UnMetal Any Hard

Rather than a full guide, this guide assumes you are already familiar with at least the Any% Easy route, and advises how Hard is different to it. **In its current form, these are very rough notes from very early on in the exploration of Hard, and need editing with proper knowledge backing it up.**

## Overview

* Health management is way more important, as you don't refill health at the start of each stage. Opportunities for save scumming need to be taken.
* Guards shoot faster and deal more damage. It's still fairly easy to manage, just can't take as many risks.
* Majority of the route is the same, it's mainly the bosses that are different.
* Because it gets a bit hairy towards the end, recommended to get every reasonable secret, at least starting out.

## Stage 1

* Identical, just Grenade Guy takes more hits, throws more grenades and runs faster. Might be worth grabbing the ammo in Lighter guard's room.

## Stage 2

* Rosco is faster as he rises up to shoot quicker, means after you punch the globe you have to roll to dodge his attack. Rest of the fight is the same though.
* If you've taken any damage up to this point, you must heal immediately after Rosco for doggo skip. This is the same in Easy, it's just you're usually at full health anyway.
* Should save scum after both doggo skips, you're gonna want to keep those health kits. Luckily, doggo does same damage on Hard.
* Shredders move quicker, meaning the cycles aren't as neat, might be a way to manipulate them.
* Flamethrower depletes 50% quicker, so a lot more management needed. Not necessary to kill every rodent, but you'll likely take out more than on Easy.
* Sewerjunk is a big change:
	+ less flamethrower charge, more damage from them, rodents attack you. Rodents are fine, you just deal with them when SJ dives.
	+ Need to keep on top of health, after his first dive, use a medkit to get back to full health and you should be fine
	+ Flamethrower skip is doable, but more difficult due to the damage you'll be taking

## Stage 3

* Standard level route is identical. You can't see the lasers, but you know where they are anyway. You also want to grab every bit of ammo. I didn't skip any I'd usually get and the only extra I grabbed was from the left guard after chloro skip.
* IMO, Megadron is way more interesting on Hard and probably my favourite Hard boss. I'll share a video of my initial strat later.
* Markusson isn't that different, he just shoots more, but has the same health. Just need to be a bit more careful where you reload.

## Stage 4

* Identical to Easy. Mine skip is more difficult to find, but the same method applies. I did grab the secret next to sleeping guard (and his XP).

## Stage 5

* Everything up to Machine Mike is the same, just you need to be more careful to avoid gunfire
* Machine Mike, same except you can't tank his shots, you will just die. Instead, wait for him to finish his first set of shots and then throw some grenades at him. Dodge his second wave and then finish the fight. You should be able to grab at least one spare grenade from one of the sandbags, could be consistently able to grab two.
* Splash Mike, all happens a lot faster and he has a machine gun that you do need to roll to dodge. Need to have a better crack at this but the same route that includes grabbing the three grenades on the right side should apply.

## Stage 6

* Very similar. The blades don't stop but speed up and don't follow you, easy enough to roll past.
* Second sub room has more mines. It is possible to squeeze between the first one to get to the missile room, but you'll take damage from the roof and you need to be very careful, so not worth it.
* Only need a couple of extra missiles than what you'd get on Easy, so 25+ is recommended
* Couple of extra mines and a second rocket turret that I think you could just ignore
* Hugeel takes the same damage, he just opens his mouth a lot later. Stay further to the left, and fire and move when you see him lunge at you.

## Stage 7

* Oof, this is a tough stage. Route is pretty much the same, though you need to let the boat pass you before opening a container. If the boat comes whilst you're opening it, you're dead.
* Nuke Sub remains the hardest boss in the game. It's still pretty similar, just it fires six missiles instead of two. Having the extra grenades and missiles from Splash Mike helped. The fire craters don't hurt that much, so running across them to have new missiles hit same spots can work. As soon as NS's health hit's 0, the fire craters stop dealing damage.
* Black Thunder is the same, just drops three bombs instead of one, so just need to be careful at that.

## Stage 8

* Almost identical to Easy, thankfully. You can't see the cameras' fields of vision, so you do have to be careful. Wait until it's turned past 90 degrees straight down to move.
* In the final room, your EMGs don't knock the far right camera out long enough to grab the fire extinguisher and reach the door in time, so you do have to throw two.

## Stage 9

* SCAN-DA-NAY-VEE-AN. Say it with me folks. Exterminators will just kill you. Against Scandinavian, you can still dodge their shots.
* If you have no health kits left, I would strongly recommend grabbing some from the room of requirement, which is along the bottom route.
* Top up on EMGs, don't risk it. - Make sure you grab the pistol ammo when you grab the blood bag. Should do this on Easy too, but it becomes even more important here.
* If you have no medkits after healing the doctor, grab one from the box in that room, you need full health for Takuma.
* Red room is fine, just a little tighter particularly with a spider bot in the last room. I got lucky with its position, but a well placed EMG should be good too.
* Slingshot can be useful for the guards after red room.
* Roof is the same, but you might want to go back to dealing with the first room of Floor 3 beforehand.
* Floor 3 remains the toughest set of rooms in the game. There is no room for error with a Japanese Guard, if one sees you, you get an alert, whether or not you take him out quickly. I took the toilet in room 2 for safety, but loading that save will reset the patrol of the first guard in room 3, and it's a long wait.
* MUST potty before room 4, that room is just horrible for RNG.
* Takuma can still be done with the quick swap to rockets, but that isn't enough to finish him. After hitting him with the rocket, roll to the right, swap back to the pistol and finish him. He should throw fans at you which you can easily dodge.
* Remember to load the map save if JP guards were investigating bodies to reset their patrols.
* Rest of run is the same, just ghosts move a lot quicker in the maze. Play it safe and take them out, especially if you have no medkits.

## Stage 10

* As expected, death march does not work. Doesn't matter how many secrets you get, you cannot tank three guards worth of Hard shots in the first room. Instead, put Harris down once the alert triggers, move the edge of the screen and rhythm punch as the guards hit the edge. You should be able to take them all out without getting shot. Same thing at the edge of room 2.
* Stock up on everything; there are more drones so you need more pistol ammo.
* General X phase 1: three drones per wave and the next wave doesn't wait, so if you're not on top if it, you'll be overrun. Skilled player won't have an issue.
* Phase 2: Your EMG doesn't last the whole thing and standing still will get you killed. You might be able to keep swapping back to the EMGs but this would be very tight. I threw one, shot both missiles and then swapped between being to the left and below it to throw grenades, dodging shots.
* Phase 3: identical to Easy, I got him on a single cycle my first try.

Back to UnMetal