You start off in a hallway with your trusty crowbar, on your way to Dr. Vance's laboratory via the canals. Load up on health at the First Aid station, then turn the corner to come across Civil Protection (CP or Metro Cops) troops savaging a couple of City 17 residents. Take matters into your own hands and unleash the fury of your new crowbar on them, then say hello to your new 9mm pistol. Like the lady says, get going and head up the stairs.

Take out another CP, and another at the surface. Wait for the train to start passing by, and as it does, leap onto the top of the train and leap onto the metal grating on the other side. Shoot the guards that spawn behind you by shooting the red explosive barrels they stand near and head through the dilapidated house. In the backyard you'll find more red barrels and more CP's. As you may have figured out by now, red barrels plus CP's equals fun. Dispatch them and then jump up on the barrel in the corner and make your way over the piece of bent fence.

Collect the MedPacks and HEV Charges and move out of the house. Clear out the barrels and planks which block the door and shoot the Metro Cops on the top ledge beyond the fencing. It's better to shoot the Gasoline Barrels, then move into the house and come out after the blast to enjoy some nice Combine splatter. Move up the bent fence and onto the other side. Some more CPs come from the other side, but I suggest you sprint full speed and crouch into the ducting under the metal container ahead.

The lambdas throughout the game indicate spots where the City 17 rebels have placed supplies that you can use. Once in the crawlspace, break open the supply crate in there and take the goodies. Next, pop out of the crawlspace and jump back down to track level at the break in the fence. Kill the CP, making use of the red barrels. Head upstairs and across the catwalk, making use of the medkit there.
Move through the ducting and get the goodies on the way. Keep your pistol loaded and wait for CP on the other side to break the vent cap. Engage any more resistance you face from the safety of the duct.

Move ahead and jump from the opening in the fence. Proceed with caution now; this is where many Metro Cops swarm you all at once. Shoot the farthest barrel from you and it takes care of one Metro Cop. Then move to the edge of the opposite wall and try to locate two Gasoline Barrels behind the glass wall. Shoot one of them carefully and wait for one Metro Cop to run out. Finish him off, take the HEV Charge below the stairs and go up. Don't bother with the health station now — getting out of the firing line is the priority.

Collect all the ammunition and shoot the barrel at the end of the hallway — let it explode on its own. That takes care of another Metro Cop who comes down from the staircase. Make your way up the stairs, and cross the bridge. If you wait on the bridge, you see three more Metro Cops coming from where we landed previously. Shoot them only when they come close enough. Then hack your way through the crates and descend to the landing on the other side. Deal with two more Metro Cops on the other side. (If they try to follow you, backtrack your way up the stairs and finish them off on the bridge).

To your extreme left are three other Metro Cops on the railway track; finish them off from the ledge itself and then jump off. Collect some much needed HEV Charges and recharge at the Health Station. Collect the ammo lying around and move out on the bridge. If you are fond of trains, there's another one which runs by for your viewing pleasure.

Take a peaceful, no-hassle swim downriver and head up the ladder of the red boxcar. Drop down into the boxcar for a medkit and meet up with a Vortigaunt and a human. They'll fill you in on the Underground Railway the rebels use to get to Dr. Vance's lab, then the Vortigaunt will charge you up with 30 points of HEV suit energy. Head out the door and use your elite crowbar skills to proceed.

Move though carefully and crouch over the next pile of rubble. Once the civilians in the distance get shot, move ahead and engage the Combine forces which attack you. Sprint to the other side and hide behind the rocks. Then take out the Metro Cop manning the Turret and his counterpart. Get into the small pipe and move left through it. Keep your flashlight activated and kill the solitary Metro Cop who attacks you. Collect all the supplies in the room and move up the ladder to man the Turret.

Behold, a Barnacle from Black Mesa! Give him some lead injections until he packs up his fishing gear and takes a hike to creepy alien heaven. Up ahead you'll see a group of rebels who are executed by CP's. Take out the random mobile CP's before turning the corner and dealing with the CP on the mounted machine gun emplacement. You can either use the cover in the open to sprint the distance between you and the machine gun, or better yet sprint into the tunnel, taking out the lone CP there, and then stocking up on health and ammo in the abandoned rebel station. At your leisure, climb the ladder, and if you didn't already take out the two CP's behind the machine gun emplacement, you'll now notice they didn't even notice you coming up behind them. Take advantage of their obliviousness and shoot the red barrel right behind them.

Now get ready for a wave of CP's and Watcher units. Get on that machine gun and put it to good use. Remember to take out the wooden support beams on some structures to send CP's fallig to their deaths. After a while, a CP rocket truck will pull up and start firing rockets at you. This is your signal that it's time to go. If you haven't already done it, head right and shoot the red barrel on top of the platform to drop down a metal plank you can walk over. Head further down past some train tanker wreckage and take notice of the lambda on the wall on your left. Head into the nook indicated by the lambda and claim some health and items, then continue your stroll down the wreckage-strewn path, watching out for the random Barnacle.

Make your way to the daylight at the tunnel's end and watch as the CP rocket truck passes by. Take a left and head for the sewer tunnel with the broken grating. A rebel will talk to you from her hiding place in a large pipe. Continue down the sewer tunnel and CP's will take potshots at you from a grating above you, then they'll retreat to attack you at the next grating down the tunnel.

The next grating is where things get a little bit trickier. Once you jump into the water, swim to the far left corner and stay on the surface looking up. Stay there while they drop red barrels in on you and wait until they drop the one that's on fire, then dive to the bottom like a German U-boat escaping British depth charges. Once you're clear of the flaming barrel death, shoot the CP who's taking extra potshots at you and climb up to the tunnel grating that has now been blasted open. Once you hit daylight again, you'll be attacked by a fresh wave of CP's. Take 'em out with extreme prejudice and shoot the explosive barrels at the base of the bridge to send them falling.

Head beyond the bridge and climb up the mound of dirt on the righthand side. You'll see three barrels blocking your progress into the tunnel, but DO NOT go charging in. The floor in here is extremely slick and barging in will send you skidding right into a Barnacle just waiting for this opportunity to snack on the delicious brains of a theoretical physicist from MIT.

Instead, proceed slowly, and grab the barrel by pressing the "use" key and holding it in front of you. Slowly make your way to the first two waiting Barnacles and then offer them the barrel as a snack while you turn them into sponges with your pistol. Next, if you want to have a little fun, grab one of the red barrels and send it rolling down the incline to the next set of Barnacles waiting down there. The Barnacles will start sucking up the barrel quickly, so wait until the barrel is halfway up and then give it some rapid pistol fire for a low-tech grenade effect. There will be more Barnacles that weren't taken out by the first blast, so grab the other barrel and repeat. Once the Barnacles are out of the way, grab the medkits and get ready to drop down into the water for the next segment.

Move up the dirt pile, and through the small opening. You slide down and land in front of two Barnacles. Give them some nice barrels to chew on (non-flammable) and move ahead.

Equip your Pistol, pick up the Flammable Barrel and roll it down the slope. Shoot it once, so it explodes when the Barnacle takes it in its grasp. That takes care of some of them. Slide down that slope with the other Barrel and do the same for the remaining Barnacles.

Collect the MedPacks and jump into the water ahead. Swim to your right and watch out for the Gasoline Barrels which drop in. Swim to the ladder to the far left and swim to the flimsy wooden structure to get to the plank where a civilian in lying dead. Shoot off any Metro Cops which may attack you.

Flammable Barrels are provided for your convenience. After the battle, head through the small pipe.

Here you will find one of the first puzzles in the game. A wooden plank is kept balancing on a barrel — kind of like a see-saw, eh? Put enough concrete blocks on the higher side of the plank to raise the plank so you can jump onto the ledge. Hop on and move ahead.

You are now in the main Canals section. Proceed down the slope while collecting the MedPacks on the way. Rush to your left and up onto the concrete ledge. Kill the barnacle, move the barrel in front of the blue door and get in. Descend the stairs and get the MedPacks (you need these after the Helicopter pounding). Go up again and move through the small opening in the wall. Get some much needed supplies over here. Head to your left and crouch below the water to get some additional MedPacks ahead. Don't forget to use your Flashlight.

Now go ahead and you will see some nicely placed barrels. Roll them down to keep the Barnacles busy and if you're in a mood to blow things up, do not hesitate to use the Gasoline Barrel. Once that's done, slide down and move left though another small pathway. Follow a similar pattern to get through this next section. Then slide down once again and take the stairs on the left to get out.

Open the door and wait for the Scanner to go right. Then quietly make your way outside and to the left. Get into another dungeon-like room with a badly burnt corpse. Fill up your inventory and proceed down the next flight of stairs.

Follow the narrow path ahead till you come see an explosive barrel again. Shoot the barrel and the one after that to clear things up. Hack your way through the wooden planks to meet up with some assistance ahead. This is where you'll come across a small rebel outpost. Here you'll be introduced to a new enemy, the Manhacks. They're small, flying robots that use their rotors to cut you up. Take these suckas out with some help from your rebel friend and your crowbar. After dealing with the Manhacks, go up the ladder and get a medkit, HEV energy capsule, and some ammo from the rebel's sleeping area and head across the wooden planks for some more ammo and HEV energy behind some boxes. Go down the tunnel the Manhacks came out of and take out some more Manhacks.

Continue down the corridor and watch three more scanners come up behind the metal gate. Shoot them down from the other side itself and then open the door. Now, around this corner are some pretty spectacular fireworks lined up for you.

Quickly move forward and shoot the farthest gasoline barrel you can see. Then backtrack again behind the safety of the door and witness the fireworks. This should take care of the two Manhacks hidden in the dark.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31226 caption: There are loads of supplies in this room. Just watch out for the Scanner in the duct leading to this room.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31225 caption: Metro Cops are in disturbing numbers.

Move along till you get to another door which leads outside. Don't forget the supplies in the adjacent room. Equip your pistol and wait for two Metro Cops to come up on the street. Clear out the debris which blocks the door ahead and move in. A few scanners come in behind you; but it's nothing you cannot handle. Jump down onto the small landing below and get to the vent in the wall. Break it with the crowbar and wait for a well placed Manhack to come and attack. Crawl through the shaft and get to a room with supplies.

Make your way back through the shaft and shoot the Metro Cop who comes on the opposite ledge. Shoot the gasoline barrel next to him and watch him plunge into the drain below. Jump down and you'll be greeted by a new music track. Kill off any incoming Metro Cops and don't forget to take their SMGs. Once in the chamber with the opening above, crouch into the small area to your right for some supplies.

When you come out, another Metro Cop makes his way down. Finish him off and continue right.



There's this cool Water Blender blending its way through liters of blue liquid in the next area. Dive in and go though the small opening in the left wall. You can surface if you need more air through a small opening provided. Swim ahead and come up through the last opening.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31230

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31229

Shoot the patrolling the pipeline and turn left to get to an open area. Shoot the two Metro Cops who airdrop and two more who come out on the street above.

Collect the supplies and move up the pipe. Careful with those steam vents, they lower your health. Collect the supplies lying around and take care of a few Scanners which come by. Get off the pipe when you see the Lambda sign, get the supplies nearby and crouch through the crawl-space on your right. Jump into the water and climb the ladder ahead to get out. Here you will be ambushed by several Metro Cops. Engage them with your SMG. On proceeding ahead, you will see an opening in the right hand wall. Go through and keep your SMG armed for kicking some serious Manhack-butt. If they had butts. Keep in mind that throughout this section, the crowbar continues to be an effective weapon against Manhacks. Just be sure to time your swings.

Follow the small passage into a dimly lit room where you will find some supplies. Crawl through and break the hatch with your crowbar. You drop off into a huge room with crap load of Gasoline Barrels around. Wait for the Scanners to come and then shoot one of the barrels to set off a chain reaction. Shoot down any remaining scanners after the fireworks end. A word of caution; constantly keep moving to avoid being hurt by the explosive barrels. Then climb to the top of the ladder and jump on the wide pipe. Make your way to the landing below and go into the next room.

Jump on the pipes and make your way down to the red valve. Turn the valve and watch the water level rise. Break the supply crate and get the MedPacks. Climb the ladder and go into the previous room again.

Don't worry about the Manhacks there, just jump into the water and move through the small red pipe. Climb up the ladder for some air. You need to break the wooden planks at the bottom of the floor so you get the buoyant crates and cable-rolls to surface. Once you do that, just hop onto one of them to get to the other side.

Move ahead and get to another ladder on your left. Climb it and jump on the wooden planks. Shoot down the Manhacks roaming about and crouch jump into the alley below. Move ahead and kill three Metro Cops; two in front and one behind. Climb the small ledge on your left for some supplies and proceed ahead. Shoot down three Manhacks and go straight for some supplies. Then go through the small opening, climb the ladder and get down at the other side. Don't forget the supplies near the Lambda signs.

Jump down and make your way to the Civilian check-post. Get some much needed supplies and push forward. The shelling is about to begin. As you move forward, the first shell hits and closes off the path behind you. Move ahead and get to an open area. Headcrabs have infested this area and turned the rebels here into zombies. Just keep your crowbar handy and a firearm on fastswitch and you should do fine. Also, keep in mind that the zombies like to throw debris at you, so try not to let them walk up to barrels and such unless you like introducing your face to such objects at high velocity.

About midway through the yard there's a live electrical wire dangling across a plank. Try to time the swinging of the wire so that you can cross by unscathed. A zombie will attack you at close range directly after this, kill him and go through the cargo container. Collect the supplies in here, but be careful not to touch the sides as the container is electrified and will zap you hard. Be prepared for another headcrab rocketship on the other side of the container.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31237 caption: The Zombies may seem dead .... but they aren't. Shoot them from a safe distance.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31236 caption: Headcrabs spring out of nowhere ..... keep your eyes peeled!!

Just follow the linear path thorough the debris and deal with any pesky headcrabs which you may encounter. Now right at this next turning, you see two dead zombies. Shoot them from a distance, and they will magically spring to life.

After they're done, move through the shiny hazardous liquid to the next area. Watch out for any electric wires on the way. On sight of the electrified container, you are blessed with a few more headcrabs. After dealing with them, move through the container (don't worry about the electricity, if you move quickly, it doesn't zap you), get the supplies and kill some more headcrabs on the other side.

There's this radiation zombie who comes out of the liquid with a huge splash, obviously he doesn't live to tell anyone about it. Head across the wooden planks to the left and into the workstation where the rebels keep the airboat. Hop in the airboat and use the wide open lake of radioactive waste to get your airboat piloting skills up to muster. Don't forget about the great jump opportunities off the makeshift ramps in the center of the lake.

Take the airboat and head out into the vast expanse of green goop. Head straight out and take a left. Then take a right and come straight to come near a small pile of earth infested with headcrabs. Kill them at your discretion.

Move through the swamp to get to a mechanical pulley gate. Park your airboat, kill off the headcrab hiding behind the crates and raise the doors of the gate. When the door is up, hop back in the airboat and head through the gate to the next chapter, Water Hazard.

Move through the canal at full speed and don't forget to ram into the supply crate on the way.