JAGGED ALLIANCE 2
GUIDE
by Andy "ND" Chorosinski
ndchoros@yahoo.com
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The guide has its origins in my earlier project called "Jagged Alliance 2 NPCs
FAQ", which after some revisions was incorporated here as SECTION 6. My original
FAQ was based on Brian C. Robinson's "collective" JA2 FAQ - generally a
compilation of postings from the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic newsgroup. In
my FAQ I largely expanded and modified info found in Brian's, keeping some
quotes here and there. Some time afterwards I wrote sections devoted to the
remaining game topics. By putting it all together I gave this guide its present
shape. There is no version history, as I didn't keep track of the changes and
saved over the same file. Effectively the whole guide was rewritten about a
dozen times ;)
This guide is based on the experienced difficulty level, realistic style, normal
guns option, version 1.03 US. It has a lot of practical info for all kinds of
players, also veterans. I strove to be objective in most respects, but many of
the solutions given here are just one of the possible ways. As each player
develops his/her (?) own strategy and tactics, some other choices may work for
him/her better. And although this guide is rather comprehensive, it naturally
does not fully exhaust the topic. Refer to the LINKS section for more
information on JA2.
Practically all info in this guide comes from my own playing experience and own
copious analyses of particular strategic/tactical issues. A few hints were
suggested by various people on JA2 forums. From some other sources I took game
stats. See CREDITS for contributions.
Oh, all the trademarks are copyright of their rightful owners :)
CREDITS
Following is the list of sites and people that contributed to this guide:
Sir-Tech Canada www.sir-tech.com
The makers of this excellent game and the whole JA series (great job, guys!)
Brian C. Robinson bcr19374@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu
Usenet postings arranged by him provided the basis for the NPCs section
Mad Sci mad_sci@usa.net
I used his tables with stats of hirable personalities
Official JA2 Website www.jaggedalliance2.com
From here I got info on chances to hit
Cat's JA2 Weapon Library tdoq2hq.virtualave.net/guns
I used this homepage for weapon stats
and the people whose names I didn't take down (sorry folks!), who provided hints
at the JA2 forums:
Terravirtua JA2 Discussion Board www.terravirtua.com
TacticalPlanet JA2 Discussion Board forums.tacticalplanet.com
Bear's Pit Jagged Alliance Forum www.ja-galaxy-forum.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Well, I'm a student of English Language Studies at the Jagiellonian University
in Krakow, Poland. My major is translation. I'm also an avid fan of the JA
series and other turn-based tactical/RPG games, like the Fallout series (love
it!) or Incubation.
'nuff said. Enjoy the guide! :)
CONTENTS & page
Section 1: MERCS 4
HIRING 4
INSURANCE BROKERS 5
IMP 5
MERC 5
STATS, SKILLS & TRAITS 5
ASSEMBLING A PRO TEAM 6
MECHANICS 6
NEGOTIATORS / TRAINERS 8
EXPLOSIVES SPECIALISTS 10
HEAVY WEAPONS SPECIALISTS 11
DOCTORS 12
JACKS OF ALL TRADES 13
TOP SPECIALISTS 14
Section 2: RAISING STATS 15
METHODS OF RAISING STATS 15
HOW TO INCREASE SPECIFIC STATS 16
Section 3: ARMAMENT & COMBAT EQUIPMENT 17
BATTLEDRESS 17
CHANCES TO HIT 17
RECOMMENDED GUNS 19
GUN ATTACHMENTS 20
AMMUNITION 21
HEAVY WEAPONS 22
GRENADES 22
EXPLOSIVES 23
BLADED AND BLUNT WEAPONS 25
Section 4: WAYS TO GET EQUIPMENT & FUNDS 25
HOW TO GET EQUIPMENT 25
HOW TO GET FUNDS 27
WEIRD ITEMS 28
Section 5: MILITIA 29
LOYALTY 29
TRAINING 30
AUTORESOLVE VS. REGULAR BATTLES 30
Section 6: NPCs FAQ 31
OMERTA 31
DRASSEN 32
SAN MONA 35
CHITZENA 37
CAMBRIA 38
GRUMM 40
ESTONI 41
TIXA 42
ALMA 43
BALIME 44
ORTA 46
MEDUNA 47
RANDOM LOCATION NPCs 48
HIRABLE NPCs 51
Section 7: VEHICLES 53
Section 8: MISCELLANEOUS TACTICAL TIPS 54
Section 9: PROGRAM BUGS (ver. 1.03 US) 55
Section 10: LINKS 56
Section 1: MERCS
You start your mission by hiring some mercs from AIM. This earliest choice is
perhaps most important in the whole game, as these soldiers will be your
vanguard in Arulco. Your initial team will make a reconnaissance of the area,
get in touch with the rebel resistance (your allies) and earn their confidence
and cooperation. This team will also engage first enemies, the soldiers of
Arulcan army. Choosing the right guys (and gals :) for this job is essential.
Employing the appropriate people will greatly facilitate the accomplishment of
your assignment. Thus you'll finish the game faster and with less pain.
Literally ;)
HIRING
The amount of initial funds depends on the difficulty level. In any case you
should be able to start by hiring at least 3 decent, if not good, mercs for a
week. 3 is the minimum number, but don't overdo it. It is more sensible to hire
few skilled mercs than a horde of total rookies. A week's deal is good for
practical reasons. You won't do much in just a day and the mercs will not want
to prolong their contracts then. Although in the beginning you cannot afford a
competent team for a longer time, you should select 2 weeks' contracts as soon
as you gather some funds (see: SECTION 4 - HOW TO GET FUNDS) This is the most
economical choice - in this way you pay the least for a day of merc's service.
Moreover, if anyone on your team gains in experience level (which means their
wages increase), they will not demand a raise until their contract expires.
Therefore they will work for you longer at a lower cost.
Most AIM mercs apart from their regular wages require a medical deposit. This
money is to cover treatment of a merc who gets dismissed while in need of
medical attention. If this happens, any remaining amount will be subsequently
returned to you. If the merc is sent away in full health, you will be refunded
the whole sum. This deposit is mostly determined by the merc's experience level:
the more experienced s/he is, the greater sum is required. By extending mercs'
contracts you can avoid paying an increasing deposit; then you do it only at
first hire.
Whether the mercs will or will not be inclined to extend their contracts is
based mostly on how they perceive your effectiveness. Among the negative factors
affecting your performance are merc fatalities and injuries, high turnover rate
(how frequently you hire/fire personnel), lost/deserted battles and any
locations reclaimed by Deidranna. Mercs' morale is raised by winning battles,
liberating towns and completing quests (see: SECTION 6) Mercs' disposition
(friendly, aggressive, etc.) and personal likes/dislikes will also affect their
judgment. Sometimes you will be able to keep a quitting merc by offering them
higher wages. In such case a 50% increase should do, which is roughly what they
demand after gaining another experience level. Some mercs may leave without
giving you the chance to extend their contract. This will happen if you are
doing badly or if you hire somebody they don't like. Sometimes you might be able
to rehire such mercs later.
At times you may be unable to hire certain AIM mercs. They can refuse because
your leadership skills are questionable, because there is somebody they do not
like on your team or because they are busy on another assignment. In the last
case you can leave a message and they will contact you each time they return.
But occasionally you may get a notification of such merc's death while on duty.
These accidents are random. If this merc was the one you intended to hire,
reload a previous game and hope that now another (or no one) will die ;) As far
as I know 3 mercs are killed in this way.
INSURANCE BROKERS
Optionally you can insure your hired mercs (AIM only) at Malleus, Incus & Stapes
Insurance Brokers. The insurance works like this: if a member of your team gets
killed before their contract expires, you will get back your money for the
remaining period. The premium and the possible refund depend on several factors,
read it all on their homepage. If you are a cautious player (and you certainly
don't want your mercs to die) you won't ever need insurance. IMO it is only a
waste of cash.
INSTITUTE OF MERCENARY PROFILING (IMP)
Try not to spend whole funds on AIM. The IMP site which lets you create a custom
merc is definitely worth checking out. I think this is one of the best features
of the game. Not only is it a highly entertaining process, but it also gives the
play a personal touch. The custom merc's stats can be fully adjusted to meet
your needs, but this always means a trade-off. You can't simply create a
superhero ;) Skills, traits and personality of the created merc, as well as
his/her equipment, will depend on the decisions made throughout the
questionnaire. Apart from the IMP charge, your custom merc will work for free!
You can only create one merc at IMP, but it's still well worth the price.
Different answers and stats generate different mercs. Save before you enter IMP
and experiment.
MORE ECONOMIC RECRUITING CENTER (MERC)
On the second day you will receive e-mail from Speck, a cowardly merc from
previous JA games (though hopeless in the field, he made a cheap, skillful home
mechanic) On AIM homepage you will find that Speck has quit this organization to
establish a rival enterprise - MERC. Personnel offered by Speck is mostly very
cheap, but rather useless. Still, you may find some of them helpful (see:
chapters on specialists) These characters can be only hired on a daily basis,
but you don't have to pay up front. Speck will remind you of your debit after
some time. At the beginning your choice is just 6 "mercs" from the total of 10.
To be able to hire the rest you have to employ some of the initial ones and keep
paying for their services. Without this Speck will complain about funds
insufficient to recruit new personnel.
STATS, SKILLS & TRAITS
All mercs' stats and skills are explained by in-game help ("H" in laptop)
Generally, the higher the stat is, the more effective the merc will be in
exercising this particular ability. But mercs have both strengths and weaknesses.
Some of them are better at certain jobs, other sport great vitality or posses a
special aptitude (see below) Use this knowledge to your profit. While there are
few top-notch soldiers who surpass other mercs in various fields (see: JACKS OF
ALL TRADES), they are usually extremely expensive. You won't be able to afford
their services for long or early on. A low physical stat (<70) indicates the
merc's deficiency in that province, which will become a difficulty during the
assignment. A low skill rating (<35) means that the merc will be unable to
perform in that field adequately.
There are a number of aspects that need to be considered when hiring personnel.
The merc's marksmanship (MRK) is probably the most significant of them - this
will be their main advantage when dealing with enemies. Agility (AGI) is next in
importance, as it greatly affects field performance. Next come these skills:
mechanical (MEC), leadership (LDR) and explosives (EXP), each complemented by
wisdom (WIS) which facilitates also learning (see: SECTION 2) Finally - these
special abilities (traits): lockpicking, teaching and heavy weapons (HW) The
above qualities are most substantial; other attributes can be considered of
lesser weight. Dexterity (DEX) is important in many actions, but it can be quite
quickly raised. The experience level (LVL) appears most vital (experienced mercs
will obviously fare better), but it chiefly determines the merc's wages. Thus
the most experienced mercs are also the most expensive ones. The price is
naturally the key factor limiting your hiring capability, especially until you
secure a stable income (see: SECTION 4 - HOW TO GET FUNDS)
Traits enhance the merc's chance to succeed in specific activities. Expert level
trait (E) provides twice the bonus. A description of the traits can be found at
the Official JA2 Website; those relevant to specific activities will be
indicated below. Most traits are implicitly stated in the merc's resume - you
can check them after hiring your team ("Personnel" in laptop) Save before you
hire to avoid surprises. Still, mercs' personal quirks and likes/dislikes will
become apparent only during the assignment...
ASSEMBLING A PRO TEAM
The main task of your team is to efficiently "deal" with the enemy. You will be
mostly using firearms for this purpose, so make sure to hire several marksmen
(MRK>80 at least) Choose agile mercs (AGI>75), among other assets they will be
able to do more things in turn-based combat (especially fire more shots) These
soldiers will constitute the core of your squad. At the beginning 3 snipers
should be enough to take over a hostile sector, but later you will need at least
twice as much firepower. You also have to employ specialists in diverse fields
with high: MEC (plus lockpicking), LDR (plus teaching), EXP and possibly with HW.
They will be needed at some point in your mission; having no merc skilled in
these fields will usually mean your team's failure. The most efficient procedure
to set up a proficient and versatile team is to hire agile marksmen with skill(s)
in one or more fields (see suggestions in chapters on specialists) You can
neglect MRK if the merc is a top specialist in his field and you want to use
them only in this province. Or to have an errand boy/girl or a mule when s/he
comes really cheap (or free) Note that due to their low MRK they will be
practically useless in combat. In any case, you will need at least 4 specialists:
a proficient mechanic, a skilled negotiator / trainer, an explosives pro and a
medic (*not* a doctor) An HW specialist will also be a valuable addition.
While putting together the perfect team you may witness some disagreement among
your mercs. This animosity (and also fondness) originates in the fact that
nearly all characters have preferences concerning their teammates. Mercs may
refuse to join when there is somebody on your team that they do not like.
Conversely, when you hire a merc hated by somebody already on your roster, the
hater's morale will constantly drop, resulting in poorer field performance. Such
person will also not want to extend his/her contract - unless you hire somebody
they like. Some preferences can be inferred from mercs' bios. For more info on
this subject check one of the recommended sites, see: SECTION 10.
MECHANICS
The mechanic is the most important specialist. Contracting a skilled one at the
very beginning is crucial to the well-being of your mission. Mech's tasks are
manifold. The main duty of this person will be to repair (FIX) equipment which
deteriorates with use (especially guns) You will also find or buy various items
worth fixing. An efficient repairperson must have MEC>50 and high DEX. When
hiring, DEX may be neglected for reasons already mentioned. Mech will PICK locks
on doors and lockers/chests with goodies. S/he will also disarm non-explosive
traps and merge items. Apart from high MEC and DEX, lockpicking (and sometimes
electronics) gives your mech a greater chance to succeed in these activities.
WIS may be another factor (has anyone found the equation to tell the likelihood
of picking a lock?) The mech's overall proficiency increases with LVL. Any task
involving explosives is better handled by an explosives specialist (see
appropriate chapter) Later on you should hire another good mech, as you are
likely to operate several independent squads. Mechs should always carry 100%
tool and locksmith kits. In some towns you can also find NPCs who will repair
your equipment for a price (see: SECTION 6)
Top-10 mechs (descending by overall mechanical expertise):
Since there is no value for PICK, I took account of all contributing factors to
establish a general rating. FIX/PICK gains indicated in brackets are achieved by
training DEX. Higher values and better ratings mean greater proficiency.
M - MERC N - hirable NPC (see: SECTION 6) otherwise -
AIM
Trevor pros: FIX 17, best PICK
cons: expensive
extra: MRK 81, best explosives
Magic pros: FIX 18, top PICK
cons: most expensive
extra: MRK 94, best vitality (physical), LVL 5
Strongly recommended (in possible order of hiring):
Steroid (good when DEX raised, cheap - slow)
Dimitri (good when DEX raised, free)
Gasket (very cheap - can't shoot)
Nails (good mech, top explosives - slow)
Trevor (best mech-explosives - expensive)
NOTES: In any squad there should be at least 1 good mech.
For other possible choices see: JACKS OF ALL TRADES and TOP
SPECIALISTS.
Check also recommendations in other fields.
NEGOTIATORS / TRAINERS
This specialist is perhaps even more important than the mech. In like manner,
hiring a pro before you start your assignment is imperative. Such merc will be
chiefly responsible for interaction with NPCs (see: SECTION 6) For this purpose
high charisma (LDR>50) is obligatory. Another task of pros in this field will be
to TRAIN militia in newly annexed towns (see: SECTION 5), which ability is
additionally influenced by WIS. LVL affects this province as well. Mercs with
the teaching trait get a bonus to their training competence (see also: SECTION 2)
Specialists with high TRAIN score will create town defense faster.
Top-10 negotiators / trainers (descending by TRAIN value):
Strongly recommended (in suggested order of hiring):
Raider (best)
Ira (free, medic - can't shoot)
Buns (cheap, medic)
Stephen (top trainer-explosives)
Miguel (best, free)
NOTE: Hire a top negotiator (to deal with NPCs) and then successively
other trainers. 4 trainers will train militia fast.
EXPLOSIVES SPECIALISTS
Impenetrable door is blocking your way? You stumbled upon a booby trap? Call on
the explosives man. This guy may seem not as important as other specialists, but
on many occasions his presence will be indispensable. Apart from creating and
planting explosives, he will detect and disarm traps (always save before
attempting this!) and land mines. The key qualification is EXP>50, other
relevant stats are high WIS and DEX. The ability to detect traps increases with
LVL. This specialist should carry live (armed) explosives, small door charges
and the metal detector.
Trevor pros: EXP 88, WIS 97
cons: expensive
extra: MRK 81, best mech
Barry pros: EXP 92, WIS 91
cons: MRK 70
extra: cheap, (average mech)
Red pros: EXP 99, WIS 79
cons: AGI 66, MRK 78
extra: good trainer, cheap
Gus pros: EXP 76, WIS 94
cons: most expensive, AGI 65
extra: MRK 97, top mech-trainer-doc, HW(E), LVL 8
Fidel pros: EXP 97, WIS 71
cons: ;)
extra: MRK 85
Devin (N) pros: EXP 96, WIS 72
cons: AGI 61, MRK 67
extra: cheap; see also: SECTION 4 - HOW TO GET EQUIPMENT;
SECTION 6
Stephen pros: EXP 66, WIS 94
cons: none
extra: MRK 82, top trainer, LVL 5
Larry (M) pros: EXP 92, WIS 70
cons: MRK 70, drunk
extra: good doc, cheap
Scully pros: EXP 66, WIS 93
cons: most expensive
extra: MRK 92, top mech, good trainer, (average doc), best
vitality, LVL 5
Nails pros: EXP 78, WIS 79
cons: AGI 60
extra: MRK 84, good mech
Conrad (N) pros: EXP 68, WIS 88
cons: most expensive
extra: MRK 95, top trainer, (average doc), LVL 5
Gumpy (M) pros: EXP 57, WIS 94
cons: MRK 44, AGI 45
extra: very cheap
Ivan pros: EXP 55, WIS 83
cons: expensive
extra: MRK 92, best vitality, HW
Len pros: EXP 47, WIS 83
cons: expensive
extra: MRK 83, top trainer, good mech, (average doc), LVL 7
Reaper pros: EXP 47, WIS 81
cons: most expensive
extra: MRK 97, good trainer, (average mech), ON-ROOF bonus to
hit, LVL 6
Strongly recommended:
Fidel (top explosives - if you can handle his temper ;)
Stephen (top explosives-trainer)
Red (cheap, good trainer - a bit slow)
Nails (top explosives, good mech - slow)
Trevor (best explosives-mech - expensive)
NOTE: To deal with explosives you generally need just 1 bomb dude.
HEAVY WEAPONS SPECIALISTS
This professional is skilled in big guns - grenade launchers, LAWs and mortars
(see: SECTION 3 - HEAVY WEAPONS) While every merc can use these weapons, HW
specialists have a better chance of an accurate shot - in their hands these
babies become even more efficient (read "deadly" ;) Apart from the trait itself,
high MRK is important. Only few mercs boast HW proficiency (descending by
combined expertise in different fields):
Gus pros: MRK 97, HW(E)
cons: most expensive, AGI 65
extra: top explosives-mech-trainer-doc, LVL 8
Strongly recommended (in suggested order of hiring):
Meltdown
Grunty
Iggy
NOTE: Although all mercs can use heavy weapons (and it's even possible,
though hard, to complete the assignment without them), you will
soon appreciate having 1 or 2 HW specialists on your team.
DOCTORS
Doc's task is to bandage mercs injured during combat and to treat those severely
wounded afterwards - if they live that long ;) However, a cautious player who
keeps his mercs from receiving serious injuries will not need a doctor. Most
docs are hopeless when it comes to fighting, anyway. Thus one *medic* per combat
squad, with average doctoring skill (influenced by MED, DEX, WIS and LVL) will
suffice to patch up cuts and bruises. S/he will only use a little more medical
supplies. It is best to combine medical with another skill. See: TOP SPECIALISTS
for possible picks. Doctoring points in this table reflect the merc's ability to
heal injured teammates. This determines how fast the merc will restore health of
his patients when assigned as "doctor" (in strategic view)
JACKS OF ALL TRADES
Some guys are just more gifted (or trained) than others. Their drawback, however,
is that they tend to be extremely costly. Mercs listed here possess expertise in
multiple fields. Each of them deserves recommendation, but watch the price: it
may be too steep for contract extension. Remember also that mercs who gain LVL
demand higher wages! Who to employ depends to a large extent on your individual
strategy and on the kind of competence you require. Descending by combined
expertise in all fields:
Gus pros: top explosives-mech-trainer-doc, HW(E)
cons: most expensive, AGI 65
extra: MRK 97, LVL 8
Scully pros: top mech-explosives, good trainer, average doc
cons: most expensive
extra: MRK 92, best vitality, LVL 5
Len pros: top trainer, good mech, average explosives-doc
cons: expensive
extra: MRK 83, LVL 7
Conrad (N) pros: top trainer-explosives, average doc
cons: most expensive
extra: MRK 95, LVL 5
Reaper pros: good trainer, average explosives-mech
cons: most expensive
extra: MRK 97, ON-ROOF bonus, LVL 6
Wolf pros: good mech, average trainer-doc, mediocre explosives
cons: MRK 79
extra: top vitality
Cougar (M) pros: good mech, average explosives, mediocre doc
cons: expensive
extra: MRK 93, top vitality, LVL 5
Cliff pros: good (top) doc, average trainer, mediocre explosives
cons: AGI 60
extra: MRK 84
Iggy (N) pros: average mech, HW(E), mediocre doc
cons: expensive
extra: MRK 87, top vitality, LVL 5
NOTE: Compare TOP SPECIALISTS below.
TOP SPECIALISTS
These tables contain highest-ranking specialists in 4 crucial areas. Overall
rating in the field, based on all above-mentioned relevant factors, is given for
a quick reference.
TOP 10 MECHS
Trevor, Magic best
Static top
Gus top
Vicki top
Scully top
Gasket top
Nails good
Maddog good
Len, Wolf good
Cougar good
RUNNERS-UP
Dynamo average
Barry average
Reaper average
Ice average
Steroid average (good)
Iggy, Grunty average
Dimitri mediocre (good)
TOP 10 TRAINERS
Raider best
Len top
Conrad, Stephen top
Miguel top
Gus top
Buns, Scope good
Hitman good
Scully good
Vince good
Ira good
RUNNERS-UP
Thor good
Red good
Reaper good
Ice average
Wolf average
Carlos average
Shadow average
Cliff average
TOP 10 EXPLOSIVES
Trevor, Barry, Red best
Gus top
Fidel, Devin top
Stephen, Larry top
Scully top
Nails, Conrad top
Gumpy good
Ivan average
Len average
Reaper average
RUNNERS-UP
Cougar average
Lynx average
TOP 10 DOCTORS
Vince best (40)
Dr Q, Danny top (36)
Gus top (35)
Spider top (34)
Thor, MD good (30)
Cliff good (29) (top - 32)
Fox good (28)
Larry good (25)
Conrad average (22)
Buns, Blood average (20)
RUNNERS-UP
Wolf, Sidney average (19)
Scully average (18)
Len average (17)
Ira average (16)
Section 2: RAISING STATS
You've gathered your team. Deidranna, we're coming for you! Omerta is plain
sailing, unless you hired complete rookies (but you didn't, right?) On the way
to Drassen you meet first enemy patrol and... what the hell? Your mercs can't
shoot a barn while "ghost" attackers stuff them full of lead. When your squad is
half-dead (or half your squad is dead) you furiously hit "ALT+L"... Damn!
At the beginning combat might seem very difficult. Your squad will be outgunned
and outnumbered. And, as the mission progresses, things will only get worse. How
can your team rival the Arulcan army? Sensible battlefield tactics are your
great advantage. But there are more of them. You can increase your mercs'
abilities by training. This is especially important at the outset, when you
can't hire many skilled mercs and they lack good weapons. It also lets you save
cash on those really expensive types. Instead of paying thru the nose for their
services you'll be wiser to employ cheap but promising mercs and to develop
their potential by training.
METHODS OF RAISING STATS
Stats can be increased in a number of ways, some of which verge on cheating. In
order to get the most from the increase, it is advised to train the whole squad
early on. Now listen to words of wisdom. This stat has greatest impact on the
rate of improvement (which stat? wisdom! it's a pun ;) Mercs with high WIS learn
faster, which means they will improve their abilities more rapidly.
Training thru experience
This is the ordinary way. During the mission stats go up when you make a
frequent use of them. E.g. MRK increases by firing a lot, especially with
successful aimed head or out-of-range shots; EXP rises when you mess around with
explosives (and don't get yourself blown up ;), etc. With much action daily
gains of even 3-4 points in some stats are possible.
Individual practice
Done by assigning a merc to "practice" a specific ability (strategic view) Quite
effective with low stats, which can be thus raised to mid-level. However, gains
are slow (we're talking about days here) and training higher stats takes forever.
Coaching
As the name implies, this method requires participation of 2 mercs. Assign the
merc whom you want to exercise as "student" and a skilled merc as "trainer"
(strategic view) The point is to have a merc with a high stat train his/her
teammate's low stat in the same field. Coaching is faster than individual
practice, especially when training higher stats. Mercs with the teaching trait
get a bonus when instructing his/her companions.
With coaching and practice stats can be raised to a maximum level of 85.
"Active" training
Considered cheating by die-hard players, this is the fastest way to raise stats
(in terms of game time) Remarkable gains can be achieved within (game) hours.
This is in fact accelerated training thru experience. "Active" training takes
place in real-time and requires you to put the merc thru his paces to exercise
the particular stat. I found that the best time for such workout is when other
mercs train militia (see: SECTION 5) and you have nothing else to do. With this
kind of training you can quite easily raise stats to about 90. Training over
this level requires much patience, but is still a lot faster than any other
technique. Many of the ways given below are in fact "active" training.
HOW TO INCREASE SPECIFIC STATS
Health
To exercise HEA, travel (on foot) carrying heavy equipment (weight over 100%)
This can be also done in real-time: put a great load on your merc and have
him/her run around. When s/he falls, wait until his/her energy ("breath")
regenerates and... move it soldier!
Agility
AGI is raised by getting interrupts, crawling with stealth on during combat and
dodging bloodcats' blows.
Dexterity
To raise DEX really quick, find some throwing knives and crows (after some time
they appear on rotting bodies) This shouldn't be a problem in towns ;) Use crows
as targets. Blades are not consumed and new hungry birds always appear, so pick
the knives up and repeat until satisfied with the result. If you throw a knife
at a crow which is taking off, you lose the blade (wow, it's spinning!) DEX goes
up also by punching enemies, animals or vehicles and repairing stuff.
Strength
STR can be raised by punching, opening crates and carrying heavy stuff (same way
as HEA)
Leadership
Training militia increases this stat notably, especially when you put a skilled
trainer with a less experienced one in the same sector (see: SECTION 5)
Wisdom
This stat is the one most difficult to raise. During normal gameplay it hardly
ever changes. Still, wisdom can be trained by attaching a detonator to
explosives, setting it and then disarming. Of course, there is a great chance
you will detonate yourself in the process. Therefore this task should not be
attempted by mercs with low EXP, and even with high EXP it's best to save
frequently. Fortunately, EXP can be easily increased.
Marksmanship
The fastest way to raise this crucial stat is to throw knives at crows,
gradually increasing the distance. I strongly suggest this for all marksmen. You
also gain DEX in this way.
Mechanical
MEC is increased, as could be expected, by repairing stuff, picking locks, and
merging items.
Explosives
To raise explosives like fire lay and disarm a mine over and over again. If the
merc's EXP is too low to disarm it, use your explosives specialist and continue
as before. And did I mention "save"?
Medical
Quite plainly, medical skill is raised by performing first aid and by doctoring
injured mercs.
Experience level
This collective stat goes up as the merc develops his/her abilities. The number
of kills, as well as completed quests (see: SECTION 6) influence the experience
level. LVL rises also when the merc gains in his stats! :)
Section 3: ARMAMENT & COMBAT EQUIPMENT
To take over Arulco, besides specialists (see: appropriate chapters in SECTION 1)
you need a crackerjack fire squad - adept snipers with high MRK, AGI and LVL.
Appropriate personnel is, however, just one part of the job. To come into their
own they need proper equipment. You really don't wanna fight Deidranna's army
bare-fisted (and bare-assed ;)
BATTLEDRESS
The importance of body protection needs not be explained. Outfit your team
(particularly snipers, who will see most combat) in the best you can get.
Spectra armor treated with compound-18 offers superior protection against enemy
bullets and to a certain degree grenades. Don't use c-18 on anything other than
spectra, it's too rare to be wasted. Apply it first to vests, then to pants and
finally to helmets - in this way you will gain most extra shielding. Ceramic
tiles (sometimes found in farmhouses) when put into the vest provide even more
protection. With all these improvements your armor can even exceed 100%!
(possibly a bug?) All your snipers must wear sun goggles which raise their sight
range during the day (see: CHANCES TO HIT), and the extended ear to hear the
approaching enemies. They also need to carry gas masks against chemical attacks.
Put these on when necessary. And although it's better not to engage the enemy
after dusk, some sharpshooters may be additionally equipped with night vision
goggles which improve sight range in the dark - just in case. All marksmen (and
particularly those with lower AGI) should carry at least one canteen, an
indispensable fast energy refreshment. Camouflage helps in the open, especially
when crawling in stealth mode (the stealthy trait gives another bonus, see:
SECTION 8)
CHANCES TO HIT (adapted in part from the Official JA2 Website)
A sniper's outfit would not be complete without a firearm. Give your hitmen some
iron and now they are ready to take on the Arulcan army. Shooting unfriendlies
seems basic - how much does it take to fire a gun? Yet, in (game) reality this
action is complex. Your chances to actually hit the enemy with a firearm are
conditioned by multiple factors. The first one is the distance between you and
your target. Obviously, the lesser this length is, the greater the chance of a
successful shot. This factor, also referred to as the sight range, is
additionally modified by the time of the day. By night and underground your
sight range is significantly decreased in comparison with daytime. Mercs with
the night-ops trait have the edge in such circumstances and night vision goggles
help, too. Another determinant is the enemy's posture. You are most likely to
hit him when he is standing. You are less likely to do so when he is crouched,
and even less when he is prone. Your chance depends also on which part of the
body you are pointing your gun at - torso (good), legs (lesser), or head (least)
Besides, the more APs are spent on aiming, the higher the chance of getting a
hit (this action produces much better results with the sniper scope; see: GUN
ATTACHMENTS) Shooting at the same enemy multiple times uses less APs with each
shot and also gives a bonus to hit. But being shot (even without health loss)
decreases accuracy, and wounds received (whether untreated or bandaged) give a
penalty, too. Whether you fire a single shot or a burst also makes a difference:
autofire is penalized and moreover each round in a burst has an increasingly
lesser chance to hit the target. These penalties are reduced by the auto weapons
trait. Following aspects, the merc's MRK and LVL, have already been dealt with
(higher stats mean better accuracy) I believe that the merc's posture while
taking a shot further affects their chances to hit, which should be greatest
when shooting prone, then crouching, and then standing. Finally we come to the
firearms proper. Here 3 factors come into play: the gun's range, condition and
attachments. A long-range firearm enables sniping at the enemy. Besides, long
range increases the likelihood of hitting him, with a bonus also at short
distances. But if the gun is out of range, this chance is halved. As the
weapon's condition drops, it becomes less accurate, and more prone to jamming.
Just what you need in the heat of the battle... not! A jammed gun can become
operational after repeated attempts to fire it (if you get lucky) or after
repairing it. Gun attachments (see appropriate chapter) add to shooting
precision. One last thing - firing a single or two guns (in both hands) at once.
Unless the merc has the ambidextrous trait, using 2 pistols or SMGs (only they
can be fired together) reduces his accuracy considerably.
With all factors taken into account, the accuracy (chance to hit) of any shot
can never be greater than 99% Much like in real life. This means you *might*
miss the enemy standing right next to you! ;)
Of course, a merc who cannot see the enemy won't be able to hit him, except by a
blind chance ;) A small red number in the merc's portrait represents the amount
of enemy soldiers within his/her sight range. When you're not sure, check their
positions by clicking on this number (or press "E") several times. This will
cycle thru enemies visible to that merc. But beware: the fact that you can't see
an enemy does not mean that *he* cannot see you. An enemy soldier may spot your
merc before s/he (the merc) realizes it. In such case the enemy will open fire
and you can only take cover and/or retreat. To learn how to avoid being spotted,
see: SECTION 8. Keep in mind that mercs will initially refuse to take a shot if
they don't have a clear line of sight. Moreover, sometimes the enemy could have
such a good cover that it will be only possible to target his head. In some
circumstances this cover can deflect or even block your bullets. In such case
you will not get a hit regardless of other factors.
Many of the above considerations are in effect also when you become a target.
E.g.: you are most difficult to get hit by the enemy when you're lying prone.
The actual damage inflicted on the enemy (or you) is likewise modified by a
number of factors. Among them are the armor type, weapon type and damage, ammo
caliber and type (see: AMMUNITION), distance, APs spent on aiming (max aiming
resulting in "critical hits" usually does greatest damage), which body part was
shot, whether the hit was direct or ricochetted and so on. Check out also the
Official JA2 Website for more detailed info and sample calculations of to-hit
chances.
NOTE: There is a user-made JA2 utility which calculates the chance to hit
of every shot (see: SECTION 10)
RECOMMENDED GUNS
NOTE: This chapter deals only with the weapons available via the "Normal
guns" setting.
The choice of a weapon depends largely on the tactics you employ. Some players
prefer sneaking with close-range fights; others go in with their guns on full
auto. I personally favor long-range precision shooting. This enables me to take
out the enemies from a significant distance before they approach my squad. At
the same time the foes themselves are too far to take accurate shots - if they
ever get a chance to shoot ;) The gun I need must meet three conditions, in
order of importance: long range, fast operation and high damage. On these
grounds I rule out shotguns (short range, slow) and sniper rifles (excellent
range and damage, but awfully slow) But few other guns fulfil the above criteria
and are thus worth serious attention (ascending by overall value):
Glock 17
Your initial weapon. It's the best pistol: quite fast with 15-round magazine and
easy to repair. On the downside, its short range and low damage make it
effective only at close quarters. But what else can you expect from a pistol?
MP5K
This SMG has a longer range. Fast operation and big magazine make shooting
easier. And you can burst at short distances. The MP5K is a very common gun.
Several can be already found around Drassen.
Mini-14
Once you use it, you will see the difference. This single-shot rifle can be
fitted with a scope plus sight (see: GUN ATTACHMENTS), making it first sniper's
weapon. It uses the popular 5.56mm round to deliver high damage. It's also quite
fast and has a better range.
G41
This should become your standard weapon. A good all around gun. Comparable to
the Mini-14, with even longer range and auto capability.
M14
One of the guns to use until the end of the assignment. With 7.62mm caliber it
dishes out the greatest damage of all rifles. Quite fast firing with range
slightly longer than the G41. Ammo is scarce, though.
C-7
Many people regard it as No.1 gun. No doubt it makes the best use of the 5.56mm
round. And it's Canadian ;) Superior range and fast operation make this
versatile assault rifle the preferred weapon.
FN-FAL
There is no better firearm. The FN-FAL offers the finest in long-range precision
shooting, along with very fast operation. You will only get a couple of these
and 7.62mm clips are hard to come by.
Some people believe that the rocket rifle beats all other weapons. In my opinion
its slow operation and small magazine downplay the exceptional range and damage.
Worst of all, it doesn't accept any attachments (see appropriate chapter) This
excludes accuracy at long ranges and the built-in laser doesn't help much. The
RR is also extremely hard to repair and the mini-rockets are in short supply. If
you decide to give it a try, keep in mind that the RR can be used exclusively by
its owner, i.e. the first merc to use it. Some RRs may have an ID lock on them,
which can be broken only by the fix-it man in Grumm (see: SECTION 6 - Fredo)
In addition to regular guns you may come across some unique weapons. They can be
sometimes found in random locations (e.g. P90, CAWS) or taken from certain
enemies (G11, auto rocket rifle) - see: SECTION 4. You can also obtain some by
completing quests (Automag); see: SECTION 6 - John and Mary. Of these weapons I
find the G11 useful: it becomes a gun of choice after modifications (see: GUN
ATTACHMENTS) To my knowledge only one such rifle can be recovered (see: SECTION
6 - Mike) The G11 uses very rare ammo that pierces armor with ease (see:
AMMUNITION) It is also very hard to repair.
GUN ATTACHMENTS
These accessories can be fitted to guns to increase their firing capabilities. A
firearm will accept up to 4 different attachments. Some of them can only be used
with specific gun types (listed in brackets) and some cannot be used in
conjunction. Make sure to keep the attachments in a top condition, otherwise
they will make the weapon less accurate!
Sniper scope (some SMGs, shotguns, all rifles, LMGs)
A must for any gun. Equip your snipers with these ASAP. The scope decreases
penalty due to distance with every extra AP spent on aiming, thus allowing
accurate shots. A hell of a difference especially at long ranges, the sniper
scope makes penetration of the enemy's skull a "remote" possibility ;)
Laser sight (all guns)
Second most wanted supplement. Gives a flat bonus to hit for any/every shot
taken. Nicely enhances the sniper scope. Rocket rifles have a built-in laser
targeting system.
Bipod (all rifles, LMGs, CAWS)
Slightly increases the chance to hit when shooting prone. Since all shots ought
to be taken while prostrate, the bipod makes a valuable implement.
Silencer (pistols, some SMGs)
Muffles the gun it is attached to. This allows taking out the enemies one by one
without attracting unwanted attention. Possibly reduces the bullet's power (?)
Duckbill (shotguns)
Changes the pattern of buckshot fire from the regular circle to a horizontal
spread, thus providing wider coverage. Not much difference at a close range.
Barrel extender (all guns)
This non-removable attachment should be installed by a skilled mech only after
repairing it. The extender increases the gun's range by 10 when in perfect
condition. Created by combining a steel pipe with quick glue and duct tape.
Rod & spring AKA spring-bolt replacement (all guns)
Second permanent supplement, reduces the AP cost of single and burst shots by
1/6 (the difference is rounded down) Best results achieved with slow guns.
Created by joining an aluminium rod with a spring.
Talon (standard and assault rifles, LMGs)
Underslung grenade launcher. Requires 2 slots, as one slot must remain empty to
load a 40mm grenade. Operates very much like the M79 launcher (below), except
that it must be attached to a firearm. Apart from this fact, the Talon works
like a heavy weapon and as such it retains all their characteristics (not sure
about the bonus for HW, though) Unfortunately, this weapon is very inaccurate,
possibly due to a bug.
A word about weapon modification. Save the permanent attachments for best guns,
the ones you intend to keep till the grand finale. Don't trouble with other
weapons, unless you are really pressed for money. Budget solutions are the
Commando with an extender (comparable to the G41) and the Mini-14 or the G41
with an extender plus bolt (comparable to the C-7). The M14 with an extender and
bolt is a killer, on a par with the FN-FAL. The extender attached to the C-7 or
the FN-FAL gives them an incredibly long range, and the bolt makes them
*lightning* fast. A modified FN-FAL sometimes needs just 1AP/shot (unaimed)!
Also the G11 with an extender and bolt is a premium weapon.
Remember, however, that adding permanent supplements practically excludes the
use of the Talon which occupies 2 slots. In long-range shooting you definitely
need these slots for the scope and the sight. One way around is to use the M79
or hand grenades (see: HEAVY WEAPONS; GRENADES) Another is to carry the Talon
and to attach it only when necessary ;) Still, because of its large inaccuracy
the Talon seems unusable.
As stated earlier, the choice of armament is determined by tactics. The one that
works for me involves daytime attacks. My fire squad is 5 to 7 snipers with MRK
trained to 100 (see: SECTION 2) I equip them with the best guns available (from
the selection above) and later modified. All guns have the scope, the sight and
sometimes the bipod attached. In combat I almost always go for long-range head
shots with extra aiming. They inflict greatest damage, but occasionally a torso
shot does more harm. I use only the AP ammo (see: AMMUNITION) and always fire
prone from behind a cover to avoid being shot. Fast guns allow my mercs to shoot
at least 3 times per turn, with aiming. In many cases the enemy dies already
from the second bullet :)
AMMUNITION
Since ammo goes pretty fast, you should heap a nice stock of it. Each of your
snipers should carry at least one spare clip. Nothing is more infuriating than
running out of bullets in the middle of the fight. Remember to reload your guns
whenever the game enters real-time, especially during a battle. This saves APs
which you will need in turn-based mode. When picking up items collect ammo for
your guns first. Merge half-empty clips to save space.
The damage inflicted by ammo depends on its caliber and type. Guns recommended
above use 4 calibers and 3 types of ammunition. The 9mm pistol round (Glock 17)
is the weakest one. The 9mm SMG round (MP5K) is a bit better. These two are
compatible, i.e. pistol ammo can be used in SMGs and vice versa. The 5.56mm
round (Mini-14, G41, C-7) does average damage and the 7.62mm NATO round (M14,
FN-FAL) is the most powerful of all. The 4.7mm is a unique G11 round with power
comparable to the 5.56mm. Besides the caliber, ammo comes in 3 types: AP (armor
piercing, red), HP (hollow-point, blue) and standard. AP ammo can penetrate
armor, but it delivers less damage. HP ammo inflicts great damage on unarmored
targets, but can be stopped by basic body protection. Regular ammo is a trade-
off between the two, and the 4.7mm round is AP *par excellence* Since you can't
tell which enemies wear armor, it is best to always use the AP ammo.
You will only need the 9mm ammo in the beginning and there is enough of it
around. Better guns use the 5.56mm ammo which is also common - you will quickly
gather a load of it. However, 7.62mm clips are hard to get and even more are the
special 4.7mm magazines. The only advice is to buy them whenever they become
available. I have also noticed that enemy soldiers tend to drop ammo of the same
caliber as used by your squad. See also: SECTION 4.
HEAVY WEAPONS
These big guns cover wide area in a single discharge. They do not accept any
attachments. Because of the explosion they create and due to their limited
accuracy, they work best against clusters of enemies. Heavy weapons are slow to
operate, allowing only 1 shot per turn. They should be handled by HW specialists
(see: appropriate chapter in SECTION 1) who take more accurate shots with any
weapon of this type.
Talon
See: GUN ATTACHMENTS. For effects of damage refer to GRENADES.
M79
This 40mm grenade launcher is fired from the shoulder and has a longer range. As
with the Talon, the effects of damage depend on the type of grenade used (see:
GRENADES) Since the M79 has no problems with accuracy, the bug makes the Talon
rather useless.
LAW
Designed to destroy tanks, this anti-armor weapon is just as lethal against
infantry platoons. You don't wanna be standing at *either* end of it ;) Comes
loaded with one missile, after discharging becomes scrap. The LAW operates much
like a firearm, which means that the missile must hit something to explode. Keep
some of these babies for your final assault on Meduna (did someone say "tanks"?)
Mortar
Bow to the M224, Master of Destruction. This powerful weapon can easily smoke
multiple enemies in a single discharge, regardless of aiming. Like the LAW, it
provides broadest spread. It is excellent against both personnel and tanks. Use
the mortar wisely, shells are sparse. Bring it to Meduna to im-press the Queen's
Elite Guard ;)
GRENADES
Like the heavy weapons, grenades are most effective against groups of enemies.
Some grenades serve special purposes. They come in 2 sorts: hand grenades and
40mm shells. Hand grenades are intended to be thrown (what else did you think? :)
This makes your merc vulnerable to enemy attacks, since in order to throw a
grenade s/he has to stand up. Throwing range depends on the merc's strength (STR)
and throwing accuracy on their MRK and LVL. The throwing trait increases both.
Already described grenade launchers (M79/Talon) use the 40mm type and can be
fired when the merc is crouched or prone. Grenades seem to do more damage to
standing targets. Their varieties are as follows:
Mini (only hand)
Throwing range of this baby grenade is longer, but it lacks spread and damage.
It can be used to weaken low-rank soldiers and to finish off groups of severely
wounded enemies.
Regular (hand & 40mm)
Standard fragmentation grenade. Good spread and damage. Tough enemies often ask
for another. Ah well, some folks just can't get enough ;) Can be also used
against tanks.
Stun (hand & 40mm)
It doesn't do damage. But it takes the enemy's breath away - literally ;) The
stun grenade saps the energy (blue bar) of the victim, bringing their APs down
to zero. Nearby targets are also affected, though to a lesser degree. 2 or 3
stuns are usually enough to exclude an enemy (or you) from the ongoing skirmish.
The stunned person becomes a sitting duck: he can't move or shoot for few turns.
Wearing a gas mask does not help.
Smoke (hand & 40mm)
This grenade creates an expanding cloud of harmless smoke. The fumes drastically
restrict visibility, making it hard for the enemy to spot you. Useful in stealth
maneuvers. It also offers a good way to mount the attack by firing 1 or 2
smokers into a batch of foes. Nothing feels like shooting the blind pups as they
emerge from the haze ;) Alternatively, you could draw enemies towards your
position, drop a smoker right beside your tightly-formed squad and shrouded in
fumes wait for an interrupt when a groping enemy pops right in front of your
mercs!
Tear gas (hand & 40mm)
The tear gas grenade will have the enemy on the run. It works much like a stun:
a growing cloud of irritant drains the energy, causing the subject to pass out.
Useful for flushing out those annoying well-covered snipers or for clearing out
rooms. A gas mask prevents energy loss.
Mustard gas (only hand :(
Extremely harmful. Releases a dispersing toxic cloud that kills anyone engulfed
in it in a couple of turns. Gas masks offer protection for just a short time and
only when in perfect shape. If your merc finds himself in the fumes without it,
get him out in the same turn and rush a medic to save his life - and your money.
These type of grenade is very effective in enclosed areas, provided you are not
the one inside. Deidranna's elite soldiers are keen as mustard to taste some ;)
EXPLOSIVES
Not only grenades and heavy weapons make a blast. Explosives are capable of
causing even more damage. They are primarily used to blow up solid structures
(like walls/doors) and other objects restricting access to enclosed areas. They
can be also planted as booby traps intended for enemy units. Explosives are
particularly effective against tanks. Every now and then you will also discover
a locker/door trapped with explosives or with some other booby trap. If you
manage to disarm it, you will usually get your hands on some goodies. But keep
in mind that dealing with explosives is touch-and-go. Not everything may go as
planned. Generally all the job should be done by the explosives specialist (see:
appropriate chapter in SECTION 1) Even he can sometime meet a serious challenge.
Therefore it is strongly advised to save before any "explosive" encounter.
TNT
Good ol' trinitrotoluene. Average power and dispersion; best used straight.
C1
Powerful composite that generates a blast bigger than TNT. Better still as an
ingredient of C4.
RDX
These strange crystals will not go boom on their own; they need to be detonated
with grenades or combined with other explosives. RDX mixed with TNT or C1 yields
their stronger counterparts. Still, the process of blending the components can
prove a formidable task even for top explosives specialists.
HMX
This is what you get from joining TNT and RDX. Blasting power comparable to C1.
Not much use, since RDX produces better results with C1.
C4
The ultimate in explosives, obtained by blending C1 with RDX. C4 has greatest
blast radius and inflicts tremendous damage. Unfortunately, it is hard to create.
Detonator
No explosive material will go off unless you attach a detonator to it. The
ignition can be set for a period of 1 to 4 turns. Once you plant the bomb, allow
some time and APs for evacuation, unless you wanna kiss your bomb dude goodbye.
Remote detonator
Works like the regular one, but it allows precisely timed explosions. Requires a
remote trigger to operate. Great for ambushes. The remote detonator can work in
one of 4 different frequencies, but several explosions can be set on the same
frequency. This type of detonator is difficult to install; in addition to
proficiency in explosives, the electronics trait may be necessary.
Remote trigger
Once you've installed the remote detonator and planted the explosive, use this
radio transmitter to blow the device up. The trap(s) can be set off at any time
by choosing an appropriate frequency. One remote trigger suffices per squad and
should be carried by the explosives specialist.
Shaped charge
Every now and then a secured door will prohibit your entry. There are many ways
to deal with this obstacle, and some have been already mentioned (all methods
are listed in SECTION 9) Placing a shaped charge on the door is one possible
solution. A small explosion will destroy the lock, but not the door. It may be
necessary to force the door open afterwards.
Land mine
This booby trap is supposed to snuff a wandering enemy. But it turns out pretty
useless in combat. Chances of laying a mine near an enemy without being noticed
are minimal. Even when you succeed the soldiers will rarely fall into it, unless
you plant a lot of mines in close proximity (which requires carrying the whole
bundle) And still it will explode only when the enemy steps *precisely* on it.
Land mines can be used to create nice chain explosions, but on the whole usage
seems justified only in narrow passages, like doorways.
BLADED AND BLUNT WEAPONS
These weapons can be put to use when fighting at close quarters. In some
circumstances they may prove more effective than firearms. Blunt weapons will
quickly knock enemies out, which allows stealing their weapons (see: SECTION 4
- HOW TO GET EQUIPMENT) Blades penetrate any armor, causing great harm.
Different skills come into play when working with bladed/blunt weapons. Mercs
with the knifing trait are more likely to stab their victims with a combat knife
or a machete and are also better at parrying knife blows. Throwing knives ask
for the same abilities as hand grenades (see appropriate chapter) The damage
inflicted by knuckles and crowbar is proportional to merc's strength and is
additionally increased by the hand-to-hand trait (H2H, see: SECTION 6 - Darren)
However, using bladed/blunt weapons has its drawbacks. To employ them, you have
to get very near to the target, unnoticed. Unless you slay your victim promptly,
you risk serious injuries in his counter-attack. Since enemies usually appear in
groups, you could also be spotted by other soldiers and get under heavy fire.
Therefore bladed weapons are best suited to eliminate stray enemies,
particularly when backed up by sneaking (see: SECTION 8)
Combat knife
There's quite nothing like sinking a steel blade between the enemy's own
shoulder-blades. Three stabs will eliminate even the roughest and toughest of
them.
Machete
Slower than a combat knife, but deadlier. Sometimes just one swing will make
your opponent think of a better life. As with the combat knife, go for the neck
to inflict most severe injuries.
Throwing knife
In favorable conditions a single throwing knife can score an instant kill
(critical hit) Doubles as a toothpick ;) They are also invaluable aids in
raising some stats (see: SECTION 2)
Knuckles
Make your blows a little stronger. Two punches should put the foe "at ease"
Crowbar
Who said a crowbar is merely for opening stuck covers? (see: SECTION 8) If
knuckles seem not enough, take this bar to crack some ribs.
Section 4: WAYS TO GET EQUIPMENT & FUNDS
You know the deal. No weapons, no progress. No progress, no dough. No dough, no
weapons. And so on. Apart from Deidranna, equipment and money are the two things
you will be looking for in Arulco. And you will need both in large quantities.
Finding them fast gives your team a much better chance to survive in this harsh
country.
HOW TO GET EQUIPMENT
Once you know what to choose from, it would be nice to lay your hands on some
good arms (pun intended ;) Without them even the best mercs will be nothing but
cannon-fodder. Proper weapons and equipment are the key to victory. You can get
these items from various sources.
Hired personnel
When hiring AIM mercs, you have the option to buy their equipment. This purchase
is obviously necessary when you assemble your first team. With later hires you
will already have a stock of items to deal out. Other recruitable characters
(MERC, NPCs) also have some belongings, which become yours as soon as you hire
them. Generally, more expensive personalities posses better inventories,
although cheap ones can have something valuable on them, too.
You can make an easy start in Arulco in the following manner: hire a merc with a
good weapon for a day and when his/her contract is over, give the equipment to
someone else. This will give you the edge in initial battles.
Killed enemies
Deidranna's men will constitute your primary source of new stuff. Her soldiers
carry diverse combat equipment - why not "free" them from this burden? Some
enemies will leave their things when killed, but not all of them are that "kind".
So, how to get "more bucks for your bang"? There is yet another way to get the
enemy's gun. Just *steal* it from him *before* you waste the bastard! This is
hard, but worth the effort. You will need a stealthy agile merc. Sneak upon the
enemy and knock him out (H2H & martial arts welcome; see also: SECTION 8 for
tips on stealth) Two - three hits and the sap lies flat. Now use the "hand"
cursor (the "CTRL" key) on him to take his gun! This may not always work. In any
case finish him promptly or prepare for a nasty stab (ugh!)
Sometimes also militiamen drop items. This could happen if they die while
defending their sector (see also: SECTION 5 for tips on militia battles)
In like manner killed bounties will leave good guns and other equipment (see:
SECTION 6 - Bounties)
NPCs' dwellings
Equipment can be found in areas inhabited by Arulcans. This means not only towns,
but any sectors with buildings or other structures. Whenever you enter/take such
a sector remember to check every chest, locker, drawer, workbench and so on. In
some cases explosives or mechanical skill may be necessary to open them (see:
chapters on specialists in SECTION 1; SECTION 8) Items may be also found in the
mines (underground)
You may discover a couple of well-defended sites out of town. These are the army
stations. Such sectors will contain a lot of equipment. Their location is random,
but you will find at least two, one being not far from Meduna (N7)
Items found in some sectors reappear (may be a bug, see: SECTION 9)
Weapon dealers
In certain places you can buy equipment - but don't expect credit ;) One way to
do it is to place an order at the Web-based Bobby Ray's Gun Store. You need to
pay cash up front and ordering has some drawbacks. You have to wait for the
delivery and the cargo can be sent only to Drassen. From there you have to pick
it up yourself (see: SECTION 6 - Pablo) The cost of freight is high, especially
if you want it fast. Fortunately, in Arulco you will find some stores. Apart
from money, their owners may be interested in some of your items. You can trade
in, barter or sell them the things that you don't need. To let the merchants
refresh their cash and goods' supplies you have to leave their sector for a day.
Tony in San Mona, Keith in Cambria, Jake in Estoni and Franz in Balime will sell
and buy items. Sam and Howard in Balime and Devin (random) only sell things.
See also: SECTION 6 for info on specific traders.
Quests
Once in a while you may get some items from NPCs that are in need. If you do
them a favor, they will usually give you something in return for your trouble.
Be friendly and talk to all NPCs you encounter. See: SECTION 6 for details.
HOW TO GET FUNDS
As in real life - money is everything ;) Without it you can't hire personnel,
buy equipment or train militia. In brief, you can't go on with the assignment.
The funds received at the beginning will run out very quickly. Finding new
sources is imperative. How successful you are at it will determine further
development of your mission. Securing a stable income early on will put you
closer to victory. Here are the ways to make money in Arulco:
Mining
This is the primary source of dough - the most efficient and the most reliable
one. Mining provides steady positive cash flow which will constitute the greater
part of your income. That's why gaining control of the mines pronto is crucial.
Their location can be checked on the strategic map. To make them generate profit,
persuade the head miners to work for you. Remember to station a full garrison of
regular militia there (see: SECTION 5) Sometimes a mine may run out of ore.
Unluckily, there is no way to prevent it or to replenish its deposits :(
See also: SECTION 6 - Head miners.
Mines
Note that this is different from the *process* of mining. Mines themselves
present an additional source of capital. In their underground chambers you will
find silver and golden nuggets which serve exactly the same purpose as cash.
They can be deposited into your account by mercs who carry them. Collected
nuggets will reappear (not sure if this is a bug; see: SECTION 9)
Trading
You can sell some of your items to certain NPCs. Among them are the storeowners:
Tony in San Mona, Keith in Cambria, Jake in Estoni, Franz in Balime and Micky.
Some traders will pay more for specific items. Tony offers highest prices for
weapons, ammo and attachments, Keith pays more for any other equipment and Jake
gives best bargains on junk. All merchants have a limited amount of cash, which
is renewed on the next day.
See also: SECTION 6 for info on specific merchants.
Quests
Money can be also earned by taking part in some quests. Most profitable are
bounty hunting (see: SECTION 6 - Carmen & Bounties) and the Extreme Fighting
Competition (EFC) in San Mona (ibid. Darren) To get rewards for killing the
felons you must find Carmen and accept his offer, then deliver their heads to
him. Each noggin is worth $10K. With 6 terrorists this means $60K, but you could
get more money due to a bug (see: SECTION 9) Another way is to win the EFC.
Fighting takes place on alternate days. With $5K (max bet) placed on each fight
and a skilled merc you should be winning $15K every other night! A grand idea to
make big bucks this way is to hire a cheap merc skilled in H2H or martial arts,
airdrop him in San Mona (see: SECTION 6 - Skyrider & SECTION 7) and keep him
just for the fights. This merc must be able to get into the club. If he cannot
persuade Spike to let him in, use another merc with higher LDR. Remember to
leave the sector for 2 days after the fight, otherwise you won't be able to
compete again. However, there is a nasty bug that can screw this bonanza; see:
SECTION 9.
WEIRD ITEMS
Every once in a while you will stumble upon an object with no apparent purpose.
Seeing no use for it you leave it behind. But some of these items are quite
useful. Here's what you can do with them (info in some places incomplete, ideas
anyone?):
Silver/gold nuggets
See: Mines above
Marbles
Throw them on the ground and whoever steps on them will fall down. Very handy in
the Extreme Fighting Competition in San Mona ;) (see: Quests & SECTION 6 -
Darren)
Walkman, portable TV
Distract the merc who uses them. S/he can't hear approaching enemies (why the
hell would you wanna use it?)
Platinum watch
Sell it for some cash (?)
Deidranna/Arulco T-shirt
Put these on and enter an enemy-occupied sector. After some combat you should be
given a chance to surrender. When you agree you will be taken to prison in N7
and interrogated by Deidranna and her aides. If you survive you can escape from
the cell (" Elliot, you IDIOT!" ;) Find your stuff nearby, or at least some
weapon. With a bit of luck it is even possible to kill Deidranna here, in which
case the game will end. It seems that the interrogation takes place only if Tixa
and Alma were taken before. Save and check this out (then load and complete the
assignment properly!)
Rock
Position your mercs outside and throw a rock against closed doors or through a
window. Enemies soon come out and you should get an interrupt (other use?)
Steel pipe + quick glue + duct tape
Aluminium rod + spring
All of them used to make gun attachments, see appropriate chapter in SECTION 3.
Soda + string
Combine them to make a door alarm. Never tried it (?)
X-ray tube + fumble pack + chewing gum
Use a highly skilled mech with electronics to merge them into an X-ray unit.
Lameboy + copper wire
Do likewise to create an LCD display.
X-ray unit + LCD display
Join them to make an X-ray detector. This device works like a radar, when used
it displays positions of enemies not seen by your squad. It has a limited range
and requires batteries.
Batteries
Power the X-ray detector. Yes, they do run out and yes, they are non-
rechargeable ;)
Gas can
Fuel for the ice-cream truck and the Hummer (see: SECTION 7)
Video camera
Necessary for Madlab's robot to work. Give it to Madlab, who will install it and
offer you the robot afterwards (see: SECTION 6 - Madlab & Robot)
Glass jar
These are useful only in the SF mode (not covered by this guide)
Cigars, golf clubs, silver platter, rubber band, porno mag, 2nd porno tape
They seem to serve no purpose in the game. Jake buys and sells them as junk. May
be just artwork (?)
Section 5: MILITIA
So, you've liberated Drassen? Good work, Commander. Now other towns are waiting
for your intervention. People throughout the country still suffer under
Deidranna's regime. And your mission is to end her reign of terror. Your team
has to move on. However, it would be stupid to lose this bridgehead. You have
just secured a strategic location of Arulco (the airport and the mine) and the
Queen is not the kind of person to take such losses lightly - you sure can tell
that by her speeches ;) In fact Deidranna will soon try to recover Drassen. But
don't expect civilians to fight back on their own - they are merely intimidated
citizens. Stationing your mercs to guard towns makes sense, but you must get on
with the assignment. So other means of defense have to be found. What you need
is to convince the locals to join your cause. You need militia.
Militia will defend their town whenever it is attacked by Deidranna's army. She
will send her grunts to reclaim almost every lost location, so it is crucial to
keep garrisons in all areas under your control. Militia can be recruited in
towns and at SAM sites, but still in some places it is not possible (and don't
ask me why) The golden rule is to have defenders in *each* secured location.
This will save you much unwanted trouble, including the dread necessity of re-
taking the same town.
LOYALTY
The factor that makes militia training possible is the town's loyalty; with SAMs
it is irrelevant. If the loyalty is quite high (indicated by a green number on
the strategic map) the inhabitants in that town will cooperate, but if it falls
below 20% (not sure, the number turns red) they will refuse to be trained. But
even if this happens, any militia that you already have there will still follow
their orders. Loyalty is conditioned by a number of factors. The first one is
the number of controlled sectors of the town: if you secure the whole place, its
loyalty will rise. Conversely, when you lose control of town sectors, the
loyalty will drop. Training militia in towns also improves their loyalty, as do
completed quests assigned by their residents (see: SECTION 6) Won battles help
increase loyalty, while lost and abandoned battles work the opposite way. Beware
of killing innocent citizens, especially those mistaken for the bounties(see:
SECTION 6 - Eldin & Bounties) Doing so will drastically lower the town's loyalty.
It will also go down when there is no offensive action on your part for more
than a week; then you will get a message from Enrico urging you to move on. Note
that also the output of the associated mine is highly dependent on the level of
loyalty in its town. In simple words, higher loyalty equals higher income! (see
also: SECTION 4; SECTION 6 - Head miners)
TRAINING
Basically all mercs can teach militia, but why leave the job to rookies when it
can be handled by professionals? Skilled trainers (see appropriate chapter in
SECTION 1) will create the garrison much faster. Other mercs may not be able to
train enough militiamen before the army strikes back. This means you will have
to defend the town with one of your own squads - provided that it happens to be
there at the moment of the attack, which is very unlikely with SAM sites. In
other case the attacked location can fall to Deidranna again. That's not
precisely what you wanna see... To prevent such situation never leave the place
until you've trained the maximum amount of militia (that's when the message "You
can't train more militia in..." appears) Up to 20 militiamen can be stationed in
one sector. Always put at least 2 mercs in the same sector to train them. To
create the garrison fast, place other trainers in the adjacent sectors and have
them all train militia simultaneously. 4 skilled trainers should soon get the
job done. Remember to rest them fully before they start and put them to sleep
after they've trained a new group of militia - leave them on "train militia" and
after some rest they will resume automatically. In this way they will finish
their job in a shorter time.
The militiamen come in 3 ranks: novice (green in strategic view), regular (blue)
and veteran (dark blue) The greenhorns appear first. Further training turns them
into regular units. Veterans cannot be trained - militia attain this rank only
thru battle experience. Hence before you proceed to another site there should be
20 regular militia in each sector of the captured location. The enemy will
mostly go for strategic areas, like the mines and SAMs. Place your first militia
there: they can be moved within town borders using "view militia" and
right/left-clicking a sector on the strategic map. The garrison will stand their
ground when attacked, but sometimes even 20 regulars can lose a battle. On the
experienced level I've seen assaults of 20+ enemies, including a dozen elites -
especially on those critical sectors. Oddly enough, veteran militiamen usually
die first. I guess the enemies simply go for best guards :( This also has to do
with the militia's crap AI. When you do take part in a fight involving militia,
you will see how ridiculously they die.
AUTORESOLVE VS. REGULAR BATTLES
So, is it better to join your militia in combat or rather to resolve their
fights automatically? In battles consisting of militiamen only the latter way
causes fewer casualties on their part, especially with the "instant resolve"
(skip forward) button. However, the same is not true of your mercs. You should
*never* autoresolve battles in which they participate, as this often gets them
killed. Don't rely on that stupid CPU when you can do better. Remember, tactics
is your advantage! Another thing is that in battles resolved automatically both
enemies and militia tend to drop only few items and of little value. Battles
fought the regular way will usually provide much better spoils. See also:
SECTION 4.
Section 6: NPCs FAQ
Interaction with non-player characters (NPCs) constitutes a crucial part of your
mission. You will mostly meet them in the towns you conquer, but sometimes also
in other sectors. In the latter case you will be notified of their presence when
entering such location ("Squad x has noticed someone in Sector x") You have a
greater chance to find most NPCs by day, as many locales close for the night.
Contacts with NPCs generally call for a skilled negotiator (see appropriate
chapter in SECTION 1) Most Arulcans when talked to will utter only a brief
comment, sometimes disclosing important clues. The ones listed below are vital
to your goal. It may be even impossible to accomplish the assignment without
their help (see also: SECTION 4)
Whenever you encounter an NPC, let your negotiations expert step in. Be
"friendly" until they have nothing more to say. This conversation may have
various outcomes. Many NPCs will ask for your help (quests) and several may
agree to join your team (see: HIRABLE NPCs) NPCs will not talk until you
liberate their sector or the neighborhood. Approach them again when you've
gained control of the whole town (see also: SECTION 5 for info on loyalty)
Not all NPCs will be kind towards you. Sometimes it may be better to be "direct"
instead of "friendly" But be careful using "threaten", or better don't do it.
Many NPCs will ignore your threats, others will warn you to stop (or not) If you
don't, they will attack and their buddies will join in. Such encounter may put
your team six feet under before you get a chance to retaliate. Always remember
to save before talking to an NPC - in case you screw something up. And don't
kill innocent NPCs! (see: SECTION 5 - LOYALTY)
NOTE: Though this section covers all but few of the NPCs appearing in the
game, it does not describe *every single* one you may (or may
not) encounter on your way. Some insignificant NPCs have been
left out because they have no bearing on the play, or because
they are discussed together with other NPCs.
OMERTA
NON-HIRABLE NPCs
Fatima
HIRABLE NPCs (see appropriate chapter)
Ira, Dimitri, Carlos, Miguel
Fatima (and Pacos)
Q: Who is she?
A: One of the rebels. Either she or her son will be the first NPC encountered
by your team in Arulco.
Q: Where do I find her?
A: In the sector where you start your mission (A9) Talk to Pacos and follow
him into the demolished house.
Q: How do I deal with her?
A: Fatima will acquaint you with the rebels, but she needs a proof of your
meeting with Enrico (your employer) Give her the letter and accompany
Fatima to the adjacent sector. Inside the rebel hideout she will introduce
you to their leader Miguel. You will be able to recruit Ira then. This is the
only way to gain cooperation of the rebels.
See also: Father
DRASSEN
NON-HIRABLE NPCs
Pablo, Doreen, Father, Fred (head miner)
HIRABLE NPCs
Skyrider
RANDOM NPCs (see appropriate chapter)
Carmen, Devin, Micky
Pablo (and Sal)
Q: Who is he?
A: Pablo keeps watch over the shipments you receive from Bobby Ray's.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In the airport (D11)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Talk to Pablo and he will (unwillingly) agree to supervise your cargo.
When the shipment arrives (notification via e-mail) talk to Pablo again
and take the ordered stuff from the crate.
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on Bobby Ray's.
Q: How come the equipment I ordered is missing?
A: Does Pablo look honest? He may sometimes steal from your shipments. When
this happens, bribe him ($10 will do) or use "threaten" Or just test your
hook on him ;) He should then return your stuff along with some other
items (.38s, tool kits) If you already have some militia at the airport and
give Pablo cash, he should never steal in the future.
Q: When I attack Pablo, he just shouts "What is wrong with you!" Then he runs
off and gets killed by militia.
A: Unless one of your mercs says that something is missing while taking the
items from the crate, Pablo has not stolen anything (yet) In such case when
you attack him, the militia will most likely take him for an enemy and shoot
him down.
Q: Thieves must be eliminated. But can I still receive shipments when Pablo
is dead?
A: Is this the way to treat a trusty worker? Yeah, right ;) But fortunately a
new guy will arrive soon.
Q: So, who is this new cargo supervisor? Is he any different from Pablo?
A: His name is Sal. He will make you long for Pablo. Really. Sal is such a
nice boy; he won't steal from your cargo. Instead, he will lose *whole*
shipments. Say goodbye to those mortar shells or the FN-FAL, because they're
gone for good. Bribe him, threaten him, beat him or whatever, but this won't
change a thing.
Q: That does it! I killed the moron. Will there be another replacement?
A: Nope. Forget Bobby Ray's. Understand? F-o-r-g-e-t! Loyalty in Drassen will
also go down drastically. Moral: don't kill civilians (see also: SECTION 5
- LOYALTY)
Doreen
Q: Who is she?
A: She's the sweatshop manager exploiting child labor. Everyone in Drassen
hates her.
Q: Where do I find her?
A: In the small textile factory (C13)
Q: How do I deal with her?
A: Persuade her to leave ("friendly" or "threaten") or simply kill her for a
loyalty boost in Drassen. She may drop a key to the adjacent small room, where
you can find an MP5K (random)
Father
Q: Who is he?
A: A drunk priest. He will help you gain confidence of the rebels.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: Before noon he is usually in the bar in C13, after noon in the church (D13)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: The rebels in Omerta need supplies and Father can arrange them. Talk to
him and he will attend to the problem. Then go back to Omerta and see Miguel
again. The loyalty in Omerta and Drassen will go up and you will be able to
recruit Dimitri.
See also: Miguel
Head miners
Q: Who are they?
A: They are the supervisors of Arulco mines.
Q: Where do I find them?
A: The first you will meet is Fred in Drassen (D13) Others are Calvin in
Chitzena (B2), Carl in Cambria (H8), Oswald in Grumm (H3) and Matt in Alma
(I14)
Q: How do I deal with them?
A: The head miners control the extraction of Arulco's natural resources.
However, the mines will remain idle unless you gain cooperation of their
supervisors. First you need to liberate the bordering town and then talk to
the miner. Afterwards the mine becomes operational and the ore is
automatically converted into money on your account. The output of the mine
depends on its base income (modified by the difficulty level), town control (#
of sectors annexed) and the loyalty. The mines will be prime targets of
Deidranna's attacks, so don't leave them without proper guard (see:
SECTION 5)
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on mining.
Q: One of my mines is running out of ore! What can I do?
A: This may occur about two weeks after the start. A miner will pop up and
tell you about it. The income of such mine will be increased significantly
and then drop to zero during the next couple of days. I think only one mine
(if any) will be affected. This situation is random and may not even take
place, but once it happens nothing can be done.
Q: That miner in Alma says something about his missing brother. What's the
story?
A: Matt will tell you the location of Deidranna's hidden penal compound in
Tixa. He will also ask you to liberate his brother held prisoner there.
Freeing Dynamo will raise Alma's loyalty. You don't actually need to bring
him there, but you can keep Dynamo on your team.
See also: Dynamo
Q: One of my mines has been overrun by aliens!
A: You must be playing the SF version, which is not covered by this guide.
Refer to the LINKS section or check some other guide on the subject :)
Skyrider
Q: Who is he?
A: He's a helicopter pilot that will help you out.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: His location is random, but he is never far from Drassen. The NPCs here
will give you a clue (Skyrider is hiding in a house in the nearby swamps)
Q: That guy says I killed the pilot! What can I do now?
A: You killed the pilot that worked for Deidranna, not Skyrider. He is fine.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Once you've found Skyrider, he will ask you for an escort to Drassen. Take
him to the airport and there he will offer you his services.
Q: So, how can he help me?
A: With his helicopter Skyrider can deliver your mercs just about anywhere.
But air transport is not for free. Skyrider charges $100 for each safe
sector en route and $1K per unsafe one. A safe sector is one outside SAM's
targeting range (shown as green on the air map); an unsafe one lies within
the SAM's range (red) The chopper will take damage when entering such sector;
it can only endure 2 attacks per flight. Be careful - or you will lose the
aircraft, not to mention its pilot. The game will also crash due to a bug
(see: SECTION 9) This loss can put you at a disadvantage especially later in
the game.
After delivering your squad to its destination Skyrider has to fly back to
the airport to refuel. He doesn't charge for the return. Later on it will be
also possible to refuel the chopper in Estoni (see: Jake & Shank) But
remember: if you fly over an unsafe sector and take damage, the helicopter
will very likely get hit again on its way back.
Some time into the game Skyrider will mention on the air map the
coordinates of all SAM sites. Additionally, whenever Skyrider detects enemy
movement while flying over a sector, he should tell you so. Strangely
enough, he will refuse to land in such a location, while airdrops in "red"
sectors are not a problem.
See also: SECTION 7 for more info on vehicles.
RANDOM NPCs (see appropriate chapter)
Carmen, Devin, Micky, Bounties
Angel and Maria (with Madame, Billy and Kyle)
Q: Who are they?
A: Angel is the leather shop owner and brother of Maria. His sister was
captured by Kingpin to work in his, ehm, house ;)
Q: Where do I find them?
A: Meet Angel first and he will tell you where to look for Maria. He is in
his leather shop (C6)
Q: How do I deal with Angel?
A: He will try to palm off a jacket on you. Refuse his offer but continue the
conversation and he will ask you to rescue his sister. Liberate Maria and
bring her back to Angel. To express his gratitude he will give you the jacket
for free and also the deed to his shop. Take the deed and go to the Tattoo
Saloon (C5) Talk to the pansy there (Kyle) and give him the deed for $10K.
Q: A damsel in distress! Where is poor Maria?
A: In the Shady Lady brothel (C5) She is in the room at the end of the hall.
Q: How can I rescue her?
A: Still wondering why this dumb guard blocks the entrance? Ah yes - you need
to pay. Cash only, no credit ;) Talk to Madam and pay for the "service";
it's possible for $100. Billy will then step aside. You might also try the
back door but the alarm on it is extremely hard to disarm. Inside, in
watchman's room on the left (the one with the open door) there is a key and a
switch. Sneak into the room unnoticed, take the key and push the switch to
disable the alarm. Go into the room where Maria is, talk to her and offer
an escort. Then using the key get out thru the double back door. If you didn't
get the key, open the door from the outside with your mech. Watch out not to
set off the alarm or you will have the whole town on your back. You cannot be
seen slipping in or out of the watchman's room or together with Maria. Even
if you escape the guard or kill him right after he spots you, other grunts
will attack you. Leave the brothel unnoticed and go to Angel. Listen to
Maria's speech to learn whether you were successful in eluding her
"protectors"
Tony (with Hans and Brenda)
Q: Who is he?
A: An arms dealer. He offers prime wares, at least most of the time.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In the back room of the porn shop (C5)
Q: But I can't get there! How can I get the storekeeper to let me in?
A: You need to get rid of the pesky customer for him. Look around the sector
for an X-rated videotape (2 can be found) and give it to Brenda, the dyke in
the shop. When she's left talk to the storekeeper again and he will
introduce you to Tony. Then whenever you want something from Tony just be
"friendly" to Hans and he will let you in.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Tony sells weapons, their attachments and ammo and also buys them at the
highest price. Sometimes he has rare armament that cannot be gotten elsewhere.
Every few days he may leave for new merchandise.
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on traders.
Kingpin
Q: Who is he?
A: He's the infamous "mayor" of San Mona.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In his mansion in the lower part of D5, but you cannot just walk in. To
meet him you must either win 3 consecutive fights in the Extreme Fighting
Competition (EFC) at the club (see: Darren) or somehow open the back door
to his mansion.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: When you are introduced to Kingpin, he will offer you $20K for bringing an
ancient artifact called the Chalice of Chance. But you definitely should
return it to the people of Chitzena. Still, it is possible to complete
*both* quests. First take the Chalice from Balime and send a fully armed
squad to San Mona with it. Give the artifact to Kingpin, take the money, then
assume positions and... let's rock! Kill Kingpin and clear the whole town of
his goons. You will end up with lots of stuff. Pick up the Chalice from
Kingpin's cadaver and head for Chitzena to return it where it belongs. Of
course, now you won't be able to make money on the EFC (see: SECTION 4), so
think it all over before the attack.
See also: Yanni & Eldin.
You can also steal Kingpin's funds stashed in the abandoned mine ($30K)
The cash is buried underground in D5 (enter and exit via D4). However, in
such case he will send his thugs after you. They will pursue you throughout
Arulco and will get tougher with time. While this seems a good way to get
extra equipment, you won't be able to enter San Mona (and Tony's store)
without starting a fight. But there' s no problem in taking Kingpin's money
after killing him ;)
Q: Do I really have to fight the whole town to recover the Chalice?
A: There is another way, which seems to be a bug. Get into Kingpin's mansion
without starting a combat. Then drop a mustard gas grenade *next to* him, but
not right on him. Nobody should attack you and the gas will eventually kill
him off. Now you can take all his stuff without ever angering anyone. You can
also go into the mine and get his buried money. Remember to exit by the
mine entrance and not by the trapped ladder ;)
Darren
Q: Who is he?
A: He is Kingpin's honcho running the club in San Mona. He organizes the
Extreme Fighting Competition (EFC)
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In Kingpin's club (D5) after 8 PM.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: To enter the club you must get past that blockhead Spike. Any merc with
some LDR should be enough for this. Inside always save before talking to
Darren. He will challenge you to enter the Extreme Fighting Competition. If
you accept, you can place a bet of $1K-5K on each of your fights. In the case
you win, you take double the amount. If you lose... oh well. You can
withdraw after any fight. Remember that you cannot use any weapon in the
ring (with the lucky exception of knuckles :) or you will lose your bet.
Even worse, the spectators can turn on you and this almost spells death. Win 3
fights in a row and Kingpin will ask you for a favor (see: Kingpin) You can
participate in the Extreme Fighting Competition every second night.
See also: SECTION 4 for more info
Q: How do I win the Extreme Fighting Competition? My merc always gets beat up!
A: You will need a H2H or martial arts (MA) specialist here. These skills
give your merc a bonus to hit and dodge plus a damage bonus in bare-handed
combat (double bonuses for experts) Fidel, Grizzly, Thor, Malice, Bull
(expert!) and Bubba (MERC) are skilled in H2H; Blood, Dr Q and Numb (MERC) are
skilled in MA. Dusters - the only weapon "allowed" in the ring - provide
additional damage, but only to H2H specialists. However, mercs good at MA
can deliver a special windmill kick, which inflicts double damage on a
weakened enemy. Before you agree to fight, sleep your merc so that his energy
is at its peak. An agile and dexterous merc will be able to deliver more blows
during his turn. The key to win the fight is to strike first - try
entering the ring in different places.
You can also use an energy booster to increase your APs for a couple of
turns. The drug will then wear off and the merc's APs will fall below their
normal level, but the injection can help you win. Or simply use the marbles ;)
(see: SECTION 4 - WEIRD ITEMS)
To win you only need to knock the other contestant out and for good. Don't
kill them - this will only screw other fights, possibly due to a bug (see:
SECTION 9)
CHITZENA
NON-HIRABLE NPCs
Yanni, John and Mary, Calvin (head miner)
RANDOM NPCs (see appropriate chapter)
Bounties
Yanni
Q: Who is he?
A: A Chitzena elder who acts as a tour guide.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In the sacred ruins (A2), by the entrance.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: He will tell you the story of the Chalice of Chance, which was stolen from
the ruins by Deidranna. Yanni will ask you to return it to the people of
Chitzena. The Chalice is on exposition at the museum in Balime. Bring the
sacred artifact back to its rightful owners and see a major loyalty boost
throughout Arulco. In this way you will also be able to recruit militia in
Balime, otherwise the loyalty is too low for training (see: SECTION 5)
See also: Kingpin & Eldin
John and Mary
Q: Who are they?
A: Tourists lost in Arulco.
Q: Where do I find them?
A: Somewhere among the ruins (A2), generally before noon.
Q: How do I deal with them?
A: All they want is to leave Arulco - small wonder why ;) Escort them to the
airport in Drassen for $2K in cash. Air transport (see: Skyrider & SECTION 7)
is the fastest (though quite expensive) solution here, with at least 1 merc as
an escort. Some time later John will also send you 2 powerful pistols and
some ammo for them.
CAMBRIA
NON-HIRABLE NPCs
Martha and Joey, Keith, Perko, Steve, Carl (head miner), Daryl
HIRABLE NPCs (see appropriate chapter)
Vince
RANDOM NPCs (see appropriate chapter)
Carmen, Devin, Micky, Bounties
Martha and Joey
Q: Who is she?
A: Mother of Joey, an impudent teen.
Q: Where do I find her?
A: In her house in the western section of G8.
Q: How do I deal with her?
A: She will ask you to find her runaway son. Bring Joey back and the town's
loyalty should reach 100%. Now you can get free medical treatment in the
hospital and recruit one of the doctors there (see: Steve and Vince)
Q: The kid sure needs his ass flogged. Where do I find Joey?
A: In San Mona. Hans or the barkeep will tell you where. Joey is either
looking in the front window of the brothel or nosing around the abandoned
mine. Threaten him to come with you and escort to his mother promptly.
Keith
Q: Who is he?
A: A merchant dealing in various goods.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In his general store (G9)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: He sells chiefly secondhand equipment. His goods are cheap, though not
much useful. Keith will buy most items at best prices (except for weapons,
see: Tony, and junk, see: Jake) He will also ask for your help with the Hicks
(see: Daryl) When you're done with them, talk to Keith again. He will now
offer a better selection and Cambria's loyalty will rise.
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on traders.
Perko
Q: Who is he?
A: He is a handyman.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In his workshop (G9)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Perko can repair your damaged equipment for a price. However, he is quite
sloppy (can't you tell?) and may not fix your stuff on time. He won't take
electronics (for these see: Fredo) Perko does his job faster if you give him
the items shortly after midnight and also when you collect them one at a
time. Keep in mind that with beat-up equipment the cost of repair is usually
higher than their sell price. So pay only for fixing the items that you
really need and intend to keep. Sell all other things. Leave any minor/periodic
repairs (like guns) to your mech(s)
See also: Arnie
Steve and Vince
Q: Who are they?
A: Doctors at the only hospital in Arulco.
Q: Where are they?
A: Where else but in the hospital? (F8)
Q: How do I deal with them?
A: They can heal your wounded mercs for a fee. If you gain more loyalty in
Cambria, they will lower their price or even treat you for free. Vince can
be also recruited (see: HIRABLE NPCs)
Q: How can I get them to heal me? All they do is say the hospital is out of
supplies!
A: The doctors will help you only if you didn't open any crates with medical
equipment in the hospital storehouse. If you did, forget the treatment. They
won't do shit for you.
Daryl and the Hicks
Q: Who is he?
A: The leader (and father!) of a hick gang harassing Cambria.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: East of Cambria, inside the farmhouse (F10) Do not confuse him with his
son Darrel (standing by the door)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: First talk to the storeowner in Cambria, who will ask for your help (see:
Keith) It is impossible to resolve things with the Hicks in a peaceful
manner. The only way to settle the issue is to kill all of them (must be
the redneck temper ;) When a woman merc talks to Daryl, he proposes to her.
If you agree, you can take Hicks' weapons without bloodshed, using the key
in the hovel by the house. But in such case you will lose the gal! She will
leave the team to join other "girls" in the barn... I don't know whether
it is possible to rehire her after exterminating the Hicks.
Q: How do I execute the damned rednecks? There's too many of them!
A: This will be a tough battle - the Hicks have shotguns and Mini-14s. One
shot from a short distance can seriously injure your merc even if s/he is
wearing top armor. But 3 mercs with a good interrupt (high LVL) can do the
job. To avoid getting shot and under crossfire, put them in the small room
with no window, crouching and facing the door. Make a Hick enter this room or
have him stand in the doorway by exchanging places and attack the boor. All
your mercs must be inside. You can also shoot one of the Hicks and rush back
into the room, closing the door after you. Either way the Hicks will start
pouring into the room and you should be getting interrupts all of the time.
Fire with no extra aiming to conserve APs. With good fast guns you should be
able to kill any Hick with 2 (or even 1!) shots in the head.
You can hide in the weapon shed instead, having killed the guard there. Or
you can climb onto the roof and snipe 'em down. In any case - save!
RANDOM NPCs (see appropriate chapter)
Carmen, Devin, Micky, Bounties
Arnie
Q: Who is he?
A: He is a skilled handyman.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In his workshop (H1)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: He can repair your broken equipment for a price, except for electronics
(see: Fredo). And he does it really fast.
Q: How come he doesn't want to take my equipment?
A: Sticky fingers, huh? If you take any item from Arnie's workshop, including
the ones in the crates, he will refuse to repair anything. See: SECTION 8
about "owned" items.
Q: I could really use these mortar shells... Any way to get at them?
A: There is a way. Leave a merc in the workshop for the night and when
Arnie's not there...
Fredo
Q: Who is he?
A: This transvestite is the only handyman dealing with electronics.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In his workshop opposite Arnie's (H1)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: He will repair damaged electronics (night vision goggles, laser scopes,
etc.) Fredo is also the single man in Arulco capable of breaking the ID lock
on rocket rifles (see: SECTION 3 - RECOMMENDED GUNS)
Q: But he doesn't want to take my equipment!
A: See: Arnie.
ESTONI
NON-HIRABLE NPCs
Jake, Skipper
HIRABLE NPCs (see appropriate chapter)
Maddog
Jake
Q: Who is he?
A: A junk dealer. He will also arrange gas supply with Shank.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In front of or inside his house at the junk depot.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: He sells beat-up, but sometimes useful stuff, like the compound 18 and
ceramic plates. He pays best money for junk (discarded LAWs and other
useless items) Jake will tell you about the Tixa prison and ask you to find
his friend (see: Shank). Rescue Shank, bring him to Estoni and talk to Jake.
Now he will also have some gas cans in his stock and it will be possible to
refuel the chopper in Estoni (see: Skyrider & SECTION 7). Jake's son Maddog
can be recruited.
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on traders.
Skipper
Q: Who is he?
A: An old derelict who lives by collecting trash.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: Wandering around the junk pile.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Unbelievable as it seems, this bum can actually help your team. Offer him
any junk item and in return he will give you a keycard to Deidranna's secret
research facility in Orta (see: General & Walter). How he came by the card
is simply beyond me ;)
TIXA (J9)
not shown on the map until you talk to Jake in Estoni or Matt in Alma
NON-HIRABLE NPCs
Warden, Brewster
HIRABLE NPCs (see appropriate chapter)
Dynamo, Shank
Warden
Q: Who is she?
A: She is in charge of the prison here.
Q: Where do I find her?
A: In her office at the end of the right wing of the main building.
Q: How do I deal with her?
A: I don't think it is possible to talk to her, she attacks when she sees
your team. So just kill the bitch. When you clear the sector (including the
basement) you may find your captured mercs here. But of course no one on your
team was taken prisoner :) There are also 2 jailed NPCs here that can be
hired.
Brewster
Q: Who is he?
A: He is the unfortunate Warden's hubby. A good reason to feel like this,
don't 'cha think?
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In the small house in the lower right corner of the compound.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Sneak past the guards into his house (use stealth and/or wire cutters)
Brewster will tell you how to surprise the Warden off duty and will also
give you the key to her office. There you will find 2 red buttons. The one
on the left sets off the alarm and the one on the right releases tear gas
inside the building. Put the gas masks on before pushing it and then
eliminate the dazed guards ;)
ALMA
NON-RECRUITABLE NPCs
General, Sergeant, Auntie, Matt (head miner)
RECRUITABLE NPCs (see appropriate chapter)
Conrad
General
Q: Who is he?
A: He is one of Deidranna's generals, and one totally devoted to his employer.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In the training facility, AKA the Military Academy (H13)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: If you talk to him long enough, he will disclose the location of
Deidranna's secret research facility in Orta. Visit this place with a
strong squad for lots of quality equipment.
See also: Walter & Ernest.
Sergeant
Q: Who is he?
A: Another fine representative of Arulco's armed forces.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: Also in the Academy (H13)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Unlike the General, this soldier can actually think. In fact, the Sarge
wants to desert the army. He will even offer you his rocket rifle as a token
of good will. You must find the Sergeant really quick (possibly using stealth)
and speak to him before anyone pushes the red button nearby. You can also
position one of your mercs right before the button so that no one can
touch it. The enemies will run about - you know what to do. If any soldier
hits the red button, Sergeant's RR will explode and the blast will wound
him. Bandage him if this happens (but of course it won't) Talking to the
Sergeant will also increase loyalty in Alma.
Auntie
Q: Who is she?
A: A dweller concerned about her town's safety.
Q: Where do I find her?
A: In her house in I14.
Q: How do I deal with her?
A: She will ask you to kill the bloodcats, which have long plagued the town.
In order to fulfil her request you will need to wipe out the bloodcat den
in I16. Send a well-armed squad there and when done talk to Auntie again.
Alma's loyalty will go up. Remember to pick up the animal parts and sell them
to the appropriate trader (see: Micky)
See also: SECTION 8 for hunting tips
BALIME
NON-RECRUITABLE NPCs
Eldin, Franz, Sam, Howard, Armand and Laura, Dave
RANDOM NPCs
Bounties (see appropriate chapter)
Eldin
Q: Who is he?
A: He is the museum janitor (and security guard)
Q: Where do I find him?
A: Hmm... (L12)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Chat with him for a while to find out when he goes off duty. Don't go into
the museum at night or Eldin will take you for a thief and attack you. Then
everything is lost. The thing is, you cannot kill him no matter what. If
you do, the town's loyalty will drop to zero and you will not be able to have
militia there (see also: SECTION 5) But you need the Chalice of Chance. In
order to steal it bring a full squad of mercs to the museum by day. When
Eldin leaves the display room block his passage so that he cannot enter the main
lobby or return to the exposition. Go into his office and switch off the
alarm, then take the Chalice. Make sure Eldin doesn't see you walking out with
the artifact. Another way is to sneak into the museum at night, disable the
alarm and decamp with the Chalice, avoiding Eldin. Make sure to bring the
Chalice to Estoni afterwards, possibly stopping in San Mona on the way ;)
See also: Yanni & Kingpin
Franz
Q: Who is he?
A: He runs the electronics store.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: Behind his counter (L12)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: He sells electronics and buys some items. Among his selection noteworthy
are the video camera, needed for Madlab's robot (see: Madlab & Robot) and
the components used to make the X-ray detector (see: SECTION 4 - WEIRD ITEMS)
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on traders.
Sam
Q: Who is he?
A: The owner of the hardware store.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: It's your guess (L12)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: He sells various items but does not buy anything. Sam also has the video
camera.
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on traders.
Howard
Q: Who is he?
A: Yet another Alma merchant.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In his drugstore, of course (L12)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: You can get medical equipment here but Howard will not take any of your
items.
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on traders.
Armand and Laura
Q: Who are they?
A: A rich spoilt couple, friends of Deidranna.
Q: Where do I find them?
A: In their mansion in L11.
Q: How do I deal with them?
A: Armand is a man both affluent and influential. Take advantage of his first
quality by threatening him and be sure to mention his wife ;) He will give you
$10K to leave her alone.
Dave
Q: Who is he?
A: The service station manager.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: He is just east of Balime (L10)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Dave has a Hummer to sell. Give him the money he wants and you can take
the car next morning. He will also refuel her for free, if he has gas.
See also: SECTION 4 for info on vehicles
ORTA (K4)
not shown on the map until you talk to General in Alma
NON-RECRUITABLE NPCs
Walter, Ernest
Walter
Q: Who is he?
A: He is the head scientist of the secret research facility here.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: Inside the compound.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: There is more to this building than just the ground floor. The hitch is
how to get inside. You can bribe Walter with around $20K and he will open
the basement door. You can kill him afterwards to get your money back. If
you have the keycard from Estoni (see: Skipper), you can use it on the door
instead. You may also use explosives to blow a hole. The basement is where
the fun begins. Make sure to bring gas masks, unless you like mustard ;)
Ernest
Q: Who is he?
A: Another scientist putting Deidranna's twisted plans into life.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In the left part of the vault, in one of the small rooms behind a locked
door.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Once you've eliminated the security, talk to Ernest. He will open the door
to the armory if you give him about $20K. Gee, they all must have been
underpaid ;) As with Walter, you can reclaim your cash by putting him to a
long-deserved sleep. Ernest will also open the door if you keep threatening him.
Elliot
Q: Who is he?
A: Deidranna's thoughtless personal assistant. Unless you skipped the cut-
scenes (and missed a great deal of fun) you should be pretty familiar with
him by now ;)
Q: Where do I find him?
A: He should be in the Palace (P3) or rarely in the underground shelter there.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: About the only thing you can do is to put an end to his miserable life.
Kinda felt sorry for him... I guess I liked poor Elliot after all ;)
Joe
Q: Who is he?
A: Queen's Chief Security Officer (or something)
Q: Where do I find him?
A: If you decide to take the Palace (P3), you will encounter him in the SW
corner with the Queen herself. You have to find them fast, otherwise Joe will
retreat with Deidranna into the bunker.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Joe is very tough, but you need to waste him. Or you can pay him off and
thank for his sudden change of heart.
Deidranna (at last!)
Q: Who is she?
A: Please tell me you're joking ;)
Q: Where do I find her?
A: If you are quick in assaulting her residence, you can catch her in the SW
corner of the Palace (P3) with Joe. No, it's not what you think... ;) If you
don't get there fast enough, they will descend into the bunker underground
and you will have to hunt her down there. Of course she won't be alone (now
can't you really think of anything else?) The secret entrance to the bunker is
the fireplace in the room with the piano.
There is also an easier way to find Deidranna, which obviates the need to
storm the Palace. Go into the maze (gardens) in O3 and find a remote there.
Obviously, it must have been lost by Elliot ;) Once you have the device,
use it on one of the 4 statues nearby. Enter the vault and proceed N. You
should surprise the Queen in the Throne Room.
Either way you choose, you will need a good explosives specialist with a
metal detector.
Q: How do I deal with her?
A: Oh well... If you don't know how to deal with Deidranna, then how did you
get this far???
RANDOM LOCATION NPCs
These NPCs are randomly placed across various sectors of Arulco. Their location
is different each time you start the game. However, there are some clues for
finding them.
Madlab, Mike, Micky, Devin, Carmen, Bounties
Madlab
Q: Who is he?
A: He is a scientist who had worked for Deidranna, but escaped after finding
out her cause.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: He can be found in a non-town sector after Deidranna finds out about his
leave. He is usually somewhere in the upper half of the map. Madlab is
hiding in a secret partition of a barn. To access it you must activate a
switch hidden in a cabinet in the adjacent farmhouse.
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Madlab is working on a robot. He is willing to give you the droid, but it
needs a rifle and a video camera. The camera can be bought in Balime at the
electronic or tool store (see: Franz) or even taken from the museum there.
The choice of weapon for the robot depends on how you are planning to use it. I
recommend only top guns (e.g. the C-7), since a poor rifle will limit the
droid's capabilities. The rocket rifle is also a good choice, but it cannot
have an ID lock on it (see: SECTION 3 - RECOMMENDED GUNS) The weapon will be
installed permanently, so choose wisely. Before giving the gun and the
camera to the scientist make sure they are in perfect shape. Madlab will
also give you the headset required to control the droid. If the robot gets
destroyed, Madlab will build another one (not sure as I did not verify it)
See also: Robot
Mike
Q: Who is he?
A: Mike was the top mercenary in the previous two Jagged Alliance games.
Apparently, he was hired by Deidranna this time.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: He always guards a crucial sector (e.g. a SAM site or a mine) as
reinforcement of Deidranna's elites.
Q: How do I know if Mike is around?
A: After you seize 2 cities (Omerta and San Mona don't count) the Queen will
have her little speech where she says something like "I'll give them a
surprise they will not soon forget" You will then encounter Mike in one of
your battles. Mike is a very tough opponent, but with proper tactics killing
him should not be a big problem. He has a unique powerful rifle - kill
prior to taking ;) (see: SECTION 3 - RECOMMENDED GUNS)
Micky
Q: Who is he?
A: He was the cheesy arms dealer in JA: Deadly Games. Now he's changed to
animals. What a relief! ;)
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In one of the bars in Arulco (Drassen, San Mona, Cambria or Grumm)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: He buys only bloodcat parts. Pick them up and sell if you manage to kill
those beasts. See: SECTION 8 for hunting tips.
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on traders.
Devin
Q: Who is he?
A: An explosives dealer.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In one of the bars in Arulco (Drassen, San Mona, Cambria or Grumm)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: He sells all things that go "boom" (and their accessories), but doesn't
take anything. Devin can be later recruited (see: HIRABLE NPCs). However, in
such a case he will give up his trade. So it is better to use him as an
explosives retailer instead.
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on traders
Carmen
Q: Who is he?
A: He is an international bounty hunter pursuing his prey in Arulco.
Q: Where do I find him?
A: In one of the bars in Arulco (Drassen, San Mona, Cambria or Grumm)
Q: How do I deal with him?
A: Carmen will ask for your help in finding some criminals at large (see:
Bounties) He will give you a diskette with info on the suspects. If you
meet any of them, kill them and cut their heads off, then bring them as
proof to Carmen. He will split the reward in half ($10K per each head
delivered) However, he does not pay immediately. Give the head to Carmen
and meet him in the bar in Drassen after one day. There you will get your share.
See also: SECTION 4 for more info on traders
Q: How can I cut off the criminals' heads?
A: Use either a machete or a combat knife. Put it in your main hand and
right click to bring up the knife cursor. Click on the dead body of the
bounty. You may have to try a few times because only one of the squares will
let you cut off the heads in some circumstances.
Q: I cut the bastard's head off, but now I can't find Carmen anywhere!
A: He is always in one of the bars. It he is not in the bar you enter, talk
to some NPCs and they should tell you of his whereabouts.
Q: I forgot to meet Carmen in Drassen! Is my reward lost?
A: No :) Other NPCs will tell you where Carmen is. Better yet, he may pay you
more than once for the same head because of a bug (see: SECTION 9)
Bounties
Q: How do I spot a bounty?
A: The bounties are always disguised. Their names and looks are altered. But
an observant Commander like yourself should notice that in some cases the
faces of certain NPCs and the bounties' mug shots on Carmen's diskette are
quite similar. Another clue is that the bounties are not chatty and cannot be
hired. If you are still unsure, attack the suspected person and see if his/her
name changes to anything else (save your game first!) If it does, this is
one of the bounties you are looking for. After killing the criminal cut
his/her head off (it may take several tries) and bring it to Carmen. The
bounty's head will be described with his/her alias. But beware of killing
innocent NPCs! (see: SECTION 5 - LOYALTY)
Q: How to take out the damned criminals? They kill my mercs!
A: You have to be extremely careful in approaching the bounties. All of them
are well armed and dressed in best armor. Always "ALT+S" before trying to
kill one. This will save you much stress and often the lives of your mercs.
Sometimes a shot in the head from point- blank range (using a good gun) or a
burst will give you the edge - provided that the bounty will be injured
seriously enough not to fire back.
Another good idea is to shoot the bounties while they are inside buildings.
Wait for the suspect to get into a house or make him do so by exchanging
places. Have your mercs lie outside under the windows and facing the bounty
(he will not see them), then move one merc as far from the house as possible,
but so s/he can see the bounty inside. Have this merc lie prone and/or take
cover if possible, but s/he still has to see the suspect. Now shoot at the
suspect with one of your mercs. It can even be a merc who doesn't see him,
although s/he will obviously miss. The suspect will attack back, hopefully
spending his whole turn to fire at the far-away merc - the only one he can
see. The bounty will most possibly miss all of his shots. Then it's your
turn. Crouch the mercs waiting outside the house - at least one of them
should be able to see the bounty now. Shoot the bastard inside dead, he
won't interrupt. With a good gun one merc can kill the bounty by putting 2 or
3 bullets in his head. This technique requires some practice, but works every
time. Remember to cut the bounty's head off and bring it to Carmen for
your reward. As a bonus you get to keep the criminal's all personal
belongings (good guns!)
Alternatively, you may try some explosive weapons against the terrorists.
However, in this case their equipment will be much damaged.
Q: Who are the bounties and where can I find them?
A: Except for the Druggist their locations are random. However, they are
always found in the following towns: San Mona, Chitzena, Cambria, Grumm and
Balime (never heard anybody find them in other locations) Keep this in mind
when visiting the above places. Whenever you stumble upon a suspicious
character there, chances are s/he is a bounty. Use the tips above to
reveal their true ID. You may not be able to find all the terrorists, though:
Impostor: Chris, impersonates a Canadian (ha-ha, Sir-Tech)
Druggist: Charlie, bartender in Grumm (H2)
Tiffany: Joe, impersonates a tourist
MOM: Annie, impersonates a student
Slay: Terry, impersonates a wheelchair case
T-Rex: Jasmin, impersonates a moron ;)(or does he really?)
HIRABLE NPCs
These characters are different from other NPC in that they can join your team.
Just like normal NPCs, they are found mostly in towns. Many of them are free or
very cheap, although some are quite expensive. Recruiting is simple: be
"friendly" until they have nothing more to say. Some NPCs will offer you their
services on their own, with some you will have to use "recruit" when they've
finished. As with ordinary NPCs, use your best negotiator; otherwise they may
refuse to join you. With certain NPCs additional conditions must be met (e.g.
completing a quest) After the recruitment they can be given orders just like
regular mercs. And just like AIM/MERC personnel they have stats, skills, traits
and preferences. Here is a list of all hirable NPCs found in Arulco with their
locations, prices and usefulness:
Ira
Underground rebel base in Omerta (A10); free
She can be recruited right after Fatima introduced you to Miguel. Ira will be
your guide in Arulco, providing interesting info on the country along the way.
She is a good trainer and an average medic, but useless in combat (very low MRK)
I also use her as a spotter and a mule ;)
Dimitri
Underground rebel base in Omerta (A10); free
He joins after Father from Drassen arranged food for Omerta. Dimitri sometimes
forgets his orders. He will make a good mech and can even be a sniper after
training DEX with MRK (see: SECTION 2) He is also an excellent thrower.
Carlos
Underground rebel base in Omerta (A10); free
He will join after you take 5 cities (Drassen, Chitzena, Cambria, Grumm and Alma)
Average trainer and a strong thrower, but poor aim.
Miguel
Underground rebel base in Omerta (A10); free
He will ask you to find Father in Drassen, who can provide food for the rebels.
Afterwards you can recruit Dimitri. Like Carlos, Miguel will join after you take
5 cities (Drassen, Chitzena, Cambria, Grumm and Alma) The rebel leader is a top
militia trainer and a good marksman with LVL6.
Skyrider
See: OMERTA & SECTION 7; free apart from the flight charge
Hamous
Random road sector between Drassen, Cambria and San Mona; $250/day
He has the ice-cream truck. If you want to use it, you have to hire him. But
once the truck is yours, its previous owner can be dismissed. He only shows up
once, so don't waste this chance to get the vehicle. Hamous himself is rather
useless.
See also: SECTION 7 for info on vehicles
Devin
One of the bars in Arulco (Drassen, San Mona, Cambria or Grumm); $800/day
He sells explosives and cannot be recruited immediately (business affairs?) It
is better not to hire him and have a steady source of grenades and other stuff
instead. Besides, though Devin is a top explosives specialist (what did you
expect?), he is slow and has a low MRK.
See also: SECTION 4 & 6
Vince
Cambria Hospital (F8); $500/day
In order to recruit him you cannot open any crates in the hospital storehouse.
You also must bring Joey home (Cambria's loyalty must be around 100%) Vince is
the best doctor and a good trainer, but his abysmal MRK and AGI exclude him from
any combat.
See also: Steve
Iggy
Usually in San Mona, the bar above the Shady Lady (C5); $1,95K/day
He appears after your encounter with Mike. Apart from the rocket rifle he also
has multiple abilities. Iggy is a HW expert, an average mech and a mediocre
medic. His other assets are high MRK, LVL5 and top vitality.
Maddog
Wandering around broken fuel pumps in Estoni (I6); free
He has a CAWS shotgun. Maddog is a good mech with top vitality, but his poor aim
makes him hopeless in battle.
Dynamo
Tixa prison dungeon (J9); asks for $50/day, but if refused joins for free
His brother Matt in Alma will ask you to rescue him (see: DRASSEN - Head miners)
You may need to try a few times until he agrees to join. Dynamo is an average
mech, but slow and a poor shot. If you decide to keep him, you'd better do
something about his health.
Shank
Tixa prison dungeon (J9); $20/day
Bring him to Estoni and talk to Jake. Now you will be able to buy gas and refuel
the chopper here. Shank himself is absolutely worthless.
See also: Jake, Skyrider & SECTION 7
Conrad
Alma training building (H13); asks for $5,5K/day, but if refused drops his price
to $3,3K
Hiring him is tricky; he may even get mad and attack you. A multitude of talents:
top training and explosives, excellent MRK, average medic and LVL5 to boot. Only
his price...
Robot
Random sector generally in the upper half of the map; free
In order to get the robot you must find the missing scientist and bring him a
rifle and a video camera. The robot can move and shoot like a human merc (it
cannot reload) but it is slow and its stats are poor. However, it has a decent
MRK (80) and high HEA. It also takes much less damage than your mercs when shot.
A battered robot can be repaired by a mech. When employed properly, the droid
can make a valuable addition to your team. The robot is only active when a merc
uses its remote control, which excludes using any other headgear.
See also: Madlab
Section 7: VEHICLES
Using vehicles will notably shorten the time of movement from one location to
another. Not only will you get there faster, but also your team will be less
tired after the journey. This aspect is very important in combat, as the mercs'
condition is reflected in their APs. However, not all vehicles come free and
some cannot be used to reach certain areas. Up to 6 mercs (a full squad) can be
accommodated in any vehicle. This is done by assigning them to a specific means
of transport in the strategic view. After reaching your destination assign the
mercs to a squad again. Three vehicles can be found around Arulco:
Helicopter
To use the chopper you have to find its pilot (see: SECTION 6 - Skyrider) and
clear the airspace by capturing (or destroying) the SAM sites. Once you achieve
this, you can dispatch your team just about anywhere by air. It takes only 10
minutes per sector to travel. For his service Skyrider charges a fee which
depends on the distance. Also, the helicopter needs to refuel after each journey,
either in Drassen or later in Estoni (see: SECTION 6 - Jake & Shank) This
operation is performed automatically. While airborne avoid travelling thru
unsafe sectors. The helicopter will get hit and eventually shot down by SAM
missiles, which additionally induces a bug (see: SECTION 9) Flying the chopper
is definitely the fastest way to move a squad over long distances, though not
precisely the cheapest one.
Ice-cream truck
The truck can be found in a random road sector between Drassen, Cambria and San
Mona. To get hold of it you need to hire its driver (see: SECTION 6 - Hamous)
Driving is restricted to roads, but it takes just half an hour per sector. This
vehicle only shows up once, so don't waste the opportunity to acquire it.
Hummer
This civilian version of the famed military Hummvee is every man's dream :). And
it is waiting for you east of Balime, in L10. All you have to do is pay $10K to
the guy there and pick up your car on the next day (see: SECTION 6 - Dave)
Unlike the real Hummer, this one can travel only along roads. And I certainly
*don't* like this! Driving takes half an hour per sector.
The truck and the Hummer need gas, which is scarce in Arulco. Several cans can
be found in non-town sectors and more can be bought from Jake after rescuing
Shank (see: SECTION 6 - Jake & Shank) To refuel the car put a can into the
merc's hand, then right-click and left-click on the vehicle. You can check how
much gas there is in the tank by moving the cursor over the two bars in the
vehicle's picture. One of the bars represents the car's condition (can be
repaired by assigning a mech), the other shows the amount of gas left. When you
run out of juice while traveling, you will have to abandon the vehicle (you can
still pick it up later) To avoid such surprises always fill 'er up before the
journey and have a spare can on hand.
Enemy encounters while in a vehicle will proceed in the normal manner. But if
you withdraw your team from the battle, the car will be left in that sector.
Ground vehicles can be also boarded in tactical by "CTRL"+ left-clicking on them.
Section 8: MISCELLANEOUS TACTICAL TIPS
1. Unless you have a specialized well-equipped night-ops squad, avoid
attacking by night at all costs. These encounters are very hard, especially in
the beginning of the game.
2. Always shoot prone taking a good cover, thus minimizing the enemy's chance
to hit you.
3. Always finish off those "critical" enemies. While they don't seem
dangerous, they can still make a very lucky shot or even surprise you with a
LAW!
4. If after movement you don't have enough APs to shoot, don't forget that
you can always run in combat. Running uses less APs (and more energy) than
walking, which can give you the chance to make that crucial shot.
5. Always remember to quick-save and to reload your guns whenever the game
enters real-time during a battle. This can save your ass on many occasions.
6. In an enemy sector move on stealth mode to avoid being spotted (especially
in real-time) Crawling, camouflage, high LVL and the stealthy trait add to
your sneaking skill. Make a good use of smoke grenades. When you discover the
enemy's position, most of the time you will also gain AGI.
7. Keep everything in perfect shape. Use only top condition guns, attachments,
equipment, etc. This does not apply to explosives and grenades (they can also
be repaired!), although beat-up items may not go off at all.
8. HP ammo works wonders against bloodcats. Don't bother with other types of
ammo, unless it's a burst at a very close range. Use fast guns and don't
waste APs on aiming. Someone suggested tear gas as a defense barrier while
fighting the cats, with the masks on. It seems that the beasts attack only
squads traveling on foot (not in a vehicle) Large groups of mercs should not
have much trouble in exterminating the bloodcats, though it might as well
turn into their carnage. Small teams stand no chance unless equipped with fast
HP loaded weapons. Bloodcat parts can be sold to Micky (see: SECTION 6 -
Micky)
9. Some items in the sector inventory may be grayed-out in the strategic view.
This is either because your mercs can't pick them up (e.g. they were left in
the store that closed for the night) or because they are owned by somebody
else. If you try to take such things (in tactical) while the owner is near,
expect trouble (yes, they will attack you) The trick is to pick them up
while their holder is away and can't see you stealing his property. You
can block his way with other mercs or move him out by exchanging places.
However, this is not always possible.
10. Whenever you stumble upon a locked door, crate or locker, first check if
it is not trapped. The merc may not discover the trap on his/her first attempt.
Have your mech or explosives guy remove any traps before proceeding. Then
see if you already don't have a key for it. If not, have a merc with high
STR force it open or use a crowbar on it. Alternatively, a mech with a
high PICK rating can pick the lock. Also the bomb dude can destroy the lock
(but not open the thing) with a shaped charge. All these actions are
performed by choosing a proper icon from the "open" menu. The merc
attempting them must have the suitable items in his/her inventory. When you
are still not successful, you can shoot at the thing until the lock gives way.
However, this doesn't seem to work on all doors/crates/lockers. As a last
resort you might try explosives, the LAW or the mortar - with extra care not
to hurt anyone near (unless they are enemies) This only works with doors...
you guess why ;)
See also: chapters on specialists in SECTION 1.
11. Some advice on destroying the tanks. The LAW seems the natural choice, but
also the mortar works well against armor. The drawback of this method is that
the enemy will know the position of your squd the moment you fire. Another
very effective technique is to plant a strong explosive right by the tank
(the C4 is preferred here) This method requires superior sneaking skills
and/or luck. Move under the cover of smoke, stay prone and crawl next to the
tank. You may be attacked by its machine gun, so make sure to wear top armor.
Leave enough APs to place the bomb and to get the hell out of there. It is
best to use remote detonators; sometimes 2 explosives may be necessary. If
you have nothing else on hand, you might also try regular grenades. They
are far less effective, but will eventually do the job. And remember to save!
12. If any of your mercs are captured by the enemy, there are three locations
where they can be taken. Until you conquer Alma, they are held in the
Military Prison there (I13) Afterwards the POWs can be found either in the
Tixa jail (J9) or the army station in N7, known as the "LAW cache" (you
will know why once you get there :) This is also where they may be
interrogated by the Queen herself (see: SECTION 4 - WEIRD ITEMS). But of course
you will never surrender or abandon the battle, Commander!
Section 9: PROGRAM BUGS
NOTE: These bugs appear in version 1.03 US. I hope the patch will have most of
these fixed. Well, maybe not all of them... ;)
1. In the Extreme Fighting Competition in San Mona, while in the ring, your
opponent will sometimes start shooting at you in the middle of the fight. I
believe this was not intentional, but there is not much to be done about it.
You can either knock the boxer out the normal way (taking some serious damage)
or reload a game and try your luck again. If you use any weapon, you will
lose the bet and everybody will turn on you.
There is also another bug. Incredibly, it' even worse than the previous
one! It can happen that after giving your bet to Darren the fight will not
start at all. If you leave the ring, your cash is lost. When you talk to
Darren he acts as nothing had happened. Losing $5K this way is extremely
annoying :( I suspect it has to do with killing the opponents in an earlier
fight, instead of just knocking them out. This happened to me, and boy, was I
pissed off not seeing these 15 grand every second night!
2. In few non-town sectors items will reappear once more some time after
taking them. The respawning stuff seems to be random. This also happens in the
mines: after collecting the nuggets new ones will appear in few days, but only
once :( I don't know if this was meant to be.
3. After taking the items from a mine the town's loyalty goes down by 1% This
is not so relevant, but I see no reason why it should happen.
4. When you don't meet Carmen on the next day in Drassen after delivering a
bounty's head to him, he will pay you for this same head multiple times -
whenever you find him. Nice compensation for the screwed EFC ;)
5. If the chopper gets hit for the third time, the game will crash and kick
you out to Windoze(tm) It seems that there is a voice file missing. In order
not to encounter this bug, don't fly over unfriendly sectors, and if you
really have to, make sure there is only one en route (Skyrider will usually
take the same way back home!)
6. Sometimes the mercs will move in a funny way, sideways and backwards, as
with the "ALT" pressed. To remedy the problem, depress this key and quickly
double-click around them. After some attempts they will walk normally.
7. On some occasions you may end up with duplicated items while picking up
stuff from the ground. This happens when the merc's backpack is full and one
hand slot remains empty, while trying to pick up more than one item. I'm
not trying to suggest anything here, but... (wink-wink :))
Section 10: LINKS
If this guide did not answer your JA2 problems, I strongly recommend visiting
the following sites:
Jagged Alliance Galaxy www.tacticalplanet.com/ja-galaxy
Probably the best and most comprehensive JA site on the net, part of the
Tactical Planet network.
CW: Postcards from Arulco www.redrival.com/rakki/ja2
Excellent JA2 site with many funny accents throughout.
FREELANCER: Your tactical source www.freelancer.ag.ru
Very detailed stats of JA2 equipment and characters. Also lots of stuff on other
tactical/RPG games (Fallout, X-COM, etc.)
Magnum's JA2 Equipment Field Manual redrival.com/magnum
Another very good source of item info.
Official JA2 Website www.jaggedalliance2.com
Many JA2 links and game info straight from the programmers (check out the
secrets section)
and of course:
Sir-Tech Canada www.sir-tech.com
Homepage of the creators of JA!
