This guide will help you earn an S Rank score in the Skull Face story mission in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, and includes a list of the mandatory and optional objectives available for this mission. Note that it is not necessary to complete all the objectives to earn an S Rank. You just need to accumulate a score of 130,000 or more, and earning the time bonus as well as some score multipliers will greatly increase your chances of getting an S Rank. For this mission, we chose to go for a stealthy approach, as this can result in higher score bonuses needed for an S Rank rating.
Objectives
- Make contact with Skull Face (Mandatory).
- Acquire information from Skull Face (Mandatory).
- Extract four Walker Gears (Optional).
- Obtain the cassette tape at OKB Zero (Optional).
- Extract seven red containers from OKB Zero (Optional).
- Extract three tanks from OKB Zero (Optional).
Walkthrough
Begin by choosing a drop time of 18:00 hours if you wish to have the cover of darkness for this mission. After the helicopter drops you at the landing zone, begin by running toward the vehicle you selected before starting the mission. It is parked on a road leading out from a nearby outpost, not far from where you landed.
Hop in the truck and drive through the outpost, and approach a large tunnel in the rock wall ahead. Pass through the tunnel, and continue to follow the road until you reach OKB Zero.
Hop out of your vehicle and carefully approach the outpost area by keeping to the right side. Be careful not to step on the claymores that are planted throughout the area. Continue sneaking along the right as you make your way around the back of the enemies, toward a large metal doorway at the top of the road.
Pass through the metal doorway, and immediately turn to the right to trek up a short path toward a broken wall that you can use for cover. Continue to follow along the perimeter of this section, keeping to the far right.
As you approach the archway leading to the next section, you may need to stay prone in order to crawl past the guards stationed in front of the archway. Be particularly aware of a soldier that wanders up the road toward the archway, as he can come very close to your location.
Sneak through the archway, and immediately hop up a short wall to your right. If you spot an enemy chopper overhead, make sure to get prone and stay in cover behind nearby objects until it passes. Follow along the wall to the right, and take cover behind some containers so that the soldier ahead does not spot you. Wait until the soldier moves away from the wall, and then continue to crawl forward, keeping along the right side.
As you follow along the wall, you will reach an alleyway leading off to the right. Head down the alley, and prepare to tranquilize a soldier standing around the corner to the left. You should be able to take him down and use your Fulton Recovery Device to extract him without being noticed.
Continue through another alley way that brings you behind another enemy soldier. Carefully crawl past the soldier, and climb up some crates that are against the wall ahead. Hop over the wall and pass through the archway leading to the last section of this area.
Stay prone and continue to make your way along the right side, avoiding the center area where you can get spotted. Be careful not to alert the guard stationed at the top of the guardpost, as he will descend the stairs and begin to investigate the tank area if he gets suspicious.
This is where things can get a bit tricky. You must make your way past a Walker Gear that is patrolling in front of the entryway. Wait until the Walker Gear turns away from your direction, and quickly try to crawl past him through the entryway.
Once you are through the last gate, head to the right and descend the staircase until you reach the top level. Follow along the metal walkway ahead of you that curves to the left, and proceed up the stairs leading to the helicopter landing area, triggering a cutscene. Actually, there will be a series of three cutscenes, and you should skip all of them to save time. If you were able to pull of this mission in seven minutes or less with the Perfect Stealth, No Kills bonus, then you should have earned enough points for an S Rank rating.
Continue with Mission 31: Sahelanthropus, or return to the Metal Gear Solid 5: Walkthrough and Guide.
