Story Mission: A Dish Served Cold

• Prerequisites: Liberate Baron Lumber Mill
• Rewards: Jess Black as Guns For Hire, 900 Resistance Points (Whitetail Mountains)
• Details: Help Jess track down and defeat the notorious “Cook”.

MISSION Commencement

Begin this mission by speaking with Jess Black inside the grounds of the Baron Lumber Mill, the location where her uncle Dutch said you’d find her. The Mill (a cult outpost) needs liberating first. Jess needs your help tracking down and killing one of Jacob Seed’s notorious zealots—the infamous “Cook.”

FOLLOW Jess to the Camp

RESCUE Hostages at the Camp (3)

Follow Jess up the hill, moving roughly due west of Baron Lumber Mill. Go to a small side yard where the Cook’s crew are holding three hostages. You need to free these hostages without killing any of them.

OPTIMAL Path

If you’ve followed Jess, you’ll probably stop and survey the area from a rocky outcrop to the southeast . Tag the five foes, and start firing from this vantage point if you wish. However, you get a better angle (without the chance of shooting a hostage) if you creep around to the east woods and hide behind the log pile. Start methodically dropping foes using a stealth weapon (like a bow). Expect to slay three to four foes with Jess picking off the rest, but don’t count on her. It’s important to stay hidden so foes can’t locate you—they will kill the hostages if that happens. Do not use area-of-effect weapons; explosions usually kill hostages.

OTHER Paths

The other paths are simply variations on the preceding strategy. A silenced rifle is a good idea, and you can tag foes from the southeast rock outcrop , the east woods , or the north woods .

If you’re somehow approaching from the west, head toward the cabin ; use the drainage pipe to creep back and forth. You can climb onto the cabin, but the crates you stand on there make you easily visible.

If you have an ally, approach from two opposing directions to further confuse the enemy as to your location, giving you more time to slay the enemy before they kill the hostages.

FOLLOW Jess to the Quarry

RESCUE Hostages at the Camp (3)

Follow Jess to the quarry, then enact a similar plan as before. This time, there are several flammable gas canisters to avoid shooting, meaning your takedowns need to be precise and, to more easily defeat the five enemies here, stealthy. A series of well-aimed arrows from the southeast rock outcrop is an excellent plan, especially as one foe is a sniper.

Fire at foes who are on their own or on the edge of the quarry so their friends don’t see the kill. Strike foes near hostages next, then wrap up any stragglers.

Other options include working your way counterclockwise around all of the vantage points ( to , , , and ) as necessary. The zip line can cause a distraction if you use it but puts the hostages in danger. Free the hostages only after all hostiles are down.

FIND the Cook

KILL All the Guards at the Pit

KILL the Cook

You have another hike. You and Jess need to remain relatively close together as you search for the Cook. He’s living up to his name, burning the hostages in a makeshift compound called the Pit. As his chopper leaves, move to the rock cliffs to the north of the Pit, and survey the scene from .

OPTIMAL Path

This is the optimal spot for taking care of the Cook . It’s too late to save the innocents, so tag all foes with your binoculars, then simply shoot the Cook from range; he takes the same amount of time and competence to kill as a flamethrower enemy. Expect around eight other foes, all around the compound, especially on the north trailer . Long-range sniping is safe and easy, and you can back it up with projectiles of any description.

Note that if you start dillydallying, Jess starts fighting, so you may need to back her up. You don’t need to slay all the foes; she handles threats close to her.

OTHER Paths

You can scramble down to the crates by the south trailer , climb up and strangle the foe here, and use the metal fencing as cover as you tag all enemies in the yard, before focusing on the Cook.

Other locations to get a good bead on the enemy include the northeast rocks by the billboard and the small tent with the mounted machine gun .

You can also creep around to the east, climbing a scaffold watchtower , and rain death down from here.

Or, you can coax the Cook toward the propane tank by the south trailer and end his days in a suitably just manner.

After neutralizing the Cook, rendezvous with Jess for a final chat before the mission concludes.