Mission 04: Mountain Route 01

Make your way up the little canyon in front of you, killing or avoiding the Akrid in your way. A giant moth will periodically fly by overhead, dropping bombs at you. They're difficult to avoid, so try to bulk up on T-Eng as best you can.

This room is going to be a tough test for you.

When you find a hole in the ground beyond the first Data Post, throw a few grenades down before descending yourself. (You should nab the rocket launcher buried in the snow across the way before heading down.) The large room below is overrun with Akrid generators and the Akrid themselves. You don't particularly need to engage them, so if you don't want to do so, simply run into the hallway nearby and move along.

The fight against the Snow Pirates that follows is a difficult one: they'll have two VS's in the room, along with numerous rifle-wielding soldiers that will chip off a good amount of your health each time they hit you. If you picked up the rocket launcher earlier, you can use it on the first VS while remaining safely in the corridor leading up to the room while picking off any nearby soldiers with your machinegun. If you don't have a rocket launcher, you can attempt to grapple up atop the crane in the center of the room to nab one, or just use your grenades on them. When the room has been somewhat cleared out, activate the Data Post and nab any T-Eng on the floor before moving on.

The Cliffs

When you see the giant moth again, you'll be out on the cliffs. Drop down to the platform below you and shoot at the snow pirates on the ridge off to the right. When most of them are dead, drop down to the moving platform below you and start riding it up the ramp. The path will be destroyed as it moves, so you'll need to grapple up to the snowy ridge where the snow pirates were and proceed from there.

The next interior area will feature a GTB-22 VS for your using pleasure. It can either double-jump with the A button, or perform a super-high jump with the Y button. The double-jump will be all you need to get to the top of the shaft that you're in, and will give you more control to boot. Jump your way up and out of the shaft to find yourself back in the snow, near a Data Post. Jump out and activate the Post if you need more T-Eng, then dig out the other VS buried in the snow here. It's the same as the one you've been using, but it has a missile launcher and a fresh supply of gatling ammo. Don't bother bringing a laser gun to the boss fight here; go with a gatling gun and either a rocket or missile launcher.

Bee Akrid

The giant bee that attacks you atop the mountain is going to be the toughest challenge you've faced yet - it's fast, has powerful attacks, and is difficult to wound. Taking it down is going to be difficult.

Attacks

Video Walk-through

Again, you can fight either in a VS or on foot, but the VS will be much more capable of protecting yourself.
Watch It »

This Akrid has a number of attacks that it'll use to pummel you - almost too many. Most of them will come while the bee is up in the air and a good distance away. This includes an attack involving explosive spores that are launched at you, as well as a ramming attack that will come after the bee flies off far into the distance. Both of these can be avoided if you put yourself on the far side of the central pillar here and let the attack hit that instead of you. The ramming attack is especially devastating, being capable of taking off as much as a third or a half of a VS suit's health in one blow. Be sure not to let it hit you!

Other annoying attacks include lines of explosive rocks that the bee flings at you from its mouth - these are difficult to avoid in a VS, but slightly less so while you're on foot. Another powerful attack sees the bee sending up a flare that rains down explosives over a large area. It's difficult to avoid them, but if you're in a VS, you can attempt to jump just before they hit the ground to avoid the explosive ramifications.

Killing The Bee

As is obvious, the only weak spot on the bee is the large orange spot on its abdomen. You'll want to unload on it with your gatlings while you attempt to avoid its attacks to whittle down its health. The gatling will be the most reliable, if the slowest, method of taking down the bee, as it's almost impossible for the bee to avoid the damage. All the other VS weapons available for you here, including a laser gun, missile launcher, and rocket launcher, will deal more damage, but will be less likely to hit due to the movements of the bee.

Hmm...giant weak spot. Should you attack it?

If you're in a VS, then, just unload your gatling at the orange weak spot, and use your alternate weapon when the bee stops moving, such as after it launches a volley of rocks or bounces off the central pillar in a charge attack. It's still going to be difficult to hit, even when it's standing still, but a few rounds will put you on the path to victory.

Unfortunately, the VS suits here have a hard time avoiding the bee's attacks - it's a bit easier to avoid them on foot, since you'll be able to move around the central pillar a bit more quickly. If you wind up going through the health of all the VS's in the area (there should be three, including the one you start the encounter in), you can attempt to finish the bee off on foot. Your machinegun won't deal much damage to it, but if you grapple your way up to the top of the central pillar, you can grab one of the VS rocket launchers, then fall back down to the ground and use it from the cover of the pillar when your shot is available. You can go a couple of minutes at a time without having a clean shot, mostly because you're going to be spending a lot of time getting knocked down, but if you perservere, you can finish the animal off and move on. It's difficult, though!

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