Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - FAQ/Walkthrough - Page 1

Troubled by Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater? Check out this FAQ and walkthrough, written by Lestat Jones.

Section 1 - Basics of the Game

You can find most of the following information in this section in your MGS3 manual. However, I am expanding the information in the manual. This section can be useful for:

-Those who lost their manual, or do not have one.

-Those who have one but just can't quite understand the fundamentals.

-Those who have ignored other things in their life and have just decided to read this for the hell of it.

If you missed an explanation in the game, or don't bother paying attention, this part of the FAQ will save your ass.

CONTROLS

Directional Pad: Stalking. This applies to walking and crawling.

Left Analog Stick: Normal movement. Use this to move Snake, there are two moving speeds, running and walking. Press this toward a wall to stick against it. It is also used to navigate the menus.

Right Analog Stick: Camera movement. You can move the stick to orient the camera, in a way such that you can keep track of the action at hand. Once you move the stick where you want to see, press R3 to hold the camera in place. Moves Snake on the radio screen. With the new 3rd Person Camera, the right analog stick controls the direction of the camera. You can revolve it all around Snake, above him, or over him.

Triangle: The action button. You use this to push barrels, climb trees/ladders, open doors, etc. In cutscenes it is used to zoom in, use the left analog stick while zoomed into move the camera around.

Square: The weapon button. You use this button to fire your gun, throw your grenade, or attack with the knife. It's pressure sensitive, the function of which differs from weapon to weapon. When barehanded, you can drag fallen enemies by holding the button and using the left analog stick.

Circle: Confirm/CQC. You use it to confirm a selection in the menu, and to do bare-handed techniques in-game. This includes CQC, grabbing in general, and knocking on walls. It is also used to call on the radio screen.

X: Crouch/Prone. New to MGS3 there are two levels to pressing this button. While standing, a tap will make you crouch, another tap will make you stand back up, but if you hold the button, you're go straight into prone position. This also works the other way around, a quick tap from prone puts you in crouch, but a hard press from prone will make you stand up. Moving while crouched will make you go prone and crawl. Pressing X while running will make you roll, rolling now goes over/onto any climbable object (waist-high). If you hold the button while rolling you'll go straight into prone position.

R1: First Person view. You cannot move while in first person, but you can attack with any weapon, and crouch. When crawling through tall grass, you will automatically go into first person view, you can move while this is occuring. You can also use this button with first person weapons like the sniper rifle, to strafe and stand on the tip of your toes.

R2: While holding this button you can use the left analog stick to choose from the list of currently equipped weapons. While stuck up against a wall you can peek out from the right side. While in first person you can lean to the right.

R3: Switches between classic MGS camera, and 3rd Person View camera. Zooms in on Snake in the radio screen.

L1: Using this, you can point your weapon in a fixed direction and move. Also, you can raise the accuracy of some weapons using this button, as you hold the weapon against your shoulder. When close, it auto-aims. When 3rd Person View camera is being used, it puts the camera behind Snake.

L2: While holding this button you can use the left analog stick to choose from the list of currently equipped accessories. While stuck up against a wall you can peek out from the left side. While in first person you can lean to the left.

L3: Interrogation. Used during CQC to get information out of the enemy.

Start: Use the start button to enter/exit the Survival Viewer.

Select: Use the select button to enter/exit the Radio screen.

GAME BASICS

The bare-bones of MGS2 remain intact in this game, especially indoors. This time, however, the main focus of the game is the jungle and large, outdoor environments. To survive here, the game provides you with multiple new layers of gameplay to both have at your disposal, and concurrently keep you on your toes as well. This section will keep you up to date with the old, prepare you for the new, and generally get you started on your mission.

DIFFICULTY LEVELS

Metal Gear Solid 3, while always trying to balance between fun and difficulty, let's the player decide the basic level of threat they can assume, based on experience and confidence. Many games have this, but MGS has more levels than most, and probably more incentive to experiment with the majority of them. Most of the difficulties are admittedly probably a bit too easy for a consistant game player, then again, here you are reading a walkthrough. Difficulty levels influence a wide range of game properties including:

-Guard placement
-Number of guards
-Distance of guards' vision
-Distance of guards' hearing
-Amount of time guards stay unconcious
-Amount of chokes it takes to make a guard unconcious
-Amount of time guards stay asleep
-Time it takes for tranquilizers to kick in
-Aggressiveness of guards' AI
-Complexity of guards' tactics
-Maximum starting health
-Amount of general damage taken
-Amount of general damage given
-Speed of stamina decreasing
-Amount of ammo you can carry
-Starting equipment
-Intensity of boss patterns and tactics

Four of the five available difficulty levels are accessible from the start, completing the game once unlocks Extreme difficulty. The following is the specifics of each difficulty, choose your first playthrough well, I don't believe any of these difficulties are going to keep you from missing out on the story, so be confident and keep the challenge to what sounds appropriate to you.

Very Easy
"A very easy game. For beginners."

Incredibly easy difficulty. This was designed for I'm assuming those who have never played a game before. Guards have very limited vision and hearing. You can hold a large quantity of items and ammunition, your stamina drains very slowly,and your start out with maximum health. Alert mode is cancelled if you leave the area, and will be easy to deal with anyway because you deal incredible amounts of damage, take very little yourself, and can essentially run through the game without a single worry in the world. If this wasn't bad enough, from the start, you are supplied with a unique weapon called the "EZ Gun", a tranqilizer gun with infinite ammo, always supressed sound, laser guiding, a zoom function, and it replenishes your stamina when you have it out. Highly unreccomended for first playthroughs, but hey, maybe you can get some fun out of it later.

Easy
"For players with little action gaming experience."

A slightly more balanced version of Very Easy, you don't get the EZ gun, but it doesn't make as much of a difference as you'd think. There's still not much to get out of this for first playthrough, and really, I'd think after your first, you'd be looking for more out of the game, not less. Unless you really can't handle a controller and have to be able to take tons of hits to survive at all, there's no reason for this.

Normal
"The standard level of difficulty."

Normal is the reccomended difficulty level. Many people choose this as their starting difficulty level. While still simple, it offers a moderate challenge. It's a blend of not too tough and not too easy. But if you're used to playing Very Easy, or Easy, this may be a challenge. The walkthrough in this guide is for the Normal difficulty setting. Experienced players may be surprised you still don't take very much damage in this diffuculty, and deal quite a bit, otherwise though this is a reasonable first experience.

Hard
"For players with confidence in their gaming skills."

While this guide is written for Normal mode, I really suggest you play on the Hard difficulty setting the first time through. I think part of the formula to exciting stealth, and fufilling gameplay, is fear. Hard starts putting that pressure on you. You probably won't beat every boss the first time, you'll be more reluctant to just let yourself get into alert mode, and you have incentive to follow the mission directive, which is of course, stealth. For a full MGS3 experience your first time through, and if you can handle a few game over screens, choose this without hesitation.

Extreme
"Available after completing the game once. For those who have mastered the game."

Metal Gear Solid is one of the few series that makes the top difficulty feel truly rewarding. They pull out all the stops, and put together the most definitive situation they can design. You HAVE to watch your back. You can NOT foolishly engage the enemy. What's always interesting is that Extreme is more of a learning tool than lower difficulties, it's perfectly designed to let you work bosses down to a science, to get used to manipulating space and timing to get the best of enemy formations. It's truly technical, smart gameplay. There is no reason not to give Extreme a try, this is what the game is all about.

European Extreme
"Game ends if seen by guards."

THE true challenge. Going into Alert Status at any point instantly ends the game, bringing you to the Continue Screen. Similar to Extreme in enemy placements and boss patterns, players have to really figure out the enemy pattern and work the bosses out. Snake can take much less damage before dying, this mode will keep even the experienced players on the edge of their seats.

I must say, in perspective of the series, merely completing Extreme is probably easier than in previous games. One failing is that the bosses gain almost no new patterns or abilities in Extreme, this is pretty much it's only failing though. To credit, obtaining FOUXHOUND rank is one of the heights of the series. Good luck!

Note: On Hard, Extreme, and European Extreme difficulties, you do not receive the Active Sonar or Motion Detector.

=GAUGES=

Your Life Gauge is pretty self explanatory. It shows your health, and when the bar empties, you die. At the last 1/4 of the bar, you begin to bleed. Enemies can track fallen blood, and your life will drop faster as a result of the bleeding. You will hear a noise signifying that you're bleeding, crouching will put pressure on the wound and restore your health faster. Getting hit once, or many times, by bullets, running out of 02 while underwater, getting caught in an explosion, and smoking are all things that lower your Life Gauge. Anything that has to do with something hazardous will hurt you. Certain animals can hurt you as well (Indian Gavial, some snakes...).

In MGS3, your health is always restoring, the rate of which is determined by how much stamina you have. The more the better.

New to the series, is an encompassing feature that controls many aspects of the game, limiting, and improving your abilities as well. This feature is the Stamina Gauge. Your stamina decreases depending on the intensity of your activity. Rolling, crouching, running, and stalking all drop your stamina quite quickly. The more your stamina decreases, the less efficient you become; your arms won't hold the gun steadily, you won't be able to sneak as quietly, your stomach will growl bringing attention to nearby enemies, etc. You increase your stamina by eating. The tastier the food, the more stamina you recover. Certain functions that previously relied on seperate items now rely on stamina, such as the sniper rifle.

The Stamina Gauge also serves as your Grip and 02 Gauges. When underwater or hanging, your current stamina bar is overlapped with a blue bar, of the same length of whatever your current amount of stamina is. The blue bar quickly drains, but that is not your current stamina, though, your stamina will deplete faster than normal in these situations, O2/Grip and stamina are not the same. If your O2 runs out your health will deplete extremely quickly if you do not surface, when your health runs out entirely, obviously you die. If your grip guage runs out entirely, you will fall, the height will determine if this is a lethal drop or not, of course.

=ANIMALS=

Food isn't the only use for animals, you can also take them out by tranqulizer. If you go into your BACKPACK and WEAPONS section, you can equip a caged animal, and throw it at an enemy for various effects, including distractions and attacks.

=BATTERY=

Because this game takes place in the 60s, as well as in the middle of the jungle, features that you once took for granted are now scarse and restricted. Your Thermal Goggles and Night Vision Goggles are still there, but their use is limited due to the fact that they run on Batteries. If you run the batteries dry, you cannot use that item until they recharge. Alternatively, eating a Russian Glowcap recharges your Batteries. Your Active Sonar, AP Sensor, and Motion Detector run on Batteries as well. All five of these items share the same Battery, so if you use half of it while using Thermal Goggles, then switch to the AP Sensor, you will only have half of that Battery.

The Battery isn't your normal, every day Battery. It's a bioelectric cell that uses the bodies energies to charge. The more you roll and do dramatic actions, the faster it restores. This obviously offsets stamina as far as rationing your actions, so be careful and choose wisely given the situation.

=STALKING=

In MGS3, sneaking around is a bit different. You now use the D-Pad to Stalk. What is Stalking you ask? Stalking is a technique that involves using the heel, outside edge of your feet, and tip of your toes, paired with looking out for and avoiding nosie making obstructions in your path to avoid making a sound as much as possible. To Stalk, all you need to do is press the D-Pad in any direction, and you will Stalk that way (Talk that way...>_>). This is crucial for safe hold-ups and pulling off CQC, but be careful, this uses stamina the quickest of any other technique! Also remember this applies to all form of movement, you can stalk-walk, and stalk-crawl.

=DEALING WITH THE ENEMY=

You've infiltrated to the best of your ability, but now you're finding it hard to sneak around the enemy? Lucky for you that MGS3 features a large number of ways to dispose your enemies. First of all, there is CQC, the new combat system that has been implemented into this game. It's very helpful for sneaky snuffings.

You also have the Mk-22. The Mk-22 is probably the most useful infiltration tool in MGS3, for it provides solutions to many jams you may find yourself in. If you've gone undetected, then you'll have an easy time getting a headshot on the enemy. Headshot = insta sleep. This instant sleep will give you time to plan out your route, and even attempt your escape of the area, and it can also distract your enemies fellow comrades. If they see their sleeping pal, they'll investigate to see what's wrong, leaving two patrol routes open for you to go through. In many cases though, a headshot will not be an option. You'll have to "tag" the enemy. Hitting the enemy in any place except for the head or groin will not have an instant effect. It will take time for the tranquilizer to put him to sleep.

In other cases, you'll have to be a bit more violent and lethal. Say you're facing an assault team, who have circled around you and are filling your soon to be Snakey corpse full of lead. An Mk-22 just won't work there. Luckily, the game has many lethal weapons to use in this situations, ranging from 12 gaugle shotguns and fully automatic assault rifles, to rocket launchers and grenades. These weapons are practically necessities if you plan on getting out of sticky situations alive.

You can also use the enemies traps against them. While it's a rare oppurtunity, you can lure guards into their traps. Very helpful, and often comical.

There are some alternative helpful ways to dispose of enemies. For example, sleeping soldiers can be dropped into water for a quick, silent kill, and this also prevents patrolling soldiers from finding the bodies. Enemies can also be dropped into quick-mud, for a similar disposal.

Tired of getting assaulted by the enemies who seem to have used an Action Replay and have gotten infinite ammo? In certain areas there are small Armory shacks. If you place a TNT charge in one of these shacks (after looting the room of course), then set it off when you are well away from it, it severly hinders the enemies abilities. They'll only have one clip of assault rifle ammo, and when they run out of that, they switch to their pistol, which will also soon empty. Many enemies can be left with only a knife to defend themselves with.

You can also blow up food storehouses in any area they are in. Blowing up a food storehoues will affect the guards in several ways:

1. Enemies will move slower.
2. Enemies will have more difficulty aiming.
3. Enemies will be _MUCH_ weaker. You can take them down with one to two punches.

Combining the above two tactics can give you a great advantage in a firefight.

=RADIO=

Accessed with the select button. Press left and right to tweak precise frequency, press down to access memorized frequencies. Push in R3 to zoom in, and move the stick to move Snake around.

The radio is your only form of backup in the game. You must access the radio to save. Mandatory story cutscenes occur in the radio screen, but it is also a great source of advice. If you ever feel like you're in a jam, or want quick boss strategies, your first instinct should be to check in with all your mission advisors. Aside from this there is an unbelievable amount of fun, serious information, and character development to be found in optional radio conversation, you should definitely take periodic checks.

The radio functions almost exactly like the previous games' codec, but things have changed a bit. There are now 1,000 points of frequency, this is because there are new uses for the radio besides saving, these are:

Calling off Alerts
Request for Fire Support
Unlock doors

The main Radio Frequencies are as follows:

Virtuous Mission

Major Tom -+- 140.85
Para-Medic -+- 145.73
The Boss -+- 141.80
Save -+- 141.96

Operation Snake Eater

Major Tom -+- 140.85
Para-Medic -+- 145.73
Sigint -+- 148.41
Eva -+- 142.52
Save -+- 141.96

Healing Radio

Interrogate guards, and sometimes they'll give you a frequency without telling you what it does, don't worry, you don't have to write it down, it will be kept track of in a new section in your memorized radio frequencies. When you call them, you will be treated to some original music to sit back and relax to, if you're getting stressed, maybe this will calm you down. They do though, have an actual game function, the first time you listen to them they fill up your stamina guage completely, this is useful if you don't have any immediate food, and for FOXHOUND, because it fills up your guage without adding to your food eaten statistic. The frequencies are different on each difficulty.

Alert Cancellation Frequencies

Interrogate guards, some of them will give you these frequencies, you'll have to write these down quickly though. If you go into caution or alert mode, call this frequency and it will go back into normal phase. This is one time use only, and you can only use them in the area that you obtained them.

Fire Support Frequencies

Interrogate guards, some of them will give you these frequencies, you'll have to write these down quickly though. Call this frequency and missiles will drop on the entire area, clearing out most, if not all enemies. This is one time use only, and you can only use them in the area that you obtained them. This is obviously lethal, so stay away from this if you're watching your ranking!

Door Opening Frequencies

There are a few certain doors in the game that are locked without proper authority. You can bypass this with special frequencies. One of them requires you interrogate a guard, the other shows up in at least 4 places, keep your eye out, and pencil ready.

=CAMERA VIEWS=

There are five different types Camera Views in MGS3: Subsistence, the newest one to the series being the 3rd Person View camera. The use of the different views in different situations adds to the suspense of Snake's sneaking mission. Learn the in and outs of each camera view, and use them to your advantage.

Overhead View

Camera position that can be used during normal gameplay. Puts the camera above Snake and the trees, in a sort of "Bird's Eye" manner. Switch between Overhead View and 3rd Person View using R3.

3rd Person View

Camera position that can be used during normal gameplay. New to the series. Similar to the camera from many action and platforming titles, the player can use the Right Analog Stick to rotate the camera around Snake and take in more of the enviroment. Switch between 3rd Person View and Overhead View using R33.

Corner View

Used when hiding and surveying the surrounding area. Pressing and holding the left analog stick (or directional button) towards a tree or wall causes Snake to press himself against that surface. The camera angle changes, allowing Snake to see behind obstacles. The camera can be pointed in different directions using the right analog stick. Press the L1 button or the R1 button in this state to peek left or right and get a closer look at the situation. Be careful though - the enemy may spot Snake as he peeks out from around a corner.

First Person View

When in Normal View, press and hold the R1 button to switch the camera view to Snake's perspective. The controls for First Person View are as follows:

Use the left analog stick (or directional button) to change the direction Snake is looking.
Press the L2 or R2 button to shift one step to the left or right.
Press the L2 and R2 buttons at the same timeto stand on tiptoes. Standing on tiptoes is possible even in Intrustion view.

Snake cannot move around while in First Person View, but you can make him use the currently equipped weapon by pressing the Square button. First Person attacks are effective when aiming at enemy's vital spots and other precision targets. The input method for the left analog stick (or directional button) can be changed on the Options screen.

Intrusion View

When Snake crawls on his belly into a narrow space or thicket of grass, the camera view will automatically switch to Snake's perspective. Use the left analog stick to move around as normal, and use the directional button to move without turning. To survey the surrounding area, press and hold R1 and move the camera around.

=PHASES=

During gameplay, there are several phases you can go through. There is one key element to the phases. The Phase Gauge. The Phase Gauge appears at the top of the screen and looks something like this:
_______
| 99.99 |
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
It counts down from 99.99 to 00.00. When it reaches 00.00 you either move on to the next phase, or exit the phases. Alert is red, Evasion is orange, and Caution is yellow. There is no Phase Gauge during Normal Phase.

The following are the phases that take place in the game:

Normal Phase

Occurs when Snake has not been seen by the enemy. In Normal Phase, enemy soldiers will usually patrol an assigned area (patrol route) and check for any disturbances. Some soldiers will stand in a fixed position and keep a lookout. Enemy soldiers have senses of sight and hearing. If they hear a noise or see something suspicious, they will leave their patrol route and investigate the area. If nothing unusual is found, the soldiers will return to their assigned patrol route.

Alert Phase

Occurs when the enemy spots Snake. In Alert Phase, enemy soldiers will call their comrades on the radio and attack. To get out of Alert Phase, Snake must either escape from the enemy or defeat a certain number of them. Once Snake has escaped from the enemy's line of sight, and the number in the Phase Gauge reaches zero, the game will switch to Evasion Mode.

Evasion Phase

Occurs when the enemy has lost sight of Snake and is actively searching the area for him. In this phase, Snake may be found while hiding in trees, in lockers, or under tables. Once the number in the Phase Gauge reaches zero, the game will switch to Caution Phase.

*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
During Evasion Phase, the enemies will do things called Clearings. A Clearing is three or four guards entering and clearing a room. They may throw a Stun Grenade into it, check lockers and under beds/tables, and make sure that the room is clear. They will always do this in the room you were last in/are in, so look out.
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Caution Phase

In Caution Phase, enemy soldiers are more vigilant than usual in their patrols. In some locations, the number of soldiers on patrol may be increased. Once the number in the Phase Gauge reaches zero, the game will switch back to Normal Phase.

_____________
BASIC ACTIONS

This is a section found in the game, under the 'Specials' option. It gives actions you can do in the game, and is seperated into three classes of techniques. Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. I have provided a full transcript of what these actions are. It must be noted though that a few of the actions given in the Basic Actions menu of the game have already been touched upon in this FAQ. For that reason, I will not be transcribing ones I already discussed.

=BEGINNER=

WALKING/RUNNING

Press the left analog stick in the direction you want to move to start heading in that direction. There are two movement speeds depending on how far the left analog stick is pressed. Press it lightly to walk or harder to run. Also, use the directional button to perform stalking that is slow, but noiseless.

CRAWLING

Press the left analog stick while crouching or lying to crawl. There are two types of movement; normal (making noise, done with the analog stick) and stalking crawl (not making any noise, done with the D-Pad).

CROUCHING/STANDING

Press the X button to switch between stand, crouching, and lying down. Press the X button twice rapidly or hold it down to instantly switch from standing to lying down or from lying down to standing.

ACTIONS ON TREES

Press the Triangle button in front of any tree with vines attached to start climbing it. It is also possible to hang down from nearyby branches by getting onto one and pressing the Triangle button.

AIMING

Press the L1 button in First Person View with certain weapons to improve the accuracy over regular aiming. It is also possible to lock the direction you are facing by pressing the L1 button in Overhead View.

SWIMMING

Press the X button while above the surface of the water to dive under. It is possible to stay under as long as the O2 Gauge, and subsequently, your health bar do not empty. Use the left analog stick to determine the direction you are facing and repeatedly press the X button to swim in that direction. Let go if the X button to stop. Press the left analog stick up to swim up and down to dive down. The Stamina Gauge will affect the length of the O2 Gauge. Rapidly press the Triangle button to head for the surface.

ROLLING (ROLLING ATTACK)

Press the X button while running to roll in that direction of movement. With rolling, it is possible to clear some small obstacles.

OBJECT/LADDERS CLIMBING

Press the Triangle button in front of objects of a certain height to climb them. Also, press the Triangle button in front of a ladder to climb or descend it.

=INTERMEDIATE=

HANGING

It is possible to hang down from cliffs, branches, railings, and other high places. When there is a railing, face the edge and press the Triangle button to jump over it and hang down. If there is no railing, and the edge faces a long drop that might result in injury, you will automatically hang down when you walk over the edge. If it is not a long drop, then you will only hang down if you approach the edge while walking or stalking. Use the Left Analog Stick to move along the edge, hanging. Press the L2 button and the R2 button at the same time to do a pull-up and peek over the edge. The Grip Gauge will continue to decrease while hanging, and you will fall if it runs out. Press the X button to let go and drop while hanging.

QUICK CHANGE

Quickly press the L2 button or R2 button to unequip and re-equip the current weapon or item. A weapon will automatically reload if it is unequipped, so use this technique to reload in the heat of battle.

ACCURATE FIRING

The lower the position, the less your hands will tremble and the more accurate your shooting will be. Crouching is better than standing, and lying down is better than either position.

=ADVANCED=

CORNER JUMPOUT SHOOTING

With certain weapons (nearly all, really) while in Corner View, it is possible to make a jumpout shot to the left or right with the Square button. This corner technique is useful when you are in a shootout with enemy soldiers.

ACTIONS IN FIRST PERSON VIEW

Press the L2 button or R2 button in First Person view to sidestep to the left or right. This is only useful for probing your surroundings when there is some cover to press against. Do this action in front of a door to open the door slightly and peek through the opening. You can also press the L2 button and R2 button at the same time to stand on your tiptoes and check the surrounding area.

HANGING SHOTS

While hanging with a handgun (Mk22, M1911A1, or EZ Gun), press the Square button to fire one handed.

DRAG

Press the Square button near a downed enemy while you are unarmed to their body up. If you move while holding the body, you can drag it along with you. There are occasions when items will fall from the enemy soldier if the body is dropped.

ENEMY'S HEAVY WEAPONS

Press the Triangle button near any gun emplacements or anti-aircraft cannons to hop in and start using them.

MAKING NOISE

Press the Circle button while up against a wall to knock on it and attract enemy's attention. If you distract an enemy, you can occasionally make your way around them and infiltrate without avoiding combat.

RIGHT ANALOG STICK

Use the Right Analog Stick in Overhead View to shift the Camera View. Hold down the Right Analog Stick in any direction and press the R3 Button to lock the view in place. This is very useful for keeping track of what is up ahead in the direction of movement. Move the Right Analog Stick or press the R3 Button again to free the view lock.

DISARMING

Shooting the right hand of an armed enemy soldier will make them drop the weapon they are carrying. It is also possible to shoot and destroy the radios that enemy soldiers are holding. If the radio is destroyed, the soldier will be left without any way to call for backup.

HOLDUP

Bring your gun up to an enemy's back while in close prozimity to hold them up. You must sneak up behind an enemy to do this, and you cannot do it in Alert Phase.

DROP-CATCH

While hanging from a wire/railing/ledge above another wire/railing/ledge, you can drop from the one you are hanging on, and before you fall, catch the one below you. To do this, press the X button to drop, followed by pressing the Triangle button as soon as you're right above the the second wire/railing/ledge.

CARDBOARD BOXES

The main character of the MGS series, the Cardboard box. Since even the first Metal Gear cardboard boxes have been in the series. Snake's preferred way of hiding from the enemies was to hide in a cardboard box. Much to many fan's delight, the cardboard box is making yet another return.

Using the box is simple enough. Just equip it and Snake will hide inside it. If the enemy has not seen Snake get into the box, or you are not sitting in the middle of their patrol route, then it's very unlikely they'll investigate. However, if you hide in the box during Alert Phase, or they see it move a little bit, they will pick up the box to see what is inside it. They aren't that stupid...

In MGS3, there are three different boxes. All three serves the same purpose to hide from the enemy. Just make sure you're using it in a logical place, like a building, and not in the middle of the jungle. Best used indoors, next to some other boxes.

LOCKERS

Just got and looking for a good place to hide? Well, lockers work very well. At different places in the game, you can find lockers that the enemy personnel use to store various items or equipment. To open a locker, just stand in front of it (try to get close), and press the Triangle button. Snake will open the locker. Depening on the difficulty setting you are playing on, there may or may not find an item or ammo in there.

To hide inside the locker, just move Snake all the way into the locker. He'll automatically turn around and shut the door, then he'll be hidden from view. This tactic is put to best use during Clearings, Alert Phases, or any other kind of situation where you have got a guard(s) looking for you.

Despite the small amount of room in the locker, there are a few things you can do. Want to see what is to the left or right of the vent in that locker? Then just press either R2 or L2 to look right or left, respectively. Want to see what is below the vent? Then press both buttons together at the same time. Pressing R1 will have Snake move his face up to the vent itself and look out. While doing this will give you a much better view of the surrounding area, press the button lightly. If you press it too hard, Snake's head will smack into the locker, making noise, and catching the attention of any enemy nearby. An alternative way to make noise is to press the Circle button in the locker. You can also duck down by pressing X, but there is really no point to it.

Just took down a guard, and you're looking for a way to get rid of the evidence? Put him in a locker! To put an enemy in a locker, you must have a locker open. Then, while he is dead/unconscious, press the Square button to drag him, and drag him into the locker, as far as you can go. Snake will automatically stand the body up and shut the locker door. Now, the body is safely out of sight. If any unconscious guard is put into a locker, he will never wake up while in that locker.

Want some brief cover in a firefight? Open the door of a locker and move behind it. This will only provide a short moment of cover however, for locker doors break off when they are shot too much. Remember, it's just a thin piece of metal. Only use this if you are in dire need of cover.

If you ever encounter a locked locker, I suggest breaking the door open. You can do this in several ways. Punch/kick it a few times, shoot the hinges, or plant some TNT on it. Punch/kicking it is best, since it conserves ammo, and is less noisy. The locker will then either fall outward, allowing you access to what is inside, or it will fall inword, which means there was nothing there to begin with, and you can't get inside. Snake can be hit by the falling locker.

_______________
SURVIVAL VIEWER

Pressing Start during gameplay no longer simply pauses the game. It brings you into a menu called the 'Survival Viewer'. This menu is where you will come to change camo, eat food, exchange items and weapons in your backpack, cure yourself, etc. In this section, I will go into detail on each sub-menu of the Survival Viewer, in order to give you a better understanding of it.

=CAMOUFLAGE=

You're crawling through the grass, approaching enemy sentries. You're moving very slow as not to be seen. Suddenly, Alert mode kicks in and the guard starts firing at you! You had on the Fire camo in the grass! He was able to see you easily. Things like that can happen when you fail to use the Camouflage system properly. Camouflage consists of two thing:

Facepaint
Uniform

Facepaint is different patterns and colors of paint you apply to your face. Uniform is the uniform you wear on your body. There are _MANY_ different colors, and patterns of uniforms and facepaints. Some are for camouflaging yourself into your enviroment, others hold special features and look silly.

To successfully camouflage yourself into the enviroment, you must keep an eye on your Camouflage Index. The Camouflage Index appears at the top-right corner of the screen, and looks like this:

___
Paint |
Uniform |_%_|

Now granted, that's not exactly how it looks, I just made that to give you the basic idea of it. Your current facepaint appears on top, your current uniform on bottom, and the percent appears in the box. The percent in the box is not there for no reason. It tells you how good you are camouflaged into the enviroment. If it's at -05%, then you are camouflaged terribly and will be easily seen. If it's at 80% then you are camouflaged quite well, but it's still not impossible for a guard to see you if he gets close. The highest percentage you can get is 100%, but that can only be done with two things:

-The End's Moss camo uniform and Woodland paint. If you lay down with this in certain areas (like most of the Sokrevenno area where his battle takes place) you will be at 100%.
-Stealth Camouflage. The reward for completing the game with No Alerts, or by getting all the Kerotan Frogs (more on those later). Gives 100% in all areas except for boss battles, and when in Alert and Evasion phases.

It's always good to choose the best camo for the job. Usually this can be done with little thinking (Hm, I'm in the grass, so the Leaf uniform and Woodland paint should be good). If you are unsure though, just go to the Camouflage section of the Survival Viewer. You will see something like this next to each paint and uniform:

______________________
| Tiger Stripe +15% |
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

I just used Tiger Stripe and the percentage as an example. The uniform/paint name will appear where Tiger Stripe is, and the percentage will read + or -.It should be pretty easy to figure out that + means a rise in percentage and - means a fall in percentage.

Your camouflage means the difference between life and death, being seen and being stealthy. Always keep it at a good amount whenever possible.

=BACKPACK=

In MGS3, almost all weapons and equipment are procure on site. You have to find what you need in the jungle, by yourself. When you find it however, no longer does it go immediatly to your inventory. It goes straight to your Backpack. The relevance of the backpack feature is that you must choose wisely what you really want to have out at any given time for immediate access.

To put in or take out an item/weapon into/out of your inventory, go into the Backpack option in the Survival Viewer. From there, select Item if you want toput new Items into your inventory, or take them out. To remove or add an item, simply press the Circle button on that given Item. If you want to take, or add a Weapon, just do the same as you did for Items, except go into the Weapon menu, rather than Item.

Every item and weapon has a weight assigned to it. Equipping too much at one time makes your load exceptionally heavy, which will make your stamina drop more quickly as you move. You can only hold 8 Weapons and 8 Items at a time in your inventory, so make the best of that space.

=FOOD=

As mentioned above, in MGS3 almost all things are procure on site. That doesn't stop with Items and Weapons, however. You also have to find your own food. No longer can you rely on an abundance of rations, now you must surviveon all the flora and fauna you can find. This ranges from fruits and mushrooms, to snakes and rabbits.

The more Snake likes the taste of the food, the more stamina he will recover. Snake can even acquire a taste for some foods (just like us!), if you eat them you eat them often, though some he'll never like through normal means.

As time time passes, food will begin to rot, resulting in stomach aches, poisoning, and heavy stamina loss. You can tell if a food is rotten by the little fly icon over the food. One fly signifies that it's going rotten, two flies mean it's completely rotten. Some food is poisonous from the get-go, and you'll have to take medicine or throw up to cure yourself. Keep in mind, throwing up makes you lose whatever you ate recently, and in turn lose whatever stamina you recovered from eating that meal. If you capture an animal by putting it to sleep, and keeping it in a cage, it will not go bad. There are some animals you can't catch however (vultures, goats, etc), and you cannot capture plants. You only have three cages though. You can also have fun with live animals by chucking them (bees, or poisonous snakes work best!) at guards...

To eat a meal, go to the Food section of the Survival Viewer. Here you will find a list of all food you have. The three on top are your caged animals. They will never go bad. The rest are dead ones and will rot over time. To eat one, move your cursor over the animal, press the Circle button and select Eat. You can also select Dispose, if you wish to make more room by getting rid of pointless/poisonous/rotten plants and animals.

=CURE=

Say you're in an intense fire-fight with an enemy assault team, you catch two bullets in the leg, and one in the arm, and you're injured severly. That's where the Cure system comes in. This completely new and innovative feature allows you to heal Snake. Over the course of the game, Snake will get injuries ranging from gun-shot wounds, cuts, burns, and other nasty problems. It is your duty to keep Snake healthy. This means removing bullets, cleaning wounds, curing poison, and stomach aches, etc. The Cure system allows you to do all of this.

When you are suffering from a serious injury, the amount of your health affected by the injury will be in red, and does not count toward your current amount of remaining damage you can take before dying. Wounds heal automaticallyover time, not healing right away obviously leaves you at a bit of a disadvantage, but if you want to conserve items, or have none to use, they will heal. When wounds heal, whether by themselves or by using items, your maximum health is extended slightly every time. It's up to you to balance the situation between short health, and a good ranking from avoiding encounters.

The following is a list of what is required to heal each type of injury:

=Gunshot Wound=
---------------

Knife
Disinfectant
Styptic
Bandage

=Broken Bone=
-------------

Splint
Bandage

=Cut=
-----

Disinfectant
Styptic
Suture Kit
Bandage

=Bullet Bee=
------------

Knife
Disinfectant
Styptic

=Crossbow Bolt=
---------------

Knife
Disinfectant
Styptic
Bandage

=Burn=
------

Ointment
Bandage

=Leech=
-------

Cigar

=Food Poisoning=
----------------

Antidote

=Venom=
-------

Serum

=Cold=
------

C-Med

=Stomach Ache=
--------------

D-Med

=OPTIONS=

Your general options menu. You can change the following:

+------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------------+
| Vibration | On/Off | "Turn vibration ON/OFF" |
| Blood | On/Off | "Turn blood display ON/OFF" |
| Dolby Pro Logic II | On/Off | "Turn Dolby Pro Logic II ON/OFF" |
| Captions | On/Off | "Turn captions ON/OFF" |
| Own View | Normal/Reverse | "Select FPV control type" |
| Screen Adjustment | | "Adjust screen position" |
| Brightness Adjustment | | "Adjust screen brightness" |
+------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------------+

=MAP=

Been wandering through the jungle and lost your way? Looking for the exit? Trying to find out which sniping spot that damn old man is shooting at you from? Just go to the Survival Viewer, and open up your Map. Shows you where you are, and will assist in not being so lost.

___
CQC

Or 'Shee-Kyuu-Shee' as it is called in the Japanese version. What is CQC, you say? Well let's go to Motosada Mori, MGS3's Military Advisor, for the answer to that question:

It is the abbreviation for Close Quarters Combat. In actual battle, it is used in the jungle, bushes, and indoors when you cannot use a gun. It is also used when terrorists with hostages are in a facility or an airplane. The technique has been developed for when you have to fight multiple enemies that are very close to you, or when you don't know from where you will be attacked. It is a total combat technique used when you are close to enemies and you have to be able to fight with your bare hands, knife, and gun accordingly.

In MGS3, we have kept in mind at all times the use of CQC. Not only the posture of the character and how you throw the enemy, but also how you walk and keep an eye on things around you is based on CQC. I think fans will be able to enjoy this.

And enjoy this we did. CQC adds a whole new level of depth to MGS2's combat system, you are given many more options in combat situations. It is a system that allows the player to engage one or multiple enemies in a series of movements that can disarm the enemy, as well as defend the player. When used correctly, it becomes one of the most useful tools for battle.

Not all weapons can be used in conjunction with CQC, but the following is a list of the ones that can be:

*CQC Weapons*
=============

Barehands
Survival Knife
M1911A1
MK-22
EZ-Gun
Knockout Handkerchief

Most of the time you'll want to stick with the handguns (MK-22/M1911A1), but you can choose whichever suits your fancy.

*Performing CQC*
================

-The first step is to get close to the enemy. You can choose to do this quietly by sneaking up behind him, but it's not impossible to do it by other means. You just have to be close enough to engage in CQC.

Available options from this point: a, b.

a.) Press the Circle button along with the Directional stick, or pad to throw your enemy to the ground, knocking him out cold.

Available options from this point: None.

b.) Press and hold the Circle button to grab the enemy. Now the number of your options increase. Available options from this point: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

1) Press L3 to put the knife to the enemies throat, and interrogate him. Releasing pressure on R3 will make the guard stop talking, but you can press it again to make him talk more. Guards usually have two tips and one insult to you (such as "Bastard!"), but it changes depending who you interrogate.

Available options from this point: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

2) Press the Square button to draw your weapon (only if you had one of the six listed above equipped when you initiated CQC) over the right shoulder of the enemy. This way you can attack other enemies in the area by going into FPV and using the weapon you have equipped. If your clip empties, you automatically let go of the enemy. If you lightly press Square, you put your weapon back down, but still hold the enemy.

Available options from this point: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6

3) Press forward (as in the direction Snake is facing) on the Left analog stick, while pressing down on Circle. Snake will throw the enemy down to the ground in front of you. At this point, you can point your gun at them, making them put their hands on their heads. If you shoot near them (like next to their arm, or head) they will shake and give you an item. Watch out for nearby sentries though, unless you're looking to cause a ruckus. The enemy will not get up from this position unless another guard sees him, and has him get up.

Available options from this point: None.

4) Moving the Left analog stick in this position will let you drag the enemy backwards. Every few steps, you will tug hard. After three hard tugs, the enemy will become unconscious.

Available options from this point: None.

5) Tapping Circle will do the old choke move we are all familiar with. After a few taps, the enemy will become unconscious. If you continue to tap, you will break the enemies neck, killing them.

Available options from this point: None.

6) Pressing down hard on the Circle button will cut the enemies throat with your knife. Doing this causes the guard to fall out of your grasp, and the CQC session will end until you come across your next victim.

Available options from this point: None.

*CQC Fun*
=========

Anytime you encounter a guard and an electric fence in the same area, you can have some sadistic fun. Just CQC grab the guard, drag him to the fence, and do option 3 (above) to push him into the fence. You can do the same by pushing guards into the quick-mud (such as in Bolshaya Past South) and it's a much quieter way to get rid of them.

______________________
GENERAL TIPS AND NOTES

-Always answer radio calls. Also, if you become stuck or unsure of something, call your contacts for advice.

-Always treat your wounds immediatly. With each wound completely treated, your life bar goes up a little. But it can also go down if you leave them uncared for for too long a time.

-Avoid combat as much as possible. The last thing you want is some enemies taking a big chunk out of your health right before a boss battle

-Use the best camo and paint for the job. Go into your menu and determine which is best used for that area.

-If you must attack enemy soldiers, do so from afar. And try and do it when they are as far away as possible from other guards.

-There are traps. Not just landmines anymore, genuine traps. Throughout the game you will encounter pit traps (holes covered with leaves, that give way when you step on them), snares (ropes that wrap around your leg/s and leave you hanging. Literally), as well as wire traps, which are either attached to cans on a string, which will alert nearby guards, or attached to spiked logs, which will be released and hit you. Oh, and Claymore landmines are still around as well.

-Planning on doing a Foxhound rank? I suggest playing through Extreme once before. Learn the enemy patrol routes, and where they are. Once you know that, you can map out the best route possible to take for your Foxhound run. Plus, the camos you gather will transfer over, making achieving the Foxhound rank much easier.

-Having trouble beating that one boss? Got so close, but then died? Try using the Fake Death Pill. The boss will think you died, and turn his/her back to you. This is your window of oppurtunity where you can use the Revival Pill and get a shot off while their back is turned. It only works once per boss.

-- Walkthrough by Lestat Jones