Jak II/Nest

This page covers the final assault on the Metal Head nest and the battle with the Metal Head leader.

Mission: Check the Construction Site

 * Location: Haven City (construction site)

As you leave the stadium you hear Vin's voice. He's in bad shape but he manages to speak the words "Kor" and "construction site". Follow the crane icon to the industrial area and enter the site. Follow the passage down to where a foundation is being dug.


 * Cutscene: "The Secret To Making A Bomb"
 * There are KG there guarding the place, but Kor jumps in looking a lot more spry than you remember him. After a bit of obligatory gloating, he turns into the Metal Head leader himself. (This is the biggest, but not the last, reveal in the game and makes up for the dud about Keira. But there were clues all along and if you play the game again you may notice them. For example Kor always sent you on missions against the Baron, never the Metal Heads. Also Kor was a bit too eager to get the Precursor Stone himself rather than let the heir to the city get it. Finally, you learned from Vin in the previous mission that Kor turned off the shield wall.)


 * Baron Praxis is there and leads the KG in an attack, but the Metal Head leader, now known as Metal Kor, shoots an energy blast at them. Kor flies away vowing to get the Precursor Stone. You find the Baron and in his last moments he shows you a second bomb like the one Krew made, but this one has the Precursor Stone attached. Daxter squeezes into the bomb and after a bit of fiddling gets the stone loose.

That's really all there is to this mission, just one plot-laden cutscene. So exit the way you come in.

Mission: Break Barrier at Nest

 * Location: Nest

When you exit the construction site you hear the voices of Torn and Ashelin. The fight against the Metal Heads in the city is not going well and the only hope is for you to breach the Metal Head nest and defeat their leader. Follow the transport icon to the port and board the transport. (If you're low on ammo this is a good time to stop by the gun course to restock.) The transport lands near the Metal Head nest.

You now need to get to the weapon Mar made to open a way into the nest. Explore the starting area, clearing out the metal heads, and locate a crank to the west; it's marked as a red dot on the area map. Spin kick it to raise a platform on the other side and use this it get to the next section.

Go north to some steps which zigzag up to a ledge. Follow the passage west until you spot the gun, a very large rust-red contraption on a ledge to the right.


 * Cutscene: "Stone..Gun..Nest!"
 * You hear Ashelin's voice saying that the Metal Heads are winning and she suggests you use the Rift Rider to get back to your own time. But you insist on staying to fight. (Actually, since the Rift Ring is inside the nest you wouldn't be able to leave without defeating the Metal Heads even it you wanted to.) You place the Precursor Stone in the gun and fire it, and it blows a hole into the mountain opening a way into the heart of the nest.

Mission: Attack the Metal Head Nest

 * Location: Nest

You now need to get to the opening, but there are still plenty of Metal Heads to deal with on the way. Go southwest into a large open area, explore it and follow a wide passage that winds northward. You will encounter large, slow moving Metal Heads that shoot electricity from their sides. Don't waste your ammo on these since they're pretty much just forces of nature and impossible to defeat.

When you reach the northwest corner of the area there is a bridge to the right. Cross and continue east; the passage goes up a hill and leads to the hole created by the Mar's weapon. Once inside the nest, follow the path to a large doorway. This is a point of no return, meaning once you get near the doorway you won't be able to return to the main area for ammo, etc.

Mission: Destroy Metal Kor at Nest

 * Location: Nest


 * Cutscene: Metal Kor is there and has the Kid captive in some sort of bubble. He reveals the final secret of the game, that the Kid is really a younger version of you. (There were clues to this as well, for example the Kid never spoke, just like you before the dark eco treatments.) With the dark eco inside you, it's not possible for you to open the Precursor Stone, but the younger you can do it and Metal Kor plans to use this to get the Precursor energy inside. The stone actually contains the last living Precursor, which means that if Kor carries out his plan the Precursors will be wiped out forever. Kor shoots an energy beam at you to get the Precursor Stone from you, but Dark Jak emerges unharmed and a battle begins.

Start by equipping the Blaster, not that it's the best weapon for this battle but it's the only weapon for which you get ammo refills. So it's not a good idea to start using the other ammo unless you're confident you can win this battle in a single try.

Kor has a health bar with three segments as with the other bosses, with a different stage for each segment. In the first stage Kor shoots blasts of energy at you, but these are fairly easy to dodge if you keep moving. There is a glow of light just before Kor fires so watch for this as a clue for when to jump. You can tell by the sound as well if you have a good ear. You can see the shot coming if you're looking at Kor, but there is usually enough other things going on that you shouldn't rely on this. Kor also shoots out eggs which hatch into scorpion-like Metal Heads. Try to destroy the eggs when possible and shoot the Metal Heads if they hatch. Just one of them isn't a problem but when you have 8-10 of them swarming you it's easy to take damage. You will spend a lot of ammo trying to keep their population down to manageable levels, but fortunately there are respawning ammo crates scattered around. You only get Blaster ammo from them so, as mentioned above, conserve your other ammo. Between shooting the scorpions, destroying the eggs and dodging energy bolts, try to get in as many shots as you can at Kor to reduce his health bar.

The second stage is very similar to the first, the difference being that there are fewer scorpions but Metal Heads in armored flying suits have taken their place. Shoot these down when you can; if you can get them as they're coming out of the hole under Kor it's all the better. Kor's energy bolts are double barreled for this stage, so remember to dodge twice each time. This stage is actually somewhat easier than the first since the flying Metal Heads don't swarm toward you as much.

For the third stage there is a short cutscene ("Kor Drops Down") where Kor is released from the threads from which he's been hanging the whole time, and comes down to the ground. He now starts chasing you around the hole in the middle of the nest. There are no more minions to deal with, but Kor has some new attacks. First, his energy bolts are now triple barreled, so if you see him prepare to fire then jump three times to avoid damage. He also sends out energy waves that spread out through the room. Jump while moving toward them and they will miss you. Finally, if Kor gets close enough he will take a swipe at you or try to sting you with his tail, so make sure to keep your distance. Do a rolling jump to keep ahead of him if he starts to gain ground. Meanwhile, keep shooting back between his attacks to ship away at his health. When it start to get low switch to the Peace Maker or Vulcan if you have the ammo so you can finish him off quickly. Since Kor's attacks can be easily dodged, this stage is actually the easiest of the three.

Dark Jak is not as useful as you might think for this battle, even if you've gotten all the moves from the oracle. For one thing, Kor is hanging from the ceiling for the first two stages, so you can't even reach him with Dark Jak. All you can do is eliminate some minions and since they just respawn the only thing you've gotten is a short break from them. Dark Jak is too small to hurt Kor in the third stage, and even if you change to Dark Giant, the last move, Kor seems to be immune to your attacks. Perhaps the best way to use Dark Jak here is at the beginning of the battle. Start by concentrating all your fire on Kor while the eggs hatch behind him. When the swarm starts to get close, activate Dark Jak and use Dark Bomb or Dark Blast to clear away the scorpions and possibly damage Kor as well. If you're lucky you can get through the first stage without taking any damage this way.


 * Cutscen: "The Celebration"
 * When Kor's energy runs out he makes a last attempt to flee through the Rift Ring, but he doesn't make it. The Kid spots the Precursor Stone and touches it, then out pops a Precursor, a glowing humanoid that can fly. The Precursor grants you light eco to balance out the dark eco inside you, thus keeping it from destroying you. The Precursor disappears into the Rift Ring as Keira arrives with the Rift Rider. Keira has set the coordinates to return to Sandover Village, but you've realized that it's your destiny to remain here. Instead it's the young Samos and the the Kid who must return so Samos can raise the child to become the Jak you are now. The replica Rift Rider that Keira built turns out to be the same Rift Rider that brought you to this time in the first place. Young Samos and the Kid disappear into the Rift Gate while you wave goodbye.


 * With the battle for the city over, Ashelin has taken over as the governor of the city and she orders Torn, now commander of the KG, to accompany her to the celebration.


 * Meanwhile, Jak and Daxter have taken over Krew's Saloon and renamed it the Naughty Ottsel. There's a new trophy on the wall, the head of the Metal Head leader. The celebration is starting to get underway when Sig comes in. Somehow he survived the fall from the bridge and defeated the giant monster that was trying to kill him. (Sound familiar, LOtR fans?) So now Sig has a trophy that rivals the one you brought in.


 * Outside, fireworks has begun and you start to look forward to what the future may bring.