Alpha Protocol Walkthrough - Marburg's Mansion - Gathering Your Equipment
Introduction
We’re going to start off with nothing after Marburg leaves us to be beaten. After you rough up the guards, you’ll need to pick up your gear and fight your way out of the mansion. This is primarily a combat mission, although stealth players with sufficient stealth abilities or with a lot of skill in silenced pistols can stay fairly quiet for the mission.
Your inventory should have you ready for a full battle. Make sure that you have plenty of ammunition. Note that there are not many fights at range, so an SMG or shotgun will be fine for most of the level. Stealth players will probably want to bring an assault rifle, since it’s the most effective with no skill.
Intel is actually a little special. If you want to have a 100% complete dossier for Marburg, then you have to buy the map for the level. This is the only time that I will tell you to buy a map. Having the map is the only way to unlock the secret tunnel out in the courtyard. You can also buy some information on Deus Vult, so do so.
Getting Your Gear
Well, you don’t have much of an option here. Punch these guards out and ambush the third that rushes in after you pick your handler. Note that your choice won’t really matter. SIE is an option if you know her. Madison isn’t terrible if you’re trying to befriend her. Mina is the standard. I couldn’t really tell a difference to be honest, but why not let Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (SIE) flirt with you for ten minutes. Anyway, move on out to the hallway and watch for a moment. You can just rush the guard and trip the camera alarm. That’s a strategy for combat players with some points in melee and a death wish. The better option is to wait for the guard to switch sides. He won’t be looking down the halls for a few seconds, so you can cross over and enter Marburg’s office.
Check his messages and then look at the balcony doors. You can open up the balcony and move down the outside rails. Do a quick takedown on the guard and then jump back inside the study area. Check for gear and get more equipment from the second balcony, then step out into the hallway. We’re past the annoying checkpoint guard. I suggest you actually go to the left first, sneak past the camera by hugging the wall and then take down the guard watching the cameras. Grabbing your gear willl set off an alarm. We should at least try to prevent the alarm or get rid of an elite guard who’s right next to our hiding place.
Hack the computer to shut down all the cameras in Marburg’s Mansion. Go into the marked side room and get your duffle bag full of gear. You should have your entire inventory reequipped. This also triggers an alarm and three guards. Just stay down and cover the door. Take them out as they enter. If you really have trouble with this, then reload the last checkpoint. You should have your gear, but the guards won’t come after you due to a bug with AI alerts.
Heal at the medicine cabinet and then leave through the only door out.
The Piano Room
Move forward a bit and get ready for an annoying area. The piano area is very difficult to do stealthily without the aid of some stealth abilities. If you can’t turn invisible, then you’ll need some real luck. Note that combat players should still give these a try. It’s nice to save a few bullets and get into a good firing position. Advance and quickly take out the guard in the window. If you have a silenced pistol, see if you can pick off the closest guard. If you can do this stealthily, you’re in good shape. If not, there’s one more option. Move across to the stairs and stick to the pillar. Stealth players will probably use evasion the first time, so wait for it to wear off and then peak out again. You want the guard standing by the exit to see you. He’ll proceed to run up the stairs in a yellow alert. Wait for him to round the corner and do a takedown right as he reaches you. You should be able to pull it off without him going red. If you can do that, then you can probably snipe the remaining guards in peace.
Important Note: Grab the briefcase by the piano. It’s sitting next to a chair next to the piano. This is a piece of intel on Madison Saint James. If you want to learn her big secret, then you have to get this piece of Intel (and another piece at the ruins…but we’ll get to that in a minute).
Balcony and Game Room
Leave and enter the strange…gallery. Walk forward a bit until you come out on a balcony. Once again, stealth players will have a lot of problems with this level. If you can get lucky with silenced shots, then it’s possible. Otherwise, be ready for a gunfight. The good news is that while there isn’t a lot of cover for movement, the flowerbeds and statues make for excellent firing positions. Try to shoot or get a quick takedown on the closest guard when he walks up to the balcony itself. Turn to the left and just try to start working your way through the guards. There is one autoturret guarding the exit. If you stick to the far left you can either shoot it from cover or sneak past.
Go through the glass doors and walk up to the next door. Your handler will warn you that it’s the game room. It’s basically impossible to do this quietly. A stealth player with Silent Running and both invisibility powers can probably rip apart the middle of the room, since the guards are very close together. Unfortunately, this means that any takedowns or silent shots will be spotted. The men upstairs aren’t a huge concern. If you get into a firefight, just clear out the guards on the floor first. Stick to a pillar and be ready to move to the other side of it if you get flanked. One guard should rush through the double doors on the ground to crash the party. Watch for him. The two or three guards upstairs will usually just watch the stairs. If you can creep up on them, you can probably just melee them or take them out with close shots.
The good news is that once the room is cleared, you’re basically home free. First things first, check the bar. Rob the safe and then go up the stairs. Walk around the lobby up here to get two briefcases. They have some cash and Halbech intel in them. Go through the double doors up here first to prep the courtyard.
Clearing the Courtyard
There’s a sniper covering the courtyard exit and it’s a good idea to take him out now. Do a takedown and then move to the middle window. There should be a sniper rifle here. Use it to take out the guards in the courtyard. They tend to stick to the middle or take up stationary positions. Clear the courtyard from this good cover position to make your escape much easier.
Backtrack to the game room and go through the double doors on the bottom. You can also shut off the alarm again if you want. Walk forward and watch for the door on the right. The guard might come out if he hears you. If not, go inside and take down the security desk guard. Pick up all the data disks and hack the computer. This will shut down the autoturrets in the courtyard and also give you a second piece of Intel on Marburg and Deus Vult. Walk out further and approach the autoturret. It shouldn’t fire on you. Walk forward but look for a garden hose on the right wall. You can use this hose to open a secret tunnel in Marburg’s mansion. Pick up the intel and ammo in here to get the final piece of intel on Marburg. You’ll also learn about Alan Parker’s secret fact.
Just leave and walk out the main gate to escape. You should be home free.
This post is part of the series: Alpha Protocol Walkthrough - Rome
Rome is one of the three major quest hubs for Alpha Protocol. This section of the larger Alpha Protocol Walkthrough will cover all of the difficult missions in Rome, such as the CIA Listening Post, Marburg’s Mansion, the Ruins, the Warehouse and the Museum. If you need any help, look here.
