Whoa! Successful descent every time! It's like I've stepped into the Twilight Zone…

(5:50) Level 5 ('Assault on the Control Room') on Heroic. Previously the V-clip Shade ride method of descending from the first bridge has been a fickle business giving low success rate. But I've discovered that with very precise grenading - which is easy - success can be guaranteed! This tutorial shows methods for both a frag and a plasma; the first ever surefire descent methods. This is only for PAL Xbox though. On NTSC/PC the game kills you just before reaching the ledge (PAL lets you fall further).

Released May 16th 2016, gameplay recorded May 12th-15th 2016.

00:02 (Old version with a plasma) To start things off, here's a reminder of what the old version of the method looks like; in this case with a plasma. The throw is aimed so the grenade bounces under, but it's relatively casual.

00:23 (Old version with a frag) And now using a frag; trickier because of how much it bounces around. In this example the Shade nearly misses the ledge, but there's just enough contact.

00:40 (Fickle business!) These five clips illustrate some of the things that can easily go wrong. In the first the Shade misses the  V, which means curtains for sure. In the second it clips the V but misses the ledge. The clip was too deep really. In the third it clips the V but I'm jolted out and can only watch as the Shade continues down. In the fourth I don't even make it off the bridge. The frag bounced too far right. And in the fifth, I get ejected at the V and fall to my death.

01:41 (Surefire frag method) So, now here's how to guarantee success, with a frag. The side niche gives you a fixed position, and after targeting a short faint white line, I just pan left then up a bit, something I then show in close-up for clarity.

02:43 (Rotating and firing) Rotating and firing the Shade has no effect on the dynamics at all, so you can do as much of that as you like. In this clip I also do part of the aiming differently, though still ending up with the same aim, which is all that matters.

03:07 (Premature boarding) You need to let the frag bounce at least once before boarding, else it can get deflected by your legs as you board, which is obviously no good. Here I do the aiming differently again, zeroing in fairly directly and then just tweaking it slightly.

03:27 (Surefire plasma method) With a plasma it's problematic to use the side niche, but you can use the front niche instead, as shown. This time the aiming is guided by a tiny dark dot - which shows up better in the close-up footage. Having targeted the dot, I then pan left to obscure it with the right of the reticle.

04:34 (Premature boarding again) As with a frag, you need to avoid boarding too soon. Let the grenade bounce or it can get stuck to you! In this comical example I end up getting pushed off the bridge by the Shade, which is not how I wanted to descend. Ineresting that the blast didn't kill me!

04:52 (Frag method fast) To finish off, here's the frag method done fast, without first eliminating the covie threat. Specifically I'm getting the Shade launched before the Banshee opens fire. Played like this, success is no longer certain, because (1) you're trying to do the aiming fast and (2) enemy fire could kill you before you reach the ground or - due to Banshee pursuit - within a few seconds of reaching the ground (the Banshee is sometimes a bit fiendish with a fuel rod shot like that). I find that my aiming is almost always ok though, and on Heroic the odds of being killed by covie fire seem slim; so neither of these things are a big concern.

On this play I come under plasma fire from both the patrolling Elite and the Banshee. Sometimes that can be quite nasty! Once on the ground I get busy with pistol fire. When I see the Banshee turning left to head up the battlefield, I try an ambitious long tag but miss. For fun I finish off the Banshee with a plasma ball instead, whacking the pilot as he slides my way.

Closing remarks Making this movie got delayed somewhat. I was making headway on this refined grenading back in March right after releasing BCM173, but then that work got sidelined by the Banshee grabbing business, which took most of my attention for a month. When I finally got back to it, I established my surefire plasma method (improving on a good aim I'd pinned down in March), and thought that would be the main theme of the movie. But then I came up with a surefire frag method too, which in some ways is preferable, so that's the one I presented first in the movie.

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