Your start off in a dark elevator shaft and Dog follows soon behind you. You are actually in the same area where you began, near the train station. Move through the debris and out onto the open street. Once there, you will witness some very cool scripted scenes with Dog smashing the Combine resistance by hurling cars at them. He will then open the metal gate for you to get in.

Dog then flies off while trying to attack a Combine Dropship. Make your way through the building rubble, back to the Train Station Square. Go over the crooked fence to your left and move into the building. Then take a left and jump over the big pile of concrete. Move out onto the small alley to find a Resistance soldier shooting some Manhacks. Follow her into the main square and see a group of Rebels demolishing one of the many screens put up over the city. Once they're done, they join up with you to provide assistance.

Then look up to the High Combine Outpost; it's manned by two more Rebels who provide you with some supplies. Then move to the shiny metal gate on your right and wait for some Metro Cops to open it. Engage them and move up the stairs.

You will find another rebel from the resistance over here. She warns us about the Hoppers which have been placed all over the place. Hoppers are basically like mines which spring up and explode if you go near them. Use your Gravity Gun to pick each one up and replant them with the alternate fire key to set them in the neutral mode (for you and you and the Resistance only). Once you're done, go down through the hole in the floor and kill any headcrabs in the area. Go through the house and collect some supplies on the way. Kill one solitary headcrab on the other side and meet up with the female soldier. Get the neutralized Hoppers and plant them near where you are if you need to use them.

Make your way through the dark passage and wait for a Resistance medic to come join you. Once on the street, you will see a Strider in all its glory, shooting a Rebel on the other side of the rubble. It fires a shot or two and then goes away. Now kill the Combine Soldier on the Overwatch down the street. Then deal with a few headcrabs and dodge the Manhacks who drop some more Hoppers. Neutralize these, and move ahead through the desolate street. Be sure to carry one Hopper with you just in case. Clear out the dark passage littered with furniture with your Gravity Gun. Neutralize the Hopper in your way and keep it ready to be thrown. As soon as the Metro Cop starts shooting from the opposite Balcony, hurl the Hopper towards him and watch him die. Kill another Metro Cop who comes in from the left.

To your right is a small shack with two Hoppers and a few Med Packs. Clear out the Hoppers on your way to the shack and keep one armed with your Gravity Gun. The moment you enter the shack, a Metro Cop starts attacking from the opposite building window. Take care of him with the Hopper and move to left corner of the area with a gasoline barrel next to a wall. Shoot the barrel or move it with your Gravity Gun. Then move the steel panel to get to a secret room filled with ammunition and supplies. Once done, proceed down the stairs; again with one Hopper armed to take down three Metro Cops near another red shack in the distance. Stay clear of any Manhacks who drop more Hoppers from the heavens. Proceed with caution, for there is another Metro Cop in the shack. Take him by surprise, collect all the supplies in the area and go through the door near the supply crate.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31477 caption: ...Take care of the Met.Cop, with the Hopper and move to left corner of the area with a Gasoline Barrel next to a wall.

image: http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31478 caption: Behind a sheet of metal here, crouch down to get some useful supplies.

You are now in a building complex. Battles are now going to be fought at close range. Generally, try to stay ahead of your squad to avoid any ambushes. Use your SMG here as ammo is plentiful in this level. Move up the stairs on your right to the top floor and enter the house. Take care of the Zombie in the kitchen and another one in the last room on the left. Collect six rounds for the Magnum. The Magnum is very effective even at long ranges — it kills most enemies with only one headshot.

Move down the stairs and out into the open. Neutralize any Hoppers and go left towards the broken bridge. Meet up with a wounded Rebel under it. Then go through the small dark passage on your left. In the room ahead, get all the supplies and kill one headcrab hiding amongst the crates. Then move up the cramped staircase to get to a small lobby. Make your way up the staircase on your right and see two Combine Soldiers coming in behind the glass door.

Move into the house and wait for two of them to attack from the front, then two more start shooting from the room behind you. One comes out from the torture room ahead on your right. Engage the hostiles and collect all the supplies on the floor before making your way to the room leading to the street below.

Once there, take out the two Metro Cops on the street and descend onto the lower floor from the opening. Make a very discreet landing and quickly use your Gravity Gun to take care of the Automated Turret. Do the same thing for the one on the street outside. Now take the Hopper outside and keep it armed. This is the scene of one of the bloodier battles you will encounter. Once you proceed, Metro Cops are spawned en masse and they will continue to spawn as long as you keep fighting them. You must keep your squad in the safety of the small room, then move ahead, armed with a Hopper and kill the first wave of Metro Cops just as they are coming out of the door of the yellow apartment. Then move through the door on your left near the Gasoline Barrel and shoot the Metro Cop in the room.

Wait for your squad to come and then proceed ahead. Use the Hopper to kill the Metro Cop on the stairs. Go up the stairs, get the supplies, and jump through the hole in the floor to the other side of the locked door. Step out carefully because there will be a Metro Cop on the roof shooting at you. Take him down with the crossbow and then move right. Shoot down the three Metro Cops on the metal platform. Do not activate the switch to open the gates. Then move up into the yellow building and take care of any incoming Metro Cops from the safety of the building. Once done, you can then use the Health Station below. Move into the small passage — there's one Metro Cop in each of the two rooms on your left. Take them down, get all the supplies and head out down the stairs. You might want to scan the map again to make sure you have collected all ammunition and supplies.

Once down the stairs, don't touch the tempting supply crates. Move into the narrow passage with your squad and kill the Metro Cop at the end of the hall. Metro Cops then come out of each room. The best trick here is to get up close and personal and shove some rounds in their face. Your squad will cover you and clear out any remaining Metro Cops. After the small battle, collect all the supplies on the floor and head down the small staircase. Shoot the Metro Cop hiding behind the wooden counter and face the dark narrow passage. Go a little further and arm your Gravity Gun with one of the green file cabinets in the passage. As soon as the three Metro Cops start attacking, smack it in their face. If this doesn't work for you, then I suggest you use some grenades and take care of the incoming forces. Of course, you have your squad to assist you, so don't sweat it too much.

When I played this level, I chose to have two medics with me; they are better than having only one for the simple fact that they heal themselves and the others in your squad. Move forward through the bloody mess; Collect all the supplies and ammunition and make your way down the stairs at the end of the hall. Now there are three turrets in the room below so you better ask your squad to stay on the top floor. Then come down and wreak some havoc with your gravity gun and then ask them to come and join you again. At the end of the room, you can see a cleverly placed Zombie below the broken concrete floor; take him out before he can make his move and then jump down.

Move up the stairs and you will see some supply crates behind a locked gate. Use your Gravity Gun to get them on your side. Then move down the stairs again and take a right through the dark passage. Go through the door on your left.

You end up in a desolated underground tunnel. Now if you have managed to lose your entire squad, then you will have some resistance soldiers waiting for you. But if you have all four in one piece, then make your way through the passage without worrying. You will be swarmed by a lot of Scanners here, make slick use of your Gravity Gun and send then crashing into their concrete graves.

Make your way through the rubble and break open the closed gate. I suggest you keep your squad here and take care of the remaining resistance yourself, because you'll need the help later on. So then, keep them on the other side of the fence and move in. Collect the supplies and enter the dark passage. Manhacks will start attacking you, so engage them with your Gravity Gun. Through the broken glass, you can see four Metro Cops in the distance (two manning the turrets and two standing guard). The best way is to use your crossbow to take them out in this order:

• 1. Metro Cop in front of the left turret.
  
• 2. Metro Cop manning the left turret.
  
• 3. Metro Cop in front of the right turret (if he doesn't already come running at you)
  
• 4. Metro Cop manning the right turret.

Once done, collect all the supplies in the area and get your squad. Once ahead, the soldier will plant a charge to clear the way to the next side. At this moment more Metro Soldiers and Manhacks attack. Use the turret to your utmost pleasure. If the Manhacks become too much of a problem, let your squad handle the Soldiers and use the Gravity Gun to take down the Manhacks.

Then move though the small concrete crevice to get to the other side. You will see a very small crouch space in the wall ahead. Go through it to get to some hidden supply crates. The way ahead may seem tempting - you see nicely floating crates and cars - it's like they have been kept there solely so that you may pass. Well if you do, you will only see a plethora of Zombies (remember the one from Route Kanal?) who come to attack you. Now you may feel there's some nice supplies ahead, but that's not the case either. But apparently, the door to the next area is locked and this is the only way to get to the other side of it.

Once near the liquid, jump from the crates to get to the back of the red truck. You have some sawblades kept there, just like in old Ravenholm. And where there are blades, there are Zombies. So dispatch any incoming Zombies with the two blades provided and move through the green goop. Reach the broken concrete divider and wait for some more Zombies to surface from the green. Use the gasoline barrels provided to your advantage. The Gravity Gun is most useful here to hurl the gasoline barrels at incoming Zombies to thin their numbers. Then get to the end of the tunnel and move up the slanted pipe and into the ducts. Jump down and open the door ahead. Collect all the supplies, regroup with your squad, and move up the stairs.

Once up the stairs, you are back on the surface. The Combine are shelling their way through City 17; you now need to take them down. Move up the small open space into another building where you will see a rebel on the other side of the gate. Move in through the small door and go up the stairs. Make your way through the house to come near another flight of stairs. Climb them to reach another house. You can see the Combine Soldiers attacking the Resistance Soldiers outside. Do not attack them and waste ammo. Make your way through the house, collecting any supplies you may find and jump to the floor below from the huge hole. Collect the supplies here and move out of the house from the left. Join the small battle in the backyard and move in through the door on your right. There's a Metro Soldier on the roof — kill him from the backyard and then proceed into the building. Once inside, kill the three Metro Soldiers on the staircase and continue ahead. Get into the small house and go to the broken room. Below there is Metro Soldier waiting for you. Take him out by throwing a grenade and then jump down. Move right and kill off the Metro Soldier in the room. Wait for the Resistance Soldier to lower the bridge for you to get to the other side.

Follow the path through the house and up another set of stairs to come to a room filled with headcrabs. Deal with them and jump down to the floor below. Take care of any more headcrabs and Fast Zombies on your way down. Then follow the path to the left which leads outside. There is one Metro Cop on top of the small building and another one on top of the tall building. Take them out and proceed ahead to the small platform to your north. Kill any Metro Soldiers coming through that room with the Hoppers provided.

Go into the desolate building and kill the headcrabs and make your way up the rubble to the top floor. Once there, you will come onto a rooftop where you will be attacked by multiple Metro Soldiers. One of them throws grenades at you, so make short work of them by using your Gravity Gun. Once the area is clear, activate the bridge and wait for another Metro Soldier only to send him crashing below.

Forge ahead and jump into the room below. It's time now for some major close range skirmishes. Take out all the Combine forces who may attack you before proceeding through the room. You get plenty of supplies and ammunition once you've killed everyone. Move right and kill another two Metro Soldiers from behind the rubble. After the small explosion, two Metro Soldiers come up on the roof. Quickly engage them before going up the stairs yourself. Watch out for the well-placed barnacles. Once up, deal with a Fast Zombie, collect the supplies and jump into the other side of the room. Then move through the small exit on your right to see a bunch of Zombies attacking the Metro Soldiers. Go a little further, and lob a grenade in the midst of the fight; that should take care of almost everybody. But if someone still survives, you know what to do. Make your way down the rubble and follow the path to reach the next area.

Go straight through the narrow aisle and get the supplies on the way. Now in the next room, you will find some automated turrets on the floor below. Take them out with your Gravity Gun and then recharge at the health station and HEV station and wait for Alyx to come in through the door.

Then follow the straight path through the floor till you reach another health station and HEV charging station. You will encounter some resistance here, but nothing you can't handle. Further ahead, take the two doors and kill the three Metro Cops inside the room. Then proceed outside to take out the generator.

Cover Alyx till she uses the console to get the generator down. Handling the incoming forces from both sides is a little tricky; just make sure your squad is there till the shields are down. This may sound a little difficult, but in reality it's not. Also, make good use of the ample number of supply crates lying around. Once the shield is down, shoot the core with your Gravity Gun and wait for a few Metro Soldiers and two Combine Elites. Make use of your crossbow to take out the Combine Elites and quickly move past the gate.

Don't wait for Alyx to climb the building and get attacked, just jump into the small canal below and enter the door on your right. Make sure you get all the supplies before you move down the stairs.

Make your way through the small door on your right once you jump into the small aisle. Use the Gravity Gun to open the door. Then hack your way through the wooden planks and engage two Manhacks who attack. Then hit the barrels supporting the wooden ledge with your Grav Gun and move up the pipes and into the duct ahead. Take out any Manhacks who cross your path. Get out of the duct from the other side. Use your Grav Gun's primary firing mode to send all the Manhacks flying into the concrete. Take the two Med Packs near the elevator to your left and then proceed through the exit to your right.

You are now in a dilapidated staircase. The top right floor has a supply crate and three Metro Soldiers. Kill them and use the Grav Gun to get the goodies. Below, you will see a Zombie roaming around and finally, two floors below, you will be attacked by two more Metro Cops. The door ahead is blocked from the other side. Enter the room on your right, there's a Poison Headcrab hiding behind the door. I suggest you throw a grenade and blow the damn thing to smithereens. Then use the Grav Gun to unlock the door, then take the Med Packs and proceed.

You will see a very nice battle going on between the Combine Forces and the Zombies in a canal below. Shoot the Metro Soldier ahead, then kill any headcrabs who will dare your path and continue ahead till the end of the hallway. The Metro Soldier gets sucked by the Barnacle so you may pass. Kill the Poison HeadCrab once you are up the ramp. Take all the supplies, break the wooden column, and witness a scary scene as a few dead headcrabs fall down.

Then move back into the hallway and jump into the canal below. Now, explore this small area by yourself, killing off any (mostly poisonous) headcrabs and zombies and making sure you collect all the supplies before you set foot on the other side you the steep rubble which leads to the base of the factory.

Now you will now be at the base of this magnificently blue factory. Go up the pipes to reach the first landing and move closer to the bridge. A massive explosion will rock the surroundings and the bridge will collapse. Move from the sides of the concrete and get to the other side. Now get into the control room and replenish your health, suit, and supplies.

Flip the tempting switch and wait an eternity for the moving platform to come. Combine forces will start appearing in great numbers on the complex network of bridges and ledges above. I suggest you use your pulse rifle to make short work of the menacing foes. Also, don't forget the supply crate with the crossbow ammo, you're going to need it later on.

Once the platform comes to a halt, recharge again and collect any supplies in the area. Before hopping on, take the gasoline barrel off the platform, as you're going to come under some heavy firing. Then flip the switch again, and hop on. Watch out for more Combine enemies on the bridges above. Kill the two Metro Soldiers and move up on the ledge in front of you. As you approach the ladder to your left, Combine Elites come up on a walkway above you. They pack quite a punch with their pulse rifles with a damaging alternate fire. So you're better off crouching behind the metal and sniping them with your crossbow. Once done, climb up the ladder, play daredevil, and move to the other side. At this point, another soldier comes up in the control room below, so kill him with a grenade and move on.

As you move towards the second ladder, three more Elites cross your path. Snipe them and proceed ahead to the balcony leading to the next area. Once up the ladder, kill the soldier in the balcony and head through the door.

The next level is by far the most action-packed of all. You have a bunch of Rebels and Barney to take down a suppressor right in the heart of the Combine stronghold.