1. Dead Space 2 Achievements
2. Hard to the Core achievement

Dead Space 2

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Hard to the Core achievement in Dead Space 2

Hard to the Core

Complete the game on Hard Core setting

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How to unlock the Hard to the Core achievement

• CousinDangereux83,336

  01 Feb 2011 01 Feb 2011 06 Mar 2011
  307 8 109

  This is an incredibly frustrating achievement, but if you do it right it will only get easier as you go along.
  
  Here is a general overview of how to get this and retain your sanity:
  
  *WARNING* SPOILERS HEREIN *WARNING*
  *I talk about particular sections of the game in this guide in order to talk about how to survive them! If you haven't seen this whole game through to the end, please finish a playthrough on a lower difficulty before even considering Hardcore.*
  
  AT THE START:
  
  - You'll need the Plasma Cutter and the Force Gun ASAP. If you don't have the Collector's Edition Force Gun or a DLC Force Gun, I would seriously contemplate downloading a force gun to make your life easier as you don't get the Force Gun until pretty late in the game. Otherwise, try to make do with the PC and get the FG schematic from the locker in Chapter 7 right after you get off the Tripod elevator.
  
  - Consider kicking up the Brightness setting a couple of notches to take the edge off some of the darker sections of the game. (Thanks to Robotic Aquatic for this tip).
  
  - At the first power-node-locked room (this is at the start of Chapter 2), be sure to open it up. The schematic for Power Nodes is in there. You'll need that so you can spend excess credits on upgrades for your stuff. As a general rule for store visits: once you feel satisfied you have enough health and ammo, consider buying a power node from the store.
  
  - In the early game, you should upgrade your Rig's health and put down some moderate upgrades on your Plasma Cutter and Force Gun. Take advantage of the sparse amount of enemies to use Telekinesis impalement techniques on the enemies so you can conserve ammo and credits, increasing the amount of upgrading you can do by mid-game.
  
  SAVE STRUCTURE:
  
  My saves were structured around places where I knew there were one-hit kills or tentacle grabbing sequences that I could easily die at. They weren't at the most ambitious locations but they can get the job done. If you want to try to get further on any one of these, go ahead, I've included some suggestions along with my actual save locations.
  
  For instance, you might prefer more saves in the endgame. On the other hand, if you've played your cards right, the endgame should be easy enough to make the saves a non-issue. My suggestions are geared towards getting you in a situation where, by the drill ride, you're set to just blast through straight to the end.
  
  So my suggestions are based on doing this in very moderate chunks.
  
  First Save:
  Near the start of Chapter 5. Before the Church section where you get grabbed by the Tripod and get attacked by the Pack. I saved before the Crypt, but you can save closer to the actual grab if you want to (i.e. at the save station where you move the hanging coffins out of the way, which is the last before the grab).
  
  Why?
  I had already died on the Train Brute part once and didn't want to have to deal with another tentacle grabbing instant kill.
  
  Save One-and-a-Half:
  At the disc switch, as many people have noted. As of this writing, they haven't patched out this trick. If you die after the disc switch, you'll start right before the solar array. This will hold true until you exit the single-player game or quit to the Dashboard, so you must save before you quit. This is a nice way to break up the more difficult middle portion of the hard core run.
  
  Second Save:
  Start of chapter 9, right after you reunite with Ellie and Stross in the mining room.
  
  Why?
  Frankly because I was so sick of doing the solar array. But also because the end of chapter 8 has that tricky zero-g trap navigation sequence (big bad government man turns on the rotor blades) where I didn't want to risk more one-hit kills.
  
  Third Save:
  End of chapter 11, right before the drill room. I don't believe there's a save station IN the drill room, so you should save at the store/bench area just before.
  
  Why?
  I didn't want to risk the drill ride, but in retrospect I could have been more ambitious because the drill ride was a piece of cake. If you had no trouble with the mining elevator you should be able to handle the drill ride (as long as you have health packs), so I'd say you have a good chance of saving your last save for the start of 13. If you were barely scraping through the mining elevator sequence right before this, then you might consider putting down a save here. Then again, if the mining elevator is trouble, you've got more serious problems on your hands, namely: WHY aren't you using the Force Gun?
  
  SPECIFIC PLACES TO BE ON YOUR TOES:
  
  - The Brute who grabs you after you are hanging upside down from the train at the end of Chapter 2. Have your plasma cutter loaded and ready to take his arm out fast. This is early on, but if you hate sitting through the opening sequence each time you fail as much as I do, you'll want to be ready for it.
  
  - The Tripod elevator sequence in Chapter 7 before the Solar Array. If you've gotten a Force Gun, your life will be much easier. It knocks them right off the elevator. If you don't have the Force Gun, be sure to pick up the schematic for it from a locker right after you get off the elevator.
  
  - End of Chapter 7 flying segment, after you reset the solar array. Just look up a video of this sequence and watch it before you do it so as to save yourself the embarrassment of smacking your face into the apartment block. Memorize what's coming up and where to fly.
  
  - Mining elevator: Force gun it, you knock everyone off.
  
  - Drill Ride: Force gun it, you knock everybody clean off the rails.
  
  - Lasers in the Government Sector: If you have low health, you might not be able to run fast enough to avoid the lasers. All the more reason to stay stocked up with health packs from the Drill Ride on out.
  
  - The Eye Machine: Follow this rule all the way down: if the reticule isn't blue, my finger is not on the A button. Not blue, finger off. Take it slow and you won't mess up.
  
  - Last boss. If your Force Gun is significantly upgraded you can just hammer the trigger over and over again. Not only will it destroy the Pack, it will wear down Nicole's health. Don't worry so much about spinning around, focus on the pack in front of you and catching Nicole in the blast. If you take damage, heal.
  
  As soon as the Marker's heart is exposed, switch to your Plasma Cutter and wail on it. This is the MOST IMPORTANT THING: when the Marker heart is done taking damage and it starts to close again, DO NOT RUN AROUND. Nicole might respawn right next to you and you will die instantly. This happened to me twice. Just sit tight, and wait to see where she spawns (usually a set distance in front of you).
  
  My winning playthrough of the last boss, I think I barely took a step. Just Force Gun it, and then PC it.
  
  - Anytime you see a Pregnant. Those swarm can really deplete your health. Deal with them carefully. Especially the one in Chapter 8 -- he's around a corner in a very tight room and a slasher spawns right behind you when you see him. Get your distance.
  
  - Anytime you see an Exploder. If they land a hit on you, it's gonna be game over. Get your distance. When you hear their characteristic noise, instantly locate them and move away.
  
  - And any section with ONE-HIT KILLS. You should know where most of these are from your initial playthrough(s). Lots of the Zero-G navigation sequences have these - spinning blades, fire rings, etc.
  
  OVERALL STRATEGY:
  
  - Restricting yourself to two guns really helps you with upgrades, ammo, and credit collection. You will almost exclusively get ammo drops for those guns, and any other ammo you collect can be sold to help you upgrade.
  
  -By the halfway mark, you should be attempting to get both your HP fully upgraded and your weapons' primary fire as upgraded as humanly possible. Every so often throw a point or two into Stasis, having a long Duration and a couple more Energy will help with Brute fights and with the Big Bad Regenerating Dude at the end.
  
  -Somewhere around Chapter 8, the tides should start to turn in your favor and you should start having more credits than you know what to do with. Use it so that you always have health and ammo on hands. If you're feeling ambitious, buy some power nodes. But first priority is having ammo and health.
  
  - In general, hang back (until the end). Let the enemies spawn, get your back to a wall (or run back into the previous room), and take them out from safety. This is important especially in Stalker sequences. In the last 3 chapters, this does not apply. Just stasis everything and run from Chapter 13 on, except for an initial room that you have to clear to be able to hack a console.
  
  - From the drill ride on out, just stuff your inventory full of health packs and ammo. HEAL whenever you are hit. Don't risk getting in the red. Having the Advanced Suit helps you with inventory slots - you can find this suit in a power node locked room in Chapter 11.
  
  - By the endgame (Ch. 12), you should be set. Force Gun will let you just barge your way through the last few chapters and then you just have to do the boss fight (see tips above). I saved kind of early, but the drill ride was an absolute cakewalk so I didn't mind doing it a few times until I got the hang of the last boss.
  
  This is my first (and maybe only) solution for this site. Please be kind in your feedback. This is drawn entirely from my experience playing through Hardcore over the last three days. If it worked for me, it can work for you. I am not usually one for the hardest difficulty setting but since I'm a huge Dead Space fan I had to take on the challenge.

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  The CONTACT BEAM IS FAR SUPERIOR to the forcegun, check out Chad Doogle's guide below.
  
  However, unlike him, I did not get the DLC for the contact beam early in the game, I got the DLC that had achievements only, and picked up the contact beam schematic in chapter 7 if I recall.
  
  Up until chapter 7, I used only the plasma cutter and the pulse rifle (for the pack and tentacle enemies). I also did the node glitch trick in chapter 1 to make sure I'd max out my rig and plasma cutter, pulse rifle, and later hte contact beam, you can also sell weapons that have been upgraded with nodes for a large sum of money, then repurchase the weapon and put more nodes into it and sell more since you can't directly sell nodes, so avoid wasting time glitching credits in chapter 1 and just do nodes.
  
  My saves were chapter 5, the beginning of chapter 9, and the beginning of chapter 13. I didn't die at all in my entire run with the contact beam just making the second half of the game far far easier. The secondary fire essentially is a 360 degree force gun but it also stasis enemies (huge help for the ishmura chapter and the cargo lift ride in chapter 12) AND it does major damage to them, it one-shots most enemies, for the enhanced enemies it takes two bursts to kill them, for the brutes I do one burst, and then use primary fire on the arms to kill them. I used primary fire to kill enemies at a distance (ie. exploders, crawlers, etc) which one shots them.
  
  You really just have to nail the node glitch trick, I think I glitched 170 nodes and like 50k credits, although going back I would only do nodes, I would max up to 200-250 nodes if you can, forget the credits, to max my rig, plasma cutter, pulse rifle, and contact beam. I made sure I had many nodes left to sell upgraded weapons and get credits to keep purchasing the expensive ammo that contact beams usually require, even though you'll be seeing a lot of that ammo around with limited weapon purchases. I basically had at that point only been carrying around the contact beam and pulse rifle, ditched the plasma cutter, and all my other slots had medium/large health packs that I barely had to use. You don't need stasis packs since the weapon stasis enemies, you don't need to pick up anymore schematics besides the armor ones,.

  Posted by dan0wnz on 07 Nov 21 at 00:50

  Would anyone be interested in doing this achievement for me I'd be eternally greatful to you ??

  Posted by FALLENANGELSEMO on 27 Jan at 15:31

  Would anyone be interested in doing this achievement for me I'd be eternally greatful to you ??

  Posted by FALLENANGELSEMO on 30 Jan at 15:37

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• L33to II153,308

  05 Mar 2011 23 Feb 2011 23 Feb 2011
  55 9 13

  If you wondering why I "haven't yet won" this achievement, I have. I rarely go on XBL though.
  
  Overview
  Hardcore is not difficult at all gameplay wise. The key is to treat your playthrough the way you treat combat: stay calm, never rush things, and do the same thing you have practiced before. Sloppiness, nervousness and careless mistakes are what get you killed on this mode.
  
  General tips:
  -There are no definite points on when to save. Some people breeze through fights that others struggle badly. I saved ahead of sequences where I had trouble in the past.
  -Always keep full health at all times. Even if you are only missing a few blocks off the top, fill up. There is nothing worse than getting caught off guard and getting killed when you had a medpack sitting uselessly in inventory or the safe.
  -Stay calm and play as you normally would. I cannot emphasize this enough. Combat difficulty in hardcore is equivalent to Survivalist. It is NOT that hard at all.
  -Be familiar from previous playthroughs of where items are, and most importantly, where enemies come from.
  
  The following is a description of my playthrough accompanied by brief tips on major fights by chapter.
  
  Loadout: I recommend Javelin Gun, Ripper, and Contact Beam. Buy the Javelin as soon as it becomes available and upgrade the damage to the full 100 pts ASAP. Ignore everything else upgrade-wise until that is accomplished. Javelin ammo is dirt cheap and with full DMG upgrade you will be able to kill most necros in 1 shot from range, enhanced necros in 2, and pack a far bigger punch than the Cutter can provide. Efficiency wise, 400 credits for 2 spears (2 kills) is absurd, especially once you get the Vintage suit's discount. Once the Ripper becomes available, replace the Cutter with it. The Ripper turns the Pack into a joke and also tears through normal necros with extreme efficiency. Even with no upgrades whatsoever, you can kill a black slasher with a single blade. The alt-fire will also form a nice backup capability to your javelin. Finally the contact beam is there for nothing other than the alt-fire, which you should upgrade along with the Special upgrade (Stasis effect on alt fire) asap. This will kill and/or stasis everything in a large radius around you and unlike other weapons the animation cannot be interrupted by enemy attacks. It will save your ass many times especially on some of the more difficult close quarters fights. Learn to use all three of these weapons proficiently. I carried 50-70 Javelin ammo with it as my main weapon, 10-15 Ripper ammo as a close range weapon and situational backup, and ~10 contact ammo as a panic button capability.
  
  Upgrades: First upgrade for hardcore *must* be the first two RIG HP nodes. I don't see how any other choice is justified. You immediately add +50% to your health, using only 3 nodes, on a mode where you must not die. After that, focus on maxing out Javelin DMG. After that, finish maxing out the other RIG HP nodes. After that, upgrade your Stasis and Javelin as you see fit. Once you get the Contact Beam, max out the ALT path and the Special. You won't need to upgrade the reload or capacity nodes until the endgame when you will have plenty of nodes anyway.
  
  Major fights by chapter.
  
  Chapter 1
  This should be cake. You know the drill, scrounge for every pickup, use Stasis/TK to save ammo, etc.
  
  Chapter 2
  Hanging from the train: The first real test. The main way to die is letting an exploder get too close. Keep the cutter in horizontal and the instant necros appear take off their legs and an arm, this should kill them. Always kill exploders the instant you detect them. Do not forget stasis when you are being swarmed. Remember that TK spears/blades might not kill a necro outright but will knock him on his ass to buy you a few precious seconds. At the end when the train is about to fall, stay calm and fire one javelin into the weakspot, and you are home free.
  
  Sidenote: I don't remember if this is the chapter, but in the first hallway where you meet exploders (With the commercial repeating "TST") it is VERY easy to die if you are inattentive. One exploder loves to come out of the wall vent in the middle of the hallway and sneak up while you are distracted by those spawning at the end of the hallway. Constantly watch your surroundings. If you turn around and he is right there, Stasis him immediately and pray it gets him before he detonates.
  
  Chapter 3
  Not much happening here, should be easy.
  
  Chapter 4
  Winding staircase leading down to the church library: Lots of necros here. Best to run down, trigger them, then run back up and gun them down as they rush you. This is a great place to save ammo by impaling one to a wall with javelins, TK'ing his arm blades to kill his friends, repeat.
  
  First stalker encounter: Stand next to the door, nail them with the javelin as they come. You should have the Javelin DMG fully upgraded by now; if not it may take 2 shots to kill them.
  
  Chapter 5
  Dragging scene in the chapel: Stay calm and one javelin to his weak spot will end it. Immediately run back to the little hallway you entered the chapel from. All the Pack will funnel in through the tiny doorway making it easy to slaughter them. Be wary that one slasher spawns with them, he likes to wait near the doorway and catch you unawares as you exit. If you don't have full health his "grab" QTE can kill you outright.
  
  Chapter 6
  Huge fight against Pregnants/leapers, ground floor of the apartment complex: I used my first save immediately before ths fight. For the pregnants, Stasis then Ripper alt-fire to take off the legs and an arm, this usually kills them. If you mess up and they pop, shoot a javelin at the ground next to them and electrify it. This should kill all the critters. Your main threat is the leapers. Whenever you get a clear shot to stasis one, do it then kill him ASAP. Do not get cornered as they will easily leap over your fire and thrash the hell out of you. Try to catch them on the ground (e.g. coming around a corner where they can't leap) then Stasis and open fire. Ripper up close annihilates them, tear off their arms and head and they're done.
  
  Hallway leading to the school: Watch out for the pukers that spawn from behind you as you approach the door.
  
  Gym fight: Can be tricky if you panic. Stand up on the stage with the ripper and all the Pack will run right into it. Use ripper alt-fire or the Javelin to kill the exploding babies from range. Again remember your stasis and the area-effect of the javelin alt-fire if you mess up. Last but not least, stomp the corpses on the gym floor before the fight, or an infector will turn them into slashers. If the bodies are stomped, the infector will attack you instead. Make sure you take him out or he will run up and cause that hugely irritating QTE that lasts 15 freaking seconds where you have to tear it off your face.
  
  Brute at the transit station: Immediately stasis him. 3-5 javelins to his weak spot will take off an arm. Repeat until he dies. If the javelins are bouncing off the armor you are missing the spot. Do NOT let him get close.
  
  Guardian: For all guardians, stasis then cut the tentacles using ripper alt fire. Or simply shoot a javelin and electrify it, 1 or 2 uses of this will kill him. Never walk up as he has an automatic-kill attack even if stasis'd.
  
  Chapter 7
  Tripod elevator ride to the solar array: Bring extra health in case. Stand exactly in the middle of the elevator and do not move, only rotate the camera to aim. One javelin to the weak spot will kill each tripod. Just keep spinning, aiming, and firing. Heal immediately if you get hit.
  
  Cysts: Starting in this chapter they become more common. Don't get sloppy and run right into one. Be patient, it is easy to forget where they are.
  
  Room before the mainframe/AI section: This is the room with the decompression windows and trip mines. Stay in the previous hallway and shoot out the left window from there. Wait for it to seal itself then you can enter without fear of a cheap death. The main threat is the exploding babies that come from two sides.
  
  Ending fight at the CEC door: Bring lots of health. I stood right at the door. You will fight Pack, pukers, leapers, and slashers coming from your 12 and 3. Kill pukers and any other non-Pack necros you spot from long range with the javelin as soon as they appear. Use the ripper to tear through Pack and any slashers that get up close. If you get overwhelmed, pull out the contact beam and alt-fire immediately to kill everything around you. Again, do not forget your stasis. Necros will try to gang rape you at the door which means 1 or 2 Stasis shots should freeze all of them and buy you a few seconds. The key to this fight is killing enemies before they get close.
  
  Chapter 8
  Zero-G with the Nest: I sniped him from range with the javelin. One shot to each sack should burst it. If you have the Javelin Special upgrade with the explosive effect, just shoot the main body and detonate. Be careful he doesn't hit you and knock you back into a flame ring.
  
  Chapter 9
  Stalker encounter: Same as before. Tease them out then javelin. The main worry is the exploders. Stay away from the vents and exploit the Stasis canisters on the ground to freeze them immediately when you spot them. A useful tactic with them also is to quickly shoot a Stasis at the ground next to them when they poke their heads out right before attacking you. Proceed to headshot them with the javelin for an easy kill.
  
  Tripod nest: Six gas cans will blow up the bottom tank. Once you take the elevator down, TK the first two cans to you and toss them. Tripod #1 shows up. Stasis and one javelin to his arm weak spot will take that arm off (I freaking love that gun). This slows him down, now simply run in a circle until the gas cans respawn. Stasis him, toss them, repeat.
  
  Chapter 10
  Long dark engineering corridor: Use TK on the pile of crates from a distance to make the brute come out early. Same as before, stasis and javelin his weak spot. Same for the 2nd brute. When the regular necros start spawning, quickly run all the way back to the entrance then pick them all off as they run towards you. This should be a very easy encounter.
  
  Two-way hallway leading to the centrifuge: This is the hallway with a node-box at the left side end, and the centrifuge objective at the right side end. Lots of enemies here. Poke your head in from the entrance and snipe bitches with the javelin until you can't tease them out anymore. Your call whether to go for the node. Either way, watch your back constantly en route to the objective as they love spawning from behind.
  
  Decontamination room: Pack will appear first from both ends of the room, massacre them with the ripper. There will be a very short lull then black slashers and black pukers arrive. You should have the Contact Beam alt-fire and special upgrade all upgraded now. Stand in the middle next to the table, use it and watch them all disintegrate.
  
  Cryo storage room: Black slashers and exploders. Again the exploders are priority #1. Be ready as they attack again after you do the hack panel. Remember that you don't need to aim for the exploder's sack, a javelin shot to the body will not only kill him but send him flying away from you.
  
  Captain's nest: Some of the stalkers here may be black, so they may need two javelin shots. Stasis stalkers here to be safe.
  
  Chapter 11
  Dark downslope area with stalkers: Same tactics as before. Watch out for the exploding babies that spawn from behind when you approach the bottom.
  
  Elevator ride: Slashers and black slashers will drop 2 at a time. Stand in the middle of the elevator and Contact Beam alt fire once they drop. Watch the body parts fly. Take around 15 contact ammo just to be safe.
  
  Chapter 12
  Tip: Once she starts warming up the drill, run over to the box where you got the fresh battery. Pack will appear and run towards you but are either retarded and get killed by the drill, or trickle towards you 1 or 2 at a time. You can kill them by throwing random objects/body parts at them or just use the ripper. You can pile up a decent amount of cash and ammo by exploiting this (They spawn for a good while) and it is extremely easy.
  
  Drill ride: Bring extra health. Stand right in front of the driver booth where she is. Most necros will climb up next to you, a few on the other side. I used contact alt-fire for those next to me and Javelin for the far side ones. The dangerous part is having them climb up when you are already taking fire from the lurkers. Hold down sprint and just juke around randomly to avoid their fire. You can try to throw gas tanks or shoot them but there are so many that standing still to kill one gets you nailed by 3 or 4 others, not worth it.
  
  Chapter 13
  Government sector door: Do NOT try to hold them off next to the hack panel. This is a massive wave of necros with pukers, lurkers, slashers, exploders and leapers, many of the black variety. Best to snipe them from the hallway you enter from to trigger them to attack you, then methodically blast your way through all of them. There are two separate waves and they will be pissed. Watch for exploders as usual. Keep in mind you can kill the first wave, then leave and backtrack to the store before coming back. The second wave will spawn when you enter again.
  
  Lab with the spinning lasers: Don't.mess.up. This section is not hard at all combat-wise. Remember you will not be able to outrun the lasers if you are slowed down from having low health.
  
  Red-light rooms: Don't bother fighting all the way through. Sprint for the exits, stasis anyone who bursts out, trigger the door and walk backwards through it to ensure nobody runs up on you. They won't follow you through. Repeat.
  
  Black brute: He will trigger once you approach the hack panel. Same MO as usual except he has more health, therefore I used contact beam primary fire. The stasis canister on the ground should keep him under long enough to get in 3-4 shots on the weak spot, this should easily kill him.
  
  Chapter 14
  Eye poke: Don't mess up. Save beforehand if you frequently make mistakes here. Keep in mind the computer readout lets you know how close you are. The needle goes in at "0.0".
  
  Regenerator: Stand at the hack panel and wait for him to appear. When he does, stasis, blast him apart (Contact primary or Javelin secondary), start the hack. By the time you finish he is probably healed and coming at you. Take him apart and stasis again.
  
  For the remainder of the level simply run through as before, you should know the layout. Ignore any items/enemies unless directly in your way. In the room where you need the door to scan the corpse, just TK the body and toss it at the door. The regenerator will come in, run up and Contact alt-fire to blow off his limbs and stasis him, proceed through the door and keep running.
  
  Endgame
  Stock up on health and contact energy. You don't need much ripper or javelin ammo anymore so sell them if you need $ although you shouldn't.
  
  At the very beginning as you come outside kill the black leapers and make sure to snipe the black puker far off on the elevated walkway. He loves to use the slow-down vomit on you right as the regenerator makes his entrance. However he won't spawn until you advance to the intersection.
  
  Same as before, run through and use contact alt-fire when needed. Heal whenever you get hit no matter how minor.
  
  The final boss is absolute cake with the contact beam. Two primary shots to Nicole and one shot to the Market heart. Repeat 3 times and done.
  
  I hope this helps anybody who has an obsessive need to beat this mode.

  Showing most recent comments. View all comments.

  I think it would help the guide greatly to mention the first encounter with the Tripod at the end of chapter 1. It is a little rough to fight on hardcore when you are still vastly under powered. I had to go elsewhere to find mention of this with a strategy for beating him (it had been awhile since I finished my zealot playthrough). Also, there are a few things of note in chapter 3 but nothing too hairy: there is a breakable/pressurized glass that could be a cheap death if not ready in advance and the section at the end of this chapter where you are in the wide open (courtyard area?) with the huge marker contains some surprise exploders that can kill you pretty quick if you don't exercise caution. I died here on my first attempt. Other than that, thanks for the walkthrough. Thumbs up.

  Posted by Kirkless on 13 Jun 12 at 20:26

  Just a note about chapter 2. The hallway with the TST message is just before the train station entrance and then it's the Train Ride. Hope this helps you put the two paragraphs in the correct order. P.s. Excellent guide, +1 vote from me.

  Posted by DigitALxBullets on 16 Nov 14 at 20:18

  Amazing guide and thank you for recommending the javelin Gun, i came back to the game after leaving it for 18 months at the third segment(beginning of ch9) and finished it. I highly recommend upgrading the javelin Alt-fire i found it very useful especially after maxing it(the special upgrade is impoetant) .You can almost kill any enemy with normal+ Alt-fire = 2 rounds which ia very cheap you can buy 2 rounds with 360 credit using the Vintage Suit shop discount.

  Posted by mo0ohammed19988 on 13 Nov 20 at 10:35
• rotorschnee403,801

  14 May 2011
  48 9 3

  There is a thread at xbox360A DS2 forums were people list the three save instances they used. I thought it would be fun to take all the responses and see where the majority lies. So here is a re-post of my calculations in that thread:
  
  --- begin quote from different site --
  
  So, what I am going to do it take the responses to this thread (as best as I can, I may make a mistake or accidentally miss a response), aggregate them together, crunch the numbers and figure, and find what save instances have the biggest population.
  
  I count 75 suggestions so far. I'll first calculate the chapters used the most, and then break that down further. I didn't round up, took whole numbers only. Again, responses are from this thread only, and no other threads or sites.
  
  If someone wants to expand on it with standard deviations, and bell curves and what not, please do!
  
  Game Breakdown
  
  Save 01
  
  Chapter 01: x 01 (01%)
  Chapter 02: x 01 (01%)
  Chapter 03: x 03 (04%)
  Chapter 04: x 07 (09%)
  Chapter 05: x 38 (50%)
  Chapter 06: x 04 (05%)
  Chapter 07: x 07 (09%)
  Chapter 08: x 03 (04%)
  Chapter 09: x 05 (06%)
  Chapter 10: x 02 (02%)
  Chapter 11: x 03 (04%)
  Chapter 12: x 01 (01%)
  
  So first save should be somewhere in Chapter 5 based on general consensus (and a rather large margin I might add).
  
  Save 02
  
  Chapter 07: x 03 (04%)
  Chapter 08: x 09 (12%)
  Chapter 09: x 22 (29%)
  Chapter 10: x 16 (21%)
  Chapter 11: x 13 (17%)
  Chapter 12: x 02 (02%)
  Chapter 13: x 10 (13%)
  
  The major seems to be for Chapter 9, with the second majority wanting to stick it out to chapter 10. I'll note them both.
  
  Save 03
  
  Chapter 10: x 01 (01%)
  Chapter 11: x 05 (06%)
  Chapter 12: x 11 (14%)
  Chapter 13: x 43 (57%)
  Chapter 14: x 06 (08%)
  Chapter 15: x 09 (12%)
  
  The overwhelming majority is the final save should be in chapter 13.
  
  Chapter Breakdown
  
  Note, i am going by individual descriptions and trying to infer as best as I can. If some of the responses or synonymous, that's my bad since I don't know the game 100% of when something happens. Also, some responses
  
  Chapter 5
  
  I had 34 worthwhile responses.
  
  Before Diana Dies: x 11
  Beginning: x 07
  After to Cryo Rooms: x 06
  Before the Cryo Rooms: x 04
  Before the Tormentor: x04
  Before Being Dragged into the chapel: x 01
  Before final cutscene: x 01
  
  Biggest repose is before the girl who is playing you like a fiddle, dies. Of note, the chick who voice acts Diana is bloody gorgeous.
  
  Chapter 09
  
  Start of Chapter: x 11
  Before the Stalkers/Tripod Nest: x 08
  After Ellie and Stross in the Tram: x 02
  Before the Processing Plant: x 01
  
  Most seemed to prefer the start of the chapter, but quite a few waited until the stalker/tripod area. Many responses seemed to convey killing the stalkers, backtracking, saving, and then going to the tripods.
  
  Chapter 13
  
  Before the eye poke machine: x 18
  After the soldiers are overran: x 06
  Beginning: x 06
  After sending Ellie off: x 02
  Before facing the immortal necromorph: x 01
  
  I had a crappy time with the eye poke machine on casual!
  
  -- end quote --
  
  So there we go, just a sampling of a population, but I believe it bears merit to see so many responses crunched down to give a general idea where the majority of saves are going.
  
  Thanks!

  Showing all 3 comments.

  whoever got to chapter 12 for there first save is an insane god. lol

  Posted by LostMantella9 on 16 Dec 11 at 08:24

  Great calculations mate helped me plan out where to save cheers

  Posted on 03 Aug 12 at 12:16

  Lovely analysis, but would you kindly take out the plot spoiler for chapter 5?

  Posted by PrinceRules64 on 08 Oct 20 at 23:21
• RimonX136,544

  16 May 2022 Yesterday Yesterday
  0 0 0 New

  In order to get this achievement, you need to complete the Hardcore mode which unlocks after beating the game once
  
  This mode only allows to save 3 times during the whole playthrough
  
  This is the strategy I used:
  
  Start the game and continue as you would do, until you reach a room with some red balloons, from this point on follow this video:
  
  

  
  Take your time to get all the resources that you can.
  
  Once you feel that the amount is enough (120 nodes for me) go back to the room where you got your suit and SAVE the game, this would be SAVE 1
  
  After this make sure to upgrade your RIG, stasis and the following weapons:
  
  

  • Plasma cutter (Main and gimmicky gun)
  • Force gun (if you got the respective DLC) this will dispatch many groups of enemies quickly. If you don’t have any DLC make sure to pick its respective schematic at chapter 7
  • Pulse rifle (if you got the respective DLC) this will dispatch many groups of enemies. If you don’t have any DLC make sure to pick its respective schematic at chapter 3
  • Detonator (if you got the respective DLC) this will allow you to set traps that will kill annoying enemies like the stalker with no issue. If you don’t have any DLC make sure to pick its respective schematic at chapter 5

  Then continue with the game keeping in mind the following:
  
  General tips
  
  

  • Make sure to explore every corner of the levels
  • Go slow, take your time to find and kill enemies
  • Make sure to kill the Exploders once they appear, as their attack could mean an instant kill. You will be alerted when you start hearing laments and wails.
  • Make sure to kill the Crawlers once they appear, as their attack could mean an instant kill. You will be alerted when you start hearing baby sounds

  Chapter 2
  
  Once you enter the Train make sure to have enough Plasma Cutter rounds, since at the end of the level you will required to shoot fast a Brute, the plasma cutter is the best weapon for this.
  
  Chapter 4
  
  Make sure to keep Detonator ammo for your encounter on the round place with the Stalkers.
  
  Chapter 5
  
  Make sure to have enough Plasma Cutter rounds, since at the end of the level you will required to shoot fast The Tormentor, the plasma cutter is the best weapon for this.
  
  Chapter 6
  
  Make sure to keep Detonator ammo for you encounter with the Stalkers.
  Be careful with the Crawlers.
  Make sure to keep Detonator ammo for you encounter with the Brute at the end of the level.
  
  Chapter 7
  
  Make sure to have Force Gun or Pulse Riffle ammo for the elevator section with the Tripods.
  Even though is easier on this game, keep an eye on your air meter on the space section.
  Once you reach the final section where you need to sort trough rubble, use a YouTube video if you need further instruction with the section, alternatively you can follow these directions once you are lunched:
  
  

  • Right
  • Left
  • Left
  • Right down a little bit
  • Left, then through the rubble
  • Right, down though the green pipe on the rubble
  • Right
  • The middle of the building

  Chapter 8
  
  Take your time on the Zero G section, use stasis when required.
  
  Chapter 9
  
  Use your SAVE 2 at the beginning of this level.
  Once you reach the section where you need to put some gear on the machine be aware that when you grab the big disc a small Necromorph will appear, kill it quickly.
  Make sure to keep Detonator ammo for you encounter with the Stalkers.
  Kill the Cyst every time you see them, take a safe distance while doing it. Depending on the Cyst location, they could be killed but their own ammo simply by throwing them objects from the environment.
  When you reach the last section of the level (the round one), use statis to freeze the Tripod while you throw gas cans to the big round thing, since killing the tripod, will make another one to appear. Once you destroy it, run through the exit.
  
  Chapter 10
  
  Make sure to keep Detonator ammo when you reach the long hall, since 2 brutes will appear as well as many enemies from both directions.
  Make sure to keep Detonator ammo for you encounter with the Stalkers.
  Make sure to keep Force Gun ammo for the decontamination section.
  
  Chapter 11
  
  Change your suit to the Advanced Suit once you find the schematic.
  Even though is easier on this game, keep an eye on your air meter on the space section.
  Kill the Cyst every time you see them, take a safe distance while doing it. Depending on the Cyst location, they could be killed but their own ammo simply by throwing them objects from the environment.
  Make sure to have Force gun and pulse riffle ammo for the elevator section.
  Keep your hand at the controller on every Cut Scene as 2 QuickTime events will appear where you will ned to press repeatedly.
  
  Chapter 12
  
  Kill the Cyst every time you see them, take a safe distance while doing it. Depending on the Cyst location, they could be killed but their own ammo simply by throwing the objects from the environment.
  Once you reach the top of the vehicle keep yourself next to Ellie, and use the Force Gun to kill any close or distant enemy that might appear.
  
  Chapter 13
  
  Make sure to keep Detonator ammo for you encounter with the Stalkers.
  Once you reach the hallway with the Cyst, kill it and use SAVE 3.
  From now on be very careful with the laser section, kill enemies first and then run with enough distance from the lasers
  On the eye section, even tough the sounds will make you feel desperate, be calm, there is no time limit, only hit when the light is BLUE.
  
  Chapter 14
  
  Force gun and stasis on everything.
  Do not let enemies accumulate, use all the necessary ammo
  Make sure to cripple the The Ubermorph every time he is next to you.
  Take your time on the Zero G section, use stasis when required.
  
  Chapter 15
  Force gun and stasis on everything.
  Make sure to keep Force Gun and Plasma Cutter ammo for the final encounter.
  Use the force gun with the shadow packs and the plasma cutter with Nicole and the Marker’s heart.
  Once the heart start regenerating, DO NOT MOVE until Nicole appears, since this might trigger an instant kill.
  
  Now for final section you need to move through debris, these are the directions you should take:
  
  Right
  Left
  Right
  Left a bit down
  Final quick time event (A repeatedly )
  
  And after the credits finishes the Achievement will finally Pop!

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