Half-Life Fall of Earth

Half-Life Fall of Earth is an upcoming First Person Action-Shooter for the PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. It is the sixth main entry in the Half-Life series and like its predecessor, Half-Life Alyx it is a prequel, this time set during and immediately following the eponymous Seven Hour War which much of the events of Half-Life 2, its episodes and Half-Life Alyx play out as a result of. The game stars an unnamed militia in the unnamed City which would become known as City 17, the game displays the downfall of humanity during the Seven Hour War and the ensuing devastation that would ensnare much of humanity in the coming years. The game's more fearful and panicked tone was chosen to contrast with the previous games in the series which often focused on triumph in the face of adversity.
==Plot==
Chapter 1 - Cause & Effect
The game opens during the Seven Hour War, although the player and many of the militia of the unnamed city are unaware that the Combine Forces have already arrived, believing that the ongoing conflict with the Xen Creatures is still the main concern. In the shattered city complex, the now run-down buildings as a result of street-level conflicts between Human and Xen have lead to a great strain on humanity as the united forces of the world have had to forcefully band together to combat the larger Xen presences leaving many cities and smaller nations to fend for themselves against more localized Xen invasions. Militias quickly formed within days and the player character is merely an unnamed grunt amongst the militia of the unnamed City.
Within the city's residential high-rises, stretching out far into the distance they hear a report from their superior, Captain Poporov who informs the player's particular band of the militia of a Xen infestation in the neighbouring residential district and orders them to go clear out the area, warning them that they'd detected presence of Headcrabs. The player quickly is given their weapons, a heavily worn Police Baton, slightly dented as a result of frequent use and a pistol by the group's leader Valman. As they head out to investigate Valman comments on how vicious the attacks have gotten lately and wonders why the Xen creatures keep coming to Earth when they just end up getting into fights with Humans. As the group make it to street level they're soon confronted with the carnage that had unfolded, the streets, ablaze from wrecked vehicles with headcrabs and zombies wandering about in search of new targets.
As the group push through the horde, they funnel through a series of houses along the way, finding survivors within and helping them escape with the group splitting into smaller units with the player, Valman and two other soldiers heading into a house with a distinctive hole in its roof and smoke billowing out. As the group press upwards they find the house to be completely overrun and find atop a strange pod-like device, with a dead Headcrab having partially climbed out of it. Valman, surprised by this radios into Cpt. Poporov their finding and Poporov notes that he's never heard of such a thing but thanks Valman for the information, passing the information on to the other groups as he orders the group to continue their clean-up reminding them that they shouldn't hesitate when it comes to killing the Headcrab Zombies, as the person is just barely kept alive and tortured by the parasite.
As the group press onward, a massive explosion rocks the street as they head out, a gas canister in the neighbouring city block had gone off and a number of charred bodies are found along with burning zombies and headcrabs as the group approach. Immediately noticing the militia uniforms, Valman curses the Xen creatures under his breath before quickly regaining his composure and pressing the group to move on, noting that they'll more than likely find more headcrabs on ahead. Covering more ground, the group come across a massive pile-up of vehicles blocking the road, with a large horde of zombies roaming the streets. Valman opts for the group to cut through the nearby parklands and as they do so, suddenly hear a whistling sound as another of the pods crashes down in the middle of the park with more headcrabs pouring out. Taken off-guard by its sudden appearance, Valman and the group quickly open fire, clearing out the Headcrabs. Suddenly however more headcrab shells begin raining down, bombarding the land creating large dents and upturning the surrounding fences and alike.
Noticing the small shopping strict ahead, Valman gestures for the group to move towards their, busting a lock on a chain-link fence and ordering the group to move onwards. As the player and the rest of the group head into the back alley, Valman pushes a dumpster in front of the fence preventing the Headcrabs from following them. Relieved, Valman and the others take a short breather, ordering the player to scout on ahead. As the player does so they hear strange noises through the alleyways, catching a glimpse of a small, yet fast creature roaming through the alleys. Creeping around the corners, and hearing various trash and furniture being knocked about, the player manages to get to higher ground through a series of ladders and navigate across a series of the high-rises through a number of boards and short jumps.
Eventually reaching a small courtyard, the player runs into the creature that had been tailing them, clearly robotic in nature, the small tripoded creature, no larger than a dog attempts to charge at the player however the player manages to shoot at them, damaging them enough to collapse. As the player goes to inspect the creature they overhear Valman's voice calling out to them. Catching up the player from a vantage point above, Valman notices the creature and commends the player on taking it out, noting how strange it looks even going so far as to question whether it's another Xen creature or something else entirely. Valman informs the player that their orders are to meet up on the main street ahead where the larger force of militia are gathering.
The player continues through the shopping district's lower levels, travelling through a number of shops and having to deal with headcrabs, zombies and more of the strange creatures which seem to be patrolling the area. Along the way the player comes across a strange door, clearly not part of the normal architecture, the cold, blue-ish metal having a soft hum to it. With no way to get through the door, the player searches for an alternate route and finds a path through an underground passage where a series of small shops line the path forwards, weaving through the shops, the player manages to find a key to unlock the gate at the other end of the passage and continue back up to the surface, finding themselves on one of the streets of the city.
As they press onwards, the player finds that a flipped over tanker truck has blocked the street ahead and the player is forced to navigate back into a shopping mall, after putting out a fire with a Fire Grenade, which Valman helps point out to the player from the rooftops in case the player is having trouble. As the player progresses through the shopping mall, they find that the main exit is blocked off with rubble from a collapsed section of the upper floor. Navigating the multiple floors, the player finds more fire grenades throughout the shopping mall and uses them to take out more of the fires opening up new paths through the shopping mall but also allowing the Headcrabs to gradually seep in. Eventually reaching the main security room of the Shopping Mall, the player finds a switch to open the roof access panel as well as one to activate the mall's fire emergency system, activating the latter while opening up any remaining paths also alerts the headcrabs, zombies and a number of the strange creatures to the mall causing them to pool in.
The player manages to make their escape however, reaching the roof where they find Valman and the other militia heading down to the main street, the player sees a flare shot up ahead and heads towards it, navigating their way down the scaffolding in front of the mall as well as rewiring a few circuits to re-activate a maintenance elevator to get down. As the player makes it to the main street however, they come to see a rather gruesome site, whatever had been shelling the areas prior, had heavily shelled the meeting location for the militia. Headcrab Zombies of the former militia surround the area and the player has to carefully navigate around, having to contend with their former allies, now zombified and still clinging to their weapons and explosives rather dangerously. Eventually the player makes it into the nearby street shops including a supermarket where within the player finds a number of Vortigaunts hiding out, although initially attacking, once the player begins to show an upper-hand against them the Vortigaunts flee, retreating quickly.
Chapter 2 - Pincer Attack
As the player presses further onwards they soon encounter strange robotic enemies alongside the dog-like creatures from earlier, these flying robots which a resistance member who the player finds hiding out in the supermarket refers to as Manhacks are noted as having come with the shelling and are tearing up the infrastructure of the buildings. Alongside them, larger, tear-drop shaped robots with mounted guns attack the player, with the resistance member hiding away in a back room. The player, contending with the Manhacks and Aerial Sentries manages to make their way through the supermarket, using the broken refrigeration system to freeze the robotic enemies causing them to crash and explode.
As the player makes it out onto the street again after passing through some more back alleys they find a rather strange looking sight, a body pressed up against the movie theater, clad in an unrecognizable armour, a strange gas mask covers the face and the armour despite appearing quite durable appears to have been pierced by some sort of creature, leaving behind burn marks as well as pierces through the armour. As the player heads into the Movie theater properly they hear the distinct cries for help from Headcrab Zombies, and exploring through the network of small interconnected rooms comes across a large room with several headcrab zombies, after dispatching the zombies, another breaks through the projector room, and dispatching this one the player enters into the projector room themselves.
As the player continues they begin to hear a crackling sound, the lights flicker as the player progresses and blue streaks of lightning shoot out from the lights of the surrounding rooms. As the player explores the neighbouring projector room and viewing room, they see a strange Xen creature with a pale body sprinting around, remarkably quickly spitting out an electrified acid to avoid the player. Though the player manages to shoot it repeatedly, it manages to flee. As the player explores further they come across a nearly dead militia holding a strange looking makeshift weapon, the militiaman explains that the weapon can short circuit the creature leaving it highly vulnerable, referring to the creature as a Lightning Dog. As the militiaman goes unconscious from his injuries, the player heads back into the original viewing room where the Lightning Dog is found, reanimating the corpses of the Headcrab Zombies the player had killed. Managing to drive the creature out, the player fires the bolts the gun carries at the Lightning Dog, when struck the creature seems to become immobilized allowing the player to shoot at it, quickly taking it out.
With the new weapon in hand, the player manages to complete a circuit opening a security door in the movie theater's main area leading to the back exit to the building and back onto the streets. As the player presses on through the streets they overhear Cpt. Poporov through loud-speakers at a small militia fort in the area, where he informs the player along with the rest of the militia that they'd identified a second, separate attack on humanity from a group that they've dubbed, the Combine, explaining that they pose a much greater threat than the Xen Creatures they've run into up to this point and advise extreme caution if they're encountered.
As the militia head forwards, they're onset by Manhacks and Aerial Sentries although manage to fight most of them off, pressing forwards into a storage building where various artifacts and rather illustrious looking furniture is being stored. The player is forced on a separate path from the rest of the militia however after the floor gives way and the player is onset by Headcrabs. Managing to navigate around however, the player finds a rather dire sight as the Militia are shelled within the building with not only Headcrabs but also another Lightning Dog in the midst, making the most of the fresh bodies rendered to it. The player manages to work their way through the lower levels of the storage building, using the small cranes to lift and move crates around to create a path forwards.
Eventually, the player finds their way back to where they'd witnessed the attack on the militia and find many reanimated by the Headcrabs. Managing to fend them and the Lightning Dog off, the player sees the Lightning Dog make an escape before they can kill it. Chasing the creature as it causes the entire building to go into a blackout, the player manages to block off the Lightning Dog's escape, trapping it in an elevator shaft and managing to drop an elevator on the creature finishing it off if they so choose. With the creature no longer disrupting the electrical circuits, the shutter doors to the other side of the building open, allowing the player to head out, finding Manhacks and Aerial Sentries patrolling the streets ahead, the player hears the voice of some militia on the other side who gesture to the player to follow them. As the player does so they head into a large train depot with several old trains stationed. Cpt. Poporov is finally seen in person and explains that the Militia will be remaining in the city to try to protect and help the remaining people against the Combine presence. He notes that the Combine are organized and much more dangerous than the Xen Creatures they'd been dealing with up to that point and once again reminds the Militia to keep their wits about them. As Poporov's speech concludes, a train carrying numerous civilians is sent off with the Militia dispersing to go search for more people to help.
The player heads over to Cpt. Poporov who notices the player and welcomes them to their new base of operations, apologizing and consoling the player on the fate of Valman and the other militia in the player's group, assuring them that they're not going to give up this fight against their new foe that easily and requests that given the player's success so far that they rendezvous with a militia group closer to the city center where they're planning to make use of heavier weapons against these Combine forces. As the player heads out, Cpt. Poporov notes that although he can't be sure they'll see each other again he wishes the player luck on their mission before the player heads off.
Cahpter 3 - Bound in Chains
Making their way back onto the streets, the player finds the streets have been heavily shelled with damage throughout and even dead Vortigaunts and Humans littering the street with more signs of the Combine forces with more of the strange bodies seen throughout. After initially being attacked by more Aerial Sentries, the player is set upon by the Combine Scout as the militia begins to call them, the strange tripod creatures the player had run into earlier. As the player presses forwards they eventually reach a hospital, showing signs of it being overtaken by the combine with the presence of the strange metallic doors blocking access and walls replacing the blown out exterior of the building. Within the player finds locks on many of the doors, completely foreign to anything they'd seen before. Eventually the player comes face to face with the Combine themselves, human-like in appearance and using a communication similar to radio chatter but in a completely unknown language. The Combine attack in small groups and appear to be trying to establish a base in the hospital. However as the player moves through the hospital they come across Headcrabs and Headcrab Zombies, which are sent out to deal with the player by the Combine troops.
Despite the Combine's resistance the player manages to continue applying pressure and moving forward, using the Copper Bolts to electrocute and pin the Combine forces and even picking up Frag Grenades to use against them. As the player delves deeper into the Hospital however they find strange, alien growths having begun to form on the walls, as though the Combine are terraforming the building into a habitable environment. Many more Headcrabs begun to be seen around this point and towards the end of the Hospital the player runs into a rather ferocious beast, a Gomalite, an older are self-sufficient Headcrab with a thick carapace protecting it. The player has to carefully weave around the creature through the multi-leveled arena while shooting at its unprotected underbelly and hurling grenades to disorientate and flip the creature over while avoiding its powerful maw. After managing to fell the creature the player finally escapes from the Hospital, continuing towards the city center, as large ships are seen overhead, seemingly originating from these Combine adversaries.
Along the streets, the player encounters more of the Combine troops, the weaker Guards and the more powerful Soldiers creating makeshift outposts with walls of the strange metal and translucent glass-like barriers. Managing to break through these barricades, the player finds one feeding off the power from the neighbouring building. The player heads into the building and comes across a rather disturbing Combine enemy, a Cremator, their tall, slender frame rather offset by the large flamethrowers they carry as they burn the unfortunate victims of the Combine's wrath to a crisp. As the player ascends to the upper floors of the building where the machine powering the Combine blockade is located they come across a Cremator protecting it, forcing to go toe-to-toe with the fearsome Combine entity as it burns up the very walls, furniture and floors that make up the upper floors. The player manages to take it out however and using nearby grenades destroys the generator, breaking the blockade and allowing the player to press onwards.
As the player makes their way down the street they come across more Combine resistance as well as more Lightning Dogs which use the Combine corpses to fight on their behalf, firing wildly causing chaos for both the player and the Combine alike. The Combine also begin deploying strange oversized mines with three large claws which dig themselves into the ground, the player has to carefully navigate around these mines, either hurling stuff at them to set them off or sprinting past them to avoid getting caught in their explosions as is demonstrated by a rather unfortunate militia who gets caught in the first one's blast. The player eventually makes it to the main street again, however just as they're looking around for a way forward a massive, three-legged behemoth begins marching its way down the street, militia from a nearby building call out to the player to quickly hide, referring to the massive entity as a Strider. The player quickly ducks into the building, however as they enter they hear strange noises, alien in nature but quite unlike the sounds of the Combine's chatter.
Suddenly screams and cries are heard from the Militia above as something shakes the building. The player heads up to investigate and is confronted with a rather unusual looking creature, appearing like a large louse with eight long, spear-like legs and two pincers with jaw-like claws on the end of each, the creature's hard shell splits into segments revealing tentacles which hurl darts at the player to attack them. A militia struck by one of these darts warns the player to run referring to the creature as a Harvester. The player manages to evade the creature, weaving through the small apartment rooms and blown out walls attacking the creature while it's off-guard and escaping away before can strike with its darts. The player eventually manages to fell the creature and as it collapses its large body causes the floor to collapse, dragging the player down to the lower floor. The player navigates through the rest of the building, running into more Headcrabs, Headrcrab Zombies and even another Gomalite as well as a second Harvester later on, who, after the player defeats, charges into a wall revealing an exit for the player, however leads immediately into a Combine onslaught who finish the creature off.
Though the player manages to be more tactical and use the surrounding building's architecture to navigate past the Combine taking them out from more advantageous vantage points, the player soon finds that the road ahead is heavily damaged with open drainage pipes causing sewer water to fill up the crevices creating pools where Headcrab Zombies and a Lightning Dog conceal themselves. The player must move carefully as the Lightning Dog hides in the water, electrifying it. Although the player manages to overwhelm the creature and press onwards they soon reach a large court area where an old statue once stood, now broken and replaced with some sort of Combine relay device. The player pushes their way forward, having to contend with a Combine Mounted Gun, who's high fire rate forces the player to weave around them and attack by flanking. After taking control of the area the player finds however that they're now surrounded as Combine barricades begin to open from the other two entrances into the court area and the player is forced to use the mounted guns against the Combine, mowing them down in a hail of gunfire whilst ducking for cover and lobbing their grenades back at them when threatened.
Eventually the player manages to stave off the Combine attack and continue down one of the streets, however finds the main street had been blown out with a massive crater with numerous Headcrab shells stuck into the side of the crater. The player makes their way into the neighbouring residential high-rise where they come across a tougher looking Headcrab, clad in armour the Headcrab is impervious to direct attacks and instead the player has to bait it to attack before striking at its unprotected underbelly. As the player progresses forwards, they come across a militia-made bridge that allows them to cross the blown-out street below and into the industrial zone beyond.
Chapter 4 - Guerrilla Tactics
As the player makes their way into the industrial complex, they first come into a large factory with various mining equipment stored throughout, after further encounters with Combine soldiers, the player comes across a Combine outpost, rather makeshift in appearance, a strange computer monitor adorns the centre of the room where the Combine are listening in on various earth calls. With the room otherwise blocking the player from progressing the player looks around and finds a power cord which when they re-attach causes the computer to overload and explode, grabbing the attention of the nearby Combine who use explosive to blast through the protective shielding and attack the player, the player manages to fend them off including a number of Combine Scouts who attempt to flank the player by bombing another entrance.
Managing to escape through the second exit, the player finds themselves on the streets of the city, and quickly onset by more Combine as well as a new enemy, a Proto-Strider, not quite as large as the one the player had encountered earlier although a devastating foe to deal with, using its miniaturized Warp Cannon to heavily damage the surrounding area. Although the player manages to take it down, their path forward is blocked by the destructive might of the Combine Synth and the player is forced into a neighbouring building to weave back onto the main road. Within the building the player comes across a weapons arsenal with Sub-Machine Guns kept in various crates, the player picking one up finding it to be much more effective than their previous weapons at taking out the Combine due to its high fire rate.
As the player makes it back onto the main street, they suddenly hear a voice call out to them, looking up they see Poporov watching over them. The Captain warns the player of dangers ahead and informs the player that this Combine threat appears to be mounting heavier units, however before Poporov can continue their conversation is cut-off by the appearance of a Strider, charging down the main street. Poporov quickly runs for cover and yells to the player to do the same. The player quickly makes their way into the next building across the road and just as the player ducks into the building, the Strider's Warp Cannon causes the entrance to collapse behind them. In the dark in the humid and steamy building the player finds that the large factory is in fact a Forge.
Navigating around in the dark, the player finds a number of Xen Creatures hiding out in the building and although fearful of the Combine they still go on to attack the player, including a few Harvesters hiding within the discarded buckets for carrying the molten metal. As the player progresses further onwards they begin hearing strange voices attempting to call out to them, initially muffled and incoherent the voices begin to unify and refer to themselves as The Vortigaunts warning the player of the perils of the Combine and explain that they do not mean to fight, having only reacted defensively due to the hostilities of humans, admitting that their fellow Xen races are a bit more bestial in nature. The Vortigaunts attempt to garner the player's trust through the travel within the forge, using their power to open gates and warn the player of Xen Creatures lurking in the dark, even giving the player hints on how best to handle some of them in particular a Harvester hiding in one of the slag pits of the Forge.
Eventually the player makes it to the main power station and the Vortigaunts appear before the player from a separate chamber in the station, and explain that they can help by providing some power to help get the generator running. The player flips the switch and the Vortigaunts charge the generator re-activating it and kicking the Forge back into life. The Vortigaunts inform the player that there is a human who the Vortigaunts trust known as The Eli Vance and tell the player that they will meet this man in time, explaining that he is one of considerable knowledge. As the player backtracks through the re-awakened Forge, delving through its conveyer belts, fiery pits and molten hot machinery they manage to make it back out to the street-side where the Combine have swarmed the Forge due to its re-activation. The player manages to worm their way past some of the Combine but are eventually found out and forced to encounter another pair of Synths, a large lumbering tank-sized Crustacean known as a Landcrawler and a flying bee-like synth known as a Gun Carrier, the former striking with its powerful forelimbs and spewing an acidic material from its mouth while the latter's powerful Auto-Gun with considerable firepower.
The player finds that the powerful synths are extremely durable however fortunately for the player the Vortigaunts from earlier re-appear, using their electrical abilities to shock the synths, temporarily disabling them and leaving them open to the player's attacks. The player manages to take out the fearsome Synths as well as the Combine aiding them and presses through a bit of the street before the Strider from earlier re-appears, running down the street ahead of the player, the Vortigaunts call out to the player and point to a building down a side street to head into. The player does so, once more escaping the Strider's formidable onslaught of attacks.
Making it into the next building, the player finds it to be an old automotive production factory with now rusting and old vehicles dotting the area. However amongst the old vehicles, signs of the Combine within the building are also present, energy shields limiting the players paths forwards and the strange Combine locks keeping the player out of certain rooms. Fortunately however, the player navigates their way up, encountering the Combine that had set-up these barricades and dispatching them easily. Along the way the player even comes across a Combine Mounted Gun and some turrets, taking out the turrets, the player uses the Mounted Gun to take out numerous Combine and blast through a Combine energy shield by striking its power source. As the player makes their way further through the factory however they hear the cries of the Strider outside and are suddenly onset when the Strider appears through the windows of the building, firing its warp cannon and blasting a hole clean through the building behind the player. The player quickly rushes, hiding amongst the partially completed vehicles as they avoid the Strider's gunfire and press towards the other side of the building.
Getting further within, the player manages to evade the Strider's gaze, finding evidence of the Militia and Combine fighting one another in the area, eventually overhearing gunfire, the player finds a critically wounded, Captain Poporov who warns the player that the Combine have overrun the inner sections of the city and their push inwards was a failure. Poporov warns the player to get out of the city as it's forfeit to the overwhelming forces, handing the player a radio, the Captain explains that the man on the other end of the radio can help the player, calling in on the radio, Captain Poporov tells the man on the other end, referring to him as Eli that he's been too badly wounded to keep going and hands the radio off to the player telling Eli to help the player get out of the city.
Suddenly, the combine lock on one of the doors begins blinking and Poporov warns the player that more Combine are on their way, as the door busts open, Poporov uses his last strength to help the player take out the remaining Combine before passing on. With no other option, the player presses onwards, Eli apologizing for the suffering the militia has gone through to the player and explains that Poporov's Radio is of vital importance, informing the player that before they get out of the city, Eli needs the player to make one stop at the large Artillery Factory on the edge of the main city explaining that Poporov was planning to get information about the Combine by tapping into the Combine's network. As the player trudges on, Eli elaborates further on the radio, explaining that it's an experimental model that Poporov had been tinkering with and possesses rudimentary hacking abilities which although limited in function allows for a wide access with Poporov already having confirmed to Eli before its effectiveness against the Combine's network.
As the player makes their way through the rest of the Automotive Factory, they use the newly acquired tool to hack through weakened security locks and break through Combine energy fields as well as managing to optionally snag some data on the Combine from the various terminals. As the player makes it back out onto the main street, they find the Vortigaunts on the street level who great the player congratulating them on making it through the factory unscathed although lament the loss of Captain Poporov. The Strider that had been pursuing the player however suddenly re-appears, appearing a bit more worn and damaged, the Vortigaunts explain that they need to gain the high ground and point to a neighbouring building that had partially collapsed, indicating to the player that they need to make their way to the top. The player makes the quick ascent, dealing with the Combine Troops and Synths that appear to back-up the Strider as it rampages about. Eventually managing to reach the top of the building, the Vortigaunts focus their attack on the Strider, pinning its body and pulling it towards the building. The leader of the Vortigaunt pack call out to the player and tell them to use Poporov's tool against the Strider.
The player does so and manages to rewire the Strider, causing it to turncoat against its former Combine allies, as the Vortigaunts free it, the massive synth crushing the Combine forces and firing at the other Synths, before rampaging off. The Vortigaunts cheer in their success, noting that while the Combine won't have much trouble taking out a rogue Strider it will give them time. As the player and the Vortigaunts quickly vault down the other side of the building, the Vortigaunts thank the player for their help and state that they'll press on ahead and to meet up with Eli. As the Vortigaunts climb over the wreckage of vehicles North of the street, the player crosses into the next building, a small sub-station whose fenced off, forcing the player to make their way around, finding an entrance where the Combine had cut their way in. Making it into the building, the player finds a large number of Combine Troops in the main power station, with no other way forward, the player readies themselves for the Combine forces and charges in, managing to outgun the powerful forces, using the electrical circuits running through the building to provide cover by electrocuting some of them. After managing to wipe out the numerous Combine Troops and even a Gun Carrier that arrives in through the ceiling, the player escapes the building into the outer area of the city.
Looking back the player sees the damage dealt to the city by the Combine, large spires erupting from various buildings with flashing lights and Striders and other Synths roaming about the City streets. The player notices nearby a massive building with Eli chimes in on noting it to be the Artillery Factory and requests the player make their way inside to try and gather any information they can. As the player travels through the winding woodlands surrounding the area, they come across a number of Xen Creatures including another Gomalite and several Headcrabs, having teleported in from Xen along with some strange flora that had become fused with the native flora.
With the Xen creatures behind the player, they make their way into the building where they find indeed the building containing various components of massive artillery weapons that were once under construction. As the player presses deeper into the building, the structures begin to look less human and more of Combine architecture, eventually getting to a point where seemingly the entire building appears to be Combine in appearance. Navigating through the claustrophobic hallways and past energy barriers, the player comes to a room where the Combine have repurposed one of the Artillery Cannons for their own devices, employing strange automated electrical balls known as Rollermines as the ammunition, the player manages to break the tube that feeds the cannon its rollermines preventing it from firing however the player must now deal with the stray rollermines which attempt to attack the player on sight, fortunately for the player their Copper Bolts manage to disable the Rollermines allowing them to pass through safely.
Reaching the heart of the building, the player finds a large computer with multiple panels and and large wires connecting into it. Eli notes that this must be a sort of nexus for the Combine and recommends the player try to siphon as much data as they can from it. The player does so and unlocks the way forward, continuing through, dealing with more Combine forces attempting to impede their progress. The player soon comes across a strange room however. Numerous large coffin-like shells hanging from the walls with a strange looking surgical bed with a massive device with many arms looking over it. Eli a bit perplexed by the device, wonders what it could be. Should the player so choose, they can open one of the shells, revealing a strange humanoid entity within, completely blind and seemingly lacking in both hands and feet. Rather shocked by the creature, Eli wonders why the Combine would have such a disturbing looking entity before pausing and asking the player if it's possible they're human, however Eli dismisses the idea and suggest the player simply get out of the Artillery Factory.
As the player heads further onwards, Eli notes that based on old schematics he's found the factory should have an elevator leading to an old rail system that connects to a mine on the outskirts of the city where they used to mine the materials for the artillery shells. The player follows Eli's advice and looks around, soon finding, buried beneath numerous crates the elevator, rusted and worn. As the player takes it down, the cables begin to buckle however and the Elevator crashes at the bottom of the lift-shaft. With no way back up, the player presses onwards and hops into the small train located on the track, as the player rushes through the underground tunnel they find a number of forks in the path ahead, some leading to dead-ends while others lead forwards. Within the tunnels the player also comes across a number of Headcrabs, a few Lightning Dogs and several Harvesters who all attempt to attack the player although in several instances they're on the tracks and the player can simply run them over with the train.
Eventually after opening up an old door, whilst dealing with a swarm of Headcrabs the player makes it through to the other end of the tunnel, taking another elevator back-up they find themselves on the outskirts of the city now, looking back, the once towering city now seeming rather distant. Eli informs the player that if they're to meet up then the player should start heading North, explaining that they should try to avoid the major roads where possible as the Combine Forces are ever intensifying.
Chapter 5 - Precision Strike
As the player makes their way out of the old building they find themselves in an open mind with many paths weaving in and out of tunnels leading up to the crest of the pit. The player ducks through the tunnels, encountering patrolling Combine troops who appear to be searching for scattered forces, the dim night sky only begin illuminated by wandering flashlights of the hunting parties. As the player navigates through they begin to hear a strange sound and find themselves onset by a rather unique Combine unit, humanoid in appearance, their thin and small frames allow them to hide easily as they attack from the shadows and vantage points moving quickly and using long-range sniper rifles and rapid firing pistol-like weapons to attack the player. The player manages to shake-off the bothersome Combine Infiltrators after repeat encounters.
After managing to use some of the mining machinery to bore through blocked paths as well as the hacking radio to break through the blockades the Combine had set-up the player manages to reach the crest of the mine, fortunately just in time as the echoes of a Strider in the distance making its approach are heard and the player continues their retreat heading into the dense thicket of forest ahead. As night begins to properly loom over the player they head through the strip of forest, coming across more Combine hunting parties, attempting to use the Combine Scouts to flush out the player and other escapees. The player also runs into another new Combine force, the Elite Combine, dangerous and highly skilled they appear to lead the Combine forces in these searches and are identified by their almost luminous white armour and singular red-eye whose piercing gaze cuts through the tree-lines as the player passes by.
Soon however the player manages to make a break out of the first forest, finding an ongoing conflict that had drawn the attention of the Combine had erupted, numerous Xen Creatures including large humanoid Xen creatures which Eli warns the player as they approach. The mighty, Terranauts in their strange astronaut-like attire surprisingly give the Combine significant resistance, aided by other Xen Creatures, Eli notes that although they carry weapons, the Terranauts have a shoot first talk later mentality and compares them to a charging bull. As the player makes their way into the Xen infested reaches of the forest's deep they come across more Headcrabs, Harvesters and Lightning Hounds as well as the new Terranauts. Should the player be vigilant they can also find a few friendly Vortigaunts who offer to help the player, elaborating on the connection all Vortigaunts share. The Terranauts pose considerable resistance to the player however and eventually the player finds that the Xen have set-up a make-shift base, forcing the player through the underground tunnels in the area where the water from the city runs out into the forests, diverting a major river which once flowed through the city.
As the player traverses through the boggy water, they encounter strange Xen flora growing amongst the sewerage, these unusual fungi-like flora release a poisonous gas if the player wanders too close and appear to have consumed several unfortunate victims including a rather disturbing appearance of a person partially merged with the fungi, attached to the wall of the waterway. As the player passes through they come to a pump control unit, where they must re-navigate the water allowing it to flow into silos giving the player the opportunity to pass through the depleted water channels and reach the other side of the waterway before the auto-reset on the pump station re-activates.
Heading through one last thicket of forest, Eli chimes in again, noting that the Radio's signal appears to become lost when the player goes underground and explains that in their absence it appears the Combine have been bombarding the major cities with orbital lasers, noting that it seems they're resorting to a near complete extinction on humanity, noting that they'd heard calls from the UN suggesting they might be thinking about surrendering to the invaders and recommends the player hurry on.
As the player presses forwards they soon come to a small village, separated from the city by one of the main roads, the village runs up along a hill where its structures are contrasted against the moon on the player's approach. Signs of shelling dominate the area with the main entrance into the area the player finding having three Headcrab shells having created a crater on the south side of the village.
Chapter 6 - Seven Hours
As the player makes their way into the village proper they overhear on a Radio the sound from a radio where a voice that is familiar to Eli is overheard. A man that Eli refers to as Wallace Breen, noting that he was the Administrator at Black Mesa and admits that he thought Breen had perished with the others at Black Mesa. Breen declares over the radio his success in decoding the Combine language and has made contact with them, acting as a spokesperson for Earth and helping to negotiate peace, telling the people of Earth to submit to the Combine's rule as they'll be spared from the further carnage.
Eli, somewhat shocked by this turn of events admits that he can't believe that Breen would sell humanity out, wondering if it is actually him or just some voice the Combine created to confuse humanity. Eli dismisses the issue however and warns the player that given the circumstances the Combine are more than likely going to be actively hunting the player down and reinforces the importance of the player delivering the Radio.
As the player makes their way through the rather gruesome village, they come across two new types of Headcrabs, a rather agile one that is capable of leaping a considerable bounds and a rather durable black headcrab with poisonous fangs. As the player presses further onwards they hear a distinctive cry from one of the Zombies, distinct from the others, lumbering towards the player a zombie, hunched over with at least four Poisonous Headcrabs on its back attempts to attack the palyer as they pass through the main street, although fortunately the player manages to best the ferocious zombie and its spawn.
Finding refuge in one of the houses, the player sees a chapel in the distance, using the wreckage of the houses to weave in and out of the main street evading the Zombies and Headcrabs along the way the player soon makes it inside the Chapel, blown out partially by a Headcrab Shell lodged in the pews of the chapel, the player finds a small underground home with the body of one of the few not to succumb to the initial shelling, clinging onto a shotgun tightly. Next to the body, a strange zombie, seemingly having had all its flesh torn off lays with the Fast Headcrab resting lifelessly on its head. The player takes the Shotgun and hears an unearthly howl, as the player works their way back up, the back door to the Chapel is broken open but another of the strange Headcrab Zombies, its surprising agility allowing it to tear through the chapel with remarkable speed, fortunately the player manages to fell the creature and press onwards.
Heading back out into the small houses woven together, the player encounters more of the strange Headcrabs and their victims, reaching a small bridge passing over a pond towards the north side of the town, the player finds the way forward blocked by debris and a wreckage of vehicles. With no clear way forward, the player ducks into the embankment where the pond is and finds a small maintenance tunnel leading beneath the village and continuing east. Within the tunnel the player finds the rainwater from the village running through the tunnel and out into the pond, in addition strange stationary Xen creatures which Eli comments on, referring to as Barnacles seem to have made their home amongst the watery tunnels, the player carefully avoiding their tongues which attempt to latch and pull the player up towards their fanged jaws.
As the player makes it towards the end of the tunnel they find a Combine outpost built into the tunnel itself, hacking into the structure, the player finds the Combine had begun to collect Earth weapons to study them including a deconstructed crossbow with electrified bolts. Although the weapon itself is useless in its state the player picks up the ammunition for their makeshift Bolt Gun and finds the usefulness of the electrified bolts to be effective in bridging broken circuits, substituting power supplies and when accidentally setting of the outpost's alarm and alerting the Combine even effective at stunning them, leaving them open to attack.
The player presses on through the outpost managing to shut down the alarm although Eli warns the player that the Combine will more than likely swarm the area soon enough and presses on the importance of getting as far away as possible. The player soon encounters a new heavier variant of the Combine, powerful Armoured Combine emblazoned in the carapace of a bio-synth they carry heavy weapons, too large and cumbersome for the player to even attempt to carry. Fortunately however, their lumbering frame leaves them slow and vulnerable where their exposed power sources can be targeted.
Having made it out of the outpost, the player comes to a pit stop on the outskirts of the city, looking back at the city ruins once more, as the midnight moon hangs high in the sky, combine structures have dotted the landscape forming a network, in the distance the lights of wandering patrols remind the player to continue onwards.
Chapter 7 - Voice of Reason
Heading into the small assortment of buildings surrounding the pit-stop the player finds that the Combine have set up a small outpost in the pit stop, though the player initially manages to navigate past some of them, they're eventually found out by an Aerial Sentry alerting the other Combine. As the player fights their way through the Combine stationed, a new Combine force makes itself known, heavier robotic aerial units known as Combine Drones that fly around attempting to fire explosive rockets at the player. The player manages to avoid the hectic gunfire from the Combine and clears out the area opening up the Pit Stop proper.
As the player enters into the Pitstop they find that the Combine have usurped much of the area however the player finds something rather distinct, a pickup truck which had been repurposed by the Combine, adding shielding and a back-mounted gun to the vehicle. Eli chimes in and asks the player if they can interface the radio with the vehicle. The player does so, hacking through the vehicles protections and Eli manages to override the Combine control on the vehicle, telling the player to hop in the back, explaining that there isn't really room in the front. As the player hops on the back of the vehicle is suddenly roars to life and charges out of the garage. Eli noting that he managed to take remote control of the vehicle and can help the player get away requesting that the player take out any tailing Combine forces.
As the vehicle drives down the main road, putting the city further in the distance the appearance of Aerial Sentries and Combine Drones warns the player of the approaching Combine. The player uses the mounted gun to mow down the forces, however an armoured truck appears firing from it rockets that Eli yells to the player to shoot down. The player does so and manages to heavily damage the Armoured Truck, however just as it looks like it's about to give up, the truck suddenly rams the player's vehicle, causing both to crash into a nearby area. As the player quickly regains consciousness, having been flung from the vehicle, they're informed by Eli they'll have to keep going on foot and warn the player that the Combine are definitely aware of the player's presence now and will probably be on alert.
The player makes their way northwards to another small village, this one containing an elementary school as the centrepiece of the village. As the player makes their way in they find the Combine already patrolling the streets and the player quickly makes their way into one of the houses although soon finds they have to hack through a Combine lock, which ends up alerting the Combine. With no other option than to fight the player engages the Combine and makes their way back out of the house, running along the street around the school they come across more Combine including a Gun Carrier Synth which proves quite dangerous for the player.
As the player seems to near the end of the Combine Forces in the village, another new Combine makes its appearance, letting out a howl as it appears from atop the nearby rooftops, the cybernetic humanoid sprints towards the player with blinding speed attempting to attack them with their oversized, gorilla-like arms. The Combine Chasers attempt to attack the player in a small horde although the player repels their attack, managing to duck into the school after one bursts out from its entrance as the entrance collapses behind the player trapping them inside. The player explores through the school, using the vents to navigate through the otherwise locked rooms, dealing with Headcrabs and Barnacles as well as a Harvester roaming the main hallway. As the player gains access to the upper level of the school after finding the security keys, the player manages to break out of the school and onto another road to the North, as the player makes their way down the street however a Combine Armoured Truck appears, allowing Combine forces to pursue the player.
Evading the truck's rockets the player manages to make their escape crossing a river on the other city of the street and passing into the dense forest where the Combine attempt to pursue the player although the player manages to lose them after clamouring up a collapsed series of trees. As the player heads deeper into the forest a strange mist fills the air, Eli contacts the player informing them to be on the lookout for Xen life in the forests as the lack of humans or Combine means they can thrive in those sorts of areas.
Chapter 8 - Fog of the Mind
Delving deeper into the forest, the player finds that their signal is cut from Eli, interference in the air itself disrupting the signal. As the player heads in deeper into the forest they find that a scattered group of Combine are hold up in a small makeshift outpost in the forest. The player manages to take out the Combine although finds themselves now heavily isolated and far away from any other signs of Humans or Combine.
As the player shifts through the boggy terrain they come upon more of the river, finding strange creatures having washed up ashore including a bizarre aquatic beast that flails before passing away from the lack of water. Amongst the wreckage the player comes across a rather strange looking alien, clad in metallic armour and carrying an unrecognizable, organic weapon. As the player picks it up they find that it shoots strange insect-like aliens that are capable of targeting distant objects, using the Xen weapon the player manages to knock out some branches holding a wrecked boat within the trees, causing it to fall down and allowing a path for the player to head along.
Continuing forwards the player hears the sound of the Vortigaunts once more, telepathically communicating to the player, warning them of the strange beasts ahead noting that many of Xen's life can be quite hostile, they also mention that the weapon the player picked up earlier is known as a Hive Hand. The player finds themselves in a part of the forest, terraformed by the Xen flora, amongst the flora strange serpentine aliens called Puffer-Snakes peek their heads out, quickly darting towards the player before puffing up their necks which flash brightly before exploding. The strange creatures attempt to attack the player in a devastating way although fortunately the player manages to hold them off and press onwards, using the Hive Hand to shoot the cowardly flora causing it to fall apart.
Heading deeper into the forest the player hears Headcrabs and finds an abandoned camp site with a single Headcrab shell in the middle, as the player continues, finding the Headcrabs in question they hear a strange noise emanating from the treeline above. Encountering some of the Headcrab zombies, one is suddenly onset by a strange winged creature which tears the headcrab off killing the host and devouring the parasitic creature. The appearance of the mysterious Arboreas creature as it screeches at the player forces them to divert their attention from the Headcrab zombies. Managing to flank the creature, the player defeats it although finds that it was hardly the only one of its kind hunting in these forests as the player presses onwards witnessing more Headcrabs succumb to their predator.
As the player continues on, using their various tools to navigate past the collapsed trees and various campsites dotted throughout the forest, they happen upon another sight, a weakened Arboreas, tired from fending off Headcrabs collapses in a small pit, as it lets out a death howl as the Headcrabs surround it, rustling from nearby is heard as a large dog-like creature with eight clawed-limbs appears from through the thickets of the forest, lunging at the corpse of the Arboreas before quickly tearing it and the Headcrabs apart. The Vortigaunts telepathically inform the player that the creature before them is a Scavenger, normally a lowly creature on Xen, without its natural predators around it is able to capitalize on the weakened Xen life and Earth's unprepared species.
The player continues through the woods, finding more bizarre encounters with the various Xen flora, running into more Scavengers, Arboreas & Puffer-Snakes as well as Headcrabs, Barnacles and Lightning Dogs. As the player appears near a clearing in the Forest they witness a rather devastating site, an orbital laser drives down into the surface of the planet, tearing a massive gash of land out ahead of the player. As the player continues along the now mountains pathway ahead, they run into another creature, a massive amoeba looking Xen creature, however fortunately the player is saved by a Vortigaunt that appears from the woods as well, electrocuting the creature causing it to explode in a rather impressive display. The Vortigaunt greets the player and apologizes for not having been able to appear sooner, noting that such foul Xen creatures, the Mega Cells are supposedly the lowest form of life on Xen, slow moving and almost methodical in nature, they roam about looking for the dead to devour although admits that perhaps something about Earth has aggravated them causing them to attack the living.
The Vortigaunt guides the player along the path down the mountainside, noting that the Combine are likely probing the Earth for its most valuable materials, surmising that whatever treasures were buried within the new chasm ahead of them were likely taken out along with a chunk of the land, warning the player that the Combine have likely already begun to set up an outpost in the chasm to deter intruders. The player and the Vortigaunt soon reach an old mine tunnel, with the Vortigaunt wondering what the strange structure is. With little in the way to keep them safe the Vortigaunt proposes they work together and the player and their Vortigaunt ally head into the mines.
Chapter 9 - Fool's Fortune
As the player and the Vortigaunt head into the mines, the Vortigaunt informs the player that the Combine that have come to Earth had followed the Xen creatures, apologizing for the devastation that has been caused as a result. Managing to solve a number of puzzles through the combination of the Vortigaunt's electrical abilities and the player's own intuition the two come across strange creatures inhabiting the caverns, the Vortigaunt calls them Antlions and Antlion Workers noting that they must've set up a nestin the area and warns the player to tread carefully as to not attract the larger ones.
The player and the Vortigaunt press onwards, fighting through the Antlions and Workers as they're alerted to the duo's presence, with the distant sound of something rampaging through the caverns as well, causing the Vortigaunt to note that the greater beast is likely aware of their presence. As the two reach an old mine shaft where a collapsed elevator lays at the bottom, the player begins to climb down, however as they do so a ferocious Antlion Guard appears from one of the other mine shafts, charging at the player, although fortunately misses, however in the process causes a cave-in, knocking both the player and itself down the mineshaft, killing it on the collapsed elevator. As the player gets up to recover, the Vortigaunt laments that the ladder had been broken and expresses that they'll find another way to the Eli Vance and urges the player to continue onwards hoping to meet up again soon.
Now alone, the player continues through the mines, finding an underground lake with water flowing out towards open air, following the waterway the player overhears Combine in the area and the fight between Combine and Antlions as the two butt heads. The player soon comes across an opening where the land itself had been warped and eviscerated by the powerful orbital cannon from earlier. Looking around the player sees many Combine outposts set up and the river winding its way through the passage created. As the player hops down they come upon a small patrol of Combine, however just before they notice the player, a massive serpentine creature, hiding in the shallows of the water appears, wrapping around one of the Combine soldiers killing them instantly whilst striking at the other Combine Soldier with its proboscis piercing through the Combine's armour and striking them down as well. Another Combine, alerted to the creature's presence alerts more Combine and refers to the Xen creature as a Hydra.
The player quickly finds themselves in a three-way battle between the Hydra, Combine and themselves, managing to edge out a victory against the opposing forces, the player quickly heads further along, having realised the Combine are now aware of their presence. As the player heads further along the chasm, they encounter more Hydras, some with hammer-like heads, others with split heads that can grasp and fling Combine Soldiers like ragdolls. The player soon manages to find a strange Combine device, a massive monolithic structure repeatedly striking the ground. As the player approaches it they notice nearby Antlions and Hydras seem to be deterred by the machine's presence. Without much hesitation the player turns off the large machine causing the Xen creatures to go into a frenzy, attacking the Combine who appear due to the player's actions, although initially helpful the player finds that among the creatures attracted to the lack of the device is the Antlion Guard. With no other option the player fights off against the Antlion Guard and its horde of Antlions, eventually managing to slay the massive creature causing the remaining Antlions to flee as a result. As the player continues onwards they find that the chasm intersects with more of the mine and continues heading through.
Making their way now back up through the mines, the player finds more puzzles involving the various mining equipment and even happens upon a discarded piece of machinery that still manages to work, a powerful Nail Cannon, capable of loading up practically anything metallic up to the size of a railway spike and firing it through the use of magnetic coils. The player manages to use the exceptionally powerful weapon to blast their way through more Antlions and even finding it useful in opening up pathways ahead. Soon enough however the player comes across a minecart still on the rails and hops in, pulling a lever allowing them to ride the minecart through the remainder of the tunnels. Although a fast-paced ride the player is suddenly onset by an Antlion Guard chasing after them which rams the support structures for the rail causing the Minecart to fall off the tracks, leaving the player to contend with the Antlion Guard. Though the beast puts up a fight the player manages to take it out as well, finally allowing the player to open up an access hatch and return to the surface.
As the player makes their way back up to the surface, their signal is picked up by Eli again, who welcomes the player back, mentioning that he was worried given the player's signal had gone silent and feared the radio had been damaged. Eli notes that there's another Combine outpost near the player's location and the player might be able to snag another vehicle there, noting that the Combine seem to be recentralising a lot of their forces towards the city now. The player heads for the Outpost and comes across the Combine guarding a Muscle Car which had been partially modified by the Combine with additional armour plating and a mounted energy weapon. The player hacks the vehicle and gets Eli to take control whilst taking control of the mounted gun.
The car's engine roars to life as it charges out of the outpost and onto the main road, heading northwards. Though the ride is initially quite quiet the player is suddenly onset by Combine, several Aerial Sentries and Gun Carriers as well as multiple Armoured trucks, however the enhanced firepower of the vehicle manages to take them out with relative ease. However as the player crosses over a rail-line, they see a large train, completely unrecognizable appear below, the train opens up its carriages revealing more armoured trucks and even a Combine Heavy Tank which chases after the player. Eli warns the player that those Razor Trains as he dubs them are the Combine's specialty. The player manages to take out the Armoured Trucks and after a significant battering the Heavy Tank as well. Eli tells the player to target the Razor Train itself as more Armoured Trucks and Tanks appear from the carriages further back, the player does so and eventually after taking some serious damage the razor train buckles and explodes, flipping off the rails and crashing behind the player destroying the pursuing vehicles.
Eli cheers over the radio and commends the player on taking out the train, however notices something on his radar and warns the player to look out above. As the vehicle crosses over a river bridge a massive flying bio-synth appears, initially Eli refers to it as a Gunship although realizes it to be even more ferocious dubbing it a Monarch Gunship, the massive flying beast chases after the player's vehicle, firing multiple machine gun like cannons and even its own warp cannon. As the player attempts to damage it, Eli calls to the player to target its rotors, noting that taking them out will cause it to crash, following Eli's advice the player targets the beast's three rotors managing to knock each one out, in doing so causing the Monarch Gunship to lose balance and eventually crash ahead of the player just as they head through a tunnel. As the tunnel collapses behind the player they make it through to the other side only to be greeted by a Combine blockade, however Eli manages to turn the vehicle heading up a mountainous path deeper into the forest, Eli warns the player that he's going to have to take the vehicle off-road and tells the player to prepare to bail.
As the vehicle drives off the road and into the forest, it smashes through several trees, before eventually coming to a stop in a ditch, the player quickly gets out and Eli tells the player to run. As the player does so, the car explodes in a rather fiery display, Eli noting that he triggered the vehicle's self-destruct which should help through the Combine off the player's trail. As the player begins to head through the forest, Eli expresses that the player is nearly at the meeting point noting that it's not too far from where the player is and thanks them for going all this way.
As the player manages to shake the Combine searching for them they come across more Xen lifeforms that have taken over the forest, finding a large rocky environment where numerous Barnacles hang from the few trees in the area and Harvesters and Scavengers search the area for food. The player manages to fight their way through, even coming across several Terranauts attempting to take control of the wildlife in the area for their own gains. As the layer heads deeper into the forest still they soon begin to hear the sound of water flowing again with Eli noting that the river ahead will help the player get to the meeting point.
Chapter 10 - Bait & Bleed
As the player follows the pathways through the river they witness large herds of Xen Creatures moving about through the forest, fires seen in the distance from where the creatures are running from. Eli radios in and informs the player that it looks like the Combine are trying to smoke out the wildlife to get rid of it and urges the player to keep moving as if they're caught in the Combine's fire trap it'll be inescapable. As the player moves further along they run into more of the Xen Creatures, some stopping to attack the player seemingly out of panic. The player manages to fend off the creatures eventually reaching the river where a number of Vortigaunts have gathered, seeking shelter by the waterside.
As the player approaches the group they notice the player, one approaching the player greeting them noting that the Vortigaunt the player had met earlier had relayed telepathically, the significance of the player's arrival and expresses great joy in the player managing to make it safely thus far. The Vortigaunts explain to the player that up ahead the Combine have set up an outpost to try and catch any stragglers and the Vortigaunts offer to help the player in making the charge through the area. The player follows the Vortigaunts lead and the group arrive to a small outcropping looking over the Combine outpost, numerous Combine patrolling the area and a Dropship arriving to drop off more. As the Dropship takes off, the Vortigaunt leader explains to the player that they need to take out the communications relay pointing to the large central structure that several Combine are centred around.
As the Vortigaunts begin to make their move on the outpost, the player follows suit, attacking alongside the Vortigaunts drawing the Combine's attention and working their way towards the relay. Managing to hack into it, the player disables the device, destroying it in the process. The Vortigaunts celebrate the victory, however the unearthly sound of a bio-synth is heard, causing the Vortigaunts to panic and seek cover. The Vortigaunt leader warns the player of the approaching Gunship and warns the player to seek refuge as it makes its initial pass. As the player seeks cover a Gunship flies overhead, its piercing light looking down at the outpost for targets, as the ship passes on preparing to make a sweep around the Vortigaunts group together and take focus at the Gunship's rotor, firing at it with concentrated electrical blasts. After a volley of attacks, the Gunship lets out a deathly wail as it crashes in the distance, unleashing a fireball into the sky. The Vortigaunt leader approaches the player and thanks the player for their aid and informs them that further on ahead they will find a bridge crossing the river that will lead them to the Eli Vance.
As the player follows the Vortigaunt's instructions they continue along the river, encountering a number more Xen creatures including several Hydra using the river to strike at the vulnerable prey attempting to flee from the fires. The player soon makes it to the bridge and crossing over hears the echoing sound of a train horn in the distance. Pressing onwards, the player finds that the region they're passing through had been shelled by the Combine, small log cabins concealing the gruesome visage of Headcrabs and their host zombies. The player manages to rack their way through the former camp, encountering more Terranauts as they delve deeper where the creatures appear to be fighting off many of the other Xen Creatures as well as the Combine coming from the East.
After a rather lengthy battle sequence at a power relay station near the train tracks against the Terranauts and Antlions, the player reaches the train line proper. Following along it for a short distance the player runs into more Combine forces guarding a Train station which appears to have been overrun long ago by plants and the Combine have converted partially into a base. After breaking through their defensive lines, the Player manages to make it into the heart of the base and hears from Eli once more, informing the player that their best bet would be to hijack a Razor Train and use it to move along the train line. The player taps into the station controls set-up by the Combine and re-routes a train to stop at the station.
Soon enough, the hulking metallic behemoth arrives at the station, its plain and unyielding design striking a degree of intimidation towards the player as it towers over them. One of the carriages opens as Combine, aware of the player's presence storm out attempting to take the player down, however the player manages to outmatch the Combine and push them back eventually detaching the carriages from the head of the train and stealing the Razor Train, heading along the tracks. As the player gets into the train and overrides its security, Eli takes control of the train for the player, noting that the Combine are more than likely going to come after the train and notes that it appears the vehicle has a mounted missile turret that the player can use.
The player heads through the narrow passageway to the back of the train and hops up into the turret's seat as the weapon rises from the train, opening up facing to behind the train. Eli warns the player that the Combine are likely going to send everything they have to get the train and the radio from the player and warns the player to be ready for a fight. Sure enough, more Combine Trains begin appearing, mounted with their own arsenal of weapons forcing the player to take them out either by knocking out their weaponry or destroying their train heads. Among the attack are more Aerial Sentries and Gun Carriers as well as both Dropships and Gunships which attempt to take the player out, the former opening its container to reveal Combine wielding RPGs against the player.
After battling against numerous Combine forces, Eli reports that it looks like the player managed to deter them, noting that they probably just put quite the dent in the Combine's forces in the region with that display. However before the player and Eli can celebrate, Eli notices something coming up on the radar and notes it to be exceptionally huge, quickly bringing the train to a halt, Eli urges the player to quickly get out and off the tracks and as far away as possible. The player does so, quickly jumping out of the razor train just as a massive titan of a train rams through completely destroying the Razor Train in the process. The colossal train covers multiple tracks of the line and roars and bellows from its bio-synth components. Somewhat in shock, Eli exclaims that he's never even seen a Combine unit of this magnitude and expresses to the player that they need to get away quickly.
The player makes a run through the thickets of the forest managing to evade the Combine searching for them and soon reaching another set of the train tracks further along the line. As the player crosses the line, they find a small fenced area that they have to pass through as the tunnel going under the train tracks is blocked off ahead. With no other option, the player clambers over the fence and into the small guard station. Eli notes that it looks like the only way forward is to open the electrical gates although warns the player that the Combine are probably aware of the power consumption on the train tracks and as soon as the player opens the electrical gates they need to run for the tunnels again since the Titan Train will be on them. The player manages to solve the electrical lock puzzle to open the gates and just as they do so they hear the ferocious howling from the Titan Train as it begins making its march towards the guard station. The player quickly makes a run for it, crossing through the barriers and reaching the tunnel as the colossal train charges through the Guard Station before quickly coming to a halt again as Combine continue looking for the player.
Fortunately, the player manages to make it away from the train tracks and back into the woods again, finding a few scattered remnants of the Xen Creatures hiding out in the area. Heading through the woods the player also comes across a den where several Antlions and an Antlion Guard are holed up, the player, with no other option fights off the Antlion Guard as it chases after the player. Managing to fell the giant insectoid creature, the makes their way back to the train line once again, finding the train line splits in two, one heading North and one continuing East. Eli radios in to the player informing them that the meeting spot is on the North track and re-assures the player that they've almost made it, noting that there is a Train depot where he and some of his group are hiding out.
The player presses through the remaining area and makes it to the Train Depot, finding many of the Combine security measures put in place in the area having already been deactivated. Seeing a single room on the upper level with its lights on, the player heads up there and opening the door is greeted by Eli, finally meeting face to face along with several other resistance members, a few still wearing their militia uniform. The player hands Eli the radio and Eli thanks the player, introducing the player properly to the group, explaining that although their forces are currently small they'll amass a force large enough to fight back against the Combine. A resistance member sitting at a nearby terminal calls Eli over however and reports that it looks like the Titan Train is on the move again. Eli, concerned about the ramifications asks the player to follow him up to the roof of the depot. The player heads up topside where they find a few more Resistance members, clad in a sort of make-shift armour as well as a rather striking weapon, a large, three cylindered energy weapon with copper coils wrapped around each barrel. Eli picks up the weapon and hands it to the player explaining that it's an adaptation of a weapon his colleagues made where he used to work, referring to it as a Displacer Cannon explaining that it has the capacity to tear through any armour thanks to an adapted portal technology, noting that it'll send whatever's hit by it to the world of Xen, noting that it's the same place where all the creatures have been coming from. Eli notes however that it can take a bit of time to charge and so urges the player to only use it when they're certain they've got a clean shot.
Just as Eli finishes his explanation the Titan Train appears from beyond the tree line in the distance narrowing in on the resistance's location. Eli calls to the resistance members to ready themselves as a fight is about to come to them. As the massive vehicle arrives in the Depot, tearing apart most of the rooftop, the player, Eli and the Resistance members head back down into Train Depot proper and begin fighting off the waves of Combine forces flooding out from the Titan Train's various portholes. Not only soldiers but even Bio-Synths, Gun Carriers and Landcrawlers as the player and the resistance push their way against the overwhelming Combine force gradually gaining ground as they make their way closer to the Titan Train's entrances. As the group manage to reach the platform level where the train has torn apart part of the platform itself, a strider erupts from one of the portholes, clamouring out and readying itself, Eli calls to the player to take the Bio-Synth out with the Displacer Cannon. the player does so and in a rather impressive display the cannon's projectile cleaves through the Synth, taking much of the Synth with it into Xen leaving behind only the unfortunate remains. As the group approach the entrances Eli manages to use the device to hack through the Protective Shielding and urges the player to go on ahead, noting that they'll catch up again soon. The player heads on through as Eli and the other resistance continue to fight off the Combine Forces. The player makes their way through the inner workings of the massive Bio-Synth, disabling it from the inside out whilst facing off against the Combine protecting its internal organs as well as the automated security.
Eventually working their way up to the central cortex of the giant Titan Train, Eli manages to catch-up to the player, reassuring them that the Resistance members are holding their own. As the duo head into the core of the train they find a massive machine, powering the train guarded by numerous security forces. Eli and the player work together, slowly striking through each section of the machine tearing it apart as the Combine attempt to stop them. With the core exposed, Eli yells to the player to destroy the core, the player firing the Displacer Cannon tearing apart the heart of the machine as an all-surrounding howl is heard from the Titan Train as its systems begin to shut down. Eli notes that they need to get out of the train before any safety locks block their escape. The player and Eli rush through the remains of the train as the few straggling Combine forces fruitlessly try to stop them.
However just as escape seem to be on the brink, Eli and the player are separated as a safety lock comes down between Eli and the player, trapping the player within the train. Eli attempts to hack through the safety lock but to no avail with no other option Eli apologizes to the player and swears he'll find another way. As Eli runs off, more safety locks ahead of the player close of their view of escape. The sound of a self-destruct activating comes through the speakers of the train as the player prepares for their imminent destruction. Just as the train begins to warp and implode in on itself a voice calls out to the player.
Almost as suddenly as the self-destruct had began, it stops. The player looks around and through the small glass window into the room ahead the player sees a strange man, dressed in a blue suit approach the glass before adjusting his tie. As he does so the glass shatters and the players vision is blinded by an overwhelming light as in an instant they're taken to a completely unreal setting, a complete emptiness where only the player and this strange individual seem to exist. He greets the player, thanking them for the effort they'd put in to delivering the device to Mr. Vance, expressing that events have now been set in motion for future contracts to become available.
The player's vision shifts once again, changing from a completely foreign world, alien in appearance. He informs the player that though now Earth like this world that he calls Xen is now under the Combine's control, a union has been acquiesced between those subjugated under Combine rule. The scene shifts once more, now inside a building clearly of Combine origin as a lone man is seen talking to a pair of Combine soldiers. He expresses that humans have such strange loyalties, commending this one in particular for his resourcefulness even in the face of utter contempt from the others. The scene shifts once more with the player now looking over the now wrecked Titan Train with the Resistance Members and Eli sitting somberly around the carnage around them. He notes that while there is no contracts that the player's particular skillset would be found exceptionally useful to his employers he does believe that the player's return to Mr. Vance will help in future endeavours, however apologizes to the player as the events that unfold from here are out of their control and suggests that they prepare for unforeseen consequences.
As the player perception of time begins to move again, the Resistance members are shocked and surprised to see the player's return. Eli somewhat perplexed although hiding a degree of knowledge about the player's sudden appearance. One of the Resistance members expresses that they can't stay here for long however and Eli agrees, welcoming the player back and noting that it's time they came to Black Mesa. As the game ends, the player, Eli and the Resistance Members head away from the wreckage following an old trail where a Lambda symbol is painted on the entrance to a tunnel.
==Gameplay==
The Gameplay of Half-Life Fall of Earth is largely similar to its predecessors, being a First-Person Shooter with Action and Puzzle Elements. The game continues the trend of the series to increase the degree of immersion for the player. As the game is not VR like Half-Life Alyx, it instead opts for a greater degree of control in movement, allowing for a vast array of additional movement abilities not previously seen and greater degrees of environmental interaction.
===Movement===
Movement is based on the principles found in Half-Life 2 and its episodes, the player is able to Walk, Run and Jump as simple moves, the former is now done by either only slightly shifting the joystick or holding "Alt" on Keyboard while the latter is now the default movement albeit slower than Half-Life 2's running. Sprinting now serves the purpose of running from the previous games although can only be used in short bursts. Jumping functions nearly identically to the previous games although the player's abilities with Jumping are expanded as the player character can clamour up close walls through wall-jumping and can grab onto ledges if they're able to reach them. The level geometry is also much more complex than that of Half-Life 2 with crouching also returning and allowing the player to navigate through even tighter areas than before, this is also exhibited by the enemies with Combine and some Xen creatures being able to crouch and jump to chase after the player while less intelligent enemies like Headcrab Zombies cannot.
The most notable change is the player's movement, the player character moves over the level geometry much more naturally due to an AI-based walk as opposed to pre-defined walking, allowing for a natural degree of motion in the player character especially over different terrain. This also allows the player to more effectively hide behind cover with the character more naturally sticking to cover when crouched and being able to vault cover easily by running or sprinting towards it with the player character smoothly vaulting over the cover as long as it's at or below their hip-line. This also means the player character's body is visible at all times making it easier to judge jumpable distances and vault-able objects.
===Environmental Interaction===
Similar to Half-Life 2 before it, Half-Life Fall of Earth sees a shift towards more precise and varied interactions with physics objects allowing for an even greater degree of player versatility in the game. Many of the objects that appear throughout the game can be interacted with and like Half-Life Alyx have varying properties in their behaviour such as weight and elasticity. In addition however, the player will find that many items have a greater degree of interaction such as being able to manipulate and deform many objects and break apart larger objects into smaller objects.
This degree of increased interaction also results in plenty of instances of physics objects being able to be used in combat to a greater degree with gas canisters serving a similar function as they did in Half-Life 2 when the player breaks the safety valve on one and should the player break a glass object they can use the shards as temporary melee weapons.
===Gunplay===
The primary combat of Half-Life Fall of Earth is generally a bit slower and methodical than past Half-Life games, the player's arsenal is much more limited than the previous games with a focus on smaller weapons typically being single-shot per reload or semi-auto. This is also seen with the enemies who typically are more focused on singular, very devastating attacks as opposed to high fire rate attacks. This decision was done to give more emphasis to test out physics objects as well as make full use of the player's arsenal. While for many enemies, one weapon may be more useful than others it becomes increasingly rare to encounter just a single enemy later on in the game, with it favouring multiple enemies of different types where weapon swapping is encouraged.
==Characters==
Character 	Faction	Description
The Informant 	 	The main protagonist of Half-Life Fall of Earth, the Informant was a member of the militia which formed an early iteration of the resistance seen in Half-Life 2. A silent protagonist, they're tasked like many of the militia members with keeping the city safe from Xen invasions and later helping people escape when the Combine Invasion becomes recognized for the greater threat that it is. Nothing is really known about the Informant outside of this as they're never given a name and instead referred to be a number of nicknames throughout the game and whether they're male or female is unknown.
Valman 	 	The leader of the player's militia group, Valman is a cheery fellow who often tries to encourage his fellow militiamen when in the heat of battle, often trying to keep tensions low given the otherwise immense pressure they're under. Valman however, is shown to have a serious side and treats his superior, Captain Poporov with a great deal of respect and knows when to expertly shift gears to a key situational awareness when threat's require more precise handling. Interestingly, Valman keeps a trophy of the first Headcrab he killed in his room which seems to also be the reason why he joined the militia as it quickly formed when he realised the serious threat the rather meek creatures actually pose.
Captain Poporov	 	The head of the Militia in the unnamed City, Poporov is known to have been formerly serving within the military of the country where the city is located. Poporov's tactical prowess made him a suitable leader for the militia as it rapidly formed with him taking charge much to the support of many of the militia members who sought unity in their chaotic first day. Poporov expertly carries out operations using a wide band of scouts and security cameras to monitor the city in case of any Xen invasions. Although coming off as very serious and stern, he is a caring individual and although hides his emotions well is clearly grief-stricken by the losses of life that have happened under his leadership.
Eli Vance 	 	A scientist who originally worked at Black Mesa during the original inciting incident. Eli is a bit of a mysterious character when presented in Half-Life Fall of Earth as the militia treats him with a degree of suspicion particularly after events that transpire during the game with other Black Mesa scientists. Eli attempts to help guide the militia away from what would become City 17, fearing the dangers that would come from the Combine's presence.
Wallace Breen 	 	Although never appearing directly the player overhears Wallace Breen through radios and on Televisions during the later chapters of the game. The self-proclaimed leader of Earth following the Combine invasion, Wallace Breen was, through some means able to decode and contact the Combine directly through their own language, offering enslavement of Earth in exchange for sparing humanity. Formerly the Administrator of Black Mesa, Wallace Breen is a calculating individual, often noting how he has to be thinking of the bigger picture and believes that the enslavement of humanity is better than allowing potential extinction, although the position of power he's put in by the Combine (even if as only a puppet) seems to not be contested by him either.
==Chapters & Locations==
Half-Life Fall of Earth like other Half-Life games is split up into Chapters which are seamlessly connected between. The game takes place along the Northern most area of what would become City 17 as well as the outskirts of the city and leading up into the dense, White Forest. Although the game features ten chapters, each chapter is often comprised of multiple components making some quite a bit longer than those seen in Half-Life 2.
More TBA
==Enemies==
Enemy 	Description
Headcrab 	The most common enemy in the game, Headcrabs are low risk enemies who an appearance somewhat akin to a crustacean or a louse although have a fleshy body with four small limbs which they walk around on and a large maw almost the size of the creature's entire torso on its underbelly. They're slow to move but can attack by lunging at the player dealing damage if they hit, although are left vulnerable if they miss.
Headcrab Zombie 	The unfortunate fate of those who the Headcrabs manage to merge with, it's unknown why the zombification process occurs however the slowly moving former humans can pose trouble in large hordes and will often congregate as such. Their hands have become long and bony as a result, a rather rapid mutation as well as a deformation of their upper torso. They attack by flailing their arms which can also cause them to pick up and hurl or simply knock about various objects.
Some Headcrab Zombies also carry around weapons which can make them more dangerous, although their efficiency in using them is extremely limited.
Combine Scout 	Combine Scouts are a tripedal bio-synthetic enemy and the first Combine enemy encountered in the game. Roughly the size of an average dog, they have a singular large eye on their back which monitors their surroundings. They are quite fast able to run around and climb on walls with their powerful claw-like legs. They attack through melee strikes with their limbs or by charging at the player if there's enough space.
Manhack 	A robotic enemy used by the Combine, simple in nature they have a rotary blade that spins around their core and they fly around attempting to strike the player. They're often encountered in swarms and can work together in an attempt to flank the player from multiple sides.
Aerial Sentry 	A flying, ranged robotic enemy used by the Combine, they're slower moving and typically try to keep their distance, attacking with their mounted gun, they have a low fire rate but their energy-based attacks deal considerable damage. shooting their thrusters can knock them out of the sky causing them to crash and explode.
Vortigaunt 	Although only briefly appearing as an enemy, Vortigaunts are an intelligent Xen alien that appear to typically attack in groups. They can slash with their claws or, if at a distance, can attack by firing powerful lightning blasts from their hands. They will often run away if they're the last one left or otherwise duck behind cover when not attacking.
Lightning Dog 	A very fast enemy, this parasitic creature from Xen will latch onto its target to discharge a powerful electrical shock. They can also hurl electrified spit and can enter the corpses of the dead, both natural and due to headcrabs, turning them into an Electrified Zombie which the Lightning Dogs puppet around attacking with long electrified tethers.
Harvester 	A large multi-legged Xen alien, its lumbering body means it moves rather slowly however it is very dangerous if encountered. Its body is armoured meaning weapons are generally less effective and its large, claw-like legs allow it to climb up walls. It has two large mouth-like pincers which it can use to attack when the player is close or to grab things and throw them. It also has a number of tentacles appearing out of small holes on its back, these tentacles hurl sharp darts at the player which can travel a considerable distance, in addition the tentacles can slash at the player if they're within range.
Armoured Headcrab 	A tougher variant of the regular Headcrab, their bodies are covered in a thick carapace-like fungus that protects them, only their fleshy undersides are vulnerable to attack. They're otherwise functionally identical to regular Headcrabs.
Gomalite 	As a Headcrab matures without taking on a host body it becomes more armoured and defensive, needing to survive on its own. These headcrabs which reach this stage are known as Gomalites, a mid-point between a Headcrab and a Gonarch, only one Gonarch can exist within a colony and often kill off any Gomalites as they're unruly. Gomalites can charge and attack by jumping, they can slash with their claws and can spit an acidic substance from their mandibles. Their underbelly is the only part of their body that is not armoured and so is vulnerable to damage.
Combine Guard 	These humanoid enemies make up the bulk of the Combine force, appearing to be almost human in appearance they're likely aliens that Combine had previous subjugated, there is a degree of variation between their sizes, body shapes and head shapes however they typically carry around single shot weapons and are lightly armoured compared to other Combine Troops.
Combine Soldier 	Tougher than their Guard counterparts, Soldiers are more heavily armoured and modified entities taken control of by the Combine forces, where the Combine Guards carry single shot weapons these Combine carry Rifle-like and SMG-like weapons. They also appear to have undergone a degree of surgery resulting in their speech patterns sounding more robotic than Combine Guards suggesting they're more heavily altered.
Combine Cremator 	These tall albeit, thin framed Combine forces appear to serve as clean-up when Combine have swept through an area, burning the bodies and killing off any stragglers. Due to the invasion they're seen grouped with other Combine units and use their flamethrowers to become dangerous, close quarters enemies. Interestingly the player can shoot their head off and their bodies will still continue to function, suggesting they have undergone heavy modification.
Proto-Strider 	A much smaller relative of the Strider these three-legged synths aren't as dangerous as their larger cousins but still pack a punch with a miniaturized Warp Cannon, capable of dealing a devastating blow on impact. They often attempt to keep their distance and are somewhat more mobile than a regular Strider although far from the mobility of the Hunter enemy seen in Half-Life 2: Episode 2. It's possible these are an earlier iteration of the Hunter as they have two small claw-like appendages underneath their carapace.
Landcrawler 	A powerful crustacean-looking Synth, they're nearly the size of a tank and just as armoured, extremely difficult to take down their lumbering mass is their biggest weakness being somewhat slow at moving. They have a powerful cannon in the place of their mouth although they're still capable of spewing an acidic substance from the cannon as well as firing a prolonged beam which can sweep cleanly through the player if struck. They can also strike with their claw-like front limbs and can release an electric discharge from the cybernetic enhancements on their abdomen. Striking at this power source on their abdomen is the most effective way of shutting one down.
Gun Carrier 	This aerial Synth can prove quite the troublesome enemy, their lower section is exposed and vulnerable however is also where their Auto-Gun, a high fire rate energy weapon is located making them difficult to shoot at. They have two long talon-like claws which allow them to grip their targets allowing a direct fire from the auto-gun. In addition if there are other enemies distracting the player they may launch a Mortar Shot which rains down on the surrounding area causing chaos for the player.
Strider 	Seemingly the peak of the Combine's militaristic forces, these towering behemoths of Synths are a rare sight but powerful none the less, they possess an unreal power being able to rain down a hailstorm of energy shots on the player or release their powerful Warp Cannon which can demolish buildings in an instant. They may be rather slow for their height but they're also surprisingly flexible, able to fit into areas that a Crab Synth might not be able to. Only extremely heavy weapons fire can hope to take one down.
Elite Combine 	The Elite Combine are heavily modified humanoids who appear to be among the highest within the Combine ranks, tactically superior to other Combine they're able to interface with other Combine through their implants giving them a greater view of the battlefield. They typically carry powerful energy weapons and are easily distinguished by their white armour and singular, red, cybernetic eye. Killing one can often temporarily disorientate other Combine forces nearby as their connection is broken.
Combine Infiltrator	Dangerous stealth operatives of the Combine troops, they have the lightest armour of all troops and so are killed the easiest but their quick movement and acrobatics make them difficult to keep track of, they carry silenced pistols and often come in groups of three or more to chip away at the player if they're not observant.
Terranaut 	An aggressive but also intelligent Xen creature, it's unknown what a Terranaut looks like under its armour, however the thick armour that covers these creatures makes them appear somewhat humanoid in appearance although their differences in appearance hint at their alien nature such as their distinctly teardrop-shaped head and the split in their lower legs making them appear to walk on four limbs. They carry heavy weapons and often come in small groups being incredibly dangerous when they manage to expose the player without cover.
Poison Headcrab 	A rather rare variant of Headcrabs, they're notable for their large fangs which can inject a potent venom into their targets, weakening them, strangely they have remarkable difficulty actually finishing off their prey due to their underdeveloped limbs.
Poisonous Zombie 	A person overtaken by a Poison Headcrab, the Headcrab rapidly proliferates and creates many offspring which cling to the host's body making them hunch over and slower moving. The host can throw the Headcrabs like projectiles allowing them to expand to more prey.
Barnacle 	A stationary Xen creature, their larval form is rarely see and is the mobile stage, once they find an adequate location they will lock themselves in by creating a tough, fleshy exterior around them. They let down a longue tongue which can latch onto practically anything and pull it up to their mouth, they can also release a powerful stomach acid capable of tearing through most armour.
Fast Headcrab 	It's unknown if this is a naturally occurring species of Headcrab or not, the strange differences between it and its two common cousins suggest the Fast Headcrab is actually bio-engineered by the Combine. They lack the fangs of a regular Headcrab and instead rely solely on their claws which are long and remarkably durable being able to pierce through concrete allowing them to hang from ceilings to drop and latch onto prey.
Fast Zombie 	A frightening zombification, the host's skin is eviscerated as well as most of their internal organs and any clothes. The remains somehow remain animate and will run around quadrupedally at remarkable speeds being able to run-down a sprinting human. They slash with their claws and can pounce on their targets.
Armoured Combine 	A heavily altered Combine Soldier who is merged with a powerful Bio-Synth, the result is one of the most dangerous and deadly of all Combine forces, equipped with heavy weaponry they are the only Combine without a form of communication, which is likely due to the host's head being removed during the alterations. The carapace which covers much of their body makes them resistant to most forms of damage and borderline immune to explosions. striking in the gaps in the carapace is difficult but can easily take out the Combine as the un-defended areas are left vulnerable. Most Armoured Combine also carry energy packs on their back for their weapons which if destroyed can electrocute the Combine from the inside out.
Combine Chaser 	An agile pursuit type of Combine soldier, though rarely seen in areas under suppression they're not unheard of for those attempting to make escapes. Their agility allows them to run down and pounce on targets, tearing them to the ground. If threatened they can opt for a more ranged approach where they fire restricting tethers to try and lock their target down for a clean kill.
Combine Drone 	Somewhere between the Aerial Sentry and the Gun Carrier, these Heavy Aerial Robotic enemies carry explosive cannons and can pose problems in numbers. When in large groups they can easily swarm a target and even one alone can pose problems in narrow areas. They remain propelled with a series of jet devices on their underside which can be shot at to short circuit causing them to crash and burn.
Puffer-Snake 	A serpentine Xen creature that although blind is able to detect vibrations in the ground. They slither along any surface and leave behind a slime that allows them to climb vertical walls. Their collar is unique in that a special gland allows them to unleash a powerful chemical bomb that destroys the membrane and releases a fiery explosion upon their target. Interestingly the creature is completely unharmed by the explosion and once the membrane rapidly regrows it can detonate again.
Arboreas 	Winged mammalian looking Xen creatures, Arboreas appear somewhat like a monkey in appearance however have a film of skin from their wrists and ankles to their torso similar to a bat, allowing them to glide through the air. Their small, sharp claws allow them to slash at a target causing them to bleed, weakening them. If they detect blood they will often swarm, overwhelming their prey. Their heads have an extremely short neck and their ears are normally folded back to improve aerodynamics although can be flicked forwards to signal to one another.
Scavenger 	A dog-sized Xen creature that is known for eating the remains of dead Xen Creatures and other animals, reportedly they're a lowly creature on Xen however their natural predator isn't nearly as prevalent as they are on Earth so they've been able to rapidly proliferate. Their eight-legs allow them to quickly sprint towards their target in a sort of galloping motion, lunging and biting with their long, fanged jaws. Interestingly if the creature is struck by a heavier weapon through the mid-section both halves will continue to operate as though nothing happen suggesting the creature has a decentralized brain, according to the Vortigaunts the two halves can regenerate into clones of the original.
Mega Cell 	A normally docile creature that cleans up the remains of dead Xen creatures completing the cycle of nutrients in their environments, the atmosphere of Earth agitates these creatures' chemical make-up making them actively seek out living things. They engulf their prey and dissolve them with a potent acid, they're slow moving however they're able to ignore the effects of gravity making it difficult to escape one.
Antlion 	Antlions are a somewhat hidden species on Xen however after arriving on Earth had been able to rapidly proliferate. These large insects have razor sharp talons and powerful hind legs allowing them to leap at their targets with frightening speed. They make a distinctive buzzing sound and can detect movement through vibrations.
Antlion Worker 	Normally found in and around Antlion Nests, the workers are distinct for their pale colouration and more rounded shape, they spew a highly acidic spit which is used by the Antlions to dig out the tunnels for their nest, they interestingly lack the powerful wings of the regular Antlions that would allow them to glide through the air.
Antlion Guard 	A large, mean Xen creature, Antlion Guards are one of the largest species found on Xen, the protectors of the Antlions their powerful exoskeleton can take a lot of punishment to break even surviving point blank explosives. They charge around attempting to tackle or stomp their targets and can also coordinate lesser Antlions by vibrating the spines on their back. When damaged a Guard will begin to salivate indicating its exhaustion.
Hydra 	A very dangerous aquatic Xen Creature, they appear to be mostly translucent, serpentine enemies that dwell in bodies of water. They can extend their body up and have glowing components in their body to distract and lure their prey. The Hydra's core is located beneath the water and although easy to kill with conventional weaponry is hard to get to due to its arms which are tipped with sharp barbs, long spear-like protrusions or have a hardened exterior allowing them to slash, stab and crush their targets.
==Weapons==
Like previous Half-Life games the player amasses a small arsenal of weapons over the course of the game. While the game features more weapons than Half-Life Alyx it features a generally smaller roster compared to Half-Life 2, however like Half-Life Alyx there is a degree of customization to the weapons, throughout the game the player can find attachments to their weapons as well as alternative ammunition which bolster their general effect.
Weapon 	Ammunition 	Description & Variants
Police Baton 	N/ABatteries (Electrified) 	A standard issue police baton intended for close quarters combat scenarios. It is has seen a considerable amount of use and is slightly bent out of shape as a result. the end has been affixed with a few additions to improve damage output.
9 DMG | Melee | Blunt
Police Baton 	N/ABatteries (Electrified) 	
*Heavy-Head - Adds a heavier head to the baton giving it more of a kick, Increases DMG by 6 but reduces HPS by 1
*Barbed - Uses a specialized, barbed head that saw very limited use, May cause bleeding in organic enemies
*Energized - A metallic head through which electricity flows, can Stun enemies and deals 2x DMG against machine enemies
Pistol(FB P-83 Wanad)	9mm Round9mm AM Round9mm Splint Round 	A semi-automatic pistol used by the player throughout the game, although it is small it's high adaptability gives it versatility over other firearms, in addition the reliability of its shots are second to none.
5 DMG | Semi-Auto | Blunt <Standard>
5 DMG (Bypass Armour) | Semi-Auto | Sharp <Armour Piercing>
7+ DMG | Semi-Auto | Sharp <Splinter>
Pistol(FB P-83 Wanad)	9mm Round9mm AM Round9mm Splint Round 	
*Mini-Bayonet - Attaches a miniature bayonet to the pistol allowing the player to strike enemies with the Alt-Fire, deals 6 Sharp DMG per hit
*Advanced Grip - More modern designed grip that improves accuracy, gun sway and recoil is reduced
*Laser Guide - Attaches a small laser sight to the top of the gun which shows where shots will travel more precisely
*Helical Feed - An experimental loading mechanism, it doubles clip capacity but increases the reload speed by 1.5x
Bolt Gun 	Copper BoltIron BoltTaser BoltExplosive Bolt 	A makeshift weapon which is able to use bolts as ammunition, the large barrel allows for a wide variety of bolts to be used making it effective in areas where regular ammunition is lacking, it does however have limited power compared to similar weapons.
3 DMG | Single Shot | Sharp <Copper>
6 DMG | Single Shot | Sharp <Iron>
2 DMG (Stun) | Single Shot | Sharp <Taser>
4 DMG (Explosive) | Single Shot | Sharp/Explosive <Explosive>
Bolt Gun 	Copper BoltIron BoltTaser BoltExplosive Bolt 	
*Long Barrel - The Long Barrel allows for greater stability in the bolt as it exits the gun, increases range before drop-off
*Twin Barrel - Adds a secondary barrel allowing two bolts to be fired before reloading and can be fired simultaneously with alt-fire, increases reload time
*Reinforced Frame - An improved frame which increases stability, gun sway and recoil is reduced
Grenades 	Frag GrenadeIncendiary GrenadeCryo GrenadeEMP GrenadeSmoke Grenade	Thrown or rolled explosives, there are a number of variants that exist with different functions. Frag, Incendiary and Smoke Grenades have both Human and Combine designs although this is purely cosmetic.(Note: The below damage values are for point-blank explosions which taper off based on distance from detonation)
900 DMG | Thrown | Explosive <Frag>
200 DMG (Incinerate) | Thrown | Explosive/Burn <Incendiary>
300 DMG (Freeze) | Thrown | Explosive/Freeze <Cryo>
450 DMG (Stun) | Thrown | Explosive <EMP>
0 DMG | Thrown | Explosive <Smoke>
Grenades 	Frag GrenadeIncendiary GrenadeCryo GrenadeEMP GrenadeSmoke Grenade	
*Grenade Belt - Allows multiple grenades to be thrown simultaneously
*Short Fuse - Reduces time for grenade detonation
*Adhesive Surface - Causes grenades to stick to any surface or target when thrown
==Trivia==
*The game reintroduces several enemies that were previously cut during Half-Life 2's development including the Hydra and Combine Cremator enemies
*Originally the Fast Headcrab was going to be cut from the game, although was re-added back in later on as the developers found that the Fast Headcrab Zombie was a fitting enemy to face off against with the Shotgun compared to the more lumbering Poison Headcrab Zombie.
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