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Strike Force Heroes 2 In-Depth Guide (By: Reton8)

Strike Force Heroes 2 has a lot of weapons and classes to choose from coupled with many unique challenges and campaign levels. Learning the ropes may take a while. Also, getting all of those medals and Armor Games quests is quite an undertaking. What weapons do you use? What class do you pick? What is the best way to level? How do you beat a certain challenge? Hopefully I can answer those questions, so here is my in-depth guide for Strike Force Heroes 2 (As of writing Strike Force Heroes 2 version number is v1.7c).

[Note: Most key words in this guide are Capitalized and Italicized.]

======-Table of Contents-=========

[Note:To jump to the main section you want to read use the find tool of your browser (for most PC browsers the shortcut is crtl + f and then type "=-[Content Heading]-=" in the search box, with or without the quotes.

For example to jump to the Solider Classes section (listed as = Solider Classes = in the table of contents) type into the search box =-Solider Classes-= note that there are no spaces between both the - and both the S.

To Jump to sub-sections of the guide type the full phrase in quotes in the search box. Example: type "1.) Never use elemental weapons" in the search box to jump to the "Never use elemental weapons" sub sections.]

= Five Tips to Start =

= Weapons =
1.) Always go for higher damage.
2.) Never use elemental weapons.
3.) Explosive Weapons
- Stinger
- RPG
- Sheep Cannon
- Grenade Launchers
4.) My top picks for specific primary weapons
- Pump Action Shotguns
- Bolt Action Sniper Rifles
5.) Secondary Weapons
- Melee Weapons
- Pistols

= Weapon Attachments =
1.) Attachments to Avoid
2.) Recommend Attachments
- Sniper Rifle Attachments
- Shotgun Attachments
3.) Other Attachments

= Armour =

= Soldier Classes =
1.) Juggernaut
- Juggernaut Weapons
- Juggernaut Passive Skills
- Juggernaut Killstreak
2.) Sniper
- Sniper Weapons
- Sniper Passive Skills
- Sniper Killstreak
3.) Other Solider Classes
- Engineer
- Mercenary
- General

= Leveling Guide =
1.) When to Upgrade
2.) How to Level Quickly
- Method 1: Team Deathmatch
- Method 2: Capture the Flag
- Method 3: Alternate Methods
3.) Leveling Guide: Final Statements

= Campaign Guide =
1.) Station Repair
2.) New Recruit
3.) Break In
4.) Reunion
5.) Outsider Help
6.) What's yours is mine
7.) Familiar Faces
8.) The Call
9.) Time is Money
10.) Gene Therapy
11.) Revisiting
12.) Sabotage
13.) Reprogram
14.) Clean Up
15.) Last Hope
16.) Campaign Guide: Final Statements

= Challenge Guide =
1.) Advanced Mechanics
2.) Fortress War
3.) Wizards in Space
4.) Forum Defender
5.) Hackers
6.) Going Solo
7.) Rocket Race 2.0
8.) Pacifism
9.) Reverse Gun Game
10.) Night of the Ninja
11.) Doom Fire
12.) Defection
13.) Randomania
14.) Too Many Mechs
15.) Bigger and Badder
16.) Challenge Guide: Final Statements

= Medals Guide =
1.) Close Call
2.) Never Empty
3.) Mordekaiser
4.) Vegetable Guy
5.) Game Breaker
6.) Party Time

= Closing Comments =

===================================

======-Five Important Tips-==========

1.) Let's start off with the biggest no-brainier-tip of the entire game. Never bother to ever use any primary weapon, secondary weapon, weapon attachment, or armour that is broken. The negative side effects of a broken item are huge and crippling. Also, it is far too easy to find that same component in a better state. Use normal quality or higher items in all instances.

2.) Another tip, be careful of the dead corpses in the game. Dead corpses occur when you kill an enemy or you are killed. Before you respawn, your dead corpse lies (or floats) around for a bit. The dead corpses catch and stop bullets, so you can hide behind them before they disappear. But if you have an explosive or elemental weapon, the dead corpses can cause you to commit suicide. This happens when you shoot your weapon at a corpse when standing too close to the corpse. You will receive splash damage from your projectile after it explodes by the corpse and you. The corpses can be really annoying when you try to shoot at an enemy. The corpse will block all of your bullets, but the enemy will somehow shoot over the corpse and hit you.

3.) An additional tip, the Solider Classes of Enemies that spawn is Random for many levels. If there are too many snipers or juggernauts in a mission, quit and restart the level until there are easier solider class type enemies to deal with. (If you notice after a quitting and restarting a level several times that t the same solider classes spawn over and over, then that level has set solider classes and there is nothing you can do.)

4.) Another general tip, in any level were it is a Deathmatch, try to identify the Point Leader (and if you are the leader, the runner up). Usually this enemy will finish first or second if you beat them) in the match. All the other computer players will lag rather far behind. Avoid feeding kills (and giving points) to the point leader. Avoid giving him points by avoiding battle with the point leader or only battling him when you see he is an easy target or has low health.

5.) One last tip, don't forget that you can always switch solider classes after dying. You can do this during any custom game, campaign level, or challenge (except for the Forum Defenders Challenge, only if the enemy commits suicide will you be able to die without instantly losing and then be able to switch your class).

======-Weapons-= ==============

There are several weapons to choose from in Strike Force Heroes 2, unfortunately most of them are useless. Here are my thoughts and tips on weapons.

1.) Always go for higher damage.

If you are in battle and you have to shoot at your enemy for an extended period of time you are leaving yourself open for attack. Additional enemies can sneak up on you during your attack and kill you or steal your kill. In my opinion it is always best to go for the one (or two) hit kills. Sure some higher damage weapons may have a slower fire rate, less range, or a longer reload time, but with my experience these factors are not noticeable enough to make a difference. For these reasons the best weapons are sniper rifles and shotguns.

2.) Never use elemental weapons.

This group of weapons include Flamethrowers (fire damage), Zeuses (reduces targets damage), Cobras (acid damage), and Nitrogen Guns (reduces a targets fire rate). All of these weapons do not do enough damage and have too low of a range. Also, the Flamethrower and Cobra can damage and kill your own character causing a suicide. (The juggernaut can avoid suicide from the Cobra with the Resistance Passive Skill which grants immunity to elemental damage ).

These weapons force you to get too close to the enemy before being in range. You must also shoot your enemies for extended periods before they die. This leaves you extremely vulnerable. You usually end up killing yourself from the elemental guns splash damage. I find these weapons absolutely useless, avoid them, they are too much of a hassle.

3.) Explosive Weapons (Avoid some. Use Some.)

Some of these weapons may be useful, but I have limited experience with them. The downside to all the explosive weapons is that you have to be careful were you fire them or you may end up killing yourself and getting a suicide causing you to lose a point in Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch. If you are the Mercenary and have the No Sweat Passive Skill active, you can reduce damage from explosive by 30%). Also, any solider class that can wear Blast Plate Armor (armour that reduces explosive damage by 30%) may want to wear that type of armour when using explosive weapons. (I'm not sure if No Sweat and Blast Plate Armor stacks.)

Here are the useful explosive weapons.

The Stinger high enough damage and light homing capabilities with a solid range. You can fire at enemies from a distance and you don't even have to be very accurate. Unfortunately if you do not score a kill on the first hit you have to reload and this takes valuable time.
This is probably one of the best explosive weapons.

RPG High damage and a solid range. Unfortunately you have to have pretty good accuracy with this one because it does not have homing capabilities. Again, like the Stinger, if you don't score a kill on the first shot you have to reload and waste valuable time.
This may be the second best explosive weapon.

The Sheep Cannon This weapon can only be found as a rare drop from the slot machine when you roll three &quotoop piles". The Sheep Cannon has decent damage and strong homing capabilities. This weapon also has three rounds per clip reducing the number of times you need to reload. And, it seems you cause damage to yourself less often when using this weapon due to the nature of it's projectiles.
Unfortunately this weapons has it's pitfalls. There is quite a delay from the time the sheep latches on to it's target and from when the sheep explodes. This leaves plenty of time for an opponent to steal your kill. I have also noticed this weapon usually takes two or three sheep to kill a target. And, even though the homing capabilities are strong you still have to be rather accurate when aiming and firing this weapon in order to get the sheep to hit their intended target.
I wouldn't recommend this weapon but I wouldn't say, "Don't give it a try".

Avoid the following explosive weapons.

Grenade launchers. Some of the grenade launchers do so little damage it's a joke (as of version v1.7c). You have to hit the target four or more times to get a kill. Some grenade launchers are more powerful, but require you to aim your weapon so precisely that you will rarely ever score a hit. Even worse, the Thumper grenade launcher must connect directly with a target to do damage. The projectile then sticks to the target and takes time before it explodes. This leaves a window open for kill stealing. Not to mention all of the grenade launchers can also cause you to damage and kill your own character causing a suicide.
These weapons have low damage, poor accuracy, and can cause suicides. Avoid them.

4.) My top picks for specific primary weapons.

Pump Action Shotguns
You will see the words Pump Action in the bottom left corner of the shotguns info panel. These weapons are very powerful and you don't have to be very precise with your aiming. There only limiting factor is the range, but they can still do some large damage from far away. Also, they take a while to get the second shot off and to reload, but that doesn't matter because you can score one hit and two hit kills with these weapons.
Semi-auto, full-auto, 2-burst, and 3-burst shotguns can get more rounds off per second and reload faster, but they take longer to kill their targets and can not get the one or two hit kills. I have noticed better, larger killstreaks with pump action shotguns as well (In other words, a better Kill-to-Death ration with Pump Action Shotguns.)
Pump action shotguns, they get the one hit or two hit kills and are easy to use. These are a top pick.

Bolt Action Sniper Rifles You will see the words Bolt Action in the bottom left corner of the Sniper Rifle's info panel. These weapons are great. Out of all the weapons these probably most damage per one bullet. They have the furthest range and usually score one hit kills. There only downfall is that they require a little practice before you can use them well. This is because you need to aim these rifles rather precisely to score a hit.
Just like the shotguns, semi-auto and 3-rounds burst Sniper Rifles may get more rounds off per second and reload faster, but they do not score one hit kills. With my experience (I have a level 50 sniper) Bolt Action Sniper Rifles are the best.
Bolt Action Sniper Rifles, very high damage, great range, and score one hit kills, a top pick.

Between the sniper rifle and shotgun it's hard to say which one is best I feel like the Sniper Rifle gets more one hit kills but requires more accuracy than the shotgun. With practice, I would put the Sniper Rifle at slightly better than the shotgun.

Other Weapons, machine guns, miniguns, dual pistols, I have limited experience with these. Miniguns can be fired non-stop and dual pistols can do a lot of damage quickly. Machine guns may be the worst of the three because they require a moderate amount of shots to score a kill, leaving you in the firefight for too long. I would say these are all decent weapons and with the proper tactics, right class, and right passive skills, may be very effective, but I haven't used them for long enough to really say and they can not score one hit kills.

5.) Secondary Weapons

There's not too much to say here. Usually I go for higher damage than anything else.

Melee weapons can do a lot of damage and get a one or two hit kill. Also they can occasionally deflect bullets back at the enemy. I have noticed that the game sometimes does not detect hits properly with melee weapons, or that it looks like you have hit the target, when you actually haven't. So, aiming the weapon can be difficult sometimes.
High damage, relatively easy to aim, and can occasionally deflect bullets, but no range.

Pistols Here I usually go for higher damage over fire rate. This means single fire pistols over full-auto pistols.
The reason is, full-auto pistols are don't do as much damage as single fire pistols and that means you will have to hit your target more times before you get a kill. This leaves more chances to miss your target. Also, recoil from the full-auto pistol makes it harder to hit your target as shooting time increases. I would go with the single fire pistols.
(The General Class has the Full Auto Passive Skill which can make any weapon full-auto.)
Single fire pistols, higher damage, decent accuracy, and decent range. A solid choice.

Although, through my experience it doesn't matter too much what secondary weapon you use.

======-Weapon Attachments-======

1.) Attachments to Avoid

I wouldn't use the Heartbeat Sensors in most cases, they allow you to see enemies on the radar always, but the cost is usually a plus 50% weapon recoil (and that's at higher levels). At lower levels it can be as bad as 100%. Maps are small and it's not hard to spot the enemy from a distance with no radar.

For the most part I avoid any weapon attachment that does more damage to armour and less to flesh (or vice versa). I also avoid the weapon attachments that deal less damage but increase the chance to do elemental damage. I say this because it usually only gives you a small percent chance (6% to 8% or so) to do the elemental damage. If you are going for one hit kills, and that's my main principle on how to play this game, I wouldn't waste my time on having an attachment that will rarely trigger. Plus if you are getting a one hit kill you won't need that elemental damage.

In order for that elemental damage every trigger, you would need a low damage weapon that requires you to fire multiple rounds at the enemy. This means you will probably die before you can kill the enemy. Even if you trigger the elemental damage, but then die, another player will probably killsteal the opponent you weakened with that elemental damage. This makes elemental damage rounds nearly useless. They just weaken your guns maximum damage.

2.) Recommend Attachments

For the Sniper Rifle I would recommend:
1.) Lazer Sight, increases both Critical and headshot damage by a decent amount with no negative side effects.
2.) Normal Vision, increases accuracy by a decent amount with no negative side effects.
3.) Thermal, I usually avoid this because it decreases your accuracy, but it increases your chance of getting a critical. It may fit some users play style.

I would avoid using the Extended Magazines for the sniper rifle. At high levels it will give you a 40% Extension. With a Bolt Action Sniper Rifles you will only get one more round in per clip. That's not much.

For the shotgun I would recommend:
1.) The Long Barrel. This gives the shotgun a decent amount of extra range without a negative side effect.
or
the Hair Trigger which gives a decent amount of increased fire rate without any negative side effects.

I would avoid using the Extended Magazines for the Shotgun. For the same reasons as the Sniper Riffle.

3.) Other Attachments

For the other weapons I would recommend first anything that has no negative side effects. But I suppose it all depends on your play style. You experiment a little for yourself.

======-Armour-=================

The armour you use depends on what you need to accomplish. If you are doing any challenge with rockets (especially Rocket Race 2.0) you should probably equip Blast Plate Armor.

The types of armour that regenerates aren't bad, but you rarely have enough time to sit around and wait for the armour to regenerate. You will usually fail your objective (from sitting around doing nothing) or be killed by an enemy before the armour regenerates any significant amount.

The Juggernaut has Titanium Plate Armor. This armour has high values but reduces your players health by 40%. If you couple this armour with the Immovable Objects Passive Skill (gives you a 30% boost to your armour) you can end up with really high amounts of armour.
When using Titanium Armor with Immovable Objects and adding the health and armour numbers together you come out about 40 or so more hit points total than with Regular Balanced Armour and Your Normal Health. But, Titanium Armor does not regenerate while a player's health does. If you like having regneratable hit points you will probably avoid using Titanium Plate Armor.

There is also armour that gives the player 30% more health. I like this armour because health can regenerate while armour can not and you don't lose many total hit points (armour plus health) when you use this armour.

Regular Balanced Armor usually gives you the highest total hit points (armour plus health) for many classes. Again play style and the scenario you are in will dictate what armour you use.

Melee Damage Armour, I don't see the point in this armour. Melee weapons are secondary weapons. I can only see this armour being useful for the Forum Defender Challenge. But hey maybe if you are a melee pro, this armour will be helpful for you too.

======-Soldier Classes-========

1.) Juggernaut

This may be the best class to choose, especially for beating the challenges. The Juggernaut has a distinct health advantage over the other classes and can use the powerful Pump Action Shotguns.
I recommend this be the first class you level to 50.

The Juggernaut is a great class for the challenges. The Juggernaut's distinct health advantage is great. Whenever you run across a challenge where you do not use your typical gun, guns change randomly, or you must use a melee weapon, the playing field is equalized among solider classes. In other words, the guns are the major items that differentiate the solider classes. Once you are forced to use a specific weapon or random weapons the solider classes are basically the same. Sure, there are a lot of distinct passive abilities and killstreaks, but you will find that in most of the challenges, without a lot of health, you will die often and far before any killstreak can be activated. Therefore, the best advantage is having more health, so pick the Juggernaut.

Take fore instance the challenge Forum Defenders on the hard difficulty or higher. The player is forced to use the Banhammer weapon, meaning class choice will not dictate the weapon you use. Also, the player receives a 7x health boost. So, a level 46 Juggernaut will have 2,009 health (287 x 7 = 2,009) while a level 50 Sniper will only have 980 health (140 x 7 = 980). That's more than two times the health! Some other solider classes do have a few passive abilities that may come in handy for this challenge. The General has the Transfusion Passive Skill (heals 25% health per enemy killed), but with a lot less health you will probably die before you can even get close to the enemy.

Here is a list of challenges where you will not use your default weapon:

- Wizards in Space
- Hackers
- Rocket Race 2.0
- Pacifism
- Reverse Gun Game
- Doom Fire
- Randomania (sometimes you spawn with your default weapon)

In these challenges it is better to have more health so you can live longer. As of Strike Force Heroes version1.7 the Defection challenge gives the player a 1.5x health boost. Again, giving the Juggernaut a distinct advantage in health over the other classes.

- Juggernaut Weapons -
For the Juggernaut use Pump Action Shotgun.

- Juggernaut Passive Skills -
I like the Immovable Object Passive Skill (granting 30% more armour). However, for some of the challenges it is better to use the Resistance Passive Skill (granting immunity to elemental damage) so you won't commit suicide when you are forced to use elemental weapons. Other than that, your play style will probably dictate which passive skills you like to use.

- Juggernaut Killstreak -
The only two killstreaks that cause damage to the enemy (when you are get very near to them) are Combustion (fire damage) and Corrosion (acid damage). If you are high enough a level I would recommend Corrosion as it does damage and last longer (10 seconds instead of 7 seconds) and reduces more damage (15% instead of 10%). But if you are really into reducing damage Static Field reduces damage by 30% for 10 seconds. Again, your play style will dictate which killstreak you use.

My final words on the Juggernaut solider class are this, Juggernaut may be the best class hands down due to the distinct health advantage useful for many of the challenges and also for the ability to use powerful shotguns.

2.) Sniper

This class is a close second to the juggernaut class and in a few instances may even be better. The reason is that the sniper gets to use high damage, long range, one shot kill sniper rifles. Like I mentioned before in the weapons section of the guide, I feel it is best to kill enemies as fast as possible. It leaves you less vulnerable to other enemies acting you will you are engaged in gun fights and does not allow for kill stealing.

- Sniper Weapons -
Use the Bolt Action Sniper Rifles, they are very high damage, have great range, and score one hit kills, they just require a little practice to get used to.

- Sniper Passive Skills -
The Overkill Passive Skill is very useful when coupled with a high damage Bolt Action Sniper Rifle. The Overkill Passive Skill does the following: "Killing the enemy with huge damage adds the excess damage to your next shot."
With a high damage Bolt Action Sniper Rifle, you can get a lot of excess damage added on to almost every one of your shots, which means a lot of one hit kills.
Aside from the Overkill Passive Skill you may use the other skills depending on your play style, but I recommend giving overkill a try.

- Sniper Killstreak -
I would probably go with Wall Hack Killstreak which allows you to shoot through walls for 8 seconds.
The Aim Bot Kilstreak allows 75% of shots to count as headshots, for 8 seconds. This means you will do more damage more often and get more overkill damage during the 8 second period.
The True Stealth Killstreak, makes you invisible to enemies for 8 seconds, unless attacking. This killstreak may come in handy for any level that requires capture the flag. However, once you grab the flag you become visible to everyone. So it will only help you sneak up to the opponents flag, but not help you in bringing the flag back to your base.

My final words for the Sniper solider class is that they are great for long range, one shot kills, which makes them a great class in general and overall.

3.) Other Solider Classes -
I feel that all the other solider class are less useful than the Juggernaut and Sniper. The other classes may come in handy with the right combination of passive skill, killstreak, and weapon. Here is are a few quick thoughts on the other solider classes.

- Engineer -
This class has only a decent set of weapons and decent skills. Aside from the Repair Bots Passive Skill (4x Health Regeneration) I can not see much use for them. The turrets are not that useful.

- Mercenary -
The Mercenary is good against explosives if wearing Blast Plate Armor (30% less damage from explosives) and has the No Sweat Passive Skill (30% less damage from explosives and fire can no longer damage yourself).
Use them in any challenge were you deal with a lot of explosives. They also may be good at scoring kills from a far by using Miniguns (machine guns that do not need to reload) and throwing a constant volley of bullets at the enemy. The Death Wizard Killstreak ( 10 seconds of infinite ammo for all weapons and no need for reloading) seems rather solid.

- General -
The General can probably do a lot of damage. Not only can he use the powerful Pump Action Shotguns, but the Full Auto Passive Skill can turn any weapon into an automatic weapon and increase it's fire rate by 5%. This may be the class that can dole out the most damage in the least amount of time.

======-Leveling Guide-===========

1.) When to Upgrade

Before you start leveling you should know when to upgrade. The way I play is to upgrade my weapons, armour, and weapon attachments every 5 levels. You will waste too much time and money upgrading weapons at lesser increments. The items will not have improved enough in only one or two levels, so upgrade every 5 levels.
In the very beginning you may want to upgrade every two or three levels (the first 10 levels). Also, near the high end levels (40 + or so) you may want to upgrade every two or three levels as well. I personally stick to the 5 level scheme all the way through. Also, don't be afraid to play the slots, it's the best way to get high quality weapons, attachments, and armour.

2.) How to Level Quickly

- Method 1: Team Deathmatch -
I feel the best way to level quickly is to play Team Deathmatch in Custom Game mode. Set up the match this way:

A.) The Level to Select
Go for a smaller level. I usually use Mission (Lab). It is the smallest level. Smaller levels means you will more quickly find and kill your opponents. This means you will level faster. Also try not to pick a stage were you can suicide from the environment (This means don't use Isolation, Convoy, and Convoy Night.) If you need to have a level with a health pack and armour I would use the level Base.

B.) Solider Class
You have two options, set this to ALL or the solider class you are trying to level. You can not play a Mercenary fighting only Juggernauts. If you set the class to Juggernaut you will be forced to play as, and level, your Juggernaut, for that match. If you find fighting one type of enemy easier, go for it, but I personally leave this setting set to ALL.

C.) Number of Players.
Your team should have only one player (you of course). This way you get all the kills and all the experience. It also puts the other team at a disadvantage because they have only one target to kill. The opposing team should have 3 to 5 players. Depending on your skill and how many players you can handle. 6 players might cause lag and I find that you die too often with these many players against you. Usually, 3 or 4 enemies is ideal, but if you can handle more and it is not causing lag, go for it. You will level faster. (If you can't handle 3 enemies do 2 enemies. If you can't handle 2 enemies do 1 enemy, but try to level up and upgrade your weapons and increase your own skills so you can fight more enemies and level faster.)

D.) Enemy Difficulty
Once you are a high enough level you should set it at one, two, or three tiers below your current level. For example if you are Level 38 set the enemy difficulty to Insane (lvl 28- 35), Hard (lvl 21 -28), or Normal (lvl 14 - 21).

E.) The Reason for This Setup
The idea is to set this up so you can easily find and kill an opponent without having to search for them or wait for them to respawn.
If you play in Deathmatch mode (instead of Team Deathmatch) all the enemies will fight and kill each other leaving you with less targets to kill at any given time. This wastes times.
If you play in too big of a level you will spend too much time searing for enemies.
If there are too many enemies you may die too often, then you won't be getting kills and you won't get experience. This wastes time. Also, too many enemies can lead to lag.
If you have too few enemies you will have to waste time waiting for them to respwan after you kill them.
Lastly, if the enemies are too easy you will not get enough experience per kill. If the enemies are too hard, you will get more experience per kill, but you will find yourself dying too much and not getting kills which means not getting experience which means wasting time.

So in an ideal match you are playing against the highest difficulty enemies you can handle, while nearly constantly killing enemies, not waiting for respawns, and you are only dying about once every 7 to 10 or more kills.

- Method 2: Capture the Flag -
The harder the opponents the more experience per flag returned to your base. Also, I have noticed you get more experience when the teams are 1-vs-2 than 1-vs-1. Also, 1-vs-3 gives you more experience than 1-vs-2 and so on. Provided you play on the team with the disadvantage. It appears though, however, that 1-vs-6 is not the way to get the most experience, but instead, 5-vs-6. 5-vs-6 should give you the most experience per flag. (I don't know why this is though.)
So the optimal setup is this:

A.) The Level to Select
Mission (Lab). This is the level with the shortest distance between flags.

B.) Solider Class
Again set it to the class you are leveling or ALL. Either way it's basically a personal preference.

C.) Number of Players.
5-vs-6, with you on the team with 5 players. If there is lag set it to 4-vs-5 and if there is still lag go with 3-vs-4.

D.) Enemy Difficulty
Again, one, two, or three tiers lower than your recommended difficulty.

E.) Strategy
As of v1.7c no matter what the difficulty the enemy is, they will rarely return your flag to their base. They rarely score a point. Mission (Lab) has the shortest distance between flags. The idea is that you constantly grab the enemy flag and run it back to your your base. This will give you a lot of experience, especially if you set up the game right. Also, kill as many enemies on the way there and back (without stopping running to and from the flag and base) to get extra experience.

- Method 3: Alternate Methods -
The Pacifism Challenge gives a decent amount of experience for capturing a zone. Also the Campaign Mission, What's yours is mine gives you a decent amount of experience for capturing the flag and it's not too difficult. Last Hope can be a decent Campaign Level to grind if you know how to beat it easily.

3.) Leveling Guide: Final Statement

I'm not 100% certain which method is the best way to level and there may be a better method I am unaware of. But I find that leveling for me goes rather quickly when using Methods 1 and 2. The alternate methods may be a little slower (or quicker) I don't know, but they are a welcome break when you get bored of Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag.

======-Campaign Guide-==========

In this section of my guide I will give you tips how to beat all the missions in the campaign. I have beaten the campaign on normal and hard and have beaten 4 missions on Insane. I recommend leveling to level 10 for the normal missions (but you can start on normal at any level, it's not too hard). I recommend level 35 for the hard levels (if you want most of them to be easier). I also recommend the Sniper or Juggernaut solider classes for all levels. If I recommend a specific solider class I will make a note of it for that level.

The Solider Classes of Enemies that spawn is Random for many levels. If there are too many snipers or juggernauts in a mission, quit and restart the level until there are easier solider class type enemies to deal with. (If you notice after a quitting and restarting a level several times that t the same solider classes spawn over and over, then that level has set solider classes and there is nothing you can do.)

Another general tip, in any level were it is a Deathmatch, try to identify the Point Leader (and if you are the leader, the runner up). Usually this enemy will finish first or second if you beat them) in the match. All the other computer players will lag rather far behind. Avoid feeding kills (and giving points) to the point leader. Avoid giving him points by avoiding battle with the point leader or only battling him when you see he is an easy target or has low health.

1.) Station Repair
You are forced to use a UMP as your primary weapon and a Wrench as your secondary weapon in this mission. Because of this use the Juggernaut because of the health advantage. It is a difficult mission on the hard difficulty because of the lousy weapon you must wield. The higher the level you are the better. Not much more to say about this one.

2.) New Recruit
Don't rush into the combat too much here and thus die too often, but also don't waste too much time waiting to get a kill and fall behind. Remember the tip about the Point Leader also.

3.) Break In
Don't rush into combat too much and thus die too often, but don't sit around and waste too much time. I usually run between both the spawn points at each end of the map when I am looking for the enemy or just camp on one side. I suppose I don't have a real solid strategy for this one. Practice your skills and level up if you are having trouble.

4.) Reunion
Again, Don't rush into combat too much (unless you are skilled or are having an easy time with these missions). I will usually stay on the ground level. The corners of the map tend to be decent spots to camp and wait for the enemies to get kills. If you have enough skill you can pretty much do whatever you want in this level.

5.) Outsider Help
I recommend the Juggernaut for this level because you will be getting close to the enemy when you try to capture the zones. If your team is up, with two zones held, to the enemies one, it may be best to just sit at one zone and defend. Whenever you are down two zones to one or have no zones, go out and capture zones. When you are defending a zone it may help to crouch.This makes you a smaller target and gives you better accuracy.

6.) What's yours is mine
Again, I recommend the Juggernaut for this level. You will need the extra health so you can get past enemy lines, capture, and return their flag. Don't go too far out of your way trying to kill enemies, instead try and take paths that avoid enemy contact and enemy fire. Focus on avoiding enemies and grabbing the flag over killing. But, if you can, kill enemies in the way will running to the flag and returning to your base.
Sometimes it is better to use an opposite approach where you slowly move along killing all the enemies that get in your way. But after you grab the flag you will only have your secondary weapon. I would recommend running back to pass and avoiding enemies at that point.

7.) Familiar Faces
This is one of the hardest levels in the campaign. Your team is smaller than the enemies team and for some reason your team enjoy running into the action and getting killed. This let's the enemy rack up the points fast and win.
A lot of the action seems to take place at the top of the stage. Be very careful when going up there. I find it is sometimes good to camp on the sides of the map and wait for the enemy to come to you. Also, riding up the elevator beam in the center of the map is a death trap. Avoid it unless you are extremely good at shooting enemies directly above and off the screen.

8.) The Call
Just a team Death Match level. If you are having trouble level up your character and get better items and gear.

9.) Time is Money
I recommend the Juggernaut for this level. Follow the strategy for level 5, Outsider Help, on this stage.

10.) Gene Therapy
I would recommend the Juggernaut for this level because of the close quarters you are fighting in. You can't really run or hide from enemy fire.
Locate Iagi by following these directions.
Move left from where you started. Go past the pond and up the stairs. There is a big square hole to the right of the throw rug on the ground and underneath the second chandelier from the left. Go down the hole and you will be in the lab. Iagi is in the bottom left corner of the lab. You may need to stand by him for a while before the game triggers that you have located him.
Back to the battle tips, one neat trick is to stand behind your allies when firing at an enemy. It can be hard to pull off and hard to find the right situation to do it in, but it can work. Your ally will become a human shield as you fire at the enemy taking no damage at all.

11.) Revisiting
Again, use the Juggernaut, stay around the ground level, it's were the zones are. Follow the strategy for level 5, Outsider Help. Further, the zones at the ends of the maps may be easier to capture and defend than the zone in the center of the map due to more action possibly taking place there.

12.) Sabotage
I recommend the Juggernaut for this level too. Basically follow the strategy for level 6, What's yours is mine. Don't waste time riding up the elevator beam either.

13.) Reprogram
I recommend the Juggernaut for this level as well. Follow the strategy for level 11, Revising and level 5, Outsider Help.

14.) Clean Up
I recommend the Sniper for this one. All I did for this level was camp out near the bottom left edge, or bottom right edge, of the map. You have to keep an eye on whats above you and sometimes enemies will spawn near or behind you. But since you are the only target for the enemy there is no use in rushing into the combat and giving them kills and points.
When you are camping on the edge of the map shot the enemy as soon as you feel you have a clear shot. Just don't let them get too close. Sometimes blind firing will also give you a kill if you have an idea of where the enemy is. The Heartbeat Sensor might come in handy on this level. It will allow you to see where the enemy is on radar so you don't rush into battle without knowing where the enemy is.
Wall Hacking is probably the killstreak to equip for this level as you will be able to shoot through all the several floors of the level when you activate the killstreak.
You can this same strategy with the Juggernaut and a shotgun, but you will have to get closer to the enemies.
Also, run away from the LASER (sometimes you can jump over it), jump over the guns, and jump to avoid the stomp. The guns only move along the axis they initiate at, but the LASER will follow you. It is a little harder to jump the LASER than the guns.

15.) Last Hope
The last mission, make sure you are a decent level for this one. I recommend either the Juggernaut or Sniper. For the hard difficulty Juggernaut may be best.
For both classes it is best to camp on the side of the mech (the high ground) and shoot into the center (the low ground). Don't be afraid to blind fire and also don't be afraid to fire at the boss as soon as you see him landing from a respawn. He might be invincible for a second, but it's best to try and get you hits in as quickly as possible.
The only way to dodge the missiles is to run underneath them and make them curve their path and hit the ground. Sometimes you might be able to jump over them. Also, jump to the high ground when the LASER that shoots across the center is getting ready.
If you spawn in the midst of several enemies, don't be afraid to rapidly fire without aiming. Your unfortunate spwaning location means you are probably going to die right away so rapid-blind-fire and cause the enemy a little damag (and may get a kill) before you die.

16.) Campaign Guide: Final Statements
If you have a method that diverges from what I recommend and it works better for you in the campaign mode, feel free to use that method instead. Please also level a comment about it. Also, if you feel there is poor advice given, please post a correction stating what advice is poor and what the better advice is.

======-Challenge Guide-==========
At the time of writing this guide I have all the challenges competed on normal and all of them complete on hard, except for Defection and Randomania. I have 1 challenge completed on insane.

I would recommend the Juggernaut for most of these challenges. Sometimes the Sniper might be better and occasionally the Mercenary. For the Hard difficulty you should be level 35 for the first 7 challenges (and even a higher level for forum hacker) and for the remaining challenges you should be level 45 to 50 to make things easier.

1.) Advanced Mechanics
I would probably pick the Juggernaut over the Sniper here. Don't rush into the combat too hastily, but with enough skill and a decent level, this shouldn't be too difficult.

2.) Fortress War
I would recommend the Juggernaut for this level. Try to take the path with the least enemies when going to the opponents flag and returning to base. Don't be afraid to slowly move toward the enemy base killing the turrets while out of their range and also taking out the enemies as you go. Sometimes you may want to stop and defend your base, or kill the enemy that has you flag (if it's been taken). You can also place you turret down and then run behind it, using it as a shield (it will catch enemy bullets). Now you can blast your enemies from behind your improvised turret shield. One match can last a long time on this level, just be patient.

3.) Wizards in Space
I highly recommend the Juggernaut on this level with the Resistance Passive Skill (immunity to elemental damage). This skill will help you commit far less suicides. It might also help to wear Blast Plate Armor if the wands deal explosive damage.
Also, If the wands deal explosive damage, playing as the Mercenary with Blast Plate Armor and the No Sweat Passive Skill (-30% from explosives and fire can no longer damage yourself). This should allow you to take a decent amount of more hits.
Usually you need to aim a little high with the wand as it tends to fire low (but occasionally projectiles fire high). Be careful not to get too close to enemies and shoot them causing you to commit suicide. Also, be careful not to shoot the ground directly below you, walls when you are close to them, and corpses when you are close to them. The explosive splash damage will again cause you to commit suicide and lose a point.
It takes time to get used to using the magic wand, but with a little practice and the right strategy you can beat this challenge.

4.) Forum Defender
This level is rather difficult. I highly recommend the Juggernaut for the tremendous health bonus. This challenge gives the player a 7x health boost. So, a level 46 Juggernaut will have 2,009 health (287 x 7 = 2,009) while a level 50 Sniper will only have 980 health (140 x 7 = 980). That's more than two times the health.
I also recommended wearing the armour that gives a 15% boost to melee damage. The armour you wear in this level will be basically nothing compared to your health, so go for the better melee damage because you are forced to use the melee Banhammer weapon. The Banhammer is actually a little trick to aim and hitting the enemy can sometimes be difficult. But with some practice you will get the hang of it.
You cannot change your passive skill for this challenge. The Passive skill is set to Repair Bots (increased health regeneration). Your health regeneration will not stack if you play as the Engineer and equip the Repair Bots Passive Skill.
If too many snipers or shotgun wielding enemies spawn. Quit the level and start again. I recommended you do this until an enemy with an explosive weapon, flame thrower, or cobra (acid) weapon spawns. I will give the reason later.
When playing don't rush into the combat. Camp around the bottom left or right corner of the map, much like campaign level 14, Clean Up. The Heartbeat Sensor, might come in handy here too. When your health is low, run and hide until you regenerate it all. If the enemy gets one kill they win.
But there is a helpful trick. If you restart the level until an enemy with an explosive weapon, flamethrower, or cobra spawns you can do this: Get on top of the enemy with the explosive (flamethrower or cobra) weapon. The splash damage from the enemies weapon will now hurt both of you and eventually cause the enemy to commit suicide. The computer team will lose a point. You should have enough health to survive the attack. After you do this run and hide until you regenerate your health. Then repeat the process as many times as you want. It might be a little tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it you can lower the number of points the enemy has considerably, making this challenge a lot less intense.

5.) Hackers
Again, be the Juggernaut because of the health advantage. Never stop running. Everyone can shoot through the walls, so don't bother standing still. Do your best to avoid enemy fire, aim and shoot when you can, but if you can't see the enemy don't be afraid to blind fire. Remember you can shoot through walls. It takes time, but this challenge can be beaten.

6.) Going Solo
This one is pretty easy. This is the challenge I have beaten on Insane. You can be the Sniper or Juggernaut. Again, don't rush into battle to much and try to camp near the sides (bottom or top) of the map, occasionally searching for the enemy. Heartbeat Sensor might help here as well.

7.) Rocket Race 2.0
I highly recommend the Juggernaut on this level with the Immovable Object Passive Skill (30% more armour). It will help to wear Blast Plate Armor to reduce the explosive damage by 30%.
The Mercenary is also another solid class for this level, with Blast Plate Armor and the No Sweat Passive Skill (-30% from explosives and fire can no longer damage yourself). This should allow you to take a decent amount of more hits.
Like wizards in space be careful where and how you aim, so you do not commit suicide too often, and do not hastily rush into battle.

8.) Pacifism
I highly recommend the Juggernaut on this level with the immovable Object Passive Skill (30% more armour).
If an enemy with an elemental weapon spawns on this level your sword will not be able to deflect the attack. Quit and restart the level.
Constantly swing your sword. There is no point in not swinging it. You will deflect most attacks if you constantly swing the sword and make sure to face towards your enemies. Duck down when you are defending/capturing a zone or standing still. It makes you a smaller target for the enemy to hit.
If you are up two zones to one, do not bother to try and get the other zone unless you really have to. Trying to cross over to the other zone will probably lead to your death and allow the enemy to grab one of your zones. Also, the enemy seems drawn to you more than the zones. So if you have obtained zones A and C, stay at point C, thus drawing enemies away from point A. You can do this the other way around as well. But remember, as soon as you are down one zone to two, go out an try an get an additional zone.

9.) Reverse Gun Game
I recommend the Juggernaut again because of the health advantage. Having the Resistance Passive Skill (Immunity to status effects) will help you get your fourth kill while avoiding suicide. (You have to use the Cobra gun to get your fourth kill. The Cobra can cause suicides).
The Mercenary Might be useful with Blast Plate Armor (30% less damage from explosives) and the No Sweat Passive Skill (-30% from explosives and fire can no longer damage yourself).
Be careful how you aim the explosive and elemental weapons to avoid suicides. Be aggressive, you need to get kills fast.

10.) Night of the Ninja
I recommend the Juggernaut or the Sniper. It doesn't matter too much what Passive Skill or Killstreak you use, but for the Sniper I recommend the Wall Hack Killstreak (allows you to shoot through walls for 8 seconds).
You do not need to use a Heartbeat Sensor attachment as you can see the enemies on radar automatically in this level.
As the Sniper or Juggernaut, camp near the far left or far right side of the level. When you see the enemy ninja on radar getting close start basting away in their direction. Your powerful sniper rifle or shotgun should kill them in one or two hits.

11.) Doom Fire
I would recommend the Mercenary for this challenge. Use the No Sweat Passive Skill (-30% from explosives and fire can no longer damage yourself). When you become the "One Man Army" your flamerthrower won't damage yourself when you shoot it, however you will still lose damage over time because you are on fire when you are the "One Man Army".
It's hard to get points in this challenge. Rely mostly on getting points by killing the "One Man Army" and not by getting kills as the "One Man Army". When your health is getting low as the "One Man Army", make sure someone kills you so you do not commit suicide and lose a point. Preferable make sure the person who kills you is Not the Point Leader.
You can also try the Juggernaut for this level, again for his health advantage.

12.) Defection
This one is rather difficult. I have yet to beat this challenge on hard. Juggernaut should be a good class because of the health advantage.
Try to take the path with the least enemies to and from the flag. Don't be afraid to slowly move toward the enemy base killing the enemies as you go along. But on the return trip it is usually best to run without stopping when you shoot.
Sometimes you may want to stop and defend your base, or kill the enemy that has your flag (if it's been taken).
On normal I got the last flag by killing all the enemies, as the Sniper in quick succession while they had all spawned by the flag.
The Sniper may also be useful, using theTrue Stealth Killstreak (makes you invisible to enemies for 8 seconds, unless attacking) to sneak up to the enemies' flag. But, I believe once you grab the flag you become visible again.

13.) Randomania
I would recommend the Juggernaut because of the health advantage here. (This is the other challenge I have yet to complete on hard.)
When you respawn at the right time you will do so with your original weapon. Sometimes you can get almost all ten seconds with your original weapon. Use that time to blast your enemies before you get a random low quailty weapon.
Also, be aggressive and don't feed kills to the point leader. You need to get kills quick before the enemy does.

14.) Too Many Mechs
I would recommend the Juggernaut and a close second the Sniper. This level isn't too hard, Avoid the (red circle) LASER by running and sometimes jumping over it. Avoid the guns by jumping over them or running out of their range (they only move along their initial axis). Avoid the missiles by running under them making them curve and hit the ground. Sometimes, you can jump over them, but often, regardless of method you use, you just get hit by them. Avoid the other LASER by jumping onto the high ground on either side of the mech.
Other than that this challenge is not too difficult, especially after you have been playing this game a while.

15.) Bigger and Badder
This mission is somewhat difficult (on hard). I would recommend either the Juggernaut or the Sniper. Try to fire at the two from far away. The key to this mission is keeping your distance.
This mission gets more difficult once Justin gets the sniper rifle. When that happens you will either have to kill him with blind fire or somehow try to avoid him and just go for Mike. Justin has less health, but when he has the sniper rifle you can not go near him or you will be killed in one hit (maybe two).
It helps to keep your distance and blind fire at where you think the enemy is. Try crouching in the far left or right bottom corners of the map and blind firing straight ahead. You can get kills this way, but if that is not working you can also, try camping on the upper left platform on the map. It is a good place to be protected from fire and if you move to the right edge of the platform you can fire down on the enemies. Being the Juggernaut is not too bad as the shotgun can do large damage at a decent distance, but if you really want to keep your distance use the Sniper. The only downfall is that you will not have very much health as the Sniper.

16.) Challenge Guide: Final Statements

If you have a method that diverges from what I recommend and it works better for you, then by all means use it instead and leave a comment about it in this thread. Also, if you feel there is poor advice given, please post a correction saying what the poor advice is and then give the better advice.

======-Medals Guide-=============

If you follow this guide and beat the game on normal and hard and complete most the challenges. You will probably get most of the medals, but here are a few tips on how to get some of the medals.

1.) Close Call
[Collect 50 Health pack when under 25% health.]

In order to get this medal the easy way, do this. Pick a large level that has a health pack in it. Play in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, or Capture the Flag Mode. Play against only one, very easy, enemy. Select a solider class that can user the flamethrower, or cobra weapon, and equip one of those weapons.

When the match starts find the health pack in the level. Use the flamethrower or Cobra to damage yourself below 25% health then collect the helath pack. Wait for the health pack to respawn and repeat the process until you get the medal.

2.) Never Empty
[Collect 50 Ammo packs when under 25% ammo.]
In order to get this medal the easy way, do this. Pick a large level that has a health pack in it. Play in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, or Capture the Flag Mode. Play against only one, very easy, enemy. Select a solider class that uses a weapon that is fully automatic or has very little ammo.

When the match starts find an ammo pack in the level. Fire off your gun until you are below 25% ammo. Grab the ammo pack. Wait for the ammo pack to respawn and repeat the process until you get the medal.

3.) Mordekaiser
[Collect 75 Armor Packs when at 0 Armor.]
In order to get this medal the easy way, do this. Pick a large level that has a health pack in it. Play in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, or Capture the Flag Mode. Play against only one, very easy, enemy. Select a solider class that can user the flamethrower or cobra weapon and equip one of those weapons.

When the match starts find the Armor in the level. Use the flamethrower or Cobra to damage yourself to 0 armor then collect the armor pack. Wait for the armor pack to respawn and repeat the process until you get the medal.

4.) Vegetable Guy
[Destroy all the fruits.]
[Unlocks Tin Man mod]
In order to get this medal you must select a solider class that can use the elemental weapons and then equip one of those weapons. Then play a game in Market or Market (Day). There are two fruit stands In the middle of the stage. Destroy them both, during one play, with the elemental weapon to get the medal.

(Thanks to Armor Games User Leesie)

5.) Game Breaker
[Disrupt the entertainment.]
[Unlocks Wizardry mod]
To get this medal play as an Engineer and equip the Tesla Coil Killstreak. Select the Base level and get a killstreak. Drop your Tesla Coil Killstreak near (or on) the gaming consoles in the center of the map. (This is the same place as the Armor Games symbol in the center of the map.)

(Thanks to Armor Games User Leesie)

6.) Party Time
[Party like no one's watching]
[Unlocks Fiesta mod]
Play Level 1 of the campaign on any difficulty. When you are told to hit the generator do not do so. Instead return to where you started the level.
Then, jump up to the second floor, go right and then fall back down to the first floor.
You should be on the right side of the wall were you started. You will see a large red shipping-crate-like object that looks like it is blocking your path.
You can go through this object. Go through this object.
Next, jump the gap underneath the Disposal Beam (The beam that sometimes kills you when you play this map). The same gap with the armour floating above it.
Now, continue moving to the right toward the far bottom right corner of the map.
You will see the words PARTY TIME! and the ROFL Face. Once you are in this spot you should unlock the medal.

(Thanks to Armor Games User Leesie)

======-Closing Comments-==========

If you notice any errors in this guide, know of a better strategy, or have a strategy for something that is not discussed please feel free to post about it in the thread and please notify me Reton8 on my profile (just click the link to go to my profile).

Thank you for reading!
Strike Forces Heroes 2 In-Depth Guide (By: Reton8)