Office

Situation Report

Everyone likes to think they’re safe at a simple desk job, but when your high-rise office happens to hold sensitive information in the banks of servers sitting in the middle of the floor, nothing is truly safe. Such was the case in this office complex, now deserted save for hostiles patrolling the floor and the helipad outside. Office furniture makes for lousy cover, so stick to more hardy structures like walls during shoot-outs and keep an eye out for attacks from the skylights dotting the office space.

// Phases 1–10

Infiltration

Your squad will begin in an empty stairwell, but it doesn’t stay unoccupied for long. If given enough time, a nearby guard will move from his original desk position to another closer to the stairs, then into the room where your squad waits, blowing your cover. Get the drop on him before this can happen by quickly exiting and stealth killing him, and then his buddy, who patrols nearby a set of desks.

Take cover along the outside wall of the server area, hugging the corners to avoid alerting the patrolling guard who walks between the servers. When he turns around, quickly take him out, then proceed through the server area to attack another guard when he turns to face away from the servers. Finally, sneak up on the last guard as he waits near a desk next to the servers to clear the HQ.

Note

Noteworthy Waves

Wave 7—It’s not until this wave that shielded hostiles start to join their gun-toting brethren. If possible, take them out at a distance by shooting their feet to stagger them long enough to get a few more shots in their center mass. Though they can be baited into melee range by taking cover near the servers, your flanks are completely exposed, making it a dangerous gamble.

Wave 8—Shields quickly give way to an equally dangerous threat: RPG-packing hostiles that, if not dealt with at range, can take out multiple team members with splash damage. Lob a grenade if one is available, or target them with iron sights as soon as they peek out from cover.

Wave 10—The “boss” wave of this phase isn’t a vehicle, but a chaingun turret that is repeatedly manned by multiple hostiles. Capable of raining countless rounds down on any Ghosts unlucky enough to be in the server area, the turret completely shields the user from the front. To take out the gunner, bait him into firing at one Ghost, while another slips out and targets the gunner’s flank by approaching the desks and firing up at his exposed body. Bear in mind that the turret’s high rate of fire has a suppressing effect as well, so the squad member taking the fire will likely be pinned down and a ripe target for flanking or attacks from the rear.

// Phases 11–20

Infiltration

The second HQ is a helipad situated in a fairly wide-open part of the connected rooftop. Thanks to a trio of nearby buildings, your squad will be vulnerable to incoming sniper fire, but first you have to actually capture the location. Start by heading for the roof and grabbing cover to avoid a patrolling gunman. When he has been dispatched stealthily, proceed down the roof line toward a guard looking out toward one of the buildings. Keeping an eye out for another patrolling gunman, take down the guard when he’s not in view of the patrol, then double back and finish off a stationary guard closer to the office. Head past the open entrance back to the office and kill the guard that’s eyeing a bit of rooftop machinery, then carefully head to the helipad to take out the guard standing near the central boxes—but only when the patrol route of the rifleman obscures his view. Once all other threats have been eliminated, sneak up behind the patrolling rifleman to properly secure the HQ.

Note

Noteworthy Waves

Wave 15—All that rooftop space wasn’t going to go unused forever. At the start of this wave, snipers will take up positions on the far buildings while other enemies sneak up onto the rooftop from an unseen area below. Designate a member of the team as countersniper and target the enemies one at a time as they try to draw a bead, while the other Ghosts shift cover to repel enemies streaming out from the office.

Wave 17—The majority of the waves in this phase are blissfully shield-free, but shielded soldiers finally start appearing as of Wave 17. The same strategies as before apply here, and with so much open ground, there’s a good chance the shield hostiles can be dealt with at range rather than letting them get too close.

Wave 18—More snipers crash the party, and even more enemies attempt to take the HQ by climbing up and over the sides of the roof rather than arriving through the office. Keep an eye out for enemies slipping into the HQ near the giant fuel tank, but don’t dawdle or the snipers will make short work of you and your squadmates.

Wave 20—A trifecta of threats makes this rooftop boss wave particularly troublesome: Snipers and RPGs on the roof of one of the distant buildings and a turret are all unloading at the same time, plus there’s the usual raft of enemies. Because of the turret’s position overlooking the whole HQ, the enemies manning the stationary gun can be particularly tough to kill. Distraction is once again the key to your opening up the gunner’s flanks for return fire. Just don’t let any of the regular enemies flank your squad while they attempt to take out the turret, and remember that more enemies will jump on to unload after you take out the first gunner.

// Phases 21–30

Infiltration

Another group of enemies has taken up residence near the server area HQ, so once again, a stealthy approach is warranted. From the helipad HQ, head directly into the office and grab cover outside of the server room. Wait for the patrolling guard to turn around and begin walking away. Stealth kill him, then look right toward another guard standing near a desk. Hop the low wall of the server room, take out the guard, and then hug that right wall while moving toward the rear of the office.

A shotgunner patrols the perimeter of the server cluster, so let him continue his route walking toward a pair of guards talking to each other. A LMG-wielding guard standing by himself and looking away from the other guards should be taken down next. With him out of the way, move back through the server room quickly to avoid the gaze of the two talking guards, then grab cover and wait for the shotgunner’s route to take him back around near your position. Let him pass, then eliminate him from behind before setting up a final sync-shot of the two talking guards with the help of a squadmate to clear the area of all remaining hostiles.

Note

Noteworthy Waves

Wave 25—A concerted effort to overwhelm the team combines LMG-sporting enemies firing at long range to force suppression while shotgunners rush toward the HQ. It’s not just a clever tactic, it’s a deadly one; a single shotgun blast at close range is enough to down any Ghost, so assign roles to your squad, letting one or two squadmates concentrate on taking out the LMGs as quickly as possible while the others repel the shotgunners before they can slip into the HQ.

Wave 30—Though there are plenty of familiar threats this wave (including a pesky turret that’s quickly remanned when the previous operator is gunned down), the real problem just happens to be a helicopter that buzzes the office. The helicopter only has two areas where it can fire from: the back of the office and the large spread of windows facing out toward the roof. When it does start spraying bullets, the suppression effect can be devastating, so quickly call down a Missile or Airstrike to remove the threat before it ends up chewing through your whole squad.

// Phases 31–40

Infiltration

Resist the temptation to attack the HQ the same way you did previously. Although there are only six hostiles to deal with, their patrol routes and placement have changed, necessitating a new strategy. Head through the office, back toward the staircase where you first entered the map, then hang a right and grab cover near the windows by the entrance to the rooftops. Let a patrolling rifleman slip by. Once he passes, take him out quietly and move to the nearby air conditioning unit to wait for another patrol.

Two guards crisscross the helipad, so wait for the far guard to approach from the side of the AC unit facing the office. As soon as he draws near enough to perform a stealth kill, pop out of cover and hammer the melee button to take him down before he can raise the alarm. Venture out across the helipad to take out the other patrolling guard, being sure to avoid the pair that are talking somewhat nearby. Leave those two for now, and move back toward the office, grabbing cover by another AC unit until a patrolling guard turns to walk back toward where your squad first spawned in this wave. Take him out quietly, then set up a sync-shot on the last two guards to clean up.

Note

Noteworthy Waves

Wave 34—That dangerous combination of LMGs suppressing while scads of shotgunners swarm in is back, and this time, the HQ is much larger, with no real choke points to funnel enemies into. Just as before, designate a couple of your squad members for LMG duty, taking them out before their attacks can cause the screen to shake so violently that the other squad members can’t take out the shotgunners. Avoid trying to take cover in the center of the HQ unless it’s an emergency, as the small crates offer little in the way of protection.

Wave 35—The disruptive power of LMG troopers will play an even bigger role in the next wave, when their screen-shaking might makes counter-sniping at hostile snipers and RPG troopers on the far-off buildings a huge hassle. Stick to cover to block the incoming shots from afar and deal with the LMGs first. If no one in your squad has picked up a sniper or assault rifle with a serious scope, now would be a good time to do so. Keep it handy; those snipers will be sticking around for a few more rounds.

Wave 39—With dozens of enemies to take down this wave, it probably comes as bad news that they’re going to be rushing in as fast as possible. A combination of shielded enemies and shotgunners can make things difficult unless your squad concentrates on taking out encroaching shotgunners first while waiting to deal with the shielded enemies until they’re closer. Save grenades until there’s fewer than ten enemies remaining; there are far more shielded foes than ever before.

Wave 40—There’s no sugarcoating it. This wave is extremely difficult. All of the screen-rattling suppression of an attack helicopter mixes with a rooftop turret, and the pair are overwhelming even before you factor in the fact that there are plenty of LMG troopers around. Staying out of range of the turret is a good way to keep it from messing things up, so stick to the helipad as much as possible and let enemies come to you. Snipers on the rooftop will be hard to hit when the helicopter is unloading, so keep moving while in cover to avoid their shots. If things get hectic, use a Invisibility Wave Streak to run for far cover, taking out any LMGs along the way. The sooner the helicopter can be taken out with a lucky Airstrike or a guided Missile, the better.

// Phases 41–50

Infiltration

Once again, Bodark squads take over for the final set of waves, adding their Optical Camo to the mix and making targets harder to see at a distance. Thankfully, their numbers during the infiltration round aren’t huge; just a half dozen stand between your squad and a clear HQ. Start by slipping into the office through the entrance ahead, keeping some distance from the server area, as two guards now patrol there. Quickly sneak up behind the Bodark trooper and take him out silently, then grab cover along a low wall on the side of the server area.

Wait for the Bodark rifleman to pass, then jump over the cover and perform a stealth kill on him. Wait near that server for the second rifleman to loop around the far server, then quickly sneak up behind him and eliminate the threat. Quickly continue down the path he was traveling and grab cover along the inside of the low cover along the far wall. Wait for an uncloaked rifleman to move to another computer with his back turned to you. Once he’s taken out, move toward the back of the office, keeping an eye out for a cloaked Bodark LMG in the corner near the back skylight. That will need to be dispatched before you move on toward a final RPG trooper.

Grab cover behind the magazine rack, then slip out and take cover behind one of the columns leading outside. Swap to the second column and wait for the RPG hostile’s head to turn back toward the front of the office, then sneak up and purge the area of the last threat.

Note

Noteworthy Waves

Wave 42—It should become immediately obvious how much more highly trained the Bodark squad is. Instead of relying on sheer numbers, the cloaked hostiles use coordinated attacks, rallying shielded units, lobbing smoke, Flashbangs, and Incendiary Grenades from the windows facing the rooftop, and regularly pushing in from both sides of the server room. Stick to cover at all times, keeping an eye out for the telltale change from blue to orange that signals a hostile has slipped into the server area.

Wave 47—Although an RPG trooper shows up in Wave 45, these units become a serious problem in this wave, particularly because they’re paired with numerous shields and even a few LMGs that spray suppressing fire from either end of the office. Stick to targeting the RPGs as quickly as possible; their splash damage can be extremely dangerous and overpower light cover with ease. Let the shielded enemies come to you, and try to flank the LMGs while they’re concentrating on your squadmates.

Wave 50—The previous waves have been difficult, sure, but they were nothing compared to the combined onslaught that is Wave 50. Forty-nine enemies turn the office into a hail of gunfire from nearly all directions, most notably heavy spray from no less than three different turrets. The turrets’ suppression effect should be dealt with as quickly as possible (a sniper rifle can help by firing through cover if an extreme side angle is too risky. Take out a single turret’s gunner (and any replacements that are sure to appear) before moving on to the next. Just when things start to seem a little more calm, a helicopter will drop in, spraying yet more suppression. By now, you should know how effective a Missile Wave Perk is at dealing with airborne threats, but any and all Airstrikes you and your squad have are great for thinning out troop numbers.