* System Shock - Level R (Reactor) Hints and Tips * * ------------------------------- * First Visit - Start the Shield, Enable the Laser * Hopefully, you have been to level 2. You should have the X-22 isotope in your inventory. As the elevator opens, you may be greeted by some hoppers. You may, at difficulty level 3, also be greeted by a sec2bot. Be ready for a fight. Head left (west) and do the hidden door; take the logic probe. Further on, the rad room may have stuff you want. I'd open the door, back off and shoot the barrels. This will clear your field of view and you may be able to lean in and getthings without getting burned. Just north of here is a door. Use the logic probe on it. Thru that door and just to the west is the shield control room. When you get in there, open the inventory page in your central mfd and double click on the X22 to take it in hand. Then just double click on the big X in the back of the small area. Last, use the lever to the right. I include a picture of the X22 area (L-R-X22.GIF) Just west of the entrance to the shield room is the room with the small CPU. It is part of the security; blow it. There is a healer machine in the med area to the east, like the one on level 1; just click on it to get healed, once you get its door open (access panel on wall by healer.) Further west in that area with the healer are some patches (duck down, look under couch) and a radiation detox area. The room east has the rejuvenation machine and its switch. Exiting north of the rejuvenation area, there is another room. This one has an exit to the west with the armory symbol on it. There is an ML-41 pistol and ammo in it. The door is locked now. That's ok. Shoot some hoppers and head north, then east, to a room with a cyberspace terminal in it. Do that next; it will unlock the armory. There are several things you want to do in cyberspace on this level. Make sure you cover everything in there, and get all goodies. A very interesting room is just northeast of the armory. It is labeled on the map as the "Screens room" and has active screens. You can click on buttons near the screens and see a rotating view of an area. The one I find so interesting shows the area just west of the reactor core; you can see the yellow/orange core at the right angle. In the opposite direction is an execbot guarding a repulsar lift. That is the lift you must go up, to enable the laser safety override. This level does not have CPU towers like levels 1 thru 6. It has cameras, and a desktop "small CPU" as the Help feature labels it. See the included map for location. There is no reactor code digit to find, but you must knock out the security for other reasons. Your goals on this level on this first visit are, not in any order: 1) Decrease the security level to 0%. 2) Take the X-22 to the shield control room, use it and start the shield. 3) There is a good weapon on this level, but it will take a fight to get it - the Flechette. (Actually, there are two.) 4) You must enable the laser safety override. 5) Head back to level 2 to fire the laser into the shield, thus disabling it. To get the Flechette in the northeast corner of the level, you must go into the experimental low gravity room. There are sparking cables at the door; duck them. The zero-g mutants will attack you; kill them. A gas grenade helps, if you can avoid getting hurt by it yourself. Once in the room, there is a raised hall. Through that hall is at least one more mutant and the Flechette, plus a first aid kit. Ironically, the flechette is a great weapon for the zero-g mutants; you just need to get through them to get it. The other flechette is to the west. There is an area you can jump down to, if you follow the main corridor counterclockwise. The shielded door is the way in. There are two assassin cyborgs in there, both above you. The one to your right is a good first target; adjust your sight upwards, lean in to the right and shoot up at him. As you step into the area, the other cyborg is far to the left and way up. The flechette is on the body. Getting to the laser safety override is a challenge. There are two ways in. One is to take the underpass. This is shown on the map. It is on the south side of the central area, to the west. Jump into the hole (all charged and all healed up) and head in. The corridor leads to a lit hallway; repulsars lift you up a bit. Then the execbot to your left shoots you. (Unless you shoot him first.) Head towards his body and ride the repulsar there upwards. It is a good idea to have checked out the med area to the far south first, and picked up some detox patches. Use them as you leave rad areas like this; otherwise your health will continue to drop as the rad level slowly drops (and starting from 127 rads, it has a long way to drop.) In the override room, enter the number from the level 2 library (199) and do the enable. Now you can leave. The other way in is from the north side of the reactor area, straight north of the underpass. This way is difficult; Shodan has set up an ambush. There are cameras in this room, so you will need to do it anyway to lower security. This is one of those rare situations where a reflex patch comes in very handy. A sight enhancement patch is also very good. Be healthy charged up, with weaon loaded. You will find (this may vary, depending on level of difficulty) 2 hoppers, at least one assassin cyborg, and one other cyborg, probably a warrior. The fun starts when you get partway into the room. Shodan sez hello, the lights go out, and four doors slide open. While in this room, do the cameras; one is next to the door, at floor level. When the smoke clears, note the room beyond (to the south) has a sec1bot in it. That is the other route to the laser safety override; a lift drops you to a shielded door in the side of that lit corridor. This entry avoids the intense radiation; the execbot is still there. When you have started the shield and enabled the override, you can explore the outer areas of the level for ammo and other things (logs, patches.) Then you are done for now. Don't bother with the central core at this point; the radiation is very high (127 rads) and there is nothing to do there right now. Now it is time to go back to level 2 to fire the laser. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Visit #2 - Blow the Reactor * This time, you are going to visit the reactor core. You should have: 1) The CPU room digits, and the floors they correspond to, for levels 1 through 6. 2) The version 3 biosuit from level 7 (or at least the version 2 suit from level 3.) 3) Some good arms and ammo. I recommend loading the assault rifle with penetrator rounds, then reselecting the skorpion. Load it with a large (100 round) clip. If you like to lean in doorways and snipe, load the magnum with slugs for the sec1bots. 4) At least one detox patch would be nice. If you have several, you can make multiple visits in through the various entrances to the reactor (there are three) to dispatch enemies. 5) A reflex patch might come in handy if you want to charge in and shoot up the place. (heh, heh) Ok, enough on that. There will be a number of sec1bots, at least one sec2bot, and two or three fliers. There may be others, depending on the enemy difficulty level you've selected. --------------------------------- One approach: You start with the south door. You lean in and pop sec1bots until they stop coming. You may have a visitor from the east; a flier may buzz in. Lean out, and save. Go get healed (go to the machine, save your patches) and charged if you like. Go back to the same door. Go right in, to the left. There is not a whole lot to do in there, but you can clean up straglers and pick up logs. Leave, heal, charge, save. Try the east door. This is where you'll find the sec2bot(s). This is a very good time to use the assault rifle with the penetrator ammo. Even at high difficulty, you should be able to do two sec2's with one clip. Pop out, heal, save. You have only perhaps one or two fliers to do. Head in the south door, shoot anything that moves, and jump down into the pit. Your destination is under the center of the reactor. Once there, find and push the button; the repulsar will send you up. -------------------------------- A second approach: This has the vertue of less effort. It can also get you wasted. Go to the room northwest of the reactor where Shodan set up that ambush. You remember? Lights out, bots out. Cut through to the back room with the lift down. Go down and through the lift, and the shielded door. Instead of heading to the laser override, head towards the reactor. A reflex patch helps here. Run out of the duct, under the reactor, press the button, and ride the lift up. --------------------------------- Up inside the reactor, you will find a switch and a keypad. Use the keypad first. Enter the CPU code digits from levels 1, 2, and 3 in that order. The keypad will beep. Enter the CPU code digits from levels 4, 5, and 6 in that order. Now you can use the switch. You did it! The station begins to shake. It's time to leave. Head out towards the lift on the east wall if you came in from above and the robots are wasted; or head out the duct to the west, and take the shielded door to the lift. Now you need to leave the level. First, heal up and charge up. Head for the elevator. You will find a welcome party; on level 3 difficulty, I found 3 sec2bots and two hoppers outside the elevator. I also found a mutant cyborg IN the elevator. Once you're past that, head up to level 5 to grab a life pod and leave!