Smuggler's Run 2: Hostile Territory/M-09

The difficulty curve takes a significant rise on the last level in the Georgia desert. If you haven't felt time pressures before, this mission will introduce them, and the law enforcement vehicles have been placed much more disadvantageously. The missions starts with low visibility in a light drizzle, and stays fairly dark throughout. The initial terrains is very choppy, and the first pickup and drop off locations are in places with extreme accessibility problems. At the end of the mission, you will have to lose your pursuers, which can be fairly difficult as well. When you do beat the mission, you'll be rewarded with an FMV cutscene before you head to Vietnam.

You'll need to balance handling and speed in this mission to both beat the clock and maneuver to the targets. The D-5 Hondo is out, but both your other vehicles will get the job done on a first play of the game. If you're having trouble with law enforcement go with the more rugged Baja Truck, otherwise use the Super Buggy's boosts and handling to keep ahead of the countdown. If any vehicle is open to you, the Sahara Special is a good mix of speed and durability.

Pickup 1
You start off looking down a grade to the valley below, with your arrow pointing off to the left. Take the hill at an angle to avoid the larger bumps and try to maintain control on your way over to the burned out village. Two things to be aware of are a large ridge on the way to the pickup, and a cop in an SUV approaching from the right. You can try picking your way through the craters and rubble of the village, but with low visibility it's easy to get hung up on the small rock pieces littered throughout. For an easier approach, which will also put your on a good heading for an exit, bear left of the village and take a lazy arc around the perimeter to the pickup.

From the contraband, continue on a clockwise path around the village until you're heading in your arrow's direction. You'll have the SUV from before, an ATV on the left, and farther ahead a Buggy and Hondo on the right. It's a straight shot across a flat space to the drop off, so use countermeasures where you can as well as trying to run the cops into either trees or one of the two mines that will explode on your way there. Stick fairly close to the train tracks to start, and if you don't have an offensive countermeasure, swerve around a bit to fake the cops out. The delivery point is in the small village surrounded by low white walls. You can get through an opening in the wall with a direct approach, or bear slightly left and come in through that side. The first entryway allows a jump between the buildings to the drop off, or you can go left and back right around the buildings, the same way you'd come with the other approach.

Checkpoint
Nothing to deliver here, but you'll need to get a checkpoint at the patrol station farther along the lake shore. There is a gap in the wall directly across from the drop off, or you can left or right around the wall, depending on how you made your delivery. Take the road that runs by the lake to the next target, avoiding civilian vehicles and any people, if you are in a lighter car. There is an enemy Buggy waiting to ram you head on, so when you get fairly close (about two-three seconds away), start zig-zagging to throw off his approach. Don't worry about your heading when you hit the checkpoint, as you're reset with a mini-cutscene.

Pickup 2
Directly ahead of you will be a small wooden bridge between next to a guard shack, with toll pikes on either side. Depending on how quickly you got to the checkpoint, you may or may not have a small, non-combatant car in front of you as well. Cross the bridge and follow the two cops toward the pickup. If you stay between and behind them, they will peel off in opposite directions, leaving the cargo open to you, but if you caught up with them or were off to the side, they will start to push you off or get in your way. When you grab the cargo, you'll see your arrow pointing off in the direction of the hills beside the train track. Depending on how you are doing on time, there may also be a train coming through between you and drop off.

A direct route will take you over the hills in a very bumpy ride. Alternatively, you can go around to the left or the right. The right is much longer, but eventually connects to the road higher up the hill. There are also an abundance of trees this way. To the left, you have to go out of your way and need to either cross through water or over the bridge, both of which will slow you down. If you go straight or to the left, you'll eventually find yourself on a road climbing a slope with a dropaway on the left, up toward the drop off. On this slope is a Buggy going in your direction and a Grenadier at the top coming down toward you. Additionally, if you haven't made very good time, there will also be a large civilian truck on the road. For both cops, make juking movements to throw them off, with left then right for the Grenadier, which should send him flying over the edge. At the top of the grade, you'll make the delivery where the road begins to turn. If you went right around the hill, you'll either cut short and intercept the grade with the two cops on it, or approach from farther along the road.

Escape the cops
The easiest way to get rid of your tails is to head across the valley behind the delivery point and up the far slope, where an explosion will send boulders crashing down. This is the same slope you had to contend with to get to your base on the fourth mission. Coming up the grade to the delivery point, you can keep heading in the same direction over the edge of the road, or turn to the right if you went the other way. It's a bumpy ride down the hill, and many you'll lose many of the cops on this jump alone when they land badly and explode. Cross the river and angle up between the two sets of boulders falling down the slope. If you haven't escaped by the time you get to the top, continue heading toward the trees going down to your secret warehouse, to get them caught up there.

Best time
Although this is a shorter mission, it has some difficult maneuvering sections for the first pickup and delivery. Because you should be using the ATV Monster, getting hit at any point after the first delivery will throw your time way off, and getting knocked off the slope on the way to the last delivery is effectively a death sentence. Unlike some other missions where getting from part to another could be accomplished in multiple ways, this level has a best route, so a good time relies mainly on getting the precision part just right.

On the way to the first pickup, there is a certain angle to take that will send you over a light bump toward the set of trees on the left. Right before you get to the trees, turn to the left and go over the dark dirt on the ridge before the village. This path aims to minimize the amount of jostling that will occur over the rough terrain. On the slope up to the village, note the darker section on the left of the most protruding portion. You'll want to head up this part, angling slightly right. Use to level out almost immediately after launching. You'll see a large crater on the left and rubble on the right. Head between them and take a right through the wreckage to the pickup, after the first large piece of structure on the right. Optimally, you'll want to have 50 to 51 seconds left on the clock.

Go right around the village, keeping as close to the buildings as you dare. Jump down into the gully behind the last building and boost over the rise bearing slightly right of the arrow. You should see the Buggy up ahead, and if you move left or right, you can guide him right into the tree to take him out. Follow your arrow and let your heading cross the train tracks after you pass the tree where the Buggy is hopefully incapacitated. Cross back over the tracks when they go left, and try to guide the Hondo into the mine blast. If the ATV is still right on your tail, make some maneuvers to slow him down, as you don't want him jostling your when you're jumping.

Head through the gap in the walls, and hit the jump between the buildings as far to the right as you can while still facing the drop off smoke. Release the gas in the air, tap your levelout and start turning your wheels to the left. Right before you land, start pressing the gas again $($$)$ and get yourself facing the gap in the wall. As soon as you've got the desired heading, boost over to the checkpoint. Bear slightly left, and when you get close turn hard right then left, which won't actually throw you off course, but make the oncoming Buggy speed off to your left. Having any more than 30 seconds on the clock here is good, with 33+ seconds being your ultimate goal.

Don't hit anyone in the road after the cutscene and don't hit the toll pike on the far side either, as both can drastically affect your heading. Follow the two cops bearing slightly right and be ready to slam left when they split. You should be in front of the train, to speed off the two little dropoffs to the left, but be aware that they can really throw your quad around, and there is also a tree to avoid. Head left and ride the hill along this side, using your level out when you can to stay in control, and consider boosting if it's stable enough. When you get to the road running up to the last drop off, you'll know you're doing good on time if the civilian truck hasn't yet arrived. Depending on your approach, you'll either be able to go up the road from the start, or you'll be up on the hill to right of it. Either way is all right, but try to get back down onto the road earlier enough to juke the Grenadier at the top. If you didn't use a boost on your way over the hill, consider using one early to get around the Buggy.

At the top boost through the delivery point and over the side of the road in the direction of the far slope with the boulders on it. Use your remaining boost to get across the river and head up between the two sets of falling rocks. Your time here depends mainly on how lucky you are with your pursuers. If they stall out on the landing, then you'll get a really good time, otherwise you'll have to keep going up the hill and your victory will come a couple seconds later. It's hard to say how to manipulate this outcome, as the AI vehicles don't follow a reliable path every time. Ultimately, the best you can do when losing your pursuers is to finish the level right as you get to the opposite shore, before having to actually climb the slope.