http://users.bart.nl/~jamin Shadows of the Empire Playing Guide 1. The Battle of Hoth Stage 1 The usual Imperial tactic for ground attack is to deploy a group of four Probe Droids in advance of the major land forces. An air-braked Snow Speeder sweep, parallel to the rebel emplacements,can take these out very quickly in a 'one, two, turn, three and four' formation. Stage 2 The Imperial's initial strike force consists of two AT-ST walkers supported by four Probe Droids. Fly to the edge of the engagement area and approach (air- braked) behind the Walkers. As you near the walker, pull out of your run and turn back before flying past (and thus into the line of fire of the Walker's cannon fire). Three slow approaches on each Walker should be enough to take them out. Stage 3 The second wave of Imperial attack consists of four Probe Droids and two AT-STs flanking an AT-AT walker. Approach this formation with caution. Survey the enemy layout and skirt the battlefield until your Snow Speeder is behind the Imperial direction of attack. Take out the AT-STs as described previously. Now engage the AT-AT from behind. Fly in quickly and, once close, engage the air brake and hold. At the signal, launch your harpoon and be ready to pilot your craft from the remote position. To trip an AT-AT, you'll have to circle it about four times. To circle clockwise, the joystick should be held diagonally down right, returning to the central neutral position to fly straight along the longer sides of the Walker. Tripping the AT-AT will gain pilots a Challenge Point. But beware: harpoons are limited on every level other than Easy. One Challenge Point is available at this stage. Stage 4 The final wave of Imperial attack will consist of three AT-STs and four Probe Droids supporting two AT-AT walkers. You should try to approach this battle as before, locating the rear of the battleground and concentrating initially on the AT-STs. You will be awarded a Challenge Point for each AT-AT harpooned and tripped. 2. Escape from Echo Base From the Snow Speeder hangar dispose of the Imperial forces and take the corridor on your right. Go through the door and enter the room with the red Cylinder. Opposite this cylinder is a secret door. The Challenge Point is located inside. Leave the room with the Cylinder and continue down the corridor. On your right you should see a stack of four boxes obscuring a secret room. This room contains Challenge Point 2 and some Health. Continue along the corridor and take a right turn towards the bridge. On the right, before the bridge, is a ledge containing Challenge Point 3. Cross the bridge and make your way carefully through the darkened section. Immediately the lights go on again, take a sharp right. Follow the ledge around for the fourth Challenge Point and some Seeker ammo. Make your way to the ramp, go to the right and jump into the cog room. Walk around the large cog to find Challenge Point 5. Now go back towards the ramp and climb up it. When you see an extra Life icon appear in the distance, jump carefully across the chasm to get it. When you turn around, you'll see Challenge Point 6 on your right. Jump back from the Extra Life area and make your way to the bridge. Jump down and to the left from here to find Challenge Point 7. Challenge Point 8 is located on the right of the giant cog. Either jump down from the bridge on the right or across from the Challenge Point 7 area. To get back up to the bridge level use the platforms around the edge of the Challenge Point 7 area. At the section with the long corridor where the ground begins to split, stand stationary at the beginning and wait for a Challenge Point to appear on your left. Kill the AT-ST and go down the corridor with the four stacked boxes. Shoot the Wampa imprisoned behind and make your way to the chasm. The final Challenge Point is located across a large jump. Boss The arc of fire of the Walker's single gun cannot protect it from rear attack, and its underbelly is only weakly armoured. Keep underneath the unit, avoiding the legs, and fire directly upwards. 3. Asteroid Field Six Challenge Points are concealed in the red asteroids which have to be destroyed before the Challenge Point is awarded. The asteroids re-generate if they are not hit with consecutive shots. The most effective way to destroy them is to bombard them with missiles. 4. Ord Mantell Junkyard Challenge Point 1 is on the first train during the jumping and ducking section. Jump to collect it. Jump over the first bar on the left-hand side of the train for Challenge Point 2. As the train turns to the left, the third Challenge Point is on the right about four bars after the second. Jump to collect. Kill the the skeleton guard and jump onto the boxcar train that arrives on your left. Challenge Point 4 is in the enclosed section. After the left-hand train has run into the mud, your train will start to climb. The fifth Challenge Point is above you (jump!) as the train passes through the opening in the wall. Move to the long boxcar train on the left. The sixth Challenge Point is in the third carriage along. Go to the carriage with the ramp running down the centre and climb up it. You can now access the Challenge Point floating between the carriages. In the last carriage of the train are two ledges with a Challenge Point hidden on the highest of the two. Jump up successively to access it. Challenge Point 9 is located on the right-hand side of the very last boxcar. Hurry back to the left-hand side to get on the locomotive. Challenge Point 10 is located on the pile of junk where IG-88 initially stands. Climb carefully to the top of either red cylinder and drop down carefully inside to collect the eleventh Challenge Point. Repeat the procedure for Challenge Point 11 on the other red cylinder. Boss A psychotic killer robot, IG-88 is to be approached with caution principally because of his speed and high weapons accuracy. Try to climb as high as possible, use rapid bursts of fire and move off quickly before you can be targeted. 5. Gall Spaceport Challenge Point 1 is on top of the Outrider. The rock provides a handy jumping up point. After walking around the ledge for quite a way, a branch to the right will lead to a raised rock formation. The Challenge Point is on top - you'll have to jump on the series of ledges to get it. Enter the first section of the Spaceport, travel on the lift to the section with the bridges and you'll find Challenge Point 3 located in mid air between the two. The safest way to collect this Point is to first collect the jet pack and then go back. Challenge Point 4 is on the roof of the observation tower. Jet to the first rock in the canyon and then across to the one on your right. The Challenge Point here is located far into the sky. You have enough fuel to get up to it but you'll have to turn your jet pack off once you have it to increase your rate of fall. Turn the pack on before you hit the ground. In the cave with the skiff transport, jet down to the bottom of the chasm to pick up a Challenge Point and a full health pack. Before leaving this cave, walk to the front of it and jet pack out, up and to the left. There is a ledge near the top with the seventh Challenge Point and some Seeker ammo. After the Skiff ride, you'll arrive at the hangar. Before you ente the hanger, you must jetpack all the way across to the other side of the canyon to a small ledge. Here you'll find the eighth Challenge Point and some Pulse Cannon ammo. After you've defeated the AT-ST, Challenge Point 9 will become available on the ledge. In the section with the horizontal fans, the tenth Challenge Point is located between the second and third fan as you descend. In the large open cavern, after the fan section, the eleventh Challenge Point is high up against the wall on the left. This Challenge Point appears midway through the second Skiff ride. Jump to get it. The thirteenth Challenge Point is hovering above the Imperial Freighter. The last two Challenge Points are complicated by the fact that Boba Fett will be attacking you. You should jet pack out of the arena on to the level just above the canyon floor. Run around this area until you find the fourteenth Challenge Point. Jet down to the Canyon floor and run around for a while until you can find a point where you can jump down even lower. Down here you'll find a closed hangar door with a Challenge Point located in front of it. Boss Only engage Fett at long distance and take swift evasive action from incoming missile fire. Make use of the jet pack to collect health packs and power ups as necessary. Tackle Slave 1 from underneath in a similar fashion to the AT-ST. 6. Beggars Canyon Challenge Point 1 is on a raised ledge to the right after the first ramp you come to. Jump from the top of the ramp at a slight angle and raise the front end of your bike to land on the ledge. Keep left after the first Challenge Point. The second Point is on the left side of the crashed ship. The third Challenge Point is in mid air above the second ramp. Pull back to ensure you collect it. Return to Challenge Point 3's ramp and jump from it an angle to the right. Challenge Point 4 is on a raised ramp to the right. Before you pass through the tunnel, Challenge Point 5 can be found in the corner of the large building on the right. At the same large building, go behind the counter and left into the corner. You'll find Challenge Point 6 here. When you see the dark red structure ahead of you, Challenge Point 7 is hidden in a corner on the left. Shortly after Challenge Point 8, you come to another large building with a counter. Challenge Point 8 is here in a similar position to Challenge Point 6. As you exit the town, take a sharp left. Challenge Point 9 is located here. As you ride through the desert, Challenge Point 10 will be over the Sarlacc pit. Keep a reasonable speed as you fly over it to ensure that you don't get sucked in - easily done. Another Sarlacc pit holds Challenge point 11. As you enter Beggars Canyon, you pass through a short tunnel and approach a second. The final Challenge Point is on top here and can be accessed by flying up either the left or right ramp before turning sharply left or right. Boss There are ten Swoop Gang members to eliminate. Fly alongside the enemy and hold their speed. Use your bike to force the riders into walls or other obstructions. You'll find that the best opportunities for this come at arches and doorways in Mos Eisley and the narrow sections of the road out to Beggars Canyon. 7. Imperial Freighter Suprosa Go through the first door. The first Challenge Point is in the room on your left. Go past the Storm Trooper accommodation and turn right to find Challenge Point 2. Pass by the second set of spinning cogs and go all the way around the cog on the left. The Challenge Point is in the corner. After the final set of revolving cogs, the fourth Challenge Point is on top of a ledge to the right. You can jump up to get it. Step on the revolving platform and duck the high bar and jump over the low one. The fifth Challenge Point is on the long structure in front of you. Challenge Point 6 is located in the same position as Challenge Point 5 on the opposite side of the room. Challenge Point 7 is in the freight room, behind the first door on the right on the left side of the second floor (on the left as you enter the room), hidden inside a box.In the same large room, on the right side of the second floor behind the door on the far right as you face it (nearest the wall where you entered the freight room) is a Challenge Point hidden in a box. After crossing the bridge to the right side of the freight room on the third floor, Challenge Point 9 is in a box in the middle room. After you beat the Loader Droid, Challenge Point 10 is behind the Super Computer. Boss To destroy the Droid, fire with Blaster or Pulse Rifle ammunition, side step, turn slightly and step forward to aim back at the droid before firing again. This tactic (circle strafing) will keep you moving around the Droid in a circular fashion and if carried out quickly enough, always one step ahead of any retaliation. 8. Sewers of Imperial City Descend the spiral pipe and make your way along the corridor at the bottom. Take a left and a right and you should see a small niche on your left. Activate the secret door here, kill the guard and collect the first Challenge Point. When you arrive at the large vaulted room, shoot the two small Dianoga in the water and then dive in. The second Challenge Point is underwater by the first pillar on the left. In the large circular room, there are two switches underwater. When activated, these will open up an underwater room just above them, containing the third Challenge Point as well as a red extra Life icon. Jet pack up about three-quarters of the height of the circular room and enter the pipe. Follow this pipe and jet pack up at the end of it. At the top, you see a square corridor. The fourth Challenge Point is down here on the left. Return from Challenge Point 4 and jet pack down the shaft about half way. Enter the square corridor, move along to the next shaft and jet pack down. Enter the pipe here and find the Challenge Point at the end. Open the security door and shoot the Dianoga before jumping in the water. The Challenge Point is underwater in the left-hand corner. When you surface in the room with the rotating arm, the seventh Challenge Point will be up near the ceiling in the centre of the room. Jet pack up to it. In the next circular room along, the Challenge Point is underwater in the centre along with some Disruptor Ammo. After you have passed through the revolving gears and through a door, keep to your right. The final Challenge Point will be found in a small alcove on your left. Boss Maintain a central position above the mouth of the Giant Dianoga while aiming at the eye. Only shoot tentacles that are a direct threat. Do not drop too close to the mouth and keep a close watch on your air supply, using the jet pack to re- surface when you need more oxygen. 9. Xizor's Palace Pass through the automatic door and enter the room with two levels. On the second level is a switch which, when activated, opens a door directly opposite it. The Challenge Point is inside but be quick as the door closes very quickly. When you reach the first elevator, jet pack to the upper switch and activate it. This enables you to jet pack to the bottom of the shaft where the second Challenge Point is waiting along with an extra life and some Disruptor ammo. Cross the second bridge, but, before its end, jet pack off and around to the right. Fly through the window, shoot the guard and claim the second Challenge Point and extra ammo. Activate the switch and jet pack back up to the top of the elevator shaft. In a small niche is the fourth Challenge Point and some disruptor ammo. At the section with the cogs, move to the second one and jet pack down. At the bottom is Challenge Point 5. Behind Challenge Point 5 is a secret door that leads down a hallway and into an area where you can fly up to the sixth Challenge Point. Get out of this area back at the cog. When you get to the section which has a ledge running alongside the big cogs, jet pack right down to the ground and you can collect Challenge Point 7 on your right. In the circular tower room where you need to activate the green switches, you'll find Challenge Point 8 located in a small niche just below the lowest platform. On the lowest platform (and on the opposite side to the green switch), a secret door is hidden at the end of one of the blind corridors. Challenge Point 9 is inside. Rather than take the final bridge, through to the Gladiator droid, turn the other way and open the secret door at the opposite end. Challenge Point 10 is behind along with some disruptor ammo. Boss One of the most powerful armaments in Xizor's armoury, the Gladiator Droid, divides into three autonomous units which must be destroyed one after another before the machine itself can be completely destroyed. 1. Keep to the rear of the machine and fire up from as close as possible. Circle strafing (described previously) can also be used. Use Blaster fire and conserve more powerful ammunition for Stages 2 and 3. 2. Jet pack to the central section and hit the Stage 2 droid with rapid bursts of pulse, seeker or disruptor fire. When counter-attacked with Seekers, drop down and shelter against the wall. Jump back to the central section and repeat. 3. The best tactic with the head is to try and stay directly beneath it. Fire up, preferably with the Flame Thrower. If you are forced to use disruptor fire, make sure you're far enough away, shoot quickly and then keep moving to avoid taking damage from your own shot. 10. Skyhook Battle Your flight to the Skyhook will be hampered initially by an attacking fleet of TIE Fighters and TIE Bombers. Attack these using the same tactics as in your escape from Hoth (Mission 3). Briefly: use missiles on the more dangerous bombers and phaser fire for the fighters. Once at the Skyhook, your first objective is to knock out its defensive turrets, one on the end of each of its four arms. These turrets can quickly re-generate any damage inflicted on them. Attack the first along the same axis as the arm they protect as this reduces the likelihood of hits from the turrets on either side. Approach with brakes on and hit the turret with a rapid salvo of missiles and phaser fire. During this attack run, weave your ship to avoid incoming turret fire. Once turret one is destroyed, attack the next from that direction (thus eliminating incoming fire from turrets other than the one you're attacking) and repeat your attack run. Turrets three and four can be destroyed in a similar fashion. While you are engaging the turrets, ignore the battle taking place around the Skyhook: the Star Destroyer is immune to attack and other Rebel forces will engage the defending TIE Fighters. When all the turrets are destroyed, enter the Skyhook structure at the end of one its four arms. Approach the opening with air brakes full on and navigate down the arm avoiding the obstructions. As you approach the reactor core, fire one missile. Now turn left and fly out of the arm directly ahead of you. Exit the arm at the end, release the air brake and make a rapid 360 swooping turn to re-enter the arm, again with air brakes fully on. Repeat this attack plan until you have hit the reactor core from each arm entrance. When your fourth and final missile hits home, you will need to try and exit the Skyhook at full speed, but still managing to avoid all the obstacles in your path. If you don't make it in time, you will be destroyed along with the Space Station as the reactor core turns critical and explodes.