Smuggler's Run 2: Hostile Territory/M-01

This is the first true mission, and from now on you will have to deal with law enforcement harassing you on nearly every mission. This level is a basic pickup and drop off challenge, with three pieces of contraband to smuggle. The path is quite linear and you can just follow the navigation arrows for the most part. This area contains some decent climbing elements and some very uneven terrain. If you're having trouble staying in control, choose a heavier vehicle with better handling. If you like to take direct routes to your next location without regard to intervening terrain, pick a car with some decent climbing capability. On your first play through of this mission, unless you are very good with the Super Buggy, pick the D-5 Hondo to even out the bumpiness in the course and get you up the hills a little bit faster. The Hondo will also be able to take more of a hit than the Buggy.

Pickup 1
The mission starts at the top of the village you should be familiar with from the second and third training missions. Start off down the small slope you're facing and come around the building on your left to face the contraband. The first pickup is in the middle of town, after which you can either take a long jump off the wooden platform directly in front of you, or swerve around to the left and take a smoother course around the building. Whichever you choose, your drop off is farther along the same heading at the top of the opposite side of the valley after a few trees. Be advised that a law enforcement vehicle is coming up the other side of the hill to ram you head-on. Drift to one side or the other and then pull back sharply towards the drop off as you crest the hill to evade him.

Pickup 2
The terrain to the next pickup is extremely choppy and there is another cop waiting to t-bone you in this area. Heading somewhat more downhill makes it a little easier by cutting cross the berms at an angle instead of taking them on directly. This will also put the cop in your line of sight so you can more easily avoid him. Down the hill at the pickup, you will either need to slow down or veer to the left so you can make a sweeping right turn to get the cargo. Going straight at it with speed will result in launching yourself over the lip of a small embankment toward a concrete structure. There is also a cop down there waiting to nab you and it's pretty hard to get out of there without getting hit. Keep in mind that after the pickup you'll need to go to the right down the road. Be careful though, because there are two big rigs in the road that hamper direct egress from the area. Either take the road down to the drop off or head over some small hills. When you get there, be ready to make a sharp left to avoid an oncoming cop and set yourself up in the right direction for the next pickup.

Pickup 3
The last pickup is very close, just over a large berm and next to a lake. If you've got some speed up, you'll get some nice air going over the berm, so be careful to either land well so you can maneuver to the pickup, or just hit it dead on. It's pretty easy here to catch a bad angle off your jump and go haywire on landing because you're turning the wheels in the air. When you get the contraband, take a right and head either alongside the lake and over the hill directly to the drop off, or turn a little further to the right and get onto the road, which will take you straight in. The drop off is in front of a narrow path through a security checkpoint, so try not to miss it on your first go, as getting back through the buildings, fences and posts while the cops are slamming into you can be a little difficult.

Best time
If you have to choose between the Buggy and the Hondo, the Buggy will be your faster choice. The steeper grades on the level can be avoided, and whenever you're going for speed, you shouldn't be getting hit at all. Since you won't have boosts, you'll have to rely on good maneuvering to outsmart the law enforcement, and positioning yourself well on the second and third pickups. Go around the huge jump in the beginning of the mission and take the roads whenever you can to avoid climbing up hills.

If there are no restrictions, go with the ATV Monster. You'll have to have excellent control of the vehicle, as the terrain is extremely choppy and the ATV isn't well suited to it. Expect to make multiple attempts at getting a near-perfect run through. If the ATV proves to be too challenging, go with the Super Buggy, as its super boost countermeasure makes it faster than any of the other choices.

Use the same basic route as detailed in the walkthrough above, with minor adjustments suited to maximizing your route efficiency. Cut the first turn around the building as fine as you can and as soon you're lined up with the first pickup, boost over to it. Try very hard not to hit any of the people walking around, as even with the Buggy you'll get knocked off course while boosting. After picking up your cargo, turn left down the slope and then right around the building. If you do this part perfectly, your wheels will be on the ground at all times. When you're facing downhill, use another boost toward the left side of the trees between you and the drop off point. This will allow you to juke right after the trees so you don't take a head-on collision at the top.

Going through the delivery point, try and take the next berm at its highest point, while still staying on the slope leading down to the next pickup. This may seem like a good place to boost, but the terrain is so awful it will be hard to maintain control and if you wait until it smooths out at the bottom,if you'll have too much speed to corner effectively at the pickup. Once you've gotten the second item and are facing toward the next drop off, boost over to it, either along the road or straight at it. Often times the oncoming cop will fly over you as you turn left after the delivery, but even if you turn first, you should have no trouble avoiding him.

Hold off on using your last two boosts until you've picked up the next item and are facing the drop off. You don't have to worry about going slowly over the hill if you use a boost. It's a trade off on whether to take the hill or the road, because while the hill is harder to maintain control on, the road takes you right to the cops. Go with whichever way is more comfortable for you, and just try and be in control of your vehicle when you need to cross the delivery zone.