Quake II/Outer Courts

Armament
By this point in the game, you should have collected all the available weapons.

Unit objective
The primary objective for the Palace Area unit is to neutralize the Strogg leader's communication system.

Level objective
The objective for this level is to find the Data Spinner and take it to the Lower Palace.

Strategy
You will have to fight a lot of enemies in this level. There are Icarus, Guards and Gladiators in the outdoor areas and Guards and Tanks in the Palace building. Some Medics may show up if you access a certain secret. Most of the enemies are just there when you first enter a new area and can be dealt with according to your normal preference. Some, however, appear over the mountains or come out of previously closed areas when you pass a certain point and your back may be towards them. Always be on your guard for new threats from behind and above, particularly when you first make your way along the causeway over the lava into the palace building. Some enemies also appear in areas that you've previously cleared, so if you go back for something again watch out for new threats.

It is best to start this level with full health and plenty of Armor. There is Armor to be picked up, but things aren't going to get any easier in the remaining levels, so don't pick it up unless you are low enough that you will get full credit. You may decide to leave it all until you have cleared a path to the exit and then come back for it (but watch out for new enemies in previously cleared areas).

There are several areas where it probably won't work to just rush out and dodge around with a powerful weapon, even if this is your normal style. You will be attacked from many directions, including from above. Moving cautiously until you've identified a threat and then retreating to cover and firing from there is often going to work better.

Walkthrough
You begin this level in a small room with a door out to a large open area. Step through the door and try to spot one or more Icarus out there, maybe above you. Perhaps tickle them with some Blaster fire, but then step back inside. Try to entice them to come lower so that you can pick them off more easily without wasting too much ammo. When things look clear, pick off the Guards up on the ledge to the far right, perhaps with the Blaster. Then, step outside and walk a few steps looking up often and making sure that you've got all the Icarus (there are seven in hard difficulty) If you leave this area and return later, more Icarus may have appeared. Go to the right and look down to the two dark caves in the mountainside. Some Guards will come out of the left-hand cave. A well placed grenade will reduce their number; then go around to the left and down the slope to pick off the survivors. When you reach the bottom, take care with the right-most cave. There is one, possibly two, Gladiators in there, but it is so dark you can't see them. Use a weapon that creates some light so that you can see what you're aiming at, for example, the Hyper-Blaster, and strafe / dodge furiously to avoid getting hit by returned fire. When the last Gladiator goes down, look out for more Icarus high over the palace gate (two in hard difficulty). There is a Gladiator in the left-hand cave. He may come out after you; otherwise, go in for him or leave him alone (but see Secrets, below).

Approach the bridge to the palace gate. The portcullis will lower (or this may already have happened). Our next job is to get it to go back up to let us through. The bridge will also fold down. This will always happen, so we'll have to just get used to always waiting for it and walking carefully along the edge. Remember, when you're retreating and looking for cover, that you can't just run across this bridge. Go back to the door where you started and climb along the mountain ledges leading to the stonework above the palace gate. Stand on the floor button you will find there to raise the portcullis. There is a steeply sloping cliff wall that you can slide down to reach the ground again without damage (but see Secrets, below). Now approach the bridge again, wait for it to fold down and walk along the left-hand edge. One or more Guards will come from around the corner, so either take them out with a powerful weapon or retreat and pick them off cheaply. Now you can get all the way across and you will find a tall elaborately decorated door. The bridge will come back up behind you, but don't forget that if you approach it again it will fold back down so always cross at the edge.

Go carefully through the door and look around the corner to your left. There will be one or more Tanks to dispose of, but also look up for Icarus. Use the corner for cover and retreat across the bridge (walk on the edge!) if necessary. Don't go down the wide ramp across the lava to the palace entrance yet. When you have cleared the area, there is something important to take care of. Go carefully back through the door to the outdoor area. Some Medics and some Icarus (raised, or new?) will have appeared (see Secrets, below). Get rid of all these. You will need to retreat in this direction in the next encounter and you don't want these Strogg at you back. Finally, you can go down the ramp, but walk backwards. A panel in the wall at the top of the ramp will explode and Guards will drop down into the room exposed. If you can hit one with a rocket, more may die in the splash. Or, charge at them with the Chain Gun. The point is, some more Icarus have shown up and you don't want to be caught flat-footed. Dodging their fire is difficult on the walkways over the lava, so run back to the door and use the same corner for cover to clear the area again.

Now we can enter the palace. Look around corners before you commit yourself and dispose of the Tanks that you will find there as you see fit. Around the pillar and straight ahead from the entrance is one way to the Lower Palace, but it's not the one we're going to use. If you want to, you can go through and clear away some Strogg, but then come back because this walkthrough assumes that you'll take a left after the palace entrance.

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Secrets
This level has five (5) secrets:
 * 1) You enter this level in a small room with fallen debris at the back and a door out to a large open area between mountains and a building.  Climb the ledges that lead around this area and keep going all the way until you are above the entry room.  Press the button that you will find there.  Return to the entry room and you will discover that a side-room has appeared containing health, armor and ammo.
 * 2) To the right of the building entrance in the large open area, there are two dark caves.  The left-most cave contains a small lava pool and is lit in red.  There is a crack in the wall behind the pool.  Shoot it to open a secret area.
 * 3) In the room where you find the Data Spinner, shoot the wall ahead and to the right as seen from where you came in.  This will reveal a floor button.  Stand on it and then turn around 180 degrees to find the secret.  Press the button that you will find in the secret alcove to extend the walkway that retracted when you came up out of the sewer pipes (however, you can actually jump over the gap).  Returning that way is easier than swimming back through the pipes and you can collect some ammo lying around on the way.
 * 4) While exploring the palace building, you will come out of a side door onto a platform with water down below.  From the water, there is an elevator back up to the platform, a second elevator that takes you to one of the entrances to the Lower Palace level and, at the other end, a sewer pipe.  As you swim through this pipe, before you turn the corner, come up and look back in the direction from which you came.  There is a hidden alcove with lots of ammo, some health and the Red Key Card.  You can't get in to collect the secret until you've turned off the red force field barrier in the Lower Palace.  The Red Key Card will be needed to complete a secret / easter egg in the Upper Palace.
 * 5) When you have the Data Spinner, or maybe when you find the secret in the Data Spinner room, a cave opens in the mountainside high up over the entry room.  There isn't much in it, but to collect the secret you'll need to return to the start of the level, go around the ledges again and clamber up there using the stonework above the entry room.