Time to see what that Y on the map is all about. Take the buzzer on a long flight to a fairly swanky farmhouse perched on the edge of a towering cliff.
Turns out, this is your parents’ homestead. Inside, you’ll find two stoners, Reggie and Yogi, who…well, you’ll see.
JUST SAY NO.
The Arena
When you next gain control of Ajay, you’ll find yourself thrust into an arena, naked and armed with only a knife, fighting off waves of enemies both human and animal. But don’t worry. It’s actually not that bad.
First things first: Get your bearings. The arena is a large rectangle with a pit-like lower level ringed by a wide balcony level and several large doors. Each of the five waves of enemies will come from one or more of these doors. Also, the arena is littered with all sorts of cover, from columns to pedestals to pallets. Round one is the hardest, because you have a knife (and no pants) and everyone else has a weapon. However, there may also be animals such as wolves or tigers, which attack the enemies as well. If you see this happening, don’t interfere.
Second things second: Get a gun ASAP. Either grab one dropped by a fallen fellow gladiator or sneak up on someone and use a takedown. You should be able to scavenge both an AK47 and a shotgun by the end of the round. Once you have firepower, stick to the edges (which minimizes the angles from which you can be shot), always use cover (especially when healing), and keep moving so enemies can’t surround you—especially the rushing shotgunners. An aggressive strategy will serve you well here. Hunt your enemies. Don’t wait for them to come to you.
The next few rounds are rinse and repeat. Start each round with the shotgun, because it’s a quicker insta-kill for the enemies that will rush toward you, then switch to the AK for longer-range targets. Above all, watch for green smoke, which indicates a health syringe that someone has dropped in.
During the fourth round, you may notice a tiger. Let it take out as many foes as it can before you kill it. Also, red and white barrels that (naturally) explode when shot will drop into the arena. Try to save a few of these for the fifth and final round, which has a heavy. He’ll soak up a ton of bullets, but he’s dumb as a shoe. He’ll walk slowly toward wherever he saw you last, making it easy to lure him into barrels. Boom.
Once you’ve won the battle, you’ll have a chat with the Shanath Arena mistress, Noore, who is suddenly friendly and not at all trying to kill you. In fact, she wants to make you an offer.
You can come back to the Shanath Arena at any time and try your luck in more mortal combat. For now, let’s head down the stairs to the right and explore Naccarrapur, the town outside the arena. You’ll find a shop run by yet another shopkeeper obsessed with smutty romance novels, a propaganda poster and, if you explore the steps by the picnic tables, the entrance to the local Golden Path safe house—which is remarkably opulent, considering it’s right next door to Min’s arena.