Half-Life 2 Hints

General Strategies

• 1 of 11: It's quite awhile before you can get a weapon that has a zoom scope on it, but anytime after you get your HEV suit, you can use the "Suit Zoom" key (Z on the PC) to simulate binoculars. This is good for examining the fine details of the terrain ahead (spotting an ambush, for instance), but you unfortunately can't fire any weapons while in zoom mode (except vehicle-mounted weapons).
• 2 of 11: One of the most commonly used strategies for this kind of game is to quickly and recklessly run through a new, unexplored area right after saving your game, and then restore your save and approach the same area with your new knowledge of its layout and where all the enemies are hiding. This allows you to minimize injuries and ammo consumption while clearing out the area (or just running through it if that turns out to work).
• 3 of 11: In this game, your ability to use the "Use item" key to move objects around is greatly enhanced. In the original Half-Life, all you could do was push something along by walking against it, hitting the "Use item" key for a bit of an extra shove. Now you can pick most smallish items up ("Use item" key), carry them around, throw them (Primary Fire key), or set them down gently (Secondary Fire key). It's even possible to stack items by lifting the second item up and over the first one and then gently setting it down. Building impromptu "staircases" this way can often be useful in getting past obstacles that you can't jump over or go around.
• 4 of 11: Once you get the gravity gun, you have even more power in doing the above-mentioned moving and stacking of items. One of the main advantages of using the gravity gun to move items around is that you can grab onto items that are out of reach otherwise. Also, it can pick up some items that are too heavy for you to pick up normally.
• 5 of 11: If you ever want to set something upright that's fallen over, you can as long as you're able to pick up the item. For instance, you may want to use an upright barrel to help you jump to an otherwise-inaccessible area, but all of the nearby barrels have been knocked over. Well, pick up a knocked-over barrel while standing and looking at one end of it (not the middle), then lift it up and drop it so that one end of it hits against a railing or table or something like that, and the other end hits the floor. If that doesn't totally straighten it up, try picking it up and then dropping it while holding it against a wall. (Once you have the gravity gun, you can pick up something from its bottom, hold it up almost directly above you to straighten it up, then drop it and grab it again before it hits the floor. Note that this maneuver requires a fairly high ceiling.)
• 6 of 11: Half-Life 2 is fairly linear in nature, like most games of its type, but it does often allow you to backtrack a long ways, even back into areas from previous chapters. This can be very useful in many situations, especially when you get torn up bad in a big combat and there's no health or armor items around. If you don't want to risk going on ahead to find supplies, backtrack to where you left some behind because you didn't need them earlier.
• 7 of 11: You can pick up and carry lots of useful items, including health kits, armor batteries, and ammo boxes. When you come across one you don't need yet, you could leave it where it is and come back later for it (if possible), but why not pick it up and carry it with you so you'll have it when you need it? This can be used in some specific cases to stockpile items in a strategic location prior to a major combat.
• 8 of 11: Throughout the game, look for spray-painted lambda logos, which can appear in a wide variety of places. These usually mark a nearby stash of supplies or other type of secret area. Not all secret areas are marked with this logo, but a great many are.
• 9 of 11: When you're running along, you can move faster by jumping constantly. Try to jump again right after landing from the previous jump. You'll find that you move noticeably faster than when you're just running normally. (This can also work with the HEV suit's sprint feature.)
• 10 of 11: As in the old game, drown damage is restored once you surface and start breathing again. Also, your HEV suit's auxiliary power will keep you breathing underwater for awhile, and you don't start drowning immediately after it runs out. All this together should make dying from drowning a very rare occurrence.
• 11 of 11: If you ever have trouble climbing any of the ladders in the game, try moving back from them just a little, aiming at some part of them, and hitting the "Use item" key. That's usually not necessary, but it sometimes can help (especially if you're trying to get onto a long ladder that goes down, and you don't want to risk falling).

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