Premise: the guide is not aimed at achieving S rank or to complete the mission in the shortest time possible. We don't want to be pundits and we don't care about the maximum rank. For those there are rather standard guides which consist of three phases: go to the airport, use fulton cargo 2, escape. S. The player's soul is not satisfied, according to the writer, from this list, which may very well be checked later after having "lived" the title. Then the following are to be taken as advice and experiences lived in first person and that can help - and not flesh out - yours, of experience. Having said that, happy reading!
La mission number 16 by Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, "The Party of Traitors", it can be difficult the first time you face it - and you speak from lived experience. The freedom proposed by the last chapter of the saga conceived by Hideo Kojima (if by chance his name escaped you during the game) can make missions take unwanted and different folds and this mission is no exception, indeed.
In this mission in the Central African savannah, Big Boss is called in to steal a truck that, according to several rumors, carries a cargo of value directed to Cipher, sworn enemy of Big Boss and the recomposed Diamond Dogs. All very simple, if only the truck wasn't heavily protected by (at least) two tanks and did not contain - beyond the content - unexpected gifts in the form of four Skulls (or Skulls) in the service of the bad guy. The mission turned out to be more difficult than on paper and, despite the length it can take, in some ways revealing.
Quiet!
Let's start with theequipment. Hypothetically, we are in the helicopter about to accept the mission. If we're not, it'll be even more fun. Playing with what you have at the moment, after several missions in a row or a simple free-roaming, can be rewarding, but we try to be at best with what we have. Much depends on the progress made by the R&D team, etc., but the limit of places in each sector can, in fact, limit the player's possibilities considerably. More or less in this phase of the game, trying to "convince" the best soldiers, the R&D team could be around level 25. The GMPs are what they are, so the various mines (anti-vehicle, magnetic, etc.) may not be available, so let's do our best without.
The fundamental choice is between two weapons: a rocket launcher (ex: GROM-11) e a sniper rifle (ex: M2000-D with silencer). The choice is whether to deal with tanks (with the first) or the truck driver (with the second). The writer has a small addiction to sniper rifles… so he chose the rocket launcher. Even the fact that like partner he chose himself Quiet, a sniper who has one of the best weapons in the game - the CPU - instead of the recommended D-Walker, helped with that choice. Quiet can certainly help you hit the driver from a distance, stopping the truck, but listening to you is at its discretion and it happened that it did it as if it decided to let the driver escape, an action that generated frenzied foot chases. The other primary weapon of choice was a Shotgun, 2 buckshot per load (ex: the RASP SB SG). The range with the pump-rocket launcher combo (counted) is a problem, but the shotgun proved very useful in the success of the mission. Count that you will have to face the Skulls, and they will laugh in your face with an assault rifle, but if you have really chosen an assault rifle, at that point you should use the rocket launchers (if you have the shots).
As secondary weapon, tranquilizer gun. You never know, do you? As for the uniform, something green or brown or more expensive sneaking suits are the two main choices. Various grenades are handy and it's hard not to find them already in your backpack. One of the focal points of the mission, beyond theNova Braga airport, it's a neighboring crossroads where a handful of well-armed soldiers and a four-wheeled vehicle are stationed. Get rid of them, deciding whether to opt for stealth or go "guns blazing" as they say in English, throwing yourself at breakneck speed on poor soldiers. It is nice, then, to lose 5 minutes of play to position the vehicle perfectly in the center as an obstruction to see the tank that sends it to the air, not giving a damn.
When you see on the horizon the firing squad consisting of Wagon 1, Truck, Wagon 2, with Quiet in position, various paths open up, but with a single common denominator: the tanks must disappear or be bypassed. If you don't want to get their attention, but just “poke them”, a lure or a smoke grenade will at least slow them down. Whether you are the sniper or Quiet, aim well. The tanks will look around a bit, and this is where the rocket launcher kicks in. Planting C4 and mines could also destroy the Truck that interests us, making us fail the mission, so better be careful. If you prefer a more aggressive approach, throw a rocket against Chariot 2, the one that closes the platoon, then reloads during the punctual Reflex Mode and hits Tank 1. Not one of the cleanest ways, but the tanks should stop moving and, depending on where you are, another rocket launcher shot each and you don't have to worry about them anymore.
Hitting Chariot 1 first, the leading one, proved more counterproductive than the first proposal, which is why it is to be discarded. If for some reason the driver of the truck is still alive (Quiet ...) then he will be running away like a madman and you will have to chase him. The D-Walker would help you in the chase but is slower than the horse (which, on the other hand, is not offensive). You can choose to move Quiet, but she is not the same person who shot down a helicopter in flight, so rely on her only for support against the soldiers. Anyway, when we get too close to the truck, whatever the outcome of our tactic, 4 Skulls will spill out and surround the truck. The away faster is to throw some smoke grenades, get close to the truck and use the fulton cargo 2, a very useful upgrade to the iconic balloon that allows you to lift heavy objects and vehicles. Don't even think about getting on the truck and guide him away from the Skulls: they will reach you and destroy you with the load in a matter of seconds. You can also choose to kill, the Skulls. They are quite manageable… depending on where you are. One point in their favor is that you no longer have to worry about tanks, because soldiers will be affected by Skulls and will become zombie-like.
Checkpoint 12, halfway between the Airport (south) and Kiziba Camp (north).
In the case of this writer, after several attempts, the truck ended up in a checkpoint close, stopping for an unnatural post-checkpoint stop (number 12 on the African map, halfway between Nova Braga Airport and Kiziba Camp). The checkpoint turned out to be the perfect terrain to take on the Skulls: in the general excitement the fulton cargo 2 was totally forgotten. Lo Skulls script will "trigger" at a precise distance from the truck, then you can decide to eliminate any soldiers or let them become zombies. In doing so they will lose the use of weapons and will be much more meek. The problem is the Skulls, jumping from side to side. Get them away from the truck to make sure it doesn't get destroyed.
Quiet can provide covering fire, but explosions, missiles and shotguns are the weapons that really hurt these inhuman beings. If you end up at the roadblock, houses or tents will be your best friends. The Skulls will not enter, but watch out for the spikes under your feet - move away to avoid the explosion, but with any luck you will regain the lost health and the Skulls will line up for your shots. Running like crazy isn't an official guide solution - but hey, running away and reloading worked with this writer! The rocket launcher is an even better idea with its extended damage, but it takes longer to reload. Furthermore, staying with only one Skull helps a lot in learning his attack patterns for the future. For example, Skulls can: shoot you, try to hit you with a machete, cause painful and explosive things to pop up below you. In the open field, facing the Skulls is much more challenging, but psychologically prepare to face them: after all, part of the mission is also to follow the truck and take it wherever you want in view of the challenge with the Skulls. The truck is located at the airport, if you want the point of origin, from there it will start touching various checkpoints. L'The truck's route is from Nova Braga airport to beyond Kiziba Camp, and if the truck reaches a certain position, you will have failed the mission.
Trust me, not so much worth it enter the airport (east area) and be discovered without a vehicle to help you inchase, which will depart at the exact instant in which the soldiers will alert. If you throw yourself anyway - with the risk of ending up in a loop - prefer the D-Horse to the D-Walker: it's faster. The safest thing to do, in fact, is not even go near the airport. Wait for it to leave, so you can set up a trap between the airport and Kiziba Camp and make your own truck. The airport is a place full of cargo of raw materials but with a high risk of being discovered: go there later. In case of failure, you can count (but not too much) on automatic checkpoints which sometimes remove the “aggro” of the soldiers & Co, allowing you a better restart.
Mission accomplished!
Mission 16 can take several turns and quickly become very chaotic. It can happen that a tank that you thought destroyed and alive and well and arrives 5 minutes later in complete calm, destroy the truck on more than one occasion, or die at the same time against the last remaining Skull. In the end it is up to the player to prefer a more tactical or more aggressive approach; don't go to the lion's cave, but wait for the lion to come out, it makes more sense than risking to be discovered in a place that is full of soldiers like the airport.
► Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a Shooter-Tactical-Adventure type game published by Konami for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 01/09/2015 The version for PC came out on 15/09/2015
