Half-Life 2 Anniversary Game Guide

Chapter 1. Arrival

Train Station

We are spoken to by G-man, a mysterious character who hired us at the end of the first Half Life. The protagonist, Gordon Freeman, has been in a state of suspended animation for decades after the events at Black Mesa, and now he is being awakened to carry out a new important task.

We wake up in a train car and exit at "City 17." Here, we witness people being subdued by humanoid creatures in masks. A large screen displays Doctor Wallace Breen, who has been appointed head among humans by the alien invaders.

We pass through the left turnstile and continue along the gridded corridor. At a fork, the guards stop us; one leads us into a side corridor, which turns out to be an interrogation room. Alone with the guard, we realize this is a disguised Barney Calhoun, who we know from Black Mesa (and is also the main character from the "Half Life: Blue Shift" expansion). Through video communication, we see Doctor Isaac Kleiner, who offers to transport us to a safe location—his laboratory. Barney opens the back door to hide us from the guards.

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In the storage room, we climb up to the second floor. We pick up any box (pressing the "E" key to lift or drop the object), place it under the left open window, and jump out the window onto the street. After that, we open the door by pressing the same "E" key and enter inside.

City

We climb into the hall. The entrance is blocked by a guard, who throws a can and orders us to pick it up.

Defiant Achievement

Throw the can at the guard.

We save our progress here to complete both achievements at once. We pick up the can and throw it at the guard; after that, he begins to chase us with a baton.

Submissive Achievement

Place the can in the trash can.

We load the save, pick up the can, and throw it into the bin in front of the guard, after which he lets us pass.

We continue through a couple of halls and exit onto a square in front of the station. Moving down the right street, we see a checkpoint, armored vehicles, and a walking robot ahead. In the right alley, we climb the stairs, jump over the fence, and enter the courtyard. Two guards are standing at the far door, so we go through the open left door.

Multi-Story Building

Inside the building, we go up to the third floor and wait for the guards to break into the neighboring room and clear the corridor. We walk to the opposite staircase and ascend to the fourth floor. Here, the guards receive radio confirmation that we are an unregistered person and will actively try to catch us. A resident advises us to escape via the rooftops. We run to the next staircase and go out onto the attic on the fifth floor.

Rooftop Escape

On the attic, we quickly exit through a hole before the guards start shooting at us. We climb up a slanted board and run along the right wall on the rooftops' parapet. Upon reaching a white roof, we jump into an open window.

Malcontent Achievement

Escape from the raid sweeping the building.

This is a narrative achievement.

We descend to the floor, but immediately get ambushed, with enemies stunning us with batons. The Combine guards are neutralized by a girl named Alyx Vance—the daughter of Professor Eli Vance. Together with her, we descend in the elevator, and she leads us through a secret entrance to the laboratory.

Secret (1/45) is disguised as a vending machine for soda, next to which is the "Lambda" symbol (the symbol denoting the most important secrets in the game). This secret is part of the narrative, but subsequent secrets need to be found independently.

Chapter 2. A Great Day

Kleiner's Laboratory

Kleiner, Alyx, and Barney decide to send us further—to Eli’s laboratory in "Black Mesa East"—but not the usual way, instead, they plan to use a teleport.

Barney gives us a new research suit, the "Mark V Hazardous Environment Suit," which activates our health indicator. Meanwhile, in the laboratory, is Kleiner's pet— a headcrab named Lamar.

What Cat? Achievement

Break the mini-portal in Kleiner's laboratory.

In the laboratory, there is a small training teleportation device with a test cactus inside. We need to press the button on the right teleport about ten times, after which it breaks, and the pot with the cactus disappears into oblivion.

To the left of the entrance, there is a system with many monitors. By pressing the button on one of them, we see G-man standing in front of a grate.

The professor opens the door to the adjacent room. To the left of the door, behind a column, hangs an energy restoration panel for the suit—we can get +25 armor.

Teleport

In the next room, we communicate via video with Eli and await the teleportation moment to him. During the process, Alyx pulls a cable on the right; we need to lift it and put it back into the socket. When the glass on the same panel on the right rises, we turn the lever.

During the teleportation, the process is interrupted by a bursting headcrab. We find ourselves in several places: with Eli, with Kleiner, with the Supreme Overlord Doctor Breen, in water with a shark, and for the second time in Breen's office, where he talks with aliens and recognizes us. Eventually, the teleport throws us out of the laboratory window.

Railway Tracks

We walk along the substation next to the right wall. We try to pass through a locked door and observe as hundreds of flying scanners fly out from the main citadel. Barney from above tosses us a crowbar and advises us to descend into the old canals.

Trusty Hardware Achievement

Obtain the crowbar.

This is a narrative achievement.

Using the crowbar, we break the boarded-up planks on the door and descend onto the railway tracks. We hear a shot from the right, meaning the Combine is nearby; we quickly run to the left, jump into a carriage, and break the crates in our way.

We wait for a train to pass right, and hiding behind it, we go in the same direction. We bypass one carriage, turn left, enter the carriage with a staircase, climb to the roof, jump onto the neighboring carriage on the left, and fall to the ground beyond the fence.

We move forward and find a medkit behind a column. We break through the wooden planks and descend into the underground tunnel. We turn on the flashlight on the suit by pressing the "F" key.

Chapter 3. Through the Canals

Railway Tracks

At the wall-mounted medkit, we restore our health. Around the corner, we see two Combine soldiers trying to kill a civilian. We rush in, hit both with a crowbar, and pick up a pistol.

We ascend the stairs, killing two more Combine soldiers on the way (it is recommended to aim for the head for added damage).

Approaching the stairs downward, we wait for a train to arrive and stop, then we jump to the opposite platform. Enemies with pistols will start appearing; we shoot at them but, even better, shoot the red barrels next to them. After breaking down the boards at the entrance, we enter the house.

Secret (2/45): Inside the roofless house, we see the "Lambda" sign on the left wall, and beneath the sign lie a medkit and ammunition.

In the next room, we blow up the barrels at the entrance. In the backyard, we go left, jump over the bent part of the fence, and approach the red hangar. Here is another narrative secret (3/45)—we need to crawl into a ventilation shaft located inside, where we find a medkit and ammo.

On the other side, we drop down onto the railway track. Ahead are red barrels—we blow them up. Around the corner, a barrel falls directly on us, so we quickly step aside. We kill three enemies on the stairs. We head up, pushing or breaking the crates in our way.

We drop down onto the railway track on the other side of the energy field. From small crates, we can extract ammunition. Combine soldiers run left and right, so we quickly dash onto the narrow walkway on the right and jump into the water. We swim through the canal, and if needed, we dive to the bottom. As soon as we reach the red container, we climb it using the stairs and enter the resistance's checkpoint—a person addresses us, and on the television screen, we can see G-man. The person lets us pass further into the canals.

Old Canals

We break through the wooden barrier, and beyond it, we see a barnacle—a stationary monster on the ceiling that can catch us with its tongue, but if we do not disturb it, it will not harm us.

 

We exit onto the intersection of canals, where the Combine is shooting at local residents. We kill an enemy in the tunnel to the right and another one located on the opposite wall. There is a mounted gun installation on the right, so when we turn in, we quickly hide behind the crates, enter the tunnel, and reach the mounted gun from behind to take out enemies. However, when a Combine APC approaches from above, we retreat down the right walkway.

Secret (4/45): At the entrance to the left tunnel, we see the "Lambda" symbol on the wall; we crawl over the roof of a red car, working our way left, and find two medkits in a crate.

We continue through the dark tunnel where barnacles hang from the ceiling. We can throw objects to distract them. We crawl through two round tunnels and end up in a flooded room. As soon as we enter, red barrels will be dropped from above. We need to swim far away from them or dive to the bottom to avoid explosives. We pass through the broken grate.

We walk on the ground, killing a few more enemies. We encounter a cluster of enemies on the bridge; we explode the barrels below, and all enemies are blown up. Behind the bridge, we crawl into a tunnel with a slippery floor and barnacles on the ceiling.

Barnacle Bowling Achievement

Kill five barnacles with one barrel.

In the slippery tunnel during the second passage, we drop a barrel so it falls on a group of barnacles. When they lift the barrel, we shoot it several times, causing it to explode and kill over five barnacles.

In the next canal, barrels are dropped on us from above, and gunfire begins. The best course of action is to swim underwater. We climb over the metal grate using the stairs to the right. In the next section, we swim to the surface, climb onto an inclined wooden platform, shoot at all enemies, and leap to the entrance of a round tunnel.

Upon seeing a helicopter, we run left at the fork, then return to the center via the walkway and enter through the blue door.

Secret (5/45): Inside, under the grating floor, we see the "Lambda" symbol. We go down the right ladder and find two medkits and armor.

We move further. In the left corner, we can crawl under the wall, where we will find three more medkits. We head right along inclined platforms where barnacles have settled. We drop barrels to blow up the monsters. We exit outdoors and flee left into a corridor lined with pipes.

Attack by Manhacks

Inside the room, we meet a rebel who opens the door, and at that moment, enemy manhacks—flying drones with circular saws—invade the room. We need to fight them off. On the second floor, we can find crates with ammo and armor. We continue down the tunnel, shooting at the drones through the mesh door, and only then do we open it.

Around the corner, we find incendiary barrels and manhacks. We pull one barrel back so it is visible from around the corner, step back to a safe distance, and blow it up. We go out into the street, and in the room on the right, we can find medkits and ammo.

We quickly run through the open area as it is well exposed to enemy fire and close the doors behind us to keep the manhacks from flying inside.

Secret: In the sewers, on the other side near a red light, we see a ventilation hatch. We break the lid and climb inside. In this room, there are a medkit, armor, and ammo in the crates.

 

Secret: We descend into the sewers, where we see a low tunnel closed with a barrel on the right. We crawl inside and at the end break a crate; a zombie with a headcrab will emerge from it. We kill it and find a medkit and a grenade.

As we make our way through the main sewer tunnel, Combine soldiers will start jumping down from above. We take them out and pick up a submachine gun. We reach a section with a spinning mixer. We dive underwater, locate a submerged tunnel on the left, and swim towards the exit.

When we come up for air, we walk along a large pipe. Around the corner on the left is a barnacle, and ahead are two Combine soldiers. We climb up onto the pipe in the open area and run back along it, avoiding steam bursts. We reach a dead end, and to the right, we break boards and jump down.

Secret (6/45): Near the wooden boards, we discover the "Lambda" symbol. After dropping down, we proceed along the pipe, turn right into a dead end, and collect medkits and ammo.

After this, we jump down and crawl into the low tunnel to the right of the grate. We swim through to the surface. Ahead, barrels are dropped on us from a truck; we blow them up before they can reach us. We kill the jumping enemies and continue down the corridor. In the side dead ends, we can find ammo. Finally, we arrive at a room with a red lamp, break the ventilation grate, sit down, and jump into the hatch.

Water Reservoirs

We enter a large hall filled with red barrels. Immediately, we are attacked by manhacks. Blowing up the barrels ourselves is dangerous, as we might be caught in the explosion. Therefore, we first descend the stairs into the water, then start shooting at the barrels, killing the remaining drones. After that, we need to solve a small puzzle to exit this room.

We climb back up the same staircase to the top, crawl onto a pipe, and reach the balcony on the second floor. We move to the adjacent room, carefully descend the pipes, and turn the red valve. This raises the water level in both rooms.

We return to the first hall, descend the stairs into the water, swim through a large round pipe, and find ourselves in a closed-off area of the second hall.

We dive to the bottom of the second room, break down boards and crates to cause wooden drums to float.

We surface and jump across to the other side using the floating drums, then exit from there.

Infected Canals

Now we are in the canals under the open sky. We climb the stairs and jump into the water. There’s a dead end to the right, so we go left and kill two special forces. We climb into the corridor via a barrel. Ahead, two barnacles in the dead end guard some armor and ammo. We enter a round room and ascend to the second floor.

Secret (7/45): On the second floor in the round room, we go to the end; the boards might fall, so be careful. In the dead end, we find a medkit and ammo.

We drop down to the second part of the room. We reach a room where a puddle of radiation exists on the floor; we must avoid getting too close.

 

Secret (8/45): At the first puddle of radiation, we climb onto the left elevation, move right along the pipes, and find a medkit and ammo near a corpse.

We arrive at a blockade. A rebel has a weapons crate from which we can infinitely extract ammo.

Attack by Headcrabs

Missiles begin to fall on us, and headcrabs emerge from them. We navigate through a winding path, defending ourselves against the small monsters. They attack by jumping on us, so it is better to kill them from a distance. However, if they get too close, we can take them out with a crowbar in one hit.

The electrical current reaches a red container, and we pass through it without touching the walls. We also kill the zombies that emerge from the rebels with headcrabs on their heads.

We proceed across the boards into an hangar, where a girl fuels up our hovercraft. We hop in and set off across the water.

Anchor Down Achievement

Obtain the hovercraft.

This is a narrative achievement.

The first barrier on our path is opened by the girl. The second barrier after the lake opens automatically when we turn the valve at the top right. We navigate through narrow channels.

Chapter 4. Water Hazard

Secret (9/45)

Before emerging outside, we find the "Lambda." We disembark from the hovercraft, ascend the stairs, and collect ammo from the stash.

Secret

While still inside, we can take a look through binoculars and spot G-man standing on the second floor of the red barn. However, he will vanish when we approach.

Secret (10/45)

We enter the red building, kill two zombies and headcrabs, and then climb up to the roof. We crawl across the beams to reach the attic; here, we need to hit the barrel from under the rope spool, causing it to unravel and drop the suspended load into the water. We go back down, find fallen crates, and collect armor, a medkit, and ammo from them.

Jumps

We cross the lake, gain speed, and leap over the dam using the wooden ramp. A rebel drops ammo for us from above. Ahead is the second ramp, but it is submerged. We head to the left tunnel marked with a "Lambda" sign. Upon exiting the tunnel, we drop two blue barrels into the water. These empty barrels do not sink, so we move them all into the net underwater to raise the ramp to the desired height. We board the hovercraft, accelerate, and jump across.

Suddenly, an Alliance airship flies overhead, dropping three Combine soldiers in our path. We can simply drive through and crush the enemies.

Secret (11/45)

At the spot where the first soldiers are dropped, there are three pipes on the right wall. We can enter the far pipe, but it is too high, so we first need to bring a neighboring barrel over and jump on it. We pass through the pipe, kill zombies, and find ammo and a medkit.

 

Ahead are enemies on the platform: we can go under them and knock down all the supports to drop the enemies into the water. We accelerate and jump over the barrier on the ramp to the left wall.

Lock

We knock down another platform with a soldier on it. Ahead is the closed lock; to exit, we disembark from the hovercraft and ascend the stairs to the right, entering through a white door. In the left interrogation room, there are ammo and grenades; in the second room, there are two armors. In the hangar behind the armored vehicles, we encounter Combine soldiers. Nearby is a chest with infinite grenades, so we'll want to make good use of them.

We step outside, where a machine gun post greets us. We hide behind cover and toss a grenade behind the machine gunner. Inside the next room are a few more soldiers. We pass through another door and find ourselves at the control bridge of the locks. The valve is broken, so we open the locks another way. To the right, behind the grate, we blow up red barrels; the mass collapses, breaking the lock gates.

We return to the hovercraft. The alarm is triggered, and now we face dozens of enemies blocking our path. We destroy them using the machine gun, throwing grenades at the enemy gunners.

We continue our journey, with armored transporters shooting rockets ahead, and Special Forces descending under each bridge. We pass through this area as quickly as possible.

Secret (12/45)

We find a dip under the second armored transporter. There is a broken section of the grate behind which are crates of ammo. As we exit, we encounter an ambush of two Combine soldiers.

On the path, we confront a fiery barrier; we accelerate and jump over it on the ramp at the right wall.

Gate 5

Secret (13/45)

We find ourselves in the canals beneath a roof; at the second column, we see the "Lambda" with a suspended basket. Nearby on the ground is a second basket from which we extract bricks. This action raises the second basket and lowers the first, allowing us to collect rewards from it.

We emerge into open space; ahead of us is "Gate 5," and a combat helicopter is pursuing us. We swim to the right, navigate under a canopy, knock off the lock from the door, and enter. In the room, we find new weapons—a revolver on the table. Three soldiers will rush in, and we can kill them with single headshots.

We make our way up. On higher difficulties, helicopters are a serious threat, so we must act cautiously. They fire bursts; we wait for the bursts to end and run between cover during the quiet moments. On the surface, we run between containers and enter the "Tech" building.

Inside, we quickly hide in one of the containers from the Combine's gunfire. Gradually, we eliminate all enemies inside. We ascend to the second floor, jumping from the roofs of the containers to the other side. In the hallway, we turn right. We burst out onto the street and quickly make our way across the walkway to the ladder in the watchtower.

In the tower, we kill two enemies, sit behind the machine gun, and take down the helicopter, which manages to fly away from us. We press a button on the control panel; this opens the sluice gate. We leap into the water, board the hovercraft, and continue on our journey.

We turn right in the docks. A new helicopter arrives, and it not only shoots from its machine gun but also drops mines directly in front of us. We navigate a winding course and enter the tunnel.

Secret (14/45)

We pause beneath the railroad bridge. We head into a dead end on the right, where we find several crates with medkits and ammo.

Racing with the Helicopter

We navigate through the sandy channels. At the right entrance of the tunnel, there are two armors in the dead end. We enter the concrete ring tunnel with contaminated water.

Secret (15/45)

We proceed into a square hall. On the left wall, high up, is a wooden bridge. We knock out its support, causing boxes to drop down, and then we collect the ammo.

We move along the concrete rings above without falling; otherwise, we will have to backtrack. We continue through the channels in the industrial area.

Secret (16/45)

When passing through a narrow channel between two red factories, we spot an alley on the left. We disembark the hovercraft, climb up, and find ammo in boxes at the dead end.

Secret (17/45)

After passing through a narrow channel by the factories, we turn left. The path goes straight ahead, but on the left, there are two high tunnels. We enter the far square tunnel with a run-up. Inside we find medkits and ammo.

We keep moving until we reach a spot with containers and a large crane overhead. We accelerate along the right side of the road and enter the upper level of the docks. Inside the building, we find a health and armor panel, and in the corner, there are ammo boxes.

We exit through the open gates. Rocket fire starts raining down, and one of the rockets destroys a factory pipe. We traverse the central section of the pipes as if using a ramp. We enter a tunnel.

Dead End with the Ramp

Ahead, we encounter a dead end where we find a zombie behind some boards. To the right is a ramp, but first, we need to lift it. To do this, we perform a few actions:

Press the lever to remove the lift's blockage.

In the dead end, climb the stairs on the left wall and jump onto the platform, making our way to the second floor above the lift. From above, we drop a washing machine into the lift shaft: it will act as a counterweight and raise the ramp. After this, we accelerate and drive out.

We approach an intermediate rebel base. We enter a room with maps, where we examine our next route. Meanwhile, an alien Vortigaunt will install a machine gun on our hovercraft.

Heavy Weapons Achievement

Obtain the machine gun for the hovercraft.

This is a narrative achievement.

 

Hovercraft with Machine Gun

We enter the open space and immediately take down the annoying helicopter. After that, we can continue our journey without worry. We are caught in a trap between two closing barriers, so we take out the appearing soldiers. We drive up onto a raised platform, where we can enter a room containing a large supply of medkits and ammunition.

Next, we face armored transports armed with rockets; we can also eliminate them using the machine gun. We push through the canals and find ourselves in an industrial area. Ahead, we see a transport ship flying overhead, with barnacles hanging down in front of us.

Secret

We stop near two barnacles. Looking through the binoculars at the second platform ahead, we can see G-man standing on it, but he disappears when we approach.

Secret (18/45)

At the final fork, we head into the dead end on the right where we find overturned vehicles. We climb to the second floor and find ammo in boxes.

At the fork, we choose the left path. We climb a slope where barrels with flammable substances are dropped. We turn from the other side and enter the tunnel.

Ship Graveyard

We arrive at a dead end filled with ships. In the first container, we find ammo and armor. Two gunboats are shooting at us from above, and we can destroy them. Ahead, under the wall, there's the second container. We need to exit next to it, approach from the other side, and blow up the barrels inside. After that, we can cross the container in the hovercraft. We pass under the supports and jump from the ramp into the upper pipe with a boost.

We find ourselves on the open shore, where many bonus crates await. Under the concrete circle, there are many armors and medkits. A helicopter will come and begin to attack us. While it drops mines, we follow it and open fire. If the helicopter starts shooting with its machine gun, we avoid its trajectory. After several assaults, we completely destroy the flying vehicle.

Revenge Achievement

Destroy the helicopter in Half-Life 2.

This is a narrative achievement.

Port 5

We head towards the gates on the left, turn the valve at the top, and enter inside.

Vorticough Achievement

Find the cave with the singing Vortigaunt in the chapter "Water Hazard."

We move through the water towards a dead end with two pipes above. The grate on the left pipe is slightly opened. We need to bring over two barrels and climb on top of them. Inside the pipe is radioactive water, so we pass through while staying close to the edge to receive less damage. We enter a cave where a Vortigaunt is cooking headcrabs over a fire while singing. Nearby, there are plenty of crates containing medkits.

We take the hovercraft over the ramp and climb up. We kill two Combine soldiers outside and head toward the entrance of the hangar. Inside, there are two more enemies, a weapons stash, and health and armor panels.

Secret

Around the corner of the hangar, if we use the binoculars, we can spot G-man quickly disappearing as soon as we look at him.

We cross the bridge to the neighboring building and jump down onto the dam. We press the lever on the control panel to open one of the sluices in the dam.

We return to the hovercraft, gain speed, and enter the newly opened passageway. We sail to the building with the "Lambda" symbol—this is the narrative secret (19/45)—the entrance to a secret laboratory.

Chapter 5. Black Mesa East

As we enter, Doctor Judith Mossman greets us. She leads us to Professor Eli. A little later, Alyx arrives, and after a small internal conflict, we head out to the testing ground with her, where we obtain the gravity gun.

Zero-Point Energy Achievement

Obtain the gravity gun in Black Mesa East.

This is a narrative achievement.

The gravity gun allows us to push (left mouse button) or pull (right mouse button) various objects. We can throw (left mouse button) or carefully place (right mouse button) items. Alyx will ask us to pull down some barrels from the upper floor on the left.

Blast from the Past Achievement

Find the suit's face shield on Eli's junkyard.

In the place where we pulled the barrels, we construct a staircase from the objects to reach the top. At the top, behind a box, we find the armor replenishment panel from the first Half Life.

After that, we head to the area to play with the mechanical dog. First, we catch the thrown crates, and then we receive a ball we can just have fun with.

Two Points Achievement

Throw the ball into the basketball hoop at Eli's junkyard.

After receiving the ball, we try to throw it into the basketball hoop located on top. This can only be done from a distance, so we must position ourselves near the opposite wall.

Flushed Achievement

Kill an enemy with a toilet.

When the alarm goes off, we quickly run back, opening the mesh gates. To the left, in the nearest mesh box, there is a toilet. We take it with the gravity gun and return to the testing area, tossing the toilet at the headcrab emerging from the rocket.

Suddenly, the Alliance forces attack us, with rockets releasing headcrabs and various other enemies. Together with Alyx and the dog, we head back to the laboratory. The path is blocked, so Alyx sends us through the abandoned mine towards Ravenholm. We break the lock on the grid at the staircase and head upwards.