Sneak Preview: Darkwatch
Walkthrough 1: The Wrong Train
From the Darkwatch Official Strategy Guide,
published by BradyGames
INITIAL OBJECTIVE
Tonight's robbery is going to make you a rich man. Fight your way to the treasure car and blow open the safe.
This level introduces you to Jericho Cross. The first half of the level is a tutorial to familiarize you with the controls and your environment. As the game's opening cutscene ends, you find yourself on the eve of your biggest train heist. You begin the level in one of the train's cargo cars.
Walk forward to the door at the end of the car. To the left of the door are two revolvers. Ordinarily, you only need to touch a weapon to pick it up. But, you have full ammo for your revolver, so ignore them for now.
When you walk up to the door, you can see that it is locked. Use your melee attack to break the lock and open the door.
The next car holds several cannons that are being shipped to the Darkwatch stronghold. The barrels of the cannon are at head height, which means that you need to duck under them to proceed. Move under the two cannons here, then run through the door into the next car.
The third car holds more artillery bound for the train's final destination. In this case, turret barrels block your way. Jump over the barrels to bypass them. Ignore the dead bodies on the ground and head through the door to the next car.
This car is empty except for a half-eaten horse, which neighs eerily as you walk past it. To the right of the door, just past the stable car, are two more revolvers.
In the next car, you get your first taste of action. It's a giant refrigerator car with frozen carcasses hanging from the ceiling. At the opposite end of it is a Reaper, feasting on the body of a Darkwatch Regulator. Don't rush into the car, or the Reaper will get up and charge you. Set your aim and start shooting at it from afar. Once you hit it, it runs up to attack. You need to hit the Reaper several times to kill it; if it gets close, use your melee attacks to finish it off.
There is a Blood Canteen lying next to the dead Regulator's body. Pick it up to replenish any health you lost while fighting the Reaper. Go to the next car. Inside, you see two Reapers hacking apart a Darkwatch Regulator. Start firing as soon as you enter. This way, you have a chance to kill at least one before they reach you. You won't be able to survive concentrated attacks from both of them. If they get too close, use your melee attacks to finish them off.
Once both Reapers have been killed, a dying Regulator walks through the door from the next car. Just before he collapses to the ground, he gives you his weapon: a Redeemer. This particular gun is quite an upgrade from the pistol that you have been using up to this point.
NEW WEAPON: REDEEMER
This souped-up pistol is stronger than your revolver and has an additional firing mode. Holding down the trigger fans the gun's hammer and sprays out a rapid succession of bullets. When you do this, the weapon starts to kick upward, so be sure to correct your aim. In addition to its rapid-fire ability, the Redeemer also does far more damage when used as a melee weapon.
There is a Blood Canteen lying on the bench to the left of the dead Regulator. Use it if necessary and proceed through the door. Once you enter the car, a Reaper leaps out and rushes you from the far-left corner of the car. Fan the Redeemer to empty a spray of bullets into its body and quickly reload your weapon.
As soon as the first one falls, a second Reaper comes through the wall at you and is immediately followed by a third that drops into the car from a hole in the ceiling.
After this attack, two more drop down from the ceiling and another breaks through the wall. Fan the Redeemer again to fire a hail of bullets into the Reapers. Don't forget that it's easiest to use your melee attack if they get too close. Proceed through the door at the end of this car to enter the treasure car.
When you arrive in the treasure car, a cutscene reveals that you've broken into the wrong train. It turns out there's no gold inside. As you light the fuse to blow open the safe, a mysterious gunslinger named Cassidy Sharp puts a gun to your head and tells you to back slowly away from the explosive, but it's too late. The dynamite tears open the safe and frees the captive inside, a vampire lord named Lazarus Malkoth.
Lazarus erupts from the safe in an explosion of energy, which ripples across the landscape, raising undead creatures from graveyards across the plains. Returning to the scene of the treasure train, you see Lazarus leap onto Cassidy. As you move to defend her, Lazarus attacks you.
When the cutscene ends, you discover that Lazarus infected you with the curse vampire and fled the train through a hole in the roof. You've got to set things right and kill Lazarus. Not only to end the curse, but to atone for your terrible misdeed.
The second part of the level now begins. A cutscene shows a Reaper drop into your car and it is killed by a single shot to the head from Cassidy's gun.
TIP: HEAD SHOTS COUNT
This cutscene is a clue to always aim for the head. If you fire at an enemy's body, it takes several shots to kill them. In most cases, shooting an enemy in the head scores an instant kill. Only the toughest enemies such as Oozers, Vipers, and Lazarus himself, won't die from a head shot.
Cassidy starts by running up the debris onto the roof of the car. Follow her up top, where she is fighting two Reapers. Kill them and follow her along the train. Up ahead you see Lazarus, who is invincible at this time.
TIP: BEING A VAMPIRE
As a Vampire, you have gained a host of new abilities. Immediately. You notice that you now have a Blood Shield. Henceforth, all attacks deplete this shield before they reduce your health. Your Blood Shield regenerates over time, so if it goes down, back away from the fight and give it some time to recharge before rejoining a battle.
Lazarus begins far off in the distance. Several Reapers begin crawling up from the sides of the train to attack you. The Reapers initially take a swipe or two at Cassidy, but almost always turn toward you. Kill them swiftly to stop their attacks and pick up any Blood Clouds left behind when they die. Once you kill all the Reapers, Lazarus rushes forward to attack.
You can provoke Lazarus into an early attack by running up to him and shooting. Doing so forces him to begin teleporting towards you. Any Reapers between you and him die instantly during his approach, so use this to your advantage. Keep in mind that any Reapers you run past will remain alive to hack at you from behind.
TIP: BLOOD CLOUDS
As a Vampire, Blood Clouds can now be used to recover health. Blood Clouds are left behind when an undead enemy falls. Walking over or near one draws it in and restores a portion of your health.
You don't need to worry about Cassidy during this boss fight. She can hold her own, but don't count on her to win the fight for you. The Reapers and Lazarus always attack you instead of her.
After you damage Lazarus, he teleports back to the end of the train and summons more Reapers to attack you. Take down the Reapers again and start shooting at Lazarus. He resumes his attack and teleports away once more when you further reduce his health. The process repeats until Lazarus' health bar is reduced just short of zero.
Soon after Lazarus is dealt with, another cutscene plays to show Jericho and Cassidy escaping from the train and the wrath of Lazarus.