Story Mission: Razing the Steaks

• Prerequisites: None
• Rewards: Master Blaster (Perk), Medium Resistance (Holland Valley)
• Details: Zip believes the Project at Eden’s Gate is a government-led farce. The truth is in the Bliss, a chemical being used on farm animals to subdue people’s minds.

MISSION Commencement

Find Zip busily torching his own dwelling at the Kupka Ranch, along the river in the southeastern part of Holland Valley. Talk to him, and he babbles somewhat incoherently about government conspiracies. Still, he seems to want to defeat the Project at Eden’s Gate, starting with their animal experimentation stockyard.

FOLLOW Zip GO TO the Stockyard

It’s a simple matter of riding shotgun in Zip’s pickup, hopping in the back of the cargo bed, or using your own vehicle to follow him to the grassy meadow close to the Flatiron Stockyards—your intended combat location. It’s due north of Zip’s place.

KILL All the Drugged Animals (7)

Zip brings his flamethrower to a cluster of boulders on the south side of the stockyard , which is where your assault begins. The seven animals are clustered in the pens and cages within the central part of the yard. Expect a variety of animals, from boars to wolves. They aren’t initially hostile.

Expect around 10 enemies, including both a VIP and a sniper. All are scattered around the yard, usually on the metal walkways, near the main metal warehouse , or close to the western front of the yard (west of ). With this many enemies, a clandestine approach would be appropriate. Alas, Zip usually starts setting fire to the place before you have a chance to formulate a plan!

OPTIMAL Path

Optionally hold Zip back from starting his inferno, and creep clockwise from around to the small green hut in the southwest corner of the pens (south of ). Choke out a foe here, crouch, and cross to the west side of the metal warehouse . Throttle another foe without raising the alarm. Then climb up the warehouse ladder to the roof.

From here , strangle the sniper, then start a systematic culling of both enemies and animals. You’re relatively safe here and Zip can cause distractions below. You can lob projectiles or shoot animals without being gored by them. Just watch for enemy stragglers climbing the ladders to this roof, and don’t fall through the skylights!

OTHER Paths

Tag all the foes with your binoculars, then feel free to cover Zip from the boulders . Snipe foes from here. There’s ample room to lob projectiles in and cause havoc.

Rushing into the pens area is a recipe for disaster, as there’s flammable gas, explosive canisters and barrels, and Zip’s flamethrower, which sets fire to the hay, enemies, animals, and yourself. If you must make a direct approach, hide behind the blue hay trailers so there’s a modicum of protection.

Creep counterclockwise around the wooded perimeter; this way you can climb the low rooftops of the two hay barns to the northeast and use the larger one to crouch on and fire down from .

You can also reach the main warehouse by circling around the perimeter and heading to either exterior ladder from the grassy area near the silo .

Shoot both the explosive canisters and Bliss barrels to create an inferno of confusion. Just make sure you’re outside the blast radius! Also shoot the cages of the wolf and bear so they exit and maul the enemies; then defeat them afterward.

COVER Zip While He Plants an Explosive

The start of this mad mission involves you checking the road to the west as Zip plants some mines. Feel free to drop some yourself if you have any; plant them close to the large refuse container just east of the billboard .

A better plan is to seek higher ground for the incoming enemy reinforcements; regroup with Zip first and then move to the top of the main warehouse or the interior of the warehouse, using the windows as cover. Or, climb atop the blue-roof office trailer . You can also climb the water tower directly south and across the yard from or sit atop the roadside billboard . All are great places to tag incoming foes without being burned (literally).

After you set the booby-trap, Zip is a little perturbed to see the cult is using a small herd of cattle to soak up the damage before they arrive. He brings out the flamethrower and starts frying some steak! You should start to pick off enemies you can see.

ELIMINATE the Reinforcements

Expect around eight foes, including a few in a truck that appears shortly after the cattle stampede. Use grenades, other projectiles, and quick execution bursts from your favored vantage point. When only two or three enemies are left, regroup with Zip and massacre the rest of them.

The mission then concludes with a lament by Zip at the sheer number of animals you’ve both slain.