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Walkthrough - "Xidia Gold"

Xidia's Inventory

This is the section of the walkthrough about all the items and weapons you get in Xidia. The locations (and amount) of the items are based always on Unreal difficulty (apart some exceptions). Remember that I'll be counting even the stuff in the crates and items dropped by enemies!


Common Pickups


This category includes the common stuff found through the game, namely all the types of ammo and health pickup.

Bandage

Effects: Restores 5 or 10 points of Health.
Description: Ordinary bandages, abandoned throughout the lands of Xidia. They are usually found near dead bodies and are hard to see. They can heal 5 or 10 points of Health and they are fairly widespread. These aren't items generally worth saving for later, so get them when you have the chance.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: 6 Bandages
Beneath Xidia: 6 Bandages
Derelict Underground: 3 Bandages
Derelict Surface: 3 Bandages
Underground Railroad: 5 Bandages
Return to Outpost Pheonix: 2 Bandages
The Dead Mines: 6 Bandages

Health Pack

Effects: Restores 20 points of Health.
Description: Medical packs, like the ones you would see in an UT game. Sometimes they are common, and usually come in pairs. Some of them are found inside wooden boxes as well. Any Health Pack heals you of 20 points. Use them only when necessary. Luckily they are highly visible.

Found in: Outpost Pheonix: 6 Health Packs
Beneath Xidia: 2 Health Packs
Derelict Underground: 1 Health Pack
Derelict Surface: 6 Health Packs
Darklord: 4 Health Packs
Self-Destruct: 4 Health Packs
Underground Railroad: 1 Health Pack
Return to Outpost Pheonix: 2 Health Packs
The Dead Mines: 7 Health Packs
The Genome Warriors: 2 Health Packs
Beacon: 9 Health Packs

Nali Healing Fruit

Effects: Restores from 0 to 29 points of Health, depending on the plant's stage of growth.
Description: Even in Xidia you'll see these famous healing plants, that were found on Na Pali and in other map packs. As always, they make you regain 29 points of health. Fortunately all of the plants that you see are already fully grown.
Plants are always found in places with soil, so don't expect them in the middle of a building. They aren't very common; use them only when necessary, as you would with the Health Packs.
You can also create Nali Healing Fruit with the Seeds. More on these later.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: 5 Nali Healing Fruit
Beneath Xidia: 11 Nali Healing Fruit
Derelict Underground: 1 Nali Healing Fruit
Derelict Surface: 1 Nali Healing Fruit
Darklord: 3 Nali Healing Fruit
Return to Outpost Pheonix: 5 Nali Healing Fruit
The Dead Mines: 7 Nali Healing Fruit

Biosludge Ammo

Effects: Restores 25 points of BioRifle Ammo.
Description: As the BioRifle is one of the most useful weapons of Xidia, its ammo is found pretty rarely, forcing you to use other weapons. They are identical to the UT version (both looks and effects) and are present only in Jones's maps.
Be sure to use the slime weapon wisely and only when needed.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: 5 Biosludge Ammo Beneath Xidia: 4 Biosludge Ammo Darklord: 1 Biosludge Ammo

Clip

Effects: Restores 20 points of Automag Ammo.
Description: The two black, small boxes of ammo put together are seen again in Xidia to make you regain 20 rounds of ammunition for your Automags. They seem to appear only in certain levels and some are dropped by the enemies. A must-get if you really like to use the Akimbo guns.

Found in:
Landing: 3 Clips
Outpost Pheonix: 3 Clips
Derelict Underground: 1 Clip
Derelict Surface: 1 Clip
Underground Railroad: 3 Clips
Return to Outpost Pheonix: 1 Clip
The Dead Mines: 1 Clip

Bullets

Effects: Restores 50 points of Automag Ammo.
Description: The boxes of Bullets play the same role as the Clips, assisting your Automags. Akimbo guns waste a lot of ammo, and these may be useful if you like to use them. Due to their high payload of 50 rounds, boxes of Bullets should be saved for when they are needed. They are actually more common than the normal Clips, primarily in the first maps of both games.

Found in:
Orbit: 1 box of Bullets
Outpost Pheonix: 5 boxes of Bullets
Beneath Xidia: 3 boxes of Bullets
Underground Railroad: 3 boxes of Bullets
Return to Outpost Pheonix: 3 boxes of Bullets
The Dead Mines: 1 box of Bullets
Beacon: 6 boxes of Bullets

Shock Core

Effects: Restores 10 points of Shock Rifle Ammo.
Description: UT's Shock Rifle pickup makes an appearance in Xidia. The Shock Rifle is a useful hitscan and strong weapon, and the Shock Cores seem to be fairly easy to find, plus you can gain ammo by getting the dropped weapons from the Skaarj Troopers or just hidden in certain rooms...
Most of these are found inside boxes or are dropped by various Xidia Skaarj.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: 11 Shock Cores
Beneath Xidia: 2 Shock Cores
Derelict Underground: 1 Shock Core
Darklord: 4 Shock Cores
The Dead Mines: 2 Shock Cores
Black Widow: 3 Shock Cores
Beacon: 3 Shock Cores

Tarydium Ammo

Effects: Restores 20 points of Mining Tool Ammo.
Description: In Xidia the Stinger is replaced by its bigger brother, the Mining Tool. Capable of dealing incredible damage in seconds, its maximum ammo has been halved from 200 to 100. And so the ammo pickup.
Tarydium Ammo pickups are somewhat rare (present only in some maps) and many of them are dropped by the Xidia Skaarj Troopers.

Found in:
Beneath Xidia: 5 Tarydium Ammo
Derelict Underground: 2 Tarydium Ammo - BUGGED, you can't get them
Underground Railroad: 4 Tarydium Ammo
Return to Outpost Pheonix: 6 Tarydium Ammo
The Dead Mines: 3 Tarydium Ammo

Rifle Rounds (box)

Effects: Restores 10 points of Sniper Rifle Ammo.
Description: Ammo pickups for UT's Sniper Rifle are extremely useful. Many of the fights force you to use the sniping weapon, and you should always try to have a high quantity of its ammunition during any part of Xidia.
When using the Sniper Rifle, I suggest using an amount of ammo similar to what you can find in the level you're playing. They are reasonably widespread, but make sure you also get the dropped Sniper Rifles from the Xidia Skaarj Troopers (your main supply of Sniper Rifle Ammo in the later Jones/Spencer levels).
Oh and yeah, it restores TEN bullets instead of EIGHT.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: 4 boxes of Rifle Rounds
Beneath Xidia: 1 box of Rifle Rounds
Underground Railroad: 1 box of Rifle Rounds
Return to Outpost Pheonix: 4 boxes of Rifle Rounds
The Dead Mines: 2 boxes of Rifle Rounds

Rifle Round (single)

Effects: Restores 1 point of Sniper Rifle Ammo.
Description This is actually the UT version of the Unreal 1's Rifle Round. No differences at all. They are found only in Return to Outpost Pheonix. As the map already has too much Sniper Rifle Ammo, don't worry too much about getting them at every available opportunity.

Found in:
Return to Outpost Pheonix: 4 Rifle Rounds

Razor Blades

Effects: Restores 25 points of Ripper Ammo.
Description: Only found in Jones's levels as the Ripper is only found in his maps. The Ripper is mainly useless except against enemies like Brutes and Pupae, but you won't really need it. These ammo packs are pretty rare, and I would say to get them every time you get the chance or after you used the weapon for a battle.
Most of your ammo for the Ripper is picked up by collecting dropped enemy weapons.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: 5 cans of Razor Blades
Derelict Surface: 1 can of Razor Blades
Darklord: 1 can of Razor Blades

Pulse Cell

Effects: Restores 25 points of Pulse Gun Ammo.
Description: Found only in Spencer's adventure. Unlike the Ripper, the Pulse Gun IS very useful, especially against fast moving enemies and bot-like enemies. The ammo is reasonably common, thanks also to the availability of Pulse Guns dropped by enemies.
Have fun with it, but be sure to have tons of its ammunition for Spencer's last battle. That's my only advice.

Found in:
Return to Outpost Pheonix: 4 Pulse Cells (each one has 199 ammo)
The Dead Mines: 1 Pulse Cell
The Genome Warriors: 1 Pulse Cell

Flak Ammo

Effects: Restores 10 points of Flak Cannon Ammo.
Description: Fortunately, Xidia seems to have only the packs of 10 shells for the Flak weapon. And it's a good thing, as the Flak Cannon is one of the most useful weapons of the game, capable of most every enemies fairly easily (apart from Bot-enemies).
They seem to be pretty common, too. I would recommend following the same tactic as I recommended for boxes of Rifle Rounds, as the Flak Cannon is strong against the bosses and various Skaarj.
They can be found everywhere: on the ground, inside boxes and dropped by Skaarj (plus their discarded weapons) and even dropped by Behemoths. Get them only when seriously NEEDED! They are your best friends throughout Xidia.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: 1 Flak Ammo
Beneath Xidia: 5 Flak Ammo
Darklord: 8 Flak Ammo
The Dead Mines: 3 Flak Ammo
The Genome Warriors: 1 Flak Ammo
Black Widow: 2 Flak Ammo

Eightballs

Effects: Restores 12 points of Eightball Gun Ammo.
Description: Xidia uses the original Unreal rocket launcher, the Eightball Gun. The weapon has its uses, but most of the time you will tend to use the Flak Cannon.
You can't hate though the amount of damage and usefulness of the bombs... and of the rockets. Surprise attacks against groups of bot-enemies, big enemies, long ranged fights, etc...
As always, save the cans of Eightballs for later if you don't need them or for when you've just wasted 10 rockets (from the max ammo value).
Very common, and some Skaarj Praetorians even drop them.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: 2 cans of Eightballs
Beneath Xidia: 4 cans of Eightballs
Derelict Surface: 2 cans of Eightballs
Darklord: 10 cans of Eightballs
Return to Outpost Pheonix: 4 cans of Eightballs
The Dead Mines: 5 cans of Eightballs
Black Widow: 4 cans of Eightballs

CAR Clip

Effects: Restores 50 points of Combat Assault Rifle Ammo.
Description: As only Jones has the CAR, don't expect to find them in Spencer's levels. The RTNP's CAR looks cool and funny, but its real weakness is not stunning monsters. And Xidia is really based on that, fighting monsters by stunning them to the greatest possible in order to keep them at bay.
Ammunition isn't that common, although you can count on dropped CARs from enemies or a full one (300 ammo...) in the third and the last level. The choice is yours...

Found in:
Orbit: 1 CAR Clip
Outpost Pheonix: 2 CAR Clips
Beneath Xidia: 3 CAR Clips
Derelict Surface: 1 CAR Clip
Darklord: 2 CAR Clips

CAR Grenades

Effects: Restores 3 points of the Combat Assault Rifle's grenade Ammo.
Description: In Xidia, the UT Rocket Launcher Ammo is in reality a pack of three grenades for the CAR. Only for Jones as always.
This type of ammo isn't that really frequent, plus I haven't found an actual use for them in Xidia. Get them if you want...

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: 3 packs of CAR Grenades
Beneath Xidia: 4 packs of CAR Grenades
Derelict Underground: 1 pack of CAR Grenades
Derelict Surface: 1 pack of CAR Grenades
Darklord: 2 packs of CAR Grenades

Chaingun Ammo

Effects: Restores 25 points of Chaingun Ammo
Description: In Xidia, the Chaingun and the Automags don't share the same type of ammo. This UT pickup, which now contains just 25 bullets instead of 50 (balance issues, probably), is present only in the level where you get the Chaingun for the first time. You then lose the weapon in the next level, so if you just had fun with the big toy against the Spinners and you're still not happy, this is for you.

Found in:
The Dead Mines: 1 Chaingun Ammo


Support Items


This is a list about the rest of the items in Xidia, the ones that you'll find more rarely or being exceptionally useful.
There are two types of Support Items: the Armoury Type (about items used automatically, for example the Body Armor) and the Inventory Type (stuff that you can fully use and are kept in your inventory, like the Flashlight).

Universal Translator

Item Type: Inventory
Effects: Makes you read messages from contacts or going near panels. You can scroll through past messages.
Description: The fundamental item of Single Player Unreal isn't absent in Xidia. This time has had a few upgrades from the old version. Now it supports larger messages (actually so does the Unreal one, but seeing words going outside the translator screen just sucks), has a new look and now, by scrolling the middle button of the mouse, you can see all the stuff you have already read. This is extremely useful if you forgot the code from a past message and you don't remember where you first saw it.
You should be careful, though, as it's possible to experience data loss if you use this latter feature in the wrong way.
The Translator can always be activated by pressing F2 (or from the inventory), but it pops up automatically every time you go near a book, panel... near anything which has a message. Remember that some of the messages are sent by other people, and you can only read those messages one time unless you use the message scrolling feature.
Otherwise, it's still the good ol' item you knew from Unreal. But in Xidia, it is even more useful as you find even more essential tips for going onward in the levels.

Found in:
Nowhere, as both characters already have it from the outset.

Flashlight

Item Type: Inventory
Effects: By casting a yellowish, weak illumination, the Flashlight lights up the areas that you're aiming at. Infinite charge.
Description: This is Spencer's own lighting tool. Unreal's Flashlight makes a return appearance in Xidia, with the change of having an infinite amount of battery. The illumination isn't really that powerful, but good enough to see anything in the dark. Don't be afraid of using it, but watch out for the enemies. One who has its back turned to you can spot you if it is illuminated...
This should be always the item selected in the inventory, so you have just to press the "Item Activation" button to turn on and off the Flashlight.

Found in:
Spencer's mission only, and he has it from the start of the game.

Searchlight

Item Type: Inventory
Effects: By casting a white, strong illumination, the Searchlight lights up the areas that you're aiming at. Infinite charge.
Description: This is Jones's own lighting tool. Spencer had a Flashlight and Jones has the Searchlight.
Having an infinite charge and a stronger illumination, this thing works just in the same way as Spencer's version. Remember that in the inventory it has a Flashlight icon.
Also you have to GET it in the first map... otherwise you'll just find in level 3.

Found in:
Orbit: In the survey room (area before the armoury), over the first table on the right hand side.
Outpost Pheonix: In the corridor leading to the flooded chambers. It is found near the Scuba Gear.
Beneath Xidia - EASY ONLY: In the first cave, near the group of Flares.

Dispersion Pistol Powerup

Item Type: Armoury
Effects: Recharges the Dispersion Pistol's ammo to max, and upgrades it to the next power level. Four are needed to make the Dispersion Pistol arrive to its final power level.
Description: The Dispersion Pistol Powerups are back again in Xidia, but in through Jones's levels. As you pick one up, your Dispersion Pistol changes shape, the max ammo amount becomes higher by 10 and its bolt changes colour and increases in power (the rate of fire eventually diminishes, though). They are hidden pretty well and also useful. Never underestimate the power of the Dispersion Pistol...

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix:
1) Go into the corridor which you are supposed to enter after the room with the Machine Gun Turret. In the tunnel you'll find some boxes, and one of them has the Dispersion Pistol Powerup.
2) HARD ONLY - When you are using the lift which leads to the exit of the level, you'll spot a cave during the trip. In it there's the "bonus" Dispersion Pistol Powerup.
Beneath Xidia: In the room behind the windows, where a Skaarj Harvester with a Flak Cannon ambushes you, a box with the Dispersion Pistol is present.
Derelict Underground: Go into the staircase area and don't fall through the hole in the ground. Continue to the next corridor and arrive at the locked door. The last nook on the right side has the item.
Derelict Surface: In the flooded area at the beginning, go to the right pathway. There's a wooden box with the Dispersion Pistol Powerup.

Flare

Item Type: Inventory
Effects: Throw a Flare which lights up the area you're in with a good illumination. It explodes if it takes damage or after a period of time.
Description: You thought the Flares were useless in Unreal. In Xidia they have ZERO use. This is obvious by the fact you have always (unless you forgot it at the beginning or in Outpost Pheonix) an infinite Searchlight.
Found only in Jones's adventure, these highly common items are completely useless. Use them only if you want to have fun.

Found in:
Orbit (7 Flares): Survey room, over the second table on the right hand side.
Outpost Pheonix (15 Flares):
1) One Flare is found inside a wooden box, in the area where you use the Machine Gun Turret.
2) A group of four Flares are found on the ledge over the flooded area, where a switch and a Tentacle are also present.
3) Ten Flares are inside an opened crate, in the area protected by a Jaberwock inside a narrow doorway.
Beneath Xidia (8 Flares):
1) Five Flares are found throughout the first cave of the level. Easy to find.
2) Two Flares, plus a third one if you're playing on EASY and MEDIUM, are found in the pathway with the bomb's detonator.

SCUBA Gear

Item Type: Inventory
Effects: Makes you breathe underwater. You have an additional 20 seconds of underwater swimming after the item's charge runs out.
Description: Another item found only in Jones's adventure. It's the well-known Unreal's SCUBA Gear: no differences apart having an incredibly high charge (75 times higher than the normal one!). It's not infinite, but use it correctly and you'll have an easy time even in the underwater areas of all the maps.
If there's something which you shouldn't do, it's to deactivate it while underwater, as you'll end up drowning. The trick about deactivating it while going underwater to save its charge works, but it's a waste of time in Xidia as its charge is very big.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: In the corridor leading to the flooded chambers.

Seed

Item Type: Inventory
Effects: Throws a white Seed which will grow into Nali Healing Fruit. Works on any surface and it's better to wait until the end of the growing sequence to benefit from the greatest healing effects.
Description: In Unreal, the Seeds were just stuff collected by the Nali to grow their Healing Plants. In Xidia, the situation is the same, but now humans made them. Fortunately the Seeds work in the same, awesome way as you may know.
Found in both adventures, they are very rare and should be used only when your health is just near zero and there are no Health Packs / wild plants / Bandages / Super Health available (this is mostly the case in the Skaarj maps passed by the two characters).
If you don't know how it works, you just need to select the Seed icon and activate it. You'll throw a Seed which grows into Nali Healing Fruit. You don't need soil for that, as it works even on metal surfaces. The plant will grow until it has two fruits; wait until the two orange balls appear. The plant should now heal you of 29 points (on lower difficulties even 30).
Be sure to find them and use them wisely. Surviving is easy in Xidia if you play your cards right.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix (3 Seeds): Go to the area below the balcony where you fought the Runner Skaarj. In front of this balcony and on this floor there are two entrances to a vent shaft. In the middle of it you'll find the Seeds.
Beneath Xidia (3 Seeds): Go into the cave that requires you to unlock it for access and fight two Behemoths coming from it. In this tunnel, check the right hand side and you'll find a body with the three Seeds.
Derelict Underground (2 Seeds): Pass the first door of the level in front of you, and go to the nook on the left hand side. Here you go, items and a body are here.
Underground Railroad (3 Seeds):
1) Go to the second train kart and you should see two crates connected with a wooden plank. Go around the tank to find some steel boxes that you can use to climb the crates. Pass over the plank and you'll find two Seeds.
2) From the entrance side, Car0003 and second floor. The first crew berth chamber has it.
The Dead Mines (3 Seeds): Pass the last human-made room and enter the cave after the small opened hole on the wall. Now go to the right hand side. At the dead-end, you'll find them, near the Chaingun.

Super Health

Item Type: Armoury
Effects: Restores 100 points of Health and can surpass the "100" limit. The maximum amount of Health you can have is 200.
Description: The blue, crystal thingy inside that kind of grey, alien bag makes its useful re-appearance again in Xidia.
Extremely rare and awesome as always, Super Health should be picked up when you have a low amount of health (for good healing) or just when you really feel that you need it (if you're health is around 100 and you want to save it for later).
If your health is still near 200 (highly unlikely though in Xidia) save it for later. Remember always to pick it before you pass a point of no return.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: It's over a balcony in the area protected by the first Jaberwock. You need to go to the second floor. Shoot the planks to destroy them and you'll have the access to the bridge leading to the item.
Beneath Xidia: Go into the enormous cave with the river. Follow your way below the waterfall. There's a chest containing a Super Health, but watch out for the three Devilfish protecting it.
Darklord: Pass through the corridor found after the Darklord's first battle. The next room has two wooden boxes, and one contains the Super Health.
Underground Railroad: Go into Car0002 and defeat the two Skaarj Commandos here. There's an opening leading to one of those Skaarj vehicles. This one has a Super Health. After you get it you'll get ambushed by a Skaarj Lord, so watch out. There's no way to miss the Super Health if you trigger the enemy appearance, so don't worry if the vehicle explodes after you killed the Skaarj Lord.
Return to Outpost Pheonix: Outside, in the dock. The item is inside one of the two boxes near Jenkins's body eaten by the Flies.
Black Widow - EXCEPT UNREAL DIFFICULTY: It's found at the beginning of the map, in the first large area behind some crates.

Thigh Pads

Item Type: Armoury
Effects: Gives you 50 points of armour. 50% of resistance from any attacks.
Description: The armour-type item of UT which should protect your legs (just a fake). It gives you 50 points of armour (damage from enemies is halved), but don't think to get additional 50 points by picking up another one. It just works in the same way as UT.
Combined with the Body Armor, you'll have 150 armour points. Thigh Pads aren't really common, but their weak protection is still useful. Get them whenever you have the chance.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix: In the corridor with the ambush by a lone Ripper blade. It's near a dead USM marine body.
Beneath Xidia: Go into the human corridor after the White Scorpion lair. It has some wooden boxes and one contains a pair of Thigh Pads.
Darklord: In the arena where you fight DarkLord for the final time. There's a pile of two crates on the opposite side of the entrance lift. Behind it there's a pair of Thigh Pads.
Underground Railroad: Second train kart, inside the opened crate after passing the tank.
The Dead Mines: Go in the last human-made room before the entrance to the caves. There's a doorway in front of the entrance leading to a blocked pathway and a wooden box with a pair of Thigh Pads.
Black Widow - UNREAL DIFFICULTY ONLY: At the start of the level, turn left. The item is inside an opened crate you may see.
Beacon: Inside the room where in Spencer's third level you did the Pulse Gun puzzle.

Body Armor

Item Type: Armoury
Effects: Gives you 100 points of armour. 75% of resistance against any attacks.
Description: The green body armor from UT replaces the Unreal 1 grey Assault Vest in this map pack. Working always like any protective suits in a normal Single Player game, it gives you 100 points. Getting Thigh Pads or any other protective items, the amount of armour will be even higher.
The Body Armor is actually weaker than its Unreal counterpart. The UT one has a resistance of the 75%, while the U1 one had 90%. But that doesn't make the Body Armor any less essential, as it's one of the main items that will enable you to survive Xidia.
Get it always when you have the chance, unless you want to save it for later after a battle or because you already have an existing Body Armor.
It's as rare as the Thigh Pads.

Found in:
Orbit: In the armoury, first table on the right hand side.
Outpost Pheonix (3 Body Armors):
1) Return to the balcony, in other words to the beginning of Jones's second level. It's behind the crates on the right hand side.
2) In the Sniper area after the Bridge part, go over the metal ledge and proceed to the dead-end on the left hand side. Behind the crate a wooden box can be found. It has the Body Armor.
3) In the cave area after the small door which you need to unlock, leading to the last part of the map.
Beneath Xidia (2 Body Armors):
1) Go into the area where you see the Skaarj Ship flying through the hole. There's a structure on the left hand side which has a switch (opens the gate which leads onward in the map). In this building there's a wooden box with the Body Armor.
2) It's in the area protected by the Jaberwock. It's behind a red crate, near a strong Skaarj Harvester with the Flak Cannon.
Derelict Underground - EXCEPT UNREAL DIFFICULTY: In the room with the falling lift, one of the crates on the right side can be opened. In it you'll find the item.
Darklord (2 Body Armors):
1) In an opened crate, first DarkLord arena.
2) Pass the first DarkLord arena and proceed in the next room after the corridor. A wooden box has the item.
Return to Outpost Pheonix: In the cave area after the small locked door, opened after you unlocked the way to the exit. If you played Jones's adventure, is just the area before the exit of his version of the map.
The Dead Mines: In the storage area, go near the door which leads onward through the map and take the corridor to the left, behind the crates. At the end there's the Body Armor.

Kevlar Suit

Item Type: Armoury
Effects: Gives you 100 points of armour. 80% of resistance against any attacks.
Description The Kevlar Suit you know and love from Unreal, no changes here. It is actually stronger than the Body Armor, and it has greater durability as well.
Unfortunately, it's only found in one map and not in Unreal difficulty. So get it as soon as you find it, it's really useful.

Found in:
Black Widow - EXCEPT UNREAL DIFFICULTY: It is found near the crates found at the right side of the entrance. On Unreal difficulty, you just have a pair of Thigh Pads found in the opposite side :(

Power Shield

Item Type: Armoury
Effects: Gives you 200 points of armour. Absorbs all the damage dealt to you until its charge touches zero.
Description: If you played Demon Crater in the original Unreal, you probably know about this different Shield Belt. Yeah, it's like the U1 version, but it has 200 shield points.
Yes, it's the Demon Crater's Power Shield. This thing is extremely useful: lots of armour points (cooler if you get more stuff like the Body Armor and the Thigh Pads... 350!) and all the damage dealt to you is negated until the Power Shield's charge touches ITS zero value.
The thing works a la Unreal Single player, not in the UT way like after you get a Shield Belt all the other armors you got are deleted. Here it's another protection added to your armoury.
There are two of them in the game, only in Jones's adventure. Although only one is in Unreal difficulty.
I suggest getting them as you find them.

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix (ONLY FOR EASY AND MEDIUM): While using the last lift to the level's exit, you'll spot a cave during the trip. Jump into the hole and proceed until you find the Power Shield.
Darklord: Just in the area after you used the first elevator of the level.

Anti-Gravity Boots

Item Type: Inventory
Effects: When activated, you can do big jumps. There's a delay of 11 seconds between the jumps though. Charge is infinite.
Description: Modified UT Jumpboots. Infinite charge, but after you do a big jump, you must wait eleven seconds to do so again.
What's really bad is the absence of it from Unreal difficulty. Found only in the level where you have to fight the Queen, these Jumpboots are used to go out from the Pupae pit in the boss arena. In Unreal difficulty, you must not fall in that pit, otherwise you're stuck forever. Remember that the item disappears without any trace in the next map due to a development decision.

Found in:
Black Widow (EXCEPT UNREAL DIFFICULTY): Descend in the first pit with the Pupae. The magic trip will take you directly to them. Jumpboots get destroyed at the start of the next level.

Energy Amplifier

Item Type: Inventory
Effects: When activated, it boosts madly the Dispersion Pistol and Shock Rifle damage.
Description: U1's Amplifier item counts as a secret item in Xidia, found only once in Jones's adventure. Unfortunately this is found only in easy difficulty (Xidia is a joke on this difficulty).
It boosts the damage of the Dispersion Pistol and the Shock Rifle to incredible levels, but I still recommend using the Dispersion Pistol.
Best enemies to use for a test are the White Scorpion and the various Skaarj Praetorians in the Derelict levels. Oh, it has no icon in the inventory too, it's just a black space and you can't see its charge (which is just the same as the old one).

Found in:
Outpost Pheonix - EASY: In the hidden cave near the end of the level. Jump on it during the trip on the lift.

MagiTech Armor

Item Type: Armoury
Effects: Gives you 1000 points of armour. 90% of resistance against any attacks plus invulnerability against Corroded and Exploded damage types.
Description: LoL. This is the Kevlar Suit (first advantage: is independent from the other armors) of the Easter Egg in the last map of Spencer. Nearly infinite, you just get 10% of the damage inflicted by any enemies, you're invulnerable to the Corroded (useless though) and Exploded (DP, bombs, anything explosive. It makes you a demi-god against the various battles in Beacon) damage types.
Well, a joke item. You're not supposed to get it, as you're forced to cheat, and cheating in Xidia makes you lose points.
Cool thing nonetheless.

Found in:
Beacon: Go in the area with the three Skaarj behind the hangar-like door. Ghost through the closed vent shaft near the two Health Packs.


Weapons


This is your favourite section, of course. It's about all the weapons you find in Xidia, with their first appearances (I don't want to write all their locations. They are easy to find), what they can do, the damage, usefulness, etc...
There are also some tips as to how to use the weapon well. Tips about beating monsters with them are in the Monster section.
I want to point out that most of the enemies have a resistance against all the weapons (on Unreal difficulty), so don't expect to see a Shock Rifle's orb dealing the full 55 points of damage to a Skaarj.
Usefulness goes from 1 (useless) to 5 (lifesaver in Xidia).

Chainsaw

Weapon Number: 1
Description: Human-made Chainsaw. Miner Azriel took it from a random tool shed, and only he has it. Strong, but its range makes it worthless.
Character: Spencer
Pickup Ammo: Infinite
Ammo Type: None
Max Ammo: Infinite
Usefulness:
First Appearance: Return to Outpost Pheonix: Found over the pile of crates in the dock storage.
Primary Fire: 20 health per hit; very low range.
Fire up the Chainsaw to cut anything in front of you. Extremely low range, very loud and it brings some enemies TOWARDS you rather than kicking them away.
Secondary Fire: 20 health or 100 health if it is Headshot; very low range; can do headshot.
You do a Chainsaw slash, cutting anything in front of you with a distance of some centimetres. It can headshot and kill automatically creatures like Pupaes and Flies.
Delay between slashes is somewhat long.

Comments:
This is UT Chainsaw, which was your ultimate kamikaze tool. Now, in Xidia being a kamikaze it's just suicide. The creatures here, especially the Skaarj, are extremely skilled in melee fighting, and they take a lot of cutting punishments before going down.
Not to mention the weapon is very loud and can make enemies spot you, or even the great bonus of the primary fire (making monsters go more near you when hit by the blade).
The only time you could find the Chainsaw useful is against lone Pupae. Wait for their lunges and do the secondary fire... HEADSHOT. But I still recommend the Dispersion Pistol when tackling the Skaarj child.
There's no use for this weapon, forget it. It makes every combat worse. But have fun by using in on easy difficulty.
Tips:
1) If you like to dance with the primary fire, then it's ok.
2) Headshots on Pupae work perfectly just before they land from their lunges.
3) Don't use this weapon at all.

BioRifle

Weapon Number: 1
Description: Weapon made by Deckard after various studies. A gun which throws orbs of slime/toxic waste capable of dealing serious damage. Extremely hard to use, many marines died with it. Unfortunately, Skaarj are having fun with the weapon.
Character: Jones
Pickup Ammo: 25
Ammo Type: Biosludge Ammo (25)
Max Ammo: 100
Usefulness:
First Qppearance: Outpost Pheonix: It is in the hands of the first Skaarj Commando of the level.
Primary Fire 20 health; medium to high range; Corroded damage type.
Shoot continuously green orbs made of slime. They attach to any solid surface, and if they are shot or a few seconds pass, they explode, causing damage to anyone nearby. The blob explodes instantly if a living organism touches it.
Secondary Fire: From 75 to near 300 health; low range; Corroded damage type.
Charge a slime ball by taking up 10 points of ammo, and it can be released when you want. It throws a bigger blob, which lasts longer when attached. Causes lethal damage, capable of killing some Skaarj in one hit. As the shot is heavier, the range is more limited.

Comments:
The useful Weapon N°1. The BioRifle does not have any modifications from the UT one, so that means that it is still powerful as hell.
The first difficulty is the rarity of Biosludge Ammo in Xidia's maps, leaving you to use the slime gun only in certain situations and in certain ways.
Forget about the primary fire, the real tool of the BioRifle is the secondary fire: a fully charged blob. It can kill any Skaarj with health of around 210 in one hit! This means that if you see a Skaarj Trooper who is working on a terminal, you can charge a full blob right behind him, then release it = DEAD SKAARJ. What's cool is that it isn't loud at all!
It's also good for some chase sequences (like the Skaarj Warrior sequence in Derelict Underground).
Just never use the primary fire, and use the full orbs to insta-kill people that haven't become aware of your presence. NEVER WASTE IT - the ammo is too rare!
Tips:
1) Forget the primary fire.
2) You are in front of a Skaarj Trooper working near a panel or just doing nothing and you are behind him? Kill him with a full charged blob. Not loud, safe life.
3) When throwing the big blob, stay away from the target.
4) Use it wisely and correctly.
5) Other cases where you can use a charged blob are against a not durable, chasing Skaarj. Good also versus some Skaarj that have to perform a specific task that makes them vulnerable for a moment (pressing a button, jumping, etc...).

Dispersion Pistol

Weapon Number: 2
Description: Standard sidearm used by USM Marines and miners capable of stunning living organisms. Low damage but useful in any situation. The USM version can be powered up thanks to the availability of special batteries.
Character: Both
Pickup Ammo: 50
Ammo Type: Dispersion Pistol Powerup (Full recharge and level boost)
Max Ammo: 50/60/70/80/90, ammo slowly recharges. Infinite.
Usefulness:
First Appearances:
Orbit: In the armoury, second table on the right hand side.
Self-Destruct: In the area before the bridge over the railroad, there's a body with the weapon beside it.
Primary Fire: Colour, re-fire rate and power depend on the five levels. Range remains the same and is essentially infinite. Exploded damage type.
First level: Blue bolt and 15 damage dealt
Second level: Yellow bolt and 25 damage dealt
Third level: Green bolt and 40 damage dealt
Fourth level: Orange bolt and 55 damage dealt
Fifth level: Red bolt and 75 damage dealt
Shoots plasma bolts continuously, that hit the target like a normal weapon. No splash damage, and by getting the Dispersion Pistol Powerups (Jones only), the bolt becomes stronger, the rate of fire diminishes and the ammo is consumed more quickly.
Not very powerful against monsters with resistance against exploded damage. Useful against any creatures except various bosses and Skaarj.
Secondary Fire: Low to high damage, depends on the weapon's power level; Exploded damage type.
This mode is about charging shots. The bolt always remains blue and will always use up the same amount of ammo. The weapon's power level level boosts the maximum charge: more ammo is used for a more powerful bolt.
Secondary fire can also be used to fire normal blue bolts (just don't charge and press the button repeatedly) instead of the ammo-consuming coloured shots. However, secondary fire shots cause splash damage.

Comments:
One of Xidia's fundamental weapons. The Dispersion Pistol has been always one of the greatest tool in the SP arsenal, thanks to its versatility and for the fact that it is infinite.
In the original Unreal, you could use it virtually anything, but in Xidia it is no longer much use against the Skaarj. They dodge too much, plus they are stronger. But you can always use the bolt to make a Skaarj dodge, allowing you to escape.
The Dispersion Pistol remains the best tool against smaller critters and AI Cannons. The secondary fire's splash damage can kill these easily without making yourself visible. Pupae, Tentacles, Spinners, Flies and Devilfish are perfect targets for the plasma gun... who is gonna waste a Flak Shell against a small critter?
It has also other uses too, for example being a good damage dealer to the White Scorpion if you want to use up less ammo for the more powerful weapons, or just against a Skaarj Praetorian stuck in a staircase, etc...
In Jones's adventure, it's more useful thanks to the presence of Dispersion Pistol Powerups. You can use it against pairs of Skaarj Gunners, ANY Skaarj in the "coward" status and even Warlords... (more about this in the monster page).
Brutes, Behemoths and Jaberwocks resist the weapon's attack (resistance to Exploded damage...), but thanks to their slowness and dumbness, the Dispersion Pistol is still a great weapon to use against them.
It's a weapon which takes skill to use, but I'd recommend to anyone to use it against small critters and cannons. It's even infinite (though you may want to recharge it for a while after it touches 2 or 3 ammo).
Tips:
1) Be sure to keep your Dispersion Pistol ammo at a high level.
2) Use it on all the small critters.
3) Take advantage of the secondary fire's splash damage to kill the cannons.
4) Use the secondary fire's normal bolts against weak creatures, to avoid wasting lots of ammo with the coloured bolts.
5) BE SURE TO GET ALL THE DISPERSION PISTOL POWERUPS!
6) Charged bolts against Skaarj that aren't facing to you is good... at least when your body is 80% behind a wall.
7) Bolts cause Skaarj to dodge. This makes your escape easier.
8) Try to use it whenever possible, in order to conserve ammo for your other weapons.

Automag

Weapon Number: 3
Description: USM standard sidearm, fires gas-propelled rounds with good precision. Can be held in pairs thanks to its lightness and must be reloaded after 20 bullets have been expended.
Character: Both
Pickup Ammo: 20
Ammo Type: Clip (20), Box of Bullets (50)
Max Ammo: 200 (if you have one, it's 200. It you have two, then it's 100 for each).
Usefulness:
First Appearance:
Orbit: In the armoury, near the Dispersion Pistol.
Self-Destruct: Inside the first vent shaft - you can't miss it.
Primary Fire 17 health per hit; good range; hitscan.
Simply shoots bullets. It's automatic, plus the high precision is useful too, especially when you are running away from an enemy. The main limitation is their weakness in stunning powerful opponents like Skaarj, and the damage dealt makes the weapon a bad choice against Skaarj Praetorians and big and strong bosses.
The rate of fire seems to become better when you have the weapon in both hands. After an Automag shoots 20 bullets, you're forced to reload it.
Secondary Fire: 17 health per hit; average to pathetic range; hitscan.
"Gangster" shooting style. Incredibly high rate of fire but, the more you shoot, the more inaccurate the weapon becomes.
Capable actually of stunning strong enemies if you hit them continuously, this mode is useful if you want to free yourself from a weak intelligent enemy if it managed to stick you in a corner, or even for surprising opponents (especially Skaarj Troopers with low durability) working on a panel.

Comments:
The Unreal Automag in its Oldskool incarnation, modified in order to be more efficient. Yes, you still need to reload with the reload button if you want your Clip's ammo to return to 20 before it is exhausted.
What's cool this time is that you can now Akimbo the Automags like Enforcers. In Akimbo mode, you have access to a higher rate of fire and, obviously, faster damage. Unfortunately, it's really the damage dealt that makes the Automag somewhat useless in comparison to the rest of your arsenal.
Yep, it's really great during the first levels of both adventures, but after getting stuff like the Shock Rifle or the Sniper Rifle, start to say adios to the pistols... both the Shockrifle and Sniper Rifle are hitscan, but their efficiency and stunning power make you more safer from retaliatory attacks.
The Akimbo mode doesn't really help, either. The max ammo is still 200, and having both guns causes that amount to be consumed more quickly. It's just the price of getting more damage in less time, if you can manage to hit the enemy...
Damage is pretty low and it hardly stuns your opponents. Never use it against strong Skaarj or bosses (with the exception of the three Warlords, because they are just losers), as it will only damage them lightly before they get close to you (and then you will probably die unless you switch weapons).
Also, it doesn't work in water, so forget it (use the Dispersion Pistol for underwater battles). The secondary fire is even more laughable. Yeah, freeing yourself from enemies if you are stuck in a corner is nice, but in Xidia too great a waste of health to allow yourself to get into that situation. The only good moment to use the gangsta-style fire is against the first Skaarj Trooper of Outpost Pheonix, the one with the BioRifle: go right behind him, and use the secondary fire without stopping. He'll die before he can do anything. Used it? Ok, now get to thinking that you only have the primary fire.
If you plan to use this weapon, be certain that your enemy isn't really that strong and use the primary fire while retreating. If there's a Skaarj who has entered the "coward" status (i.e. backing away from you while shooting), the pistols are also good, especially if the Skaarj has a powerful weapon and you want to see him dead quickly (in which case, Automags > Dispersion Pistol against cowardly opponents).
Given the hitscan ability, the Automags have their uses against Skaarj Hybrids and Lt. Cray.
Tips:
1) Use it to defeat the first Skaarj Trooper (with the BioRifle) in Outpost Pheonix. Secondary fire his back at close range until he dies.
2) Don't use it against strong creatures.
3) Stay away from the enemy if you plan to use it.
4) Apart from n°1, forget the secondary fire.
5) Very effective against Lt. Cray.
6) Very effective against retreating enemies.
7) Not so useful after you get Shock Rifle and Sniper Rifle.

Shock Rifle

Weapon Number: 4
Description: USM assault weapon which uses a Tarydium power source; replaced with the easier-to-use Pulse Gun. Has various applications which makes it incredibly useful. Unfortunately many of them are in the hands of the Skaarj. Must not be used in the water.
Character: Both
Pickup Ammo: 20
Ammo Type: Shock Core (10)
Max Ammo: 50
Usefulness:
First Appearance:
Outpost Pheonix: just follow the orders at the start of the level and go to the balcony (beginning of Jones's level 2).
The Dead Mines: In the last human-made room before the caves, just go in the chamber after the window. Weapon can be found even in the storage area, used by a Xidia Skaarj Gunner.
Primary Fire: 40 health per hit; great range; hitscan.
Discharges single, blue bolts that instantly hit anything you aimed at. Having a high rate of fire, the Shockrifle is capable of stunning a large number of enemies easily.
Perfect for kicking any enemy away if you are far from them, taking advantage of the bolt's high range. Incredibly hard for them to avoid, unless your accuracy sucks.
Secondary Fire: 55 health per hit; great range; Exploded damage type.
Discharges shock orbs that fly in the direction you just shot. Having a higher damage and rate of fire compared to the primary fire (plus the presence of splash damage), it has the weakness of being easily avoidable. It's more commonly used for Shock Combos.
Combo Attack: About 160 damage; high explosion radius.
Special fire mode of the Shock Rifle. By shooting a shock orb with a bolt, it will explode in a cool way, heavily hurting anything nearby.
Can be avoided as enemies already tend to dodge the orbs, but highly useful if used intelligently against incoming Skaarj or group of bot-like enemies.

Comments:
Your favourite UT weapon, the hitscan, cheap Shock Rifle. What it can do in Xidia? Let me say that occurs very frequently, as the Skaarj Troopers have them a lot, not to mention they are dangerous... but you'll almost always have ammo to the max.
I'll start with something: the secondary fire. Best to forget about it as it is largely useless - it is better to use unavoidable stuff like primary fire bolts. Although orbs are useful against sleeping Skaarj...
Now I'll address the Shock Combos, alias "the real use of the secondary fire". You'll not use it a lot in the game, but it's useful at certain moments. Incoming groups of Cyborgs (the ones in The Genome Warriors), Skaarj Hybrids (first group in Beacon) and various Skaarj (preferably the Trooper ones with the Shock Rifle or any hitscan weapon. You want to kill them quicker than usual).
Okay, see the group of bot-like enemies behind a door which is opening? Do a Shock Combo in it. They'll not try to avoid the orb because they HAVEN'T SEEN you. See an incoming group of Cyborg coming into a room? Do a Shock Combo near the doorway they are passing. A Skaarj coming in a room though the doorway? Same story, a Shock Combo near that door.
This is an extremely good start, so you can kill them easily as their health is lowered. Now we talk about the bolts. They aren't as strong as the orbs, but they have something: hitscan. Being easier to use than the Automags, it has the capability of stunning enemies in a wonderful way. That's why it's great. Ever thought of continuously kicking away a Skaarj (except the Praetorians) who is running towards you? With the bolt you can, you can stop Skaarj running at you.
But the lasers are also great for taking them out from a afar if you want to save Sniper Rifle ammo. You just need good accuracy, then shoot, bolts hit Skaarj and he's stunned for a long while, you can shoot him again, etc... You know what to do.
Save this weapon's bolts only for Skaarj (except Praetorians unless you think to be safe), Warlords, the White Scorpion and all the bot-enemies (with the sole exception of the two Cyborgs in Beacon... too fast, but still possible).
The only thing which you shouldn't do is shoot with the weapon while swimming. INSTANT GAME OVER.
NOTE: Using the Shock Rifle's secondary fire is required in Outpost Pheonix in order to make progress through the level.
Tips:
1) Ignore the secondary fire.
2) Shock Combo against any incoming enemy/groups of enemies found behind something. Good also against enemies behind a corner when they haven't seen you.
3) Bolts stun any Skaarj perfectly, except Praetorians.
4) You can stun continuously a Skaarj until death if your aim is good.
5) Ammo is easy to find.
6) Best replacement for the Sniper Rifle, and so for its uses (except REAL sniping stuff).
7) Don't use it while SWIMMING. You DIE.
8) Worth using it against bots. Make them fly like dolls.
9) Bolts are hitscan. It just depends on your accuracy.

Mining Tool

Weapon Number: 5
Description: Mining Tool made by the Liandri company. Fires incredible piercing Tarydium crystal shards in two ways: consecutive shots or shotgun-like blast. Now in the hands of the Skaarj.
Character: Both
Pickup Ammo: 20
Ammo Type: Tarydium Ammo (20)
Max Ammo: 100
Usefulness:
First Appearance:
Beneath Xidia: In the hands of a Skaarj Harvester in the second, giant cave area.
Underground Railroad: In the hands of an Xidia Skaarj Gunner found in the crew berths.
Primary Fire: 30 health per hit; good range.
Discharges a continuous stream of Tarydium crystals. One crystal is fast and incredibly damaging. High rate of fire, but can be avoided thanks to their strong illumination, which makes them more visible.
Secondary Fire
Five crystals = 150 damage per perfect blast; low range.
Discharge, in a shotgun-like blast, five crystals to the target. Extremely powerful, but you need to stay near the target as the range is very low. Easily avoidable if it's done from afar.
Works perfectly against big enemies and some bosses.

Comments:
The Stinger from Unreal 1 gets some enhancements. Before saying the good, I'll say the bad. Max ammo is halved and it's now 100, and the Tarydium Ammo gives you 20 instead of 40. You'll not really care, though, as the Mining Tool's crystals are incredibly powerful, and both fire modes have their uses.
The minigun-like fire is good against Skaarj found only in NARROW corridors. In narrow environments, Skaarj don't dodge. Nothing compared to your accuracy, if you have it. Ten crystals on the fresh body of a Skaarj Warrior and he's already dead. 15 crystals on a Skaarj Lord and he's already dead. So?
Really great, but use them carefully, just in a burst mode to make your crystals hit the target perfectly. Skaarj Troopers like to use the shield though, so don't shoot during those moments.
Avoid using it in open environments.
Secondary fire could be your strongest tool in the arsenal. Even more powerful than a Flak Cannon's primary fire, a full Tarydium shotgun blast deals fully 150 damage to an enemy. This is incredibly good against jumping Skaarj (as they are vulnerable), the White Scorpion and some Skaarj Lords/Praetorians.
For the latter, you may want to use the old anti-Skaarj Berserker trick. Go near a Skaarj, trigger his melee attack and you shoot him with the secondary fire, run backward to avoid the melee attacks, go again near the Skaarj, repeat. Even better than the Flak Cannon's primary fire, although the Mining Tool's ammo isn't really as common as Flak Shells.
Be sure to save this weapon for the Skaarj Praetorians and use its shotgun feature whenever possible.
Tips:
1) For the primary fire against Skaarj, use it in narrow environments.
2) Perfect against Jaberwocks.
3) Secondary fire is useful against the White Scorpion.
4) You can take Skaarj Lords/Praetorians with the anti-Skaarj Berserker trick mentioned above.
5) Ammo isn't common, use it only in hard situations.
6) Jumping Skaarj are highly vulnerable to the secondary fire.

Sniper Rifle

Weapon Number: 6
Description: Basic Sniper Rifle weapon which uses powerful, armor-piercing bullets. Once carried by humans, now their owners are just lots of Skaarj Sniper Elites.
Character: Both
Pickup Ammo: 8
Ammo Type: Rifle Rounds (10 / 1)
Max Ammo: 50
Usefulness:
First Appearance:
Outpost Pheonix: At the beginning of the Sniper area, near a dead body.
Underground Railroad: It's over the crate that the first Skaarj Berserker used to ambush you.
Primary Fire: 45 health per hit, nearly 100 if headshot; flawless range; hitscan.
Normal shooting. High rate of fire and high damage makes it a nightmare weapon. Useful against any sniper, fast bosses and some other annoyances.
Don't work underwater.
Secondary Fire: The Sniper Rifle's zoom. Hold the button to increase it until the max value. Re-press the button to deactivate the zoom. Has its uses of course.

Comments:
One of the most useful weapons in Xidia, the Sniper Rifle is one of the best weapons to take out real annoyances like the Xidia Skaarj Troopers, especially the ones that wield the same weapon.
I say it now: ANY SKAARJ TROOPER WITH THE SNIPER RIFLE MUST BE KILLED WITH THE SNIPER RIFLE. Yes, there is no easier way to fight them. Tell me if you really know how to dodge hitscan weapons.
When fighting Skaarj Troopers, be sure to stay at a good distance and aim always for their HEADS. The headshot doesn't deal 100 damage in Unreal difficulty (this is why certain enemies seem not to die as quickly as you would have expected) but a near, useful value. If the Skaarj Trooper has 75 health (we're talking about the four famous ones in the sniper area that you have to kill with THIS weapon), go for the head. One hit. If it has 100 health (like the first Sniper in Underground Railroad), one headshot and a normal hit are enough (as you can see, headshot doesn't deal that 100 in Unreal difficulty). If it has 145, 170, 175 or 180, one headshot and two normal hits are enough. If it has just around 250, two headshots and two normal hits. DEAD. The ones with 300 or over of health must be taken out with another weapon (Eightball for example) because it would be a waste to use the Sniper Rifle.
It's incredibly useful against the Skaarj Gunner in the storage area of The Dead Mines and also anyone carrying the Sniper Rifle. You just need some good accuracy. The weapon can kill quickly if you have it, making chases pretty much nonexistent.
Of course, if you think it's going to be an easy battle, use another gun.
Other good targets are the first Jaberwock in Beneath Xidia, any Skaarj Praetorian found metres away from you, Darklord and any BOTS (apart from Cray).
Don't forget also about the Black Widow. This is the best tool, for damaging her when she's still on the middle pod or far from you (aim always for the head). Trigger also her shield so you may get some free hits with the Flak Cannon on her body.
I'll not let you forget about its uses in the first fight of The Dead Mines if you aim for the biggest score. Also, bullets don't work in the water as any bullet-type weapons.
The Zoom is useful to take out some Skaarj that can't identify your position (like the four ones in Outpost Pheonix, the first one of Underground Railroad, the guys in the storage area of The Dead Mines etc...). Also, the zoom is good for aiming. You can go some kilometres away from an enemy, aim it with the Sniper Rifle's full zoom, and switch to the Shock Rifle or Dispersion Pistol. Okay, the target is yours!
Learn it, love it.
Tips:
1) GET IT IN THE LEVELS!
2) DarkLord moves too much? This weapon is for you.
3) Obligatory against Skaarj Commandos/Skaarj Sniper Elites wielding a Sniper Rifle.
4) Most effective weapon against Skaarj Troopers, except for the ones who like to chase you like crazy, unless they are kilometres from your position.
5) Skaarj Praetorian in sight? Shoot his head for a good start.
6) AIM FOR THE HEAD.
7) Don't waste the bullets on easy opponents.
8) Necessary in various situations.
9) Take profit from the Zoom.

Ripper

Weapon Number: 7
Description: Weapon used by various alien troops coming from the Derelict. Being a highly dangerous weapon and extremely hard to use, it fires quick ricochet blades capable of decapitation. Alternate mode fires less useful explosive blades.
Character: Jones
Pickup Ammo: 15
Ammo Type: Razor Blades (25)
Max Ammo: 75
Usefulness:
First Appearance:
Outpost Pheonix: In the hands of an Xidia Skaarj Trooper found near the beginning of the level.
Primary Fire: 30 health per hit, 100 if headshot; great range; ricochet feature.
Shoots fast blades at an average rate of fore. Can headshot, but it's hard. Enemies don't avoid it, but the damage is weak.
Blades have a ricochet function, but it's very dangerous and it isn't really that useful.
Secondary Fire: Nearly 60 health per hit; great range; Exploded damage type.
Shoots somewhat slower blades at a lower rate of fire. Blades create an explosion on impact. The absence of the decapitation feature and the ease of avoiding it makes this type of fire largely worthless.
Has a weak splash damage.

Comments:
In my opinion, the most useless weapon in Xidia aside the Chainsaw. I never used it apart from two situations: the fight with the Xidia Skaarj Trooper who does the blade ambush in Outpost Pheonix - shot him with an explosive blade on first sight, retreated in the previous corridor and I used my accuracy to take his HEAD down, and the last Skaarj Praetorian of Derelict Surface (usual chase where I run backward while shooting his head full of decapitating blades).
If I would suggest anything, it would be not to use this weapon at all (apart from the stuff mentioned above... if you want to do that).
Forget about the secondary fire and focus on the primary one. Your main objective while using the Ripper is hitting the enemy's head, which isn't easy. It's mostly based on instinct, although you have to raise your aim a lot to shoot someone in the head who's chasing you. While using a Ripper and if a Skaarj is running through a corridor behind the corner, time to trust to and use the blades' highly useful ricochet feature. Trust me, it can work.
Otherwise, use it on Skaarj found further from you. Fortunately, they don't know how to dodge blades (they can still strafe though), so it's all up to your skill.
Verdict: not your weapon of choice. The main Xidia manual said that it was pretty useless against the Derelict creatures...
Ammo isn't really common either. The first ones are found in the hands of the Skaarj, so be sure to get them before they disappear. Skaarj Hybrids also use them in Spencer's adventure, but they'll not drop them (luckily).
Tips:
1) The two fights I mentioned seem to be the only worthwhile time to use the Ripper.
2) AIM FOR THE HEAD.
3) You need to aim higher than usual for a headshot against guys that are chasing you.
4) Explosive blades are a no-no.
5) Perfect against Behemoths and Jaberwocks.
6) Take profit of the blades' ricochet feature if a monster is found in a corridor behind a corner.
7) Pretty good to use against Skaarj found in the distance. They don't dodge normal blades.
8) Ripper isn't really that good. Sorry.

Pulse Gun

Weapon Number: 7
Description: Plasma-based energy gun, used by Marine specialists. This green rifle fires orbs of plasma in a crazy way. Secondary fire is a beam, whose energy can be reflected through when it touches a solid surface.
Character: Spencer
Pickup Ammo: 60
Ammo Type: Pulse Cell (25)
Max Ammo: 199
Usefulness:
First Appearance:
Return to Outpost Pheonix: Balcony area, which was the beginning of Jones's second level. You are forced to get it anyway as you need it for a puzzle.
Primary Fire: 20 health per hit; good range.
Fires a stream of crazy-moving green orbs. The rate of fire is very high and the orbs, despite their "dance", generally hit the position which you just aimed, although they can just end up on walls too.
They are somewhat slow, making them easy to avoid.
Secondary Fire: Moderate health per hit; average range; reflective feature.
Hold the secondary fire button to discharge this beam which hits anything in a certain range. Damage is pretty much continuous but with the price of being somewhat weak and not capable of stunning. This is not the case for bot-enemies though.
The beam can reflect itself through the area by touching any solid surface. The length is just the same one of the normal beam range. Being in reality useless and capable of harming the user (YOU), this feature is needed primarily to allow you to proceed in the game.

Comments:
A Spencer-only weapon, replacement of the useless Ripper found in Jones's adventure. The Pulse Gun differs from the UT version for the modifications on both fire modes. Is the gun actually useful or not?
The answer is yes and no. The Pulse Gun is one of those weapons that is only really good in certain situations, but is one of the best against bot-enemies.
Let us see both fire modes... The primary one. The orbs now are shot (you'll already know this from playing ONP) in a different way. They have always the illusionary slow speed, but now they just fly like crazy. Think about a whirlwind made of green Pulse orbs. That's it. Yes, it's harder to aim but they cover a bigger radius. But what's really bad, is that enemies can dodge them.
Yeah, especially Skaarj (unless you shoot them after they landed from a jump or they are doing something that make them completely vulnerable). They dodge the orbs every chance they get. 10% of the orbs go into the Skaarj and the rest are wasted.
The Primary fire is a no-no at all, unless you're using it against Behemoths or slow guys.
Now the secondary fire is actually useful. It's pretty much like the Combat Assault Rifle: a continuous beam which hits the enemy constantly. Damage is low and there is no stunning effect, but no one can dodge it. Plus, it possible that it may stop the enemy completely, although that's rare...
You can have fun using it on Skaarj Lords (not Praetorians, as you'll die), but forget the Skaarj Troopers, there are better tools with which to take them out. You're free though in Return to Outpost Pheonix where you have more than 500 Pulse ammo at your disposal.
Okay, seems it is even useless against the Skaarj... but on the bots is a different story. Bot-enemies act pretty different from the normal enemies, by getting stunned always. Hitting them always and continuously with the beam will stop them from firing.
Bots armed with the Pulse Gun and Cray seem to be relatively vulnerable to this, especially Spencer's last boss (Cray has a weapon and he doesn't shoot it under the damage of the beam). Fighting groups of them with the Pulse Gun isn't a good idea though.
Here's the list of the enemies where I have used the Pulse Gun: Skaarj Lords in the third level, first Cyborg in The Genome Warriors, Cray. That's a small list, but I am safe to say that the Pulse Gun is just the best weapon against Lt. Cray.
For the rest, it depends on you.
NOTE: You need the Pulse Gun's secondary fire to complete a puzzle in Spencer's third level.
Tips:
1) Forget the primary fire.
2) Have fun with it against the Skaarj Lords in the third map.
3) Secondary beam can't be dodged.
4) Incredibly useful against bots.

Flak Cannon

Weapon Number: 8
Description: Assault weapon made by Deckard. It can be loaded with ammo called Flak Shells, that can be shot like grenades or just as shredded metal pieces. Most effective tool against the Derelict creatures.
Character: Both
Pickup Ammo: 10
Ammo Type: Flak Ammo (10)
Max Ammo: 50
Usefulness:
First Appearance:
Outpost Pheonix: Jaberwocks area, in the corridor to the lift which leads on the floor above.
The Dead Mines: In the tunnel after the first area of the level.
Primary Fire: 16 health per chunk, nearly 90 in total; low range.
Shoot six metal pieces that shred the meat of anything. Highly damaging in close-ranged battles. Fast, but enemies can dodge them.
To be used when the enemies are at close range. Chunks have ricochet features, but there's no use for that.
Secondary Fire: 70 health per shell; average to good range.
Throw a full Flak Shell. The projectile explodes when it touches anything (solid surfaces, enemies, etc...). Good against enemies found far from you and for Skaarj that chase you. Flak Shells are shot with an arc trajectory and if they explode on a solid surface, they'll cause splash damage plus the appearance of four Flak chunks. Can't be dodged.

Comments:
The most useful weapon of Xidia is the UT Flak Cannon, which is no different to the original version. It's good against anything, except bot-enemies.
Both fire modes have their uses, other than suicide yourself for fun or for errors.
Anyway, the primary fire is the close-ranged one. Yeah, in Xidia any monster near you usually means "game over", but not always if you have leet dodging skills. Warlords / the DarkLord / the White Scorpion near you? Use the Flak Cannon's primary fire. Significant damage, and no worries about harming yourself.
Then we have the Skaarj Praetorians, those red-skinned Skaarj that hate this weapon. You can just kill them with the full Flak Shells, but there's another strategy if they are near you (remember that I'm talking about a fight with ONE Skaarj Praetorian... not two): the anti-Skaarj Berserker trick.
You did that even with the Mining Tool's spread fire. The Flak Cannon can't do the same damage, but it's faster plus you have more ammo for that.
If you didn't read the Mining Tool's description, then I'll describe this trick once again: go near the enemy (in this case the big Skaarj), causing him to trigger his melee attack (if it's a moving spin, GO AWAY), shoot him, go back, advance to him when he finishes the melee attack, and repeat until he's dead.
This is actually more useful against the Red Nemesis of Outpost Pheonix, as the fight is more close-ranged than anything. For the normal Skaarj Praetorians, there's always another strategy to take them out, plus they die faster. Depends on what you want to do.
Remember that you shouldn't use this fire mode for anything found far from you. Skaarj dodge it.
Now for the secondary fire. It's probably the most useful thing in the game, mainly because it's the best tool when you are escaping from an enemy: great damage, good range and cannot be dodged.
Imagine the situation: there's a Skaarj Lord chasing and shooting you. You're running backward whilst facing him. Shoot a Flak Shell right onto his body. He gets damaged and heavily stunned. Now you have better chances of escape, or you can just do the same thing again until he enters his "coward" state.
That's the first useful thing that Flak Shells do for you, make any Skaarj retreat from you. It should be used of course only against Skaarj, because only those guys are the nightmare in Xidia, the rest can be easily killed (the bots are another story though).
There are, as always, some exceptions...
a) The Red Nemesis (talking about Jones's one, not the idiot who attacks Spencer in the storage area): the arena is too small for a chase. Go for the primary fire and the anti-Skaarj Berserker trick.
b) Skaarj Praetorians: it still works, but they take too many hits before they become cowards... You may want to start a fight with them using the Eightball's bombs, switching to the Flak Cannon afterwards.
Or just do it normally and use the Flak Cannon's primary fire trick like you did on the Red Nemesis.
On stuck Skaarj Praetorians like the ones in Derelict Underground, staircase area, the Flak Shells are just perfect.
c) Skaarj Troopers: these guys are more likely to kill you in a chase. Just throw a Flak Shell on an incoming Skaarj Trooper coming from a corridor behind a corner or just for a starting hit.
So at least you learn that abusing the Flak Shells isn't really a good thing. In Xidia all the weapons (not really all though) should be used to take down your enemies.
Let's reiterate once again... Flak Shells are incredibly useful against: the DarkLord and his two servants, White Scorpion, Black Widow (in combination with the Sniper Rifle. Trigger the shield and fill her body with shells) and any chasing Skaarj that aren't Praetorians, Red Nemesis or Troopers. For the latter, I hope I helped you to understand the Flak Shell's uses against them.
I talked about it, use your skills now. The last note is not to use the Flak Shells near an enemy if you want to avoid a suicide.
Tips:
1) Best weapon in Xidia.
2) Primary fire is good against the White Scorpion and incoming Warlord monsters.
3) Primary fire and the anti-Skaarj Berserker trick is good against Skaarj Praetorians and especially Red Nemesis.
4) Flak Shells are the best things to use on weak Skaarj chasing you.
5) Read the description about on who you should use the Shells.
6) Never use it against bots.
7) Ammo IS actually common.
8) Stop using the Flak Shells if your pursuer starts to retreat.

Eightball Gun

Weapon Number: 9
Description: Multi-barreled rocket launcher weapon used by the Derelict creatures. Feared by the miners, this tool can shoot six rockets or bombs in a row.
Character: Both
Pickup Ammo: 6
Ammo Type: Eightballs (12)
Max Ammo: 48
Usefulness:
First Appearance:
Outpost Pheonix: In the hands of a Skaarj Sniper Elite in the Jaberwock area.
Underground Railroad: In the hands of an Xidia Skaarj Gunner, Car0002.
Primary Fire 85 health per missile; great range; Exploded damage type.
Press the fire button once to fire a simple rocket. The Rate of Fire is low, but the rocket is fast and highly damaging. Hold the fire button to load multiple rockets in your weapon, to a max of six. They are shoot in a spread way, useful to damage a group of enemies simultaneously.
Holding the secondary fire button while loading the rockets, upon release the missiles will be shot in a tight circle, where you have just aimed.
A heat-seeking feature is also present, but it's completely useless as enemies know how to counter it. Load grenades to stop the seeking feature. Rockets can be dodged.
Secondary Fire: 100 health per grenade; low range; Exploded damage type.
The same as above, but this time you shoot grenades. They'll bounce for a while off solid surfaces and then explode. Damage is higher and enemies don't dodge them.
The con is the difficulty in using it. Useful for a surprise attack behind the back of a Skaarj and great against some bosses and some Skaarj.

Comments:
The original Unreal Eightball. It's very powerful, although most of the time you end up using the Flak Cannon. Why? Because the Flak Cannon is just more useful and EASIER to use... Let's see.
The primary fire is about rockets. Rockets are, at least from my experience, some kind of old history in Single Player, especially against Skaarj.
Shoot a Rocket, a Skaarj dodges it. Shoot six rockets in a row, spiral-way and a Skaarj dodges them. Do the same as above by shooting the ground near the Skaarj and you will deal a good amount damage, but that's a waste of rockets.
Hell no, rockets don't have a real use in Xidia, apart in two moments in Spencer's adventure, against bots. The group of Cyborgs in The Genome Warriors, behind the door, can be heavily damaged with lots of spread rockets shot in a row, on the ground below their legs before the doors open. The same thing can be done with the first Skaarj Hybrid group in Beacon. Results? A damaging start for them and an incoming easier battle for you; trust me, it is easier and more fun than a Shock Combo.
In Xidia you have to use tricks with the weapons in order to save your life. Unfortunately, that's the only worth use of the Eightball's rockets in Xidia.
The bombs are a different story. Very useful for various reasons... the first one, is that starting to loading them disables the rockets' heat-seeking feature for a while. The heat-seeking mode can be incredibly frustrating, as its sounds make the Skaarj or the enemy spot you. Not good... Second, the grenades are the better replacement for the BioRifle's charged blob. If you shoot a full load of rockets on a Skaarj's back (preferably of the Trooper type), it will die.
The damage caused by lots of grenades is much bigger than a charged blob (twice as muxh, in fact). It works effectively against any Skaarj Warrior (for the Praetorian, use it at the start of the fight and then use the Flak Cannon) and possibly Skaarj Troopers, although it's not always a good idea (maybe only if they have the back turned at you or they are doing something stupid).
Third, is good for eliminating quickly Skaarj that are chasing you. Like the Flak Shells, they'll not dodge the bombs (aiming is still harder), but three or four grenades and you have already a guaranteed defeat or the appearance of a cowardly Skaarj.
Be sure to learn how to use the bombs, they are even more powerful than the rockets. Plus it's good against the White Scorpion and the DarkLord / Warlords. Skaarj that have problems with the in-game environments are also cursed against the bombs.
Tips:
1) Avoid using rockets for normal fights.
2) See a group of bots behind a door? Release a group of rockets shot in a spread way on the floor below their legs once you see them.
3) Bombs cannot be dodged. Bombs deal more damage. The BioRifle becomes less useful.
4) Highly useful against Skaarj working on panels, sleeping Skaarj or just their innocent backs.
5) The White Scorpion and the three Warlords are easy targets for the grenades.
6) A pursuing Skaarj in a narrow environment? Skaarj Praetorian starting his fight? The bombs know what to do (for the latter use the Flak Cannon after though).
7) Seeking feature is an enemy; it makes Skaarj discovere you thanks to the noise coming from your weapon. Stop it by loading grenades quickly as soon as you see the enemy.
8) Switch to the Eightball only when you have to fight. Less seeking sound problems.

Combat Assault Rifle

Weapon Number: 10
Description: USM standard assault rifle. Incredibly fast Rate of Fire and capable of shooting grenades. Marines' weapon of choice.
Character: Jones
Pickup Ammo: 300 bullets; 6 grenades (zero for the CAR in Orbit)
Ammo Type: CAR Clip (50); CAR Grenades (3)
Max Ammo: 400 bullets; 15 grenades
Usefulness:
First Appearance:
Orbit: In the armoury, over the last table. Grenades appear in Outpost Pheonix.
Primary Fire: Around 5 health per hit; great range; hitscan - 127 health per grenade; scarce range; Exploded damage type.
Fires a quick stream of hitscan bullets. Great range, but the damage is microscopic for the Skaarj creatures. Can stun Skaarj forever (until you stop shooting) on occasion, and it's one of the best weapons against the Warlord creatures.
The second mode is about the grenades. Shoot a single Eightball-like grenade, which is faster and more powerful than the Eightball one. The downside is the low Rate of Fire and that Skaarj can easily dodge them.
Secondary Fire: Switch bullet and grenade mode.

Comments:
I hate to say it, but the Unreal: Return to Na Pali CAR in Xidia is another worthless weapon - at least, not worthless as the Ripper, but close to those levels. Jones gets a second great weapon (!), though none beats Spencer's Chainsaw.
First of all, here's something for you: forget the grenades. Don't waste those easily dodgeable bombs, there's no use for them... apart the White Scorpion fortunately.
The bullet mode has actually some uses against some Skaarj... The first Skaarj Assassin in the second level of Jones, that grey Skaarj Assassin jumping from the top of the balcony area in the third level, some weak Skaarj Hunters in the same level, the Red Nemesis in that SAME level (after being damaged heavily by 14 bursts of Flak), and the first Skaarj Harvester in Beneath Xidia that wields a CAR. After that, I didn't use it anymore until the Warlords and the DarkLord thanks to the bullet mode's hitscan ability.
Aside from these moments, I chose to forget the CAR's bullets. They are too weak for the Skaarj, so I don't really recommend this weapon against them.
At least you can have fun against Spinners in Beneath Xidia as there's tons of ammo for the gun! Doesn't work in water.
Tips:
1) Apart from the White Scorpion, grenades are useless against anything.
2) A non-dropped CAR gives you 300 ammo...
3) The moments when I used the weapon, as I mentioned above, seem to be the only ones where it is worthwhile.
4) Not good at all. Switch to the Mining Tool, Sniper Rifle, etc...

Chaingun

Weapon Number: 10
Description: Powerful gatling gun weapon. Owned only by the miners, there are two models. The force of the weapon's fire makes the user stay only in one position. Beware that the weapon overheats easily.
Character: Spencer
Pickup Ammo: 100
Ammo type: Chaingun Ammo (25)
Max Ammo: 100
Usefulness:
First Appearance:
The Dead Mines: entrance of the real cave area, go to the right hand side. Weapon disappears in the next map and reappear in Beacon, just at the beginning.
Primary Fire: Tons of health dealt per hit; good range; prevents you from moving.
Brute force of this gun. What's a gatling gun does: fire. High Rate of Fire and damage is incredibly high. Can kick enemies away. Ammo is consumed quickly.
Moving with this tool while firing heavily shakes your view.
Secondary Fire: Tons of health dealt per hit; average to bad range; prevents you from moving.
Even faster primary fire. The bad range and the general scarcity of ammo makes it worthless.

Comments:
The UT Minigun finally becomes strong in an SP game! In Xidia, the damage of the bullets is incredibly high. Capable of stunning and kicking light enemies away, so be sure not to lose them from your crosshair.
Being powerful, it's too cheap and looks like a cheat using it. You find it in The Dead Mines at a point when Skaarj aren't seen anymore. Pretty useless in that map then, and you lose the weapon in the next map because it freezes.
It reappears again in Beacon. The weapon is useful in this map, here's a list on who are the best and targets for it: the first Skaarj Officer in the mud pool, at the beginning of the level - he's sleeping. First Cyborg; Skaarj Hybrid with the Flak Cannon in the corridor with the hole; Lt. Cray.
You can beat any of these guys above with any weapon, but if you are afraid of losing, the Chaingun is for you.
You just need to stay in one position, aim at the enemy and then shoot until he dies. Be sure to have great accuracy when tackling Lt. Cray or you finish the weapon's mighty bullets before he dies. The marine boss can be hard and it's most of the time the real purpose of the Chaingun in Beacon.
Rest is up to you with this weapon. Use it when you need it.
Tips:
1) Only primary fire please.
2) Have fun using it in The Dead Mines.
3) Best weapon against the first Cyborg and Lt. Cray in Beacon.
4) Use it wisely or the ammo will soon reach zero.

Machine Gun Turret

Weapon Number: None
Description: Stationary machine gun of human design, found in various parts of the outpost. Some bullets and a Skaarj is already down. You can't get the weapon of course... it's stationary!
Character: Both
Pickup Ammo: 100
Ammo Type: None. Recharges completely some seconds after it runs out of ammo.
Max Ammo: 100
Usefulness:
Appearances:
Outpost Pheonix: In the engineering room, you can't miss it.
Return to Outpost Pheonix: Room near the dock leading to the Outpost control panel. You can't miss this one either.
The Dead Mines: Storage area, inside a broken red crate.
Primary and Secondary Fire: nearly 100 damage per hit; great range; hitscan.
Shoot powerful bullets with incredible range. The power of this weapon depends on the accuracy of the user.

Comments:
Although not really a weapon but just a turret, this is another of the best weapons in Xidia. There's no strategy to using it well: go behind it to activate it, and press the fire button on anything it moves.
Use it at every chance you get. Useful for taking down the Red "Idiot" Nemesis in The Dead Mines.
If the ammo accidentally runs out (OMG), go away from the gun, wait a while and some UT-likey shiny stuff engulf the turret. Recharged again!
Have fun with this. Crouching may be also useful in order to hide yourself from the enemy projectiles. Oh... never use this if a Skaarj is behind the turret.
Tips:
1) Shoot.
2) Shoot.
3) USE IT!
4) Accuracy = your friend.
5) Spencer's Red Nemesis = DEAD SKAARJ!
6) Shoot.
7) Abandon it if a Skaarj is annoying you from another side.

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Quick Links | Introduction
The Xidia Incident
1. Orbit
2. Landing
3. Outpost Pheonix
4. Beneath Xidia
5. Derelict Underground
6. Derelict Surface
7. Darklord
8. Xidia - Exodus
Xidia: The Escape
0. Spencer's Awakening
1. Self-Destruct
2. Underground Railroad
3. Return to Outpost Pheonix
4. The Dead Mines
5. The Genome Warriors
6. Black Widow
7. Beacon
8. Spencer's Escape
Inventory | Opposition | Conclusion