Smuggler's Run 2: Hostile Territory/M-08

This is the first level where you will see how important it is to have the right vehicle for the terrain. Everything on this level is about elevation changes. You go up and down huge hills and you can expect to be airborne quite a bit. With the beating you will take from terrain alone, even before the all the cops that will be ramming you, you'll definitely want a durable vehicle. If you are relying on a lighter car, you'll need to do some route planning and analyzing of the law enforcements' placement and tactics.

On your first game, either the ../Vehicles or the Baja Truck will give you the kind of protection you're going to need. Between the two, it comes down to the Hondo being slightly more rugged, versus the benefit of the Baja Truck's countermeasure. With more options, you'll want to go with the Sahara Special or the Grenadier, since they're both tough and they're good climbers.

The main strategy for getting through this level is to watch your mini-map in the lower right corner of the screen for oncoming law enforcement. The cops' vehicles are brown in this mission, and they blend in too well with the desert landscape to see quickly enough for maneuvering purposes. This is especially true while you're slipping, sliding and jumping all over the place. Even if you can't see the cop yet, if you notice a white triangle approaching you on your mini-map, you can start veering to the left or right to set up a juke for when he comes into sight.

Pickup 1
You start out in your secret warehouse in the hills, and almost immediately you're going over a ridge that drops away sharply down into a large ravine with a river going down the center. At the bottom of this first slope is an inviting lip, angled upwards for launching off of toward the pickup. However, it is extremely hard to maintain control and you would have to go out of your way to line up the jump correctly coming down the hill. It's much easier to roll down the right side of the embankment and take a short run through the water to the island over which the helicopter is hovering with your cargo. If waste time or get yourself wrecked, you may find that the chopper pilot will take off with the item and you'll need to chase him down again to pick it up.

From the first pickup (assuming you got to the helicopter on time), the drop off location is up on the side of the ravine at the top of the little mountain village. You'll want to enter the village from the closer side to bypass the lower levels of the village, but beware of the first cop that while come charging down the hill at you as you're going up. Once in the village, you'll have to contend with some civilian vehicles and patches of ice and snow. The first will throw you off course if hit them or you're trying to avoid them, and the latter makes precision turning unachievable. If you can make your way to the drop off, you'll find that it's a cul-de-sac from which you'll need to make a 180° to escape, and there is another cop in a Super Buggy is patrolling here as well.

Pickup 2
You can exit the village on either end or somewhere in between, but the next pickup is going to be back closer to the way you came. You exit route will mostly depend on how you got out of the dead end drop off location with the cop breathing down your neck. With the ice, the cop and the close quarters surrounded by buildings, rocks and trees, just getting out of there without taking damage is going to be difficult. So make your way from the village in any manner you can. Note that if you are coming from the far end of the village (opposite the side you entered) the first cop you encountered will be in your way, and the one that comes down from the next pickup will have a direct path for a head on collision with you. The next pickup is located up the other side of valley from the village, with trees and a stationary truck there to make it more difficult to access. The best way to approach it is on a course straight up the hill instead of at an angle, which will make you either fly off in the wrong direction or put you on a path cluttered with obstacles.

From the pickup, you'll want to turn in the direction of your arrow and follow the road through the tunnel. You'll have to be quick about it though, as yet another cop is waiting to the right of the tunnel entrance. If you back down into and through the valley, be prepared to zig-zag back and forth between trees and deal with choppy terrain. Once you're through the tunnel or the valley, head to the left of the concrete structures to get a clean approach to the drop off. This is the same area as the first training mission, and the delivery point is sitting in the pool of water in the middle of the compound. There is a cop on the slope from the tunnel to the drop off, and another one waiting right at the delivery spot. If you can avoid the buildings and the cops, you'll want to exit to the right in the direction of your arrow.

Pickup 3
On your way to the next pickup you'll see an ATV rider in front of you, who will try to knock you off course as you pull alongside him. It shouldn't be too much trouble to juke him, as you'll need to turn uphill when you get to the gully in which the pickup is situated. There are plenty of trees both before and after the cargo, and they're strategically placed to make it difficult to maintain speed and have a clean exit to the top of the hill. As soon as you make the pickup, veer right to bypass the bulk of the trees on your way up.

Following your arrow will take you through a small lake, to bear to the right. Also be aware that a cop will come straight in at your once you crest the hill. Make sure you're pulling well right of him to avoid a head on collision. At this point you either head straight for the drop off or get on the road to the right and take it in. A direct approach will take you over rolling hills and you won't have a sightline on the target until you fly off a ridge toward it. Down the road, you'll have to deal with an explosion and a large non-combatant truck heading in your direction. At the drop off itself, a stationary truck sitting right beside it will force you to either slow down or utilize precision steering. In addition, another law enforcement vehicle will be approaching to ram you from the front. As soon as you make the delivery, pull hard to the right and go down the hill to avoid this last cop.

Pickup 4
Follow the train tracks around the hill until you see the next pickup. When approaching the pickup, be aware that the ground is uneven, so it's easy to get knocked off course in lighter vehicles. There is a dropaway on the other side of the pickup, so expect to spend some time getting back up to it if you miss and fly off the ridge. If all went well from the last drop off, however, then you shouldn't be too hounded by cops at this point.

Once you have the loot, either cross the river and head for the entrance to the stone outcroppings, or cross the bridge first before heading over to it. You'll know the spot, because it's the only part that's not a hill and it will force you to go through one of the rock arches. Once you're in the stone garden, pick your way through bearing to the right to give you a good approach and exit to and from the drop off.

Pickup 5
The last pickup is across the train tracks nestled in a U-shaped depression surrounded by hills on three sides. When you get to this pickup, three law enforcement vehicles will converge, making a comfortable entrance and exit of the area very difficult. It is best to nab the cargo in the air from a jump off a ridge, because you then only have to worry about making your way out. If you don't have the correct approach, or you miss the target while jumping, you'll be in a bad position to get back to the pickup, as the cops will have had time to set up blocking positions. If you can successfully grab the cargo on your first try, it may be easier to continue on in the same direction, even if it's opposite to where your arrow is pointing, and turning back toward the drop off when you're clear of the law enforcement.

Once you've made the pickup and are ready to drop it off, you'll be heading back nearly the way you came toward the bombed out village. You can take the train tracks and the road around the hills if it's easier, or just go straight over them. The hills are a bit "softer" than the ones in the first half of the mission, so traversing them shouldn't pose a problem. In order to fit with the end-mission cinematics, there is no police activity around the drop off, and it's actually a nice, clean ride in to the finish. When you've made the last delivery, you'll see a cutscene is three law enforcement vehicles getting blown up by a mine, which explains where "elud[ing] pursuers in the minefield" come from in Shodi's email.