As the first mission, this one isn’t easy at all, pitting your team against a nasty bunch of heavily armored Gearheads. With the exception of the enemies armed with shotguns and melee weapons, most of the Gearheads seek cover, leading to stand-off firefights. In these situations, have your buddy pin the Gearheads with the Authority Machine Gun while you flank, using the Combat Shotgun at close range. This is a very effective tactic in the storage room and library early during the mission. However, be careful not to get separated, otherwise you won’t be able to revive each other.
When you reach the first cellblock, hold your ground and let the enemies come to you until the area is clear. If you get too far ahead of yourself, you’ll have Gearheads surrounding you. Seek out cover and blast the Gearheads charging directly at you. If you’re having trouble hitting the enemies behind cover, take them out with HE Grenades. When the Gearhead armed with the flamethrower appears, unleash a torrent of hot lead from your Authority Machine Guns in an attempt to puncture the tank on his back. Most importantly, keep your distance from this guy.
Prepare for a frantic fight when you reach the mess hall. Sniper Rifles can be found in the Warden’s office upstairs, but only one player should snipe while the other covers the flanking staircases. If you’re not careful, a Gearhead with a flamethrower may sneak up on you and ruin your day. Hold in the Warden’s office until the floor below is clear, then interact with the control panel in the floor to shut down the drilling equipment. Finally, hold out on the stage on the mess hall’s floor and put on a show of your own, blasting the final wave of Gearheads until the mission is complete.
Developer Tips
Check the beginning toilet for a Clownface collectible.
Check out cells you can open for items.
Check the toilets in the room with the toilets and candles.
Use both levers at the beginning, as this opens up other cells that have items in them.
Pick up the Lock Grinder in a box just after the library combat.
Use the Lock Grinder on a door in that first control room area before the cell block, then pick up all the items you can find.
Use the Authority Machine Gun to force the Napalm Gearheads to turn around and expose their fuel tanks.
The first drill room is good for HE Grenades.
In the Warden’s office, enemies will rush up those stairs to flank you.
A good strategy is to have someone up top sniping and another down low.
