Half-Life 2 Walkthrough - Chapter 11: Follow Freeman - Gunships and Sky Bridges

Half-Life 2 Walkthrough - Chapter 11: Follow Freeman - Gunships and Sky Bridges
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Reaching the Roof

Go through the nearest downed forcefield and equip your submachine gun. Then use the alternative fire to launch some grenades at the four Combine on the floor. Try to kill the elite as quickly as possible. Go along the balcony and take up a position on the stairs overlooking the exit hallway. Another wave of about six Combine is coming. Use the AR2 to take them out. You might want to use the alternative fire to speed things up if you are wounded. The elites usually drop a replacement anyway.

Go through the cleared hallway, but use the gravity gun to pick up the three hoppers spread throughout the hall. Then use the two chargers to refill your suit energy and your health. Go to the security console ahead and then let Barney open the gate to the roof. Head upstairs and watch out for a turret about halfway up. I suggest you just sprint up the stairs and use the gravity gun. It shouldn’t even have time to activate if you are fast enough. Keep going up and then kill the two Combine on the upper levels. The shotgun is just right for this short range. Then exit to the roof.

Use the AR2 to take out the three Combine on the first part of the roof. Make a note of the box of rockets near the entrance. Then kill the elite and lone solider on the other side of the roof. Go over to the closed gate by the two chargers and wait for the music to change and the gunship to swing in over the horizon. Say goodbye to your squad, since they are effectively cannon fodder for the time being.

Clearing the Roof

Run back to the first box of rockets and make a note of the ample cover. The container and the rocket box will provide cover from three directions and the nearby air conditioner on the roof will give you cover from behind. That’s more than enough to kill this gunship. It will usually make clockwise circles around the rooftop. The best time to fire is when it’s over the courtyard, since it will usually focus on supporting the striders below. Score five good shots without getting killed and you’re done. Grab more rockets and go back to the locked gate.

Half-Life 2 - A Downed Gunship is a Beautiful Sight

Heal up as best as you can while you wait for a dropship to leave three Combine on the other side of the gate. Stay behind cover to avoid it’s minigun fire. The Combine will open the gate as part of a counterattack in a minute. Make sure you grab one of the hoppers and leave it as a gift. Go onto the next rooftop and go to the locked gate by the bridge. Press the button to start the extension. Just stay crouched for now and break open the supply crates nearby. You should get a full squad with AR2s about this time, so the eventual assault won’t be too tough. Once the gate opens, the Combine in the last guardhouse will start charging.

This appears to be a fairly aggressive spawn point. I believe I killed roughly 15 Combine and 4 elites in my assault. There’s no real secret. Just cross the bridge and hit them with everything that you have. Try to send an energy ball from the AR2 through the door or the window. It should bounce around and vaporize most of them. Also use the crossbow, the rockets, and just about anything else you have to punch through and get past the point. Start going down the steps once you break through.

Crossing the Courtyard

A rebel will approach once you reach the bottom. It seems that you’ll need to fight your way across the courtyard again and kill the four striders harassing the rebels. There’s no true strategy that’s perfect, since the striders are using their AI to pick targets depending on the flow of the battle. You’ll need a mixture of luck and skill. Your goal is ultimately to get to the box of rockets on the other side of the courtyard. The rockets are in a good position with lots of cover to aid in your fight against those striders. That said, it is a little random. I’ve seen the rebels basically knock out 2 striders on their own while I was crossing. I’ve also seem them all get killed in the first minute.

Half-Life 2 - These Striders in the Courtyard Will Rip You Apart in Minutes

Regardless, go forward and take cover behind that outcropping with the ladder. Use it for cover and get three solid shots on the first strider. Then wait until it fires at any of the other rebels and run for the bank’s main steps. You can use the disabled Combine troop carrier if you need more cover on the way. At the top of the steps, there may be dead rebels with their rocket launcher. If they’re already dead, then pick up their rocket launchers and try to take out the first strider. If they are still alive then you should probably just run past them. It’s not worth waiting for them to die. Your goal is to drop into the crater at the bottom of the steps and get into the pipe. Wait here until the strider directly above the pipe’s exit isn’t looking.

You need to burst out and run to the bunker in the center of the courtyard. Go out and in between it’s legs. Then turn around and go up the incline. The bunker is on the right. There are always dead rebels in here with several rocket launchers. Use the cover of the bunker and the supply of rockets to try and kill the strider that was watching over the pipe. Be careful, since it can use its heavy cannon to blow pieces of the bunker away. When it’s dead or after you’re out of rockets, get ready to make the last run.

Taking Out the Striders

You need to go a bit past the blue container to get to the box of rockets. There isn’t a perfect way. The rebels should be in full force on the balcony to cover you though. Run past the container and go behind the wall of rubble to the left. The box is in clear view below. The rebels above should also drop a whole bunch of supplies down when you reach the box. Kill any of the remaining striders from this position of cover. You should be able to duck out and fire at the striders from behind. If you start to take fire, then just take cover behind the rubble. If you moved quickly, then they should still be fighting all of the rebels. Just keep firing until they all go down.

Look past the blue container to see the end of the street. A gate will open and more Combine will start coming out. Feel free to use the rockets against them while you still have an infinite source. Once you thin out the wave of five that come, charge in and kill the remaining few with your magnum or the crowbar. Once you get past the shields, look to the left for a stairway down to another area.

This post is part of the series: Half-Life 2 Walkthrough - Chapter 11: Follow Freeman

The final part of the battle for City 17 is in action. You’ll have to regroup with Barney, get past some snipers, raid an enemy stronghold, and get into a huge battle with striders as you rush to the Citadel. If you need any help with your fight against the Combine, then look here.

  1. Half-Life 2 - Chapter 11: Follow Freeman - Table of Contents
  2. Half-Life 2 Walkthrough - Chapter 11: Follow Freeman - Snipers and Suppressors
  3. Half-Life 2 Walkthrough - Chapter 11: Follow Freeman - One Big Raid
  4. Half-Life 2 Walkthrough - Chapter 11: Follow Freeman - We Will Fight Them on the Rooftops
  5. Half-Life 2 Walkthrough - Chapter 11: Follow Freeman - To The Horse