Half-Life 2: Episode One Hints

Section 1: Core Containment (ep1_citadel_03)

  • 1 of 9: Move forward into the control area cautiously, watching out for Combine soldiers.
  • 2 of 9: After Alyx opens the door to a side room, go into it and use the recharger while she calls the nearby elevator up to your level.
  • 3 of 9: When it arrives, get inside it and ride it down to the core entry area.
  • 4 of 9: Your task now is to reactivate the containment system so that the core won't blow until you, Alyx, and other resistance members have a chance to evacuate City 17.
  • 5 of 9: There are three core control rooms that you need to visit and activate containment machines in. I have detailed hints for each of them below. (Note that you have to do them in the order listed, and the hints for the second and third ones will pick up where the previous one's hints left off.)
  • 6 of 9: Powering up the third containment machine will have the aggravating side effects of destroying all of your armor and reverting your gravity gun to normal, but that's unavoidable.
  • 7 of 9: Thankfully, going through the newly opened door will get you back to the rooms with Alyx and a recharger.
  • 8 of 9: After Alyx downloads an important Combine message packet and a transmission from Dr. Mossman, follow her to an escape elevator.
  • 9 of 9: When the elevator reaches the bottom of its shaft, get off and move forward to *finally* reach Section 2: Escaping the Citadel.