Half-Life 2 Hints

How do I use the huge magnetic crane?

  • 1 of 9: Climb up the long ladder that leads to the crane's upper platform, then find the short ladder that takes you into its control room.
  • 2 of 9: When you enter the control room, you'll automatically be put in crane operator mode.
  • 3 of 9: Use the A and D keys to swing the crane left and right, and W and S to extend and retract the crane arm.
  • 4 of 9: Use those four keys to get the crane's giant magnet into position directly over the metal item you want to pick up, then press the Fire key (mouse button) to try to pick the item up.
  • 5 of 9: Use the shadow that the magnet makes on the ground to help determine whether you're over the item or not.
  • 6 of 9: You can pick up all kinds of metal things with the crane, including the big metal containers that are lying around.
  • 7 of 9: Once you have the item you want to move, use W, A, S, and D again to position the crane over the area where you want to drop the item, then press Fire again to drop it.
  • 8 of 9: NOTE: You can drop an item while the crane is still swinging along in order to "throw" it. This can be useful if you're wanting to use large containers to smash enemy soldiers.
  • 9 of 9: Finally, press the "Use item" key to exit the crane control room when you're done using it.