Battlefield Hardline Episode 3: Gator Bait – Disable the Alarm

Find the Drug Bale

Start driving the airboat in the direction of the ping that shows up on the map at the bottom left corner of the screen. It might take a minute or so, but eventually Khai will tag the bale and the objective will be complete. Just get ready for the exact same objective to pop up three more times (four total), as there are still three bales that Khai wants to tag. After finding all four, and a bit of a scare, gamers can move on to the next objective.

Get Across the Fence

As players get back on land and approach the fence they will be introduced to the Grappling Hook. This device is definitely one of our favorites, making certain locations accessible that Mendoza was previously unable to travel to. Pick it up off the ground, following the instructions to ascend to the top of the platform, then the next. Of course, now players must get down, which is why Khai brought the Zipline. Use it to get back to the ground and complete the objective.

Investigate the Boathouse

There are three bad guys up ahead, including Luis Minguez, one of the Suspects with Warrants, if players are concerned with such things. Use the Scanner to tag the three bad guys, and also take note that there is a piece of Evidence for one of the game’s Case Files nearby. Either shoot the exploding barrel for the triple kill (probably not a good option), or sneak close and wait for them to separate, at which point all three can be arrested.

Head inside the metal shack that the three hostiles were previously standing in front of, noting the radio on the table, as well as the Tactical Gear that can be accessed to customize your loadout. This should also see the current objective completed.

Investigate the Leads

Although mandatory, this objective does contain quite a few optional tasks, most of which has to do with the Evidence that can be collected to make up the game’s Case Files. Again, if that’s what you’re looking for, follow the link we posted in the previous objective to hop over to that guide. To complete the current objective, drive the airboat north (forward from your last docking position) until you reach the gator farm.

Investigate the Gator Farm

Head up to the windmill so you can get a good look at the entire area, tagging all of the enemies, including Thomas Bell, one of the Suspects with Warrants. Wait for the bad guys to split up and then head down to start placing them under arrest.

Tip: Be sure to search the bodies of any downed (or arrested) enemies for Evidence, or even weapons that can be added to your Tactical Gear.

Although we are here to teach and guide you, we’re not the hand-holding type. We’re more like the folks that will throw you into the deep end of the pool to teach you how to swim… sort of. What we mean to say is, we’re not going to tell you how to take down each individual bad guy, but will give you tips on how to approach the situation as a whole.

There are several foes in this area, and they can all be arrested with non-lethal tactics. The key is waiting for them to split up. Personally, working in a counter-clockwise fashion helped us out quite a lot, and put is directly into the path of Thomas Bell. Give that a shot, making your ultimate goal the magnifying glass that shows up on the map. That’s where the objective can be completed, even if you don’t neutralize all the bad guys first.

Get to the Airboat

This is a fairly straightforward trip if all of the bad guys have been dealt with beforehand, but if not, take a moment to arrest whoever remains. There are also a few pieces of Evidence in this area, but we’ve already linked that guide for you a few objectives back. When players reach the airboat the objective will be complete.

Investigate the Saw Mill

There’s an Investigate the Leads objective mixed in, but that’s just filler for what we’re really doing here. Once players make their way to the saw mill via the airboat, head up to the tower (just like before) and use the Scanner to survey the area. This will reveal the location of several enemies, including one of the Suspects with Warrants, Nathan Brown. Just to the right of Mr. Brown (his left) will be an alarm box. Getting to this location and disabling the alarm should be a top priority for players.

Tip: We didn’t try it, so file this one more under an adventure rather than a tip, but we’re curious about shooting the explosive barrel near the alarm. Yes, it will kill Nathan, but would it also disable the alarm?

Again we moved around the area in a counter-clockwise fashion, taking out the first two bad guys, then dealing with the alarm which was no longer guarded. From here we headed straight for Thomas Bell, arresting him, then moving into the shipping container that shows up like a magnifying glass on the map. This will see the objective completed.

Get to the Stadium

Rather than backtrack to the boat, keep pushing forward and following the path until you spot three more enemies. Hit them with the Scanner (not literally) to tag their locations, then approach them and flash your badge. These three guys will give up, just make sure to move your weapon back and forth between them quickly. This will keep them intimidated until you start slapping on the cuffs. From there it’s just a matter of going to the stadium by hopping in the airboat.

Identify Neltz

Have Mendoza follow Khai until reaching the bleacher section of the stadium, then arrest the lone guard that is hanging out nearby. Maintain this position, using the Scanner to tag all of the enemies below, as well as another one on the bleachers but to the far left, next to an alarm box. Make sure to identify Neltz. He’s standing on the far left of the stadium near the water.

Tip: Disabling the alarm box on the left side of the bleachers will be the second of this episode (if players have followed our walkthrough), unlocking the Damn Thing Doesn’t Work trophy.

Apprehend Neltz

Start out by moving to the left and taking out the guard next to the alarm box, then disabling the alarm itself. From here, players are almost certainly going to end up in a gun battle, so make sure to have something for the occasion. Alternatively, throwing a distraction in the form of a shell casing might be a good idea, getting the guards to separate so they can be picked off one by one. Either way, when they are all down, use your map to see where Neltz has run off to, following him into the building where he’s trying to get away in a boat.

The battle will pick back up after a short cut scene, seeing Khai and Mendoza ready to apprehend Neltz in a nearby warehouse. It’s a tough battle for several reasons, such as the enemies using gas grenades and the cover that players want to use being destructible. We found that a shotgun worked really, really well here, as it allowed us to move around and take down our targets with only one shot.

Tip: You can get first aid assistance from your partner, a good thing to keep in mind while moving around in this warehouse.

When the first floor is clear, move up to the second and start working your way through the next batch of bad guys. Why backup didn’t come in the warehouse to help you, we have no idea. Just like we have no idea why the bad guys didn’t come down from upstairs to back up their buddies. Mistakes were made on both sides. Either way, keep moving up, clearing out the enemies until a cut scene shows Neltz and the episode comes to an end.

Feel free to return to our main walkthrough for Battlefield Hardline, a place where you’ll find all of the episodes in one location, as well as guides to all of the Evidence, Case Files and Suspects with Warrants. For players that are eager to continue with their experience right away, continue to Episode 4: Case Closed.