Another Flood onslaught challenge, this time on Normal but using only an AR and no grenades, making things hellishly difficult…

(3:05) Level 9 ('Keyes') on Normal. This shows a play of the Flood onslaught challenge using only an assault rifle (no grenades - which makes all the difference). As mentioned in my article where I refer to it as the 'AR challenge', this is actually harder than surviving on Legendary with no weapon restrictions. In this play I manage to survive with perfect health.

Released October 28th 2009, gameplay recorded October 23rd 2009.

00:02 I immediately head up to the front of the recess to start my defence closer to the enemy. On Normal the enemy fire isn't anywhere near as severe as on Legendary, so taking the fight to the enemy is quite a viable tactic. Spores start dropping out of the ceiling. Chain reaction popping is far more pronounced than on Legendary, so it's going to be a lot easier to keep them thinned out. Larger enemies appear and I start up with my staccato firing - the most efficient technique. A carrier goes pop, sending his buddy flying to the back, which in turn goes off and sends an AR flying my way, topping up my ammo very nicely! Couldn't have asked for better. Now I've got more ammo I'll feel more free to use bursts of fire when needed for putting down Flood faster.

00:23 More Flood emerge. I dodge a few needles as I fire but I'm gradually forced to back off to keep clear of any lashing. As I try to hit a carrier, a couple of weaponless Flood make big leaps down the corridor and suddenly they're rather too close for comfort. I quickly jump over them to get some distance - reloading as I go - and manage to bring them down with a few bursts before they have time to give me a slapping. Meanwhile the carrier decides to hunker down and go pop - they often do that near the corner - and it sets off a plasma on the ground. As I come back around the corner, a second carrier has come up fast and I see him getting ready to pop. This is no time for indecision and I elect to go straight past; I've got time to get clear of the blast, though I have to turn back to pop the spores afterwards.

00:44 The next wave of Flood comes into view but I decimate it nicely with a carrier explosion. More Flood come forth and I try to hold the corridor for a while, but again I'm forced back. This time things get more hectic near the door but I surprise myself by getting though it without a slapping - I take down the last guy just in time. A carrier comes waddling around the corner and it's time to move, else I could get caught in a chain reaction, something you really need to watch out for. Amusingly, the bang sends the rearmost carrier flying back up the corridor. He pops at the back and sets off a dropped plasma which takes out the front of the next wave and tops me up with ammo. Much obliged, fatty!

01:19 So here I am defending from an advanced position again, with the usual dodging around and firing. Again I'm forced back though, and as I cross a Flood to head for the door to get some distance from the advancing mob, I get my first slap. Ouch! There's not too much pressure though, and I mow down my attackers. I actually did pretty well lasting this long without a slap. Try it yourself and you'll see!

01:39 Emerging from cover I head up the corridor once more. With two carriers coming my way, I simply go up to the first to induce a pop. That takes out a load of spores which collected in the recess during the last attack, and it also sends the other carrier back where it came from, ha ha. But meanwhile three of my recent attackers have reanimated and need putting down again. I finish two of them just as a new guy comes flying in. He doesn't last long under my raking AR fire, but more arrive and I end up getting a bit hemmed in near the door. Again I manage to keep from getting smacked however, so that's good.

02:01 Unfortunately there are yet more Flood crowding down my way, and I take a slap as I move for the opposite corner. I'm heading there because there are a lot of bodies near the door now, which could mean loose grenades. I don't want to get caught in a chain reaction if a carrier pops. It turns out to be a timely decision because a carrier does pop, and it sets off a chain reaction which probably would've blown me out the door! With the area cleared I head up the corridor and take the opportunity to make another carrier pop, which takes out two of the attacking combat Flood. The third one I take down myself, then pop a few spores and back off to cover to reload.

02:15 Another nasty wave starts crowding me and I take three more slaps as I move around trying to keep some distance from the attackers, working on them with the AR. I spot the carrier approaching and make it pop, which takes out a few Flood including one that was getting back up. More dodging about - I'm getting worried for my health here - but then another carrier goes bang and it sets off an almighty chain reaction that clears things up nicely. There's just one guy left in this wave and I take him down with a vicious burst before he can slap me. My shield stops bleeping and recharges - ah, that's better.

02:39 I move out to get an angle on the spores, but switch back to that last attacker when I see him getting up. These damn things just don't know when to stay down! I take care of him but then hear more gurgling up the corridor, so I charge up there to take care of things with extreme prejudice. It's really just mopping up now, and it's soon over. With nothing moving I go up the corridor and fire a shot just to check for stragglers around the corner - you sometimes get 'em - but nothing's coming. I've made it through with perfect health - woo-hoo! Time for a sandwich I reckon. Keyes will just have to wait.

Closing remarks I must have done a good few hours of battling to get you these three minutes of action, so I hope you're happy! This wasn't the only play in which I managed to get through with full health, but it was my neatest and my shield didn't do much bleeping, which is some measure of how much control I was able to maintain. With some good movement I managed to avoid getting slapped until almost halfway through, and I only got five slaps in all, which was better than my other successful plays. You do need to be alert to Flood taking a swipe and I felt myself getting better at avoiding it the more I played. This play also showed some good exploitation of carriers, though I'd say that's one of the easier things to manage. I was pleased with my needle dodging too. Not that needles do a lot of damage the way they're fired here, but on principle it's good to avoid whatever damage you can as it can all build up to a bleeping shield. I also thought the start was amusing, the way I got topped up with ammo. Notice how I grabbed that ammo in mid-air, faster than the eye could see? Special cyborg training!

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