Outer Base | |||||||||||||||||
Game | |||||||||||||||||
Unit |
Unit 1 | ||||||||||||||||
Soundtrack |
09 - Descent Into Cerberon | ||||||||||||||||
Previous Map |
None | ||||||||||||||||
Next Map | |||||||||||||||||
Enemies |
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Secrets |
3 | ||||||||||||||||
New Weapons | |||||||||||||||||
New Powerups |
Medikit | ||||||||||||||||
New Obstacles | |||||||||||||||||
New Enemies | |||||||||||||||||
Objective |
Primary: Establish communication link to command ship. | ||||||||||||||||
[Source] |
“ | Reporting 80% failing vital sign track. | ” |
—TCM radio transmission |
Note: while this article is primarily based upon the original PC version, the symbol denotes references to the PSX version; see also the Differences in the PSX version section below.
Outer Base is the first level of Unit 1 of Quake 2. It is short and simple - helping the player get used to the game's controls and combat. The player's main objective in this introductory level is simple - find a way to the exit elevator and gain access to the Installation. Several Strogg will be encountered in this level, namely the Light Guard, Shotgun Guard and Enforcer. The PC player starts only with their Blaster, but this level contains the opportunity to collect the Shotgun and hand grenades, as well as some other useful items such as armor and Adrenaline.
The game begins right next to Bitterman's crashed Drop Pod in a devastated room. The level features a main corridor, a small outdoor yard, and a sewer-like area filled with Water. Other parts of the level include a dark crawlspace leading to the sewer, a large, less-damaged room with several crates, and a heavily damaged storage area, in which most of the roof has collapsed. The level's ambience is very dynamic - the sounds of flying ships and distant explosions can be heard constantly. It appears that the Base complex is being intensively bombed by Terran Coalition of Man forces.
Quick Level Completion
- From the starting area, turn left and enter the corridor.
- Follow the corridor to its end, killing Guards along the way, until you reach a door.
- Go through the door and head for the stairs to the right.
- Follow the walkway to the elevator.
- Enter the elevator and press the button.
Walkthrough
Note: These walkthroughs generally do not reveal the location of secret areas and items. The player can try to find the secrets themselves, or they can consult the "Secrets" paragraph further down.
Secondary Objective: Locate base installation elevator.
As the game begins, you will find yourself in a damaged room with explosive barrels ahead of you and a pane of glass beyond them. To your left is a damaged pillar with a doorway just behind it and a breach in the wall to the left of the pillar. Don't pass through the doorway yet. First, destroy the glass (either by shooting it or by shooting the nearby barrels, but stay clear of the barrels as they explode), jump through and find a ladder leading down to an Adrenaline. There are several choices of routes through this level, but this walkthrough advises that you return back up the ladder to the starting room (however, see below for alternative routes). From here pass through the breach in the base wall. Ahead is a cliff with a small hole blown in the middle of it. Crouch and crawl through the hole, making sure to collect the Jacket Armor on the far side.
You will now be in a narrow passage between the cliff and the base wall. Follow the passage until you reach a more open area. A Light Guard waits to attack you from a half-hidden alcove; it only takes two shots to kill him with your Blaster. When the Light Guard is dead, approach the fallen metal beam and use it to climb through the hole in the base wall.
You will be inside another heavily damaged room. The top floor has two Stimpacks to collect and a Shotgun Guard on patrol. Kill the guard and pick up the Stimpacks, then take the staircase down to the lower level (or simply drop down). Two more Shotgun Guards should notice you here. The lower level also has a Shotgun and two cases of shells to collect. Pick up the goods, and then return to the starting area. A Shotgun Guard may have arrived in the room; he was originally in the room beyond the doorway.
Now it's time to go through the doorway you saw earlier. Follow the corridor, which leads you into a large room with Light Guards and Shotgun Guards on patrol. There are Medkits to collect if you have taken any damage and a couple of armor shards in one of the corners. The outside courtyard also has two Stimpacks and a case of shotgun shells. The window to the right of the hallway just beyond the large room leads to a balcony with several Stimpacks to pick up. In the 2023 remaster, an area is added to the map that wasn't present in the original game; an outdoors area connected to this waterway. This area contains another Jacket Armor, some shotgun shells and health; it doesn't contain any additional enemies.
Once the area has been cleared, take the hallway past the room and follow it. Walk up to the door; it opens automatically at your approach and reveals another large room with an elevator in the middle. Kill the shotgun guard patrolling the room and ready your shotgun if you have not been using it.
Enter the room cautiously. To your right there is an Enforcer, a more powerful enemy than the guards you have fought so far. He can kill you quickly if left unchecked; use the shotgun to bring him down. It takes three good hits from your shotgun to kill one. There are more Enforcers in this room; two more on Easy or Medium difficulty, or four more on Hard or Nightmare. There are two cases of shotgun shells from the edge of the elevator shaft. The level exit is inside the elevator; once the room is clear and you are content you have explored the level, enter the elevator and hit the button to descend. There are three secrets you may have found along the way; if you couldn't find them, feel free to consult the "Secrets" section further down this page.
Alternative route
There is a way to collect the Shotgun before directly encountering any enemies, allowing you to avoid having to fight any Strogg with only your Blaster. From the starting room, pass through the window to reach the Adrenaline as above, but then continue along the tunnel to find Secret #1 and collect the hand grenades. Once armed with hand grenades, you can return towards where you collected the Adrenaline, but keep left along the tunnel; this will lead you underneath the room containing the Shotgun. There is a damaged section of floor (or ceiling, from your current viewpoint); destroy it with the Blaster. From here, you can throw a hand grenade into the room to kill the nearby patrolling Shotgun Guard, and retrieve the Shotgun before confronting the other Guards.
Enemies
Enemy | Easy | Medium | Hard/Nightmare |
---|---|---|---|
Light Guard | 7 | 10 | 10 |
Shotgun Guard | 9 | 14 | 14 |
Machine Gun Guard | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Enforcer | 3 | 6 | 6 |
Enemy | Easy | Medium | Hard/Nightmare |
---|---|---|---|
Light Guard | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Shotgun Guard | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Enforcer | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Enemy | Easy | Medium | Hard/Nightmare |
---|---|---|---|
Light Guard | 8 | 12 | 12 |
Shotgun Guard | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Machine Gun Guard | - | - | 1 |
Enforcer | - | 1 | 2 |
Secrets
- #1) In the room with the destroyed elevator, shoot a hole in the floor and crawl through. Continue crawling until you fall out into some water. Swim right and then up to find the first secret, containing grenades and armor shards (health packs in the Demo version). This area can also be accessed from the starting room after collecting the Adrenaline, or from the main courtyard's waterway.
- #2) On the ground floor of the room with the exit elevator, head under the stairs to the back wall. Shoot the switch on the ceiling to reveal grenades and medikits.
- #3) In the main courtyard containing the waterway, crawl underneath the steps to find a Silencer.
PSX version:
- #1) In the room with the destroyed elevator, shoot a hole in the floor and crawl through. Continue crawling until you fall out into some water. Swim right and then up to find the first secret, containing the Super Shotgun and some shells. This area can also be accessed from the starting room after collecting the Adrenaline, or from the main courtyard's waterway.
- #2) On the ground floor of the room with the exit elevator, head under the stairs to the back wall. Shoot the cracked wall section to reveal Adrenaline.
Differences in the PC Demo version
- An extra Shotgun Guard in the upper level of the Shotgun building.
- An extra Light Guard (Medium/Hard/Nightmare) in the exit from the upper level of the Shotgun area.
- More Guards in the main corridor.
- More Enforcers and Machine Gun Guards in the elevator to "Installation".
- A Light Guard and (at least in Medium/Hard/Nightmare) a Shotgun Guard in the Adrenaline chamber.
Differences in the PSX version
- Different enemy count and secrets (see above).
- Whereas this is the first level of the PC version, it is the second level of the PSX campaign, after Strogg Outpost. Therefore, the player has already had the opportunity to collect various items including a Shotgun and Jacket Armor by this point, rather than starting with only a Blaster.
- Bitterman's drop pod is not present, being seen in the previous level instead.
- The player can acquire a Super Shotgun in this level, which would not be available until the Lost Station in the PC version.
- Whereas the PC player can acquire grenades in this level, the PSX player cannot find grenades until the Detention Center.
Deathmatch
Differences
Coming soon...
External Links
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