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Hints for hardcore mode


freaks
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So, those are nice hints for those who are trying to get this hardcore achievement:

 

1. if you downloaded Severe, you'll start with a seeker rifle and an upgraded suit ( which is very helpfull and saves some money )

 

2. Learn the glitches of the game, for example, you can always kill the enemy at door and go back, making them go back in the room where they initially come from and go back in...

 

3. We have 4 saves, in fact, because of the second CD : If you die while being on the second CD, you just start where this one starts... So the elevator. ( or chapter 7 ) ;

 

4. Must get weapon : Force gun, or a seeker rifle ( final upgrade most of it's damage ) OR the javelin, where you upgrade it FULLY.

 

Either use the detonator, seeker rifle, force gun and plasma cutter either use a fully upgraded javelin gun with a force gun. Your call. ( a contact beam isn't bad either)

 

5. The saves ? I recommand not saving through the WHOLE first disc. ( not so long to do if you know it well ) Then save at chapter 9, 14 ( eye poke machine ? ) and well, you know, at the last store...

 

6) Find a walkthrough and check any room if you wouldn't bother memorising everything... ( and you shouldn't, it's BS in the end isn't it? )

 

here's actually a good walkthrough :

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcUdmMuce4M&feature=related]Dead Space 2 Hard Core Walkthrough Chapter1.2.3.4 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_KW5HOd4b8&feature=related]Dead Space 2 Hard Core Walkthrough Chapter5.6.7 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baUVo4eU7Zo&feature=related]Dead Space 2 Hard Core Walkthrough Chapter8.9.10 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o_JhCb64Uo&feature=related]Dead Space 2 Hard Core Walkthrough Chapter10.11.12.13 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-VrdtEXA_w&feature=related]Dead Space 2 Hard Core Walkthrough Chapter13.14.15 - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

Very good walkthrough and actually helpfull.

 

8. In the eye poke machine, you actually don't want to rush it : notice the heartbeat? the faster you go, the more cardio he gets, the slower you go, the better it is : his heart beat will keep around 80 and he won't move his eyes so much.

Not only that, under the heatbeat, do you notice the second number? It's actually the number of " how close the sting / jab is close to the eye ", what's the best to do : Wait for it to be around 0.2 or 0.1, one tap on the A button = 0.2 distance. Best thing to do is to just put the sting near the eye at this distance, and when blue comes? A , and there, the eye poke machine isn't so threatening now isn't it?

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJVByY-Dat4]Dead Space 2 - Eye Poke Machine happy party fun time! - YouTube[/ame]

 

9. With the small baby kids, (not the nannys, which are the explosive bugs you found in the playground) When you kill one, you can use its body and throw it on the other babies, it will kill them.

 

10. Spare your ammo, and most importantely : SAVE MONEY. Use the ammo wisely, for example, you would shoot one arm of the threatening necromorph, and impale it using the TK, with its own arm.

 

. About money : I recommand keeping your credit always around 15 K . In the end you should have about 90 K because you'll want to buy tons of meds. And also, don't be afraid to sell one of your upgraded weapon near the end, (last store) you know how you'll beat the boss and with which weapons ! Best thing is to have around 10 med packs with the end boss... (not so hard to beat, he can actually be a joke if you're lucky)

 

11. Upgrade your stasis throughout the game, don't forget about the laser room at chapter 13, where you know you need a minimum of duration.

 

. I actually upgraded my stasis ALMOST fully, I only didn't upgrade the top tree, which is, by my guess, the last duration. So actually, 3 / 4 duration on the stasis is enough. And 4 / 4 Charge is also good enough. Even 3 /4 is enough. Although, If you wait a while the stasis will refill on it's own ! Don't be afraid to stay in a safe room, waiting for the stasis to refill, who knows, you'll need the stasis refill in the middle of a battle !

 

12. Do you remember the boosters you place on doors, or other places to make things move and that you actually have to shot? Well, here is a hint : Don't shoot it. You could save your ammo by just throwing on object on it. It triggers it !

 

13. It's always a GREAT idea to keep SMALL med packs in your bag, why? Simple, imagine you get hit, twice, you're still in the blue, but you know that one more hit and you might even end up in the red, or get really bad, and in a case you could get killed in one hit straight after another, always avoid the critical state! if you're in the yellow, use a small med pack to get in the blue, it's the minimum. So, why do we keep these around? To heal these small breaches, instead of wasting a big med pack, which should be kept for boss fights, or big events!

 

 

Good luck to all of you out there, i'll update this thread because i just ran out of juice and i know there is shitload of good hints for yall :) If you guys really appreciate it let me know as i'm working on DS3 now!

Edited by freaks
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Also, remember where the semi-conductors are, especially the Diamond ones. For instance, in chapter 11 there is one right after the main hub room when you go into the mines and it says "remember your (something), it may be the only way to survive a cave in" or something like that. If you turn around and look up to the right, there is a diamond semi-conductor on top of a beam. Also, in ch. 12 there is one up the path in front of the drill, but you go up, then do a 180 before getting to the lateral elevator. Finding the one in ch. 11 was really helpful in keeping stocked with meds/ammo.

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Extra Items tips for players going thru this especially on Hardcore as you need as much items and or credits to upgrade.. Most areas have been mentioned but these two is rarely noted, first location is the one in chapter 6 in the kindergarten or children school all the way near the exit where you need to take a lift, stop move back on both side there are breakable man shaft that yield items, next one is on chapter 12 after you reach the gov. sector, along the corridor where you landed are breakable vending machines that gives credits and items one of which is $10,000 credits, there are some on the ground level too make sure to melee them.. Also if you want to exploit the disc 2 swap auto-checkpoint, I recommend you make your 1st disc save on a thumb-drive (unless you manage to last beyond that)(use a thumb-drive; save your completed casual savegame on it to start HC mode save the disc 1 savepoint on it), when you are ask to swap disc and continue just pull out the thumb drive and if you die at any part after that it will throw you back to the chapter 7 free auto checkpoint till you get to the next save within disc 2. Thanks.

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Extra Items tips for players going thru this especially on Hardcore as you need as much items and or credits to upgrade.. Most areas have been mentioned but these two is rarely noted, first location is the one in chapter 6 in the kindergarten or children school all the way near the exit where you need to take a lift, stop move back on both side there are breakable man shaft that yield items, next one is on chapter 12 after you reach the gov. sector, along the corridor where you landed are breakable vending machines that gives credits and items one of which is $10,000 credits, there are some on the ground level too make sure to melee them.. Also if you want to exploit the disc 2 swap auto-checkpoint, I recommend you make your 1st disc save on a thumb-drive (unless you manage to last beyond that)(use a thumb-drive; save your completed casual savegame on it to start HC mode save the disc 1 savepoint on it), when you are ask to swap disc and continue just pull out the thumb drive and if you die at any part after that it will throw you back to the chapter 7 free auto checkpoint till you get to the next save within disc 2. Thanks.

 

Yup, thank you for mentionning. I am currently making several playthroughs and writing point by point what could help. Many good things to come, thanks for the reply ! :)

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  • 1 year later...
  • 6 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Just finished this about 4-5 hours ago.

 

My 2 cents:

 

- The IGN walk-through is excellent. A few errors with Node locations, but overall it was my guide for area-to-area intel.

 

- I used the Plasma Cutter and the Bloody Force Gun (I didn't realize I had the Martial Law Pack downloaded). Used the Bloody Vintage Suit to give that extra 10% damage from the Force Gun.

 

- Picked up most of the Power Nodes scattered (I only got one in Ch. 14, too scared to get the others). I bought the Nodes when I had the credits (kept about 25000 for ammo/health, just in case).

 

- After reading through this forum, my decision for save points were:

> Chapter 5, immediately before meeting Daina, and the Tormentor.

> Chapter 9, towards the end, before the Stalker-filled room, and before having to chuck flammable canisters at the fuel storage tank and fending-off Tripods.

> Chapter 13, after the drill ride and sending Ellie off in the gunship and before heading down.

 

- My (re)runs:

>Ch. 1 - Ch. 5, no sweat but a couple of close calls.

>Ch. 5 - Ch. 7 (before disc-swap), once because of stupidity, not paying attention to my health when combating the Brute at the end of Chapter 6.

>Ch. 7 (after disc-swap) - Ch. 9, replayed 5 times: two deaths on free-fall after aligning the solar arrays; once at the Hub waiting for Ellie to open the CEC door (again, not paying attention to health); twice at the start of Ch. 9, after meeting the Divider, going to the next room with the breakable window and missing the red button (once), and breaking the window while too close to the window (so no time to get the red button).

>Ch. 9 - Ch. 13, no sweat but was nervous...got lucky.

>Ch. 13 - Ch. 15, just once; the middle "red" room (before the last Brute), Necromorphs nailed me hard, and again because of not watching my health.

 

After finally defeating the last Brute, the run to the end was nerve-wrenching. I can feel my heart beating faster as I approached the Marker. A few blasts of the Force Gun to kill the ghost-Packs and keep Nicole away, and unloading the Plasma Cutter into the Marker's heart...the game is over! But wait...there's more. The jet-pack ride up to Ellie's gunship is what made me worry. One wrong turn and SPLAT! You're dead. Luckily, I reviewed a YouTube video of the last scene and memorized the moves.

 

Best achievement earned. Time to go to sleep like a baby.

 

--->Robert

8-)

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After I recently completed DS3 100% I thought i'd revisit DS2 and attempt Hardcore mode for the 1st time.There are some great threads with good advice on this site and i'll quickly share my thoughts on a tough achievement.I don't care what anyone says-this is a tough achievement,especially if like me you do NO 'infinite power nodes/credits' glitching on Chptr 1.If you do want to do that obviously feel free to do so.So here goes:

 

1-Do at least 1 normal playthru to familiarise yourself with enemy spawns,potential trouble spots you have as like me they may well be different to other peoples,this will help you plan your 3 saves better.

 

2-Although I did no 'duplicating' I did get 2 weapon/suit dlcs-Martial Law and Supernova-which give you the 'Bloody force gun','Heavy duty contact beam' and a slightly better suit from the start.I had never rated the force gun but when upgraded it is awesome especially up close when surrounded,as is the contact beam which destroys Brutes,stalkers and the final marker 'boss' in 3 shots-plus it special upgrade adds stasis which is invaluable at times,especially the last 3/4 chptrs.Obviously the Plasma cutter aswell for precision shooting.I went with the 3 gun approach over 2,its up to you,i just felt more comfortable that way.

 

3-My saves were end of 8,after Brutes on 10-always found these easy-and my last was 13 after seeing Ellie off.Everyone says this,and for good reason,try to get through disc 1 with no save,having 2 saves from 10 onwards makes all the difference!

 

4-Finally,and it took 2 fails to realize this,DON'T GIVE UP,BE PATIENT & PERSISTENT! Each failed attempt helps & you learn from it,better prepared next time round.

 

I hope this helps you to get a very challenging,but rewarding achievement.Plus you unlock the 'Hand Cannon' which helps you blaze through the 'zealot' difficulty playthru in 3 hours-Awesome after fighting through on Hard Core.

 

Good luck!!

Edited by Mc1ovin11
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I personally saved where I was having trouble in the normal playthough. I believe I used a save really early, and then one around chapter 5-6. the problem with my method was having to go from the free save at the disc swap to chapter 13 on one go. As you may know, I was shaking like a rock near then end of chapter 12 with the drill!

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  • 11 months later...

After 3 years and coming back here - i'm so glad that this is helping people out! And thank you everyone for all the extra information, of course, after 3 years i'm not likely to go back to this game - i'm only hoping for a better dead space to come, although 3 wasn't as good than that one imo.. Thank you everyone! I hope this helps many people in the future, perhaps in 2040 or something crazy!

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  • 6 months later...
  • 3 years later...

Just finished this achievement recently and thought I would give my general strategy to get through Hardcore Mode. These are strategies that I found helpful for me. Ultimately, everyone has their own method and that is what makes Hardcore Mode so much fun. Here is what I found effective with respect to saves, weapons, and general strategies.

 

Saves:

 

Save #1 - Chapter 5: Save right before the Tripod Sequence as there is an instant death scene if you do no hit the Tripod's tentacle fast enough. At this point you have made it through roughly 1/3 of the game and have had a few challenging parts (namely the train sequence). In addition, this a good place to save since you are close to the disc switch which will act as a temporary checkpoint (not a save point). You do not want to die here and go all the way back to the beginning of the game.

 

Save #2 - Chapter 9: Save right before the ending tripod sequence in which you use explosive barrels to blow up the fuel tanks. I found this sequence to be somewhat tricky as you have to time it perfectly. If you miss a fuel tank when using telekinesis it is likely you will die as the tripods continually respawn and can take you out very quickly. It is a nice place to save as you have completed the Solar Array sequence, many of the tougher zero g sequences, and the toughest stalker room in the game located in Chapter 9. Essentially you are saving at Chapter 10 anyways since the Tripod/Fuel Tank Sequence is the last part of Chapter 9.

 

Save #3 - Chapter 13: Save right before the eye poke machine. Once again this is another instant death scene if the eye poke is not handled carefully. Some people save right before the drill ride however, if you have fully upgraded your force gun and have the damage on your plasma cutter upgraded this sequence should be relatively easy. I found the hardest part between Chapter 9 and Chapter 13 to be the latter parts of the Ishimura on Chapter 11. The decontamination room can be tricky as enemies are coming from every direction and the end of the chapter has a large amount of exploders in an ultraviolet area. However, if you take it slow you should be okay. Also, this sets you up nicely for a final run towards the boss to wrap up the game as Chapters 14 and 15 are extremely short.

 

Weapons

 

Plasma Cutter: I used the plasma cutter primarily in the beginning of the game through Chapter 8. After Chapter 8 I felt enemies spawned in larger groups and I needed to use the force gun for greater crowd control. Focus on upgrading damage solely as you will want to save nodes for other weapons, stasis module, and rig. You will not need any other upgrades for the plasma cutter. You will want damage on the plasma cutter fully upgraded for the tripod sequence in Chapter 5 as well as to conserve ammo.

 

Force Gun: Purchase the force gun ASAP. If you have DLC you have a huge advantage here. However, it is not required. Once you have the plasma cutter's damage fully upgraded focus on upgrading your Force Gun. Focus on upgrading damage first. After upgrading damage you may choose freely on what you would like to upgrade next on the force gun. Try to upgrade this gun fully as it is great for crowd control, ammo is cheap, and can heavily damage enemies when fully upgraded. Finally it can take out exploders without causing them to explode on you.

 

Contact Beam: Do not purchase this until the end of Chapter 13. The contact beam is great for Chapters 14 and 15 simply for its stasis alt fire ability. I recommend re-specing your plasma cutter to reclaim your previously used power nodes. Then use your remaining power nodes and place them into the contact beam (specifically alt fire). Once alt fire is maxed out you can use the Contact Beam's alt fire to dismember and stasis enemies with ease. The stasis from the alt fire lasts much longer than your typical stasis making it very handy for the regenerator and will allow you to run past enemies with ease. In addition, this weapon is extremely powerful against the last boss and takes out the pack attacking you in the last boss fight in one hit.

 

Stasis & Rig

 

Stasis: Once you upgrade your plasma cutter and force gun begin to upgrade your stasis. Stasis will come in handy in boss fights and towards the end of the game when trying to run past enemies in Chapters 14 & 15. Ultimately try to upgrade your stasis fully. However, focus on duration to start as you will want it to last as long as possible (especially against brutes).

 

Rig: Upgrade this after stasis or if you are low on health. Each time you upgrade your health capacity you are restored to full health. This saves you medpacks as you progress through the game. Do not worry about oxygen as your base level is more than enough. TK Damage is optional depending on your play style. I preferred to save the nodes for the Contact Beam later in the game.

 

 

General Tips

 

Stomp Every Enemy: Always stomp each defeated foe to ensure you are collecting as much ammo, money, etc as possible.

 

Use Telekinesis: Use TK to throw necromorph limbs at enemies as this will conserve ammo. Also, you can determine if an enemy is faking death by trying to TK them. If you cannot TK them and pick up their limbs the enemy is not dead. TK is especially helpful when using stasis barrels against enemies (specifically brutes)

 

 

Always save at least one power node: You always want to have one power node to unlock power node doors. Almost every door is worth opening as their is usually nodes, semiconductors, health packs, ammo, etc. that make it worth your expense.

 

Keep health above yellow: Do not let your health stay at yellow or below. On any other mode you would be fine. However, you don't want to be overconfident and make a silly mistake and die. Keep your health in the blue and use your health packs

 

 

Inventory: Keep about 5 Medium Health Packs on you at all times if possible. Large Health Packs are too expensive and medium health packs do the job just fine. In addition, I kept about 3 stacks of Force Gun ammo and 4 stacks of Plasma Cutter ammo. This should be enough to get you through to each store location. You also want to leave room to pick up items along your travels through Sprawl.

 

 

Do not shoot windows: Try to avoid shooting windows open as if you are unfortunate enough to not hit the red buzzer you will die and have to go back to your previous save. It is very easy to get distracted or be positioned poorly and be unable to hit the buzzer in time.

 

 

Keep Calm: While Hardcore is extremely intense it is manageable. Take the game slowly and be confident in your abilities. As long as you are careful and do not rush it you will make it.

 

If you die- stop: If you die you need to stop and take a break. Dying after playing for 3 hours will most likely frustrate you and rattle you subconsciously. Take a break for the day and revisit it later when your nerves are calm and are ready to tackle it again. It will save you time and frustration in the long run.

 

Hope this helps everybody and I wish you all the best of luck!!

Edited by phil2128
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