raised platform near where you start. Don't shoot anything until it opens fire on you. You can dodge the fire of any VS's in the area relatively easily, since they'll be so far away, allowing you to focus on the soldiers in the area. One of them will eventually drop a plasma gun for you, and if they don't, then you can find one in one of the sheds in the northwestern corner of the area. With a plasma gun in hand, start going to town on the smaller VS's and the soldiers in the area; they'll all die after only two or four shots. The smaller VS's will be useful sources of T-Eng for you. If you're uncomfortable fighting on foot, then hop into one of the VS's in one of the sheds here and use that to go to town.

When most of the opening area is cleared out, use your plasma gun to snipe away at the VS's at the far southern end of the area, and proceed slowly that way in a VS. You'll be waylaid by a few small VS's when you do so; either fight them off or run past them to the tunnel beyond them to end this section of the level.

Familiar Pastures

The next area is the same large, open field in which you fought the giant worm in Mission 03. Apparently, there's been some action here, as there are plenty of fallen VS's and the like in the area. There aren't any boss monsters, although there are a huge number of Chryatis', with some of them being even larger than normal.

Anyway, the same basic path here from before is advisable. Strap yourself into a VS, stick close to the wall, and head down from there. You don't need to cross the entire plain, just the small bit of it that leads to a walled-off stairway. Nevec VS's will be guarding it, so kill or avoid them, jump the fence, then run up the stairs where there's a Data Post and head to the door there. If you get lost, then just activate a Data Post and follow its directions.

Well-Guarded Courtyard

There are plenty of enemies in this courtyard, but only a few of them are actual humans. Kill the enemies near where you start and try to find a plasma gun. With that in hand, you'll be able to kill the floating drones in two shots, assuming you can fire past their armor. The drones will only attack you if they spot you with their lasers, or if you attack them first; they're dangerous enough in a large group that your best bet is to grapple across to the balconies on the southern side of this area and walk along them to avoid having to move past the bulk of the lasers that are painting the lowest level of the southern walkway. You don't have a huge amount of ground to cover, but if you get swamped by the drones, then they'll make life pretty difficult for you.

That said, if you can stay above the fray and avoid most of the lasers, you should be able to cross over to the far side of the area without too many problems. Use your plasma gun to snipe out the rocket turrets there, then shoot the doorway that's up off of the ground and anchor yourself up to the opening there. There's a Data Post there, along with a few fuel tanks; grab all the energy you can, as there's a boss fight coming up after you hop into the VS at the end of the line here.

Boss Fight: Crab VS

This VS is something of a foreshadow to a much tougher fight to come. It can be challenging on its own, or it can be a pushover; it seems somewhat variable in that regard. With a little luck, though, you should be able to finish it off without many problems.

Video Walk-through

This VS can either be very easy or very difficult.
Watch It »

The VS you're equipped with will come with rocket launcher and gatling guns, and that's a good combo for this fight. There's another gatling gun in the corner of the arena across from where you pop up, so grab that to ensure that you don't run out of ammo. There's also a reload for your rocket launcher, as well as a couple of shotguns in the area.

Your best bet here is to keep the central boxes between you and the crab whenever feasible. It has an odd electrical attack that deals good damage to you, and can sometimes also morph into a drilling mode and attempt to ram you for big damage. Just keep your gatling gun depressed at all times; if you can't shoot the VS, shoot the drones that move around atop it. The VS will often jump up on top one of the boxes, which is your cue to aim for the lower part of its central stalk and unload a rocket on it. Reload, then fire another rocket at it when it jumps down; it'll be temporarily immobile after it makes a jump, usually.

If you run out of rockets, feel free to nab a shotgun in its place and go to town. In general, though, you'll want to keep your distance from the VS and fire on it from afar. If worst comes to worst, you can leave your VS and attempt to finish it off on foot, but this is difficult due to the drones.

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