This guide will show you how to earn an S Rank for the Pitch Dark mission in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. We have also listed all of the objectives for this mission, but keep in mind that it is not necessary to complete all of the missions to get an S Rank. Scoring at least 130,000 points or more will grant you an S Rank, and earning the time bonus greatly increases your score. Thus, we aim to help you complete this mission as quickly as possible.
Objectives
- Shut down the oil transfer pump (Mandatory).
- Destroy the oil water separator tank (Mandatory).
- Extract four child soldiers being trained at Masa Village (Optional).
- Escape the hot zone before Mfinda Oilfield is sealed off (Optional).
- Extract the vulture that wandered into the burned village (Optional).
- Extract four Walker Gears sealing off Mfinda Oilfield (Optional).
Walkthrough
For this guide, we will be skipping some steps in order to help you complete this mission quickly and efficiently. You can choose to do the optional objectives if you want some additional points, but these take more time, and ultimately don’t offer a substantial amount of points in the end. Your best bet is to try and earn the time bonus if you wish to achieve the S Rank for this mission. We will be going against the grain of what the game instructs you to do. If you aren’t looking to achieve an S Rank, then it may be best to follow what the game says so you can experience the story. However, if you are looking to earn the S Rank, then follow along with our instructions.
Start by traveling north to the Mfinda Oilfield, avoiding the main path if possible. When you get to the cliffside near the Oilfield, take a moment to look over the complex and get an idea of the layout. Notice two objectives on your screen. Ignore the one on the left for now, and carefully head toward the one on the right. Keep your tranquilizer gun ready, and use it to take down any enemies you may encounter on the way. You may want to use the Fulton Recovery Device to extract a few enemies back to Mother Base if you are in need of extra employees. Also keep in mind that you can mark your enemies to maintain sight on their locations, and D-Dog can also be used to mark targets you can’t see.
Once you arrive at the objective, shut off the oil transfer pump, and exfiltrate from the area. Make your way back to the cliff you came from earlier, and equip your rocket launcher. You can call for one to be delivered to your location if you don’t have one with you. From the cliff, aim and fire the rocket launcher at the oil water separator tank to destroy it.
Now you can use your D-Horse to ride out of the area, clearing the hot zone and completing the mission. Following our guide and keeping a quick pace throughout should earn you enough points for the S Rank from just the time bonus alone.
Continue to Mission 14: Lingua Franca, or to the Metal Gear Solid Walkthrough and Guide.
