Take “Snake”? and head to towards the elevator and eventually to Strut B Transformer Room.
As soon as you gain control, cartwheel up the stairs and open the hatch.
Skip the cutscene then continue moving forward.
After the cutscene, use the node. This is a good opprutunity to make sure you selected the correct such as having previous switched on.
When you're done with the node, head south-east to the unconcious guard. When the guard wakes up, grab him then let go of him and punch him in his groin.
Stand in your position until a guard near the elevator comes to investigate you. After that, hide in the middle.
Once the guard on the right has walked by, knock on the wall to attract the left guard.
Go right then into the elevator.
Go underneath the cut fence to the left side and head to the door that takes you to the Strut A Pump Room.
Head towards the AB Connecting Bridge.
Head south and cartwheel over the noisy floors to prevent the guard from hearing it. Cartwheel into him then head into the Strut B Transformer Room.
Move left and cartwheel into the cutscene. After the cutscene, head north and through the door. Answer the codec as early as possible and then cartwheel into the door that leads you into the BC Connecting Bridge.
Head north to Strut C. Avoid picking up the Chaff Grenades as picking it up later is slightly faster for menus.
Head north into towards the trigger for the Stillman cutscene.
This guide will showcase the Conveyor Belt Route for the bomb disposal segment, as it is faster than the traditional counter-clockwise route.
A dedicated section will be made for the Counter-Clockwise Bomb Disposal route.
Note: This guide will show many Chaff Grenade related strategies for this segment. However, only choose 2 of them as you will need the additional Chaff Grenades later in the run.
Head towards the woman's bathroom. While cartwheeling, prepare your menus by equipping the Coolant Spray then the Socom.
When you approach the guard, turn around him to avoid getting spotted. Diffuse the bomb from as far away as possible.
As you leave, fire a warning shot to avoid getting shot by the guard.
Fire 3 bullets with the Socom into the cypher and pickup the Chaff Grenades before leaving to the door in the south.
Take the bottom side as the guard spots you. Keep to the right-hand side of the guard and cartwheel to have him fall over the railing.
Head to the stairs on the left and through the door to the Strut A Roof.
Note: The bomb is placed behind a fence on the south-east section of the room. See image below:
Note: You MUST pick up the box here if you plan on doing Conveyor Belt Route.
There's two strategies usually used here:
Head through the top floor door to Strut F.
From the start of the room, toss a Chaff Grenade as you head to the room on the right side to pick up the M9. After that, drop down the railing and diffuse the bomb. Finally, pick up the Stun Grenades and leave to the EF Connecting Bridge.
Note: After tossing the Chaff Grenade, you might have enough time to equip the box as the guard shoots Raiden to keep your momentum. This is based on RNG though.
Note: Its possible to diffuse the bomb through a gap in between the boxes. See image below:
Optimally, you want to get a caution here before entering the room to skip a mini-cutscene. The Chaff Grenade strategies from Strut F should handle this.
Optional: Throw a Chaff Grenade here to make the timing easier.
Run forward until you reach the first spot where the codec call with Deepthroat will appear, answer it while running.
Move a bit forward until the third line on the floor then cartwheel into prone to pick up the claymore.
Coolant-rise afterwards and meet the northern cypher.
Note: If you used a Chaff Grenade, continue on to Strut E. If you didn't use a Chaff Grenade, either shoot out the northern cypher (risky!) or hide in the box until the path is clear (safe). Continue on to Strut E.
The most common strategy in this room is diffuse the bomb first, then head to the the heliport.
Note: The bomb is placed on one of the boxes that loops around the conveyor belt. It will appear to the player after about ~40 seconds near to where the Box 5 item is located. See image below:
Note: You MUST pick up the box here if you plan on doing Conveyor Belt Route.
Unequip the box and exit the door on the left.
Pickup Sensor B then leave the CD Connecting Bridge.
The guard here has weaker vision for whatever reason.
Cartwheel three times until you approach him.
When he spots you, equip and unequip the box to avoid him shooting you and then make your way to Strut D.
This is one of the more trickier rooms in the game and will require some practice.
You now have 200 seconds to diffuse the bomb in Strut A Deep Sea Dock. This is more than enough time if you already know the path.
If you opted out of using the Chaff Grenade in Strut D and do not currently have a caution on, use the following strategy:
Note: The bomb on (European) Extreme can be found to the wall on the left of where Raiden spawned initially at the start of the Plant chapter. See image below:
This guide will only focus on the standard strategy for Fortune. Please refer to the MGS2 Boss Fight: Fortune page for more advanced strategies and information on the fight.
For other platforms, the box strategy is just as viable.
There is a safety strategy by going into first person view while proned facing either left or right. For whatever reason, Fortune cannot hit Raiden. Using the Coolant Spray is an easy way to do it.
Now that we're done with the main segment of bomb disposal, we need to diffuse the bomb he's placed on the top of the Strut E heliport. You now have 200 seconds to diffuse the bomb in Strut E heliport. This is more than enough time if you already know the path.
Tap R2 to bring out the M9 and avoid the claymores here. Using the box to avoid the claymores can be useful.
If you didn't pick up the Chaff Grenades earlier, pick them up now.
Cartwheel twice down the stairs
When the guard spots you equip the box.
If done correctly, the guard will open the door for you.
Head towards the FA Connecting Bridge.
One of the eastiest rooms in the game. Ignore the guard and just move on towards Strut F from the top floor.
As you turn the corner, M9 the guard once then immediately equip the box to prevent him from shooting Raiden. After that, fire another round into the guard and then head right. Hold up the guard looking in the opposite direction and leave to the EF Connecting Bridge.
Note: If a guard spots you as you leave, equip and unequip the box to prevent Raiden from being shot.
Equip the box as soon as you enter the room and head towards the stairs. Unequip the box and then re-equip when the guard spots you to avoid being shot.
Fire an M9 round into him then cartwheel into him. This should keep the guard tranq-ed when the player returns later in the run.
Head upstairs and diffuse the bomb. There are two ways to get a fast bomb diffuse here:
This guide will only focus on the standard strategy for Fatman. Please refer to the MGS2 Boss Fight: Fatman page for more advanced strategies and information on the fight.
If you picked up the claymore from the EF Connecting Bridge earlier, it's useful to use it here around the earlier parts of the fight.
Now we need to head to Ames, who is located in the Shell 1 Core, to find out the location of the President. But first, we need to pick up the AK-74u.
Do a cartwheel and tap L2 to bring the Box. Before the cartwheel ends, menu one up from the Box to the B.D.U. Keep these menus until around the Harrier segment.
Menu one up to the M9 and then one right to the Socom.
If you tranqulizied the guard on the stairs earlier, he should still be knocked out. Otherwise, tranqulize and head downstairs.
Equip the box to avoid being spotted by the guards and head to the EF Connecting Bridge.
Wait for the cypher to move then take a down-left direction to the towards the south cypher.
Take out the cypher in first-person view and then head towards to Strut F.
There is a very risky strategy involving a silent shot. Fire at the cypher then pause the game as soon as possible to prevent the guard from hearing the sound of the socom being fired.
As soon as you gain control of Raiden, do a full punch-punch-kick as a buffer. Cartwheel downstairs once and then head to the first door on the left.
Shoot the wall in front of the guard and then pick up the AK-74u. If the guard spots you, equip the box to prevent being shot and then fire at his radio to prevent an Alert.
Head back to the EF Connecting Bridge.
Take the most direct route and head east towards the Shell 1 Core. Take out the cypher near the bridge.
Note: The floors on the bridge will eventually fall when touched. Do NOT stand on them for too long. The floors will regenerate after the Ames sequence.
After skipping the cutscene, knock on the wall to the left to attract the guard. He will then come running to investigate. Do NOT knock many times as this causes him to walk instead of run. Unequip the AK-74u and choke the guard to use him at the retinal scanner.
Note: If you feel you are low on Stun Grenades, there are backup ones in the lockers to the left of this room.
If Ames is in an unfavorable position, use the following glitch to equip the D-Mic while the guards still think Raiden has the AK-74u equipped:
Now we know that the President is in the Shell 2 Core, we need to head there. But first we need to pick up the PSG1.
As soon as the guard spots Raiden, equip the box then hit the elevator button twice.
Turn around and tranquilize the guard with the M9 and then switch to the Chaff Grenade.
Make sure you still have the BDU and Box equipped during this section.
As soon as you gain control of Raiden, throw a Chaff Grenade and head right. When out of view from the assault team unit near the elevator, tranqulize the three guards blocking the exit. Leave the Shell 1 Core.
Note: There's additional Socom and M9 ammo near the exit if needed.
Before you turn around the corner, shoot the closest cypher.
Go into FPV and shoot out the other two cyphers. Head towards Strut F Warehouse.
Note: The floors on the bridge will eventually fall when touched. Do NOT stand on them for too long. The floors will NOT regenerate when you return to this section later in the run. Make sure no gap is too big to cartwheel over.
Head left and when the guard spots you, equip and unequip the box then tranqulize him.
Note: Keep a look out on the bottom floor to see if any guards are running upstairs.
Head to the room with the PSG1 and pick it up, then leave back towards the EF Connecting Bridge.
Note: If one guard was approaching, equip and unequip the box when leaving. If an additional assault team unit was approaching, use the railing to the right when leaving.
Head left and equip the box, hug the conveyor belt and only continue moving after the assault team unit has turned around.
Keep heading left then north to exit to the DE Connecting Bridge.
If you take a specific line, it is possible to avoid getting spotted by the guard or assault team unit without having to equip the box. If you do this, it is recommend that you shot the south camera while doing the Bomb Disposal Segment.
One of the easiest rooms in the game, just head towards Strut D Sediment Pool.
Note: If the Caution bar is close to depleting, wait near the entrance to Strut D Sediment Pool until it completly goes away. This will prevent an assault team unit approaching Raiden in the next room.
Head towards the northern door.
When the guards spot you, equip and unequip the box.
Doing an aerial over the stairs is a little bit faster but there is a good chance the assault team unit will spot Raiden and cause an Alert.
This guide will only focus on the standard strategy for Harrier. Please refer to the MGS2 Boss Fight: Harrier page for more advanced strategies and information on the fight.
If you have 7+ Stinger rounds and plan to do non-lethal Vamp 1, fire the Nikita from the small room in the south-west. Destroy the camera to the left then fire 6 Stinger rounds at the vent before using the Nikita.
If you have less than this, fire the Nikita missile through the main vent.
After meeting the President, cartwheel south into the door.
When you're done with all the cutscenes and codecs, head towards the elevator. Your menus will be based on whether you choose to do lethal or non-lethal Vamp 1.
And thus begins the final and most tedious part of the Big Shell sequence, the Emma Escort. First we need to find her and then escort her all the way back to Shell 1.
The main strategy is to use swim glitch here, as it saves time over swimming normally. This can be tricky and unless you're doing it in 3 or less cycles, you are most likely losing time. For more information, visit the MGS2 Swim Glitch page.
This guide will only focus on the standard strategy for Vamp 1. Please refer to the MGS2 Boss Fight: Vamp 1 page for more advanced strategies and information on the fight.
Lethal Vamp 1:
Note: At least 16 Stinger rounds are required.
Note: On platforms without lag, this will have to be done in quick succession. On platforms with lag, the timing between shots is larger.
Non-Lethal Vamp 1:
Note: Instead of hanging off the ledge, its slightly quicker to crawl on the floor and coolant rise when Vamp approaches Raiden. Using the Socom to shoot at him while he walks towards you will make him move faster.
Note: Kicking Vamp accidentally during this method will mean you'll have to reset the loop by going to hanging mode again or crawling on the floor.
Note: Having the final hit of the fight be a kick is slightly faster as the game transitions to the next cutscene quicker.
Swim your way to Emma, but pickup the Body Armor before hand.
Picking up the Body Armor loses about 7 seconds, however it makes surviving Tengu 1 significantly easier. It is highly recommended to pick it up.
Swim back to Vamp's room with Emma.
When you surface with Emma, leave her and go into the room yourself. The game will play the next cutscene regardless.
Standard Method:
Emma Zip:
Swim back all the way to the Elevator, be wary of mines along the way.
Note: If you did Swim Glitch / Swim Skip, you will have to open one of the hatches along the way. This will lose about ~7 seconds, but depending on how well Swim Glitch / Swim Skip was executed, it would be a net timesave overall.
When you finally surface, drag Emma close to the sealices.
Let her go aand hit the elevator button twice then go back and choke Emma into the elevator.
There are three different ways to do this room, they will be arranged from slowest to fastest:
Standard Method:
Tylerportation:
Emma Zip:
Various Strategies side by side based on the Master Collection version on PC (untested for other platforms/versions)
There are two different ways to do this room, they will be arranged from slowest to fastest:
Standard Method:
Emma Zip:
Drag Emma forward until both guards are in sight and before the closer guard moves away.
Take out the M9 and tranqulize both of them.
Head towards the Oil Fence past the hatch.
Hidden Claymore Setup:
Recommended to do this as after Emma is moving / moved around the first pillar.
This guide will only focus on the standard strategy for Vamp 2. Please refer to the MGS2 Boss Fight: Vamp 2 page for more advanced strategies and information on the fight.
Lethal Vamp 2:
Non-Lethal Vamp 2:
Note: You can use a Pentazemin prior to the fight and the effect will carry over.
When the guard spots you, equip the box to dodge his attack or just cartwheel into his shot.
Finally, bump into him before leaving to prevent him from calling in an Alert.
Note: Tap R2 to equip either the PSG1 or PSG1-T then one menu one up to the Chaff Grenades if you have any.
Throw a Chaff Grenade as soon as you gain control of Raiden. Wait a brief moment to prevent the cypher from spotting you.
Make your way to the Shell 1 Core and be mindful of the gaps on the bridge.
Head towards the elevator.
There are no guards or cameras in this room.
The elevator door is already opened, cartwheel into it to trigger the next cutscene faster.
The final part of the run. Only one stealth-related section followed by a barrage of guard rushes and boss fights. Good luck!
Skip the cutscenes until the torture sequence begins. You do NOT have to mash for this. Even if Raiden's 02 completly drops, you will not lose any health.
After Olga punches Raiden (you lose ~33% of your health), call Rose yourself on the codec rather than waiting for her to call.
Head to the exit on the right.
The most important part here is to avoid getting shot, as health will be important for the first Tengu battle and Raiden will not get a health refill until AFTER the MG-Rays fight.
You need to answer 5 codec calls here before the mandatory Rose call comes in. As soon as you enter the room, hold select to answer Codec #1 on the first frame. As you head north, answer codec calls. After Codec #5, hold select to answer the Rose call on the first frame.
In the second part of this room, a 45 second timer will begin AFTER the player swipes the H.F blade for the first time. So as soon you gain control of Raiden, hold the right analog stick in any direction to swipe the blade in any direction.
Note: Equip the Body Armor (and Box on your previous) AFTER swiping the blade to avoid any timeloss.
This guide will only focus on the standard strategy for Tengu 1. Please refer to the MGS2 Boss Fight: Tengu 1 page for more advanced strategies and information on the fight.
This guide will only focus on the standard strategy for Tengu 2. Please refer to the MGS2 Boss Fight: Tengu 2 page for more advanced strategies and information on the fight.
This guide will only focus on the standard strategy for MG-Rays. Please refer to the MGS2 Boss Fight: MG-Rays page for more advanced strategies and information on the fight.
Before the fight begins, stock up on Stinger ammo. Keep the Socom equipped and the Stinger on your previous.
The fight will be of two phases:
Setting up the loop:
That's it! You're prepared for the loop. However, if you didn't delay enough with the shots at A03E towards the end, then the loop will most likely break at the next Ray.
The Loop:
During this torture sequence, the player is required to mash the action. The duration for how long will depend on version and platform.
Note: Using turbo will make this easier for players who do not enjoy mashing or have trouble mashing for long sequences.
Note: Looking at Snake or the MG-Ray makes the torture sequence last longer on consoles with a lot of lag.
This guide will only focus on the standard strategy for Solidus. Please refer to the MGS2 Boss Fight: Solidus page for more advanced strategies and information on the fight.
For the whole fight, we'll be doing a loop at Solidus that looks like this:
Some notes:
Skip the cutscenes after finishing off Solidus and the cutscenes after the credits sequence. Time will end at the Score Screen and Rank will be shown after that.